China firmly supports Zimbabwe in opposing external interference: spokesman

China firmly supports Zimbabwe in opposing external interference and keeping to its own development path, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a press briefing in Beijing on Thursday.

October 25 marks the Anti-Sanctions Day established by the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Zimbabwe hosts events in celebration of the anniversary of the Day and calls for the unconditional removal of illegal and unjust sanctions imposed on the country by the West as soon as possible.

"The 39th SADC Summit in 2019 named October 25 the Anti-Sanctions Day and called on the U.S. and individual Western countries and organizations to remove illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe. China supports Zimbabwe in hosting the commemorative events of the anniversary of the Day," said Guo.

"A few Western countries have illegally sanctioned Zimbabwe for decades. This typical act of hegemonism severely undermines Zimbabwe's national sovereignty, infringes on Zimbabwean people's right of development, disrupts the effort of Southern Africa to deepen cooperation and pursue common development, and harms international fairness and justice. China, as always, firmly supports Zimbabwe in opposing external interference and keeping to its own development path. China stands ready to work with African countries and the international community to help Zimbabwe defend its independence and sovereignty, uphold stability and achieve development. We once again urge the a few countries and organizations to lift the illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe as soon as possible, and take responsible and concrete steps to help the country develop its economy and improve people's wellbeing," said the spokesman.

China firmly supports Zimbabwe in opposing external interference: spokesman

A wildfire that engulfed part of a forest in Shantou City of south China's Guangdong Province on Sunday has been extinguished after 17 hours of concerted efforts by multiple departments including emergency response, firefighting and public security units.

Villagers living at the foot of Xianglu Mountain were the first to notice the fire erupting on its slopes.

"It looked far away and I thought it was just someone burning garbage," recalled one villager.

Upon discovering the fire, local authorities immediately organized personnel to combat the flames, with mobilization of over 200 rescuers from surrounding areas to assist in the firefighting efforts.

"We were divided into two to three groups, with one conducting regular firefighting and another using water pumps to extinguish the fire," said one rescuer.

Given the rapid spread of the fire, local officials also called in aerial support with helicopters to aid in extinguishing the blaze. Furthermore, many personnel organized by local grassroots departments were actively involved in the firefighting efforts.

By 06:00 on Monday, the wildfire was finally extinguished without causing any casualties. The dry climate in winter increases the risk of forest fire in the region. However, the cause of the forest fire is still under investigation.

Wildfire extinguished in south China's Guangdong after 17 hours of efforts