Successful election of HKSAR's 8th-term LegCo of milestone significance: State Council spokesperson

The successful election of the eighth-term Legislative Council (LegCo) of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) marked an important achievement in further consolidating and developing high-quality democracy in the region, a spokesperson for the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council said on Monday.

The spokesperson said that the election was successfully held on Sunday in a safe, orderly and smooth manner, adding that voter turnout in the Election Committee subsectors, functional constituencies, and geographical constituencies all recorded significant increases from the previous election, fully reflecting public sentiment in Hong Kong.

The spokesperson noted that as the election entered the campaigning stage, a sudden fire incident in Tai Po inflicted serious trauma on Hong Kong. Thanks to the concerted efforts of the HKSAR government, various sectors of society and the broad electorate, the election was carried out with complete success.

It fully demonstrated Hong Kong society's unity, resilience, and determination to overcome difficulties, and highlighted the advancement and strengths of the new electoral system under the full implementation of the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong," the spokesperson added.

The spokesperson said the newly elected members of the Legislative Council are all patriots who love the country and Hong Kong, and are capable, committed and dedicated to serving the community. They have won broad recognition and support from voters.

The spokesperson added that it is hoped and believed that the new-term legislators will fully, faithfully and unswervingly implement the "one country, two systems" policy, always uphold national sovereignty, security and development interests as the top priority, and promote Hong Kong's better integration into and contribution to the country's overall development.

Successful election of HKSAR's 8th-term LegCo of milestone significance: State Council spokesperson

China is calling for an immediate cessation of the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran and joint efforts to oppose such unilateral actions, the Chinese envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Monday.

Li Song, China's permanent representative to the IAEA, said that military strikes against Iran, launched by the United States and Israel, have led to a sudden escalation of an already volatile situation in the Middle East.

Li said the attacks launched as the U.S. and Iran were in the midst of negotiations were unacceptable, as was the blatant killing of a sovereign leader and the incitement of regime change. China firmly opposes and strongly condemns such unilateral acts, Li said.

Li said that China respects Iran's legitimate right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and attaches great importance to Iran's repeated reaffirmations that it has no intention of developing nuclear weapons. He also highlighted a report released by IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, which stated that no evidence of Iran developing nuclear weapons had been found.

Peacefully resolving the Iranian nuclear issue through political and diplomatic means is the only correct option and is in the common interest of the international community, Li said.

Chinese IAEA envoy calls for cessation of US-Israeli attacks on Iran