China's northern regions mobilize to ensure safety amid snowfall

Local authorities in China's northern regions have taken swift measures to ensure public safety and maintain smooth transportation as heavy snow disrupted roads and brought plunging temperatures on Monday and Tuesday.

Moderate to heavy snow swept across the country's northeastern province of Jilin on Tuesday.

Snow began in the provincial capital Changchun around 07:00, resulting in accumulations on urban roads. The local urban administration bureau immediately activated its snow removal plan.

"A total of 15,000 sanitation workers were immediately mobilized for manual operations. And over 1,800 snow service vehicles were deployed to carry out snow removal tasks," said Li Wenxiu, deputy head of the sanitation department under the urban administration bureau of Changchun City.

Multiple expressway entrances were closed from 07:30 due to the snowfall.

A sharp temperature drop was forecast after the heavy snow, with minimum temperatures in central and western Jilin falling to between minus 18 degrees Celsius and minus 21 degrees Celsius.

In Gansu Province in northwest China, heavy snow hit 19 counties in nine prefectures as of Monday, with snow accumulated up to eight centimeters as of 08:00 on Tuesday. Temperatures in some areas dropped by four to six degrees Celsius.

Icy roads triggered temporary traffic controls on eight major expressway, while some cars were seen skidding on slippery sections.

In response to the hazardous road conditions, highway departments quickly mobilized teams to carry out snow removal operations. They prioritized high-risk areas prone to icing, including bridges, steep slopes, and sharp curves.

Meanwhile, traffic police stepped up patrols, employing lead vehicles for speed control and releasing traffic in stages on the most affected roads.

In Minle County of Zhangye City, police officers paid extra attention to school zones during student arrival and dismissal times, directing traffic and escorting students across streets.

"We mainly focus on de-icing roads, directing traffic, and escorting students, to ensure every child gets to school safely and returns home safely," said Chen Aiguo, a traffic police officer.

China's northern regions mobilize to ensure safety amid snowfall

China opposes external interference in Venezuela's internal affairs under any pretext, Sun Lei, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations (UN), said on Tuesday.

Speaking an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council requested by Venezuela amid heightened tensions between Caracas and Washington, Sun said for some time now, under the pretext of combating drug trafficking, the United States has continued to increase its military deployment in the waters of the Caribbean off the coast of Venezuela.

The U.S. actions and rhetoric have led to continued tensions in the region, raising serious concerns among regional countries and the international community, he said.

"The U.S. actions seriously infringe upon other countries' sovereignty, security, and legitimate rights and interests, seriously violate the UN Charter and international law, and threaten peace and security in Latin America and the Caribbean. More and more countries in the region and beyond have voiced their grave concern about and strong condemnation of the U.S. actions," Sun said.

As an independent sovereign state, Venezuela has the right to independently develop mutually beneficial cooperation with other countries and defend its legitimate rights and interest, said the Chinese envoy.

China stands against external interference in Venezuela's internal affairs under any pretext, and against illegal unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction that have no basis in international law or authorization by the UN Security Council, he said.

The United States should heed the just call of the international community, immediately halt relevant actions, and avoid further escalation of tensions, Sun said.

Latin America and the Caribbean constitute an important part of the Global South and are a vital force in maintaining world peace and stability and promoting global development and prosperity. China stands ready to work with countries in the region to uphold fairness and justice, and jointly safeguard peace and stability in Latin America and the Caribbean, Sun added.

China opposes external interference in Venezuela's internal affairs under any pretext