China's top legislator meets Kazakhstan's first deputy PM

China's top legislator Zhao Leji on Wednesday met with Kazakhstan's First Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar in south China's Hainan Province.

Sklyar is in Hainan to attend the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2026, which is being held from Tuesday to Friday in Boao Town of Hainan's Qionghai City.

During the meeting, Zhao, who is chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, said that China and Kazakhstan are friendly neighbors connected by mountains and rivers, and highly trusted permanent comprehensive strategic partners.

China is willing to work with Kazakhstan to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, consolidate the foundation of political mutual trust, deepen practical cooperation focusing on high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, enrich the content of cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and promote China-Kazakhstan relations to a higher level and broader areas, according to Zhao.

The NPC is willing to play an active role as a legislative body in promoting China-Kazakhstan friendship, Zhao said.

Sklyar said that Kazakhstan supports the series of global initiatives proposed by President Xi Jinping. Under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, Kazakhstan-China relations have continuously deepened.

Kazakhstan is willing to strengthen cooperation in various fields such as legislation, economy and trade, and energy to promote the development of bilateral relations, he said.

A freight train and a bus collided in Bangkok, Thailand, on Saturday afternoon, killing at least eight people, local media reported.

At around 15:40, a train collided with a bus at a railway crossing in Ratchathewi District, triggering a fire accompanied by an explosion. Several other cars and motorcycles were also involved.

More than 20 people were injured, according to the Thai transport ministry, as rescuers rushed to the scene to put out the fire and carry out rescue operations.

Deputy Minister of Transport Siripong Angkasakulkiat said in an interview with Thai media that the bus had stopped at the railway crossing due to a red light, preventing the railway barrier from lowering. The freight train was too heavy to brake in time, leading to the collision.