At the invitation of the government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, Jiang Xinzhi, Chinese President Xi Jinping's special envoy and vice chairperson of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, attended the inauguration ceremony of Myanmar's President Min Aung Hlaing in Naypyidaw on Friday.
Min Aung Hlaing met with Jiang on the same day.
Noting that the pauk-phaw (fraternal) friendship between China and Myanmar has a long history, Jiang said the two countries have long enjoyed a harmonious relationship and mutual assistance, which fully demonstrates the profound significance of the China-Myanmar community with a shared future. China supports Myanmar in pursuing a development path that suits its own national conditions, Jiang said, adding that the country is willing to work with Myanmar to deepen high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, maintain stability along the China-Myanmar border, and ensure the safety of Chinese personnel and projects in Myanmar.
For his part, Min Aung Hlaing expressed gratitude for China's long-term and valuable assistance to Myanmar's economic and social development.
Myanmar firmly adheres to the one-China principle and supports the four global initiatives proposed by China, Min Aung Hlaing said.
The president pledged that Myanmar would make every effort to ensure China's security interests in the country, and expressed Myanmar's willingness to deepen practical cooperation with China across various fields.
Xi's special envoy attends inauguration of Myanmar's president
A Japanese physician and clinic director has warned that escalating tensions in the Middle East are already causing shortages of critical medical consumable supplies in Japan, and that a prolonged conflict could lead to preventable deaths and a serious decline in medical care quality. According to the latest data released by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), more than 40 percent of the naphtha used in Japan relies on imports from the Middle East. Even domestically produced naphtha depends heavily on crude oil imported from the region. Naphtha, a product derived from crude oil, is a key raw material for dialysis supplies, medical gloves, syringes, and other medical goods.
"First, there have been shortages to varying degrees of syringes, needles, and rubber gloves. In addition, various testing consumables have also become generally difficult to procure. It can be said that panic buying-like situations have already emerged, and the prices of some supplies have even increased by about 50 percent," said Tomonari Watanabe, director of Shibuya Naika Clinic in Tokyo.
Ongoing tensions in the Middle East are also slowing the delivery of medical supplies. Japan has more than 100,000 primary care clinics, which play a vital supporting role in the country's overall medical system.
The doctor warned that if pressure on the production and delivery of medical supplies is not eased, it will seriously affect Japan's overall medical environment and quality of care.
"Items that used to arrive the day after placing an order may now take one to two weeks. Supplies that could previously be ordered without quantity limits are now rationed to just one or two sets per month, requiring distribution control. Some items are no longer available in pharmacies, such as antibiotics for example. If the war becomes protracted, it will inevitably affect logistics. Specifically, for petroleum-based products such as plastics, once their prices continue to rise, we could face an extreme situation where lives that could have been saved are not saved. Therefore, I am concerned that the medical care quality will decline," he said.
Middle East tensions disrupts Japan's medical consumable supplies
