Israel's interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla, an international initiative aimed at delivering humanitarian aid to Palestinians in war-battered Gaza, has drawn strong international condemnation.
The flotilla, which departed from Barcelona, Spain on April 12 to carry humanitarian aid to Palestinians in war-battered Gaza, said Thursday that some of its vessels were intercepted by the Israeli navy in the waters near the Greek island of Crete from Wednesday to Thursday, with 175 activists on board detained.
Foreign ministers of Türkiye, Brazil, Jordan, Mauritania, Pakistan, Spain, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Colombia, the Maldives, South Africa and Libya on Thursday condemned in the strongest terms the Israeli assault on the flotilla, according to a joint statement issued by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Israeli attacks against the vessels and the unlawful detention of humanitarian activists in international waters constitute flagrant violations of international law and international humanitarian law, said the statement.
The foreign ministers expressed deep concern about the safety of the civilians detained, and urge the Israeli authorities to take the necessary measures to ensure their immediate release, while calling on the international community to fulfill their moral and legal obligations to uphold international law, protect civilians, and ensure accountability for these violations, it said.
In a statement on Thursday, Spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry Esmaeil Baghaei described Israel's attack on the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters and its detention of the activists as "state piracy and a terrorist act," voicing strong condemnation of the move.
Baghaei said the international initiative involves supporters of the Palestinian cause from dozens of countries, aiming to break the blockade on the Gaza Strip and deliver humanitarian aid to local people.
He said that the attack on the flotilla was not only a blow to the humanitarian relief operation, but also a shock to human conscience and common values.
Hamas and the Islamic Jihad Movement on Thursday condemned the Israeli navy's seizure of ships of the flotilla.
In a press statement, Hamas denounced the incident as an "attack" on the flotilla vessels, describing the move as a violation of international law and called for the release of detained activists.
Hamas urged the international community to take action to ensure the safety of those on board and hold Israel accountable.
The Islamic Jihad Movement also criticized the interception, accusing Israel of breaching international law by targeting civilian vessels in international waters and detaining those on board.
Israel's seizure of flotilla bound for Gaza draws int'l condemnation
Ethiopian coffee, famous for its unique flavor, is quickly gaining ground in the Chinese market, and producers hope to further propel exports by leveraging China's newly implemented zero-tariff measures.
China's zero-tariff policy for all 53 African countries with which it has diplomatic relations takes effect on Friday, marking a new stage for China-Africa economic and trade cooperation.
For Ethiopia, the policy opens a timely growth avenue. The country ranks among the top five global coffee producers, and China has already emerged as its fourth-largest export market.
Finette, a coffee trader from the east African country, recently traveled to China to visit a coffee processing company in central China's Henan Province. During the trip, she hopes to establish a more stable and in-depth cooperative relationship this and other Chinese companies.
"I came here be because this company is a key buyer of green (coffee) beans from Ethiopia. I also come here for displaying Ethiopian traditional culture, information sharing. I'm the delegate of coffee trading company in Ethiopia. I hope more and more Chinese can drink coffee, drink the original Ethiopian coffee," said Finette.
On Thursday, the first branded store in China specializing in African coffee officially opened inside Zhengzhou Airport, a major import hub in the country's eastern region. The store is run by Huichuan Industrial Development Company, which has cooperated directly with Ethiopia and invested 300 million yuan (about 43.9 million US dollars) in the construction of a coffee processing industrial demonstration park in 2020.
"We already have more than a dozen varieties of African coffee on display here. We want to make high-quality African coffee a local specialty of Henan and bring it to more friends from other places," said Lu Ying, deputy general manager of the company.
Ethiopia's blooming coffee trade is part of a larger story. Trade between China and Africa has reached a record high for five consecutive years and is expected to exceed 300 billion US dollars for the first time in 2025. China has remained Africa's largest trading partner for 17 consecutive years. Over the past five years, China's annual imports of agricultural products from Africa have averaged over 5 billion US dollars.
"Since China expanded cooperation through unilateral openness, more and more African agricultural products have entered the Chinese market, such as Ethiopian coffee, Egyptian citrus fruits, South African pecans, and Kenyan avocados. This is partly due to China's expanding zero-tariff policy towards the least developed African countries, and partly a result of cooperation between relevant government departments and enterprises,” said Jing Ning, deputy director of the Department of West Asian and African Affairs under the Ministry of Commerce.
Ethiopian coffee gains momentum in China as zero-tariff policy takes effect
