Rescuers evacuate stranded people in rain-battered Guangxi, Inner Mongolia

Rescuers saved stranded people from floodwaters in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Friday and Saturday after heavy rain battered the two regions.

At around 20:00 on Saturday, seven people were stranded in a scenic area in Shangsi County, Fangchenggang City of Guangxi.

They were unable to evacuate when river water suddenly rose, flooding the access roads.

Upon receiving the emergency call, firefighters quickly arrived at the scene.

The firefighters found that the seven people, including several children, were stranded on an embankment beside a river.

With poor visibility at night and the risk of the water level continuing to rise, these trapped individuals were very anxious.

The firefighters assigned personnel to communicate with them, calming their nerves. Meanwhile, they donned protective gear and gradually approached the stranded people along a safe route.

After ensuring the safety of these people, the firefighters used a motor kayak to evacuate them in batches to a safe area.

From Friday to Saturday, Baotou City in Inner Mongolia experienced widespread heavy rain, which caused flooding on multiple urban road sections, trapping vehicles and several people.

On Baiyun Road in Jiuyuan District, a sedan was stranded after driving through deep floodwater.

Rescuers arrived at the scene in a rubber boat and found the water depth to be approximately one meter.

They climbed onto the car's roof and held onto the rubber boat with their hands, evacuating the trapped people to safety after 15 minutes of intense efforts.

Under a bridge on Fuxing Street in Jiuyuan District, a car was also stranded due to flooding.

Local firefighters waded through the water with a rescue rope and carried the trapped person to safety on their backs.

Near the Caihong Bridge on Jianshe Road in Jiuyuan District, a mobility scooter for a disabled person accidentally veered into a green belt due to slippery road conditions. The driver was unable to pull it out.

After a 15-minute rescue operation, the local traffic police safely towed the vehicle to a secure area.

Rescuers evacuate stranded people in rain-battered Guangxi, Inner Mongolia

The Chinese mainland is willing to engage in consultations with relevant parties in Taiwan on reunification under certain legal guarantees, said Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, at a press briefing in Beijing on Wednesday.

Formosa Alliance, a group in Taiwan known for its radical pro-separatism stance, has issued an open letter, expressing willingness to adjust its stance and participate in cross-Strait reunification negotiations on the condition of the "people in Taiwan governing Taiwan and a high degree of autonomy" being guaranteed by clear legal commitments.

When asked for his comment, Chen reiterated the mainland's consistent position that cross-Strait unification is inevitable.

"The two sides of the Taiwan Strait will eventually and definitely achieve reunification. We are willing to, on the shared political foundation of upholding the '1992 Consensus' and opposing 'Taiwan separatism', engage in dialogue and consultation with all political parties, groups, sectors and social strata in Taiwan regarding the development of cross-Strait relations and the future of the nation, and jointly promote the process of national reunification," he said.

Mainland open to consultations on reunification with Taiwan: spokesman