Chinese State Councilor Shen Yiqin on Tuesday called on China and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) to strengthen strategic alignment, prioritize green innovation and promote people-to-people connectivity to elevate their cooperation to new heights.
The China-CEEC cooperation mechanism has yielded fruitful outcomes over the past 14 years since its launch, giving strong impetus to the coordinated development of bilateral ties, regional cooperation and China-EU relations, Shen said when addressing the opening ceremony of the seventh China-CEEC Local Leaders' Meeting and 2026 Shandong International Friendship Cities Cooperation and Exchange Week in Jinan, in east China's Shandong Province.
Shen said as a vital component of China-CEEC cooperation, local-level cooperation should grasp the prevailing trend of history and stay committed to open cooperation.
CEEC representatives expressed readiness to adhere to the principles of mutual respect and mutually-beneficial cooperation, further deepen local exchanges and cooperation with China, and keep contributing to the growth of CEEC-China relations.
On the sideline of the event, Shen met with North Macedonia's Deputy Prime Minister Ivan Stoilkovic, and deputy speaker of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina Marinko Cavara.
The event brought together approximately 400 participants from 44 countries, including incumbent and former political leaders, provincial and municipal governors, diplomats, and representatives from sister cities, business councils and enterprises.
Chinese state councilor calls on China, CEEC to elevate cooperation to new heights
Chinese state councilor calls on China, CEEC to elevate cooperation to new heights
Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has said that the nations and territories in the Middle East will no longer serve as "shields" for U.S. military bases, adding that "the hands of time will not turn back," the Iranian media reported on Tuesday.
Khamenei made the remarks in a message carried by Iranian media on the Day of Arafah, the second day of the Hajj pilgrimage.
He said that the Muslim world and countries in the Middle East have considerable capacities and common interests that will shape the new order and geometry of the region and the world.
Khamenei called on Islamic states to promote friendship and cooperation to advance the Muslim world and resolve its problems.
"The United States, in addition to not having any safe place for malice and establishment of its military bases in the region, is growing more distant from its former status day by day," he said.
Khamenei added that Israel has got close to the end of its "sinister" life, stressing that the future belongs to the Muslim world and modern Islamic civilization.
He said that Iran managed to make Israel "miserable under its heavy blows, give the aggressive United States a hard slap, and prevent the enemy from forcing it to surrender" during the 12-day war in June last year, stressing that Iran and the resistance groups, especially Hezbollah, achieved victory against the U.S. and Israeli armies, "which were armed to the teeth," during the 40-day war that started in late February.
On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, senior commanders, and civilians. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and U.S. assets in the Middle East. A fragile ceasefire was brokered between the warring parties that took effect on April 8.
Iran's supreme leader says regional nations no longer serve as "shields" for U.S. bases
