Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, honored model Party members for their outstanding contributions at a ceremony marking the Party's 105th anniversary in Beijing on Wednesday.
Xi, who is also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presented the July 1 Medal, the Party's highest honor, to the eight CPC members. He helped the awardees put on the medals and shook hands with each of them during the ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing.
In addition to awarding the July 1 Medal to the model CPC members, Xi and other leaders presented awards to representatives of outstanding Party members, Party workers, and community-level Party organizations from across the country.
The CPC was founded on July 1, 1921.
Xi honors outstanding CPC members, Party workers, grassroots organizations
Qatar confirmed on Tuesday that U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are in Doha but will not hold direct meetings with Iranian officials.
Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said at the weekly press briefing that the U.S. delegation would instead meet with mediators to discuss progress in implementing the recently signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the United States and Iran.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei on Tuesday denied that direct negotiations with U.S. officials are scheduled.
However, he said Iran will hold a meeting with Qatar on Wednesday to discuss the implementation of the MoU, with clauses on unfreezing Iran's frozen assets set to be a key agenda item.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday that reaching an understanding is a bilateral matter, and if the United States honors the peace MoU, Iran will also fulfill its obligations.
The Iranian president also stressed that Iran responds to "unreasonable boasting and unfounded threats" with rational decision-making and decisive, fearless self-defense.
On June 18, Iran and the United States signed the MoU on ending the war in the region on all fronts, including Lebanon.
On June 22, technical negotiations between Iran and the United States began in Switzerland, following high-level consultations between Iranian and U.S. delegations the previous day, mediated by Pakistan and Qatar.
Qatar says US envoys in Doha, no direct talks with Iran planned
