China, Egypt make vital contributions to global peace, development: foreign minister

Over the past 70 years, China and Egypt have made vital contributions to advancing global peace and development, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Thursday. Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during his meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in Manila, the Philippines, on the sidelines of a broader ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting.

Noting that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Egypt, Wang said that the two countries have set an example of solidarity and cooperation between major developing countries.

Wang said that in recent years, the leaders of the two countries have stayed in close touch and built deep mutual trust, providing strategic guidance for the development of bilateral relations.

China stands ready to work with Egypt to sustain high-level exchanges, deepen cooperation in economy, trade, military, artificial intelligence and other sectors, enhance coordination on multilateral affairs, and jointly build a China-Egypt community with a shared future in the new era, Wang said.

He said that, under Egypt's support, a monument dedicated to the 1943 Cairo Declaration has been established at the Mena House Hotel where the historic World War II declaration was signed, which carries important commemorative significance and which reflects Egypt's positive stance of respecting history, upholding justice and attaching great importance to its relations with China.

Abdelatty noted that Egypt is the first Arab and African country to establish diplomatic ties with China. Over the past 70 years, bilateral ties have developed on a solid foundation, yielded fruitful results and demonstrated strong momentum, he said.

He said Egypt firmly adheres to the one-China principle and is willing to serve as China's gateway to Africa. Taking the 70th anniversary as an opportunity, Egypt looks forward to strengthening exchanges at all levels with China, consolidating political mutual trust, expanding practical cooperation in electric vehicles, solar energy, industrial parks and other fields, and elevating the Egypt-China comprehensive strategic partnership to a new level.

The two sides also exchanged views on international and regional issues, including the situation in the Middle East and the Gulf region. Wang reaffirmed China's principle and stance, saying that the memorandum of understanding reached between the United States and Iran was hard-won and deserves to be cherished by all parties. He said China supports Egypt in playing a mediating role to facilitate peace talks.

Wang said the Palestinian issue lies at the core of the Middle East issue, and should not be ignored or marginalized, adding that the top priority is to ease the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.

China, Egypt make vital contributions to global peace, development: foreign minister

A record-breaking heatwave has driven Tunisia's electricity demand to new highs, resulting in a series of power cuts that are starting to cause widespread disruption and leaving business owners sweating about the economic impact.

It comes as extreme temperatures grip much of the country, with local media reporting highs of nearly 50 degrees Celsius which are breaking historical records in multiple regions.

The intense summer heat has pushed Tunisia's power grid to its absolute limit. To prevent a total system collapse, authorities have enforced rolling blackouts during the hottest hours of the day.

These targeted outages are causing havoc for households and crippling businesses across multiple regions.

"The state is not doing its job well for the citizens. As you can see, the heat is unbearable, yet they cut the electricity at midday," said Mohamed Mkaouer, a local resident.

The economic fallout is hitting small businesses hard. In local markets, erratic supply surges are damaging commercial appliances and spoiling temperature-sensitive inventory, with many store owners lamenting the loss of produce.

"When the electricity is cut, what are we supposed to do with the food in the fridge -- throw everything away? Shop owners don't have the means to replace what they lose. Food, chocolate and other products spoil. People cannot live like this: electricity comes and goes suddenly, damaging the motors I depend on for my business," said Lazhar Hitana, a shop owner.

Energy analysts warn that the electricity deficit is a structural problem which shows that the grid is not prepared to handle such climate-induced demand surges.

"Nearly 50 percent of the electricity consumed in Tunisia during the summer is used for air conditioning. The country's electricity infrastructure was simply not designed to cope with such high demand," said Hamdi Hached, an environmental engineer.

Tunisia hit by power cuts as energy demand surges during record-breaking heatwave

Tunisia hit by power cuts as energy demand surges during record-breaking heatwave