Xi holds talks with Ecuadorian president

Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with President of the Republic of Ecuador Daniel Roy-Gilchrist Noboa Azin in Beijing on Tuesday.

Noting that this year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Ecuador, Xi said that no matter how the international landscape evolves, China has always viewed China-Ecuador relations from a strategic and long-term perspective.

China stands ready to work with Ecuador to elevate bilateral relations to new heights and bring more benefits to the people of both countries, Xi added.

Xi said China and Ecuador should consolidate political mutual trust and continue to understand and support each other on issues concerning each other's core interests and major concerns.

China respects and supports Ecuador in exploring a development path suited to its national conditions, and is willing to pursue closer interactions between the governments, legislative bodies and political parties of the two countries, strengthen the exchange of experience in governance with Ecuador, and walk hand in hand with Ecuador on the path towards respective modernization, Xi said.

Xi noted that the new progress in China-Ecuador relations is not only the dividend released by the free trade agreement between the two countries, but also demonstrates the potential of China's enormous market.

The two sides should strengthen the alignment of development strategies and implement the cooperation plan to jointly build the Belt and Road, well implement cooperation projects in energy, minerals, infrastructure construction, finance and other fields, and actively explore cooperation in areas including the digital economy, green development, new energy and artificial intelligence, Xi said.

The two countries should continue to tap the potential of the free trade agreement so as to benefit more enterprises and consumers, Xi said.

Xi said China is willing to cooperate with Ecuador in medical and healthcare, poverty relief and reduction, and disaster prevention and mitigation, and support Ecuador's national development.

Xi calls on both sides to strengthen exchanges in education, culture, youth, sports and sub-national affairs, facilitate exchanges between the two peoples, and enhance friendship between the two countries.

Noboa said China is an important partner and friend of Ecuador and President Xi is a great leader.

With the joint efforts of both sides, the relations between Ecuador and China have entered a new stage, bringing tangible benefits to the people of both countries, he said.

Noboa said Ecuador is willing to deepen political mutual trust with China, supports China in safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and respects China's position on the Taiwan question.

Ecuador attaches great importance to cooperation with China and stands ready to enhance mutually beneficial cooperation in trade and economy, finance, minerals, renewable energy, science and technology, and culture, and expand exports to China, said Noboa.

The Ecuadorian side welcomes more Chinese enterprises to invest and start businesses in Ecuador, and help improve people's lives and achieve national development, he said.

The two heads of state also exchanged views on the situation in Latin America and the Caribbean region.

Xi stressed that China has always maintained that the status of the Latin American and Caribbean region as a zone of peace should not be shaken, the course of development and revitalization of Latin American and Caribbean countries should not be disrupted, and the right of Latin American and Caribbean countries to independently choose their cooperation partners should not be interfered with.

China supports Latin American countries in upholding independence and self-reliance, pursuing foreign cooperation based on their national interests, and safeguarding regional peace and stability, Xi said.

Noboa said Ecuador attaches great importance to China's position and role, and is willing to always be a good friend of China on the other side of the Pacific.

After the talks, the two heads of state jointly witnessed the signing of multiple cooperation documents in areas such as green industries, economic and trade cooperation, digital economy, and people's wellbeing.

Xi held a welcome banquet for Noboa on Tuesday evening.

Xi holds talks with Ecuadorian president

Xi holds talks with Ecuadorian president

Days after a powerful 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on Aug 10, families in Cali, the worst affected city, are confronting heartbreaking obstacles simply to lay their loved ones to rest.

Cali's morgue sustained damage in the quake and was forced to close operations after part of the Hospital Universitario del Valle collapsed. As a result, recovered bodies must be transported to the neighboring town of Palmira, which escaped structural destruction.

The influx has severely overwhelmed Palmira's facilities, leaving them short on refrigeration capacity. Grieving relatives waiting outside must wear masks as they endure agonizing waits, caught in a system operating far beyond its designed capacity.

While some families have managed to bid a painful farewell and gained a measure of closure, such as the relatives of Maria Esmeralda Ordonez in Cali, countless others remain in painful limbo.

"Thankfully it's not turned out like it has for others who today are still fighting to rescue loved ones, people who are still lying beneath the rubble. The chances of survival are very slim, but miracles are happening," said Ivan Delgado, a relative of Maria Esmeralda Ordonez.

For many families whose relatives have been recovered, the ordeal is far from over. They must navigate the bureaucracy that comes with a death.

Securing the release of a body requires a prosecutor's order, an accompanying undertaker, and a considerable amount of paperwork -- a grueling process compounded by a system operating well beyond its capacity.

Camilo Mendez, a relative of victims, knew this pain firsthand after an agonizing three-day wait to claim the bodies of his aunt and grandmother.

"From the information we've gotten here and there, you can really tell we're not prepared for this kind of event. Moving the bodies, all of it, it was very slow, very disorganized. My grandmother and my aunt were in one place, then another. It was pretty chaotic, honestly," said Mendez.

To support the exhausted crowds, volunteers and psychologists have set up tents near the Palmira facility, offering comfort and counseling.

"It's an exhausting process. You're here waiting for an answer, and no one knows when it will come. There are people with one, five, six relatives they can't find. A body may be recovered today, another tomorrow, and that's how it's gone," said Alison Morales, a volunteer psychologist.

"The community has been extraordinary, all kinds of donations, the communal kitchen, water for the people waiting," she added.

Although Palmira itself was spared the worst of the earthquake -- sustaining cracks on a few buildings and no fatalities -- it has absorbed the profound, far-reaching grief of a region struggling to bury its dead.

Families face heart-breaking delays burying victims of Colombian earthquake