Xi holds welcome ceremony for Jordan's king

China

Xi holds welcome ceremony for Jordan's king

2026-08-24 19:48 Last Updated At：22:27

Chinese President Xi Jinping held a welcome ceremony for King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Monday.

A 21-gun salute was fired at the Tian'anmen Square, and a military band played the national anthems of Jordan and China during the ceremony.

Accompanied by Xi, King Abdullah II reviewed the guard of honor of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.

The two heads of state then returned to the reviewing stand to watch a march-past performed by the guard of honor.

King Abdullah II's entourage includes Prince Hashem, Princess Salma, and Jordan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi.

Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, and other Chinese officials attended the welcome ceremony.

At the invitation of Xi, King Abdullah II is on a state visit to China from August 18 to 24.

Iran denies receiving invitation to join Mecca defense agreement

Iran has not received any official invitation to join the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei on Monday.

Mehdi Rahimi, head of the Iranian Parliament News Agency, said that Iran was invited to the Mecca pact signed earlier this month by Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan, Lebanon-based broadcaster Al Mayadeen reported on Sunday.

Rahimi said the proposal is currently under consideration by the Iranian leadership, the report said.

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye signed a joint defense agreement in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Aug 7 amid rising regional security concerns, according to Pakistan's Foreign Ministry.

The agreement aims to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression, under which an armed attack against any one of the three states shall be regarded as an attack against all, the ministry said in a statement.