Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with the Head of the Uzbek Presidential Administration Saida Mirziyoyeva in Beijing on Wednesday.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China-Uzbekistan relations have achieved leap-forward development.
Noting that China has always been a sincere, reliable and dependable partner for Uzbekistan, Wang expressed the confidence that Uzbekistan will continue to firmly support China on issues concerning China's core interests.
He added that China stands ready to work with Uzbekistan to write a new chapter in China-Uzbekistan friendship and cooperation.
Mirziyoyeva said Uzbekistan looks forward to maintaining high-level exchanges with China and deepening practical cooperation in various fields.
Chinese FM meets head of Uzbek presidential administration
Chinese FM meets head of Uzbek presidential administration
At least three people were killed and 265 others remain missing after a mudslide struck a port along the China-Nepal border in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region on Wednesday morning, officials said.
The mudslide, which occurred on the Nepalese side of the border, struck Gyirong Port in Gyirong County of Xizang. Authorities are still verifying the casualties and rescue efforts are ongoing, according to the on-site headquarters.
Following the disaster, the Ministry of Emergency Management immediately activated its rescue and response efforts, dispatching a working group to the site to assist with the response, and mobilizing 601 personnel from national fire and rescue teams, along with 325 engineering personnel from state-owned engineering and rescue enterprise China Anneng, the Power Construction Corporation of China (PowerChina), and other organizations.
Xizang's regional fire and rescue authority has also mobilized rescue and relief teams to the scene.
The People's Liberation Army troops and armed police officers have also been sent to help with the rescue.
More than 140 officers and soldiers from the Xigaze Detachment of the Chinese People's Armed Police Force, carrying over 200 sets of emergency rescue equipment, were urgently dispatched to assist relief operations at about 13:00.
A unit under the Xizang Military Command has dispatched emergency rescue troops to the affected area. The second team of rescue troops and engineering machinery from this unit are on standby and ready for deployment, and relief supplies including food, water, tents, and medicine are in place.
The Ministry of Natural Resources activated a Level-II emergency response for geological disasters, the second-highest in China's four-tier emergency response system, and dispatched a working team to the site to guide rescue operations and prevent secondary disasters, the ministry said.
The National Commission for Disaster Prevention, Reduction and Relief, together with the Ministry of Emergency Management, helped allocate 30,000 central relief supplies including tents, stoves, clothing, quilts, folding beds and moisture-proof mats to support the evacuation, resettlement and relief work.
Xizang has activated its highest-level relief and emergency response for natural disasters.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Emergency Management allocated 120 million yuan (about 17.69 million U.S. dollars) in disaster relief funds to support Xizang in the emergency rescue and disaster relief operations, while the National Development and Reform Commission earmarked 100 million yuan (about 14.8 million U.S. dollars) in central budget funding to support post-disaster emergency recovery and reconstruction efforts.
The local meteorological observatory forecasts continued rainfall across Gyirong County from Wednesday evening through Sunday, warning of possible floods, landslides and other secondary disasters in low-lying areas.
3 dead, 265 missing after mudslide hits border port in China's Xizang
