Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, met with a delegation of political leaders from Pacific Island countries led by Tongan Deputy Prime Minister Viliami Uasike Latu in Beijing on Friday.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, said that under the joint guidance of the leaders of all relevant countries, the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Pacific Island countries has become more mature and steady.
China is willing to work with Pacific Island countries to firmly support each other in pursuing development paths suited to their respective national conditions and independently chosen by their peoples, strengthen exchanges and cooperation between political parties, and jointly build a closer community with a shared future between China and Pacific Island countries, Wang said.
Latu and other members of the delegation thanked China for its tremendous assistance over the years to the economic and social development of Pacific Island countries.
They said Pacific Island countries will firmly adhere to the one-China policy and are willing to strengthen exchanges with the CPC.
Chinese FM meets with delegation of leaders from Pacific Island countries
Israel marked the somber third anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that triggered the current round of conflict in Gaza, with national memorial events laying bare deep societal rifts across the country.
The divisions were evident in the anniversary commemorations, as many families of hostages and their supporters chose to skip government-organized ceremonies, arguing that the war had been prolonged for political gains.
"My family who lives in Israel would never go near a government ceremony, which is sad that even in grief we are so divided; the country is still so divided," said Julia, a Canadian visitor to Israel.
As government ministers took the stage in Jerusalem, the families chose to be elsewhere, including at "The Space Left Behind," an exhibition at the Peres Center in Tel Aviv showcasing personal belongings of those killed in the Oct. 7 attack and the war that followed.
"We are giving as much as we can to the families. I feel like the politics is coming between [us and] that exhibition, just because this is all for life," said Emek Keidar Juma'a, curator of "The Space Left Behind" exhibition.
"I have the feeling that I had when I went to Hostages Square. The support of the people in Israel, it's so exciting, and also here. And I see that people are reading and seeing Tal's item, and it's very exciting because they don't have to come. They choose to come in support," said Ela Haimi, a Gaza border resident, who lost her husband Tal in the October 7 attack.
The Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killed about 1,200 people and triggered a massive Israeli military campaign across Gaza that has killed, according to Gaza-based health authorities, more than 74,200 people. It subsequently expanded into fighting across the region.
Israel marks third anniversary of Oct. 7 attack amid deep societal divisions
