The Commonwealth of Dominica considers China as a true friend, and is seeking more cooperation and exchanges with China in various areas, said Minister for Public Works, Public Utilities and Digital Economy of the country.
Fidel Grant, the minister, made the statement in an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) on the sidelines of the 15th International Infrastructure Investment and Construction Forum in the Macao Special Administrative Region of China.
"Earlier, we celebrated 20 years of diplomatic relations with China. And we have good relations with China, and we consider China to be our brother. China has assisted us in several areas with agriculture, health care, education, and also infrastructure. So ongoing, currently, we have the rebuilding of six schools, which were damaged during the passage of hurricane Maria in 2017. And these schools are across the island and will be both primary and secondary schools, and will aid in the development of our education policy," he said.
Themed "Green Innovative Digital Connectivity," the two-day forum opened on Thursday, drawing over 3,500 industry representatives from more than 70 countries and regions to the event.
Guo Tingting, China's vice minister of commerce, said in her opening address that the Ministry of Commerce of China is willing to actively carry out policy dialogue and mechanism matching for green infrastructure cooperation and to continue to deepen practical cooperation in the fields of green infrastructure, green energy, green transportation, and green finance.
In the interview, Grant highlighted the forum's collaborative nature, and shared the future development plan of the Commonwealth of Dominica in the related fields.
"One of the major transformative projects that we have ongoing is the International Airport. The runway is about 2,800 meters long. So soon, we should be able to have flights as close as China as possible. What we're hoping to develop as well is our digital economy. We are discussing with a few partners to development of our Smart City. This will see technology across the city in terms of traffic management, and security," he said.
The forum, co-organized by the China International Contractors Association and the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, will run through Friday.
Commonwealth of Dominica expects more cooperation with China: minister
Commonwealth of Dominica expects more cooperation with China: minister
Palestinian journalists and media workers in the war-torn Gaza Strip face persistent security threats from the Israeli military, targeting these innocent professionals as they endeavor to cover the conflict and report on the destructive Israeli attacks in Gaza.
According to data from the Committee to Protect Journalists, as of December 20, at least 133 Palestinian journalists and media workers have been killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza since the latest round of Israeli-Palestinian conflict began in October 2023, marking the deadliest period for journalists since the committee began collecting data in 1992.
Five Palestinian journalists were killed in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a vehicle of the Al-Quds Today satellite channel stationed in front of Al-Awda Hospital in the al-Nuseirat camp in central Gaza early Thursday morning, according to Palestinian sources.
"Ayman, his mother and one of his brothers headed to Al-Awda Hospital to check on his wife who was in labor. There, he met a number of his fellow journalists who were in front of the hospital to cover the news, as he went to greet them, they were directly targeted by the Israeli occupiers," said Sameh AL-Jadi, a relative of a journalist who died in the attack.
The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that acting on intelligence, the Air Force conducted a "precise strike" on an Islamic Jihad "terrorist cell" inside a vehicle in the area of al-Nuseirat.
Despite the Israeli military's assertion that they targeted a group of Islamic Jihad fighters, Palestinian journalists confirm that the victims were well-known journalists covering the events and that none of them were militants.
"This place is known for the presence of press vehicles marked with the signs of 'TV' and 'Press.' Everyone knows this area is designated for filming reports and live broadcasting. The occupiers deliberately targeted the press crew directly. We narrowly escaped death," said Talal Al-Arouqi, a Palestinian journalist.
Journalists in Gaza encounter particularly hazardous conditions as they strive to report on the conflict, which constrains their ability to document the devastating Israeli attacks, the persistent famine, the accounts of people's displacement, and the destruction of infrastructure.
"This Israeli war has no rules, so naturally it includes targeting journalists. We believe the bombing of journalists aims to conceal the truth, and we think the occupiers will continue to target journalists, medical staff and others as long as the world does not put an end to these crimes," said Sami Abu Salem, a Palestinian journalist.
Despite international law protecting the rights of journalists to conduct their work, Israel persists in targeting the media throughout Gaza. Many view Israel's targeted killings as an effort to block news coverage, especially considering that foreign journalists have also been barred from entering Gaza.
Palestinian journalists in Gaza face enduring security threats from Israeli attacks
