Chinese FM meets foreign guests

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with former Myanmar President U Thein Sein, former Republic of Korea (ROK) Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan, and former Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai separately in Beijing on Saturday. The dignitaries were in China for the conference commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.

Calling U Thein Sein an old friend of the Chinese people, Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said 70 years ago, Chinese leaders advocated the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. Seventy years later, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence is not only not outdated, but demonstrates great vitality, said Wang. The building of a community with a shared future for mankind has injected new connotations into the Five Principles, and once again provides important public goods for solving various challenges facing the world today, Wang said. China is willing to work with Myanmar to make new efforts to implement the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and promote the building of a China-Myanmar community with a shared future, Wang added.

U Thein Sein said Myanmar attaches great importance to developing relations with China, and is willing to work with China to inherit and carry forward the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, deepen cooperation in various fields, and jointly build a community of shared future between Myanmar and China.

When meeting with Lee, Wang noted that China is willing to work together with the ROK to promote the healthy, stable, and continuous development of China-ROK relations. It is hoped that friends from all walks of life in the ROK will continue to play an important role in this regard, to promote a correct understanding of China in the ROK society, and strengthen the ties and friendship between the two peoples.

Lee said that all sectors of the ROK are willing to continue strengthening exchanges at all levels with China and promote the continuous development of bilateral relations.

In the meeting with Don, noting Thailand has always been a reliable cooperative partner of China and a force for peace and stability in the region and the world, Wang said China is willing to work together with Thailand and other like-minded countries to deal with global challenges and promote the democratization of international relations.

Don said the Thai side will work with China and other countries to make joint efforts to build a more just and equitable world.

Chinese FM meets foreign guests

Chinese FM meets foreign guests

Persistent heavy rainfall has led to rising water levels across the Yangtze River basin, creating significant flood control challenges for the areas along the main streams and tributaries.

The Three Gorges Reservoir, located upstream on the Yangtze in central China's Hubei Province, has been gradually reducing its discharge rate to alleviate pressure on downstream areas. On Thursday, the outflow was reduced from 24,000 cubic meters per second to 18,000 cubic meters per second and was further lowered to 14,000 cubic meters per second on Friday. This has caused the reservoir level to rise by approximately 2.9 meters, storing 1.46 billion cubic meters of floodwater.

One of the Yangtze's major tributaries, the Zijiang River in central China's Hunan Province, has also experienced significant flooding. The Shaoyang hydrological station recorded water levels exceeding the warning level, triggering the fourth flood event of this year on Zijiang.

The Miluo River, another river flowing through Hunan, flows from east to west into Dongting Lake before joining the Yangtze River. On Monday afternoon, the water level at the Pingjiang hydrological station on the Miluo River hit 77 meters, exceeding the warning level by about seven meters.

Torrential rains have affected over 200,000 people in Pingjiang County, with more than 1,000 roads and bridges damaged and public transportation disrupted. No casualties have been reported so far.

In east China's Anhui Province, the town of Huikou in Susong County is the first town the Yangtze enters as it flows into Anhui. Water levels at the Huikou hydrological station have been rising continuously, exceeding the warning level by about one meter by Monday afternoon. The water levels along the main course of the Yangtze River in the province have all exceeded the flood warning levels and continue to rise.

Additionally, 19 tributaries including the Shuiyang River, Chuhe River, and Xihe River have also surpassed their respective warning levels.

Yangtze River basin battles severe flooding after intense rainfall