China's top legislator meets Kyrgyz parliament speaker

China's top legislator Zhao Leji met with Kyrgyz Parliament Speaker Nurlanbek Shakiev on Friday in Beijing.

Zhao, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, stated that under the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries, China-Kyrgyzstan relations have achieved rapid development, reaching a new height of comprehensive strategic partnership for a new era.

He said China is willing to work with Kyrgyzstan to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, deepen all-round mutually beneficial cooperation, and jointly build a China-Kyrgyzstan community with a shared future characterized by good-neighborly friendship and shared prosperity.

Zhao pledged that China will continue to firmly support Kyrgyzstan in safeguarding its national sovereignty, security, and development interests, and thanked Kyrgyzstan for its consistent and firm support of China's stance on issues related to Taiwan, Xinjiang, and Xizang, which concern China's core interests.

He emphasized the need to further tap into the potential of traditional cooperation, create engines for new quality productive forces, promote exchanges of scientific and technological achievements, enhance connectivity, and accelerate the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway.

Additionally, he said efforts should be made to foster cultural exchanges and strengthen the public support for China-Kyrgyzstan relations, and stressed the importance of building a strong security shield to create a favorable environment for the development of both countries.

Zhao said that China's NPC is willing to strengthen exchanges with the Kyrgyz Parliament, providing legal support to deepen pragmatic cooperation.

Both sides should learn from each other in areas such as foreign-related legal frameworks, and strengthen communication and cooperation within multilateral frameworks like the China-Central Asia mechanism and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Zhao added.

Zhao also introduced the system of the NPC to Shakiyev. He said that China is willing to enhance exchanges on the construction of democratic and legal systems with Kyrgyzstan based on mutual respect for each other's chosen development paths and institutional models.　

Shakiev hailed the deep and longstanding friendship between Kyrgyzstan and China.

He said that the implementation of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project will bring new development opportunities to Kyrgyzstan.

The Kyrgyz Parliament is willing to strengthen friendly exchanges with China's NPC and contribute to promoting cooperation between the two countries in areas of trade, investment, culture, tourism, and local governance through legislative efforts, he said.

China's top legislator meets Kyrgyz parliament speaker

Multiple handheld pager explosions struck Beirut and the southeastern and northeastern regions of Lebanon on Tuesday, leading to a temporary internet shutdown in the southern suburbs of the capital city, according to China Media Group (CMG) reporter Ci Xiaoning.

"I am currently at the entrance of a major hospital in Beirut, Lebanon's capital. Around 15:30 today, there were several explosions in the southern suburbs of Beirut. My Lebanese colleague, who lives very close to the area, experienced an immediate loss of internet connectivity. Reports have since confirmed that many handheld pagers were involved in the explosions," Ci reported outside a hospital in Beruit.

Lebanese Health Minister Firas Abiad confirmed that the explosions resulted in at least nine deaths and about 2,800 injuries, with approximately 200 people in critical condition. The injured are being transferred to hospitals.

In a statement, Hezbollah said it is conducting security and scientific investigations to identify the reasons behind these explosions, adding that the group is "at the highest level of readiness to defend Lebanon and its people."

In a separate statement, the Shiite group blamed Israel for "this criminal attack," vowing to retaliate.

The Lebanese Council of Ministers stressed that the government, shortly after the deadly explosions, began contacting the concerned countries and the United Nations to hold the perpetrators accountable.

Israel has yet to comment on Tuesday's blasts. According to media reports, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant held a security assessment meeting at the HaKirya military base in Tel Aviv on Tuesday to address the implications of the explosions.

CMG reporter says internet shutdown following deadly pager blasts in Lebanon