Chinese embassies and consulates across Europe have been hosting various reception events to celebrate the upcoming 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China which falls on Oct 1.
The Chinese Embassy in the Netherlands held a reception on Wednesday, drawing nearly 700 attendees from diverse backgrounds, including government officials, heads of international organizations and representatives of overseas Chinese.
A cultural and tourism promotion group from northwest China's Gansu Province staged vibrant performances featuring elements of the Silk Road, an ancient trade route linking China with the West, fostering a warm and friendly atmosphere at the event.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Chinese Embassy celebrated the anniversary on Friday with a reception attended by over 400 participants, including representatives of people from all walks of life in the country, from Chinese-funded institutions, of overseas Chinese and Chinese language teachers.
Students from the Department of Sinology at the University of East Sarajevo and the choir from the University of Banja Luka delivered impressive performances of songs and dances from both countries.
At the National Day reception held on Thursday by the Chinese Consulate General in Edinburgh, the United Kingdom, more than 200 guests from various sectors in Scotland, along with consul-generals from multiple countries and overseas Chinese, were present.
The event featured captivating performances by Chinese students from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and artistic groups from the overseas Chinese community, which received enthusiastic applause and cheers from the audience.
"I'm delighted to represent the Parliament in joining you to celebrate the 75th National Day of the People's Republic of China. This is a significant milestone, and I extend the good wishes of the Scottish Parliament to the people of China," said Alison Johnstone, the presiding officer of the Scottish Parliament.
Alois Philipp Maria, Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein, praised China's remarkable success in economic and cultural development in recent years, particularly highlighting its embrace of digitalization and new technologies, during a recent exclusive interview with China Media Group on the occasion of the upcoming National Day.
"China has developed very successfully [over] the last decades. China is now a highly developed economy and country. Also on the international stage, the importance of China has grown accordingly. We hope that China and Liechtenstein will be able to continue to develop the relationship fruitfully," said Alois.
Chinese embassies, consulates across Europe host receptions to mark upcoming National Day
Bangladesh's newly formed interim government is initiating several measures to restore macroeconomic stability and sustain growth as it faces economic challenges such as persistently high inflation.
September marks the first month of the interim government's formation since Aug 8 after then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India on Aug 5.
Over the past two years, Bangladesh's economic situation has become increasingly dire. A severe shortage of foreign reserves, rampant bank malpractices, and capital flight have intensified the crisis.
Inflation in July reached almost 12 percent, the highest in 13 years, with food inflation crossing 14 percent for the first time in 13 years. The overall inflation in the country has remained above 9 percent for over a year.
Phulbahar Begum is a slum dweller working as a housework service provider. She lives in a slum with three other family members. They have suffered a lot due to load shedding amid the hot weather over the past few days.
"Power cuts are a common thing to us now. They occur a lot these days. In this hot weather it is difficult to live in the slums without electricity. On the other hand, daily expenses are increasing day by day, making it hard to keep up with the price hikes," she said, describing her daily struggle.
The interim government is seeking solutions to those economic challenges. By December, it expects to secure a 400 million U.S. dollar policy-based loan from the Asian Development Bank to advance reforms in domestic resource mobilization. Additionally, it has requested an extra 3 billion U.S. dollars from the International Monetary Fund, on top of the 4.7 billion U.S. dollars already agreed upon.
Dr. Mustafizur Rahman, distinguished fellow at the Center for Policy Dialogue in Bangladesh said in an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) that the interim government is initiating several measures to reduce expenditure and improve resource efficiency, but it is still facing challenges.
"The interim government is having to undertake a number of initiatives in order to cut expenditures in various sectors, in order to raise efficiency of resource allocation and resource utilization. There are also problems of purchasing power in terms of imports because of the debt of foreign currency. So, some of the loans may have to be re-negotiated. Obviously, I think the interim government will try to complete the projects as soon as possible because delay will also escalate the costs further," said Rahman.
"Debt servicing of mega projects will also be a major issue and they will try to re-negotiate with the development partners with regard to the debt servicing schedule," said the expert.
The interim government's strategies will be crucial as Bangladesh navigates through these turbulent economic waters.
Bangladesh's interim government initiates measures to address economic challenges
