Chinese President Xi Jinping said Monday that China is willing to work with Indonesia to jointly promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, ensure the sustainable operation of the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway, and create more highlights of cooperation to better benefit the people of both countries.
Xi made the remarks during his phone talks with Indonesian President Joko Widodo.
During his 10 years as Indonesian president, Widodo has visited China eight times and met with Xi 12 times, which led the two countries to open a new chapter in jointly building a community with a shared future, as well as building a new pattern of all-round strategic cooperation, Xi said.
China highly appreciates Widodo's important contribution to the China-Indonesia friendship, Xi said, adding it is believed that the new Indonesian government will continue its friendly policy towards China and push the building of a China-Indonesia community with a shared future to a higher level.
Noting that next year marks the 70th anniversary of the Bandung Conference, Xi said China is ready to work with Indonesia to carry forward the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and the Bandung Spirit, strengthen solidarity and cooperation among Global South countries, safeguard the common interests of developing countries, and promote regional and global development, prosperity, and stability.
For his part, Widodo said that over the past decade, he has forged a deep friendship with President Xi, leading to significant achievements in the comprehensive strategic partnership and mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries in various fields.
He expressed gratitude to China for contributing to Indonesia's economic development, noting that the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway has become a model for Belt and Road cooperation between the two sides.
Widodo also expressed confidence that under the leadership of Indonesia's new government, the Indonesia-China relationship will continue its strong momentum of growth.
China willing to jointly promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation with Indonesia: Xi
China willing to jointly promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation with Indonesia: Xi
Lebanon is facing renewed calls for a new president to be elected following a two-year power vacuum as the deadly Israeli offensive has thrown the country into turmoil amid fears the crisis could further escalate into a prolonged all-out war.
Lebanon has been without a president since October 2022, when the term of former president Michel Aoun ended. Political divisions and a lack of agreement among parliamentary blocs have resulted in failed attempts to elect a new leader, while the Middle Eastern nation is heavily divided between numerous political forces and different religious sects.
"We know very well that the Lebanese factions are highly influenced by foreign powers that dictate their policies. Some are controlled by the Americans, others by the Gulf, Iran, Syria and more," said local political writer Ramy Naeem.
Parliament member Abdel Rahman Bazry told the China Global Television Network (CGTN) that these conflicting agendas have paralyzed parliament, leading to the presidential post lying empty.
"The parliament is the sole body that has the authority to elect a president and to form a cabinet. Unfortunately some people have been trying to manipulate this by putting certain conditions on the parliament or by really preventing the parliament from going into an election," said Bazry, who represents Sidon in the Lebanese parliament.
The Lebanese death toll from the ongoing Israeli attacks has risen to 2,300 since last October, with over 10,000 injured, while over a million people have been displaced.
Given the severity of this unfolding situation, there's a heated debate over how any potential leader should prioritize handling the current crisis.
"As a member of the opposition, I want a president first who fulfills the demands of the people to end the war, not a president that will back the resistance and Hezbollah," said Naeem.
"The priority is as follows: to keep the internal front more cohesive. Second, to work all together with our government to achieve a ceasefire and third, to elect a president so we can have a new government," said Bazry.
Hezbollah is a major player in Lebanon with 15 seats in parliament and two seats in government. Some Lebanese forces and western powers like the U.S. and France want to exclude the Iran-backed Hezbollah from the equation, and blame the group for dragging the country into a war it cannot win.
But even staunch opponents of Hezbollah know it is unrealistic to dismiss the armed group completely.
"Who elects the representatives in parliament are the Lebanese people. I can't force the Shiites in Lebanon not to vote for their candidates. However, I can tell them that I don't accept your representative to be armed and point a gun at me. No political party has the right to arm itself and violate our constitution," said Naeem.
Many people inside the country are calling for Hezbollah to disarm and merge within the Lebanese military forces. But despite the daily onslaught and air raids from Israel that have been targeting Hezbollah leaders and it's infrastructure, officials say they are still adamant to continue their resistance against the Israeli aggression.
"The resistance is in good shape and we are taking every calculated step to strengthen our stronghold on the field politically and in the war zone," Hezbollah spokesman Mohamed Afify told reporters on Saturday.
Lebanon struggles with internal power vacuum as it battles Israel
