Cultural exchange events held in Peru, Brazil ahead of Xi's state visits

A series of cultural exchange events have been held in Peru and Brazil in recent days ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visits to the two Latin American countries.

The events included the 2024 China-LatAm civilization dialog in the Peruvian capital Lima, which gathered over 150 government officials, scholars, and business leaders from China and more than 10 Latin American countries to discuss ways to deepen joint modernization efforts.

The launch ceremony for the China Hour TV program and the China Audiovisual Month in Peru, which aims to bring dozens of high-quality Chinese programs to Peruvian audiences, was also held in Lima last Wednesday.

In Brazil, a photo exhibition featuring the launch of a photo album collection themed 'Beautiful China, Beautiful Brazil' was held in Rio de Janeiro on Monday, with the pictures commemorating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two sides.

Meanwhile, a special China-Brazil youth storytelling exchange event was also held at the University of Sao Paulo on Tuesday, featuring film screenings as part of the "Looking China" youth film project.

Attendees at these respective events all expressed high expectations for deepening cultural exchanges and strengthening cooperation with China in various fields, with President Xi's upcoming visit to the Latin American countries likely to give a further boost to ties.

Xi on Wednesday departed Beijing for Peru where he will attend the 31st APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Lima and pay a five-day state visit to the country. He will then head to Brazil for a state visit from Nov. 17 to 21, during which he will also attend the 19th G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

Cultural exchange events held in Peru, Brazil ahead of Xi's state visits

Cultural exchange events held in Peru, Brazil ahead of Xi's state visits

Cultural exchange events held in Peru, Brazil ahead of Xi's state visits

Cultural exchange events held in Peru, Brazil ahead of Xi's state visits

Cultural exchange events held in Peru, Brazil ahead of Xi's state visits

The Palestinian death toll from the ongoing Israeli attacks in Gaza has risen to 43,712, and the total injuries reached 103,258, Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement released on Wednesday.

Over the past 24 hours, Israeli military operations in Gaza have caused 47 deaths and 182 injuries, the statement said.

The health authorities said that Israeli forces on Wednesday launched airstrikes on the Al-Mawasi area west of Khan Younis city in the southern Gaza Strip, resulting in 14 deaths and dozens of injuries. Regions including Beit Lahia, Nuseirat and Rafah were also attacked by Israeli air forces, causing deaths and injuries.

The Wednesday report from Israeli media Haaretz said the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is "gearing up to remain in Gaza until end of 2025, at least".

The report said the Israeli forces have been building a great number of outposts in Gaza and engaged in facility construction, including road expansion, communication antennas installation, and connection of water and electricity supply systems.

Haaretz said that all these indicated that the Israeli forces have been preparing for a long-term presence in Gaza.

Since the breakout of this round of Palestine-Israel conflict, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly said that the Israeli forces will have freedom of movement across Gaza even after the end of the conflict.

In February, Netanyahu unveiled a post-war strategy for Gaza, stressing that Israel will "maintain operational freedom of military actions throughout the Gaza Strip, without time constraints", which then was met with opposition from many sides.

In May, then-Defence Minister Yoav Gallant publicly challenged the post-war strategy of Netanyahu, and was fired by the prime minister earlier this month.

Palestinian death toll from Israeli attacks in Gaza rises to 43,712