The United States and other Western countries have largely turned a blind eye to Israel's war actions in the Gaza Strip, and evaded their legal and moral responsibilities, said Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi in an interview with China Media Group (CMG) aired on Friday.
Araghchi noted that Iran is open to supporting any ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel as long as it is accepted by the Palestinians. "Regarding the Gaza Strip, we need to recognize that Israel has not achieved its primary objective. Israel entered Gaza to eliminate Hamas, but now it finds itself compelled to sit down and negotiate a ceasefire with the very group it sought to eradicate. We have said many times that any ceasefire agreement accepted by Palestine and Hamas will receive Iran's backing. It is up to Hamas and the Palestinian people to decide whether to accept the ceasefire. As long as they are agreeable, we will be supportive," he said.
Araghchi also called on the international community to exert pressure on the Western countries and Israel to expedite a ceasefire so as to stop the ongoing casualties in Gaza.
"Some Western countries have demonstrated a blatant disregard for international law, human rights, humanity or even basic human morality. Although they shout slogans loudly, they have remained silent in the face of tens of thousands of deaths in Gaza. They did not advocate for any resolutions supporting a ceasefire in Gaza in the UN Security Council or the Human Rights Council in Geneva, and they did not impose any sanctions on Israel. The double standards exhibited by Europe and the West are glaring, as is their indifference to moral principles. They are speechless even to their own people's call. Nonetheless, I believe that even if the UN Security Council cannot take action due to the U.S. veto, the international community has a moral obligation to do its utmost to prevent Israel from continuing its war and to apply pressure on the United States, Europe and Israel," said Araghchi.
Araghchi visited China from Dec 27 to 28, where he held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing.
Western countries turn blind eye to Israel's actions in Gaza: Iranian FM
China is accelerating the commercialization of marine scientific and technological achievements and fostering new quality productive forces by boosting support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the marine sector, with a focus on investment and financing to drive industry growth.
The development of marine industries is marked by substantial investments, high risks, and slow returns. However, with strong national support, some companies, such as Zhejiang Startest Marine Science and Technology Co., Ltd. in east China, have achieved notable success.
The company is a national high-tech enterprise specializing in the independent research and development of underwater sonar detection equipment and underwater information data systems.
It now holds more than 210 intellectual property rights for its designs.
"We are now fully capable of replacing similar foreign imported products with our own ones, thereby overcoming the bottleneck in production caused by foreign product embargoes," said Su Xiaoyang, president of Zhejiang Startest Marine Science and Technology Co., Ltd.
While some marine SMEs, such as Shenzhen HiCloud Data Center Technology Co., Ltd., China's first underwater data center equipment and service provider, have mastered core technologies, a gap remains compared to international standards. As a result, continuous investment is necessary for them to overcome critical technological challenges.
"The Underwater Data Center Pilot Project is a new infrastructure initiative requiring a significant initial investment and scale effects. However, both users and investors in the market still lack a comprehensive understanding of the project's strategic significance, including the technical risks associated with emerging technologies," said Pu Ding, general manager of the Underwater Data Center Pilot Project in Hainan under Shenzhen HiCloud Data Center Technology Co., Ltd.
To address the challenges faced by marine SMEs in securing investment and financing, the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), along with the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, has organized a series of roadshows since 2016. Over 200 marine SMEs and innovation teams have participated, securing more than 3 billion yuan (around 409.8 million U.S. dollars) in financing.
In addition to these efforts, the MNR, in collaboration with the Shanghai Stock Exchange, launched China Ocean Economy Stock Price Index in 2024, covering 20 marine and related industries.
"This is the first domestic comprehensive index in the marine sector, covering all the markets of Shanghai, Shenzhen, Beijing, and Hong Kong. It provides timely insights into the operational performance of listed companies in the marine industry and plays an important role in promoting the efficient allocation of financial capital to the marine real economy," said Feng Lei, deputy director of the Ocean Strategic Planning and Economic Department under the Ministry of Natural Resources.
Small marine firms accelerate commercialization of sci-tech achievements under greater policy support
