Lebanon needs president who can address security, economic challenges: parliament member

China

Lebanon needs president who can address security, economic challenges: parliament member

2025-01-07 16:06 Last Updated At：18:57

A new president of Lebanon should be elected as soon as possible to lead the country in addressing the security and economic challenges, said a member of the Lebanese Parliament.

Political division in Lebanon resulted in a vacant presidential position following the end of former President Michel Aoun's term on Oct. 31, 2022. The parliament has failed to elect a president for the country in 12 electoral sessions. A caretaker government has been running the country amid the presidential vacuum.

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has announced that he will convene a new session for the presidential election on January 9.

"We must seize the opportunity on January 9 to go to Parliament with determination to elect a president," said Lebanese Parliament member Nabil Bader in an interview with China Central Television (CCTV) that aired on Tuesday.

Lebanon was already facing a serious economic crisis before the current round of conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, suffering from banking collapse, energy shortage, and severe livelihood problems. The escalation since late September of 2024 has further aggravated Lebanon's plight.

Bader believes that addressing the huge macroeconomic challenges will be an important task for the new government.

"Everyone knows that Lebanon's economy has completely collapsed. Therefore, the first step is to restore the credibility of the Lebanese banking system. Secondly, I hope that the future government will propose new laws to support investment and encourage investors to return to Lebanon, especially in the power sector and business investment area," he said.

Speaking of the current security situation, Bader said that Israel is still violating the ceasefire agreement with Lebanon and the Lebanese people are still worried about their safety. If the new president fails to properly resolve the issues in the ceasefire agreement, he said, Lebanon may fall into crisis again.

"International and regional forces need to get Israel to respect the ceasefire deal and withdraw from Lebanon, and demand that Hezbollah hand over its weapons south of the Litani River. Lebanon should also discuss weapons north of the Litani River internally. These issues should be on the agenda of any future government or president, otherwise we will repeat the mistakes of the past. But Lebanese, including those living in the south, cannot afford another crisis," Bader said.

China's Spring Festival market buzzes as holiday approaches

2025-01-08 10:10 Last Updated At：11:37

As the 2025 Spring Festival approaches, food markets in several cities across the country are experiencing a shopping spree, with consumers flocking to snap up festive goods.

The Red Star agricultural products wholesale market in Changsha City of central China's Hunan Province offers fruits, fresh produce and other agricultural and sideline products from 28 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities as well as 21 countries and regions around the world. The market has recently seen a surge in sales volume.

"Since the New Year's Day, our sales volume has surged. For instance, yesterday we got eight trucks, and the volume will continue to grow," said Zhang Zhibin, a vendor at the market.

Statistics showed that, since the beginning of 2025, the Red Star market has seen a daily fruit trading volume of 12,000 tons, peaking at 20,000 tons. Vegetable trading averaged 5,000 tons per day, with peaks reaching 8,000 tons.

Zhoushan International Aquatic City, a major shopping center for aquatic products in Zhoushan City of east China's Zhejiang province, is also seeing a sales boom, with seafood orders increasing both online and offline.

Despite rising trade prices for some products, market demand remains strong.

"Currently, we purchase over 5,000 kilograms of goods daily, and then sell them to Wenzhou, Fujian, and Ningbo. The market [prices] are roughly in line with previous years, and the demand is high. Sometimes I got more than 100 orders a day," said Yang Yihua, a vendor at the aquatic city.