MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Switching to payments in national currencies in Russian-Chinese trade is speeding up the process of global de-dollarization, China’s Charge d'Affaires to Russia Sun Weidong said on Wednesday.
"The existing economic partnership between China and Russia and the accumulated level of long-term trade have laid a firm basis for further deepening of the cooperation between our countries... Financial cooperation, such as payments in national currencies, that we are currently promoting, will facilitate global de-dollarization," Sun said during a conference on Russian-Chinese relations.
The volume of trade between the two countries has grown from $881 billion to $1.5 trillion, the diplomat said, adding that the trade cooperation between Russia and China focuses primarily on energy and agriculture.
"Energy cooperation continues to play an important role in relations between the two countries, in addition, agricultural products and seafood from Russia are increasingly entering the Chinese market. We have cooperation on major projects in the field of nuclear energy, aircraft construction, rocket engines, satellite navigation... In addition, there is constant settlement in local currencies," Sun said.
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US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is preparing to leave the Trump administration after what a new report has described as months of tension with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, potentially triggering another change at the army’s top echelons.
According to the Friday report by The Wall Street Journal, Driscoll is expected to step down before the end of the year and could leave his post earlier. The newspaper cited people familiar with discussions over his departure.
The Journal reported that Driscoll and his family vacated the official residence assigned to the army secretary at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall this summer, a move that could indicate he was preparing to leave the position.
The reported departure would come at a time of continuing uncertainty at the top echelons of the army.
Hegseth abruptly removed Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George in April, while Trump has not yet nominated a permanent successo....more below
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The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) warns the enemies that any act of aggression against the Islamic Republic will not go unanswered.
In a statement on Thursday, the IRGC issued a “stern warning” to the enemies after US forces launched strikes against the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas.
Following the US military attack on a point on the outskirts of Bandar Abbas Airport with aerial projectiles, the IRGC carried out new strikes targeting the US air base from which the attack originated in the wee hours of Thursday, it added.
“This response is a serious warning to the enemy that they should know the act of aggression will not go unanswered,” the IRGC emphasized.
The elite military force warned of a “more decisive” response if the enemy repeated any act of aggression.
It also said the responsibility for the consequences of any IRGC response lies with the aggressor.
The statement comes after the IRGC Navy on Thursday forced an American tanker to turn back. The tanker ...
