Beijing’s Defense Ministry says deeper ties would help build a “China-Arab community with a shared future”
The Chinese Defense Ministry has signaled its readiness to strengthen military cooperation with the Gulf states in order to promote “world peace.” The statement came weeks after President Xi Jinping attended the first China-Arab States Summit and the China-Gulf Cooperation Council Summit in Saudi Arabia.
When asked by a journalist on Thursday about the “eight joint actions” proposed by Xi at the meetings, Defense Ministry spokesperson Tan Kefei said: “The Chinese military is willing to work with the militaries of Arab countries” to “jointly promote global security initiatives,” among other things.
Deeper ties would contribute positively to “the building of a China-Arab community with a shared future,” he added.
Tan went on to describe the Chinese Army as well as those of Arab nations as “important forces for maintaining world peace and stability.” He noted that Beijing and regional powers have shared military technology and held joint drills in recent years.
According to the ministry’s spokesperson, this “fruitful cooperation” has helped build “strategic mutual trust” between China and Arab countries.
President Xi was on an official visit to Riyadh at the invitation of King Salman from December 7-10.
Speaking at the Chinese-Arab summit, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman revealed that discussions had been held regarding the “creation of a free-trade zone between China and the countries of the Persian Gulf.”
On top of that, the Gulf states and China confirmed plans to jointly work toward solving “problems of food and energy security,” as well as cooperating on supply chains, the crown prince added.
Beijing and Riyadh signed a number of agreements and memorandums of understanding as a result.
The Chinese head of state also held a separate meeting with his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
https://www.rt.com/news/569117-china-arab-nations-military-cooperation/
US President Donald Trump confirmed on Wednesday the upcoming start of ground strikes against drug cartel targets in Latin America.
He made the remarks during Christmas greetings to the military.
Trump said the United States was "now going after the land" in its fight against drug cartel targets, noting that drug trafficking by sea was down 96 percent.
The U.S. president also extended special congratulations to the crew of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, currently deployed in the Caribbean.
BEIJING (Sputnik) - China has begun operating the world's first intelligent ultra-large oil tanker powered by methanol, the China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Monday.
The tanker, designed to transport crude oil, was successfully put into operation in the city of Dalian in China's northeastern coastal province of Liaoning, the report said. State-owned company Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co Ltd independently designed and built the vessel, it added.
The tanker is approximately 333 meters (1,092 feet) long and can carry around 2.1 million barrels of crude oil, the CCTV reported. Designed to produce low emissions and having intelligent control capabilities, the tanker will serve the route to the Middle East, among others, according to the report.
The vessel is powered by a dual-fuel methanol engine, which reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 92% compared to conventional fuel, the CCTV reported. It is equipped with an intelligent ship platform, an intelligent liquid cargo ...
A car bomb has killed a senior General Staff member, officials have confirmed
Source: The Investigative Committee
A Russian general has been killed in a car bomb blast in Moscow, the Investigative Committee has reported.
Officials identified the victim as Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, head of operational training at the General Staff. According to the statement, an explosive device had been planted beneath the vehicle he was traveling in, and detonated on Monday morning in the southern part of the Russian capital.
The blast also damaged several other vehicles and seriously injured Sarvarov’s driver, media reports stated.
Russian officials said one line of investigation is an assassination carried out by Ukrainian intelligence services, noting that Kiev has previously used explosive devices in targeted killings of officials and public figures.
Last December, a bomb hidden in an e-scooter killed Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, commander of Russia’s Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense ...
