Briefly

UNITED STATES

Beijing, Washington discuss arms control

Officials from China and the United States have held talks over arms control and nonproliferation in Washington as both sides pledged to enhance mutual trust, build consensus, manage differences and explore cooperation, according to a statement released on Wednesday by China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or MFA. The meeting was held between Sun Xiaobo, head of the arms control department of the MFA, and Mallory Stewart, the US assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance. The two sides engaged in in-depth, frank, and constructive exchanges of views on a wide range of issues, including the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, cooperation among the five nuclear-armed states, nuclear security, nonproliferation and export control, biosecurity compliance, outer space security, and conventional arms control.

PORTUGAL

PM resigns over corruption scandal

Antonio Costa, prime minister of Portugal, resigned on Tuesday after becoming the target of an investigation into alleged government corruption. Costa submitted his resignation to President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa earlier in the day. In a statement, Costa denied corruption accusations but said he preferred to step down to focus on his defense. The country's attorney general has announced that a criminal case will be filed against Costa. The attorney general was also received by the Portuguese president, who was informed about the search operations that resulted in the arrest of five people.

China Daily - Xinhua