Briefly

VIETNAM

Party chief receives medical treatment

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong has, over the recent past, been managing the work and taking health treatment and care at the same time, said a notice released by the Politburo of the Communist Party of Vietnam, or CPV, on Thursday. According to the notice, due to the need to continue prioritizing the time for Nguyen Phu Trong to focus on taking intensive care, and in order to ensure the overall management of the party, for the immediate future, the CPV Politburo assigns To Lam, CPV Politburo member and Vietnam's president, to be in charge of the work of the CPV Central Committee, Politburo, and Secretariat. The notice also said that a contingent of top professors, doctors and medical staff, with the most favorable conditions have been mobilized to treat Trong and provide healthcare for him.

CANADA

Foreign minister pays visit to China

Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly will visit China from Thursday to Saturday, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian has announced. Joly is scheduled to hold in-depth communication with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on issues of mutual concern so as to promote the improvement of China-Canada relations, Lin told a regular news briefing on Thursday. The three-day visit is Joly's first China tour since assuming office in 2021.Her last meeting with Wang was in February on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany. According to the Foreign Ministry, China is Canada's second-largest trading partner, import source and export market.

EUROPEAN UNION

Von der Leyen gets nod for second term

The European Parliament on Thursday approved Germany's Ursula von der Leyen's bid for a second five-year term as president of the European Commission. Von der Leyen garnered 401 votes in the 720-seat chamber, exceeding the majority required to maintain her position as the head of the EU's executive body. In the secret ballot, 284 members voted against her.

MIDDLE EAST

Iran, Saudi leaders hail bilateral relations

Iran's President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud have hailed the progress of bilateral relations. In a phone call on Wednesday, the Saudi crown prince congratulated Pezeshkian on his victory in Iran's presidential election, the Iranian Students' News Agency reported. The two sides also highlighted the necessity to expand cooperation between their countries.

China Daily - Agencies - Xinhua