Briefly

CHINA

Fiji's prime minister to pay official visit

Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka will pay a 10-day official visit to China starting from Monday, the first of its kind since taking office in 2022. During the visit, leaders of the two countries will have in-depth exchanges of views on major issues of common concern, China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Friday. China has hosted several leaders of Pacific Island countries this year and Rabuka is another one of them, which speaks to the close relations between China and the South Pacific region, Mao said. Fiji is the first Pacific Island country to have established diplomatic ties with China. And China hopes to take the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries to a new level and work with Fiji to build an even closer community with a shared future between China and Pacific Island countries, Mao said.

Japan urged to rectify faults on Taiwan boats

China has lodged solemn demarches with Japan, urging it to immediately rectify mistakes after Japan took action twice against Taiwan fishing vessels. It's reported that two Taiwan fishing vessels were detained by Japan's official ships and accused of violating fisheries regulations. The boats and the crew were released after paying fines. The Chinese government attaches great importance to safeguarding the legitimate interests of Chinese fishermen, including those from the Taiwan region, a foreign ministry spokesperson said in a statement. According to the China-Japan Fisheries Agreement, Japan has no right to enforce measures against Chinese fishing vessels in relevant waters, it said.