Briefly

CHINA

Singaporean PM to kick off visit

Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will pay a five-day official visit to China starting from Sunday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced. As his first overseas visit outside the Association of Southeast Asian Nations since taking office in May, the trip shows the high regard Wong has placed on advancing China-Singapore relations, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Friday. Chinese leaders will hold talks with Wong, and both sides will exchange views on bilateral ties as well as regional and global issues of mutual concern, he said. This year marks the 35th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries. China hopes to deepen strategic communication, expand cooperation across various sectors, and jointly uphold multilateralism and free trade with Singapore, Guo added.

THAILAND

Paetongtarn meets army commander

Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra held talks on Friday with an army commander she criticized in a leaked phone call as she struggled to defuse a crisis threatening to topple her government. Paetongtarn is facing calls to quit or announce an election as anger flares over the call with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen. Her main coalition partner, the conservative Bhumjaithai party, pulled out on Wednesday, saying she had insulted the country and the army and leaving her government. She suffered another blow on Friday as reports emerged that another coalition partner was threatening to quit unless she stepped down as prime minister.

EUROPE

Russia, Ukraine say POW exchange completed

Russia and Ukraine said on Thursday that they had completed another exchange of captured soldiers, part of a deal reached earlier in June at peace talks in Istanbul. During the talks, the first direct negotiations between the sides in three years, both countries agreed to free more than 1,000 prisoners of war from each side. However, neither side disclosed the number of soldiers freed.

China Daily - Agencies