Briefly

CHINA

Premier congratulates Israeli counterpart

Premier Li Keqiang on Monday sent a congratulatory message to Naftali Bennett for the politician's assuming office as Israel's new prime minister. In his message, Li said that in recent years, China-Israel relations have developed steadily and the two countries have made constant progress in pragmatic cooperation in various fields. The Chinese government values the ties with Israel, and is ready to strengthen win-win cooperation, expand friendly exchanges at various levels and push for greater progress in the bilateral innovative comprehensive partnership, the Chinese premier added.

UNITED STATES

Biden to host Afghan leader as violence rises

US President Joe Biden will host Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani and the Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah at the White House on Friday, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on Sunday. The visit comes amid a deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan because of fighting between the Taliban and the military since the drawdown of US troops began on May 1.

ARMENIA

Acting PM's party wins majority in polls

The party of Armenia's acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan won snap parliamentary elections in results released on Monday. He called the election to ease anger over a peace deal he signed with Azerbaijan to end weeks of fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh. With all precincts counted, his Civil Contract party won 53.9 percent of the vote. A bloc led by former president Robert Kocharyan was in distant second place with about 21 percent, the election commission said on Monday.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Dubai Airshow to cap visitor numbers

The Dubai Airshow, this year's biggest aerospace trade show and a spectacle for business deals worth billions of dollars, will be held under capacity restrictions in November due to the coronavirus pandemic, its organizer said. The airshow is scheduled for Nov 14-18. Even though few deals are expected as the industry seeks to preserve cash, the show is seen as a psychological boost for airlines and planemakers to reset an industry battered by the health crisis.

China Daily - Xinhua - Agencies