Briefly

CHINA

Li pledges strengthened relations with Nepal

Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday congratulated Sher Bahadur Deuba on taking the post as Nepal's new prime minister. Hailing China and Nepal as friendly neighbors that pull together in times of difficulties, Li said in a message that he stands ready to work with Deuba to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, jointly build the Belt and Road to a high quality, expand and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in all areas, and bring to a new level the strategic partnership of cooperation featuring everlasting friendship for development and prosperity between the two countries.

KOREAN PENINSULA

Neighbors in talks over summit, liaison office

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea are in talks to reopen a joint liaison office that Pyongyang demolished last year and hold a summit as part of efforts to restore relations, said three ROK government sources with knowledge on the matter. ROK President Moon Jaein and the DPRK's top leader Kim Jong-un have been exploring ways to improve strained ties by exchanging multiple letters since April, said the sources on condition of anonymity. The two neighbors, still technically at war after the Korean War ended in an armistice in 1953, reconnected their hotlines on Tuesday.

UNITED STATES

Swastika graffiti found in State Department

A swastika symbol was found etched into the wall of an elevator in the State Department on Monday as the country sees a worrying surge in anti-Semitism in recent months. Quoting a person familiar with the matter, US news website Axios on Tuesday first reported that the Nazi symbol was seen near the office of the State Department's special envoy monitoring and combating anti-Semitism. "The hateful graffiti has been removed and this incident will be investigated. As this painfully reminds us, anti-Semitism isn't a relic of the past," wrote Antony Blinken, US secretary of state, in a tweet on Tuesday. This is the latest in a spate of anti-Semitic incidents in the US and beyond. Following the conflict between Israel and Hamas in May, there has been a rise of anti-Semitic attacks in the country.

China Daily - Agencies - Xinhua