Briefly

CHINA

Surinamese president to pay 7-day state visit

Surinamese President Chandrikapersad Santokhi will pay a seven-day state visit to China starting from Thursday, according to the Foreign Ministry. This year marks the fifth anniversary of the establishment of strategic cooperative partnership between China and Suriname. China welcomes Santokhi's visit at this special moment, ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Monday. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties, bilateral relations have developed well with fruitful cooperation in various fields, Mao said. China attaches great importance to its relations with Suriname and is willing to work with the Caribbean nation to continue enhancing political mutual trust, expanding friendly exchanges and practical cooperation in various fields so as to bring benefits to the two countries and the two peoples, she said.

MOZAMBIQUE

Makeshift ferry disaster kills 96

A makeshift ferry boat has sunk off the north coast of Mozambique, killing 96 people, including children, authorities said on Monday, raising an earlier death toll. The converted fishing boat, carrying about 130 people, ran into trouble late on Sunday as it was trying to reach an island off Nampula Province, officials said. Most of those on board were trying to escape the mainland because of panic caused by disinformation about cholera, according to Nampula's Secretary of State Jaime Neto.

RUSSIA

US presence in Japan impedes peace treaty

The United States' military presence in Japan has always been a stumbling block in Moscow and Tokyo reaching a peace treaty, the Kremlin said on Monday. Russia, the main successor state to the Soviet Union, and Japan have never signed a peace treaty formally ending their hostilities during World War II. A territorial dispute over a disputed Pacific island chain, known in Russia as the Kurils and in Japan as the Northern Territories, is a key issue.

China Daily - Agencies