Briefly

CHINA

Foreign Minister to pay visit to Laos

Foreign Minister Wang Yi will travel to Laos from Thursday to Saturday to attend a series of meetings related to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and pay an official visit to Laos. In the Lao capital Vientiane, Wang will attend the ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers' Meeting, the ASEAN Plus Three Foreign Ministers' Meeting, the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting and the ASEAN Regional Forum Foreign Ministers' Meeting, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said. China looks to further consolidate the consensus of various parties through a series of meetings and make political preparations for the outcomes of the series of leaders' meetings on East Asian Cooperation in October, Mao said.

FRANCE

Leftist party plans to scrap pension reform

France's leftist France Unbowed will take new legislative steps on Tuesday to scrap President Emmanuel Macron's contested pension changes and reverse the rise of the retirement age to 64 from 62, its chief lawmaker said. Canceling the reform is one of the main projects of France's left-wing camp that emerged as the strongest force in the snap parliamentary elections held last month while falling short of a majority. The reform resulted in violent street protests last year because of widespread opposition from workers. The bill, which is unlikely to be voted on before September, would need the support of lawmakers beyond the New Popular Front left-wing coalition to pass.

China Daily - Agencies