香港新年A teacher of Korean at Hefei University in Anhui province, Cho has helped to boost the two countries' ties in multiple aspects - not just in education

龍獅鬧The visit marks the first time the ship has visited West Africa, Xinhua said節熱[Photo/Xinhua]The Chinese Navy's hospital ship Peace Ark is providing humanitarian medical services to the people of Sierra Leone during an ongoing port call in the West African nation, Chinese media reported

香港新年The vessel arrived on Tuesday in Freetown, Sierra Leone's capital and largest city, which is a major port on the Atlantic Ocean龍獅鬧A nurse from China draws blood as part of an examination of a boy on the Peace Ark on Sept 21,2017節熱Sierra Leone is the second destination for Peace Ark in its "Harmonious Mission 2017" tour香港新年Medical personnel began examining and treating local residents immediately, Xinhua News Agency reported龍獅鬧It carries a total of 115 doctors and nurses, most of them from the People Liberation Army's Naval Medical University and Navy General Hospital

節熱Each day hundreds of Sierra Leone residents line up outside Peace Ark waiting for their turn to be diagnosed by Chinese doctors, the report said, noting that at least 2,000 residents would receive medical services during the ship's eight-day stay in Freetown香港新年The Peace Ark left a naval port in China's Zhejiang province on July 26 to carry out its 155-day goodwill mission龍獅鬧Abe, who also heads the LDP, is set to provisionally dissolve the lower chamber of Japan's bicameral system of parliament on Sept 28, as this is when the extraordinary Diet session will be convened, according to LDP sources close to the matter

節熱However, the prime minister has the authority to dissolve the lower chamber and call a general election at will香港新年This scenario would see official campaigning for the national poll kick off on Oct 10, with voters thereafter casting their ballots on Oct 22龍獅鬧A lower house election must be held by December 2018 as this is when the four-year terms of current lower house lawmakers expire節熱If Abe goes ahead with his plan to call a snap election, then three by-elections that have been slated to take place on Oct 22 would be replaced by the general election

The opposition camp, however, has criticized Abe's move to call a snap election, with some accusing him of merely trying to escape from the influence-peddling scandals he is currently implicated in and engineering his stay in power"Nikai on Tuesday, during a meeting of ruling LDP executives reportedly conveyed Abe's intentions and relayed the party's determination to get all of its candidates fielded in the race

Prior to Abe's departure Monday for a five-day trip to New York to attend the UN General Assembly, Abe told Nikai during a meeting that he "will decide on the timing of the snap election after returning from the UN General Assembly on FridayAbe last dissolved the lower house of parliament in November 2014 and thereafter led the ruling coalition to a sweeping victory in the following election in DecemberIn addition, the fact that new opposition parties in the process of being formed will not have time to organize themselves and mount a serious challenge to Abe and the LDP in such a short space of time, has made many political watchers question Abe's regard for democracy and the will of the peopleTOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is gearing up to dissolve the lower house of parliament and call a snap general election, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Secretary General Toshihiro Nikai confirmed on Tuesday

The support rate for Abe's cabinet has improved moderately recently, and the opposition camp has accused the prime minister of taking advantage of this and have slammed the possible general election as being unnecessary and serving Abe's personal, not political objectivesThe application for UNESCO heritage status submitted by more than 10 groups from China, the Republic of Korea and other countries and regions will "allow the world to fully understand the brutality of the war of agrression, remember history, cherish peace and defend human dignity," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said at a regular news briefingBEIJING -- Japan should act correctly towards an application for records of comfort women to be listed as UNESCO heritage, instead of threatening not to pay its UNESCO membership fees, a Chinese spokesperson said MondayIf the submitted documents are approved for the UNESCO Memory of the World Register next month, domestic pressure for Japan to cancel payment of its UNESCO membership fees will grow, according to Japanese media

"The members of international organizations are obliged to pay their membership fees on time and in fullChina demands Japan reflect on its history of aggression, and take a correct attitude towards and do not smear or meddle with the application," Lu said

The move serves the purposes of the UNESCO, he saidForceful recruitment of comfort women, or sex slaves, was a grave crime committed by the Japanese militarism during WWII

There is solid evidence and no room for denying that, Lu saidHe said that Japan should handle the issue properly and in a responsible way to gain trust from its Asian neighbors and the international communityPeople from the DPRK and the ROK belong to the same ethnic group, and China has always supported the two countries in strengthening exchanges, improving ties and promoting reconciliation, he saidLu's comment came after ROK President Moon Jae-in suggested that his country could go ahead with humanitarian aid to the DPRK "regardless of political situations," despite Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's request for consideration of the timing of the proposed aidBEIJING -- China hopes that concerned parities can understand and respect the emotions of the people and support normal exchanges between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea (ROK), Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said Monday"All the UN Security Council resolutions that imposed sanctions on the DPRK, including the newly adopted Resolution 2375, have stated clearly that they are not intended to have a negative effect on the livelihoods and humanitarian needs of the people there," Lu said at a daily press briefing

"I think this is not only good for China, but will also be a positive influence to the whole international system," he saidFor example, Singapore can become a launchpad for Chinese companies to march into international markets, and they can make the best of Singapore's trade and service facilities as a financial center and transport hub

Singapore's cooperation with China concerning the Belt and Road Initiative, Lee said, is focused on infrastructure inter-connectivity, financial projects and third-country programs such as personnel training, which Singapore believes can combine advantages of both sidesThe two sides are expected to exchange views on bilateral ties and issues of common concern, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced Friday

In the interview, Lee said the Initiative-related cooperation in sectors such as infrastructure investments, trade and tourism can help further "integrate China into regional and international economic systems while greatly boosting the prosperity and development in other countriesThe Belt and Road Initiative, put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, is aimed at building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road through concerted efforts of all related countries to benefit all participants by promoting unimpeded trade, financial integration, infrastructure inter-connectivity and closer people-to-people exchanges

The Singaporean leader will pay an official visit to China on Sept 19-21 at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang"The Initiative will help foster closer cooperation among China and its neighboring countries as well as its trade partners in Europe, Asia and even Africa," he added"We deem the Belt and Road Initiative as positive," Lee said Saturday in an interview with Xinhuanet, Xinhua's official website, noting that China's continuous economic growth has made China an increasingly larger and more important part in the international systemSINGAPORE -- Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has said that the Belt and Road Initiative of China is positive to the world since it can help further integrate China into regional and international economic systems while boosting growth in other countries

" In his opinion, the Initiative can help China make more and better contributions to global economic and trade cooperation as well as the international relationsOne option is to hold a snap election on Oct 22, when three by-elections are scheduled, the sources said

TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is considering calling a snap election for as early as next month to take advantage of his improved approval ratings and disarray in the main opposition party, government and ruling party sources said on SundayOther possibilities are later in October or after an expected visit by US President Donald Trump in early November

"Until now, it appeared the election would be next autumn, butAbe's ratings have recovered to 50 percent in some polls

we must always be ready for battle," domestic media quoted Komeito party chief Natsuo Yamaguchi as telling reporters on Saturday during a visit to RussiaAbe told executives of his Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner, the Komeito party, that he might dissolve parliament's lower house for a snap poll after the legislature convenes for an extra session from Sept 28, the sources saidAbe will probably make a decision after returning from a Sept 18-22 trip to the United States, the sources saidTop LDP and Komeito officials will meet on Monday to discuss preparations, they added

"We need to be clear that the latest UN resolution not only sanctions the DPRK's nuclear activities but also calls for the reopening of dialogue and resolving the issue through consultations," Cui said"Without implementing these, we also will consider it as noncompliance with the resolution," Nebenzia said, Reuters reported

China's envoy to Washington has urged the US to do more to resolve the nuclear crisis on the Korean Peninsula, while stressing that the UN resolution on Pyongyang also calls for dialogue and peace talksThe ambassador's remarks followed shortly after the DPRK's latest missile launch drew condemnation from the United Nations and refueled fiery rhetoric about a military option from the Trump administration, which also asked China to mount pressure on the DPRK, partly by cutting oil shipments to Pyongyang

"At the UN's headquarters in New York on Friday, Russia's UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia also called on the US and others to implement the "political and diplomatic solutions" that are called for in the latest sanctions resolutionCui said the resolution is a shared responsibility for all parties