The Pan Afrikanist Watchman

BRICS expansion has shown its bright prospect, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on January 2 at a daily press briefing.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Iran, and Ethiopia joined BRICS on January 1, doubling its membership from 5 to 10.

Wang Wenbin said China is fully confident in the BRICS’ future, noting that BRICS cooperation mechanism has increased cohesiveness and influence and become a positive and stable force for good in international affairs.

At the request of relevant countries, BRICS decided to expand its membership, which serves the common aspiration of emerging markets and developing countries, and follows the global trend towards multi-polarity, Wang Wenbin said.

“We will work with BRICS partners to strive for new results in greater BRICS cooperation,” the spokesperson said.

• Xi Jinping, Biden exchange congratulations on 45th anniversary of diplomatic ties

Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden exchanged congratulatory messages on January 1 to mark the 45th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic relations.

In his message, Xi Jinping said the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States is a major event in the history of bilateral and international relations.

Over the past 45 years, the China-U.S. relationship has gone through ups and downs and moved forward on the whole, which has not only enhanced the well-being of the two peoples, but also promoted world peace, stability and prosperity, Xi Jinping said.

History has already proven and will continue to fully prove that mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation are the right way for China and the United States to get along with each other as two major countries, the Chinese president said.

That should be the direction of joint efforts made by China and the United States in the new era, he said.

Xi Jinping pointed out that he and Biden, during their meeting in San Francisco, laid out a future-oriented “San Francisco vision,” charting the course for the development of China-U.S. relations.

He called on China and the United States to earnestly implement the important common understandings and outcomes reached by the two heads of state, and take concrete actions to promote the stable, healthy and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations.

Xi Jinping stressed that he is willing to work with Biden to continue to steer the course of China-U.S. relations, so as to benefit the two countries and their people, and promote the cause of world peace and development.

• Shanghai launches first China-Europe freight train of 2024

On January 5, Shanghai launched its first China-Europe freight train of 2024, local railway authorities said.

The freight train carried 100 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of goods, such as air conditioners and household appliances, with a total weight of more than 1,000 tonnes and a total value of over 10 million yuan (about 1.4 million U.S. dollars).

Shanghai launched its first China-Europe freight train in September 2021.  In 2023, Shanghai handled 100 China-Europe freight trains with over 10,000 TEUs of goods.

(C) Chinese Newsletter Jan 8, 2024