CICA Foreign MinistersMeeting Convenes

Chinese President Xi Jinping addressed the opening ceremony of the 5th Foreign Ministers Meeting of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia （CICA） held in Beijing on April 28， 2016.

In his speech， Xi reiterated Chinas full commitment to denuclearization and the securing of peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula by resolving issues through dialogue and negotiation. He further urged all parties to set the nuclear issue back onto the track of dialogue and negotiation. The president also noted that China remains， as ever， committed to maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea. While China will firmly safeguard its sovereignty， rights and interests， it is willing to peacefully resolve any disputes through amicable consultation and dialogue with countries directly involved. China will work jointly with Southeast Asian nations to safeguard the South China Sea as an ocean of peace， friendship and cooperation.

Xi further remarked that， while pursuing their Chinese dream， the Chinese people stand ready to support the people of other nations in realizing their own dreams， together making true the Asian dream of enduring peace and common prosperity and opening up a grand future vista for all of Asia.

China and U.S. Innovate Healthcare Cooperation

Held in Beijing on April 29， 2016， China-U.S. Patient Day was a joint production by the U.S. Embassy to China， the Chinese Hospital Association （CHA）， and the U.S.-China Healthcare Cooperation Program（HCP）. Themed with improving patient care through innovation and collaboration， the campaign illuminated the potential for win-win cooperation for both countries in the area of ameliorating medical services for Chinese patients.

Among the 100 or so participants were Huang Jiefu， deputy director of the Committee for Education， Science， Culture， Health and Sports of the National Committee of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference and Scott Mulhauser， chief of staff to U.S. Ambassador to China Max Baucus， representing the U.S. Embassay， and presidents and doctors from prestigious hospitals on both sides， as well as healthcare enterprise representatives. Adopting a “patient-centric” focus， participants sought means of enhancing the quality of Chinas medical services and discussed possible cooperation in such areas as hospital management， technology innovation， and optimized practice protocols for doctors.

Numerous cooperative healthcare projects have sprung up between the two sides， including training programs for top talents， internship opportunities for practitioners， and symposia on hospital management. An independent program under the American Chamber of Commerce in China， the HCP strives to facilitate long-term bilateral cooperation in healthcare.

China， Indonesia to Further Pragmatic Cooperation

China and Indonesia held the 5th Deputy Prime Ministerial Bilateral Dialogue Mechanism Meeting on April 26， 2016. Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi and Luhut Panjaitan， the visiting Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Political， Law and Security Affairs， co-chaired the meeting in Beijing.

Sino-Indonesian ties have seen sound development and the two countries have maintained frequent high-level visits， while expanding cooperation in various fields， Yang said， noting that the two sides communicate closely with and support each other in international affairs. He called on both sides to regard bilateral ties from a strategic and long-term perspective so as to fortify their strategic cooperation in political and security issues. He also called for more pragmatic cooperation in various fields to constantly inject new impetus into improving the two countries comprehensive strategic partnership. Luhut Panjaitan averred Indonesias willingness to undertake joint efforts with China towards greater cooperation in political， economic and security issues.

Both sides agreed to actively dock development strategies， push forward cooperation in railways， electric power， mining， aerospace， agriculture and fisheries， and engage in more security cooperation in the fields of defense， anti-terrorism， law enforcement， drug control and the Internet. They also agreed to bolster maritime cooperation on the basis of mutual respect and reciprocal benefit.

Chinas Emergency Relief Supplies Arrive at Ecuador

A chartered plane with humanitarian aid materials from the Chinese government to the victims of the deadly earthquake in Ecuador arrived in its capital Quito on April 27， 2016. The RMB 60 million-worth aid consists of 5，400 tents and nearly 10，000 folding beds. This comes in addition to the US $2 million bestowed by the Chinese government.

The materials were immediately deployed to quake-ravaged Manta. Rossana Alvarado， Ecuadors first vice president of the National Assembly， thanked the Chinese government for its timely aid. Foreign Minister Guillaume Long said that it is in just such moments of difficulty that ones true friends stand forth.

The 7.8-magnitude quake that struck Ecuador on April 16 wrought grievous loss of life and inflicted massive property damage.