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WORLD NEWS Monday 29 July 2024
Italy and China sign a 3-year action plan as Italian leader Meloni

tries to reset relations

By KEN MORITSUGU new frontiers of knowledge
Associated Press with partners.”
Italy and China signed a Electric vehicles have also
three-year action plan on become a symbol of grow-
Sunday to implement past ing China-EU trade tensions,
agreements and experiment with the European Union im-
with new forms of coopera- posing provisional tariffs of
tion, Italy's Prime Minister up to 37.6% on China-made
Giorgia Meloni said on an electric vehicles in early July.
official visit to the Chinese The two sides are holding
capital. talks to try to resolve the is-
Meloni is trying to reset rela- sue by an early November
tions with China as fears of deadline.
a trade war with the Euro- Meanwhile, China launched
pean Union are interwoven an anti-dumping investiga-
with continued interest in at- tion into European pork ex-
tracting Chinese investment ports, just days after the EU
in auto manufacturing and announced it would impose
other sectors. the tariffs on Chinese EVs.
"We certainly have a lot of Meloni, who arrived in Beijing
work to do and I am con- on Saturday, is making her
vinced that this work can first trip to China as prime
be useful in such a complex Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni shakes hands with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing, minister. She has held talks
phase on a global level, and Sunday, July 28, 2024, ahead of a forum with Italian and Chinese business leaders. Meloni is on an with Li before, meeting in
also important at a multilater- official visit to China this week to try to reset relations at a time of both fears of a trade war with the New Delhi last September
al level,” she said in remarks European Union and continued interest in attracting Chinese investment in auto manufacturing during the annual G-20 sum-
at the start of a meeting with and other sectors. mit, which brings together
Chinese Premier Li Qiang. Associated Press. the leaders of 20 major na-
Her five-day visit comes tomaker that includes Italy’s their two countries. just and non-discriminatory tions.
several months after Italy Fiat, announced in May that He pledged to open Chinese business environment for Italy's decision to join the Belt
dropped out of China's Belt it had formed a joint venture markets further, ensure that Chinese companies doing and Road Initiative in 2019
and Road Initiative, a signa- with Leapmotor, a Chinese foreign companies get the business in Italy,” he said. appeared to be a political
ture policy of Chinese leader electric car startup, to begin same treatment as Chinese Meloni told the business lead- coup for China, giving it an
Xi Jinping to build power and selling EVs in Europe. ones and create a transpar- ers that the two sides had inroad into Western Europe
transportation infrastructure Li, addressing Italian and Chi- ent and predictable business signed an industrial collabo- and a symbolic boost in a
around the world to stimu- nese business leaders after environment, responding to ration memorandum that in- then-raging trade war with
late global trade while also the meeting with Meloni, said frequently heard complaints cludes electric vehicles and the United States. But Italy
deepening China's ties with that China's push to upgrade from businesses operating in renewable energy, which says the promised economic
other nations. its economy will increase the world's second-largest she described as “sectors benefits didn't materialize,
Still, Italy remains keen to demand for high-quality economy. where China has already and its membership created
pursue an otherwise strong products, expanding op- “At the same time, we hope been operating on the tech- friction with other Western
economic relationship with portunities for cooperation the Italian side will work with nological frontier for some European governments and
China. Stellantis, a major au- between companies from China to provide a more fair, time ... and is sharing the the United States.q

Reformist formally takes over as Iran’s president

after supreme leader offers endorsement

By NASSER KARIMI sanctions, an oil embargo Soleimani, the architect of
Associated Press and for calling out alleged Iran’s regional military ac-
Iran’s supreme leader on human rights abuses. tivities, who was killed in U.S.
Sunday formally endorsed He also condemned Israel drone attack in 2020. He reit-
Masoud Pezeshkian as presi- for its actions in Gaza in the erated his promise to pursue
dent, allowing the reformist deaths of children, women a “constructive and efficient"
politician and heart surgeon and hospitalized people foreign policy, bolster the
to take charge of a coun- “who did not shoot a single rule of law offer equal op-
try weakened by economic bullet” against Israeli forces. portunities to citizens, support
sanctions over its nuclear “The Zionist regime is showing families and protect the en-
program. During an endorse- its ugliest face as a war crimi- vironment. In this photo released by an official website of the office of the
ment ceremony, Ayatollah nal," said Khamenei, accus- In his first official act in office, Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,
Ali Khamenei urged Pezesh- ing Israel of setting a “new Pezeshkian appointed Mo- center, gives his official seal of approval to newly elected
kian to prioritize neighbors, record in assassinations" and hammad Reza Aref, 72, as President Masoud Pezeshkian, as acting President Mohammad
African and Asian nations as cruelty. He also denounced his first vice-president. Aref, Mokhber stands at left, in an endorsement ceremony in Tehran,
well as countries that have the U.S. Congress for allowing who's considered a moder- Iran, Sunday, July 28, 2024. Associated Press.
“supported and helped” Iran Israeli Prime Minister Benja- ate reformist, held the post
in Tehran's foreign relations min Netanyahu to address between 2001-2005 under Pezeshkian takes over from take the oath of office in
policies. the legislative body. former president Moham- his predecessor Ebrahim Raisi parliament Tuesday and will
Khamenei criticized Euro- Speaking at the same cer- mad Khatami. Aref holds a whose death in a May he- have two weeks to form his
pean nations for “behav- emony, Pezeshkian paid doctorate in engineering licopter crash that sparked own cabinet for a vote of
ing badly to us” by adopting homage to Gen. Qassem from Stanford University. the early election. He will confidence in parliament.q