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WORLD NEWS Friday 27 November 2020
China's top diplomat stresses S.Korea ties amid row with U.S.

By KIM TONG-HYUNG operation amid the pan-
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) demic and conveyed a
— China's top diplomat on message by Chinese Presi-
Thursday stressed the impor- dent Xi Jinping that he con-
tance of bilateral relations siders his "friendship and
while meeting senior offi- trust" with Moon as "very
cials in South Korea, where important."
there is growing concern Moon's ambitions for inter-
the country is becoming Korean engagement have
squeezed between China, faltered amid stalled nucle-
its biggest trading partner, ar negotiations between
and military ally the United the U.S. and North Korea,
States. which have disagreed over
After meeting South Ko- the release of crippling U.S.-
rean Foreign Minister Kang led sanctions against North
Kyung-wha, Chinese For- Korea in exchange for dis-
eign Minister Wang Yi told armament steps by the
reporters that his visit dur- North.
ing the coronavirus pan- China, as North Korea's only
demic shows how much major ally and economic
Beijing values its relations lifeline, is seen as having
with Seoul. He called for unique leverage over the
stronger cooperation over South Korean President Moon Jae-in, right, poses with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi for a pho- government in Pyongyang.
anti-virus efforts, trade and to before a meeting at the presidential Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Nov. 26, 2020. Wang arrived in Seoul fol-
finding a peaceful solution Associated Press lowing a visit to Japan,
to a nuclear standoff with where he met Prime Minis-
North Korea. "There are 190 countries dent Moon Jae-in, who ac- continue serving a "con- ter Yoshihide Suga.
When asked whether Bei- and each of them are sov- knowledged bilateral ac- structive role" in internation- In Tokyo on Wednesday,
jing was pressing Seoul to ereign nations," he said. complishments in fighting al efforts to denuclearize Wang told Suga that he
choose a side amid rising "They include China and the virus and maintaining the Korean Peninsula and wants the two Asian pow-
U.S.-China tensions over South Korea, which are essential business exchang- helping improve relations ers to have good relations
trade, security and other is- close neighbors and should es despite tightened bor- between the rival Koreas. and cooperate in fighting
sues, Wang said "America visit each other more often, der controls, according to Wang replied that Seoul the coronavirus and re-
is not the only nation in the like relatives." a pool report. and Beijing have set a "role viving their pandemic-hit
world." Wang later met with Presi- Moon also urged Beijing to model" for international co- economies. q

Tensions rise over housing of migrants on Spanish islands

By RENATA BRITO has an expiration date of now, social services would
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) 31 December," Bueno said. have to take responsibility
— A row over where to She fears news of migrants for them. Do you think the
house African migrants in- being temporarily housed mayor has the resources to
creasingly arriving by boat in resorts would tarnish the house 3,400 migrants?"
on Spain's Canary Islands islands' image as a tourism The disagreement is the lat-
deepened Thursday, when destination, especially for est in months of tensions as
the mayor of the most af- British holidaymakers. Madrid tries to block the
fected town urged the Bueno threatened to fine migrants from leaving for
Spanish government to hotels up to 300,000 euros mainland Spain. It fears
transfer them out of local if they continued to rent that could encourage
hotels. rooms to the government more migrants to take the
More than 20,000 West Afri- next year. dangerous migration route
cans and Moroccans have "We cannot continue to to Europe, which has al-
reached the archipelago allow Gran Canaria to be- ready cost at least 500 lives
in the Atlantic Ocean by come a prison, a Lampe- this year. Migrants sit in Arguineguin port after their rescue in Gran Ca-
boat or been rescued at dusa or a Lesbos due to this As a result, thousands of naria island, Spain on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020.
sea so far this year, up from government's inaction and migrants stay in tents on Associated Press
1,500 in the same period of lack of coordination," she the pier of Arguineguín in
2019. said. unsanitary conditions until spots for migrants and asy- and asylum seekers, have
Onalia Bueno, mayor of Spain's State Secretary for they can be transferred to lum seekers on the archi- expressed concern that
Mogán in Gran Canaria Migration Hana Jalloul re- a hotel or one of the exist- pelago, including 6,000 in new proposals to revamp
island, said the govern- buffed the ultimatum say- ing reception centers on hotels. She said the ministry the EU's asylum system
ment should remove 3,471 ing the hotels are an ad- the islands. is working on opening 7,000 would continue to leave
migrants, including unac- equate transitional solution Though some hotels have additional beds outside of them to cope with the
companied minors, from given the plunge in tourism been keen to help, some hotels. challenge alone.
10 hotels in her area by the caused by the coronavirus sector associations have Spain's Interior Ministry is "The front-line member
year's end, when hoteliers' pandemic. expressed discontent with working on returning to Af- states cannot face the
contracts expire, and take Questioned about the is- the Spanish government rica those who are not eligi- migratory pressure on the
them to government facili- sue at a briefing with for- for not finding permanent ble for asylum, Jalloul said. whole European Union," the
ties, including in the main- eign correspondents, Jal- solutions. Spain, Italy, Malta and four countries said in a let-
land. loul asked: "If I left those Jalloul said the government Greece, Europe's main sea ter sent Wednesday to the
"The solidarity of Mogán migrants on the streets right has some 7,000 temporary entry points for migrants European Commission.q