President Xi Jinping welcomes Gambian President Adama Barrow at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday. WU ZHIYI/CHINA DAILY China and Gambia signed seven documents to enhance cooperation in areas such as trade, investment, finance and culture on Thursday during Gambian President Adama Barrow's state visit. Barrow is the first Gambian president to visit China since the two countries resumed ties last year. He is on a state visit to China that began on Wednesday and concludes on Monday at the invitation of President Xi Jinping. Signing of the agreements and memorandums of understandings were witnessed by Xi and Barrow at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The two countries established formal diplomatic ties in 1974, but China suspended relations in 1995 when Gambia resumed diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Gambia severed ties with Taiwan in 2013 and resumed diplomatic relations with China in March 2016. Facts have proved that Gambia's decision for resuming diplomatic relations with China is in line with the trend of the current times, which is a correct choice that meets the interests of both countries and the people of both sides, Xi said. The two countries should uphold the one-China policy and support each other on issues of core interests and major concerns, Xi said. China sees its cooperation with Gambia on agriculture, electric power and infrastructure as very important, Xi said, adding that China would like to help Gambia achieve sustainable development. Xi expressed gratitude for the congratulatory message from Barrow on the success of the Communist Party of China's 19th National Congress in October and Xi's re-election as general secretary of the CPC Central Committee. The Party congress put forward the proposal of building a community of shared future for mankind and China would like to enhance its cooperation with developing countries, such as those in Africa, Xi said. Mentioning that the Gambian government is dedicated to developing its economy and improving its people's livelihoods, Xi said he is happy to see that the people of Gambia have initiated a new journey of building the country. The cooperation between the two countries since March 2016 has benefited people from both sides, Xi said, adding that Gambia has supported China's stance on issues including Taiwan and the South China Sea that is related to China's core interests. China respects and supports the Gambian people's choice and would like to offer help for the Gambian government, Xi said. Barrow said that Xi's invitation is a sign of support and a sign of giving confidence to bilateral ties. It was a great mistake when Gambia resumed relations with Taiwan in 1995, which was an individual decision and not the will of Gambian people, he said. Barrow expressed gratitude to China for giving support to Gambia since the 1970s in the areas of agriculture, health and technology. batman wristbandcotton braceletsfidget spinner braceletcustom rubber bandscool wristbandswide rubber bands24 hour wristbands coupon code
China launches two Type 055 guided-missile destroyers, widely considered Asia's biggest such combat vessels, at a shipyard in Dalian, Liaoning province, on Tuesday. [Photo/LIU DEBIN FOR CHINA DAILY] China launched on Tuesday two Type 055 guided-missile destroyers, widely considered Asia's biggest and mightiest such combat ship, according to witnesses outside a shipyard in Dalian, Liaoning province. Weapons enthusiasts published photos taken near Dalian Shipbuilding Industry, which has built two aircraft carriers, on internet military forums. They also described what they saw of the two giant ships' launches. When ships are moved into the water, their construction is basically finished. It is regarded as the most important step before sea trials. Water started to be pumped into dry docks where the vessels were built around 7 am, before the docks' gates were opened, witnesses said. Photos showed that there was a small launch ceremony at the shipyard with hundreds of workers standing in formation in front of the two Type 055s, each decorated with a huge national flag and ceremonial banners. Then the ships were pushed into open waters by several tugboats, the photos showed. The next steps usually are for engineers to test and fine-tune equipment already mounted on the ships and continue installing other devices. Then they will conduct mooring tests and sea trials before the ships are commissioned in the People's Liberation Army Navy. Four Type 055s have now been launched, but none are yet commissioned. The first of the class was launched in late June 2017 at Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai, the second in late April at the same shipyard. Type 055 is China's newest generation of guided-missile destroyers. It has a displacement greater than 10,000 metric tons and will be equipped with new types of air defense, missile defense and anti-ship and anti-submarine weapons, according to the Navy. It has 112 vertical launching cells that can fire various kinds of missiles, including China's long-range land-attack cruise missile. Its firepower is thought to be twice that of the Type 052D, the largest and most powerful surface combatant commissioned in the PLA Navy. While the Type 055 is classifed as a destroyer, outside China it would be considered a cruiser as its large size and heavy displacement are comparable to that of the United States' Ticonderoga class cruiser. Li Jie, a senior researcher for the PLA Navy, said the vessel displaces about 13,000 tons. The latest version of the United States' Arleigh Burke class, the largest family of destroyers in the world, has a full displacement of 9,800 tons. South Korea's Sejong the Great class displaces 11,000 tons while Japan's Atago class displaces 10,000 tons. Cao Weidong, a senior researcher at the PLA Naval Military Studies Research Institute, said that compared with other destroyers in the Navy, the Type 055 features stealth design, stronger strike prowess and higher information capacity and will tremendously boost the PLA Navy's long-range operational capability. He also said such ships will greatly strengthen the country's carrier battle groups.
