BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday extended deep condolences to French President Emmanuel Macron over the passing of the country's former President Valery Giscard d'Estaing.

In his message, on behalf of the Chinese government and people, Xi expressed deep condolences over the death of Giscard d'Estaing, calling him an outstanding French politician and an important promoter of European integration.

- - - -

BEIJING -- Wang Yi, a special envoy of Chinese President Xi Jinping, on Friday urged all parties to strengthen unity, expand consensus and work together to move forward as global COVID-19 prevention and control efforts have entered a crucial stage.

In a virtual speech at a UN General Assembly special session in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Wang, also Chinese state councilor and foreign minister, voiced support for holding the session as a new wave of the pandemic strikes.

- - - -

LOS ANGELES -- Warner Bros. Pictures Group announced Thursday that the Hollywood studio will release all its 2021 films on streaming service and in theaters at the same time, a shocking move for the ever-changing U.S. film industry.

"It has committed to releasing its 2021 film slate via a unique, consumer-focused distribution model in which Warner Bros. will continue to exhibit the films theatrically worldwide while adding an exclusive one-month access period on the HBO Max streaming platform in the U.S. concurrent with the film's domestic release," the studio said in a statement.

- - - -

LISBON -- Chinese telecom company Huawei has every interest in helping the European Union (EU) be the world leader in 5G networks, and European operators should have the freedom to choose suppliers, Huawei vice president for Europe Abraham Liu said Thursday.

"In Europe, a single digital market, operators deserve freedom of choice," Liu spoke to Portuguese News Agency Lusa during the event, adding that his company can offer "several choices in terms of supply to different countries" in Europe.

- - - -

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Brazil's Economy Minister Paulo Guedes said Thursday that the country's economy is going through a V-shaped recovery.

After the first two quarters this year saw negative growth, official data released on Thursday showed that Brazil's gross domestic product (GDP) expanded by 7.7 percent in the third.

"The economy is rebounding," Guedes told reporters. "It is picking up in a V (shape), it is really picking up." Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)