China pledges to continue search for missing Latvians following Nepal-China border disaster

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held phone talks with Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze on Monday on bilateral relations.

Latvia and China have just jointly commemorated the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, while the two countries have shared a good and practical cooperative relationship for many years and kept excellent collaboration on multilateral platforms such as the United Nations Security Council, Braze said.

The Latvian side looks forward to further strengthening communication and exchanges with the Chinese side to promote the continuous development of bilateral relations, she said.

Braze said that 33 Latvian citizens had gone missing in the recent mudslides in Nepal and China's Xizang Autonomous Region, and expressed appreciation for the information provided by China, its search and rescue efforts following the disaster, and its sincere condolences to the families of those missing.

Latvia is ready to strengthen communication and coordination with China and jointly handle follow-up work, she added.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that a sudden ice-rock avalanche on the Nepalese side triggered mudslides, resulting in significant casualties and missing persons in Gyirong County in China's Xizang Autonomous Region, adding that Latvia is the European country with the highest number of missing persons.

In the face of this sudden tragedy, Wang once again extended his sincere condolences to the Latvian side, especially to the families of those missing.

China treats Chinese and foreign nationals equally and is making every effort to provide assistance, Wang said, adding that China will do its utmost to continue the search and rescue for missing people from Latvia and other countries and properly handle follow-up matters.

Although China and Latvia are geographically far apart, the two peoples enjoy a long-standing friendship, he said, noting that China was among the first countries to recognize Latvia's independence.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties, the two countries have treated each other as equals, respected each other and maintained steady development of ties, Wang said.

China's unilateral visa-free policy for Latvian citizens reflects China's trust in Latvia, with people-to-people exchanges between the two countries intensifying and practical cooperation continuously expanding, he said.

China stands ready to work with Latvia to take the anniversary as an opportunity to further enrich China-Latvia relations, Wang said.