Nigerien president will pay a state visit to China, Donald Tusk will meet with EU leaders on new leadership, US Vice-President Mike Pence will travel to Canada, defense ministers in Asia will meet at the Shangri-la Dialogue, and the second DMZ hiking trail will open in Cheorwon.
These are the international events under the spotlight for the week starting May 27.
Nigerien president to pay state visit to China
Nigerien President Mahamadou Issoufou attends the roundtable conference of the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Beijing, Sept 4, 2018. [Photo/Xinhua]
Nigerien President Mahamadou Issoufou will pay a five-day state visit to China starting Sunday.
Issoufou will hold talks with President Xi Jinping. The two will also attend a signing ceremony of cooperation documents. Issoufou will also meet respectively with Premier Li Keqiang and Li Zhanshu, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.
Besides Beijing, Issoufou will visit Zhejiang and Jiangxi provinces.
Donald Tusk to meet with EU leaders on new leadership
European Council President Donald Tusk holds a news conference after an extraordinary European Union leaders summit to discuss Brexit in Brussels, Belgium, April 11, 2019. [Photo/Agencies]
European Council President Donald Tusk will convene a meeting with the leaders of the European Union (EU) member states on May 28 to establish procedures for appointing new EU leadership.
The nominations will have to reflect the geographical and demographic balance. If there is no consensus in the decisions, Tusk said he will not hesitate to put them to the vote.
"We want to make these nominations at the European Council in June," Tusk said.
The elections are only part of a bigger EU changeover, as by the end of the year, the EU should also have new presidents to lead the European Commission and European Council, two appointments that will also sway how Europe works over the next five years.
US Vice-President Mike Pence to visit Canada
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets with US Vice-President Mike Pence at the National Governors Association special session called "Collaborating to Create Tomorrow's Global Economy," in Providence, Rhode Island, US, July 14, 2017. [Photo/IC]
US Vice-President Mike Pence will travel to Ottawa, Canada, on behalf of US President Donald Trump on May 30 to call for swift adoption of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and to meet with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
In Canada, Pence will meet with Trudeau and deliver joint remarks, focused on deepening the strong trade relationship between the two nations.
Pence will also deliver an address on the USMCA to business leaders, members of Parliament, members of the diplomatic corps, and other public and private sector leaders.
Defense ministers in Asia to meet at the Shangri-la Dialogue
The facade of the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore, June 3, 2018. [Photo/IC]
Defense ministers in Asia will meet at the Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore from May 31 to June 2.
Wei Fenghe, Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense, will speak at the annual international defense forum in Singapore on June 2.
Wei will speak on China's position in the Indo-Pacific region and will take questions following his speech, said the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), which organizes the annual Shangri-La Dialogue.
Second DMZ hiking trail will open in Cheorwon
ROK President Moon Jae-in inspects a trail adjacent to the Demilitarized Zone, dubbed the "DMZ Peace Trail", in the northeastern border town of Goseong, the Republic of Korea, April 26, 2019. [Photo/IC]
The second inter-Korean border trail along the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that demarcates the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) will be opened to civilian hikers next month.
The central section of the DMZ in Cheorwon of Gangwon Province, about 90 kilometers northeast of Seoul, will be opened for the government-initiated "DMZ Peace Trail" program on June 1.
The Cheorwon trail will be run twice a day, except Tuesdays and Thursdays, every week. Up to 20 people can participate in each hike.
The first peace trail was launched in an eastern coastal section in Goseong, Gangwon Province, on April 27, drawing hundreds of hikers to its scenic seaside routes over six days each week, with the trail closed on Mondays.
