CANBERRA - Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said on Tuesday that Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and US President Donald Trump "don't have to be best friends" when discussing regional issues in New York. Speaking at Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Thursday morning, Bishop said January's infamous phone call between the two leaders which Trump described as his "worst of the day" after Turnbull informed the president of a deal for the United States to take Australian refugees. She said the leaders did not necessarily need to get along in order to strengthen ties between the two nations but it was likely that they would have "a lot in common". "They don't have to be best friends, but of course they will be gracious toward each other," Bishop said ahead of Turnbull's arrival in New York on Thursday. "(But) I have no doubt that the prime minister and President Trump will find a lot in common, I'm sure they'll get along well." The phone call made worldwide press earlier in the year but Bishop said the US president was merely expressing his opinion about the deal which was struck with the previous Obama administration. "It was a new administration. Briefings were coming from across the administration and there was a moment when the president expressed less than admiration for an agreement that the previous administration has entered into," Bishop said. Turnbull is set to meet with the U.S. president on the decks of the USS Intrepid, a World War II-era aircraft carrier, which is now used as a floating museum as part of the 75th year commemorations of the Battle of the Coral Sea. "The historic setting of the prime minister's meeting with President Trump is also very important," Bishop said. Before leaving Australia for New York on Wednesday, Turnbull said the two leaders would be discussing a "wide range of security and economic issues". make your own rubber band bracelets24hr wristband
A flag-raising ceremony is held to celebrate the 21st anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland in Hongkong on Sunday morning. [Photo/Xinhua] Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, said on Sunday she has even greater confidence in Hong Kong a year after taking office, thanks to strong support from the central government and joint efforts from different sectors. She made the remark to about 2,000 guests, including representatives of the central government and the SAR government, foreign diplomats in Hong Kong and local dignitaries, at a reception celebrating the 21st anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland on Sunday morning after a flag-raising ceremony. Lam attributed her confidence to the central government's strong support and President Xi Jinping's care for Hong Kong. During his three-day inspection tour from June 29 to July 2 last year, marking the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the mainland, Xi expressed his cordial care for Hong Kong and gave four imperatives. Xi's visit created the exceptionally favorable ground for the current-term Hong Kong government to run the city in accordance with the law, assume a proactive role, develop the economy and improve people's livelihoods, Lam said. Over the past year, Hong Kong maintained robust economic growth, recording a 3.8 percent increase in real gross domestic product in 2017, followed by 4.7 percent in the first quarter of 2018. The unemployment rate dropped to a 20-year low of 2.8 percent. Lam and the SAR government's work and achievement during the past year was recognized by Wang Zhimin, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the SAR, who said at a separate event on Sunday that her first year was a good start. Wang said Lam and the SAR government managed the city in accordance with the law and implemented the one country, two systems principle by making full use of Hong Kong's unique competitiveness and actively joining the national development. Wong Kwok-kin, a Legislative Council member from the city's biggest labor union, said Lam is bold and resolute in building public trust in the government, improving the administrative-legislative relationship and fostering social cohesion. Starry Lee Wai-king, chairwoman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, the city's largest political party, agreed with Wong. Lee noted that in the past year there was an increase in the number of bills and the amount of works funding passed by the Legislative Council. After assuming office, the chief executive has attended legislative meetings often to answer questions from lawmakers. Enhanced communication between the government and the legislature means greater efficiency, Lee said. Speaking of the government's work in the future, Lam emphasized the importance of engaging young people. The government has been providing young people with more opportunities to take up internships on the Chinese mainland for deeper understanding of national developments and to participate in the Hong Kong SAR's affairs. And Hong Kong youth today enjoy bright prospects and abundant opportunities presented by the Belt and Road Initiative and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development. Young people should aspire to develop into a new generation with a sense of national identity, an affection for Hong Kong and an international perspective, who are also passionate about and committed to the well-being of the Hong Kong community, Lam said.
