On May 10th, Mr. Li Baodong, Director-General of the Department of International Organizations and Conferences of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, representing the Chinese Government signed a Memorandum of Intent with Mr. Jean de Courten, Vice-President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), on the intention of ICRC to open a regional delegation in Beijing. The two parties acknowledged that an ICRC regional delegation for East Asia in Beijing shall promote the cooperative relationship between the ICRC and China and other neighboring East Asian countries in the humanitarian field. The two parties agreed to continue consultations on the opening of an ICRC regional delegation in Beijing, aiming at reaching agreement on the remaining issues as soon as possible.