On September 14, 2026, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a phone call with Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže at the latter’s request.

Baiba Braže said that Latvia and China have just jointly commemorated the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. Over the years, the two countries have maintained good practical cooperation and have also had sound coordination on multilateral platforms such as the UN Security Council. Latvia looks forward to further strengthening communication and exchanges with China and continuously advancing bilateral relations.

Baiba Braže said that recently 33 Latvian citizens went missing in mudslides in Nepal and China’s Xizang Autonomous Region. After the disaster, Latvia thanked China for its updates and search and rescue efforts, and for its sincere condolences to the families of the missing. Latvia is ready to strengthen communication and coordination with China to jointly carry out follow-up work.

Wang Yi said that a sudden ice-rock avalanche on the Nepalese side triggered mudslides, resulting in heavy casualties and people going missing in Gyirong County, Xizang, China. Latvia is the European country with the largest number of missing persons in this disaster. In the face of this sudden tragedy, I wish to once again express sincere condolences to the Latvian side, especially the families of the missing. China treats Chinese and foreign nationals equally and has made every effort to carry out rescue operations. We will make the greatest efforts to continue searching for missing Latvian and other foreign nationals and properly handle follow-up matters.

Wang Yi said that although China and Latvia are far apart, the two peoples enjoy a profound traditional friendship. China was one of the first countries to recognize Latvia’s independence. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the two countries have always treated each other as equals, respected each other, and maintained steady development of relations. China’s unilateral visa exemption policy for Latvia reflects its trust in Latvia. People-to-people exchanges between the two countries have become more frequent, and practical cooperation has continued to expand. China is ready to work with Latvia to take the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations as an opportunity to continuously add new dimensions to China-Latvia relations.