Rescue crews work to reopen a damaged section of the G216 national highway in Gyirong County, Xigaze, Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, on August 31, 2026. By 4 pm, operations had advanced to 1.1 kilometers from Gyirong Port, with 158 personnel and 28 pieces of heavy equipment from China Anneng deployed. The highway, the only land route to the port, was cut off by the mudslide on August 26, 2026. Photo: VCG

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held phone talks with Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze on Monday on bilateral relations, during which he expressed his sincere condolences to the families of the Latvian nationals who went missing in the Nepal August 26 mudslide disaster triggered by a sudden ice-rock avalanche and vowed to make every effort to continue searching for Latvian and other foreign nationals who remain missing, Xinhua News Agency reported on Monday. 

Braze said that 33 Latvian citizens have gone missing in the mudslide disasters in Nepal and China’s Xizang Autonomous Region. He thanked China for providing updates, conducting search and rescue operations, and extending sincere condolences to the families of the missing persons. Latvia stands ready to strengthen communication and coordination with China to properly handle follow-up work. 

Wang said that an ice-rock avalanche in Nepal’s side triggered a mudslide, causing heavy casualties and leaving many people missing in Gyirong County, Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region. 

Latvia is the European country with the largest number of people missing in the disaster. In the face of this sudden tragedy, Wang said that he would like to once again express his sincere condolences to the Latvian side, especially to the families of those who remain missing.  

China treats Chinese and foreign nationals equally and is making every effort to carry out rescue and relief operations. We will do our utmost to continue searching for Latvian and other foreign nationals who remain missing and properly handle the follow-up arrangements, Wang said. 

Wang also said that despite geographical distance, China and Latvia have a longstanding friendship. China was among the first countries to recognize Latvia’s independence, and bilateral ties have developed steadily on the basis of equality and mutual respect since diplomatic relations were established. 

China’s visa-free policy for Latvian nationals reflects its trust in Latvia. People-to-people exchanges between the two countries have become increasingly frequent, while practical cooperation continues to expand, said Wang. 

China stands ready to work with Latvia to take the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations as an opportunity to continuously inject new connotations of the times into China-Latvia relations, Wang noted.

Global Times