FOREIGN AFFAIRS
China backs UN resolution on North Korea
China agrees that the UN Security Council should take further action and pass a new resolution on North Korea, following its nuclear test earlier this month, but the new resolution should not stir up tensions or cause chaos in the peninsula, Chinese foreign minister said. Addressing a press briefing on January 27 after a meeting with visiting US Secretary of State John Kerry, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the two countries reached a consensus that the Security Council could respond to the North Korea nuclear test by passing a new resolution, adding that his country is willing to maintain all-round and profound consultations with all the parties in a responsible way, including the US. Wang added that China has voiced opposition to the latest nuclear test of North Korea, which has violated the UN Security Council resolution and threatened the international nuclear non-proliferation system.
Source(s): Global Times, January 28, 2016
Pakistan, China hold maritime cooperation dialogue
Pakistan and China on February 2 held the Second Maritime Cooperation Dialogue in Islamabad and agreed to enhance cooperation in the Maritime domain between the two countries, officials said. The Pakistan delegation was led by Syed Zulfiqar Gardezi, Additional Secretary (Asia Pacific) while the Chinese side was headed by Kong Xuanyou, Assistant Minister (Asia and Consular Affairs), the Foreign Ministry said. Representatives from various government departments of the two sides also attended the Dialogue and reviewed overall Maritime situation in the region, security of Sea Lines of Communication, anti-piracy cooperation, rescue and relief operations, maritime science and technology cooperation and exchanges between the two navies.
Source(s): The Xinhua News Agency, February 2 , 2016
Xinhua calls for continued cooperation among BRICS media
The Xinhua News Agency on February 2 called on media from BRICS countries to continue to strengthen cooperation. Xinhua hopes the BRICS media summit this year will further advance their exchanges and cooperation, said Cai Mingzhao, president of the Xinhua News Agency, in his meeting with Indian Ambassador to China Mr. Vijay Gokhale. Cai said media of China and India should stick to fair and objective reporting to help maintain the sound momentum of the bilateral relations. Noting media cooperation is an important component of the two countries' ties, Gokhale said the Indian side will continue to support the media exchanges and also, support the BRICS media summit in playing an active role in promoting the BRICS cooperation. The first BRICS media summit was held in Beijing in December last year. The summit, with the theme of "Innovation, Development, Cooperation and Trust," was proposed by Xinhua and jointly organized by Brazil Communication Company, Russia Today International Information Agency, The Hindu Group and South Africa's Independent Media.
Source(s): The Xinhua News Agency, February 2 , 2016
Mainland, Taiwan share obligation to safeguard territorial integrity
China has indisputable sovereignty rights over some of the islands in the South China Sea and people cross-Straits share a common responsibility and obligation to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, a mainland official said on January 30. Ma Xiaoguang, spokesperson of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, made the comments in response to Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou's trip to Taiping Island in the South China Sea on January 31. The trip comes following the opposition Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) landslide victory in the general elections on January 16.
Source(s): Global Times, January 28, 2016
POLITICS & SOCIETY
Sentences reduced
Eleven people convicted of terrorism offences in China’s restive Xinjiang region have had their jail sentences reduced, state media reported. Seven of the offenders had their life sentences cut to 19½ or 20-year jail terms, the state-run news agency Xinhua reported. A high court also reduced four other prisoners’ 15, 13 and eight-year sentences years by six months, the report said. The prisoners were convicted of separatism and terrorism charges, according to the article. The report did not give details of why the sentences were reduced, but said work had been carried out in prisons to curb radicalism and it quoted two of the convicts of expressing remorse for their actions.
Source(s): South China Morning Post, February 3, 2016
China's military regrouped into five PLA theater commands
Chinese President Xi Jinping conferred military flags to the five newly-established theater commands of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Monday.Xi, also chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), presented the flags to top officers of the five theater commands at a ceremony in Beijing.Commander Liu Yuejun and political commissar ZhengWeiping of the Eastern Theater Command; commander Wang Jiaocheng and political commissar Wei Liang of the Southern Theater Command; commander Zhao Zongqi and political commissar Zhu Fuxi of the Western Theater Command; commander Song Puxuan and political commissar Chu Yimin of the Northern Theater Command; and commander Han Weiguo and political commissar Yin Fanglong of the Central Theater Command all received flags.
Source(s): The Xinhua News Agency, February 1, 2016
China to orderly urbanize migrant workers
China will integrate migrant workers into cities in an orderly way over the next five years, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Monday.The government will improve the urban residence permit system to help the integration, ensure stable employment and safeguard the rights and interests of migrant workers, Li said in a letter to a ceremony held to honor migrant workers.Li said migrant workers are a major force for China's modernization and have made great contributions to economic and social development.Given decades of economic advance, China's urban areas have been expanding rapidly with an enormous population of migrant workers swarming into cities, most of whom, although working and living there, have no urban household registration which can grant them equal public services to other residents.
Source(s): The Xinhua News Agency, February 1, 2016
ECONOMY
China's yuan firms on midpoint, Beijing vows to keep yuan stable
China's yuan edged up against the dollar on January 29 and is set for a mild weekly gain after the central bank fixed its daily midpoints stronger over the past week. Beijing has also taken further steps to control the country's capital outflows to support the Chinese currency. Traders expected increased foreign currency purchases by corporates and individuals next week to meet requirements ahead of the Lunar New Year, which falls on February 8 this year. Chinese regulators have asked several domestic funds to postpone issuing new outbound investment products, sources said, the latest attempt by authorities to stem capital flight which is undermining the value of the yuan and worrying global investors. The PBOC has increased the frequency of open market operations between January 29 and February 19 to maintain liquidity during the Lunar New Year.
Source(s): Reuters, January 29, 2016
With China weakening, Apple turns to India
As China sales show signs of cooling, Apple Inc(AAPL.O) is touting India's appetite for iPhones, betting that rising wages and an expanding middle class will pull consumers away from the cheap alternatives that currently dominate the market. In an earnings call in which the company reported meagre iPhone growth and forecast its first revenue drop in 13 years, the Indian market stood out as a rare bright spot for Apple. Sales of the company's flagship smartphone climbed 76 percent in India from the year-ago quarter, Apple Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri said. According to data compiled by Counterpoint Technology Research, Apple sold an estimated 800,000 iPhones in India in the fourth-quarter, its highest ever amount but one that is a fraction of the 28 million smartphones sold during that period. Growth in India is a tantalizing prospect as Apple grapples with the economic downturn in China, its second largest market.
Source(s): Reuters, January 27, 2016
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
China releases new pictures showing stunning details of moon’s surface
China has released new colour photographs of the moon, which show its surface in stunning detail. The Chinese space agency shared hundreds of pictures of the moon landing by lunar rover Yutu (also known as “Jade Rabbit”) and the Chang’e 3 lander. The mission was launched on December 1, 2013, but the images were only just made available to the general public, in a rare display of transparency by the China National Space Administration (CNSA).They show the moon’s grey, dusty surface, peppered with boulders and craters. Chang’e 3, which landed on December 14, 2013, was the first spacecraft to soft-land on the moon – meaning the landing does not damage the vehicle – for almost 40 years.
Source(s): South China Morning Post, February 2, 2016
Home-made aircraft debuts at aviation expo
A light aircraft made by a Chinese flight enthusiast made its debut at China's first private aircraft exhibition in the southern city of Shenzhen this week.The 113-kg aircraft, which features the national flag on its tail, stunned visitors at the first China (Shenzhen) Int. Private Aviation Expo, which ended Tuesday.Qin Guolian, the man who made the aircraft, said he was over the moon that his "bird with golden wings" was displayed alongside 23 other private aircraft, most of which were imported.
Source(s): The Xinhua News Agency, February 2, 2016
China's new wind power capacity hits record high
China's newly installed wind power capacity reached a record high in 2015 amid increasing efforts from the government to boost clean energy.The new wind power capacity jumped to 32.97 gigawatts last year, more than 60 percent higher than 2014, the National Energy Administration (NEA) said on Tuesday.Wind power generated 186.3 terawatt hour of electricity in 2015, or 3.3 percent of the country's total electric energy production, data showed.
Source(s): The Xinhua News Agency, February 2, 2016
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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