Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on Apec nations to play a leading role in global economy, which faces challenges and uncertainty and other roundups
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
China’s President warns APEC leaders against isolationism
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) nations to play a leading role in the global economy, which faces challenges and uncertainty. Xi was giving a keynote address at the Apec Economic Leaders’ summit in Lima, Peru, which is his second stop on his current Latin American trip. “Global economic recovery is still weak as growth impetus is not strong enough,” Xi told the summit on Saturday night, Beijing time. “Facing the challenge of risk, all parties should cooperate and stick to the spirit of partnerships and win-win cooperation. “
should build up an equal and universally beneficial framework agreement, as isolation and exclusiveness are wrong.” Xi will also hold discussions in Lima with representatives of the Apec Business Advisory Council and meet with leaders of some other member economies.
Source: South China Morning Post
China responds to Japan-ROK intelligence-sharing pact
China on November 23 urged Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) to respect the security concerns of countries in the region when conducting military cooperation. Officials from Japan and ROK signed the General Security of the Military Information Agreement on Wednesday in Seoul, ROK, which will allow the direct exchange of intelligence on nuclear and missile programs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said the move would exacerbate hostility on the Korean Peninsula. Calling the pact a result of "cold war mentality," Geng said, "it will further aggravate hostility and confrontation on the Korean Peninsula and add new insecurity and instability in Northeast Asia." It is against the trend of peaceful development of the times and the common interests of countries in the region, he said. Given the complicated and sensitive situation on the Korean Peninsula, relevant countries should respect the security concerns of countries in the region and contribute more to peace and development, rather than the opposite, the spokesperson added.
Source: Global Times
Xi extends condolences to India's President over train accident
Chinese President Xi Jinping on November 22 extended condolences to his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee over a recent train accident in northern India that killed at least 146 people and injured more than 200 others. On behalf of the Chinese government and people, and in his own name, Xi expressed his deep condolences to the victims of the disaster, as well as sympathy to the families of the victims and the wounded. The deadly train derailment occurred in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh on early November 20. Over 500 passengers were on board the train when the accident occurred.
Source: Global Times
POLITICS AND SOCIETY
Tibet to invest 33 billion yuan in upgrading transport systems
More than 20 new highways will be built in the Tibet autonomous region next year, with a total investment of more than 33 billion yuan ($5 billion), according to a senior transportation official. Included in the plans are new routes from Lhasa to Nakqu; Dege to Qamdo; Qamdo to Jaka; Lhasa to Xigaze Airport; and Gongkar Airport to Tsethang as well as the Nyima-Aso section of National Highway 317. GeYutao, head of the regional transportation authority, said more than 54 billion yuan in State funds and loans were spent on Tibet's transport infrastructure this year. "The total length of roads has reached 82,000 kilometers, and it's expected to reach 89,000 km next year," he said last week during the ninth regional Party congress. "Next year, we will finish constructing 864 km of highways and 5,500 km of rural roads, and reconstruct 4,310 km of national and provincial trunk highways."
Source: China Daily
At least 40 killed in China power plant construction site accident
At least 40 people were killed after supporting cranes at a power station’s construction site collapsed in eastern China on November 24.The accident in the city of Yichun, Jiangxi province, occurred at about 7am when the platform of the plant’s cooling tower, which was under construction, collapsed. The State Administration of Work Safety said on its website on Thursday that there were 68 workers involving the construction project, citing an initial death toll of 22 with another two injured. The administration had dispatched a work team, led by its head Yang Huanning and deputy head Sun Huashan, to the scene to assist local rescue work, it said. It had also ordered a safety overhaul nationwide to avoid such accidents from happening again.
Source: South China Morning Post
All residents in China’s restive Xinjiang region must hand over passports to police
All residents in China’s restive region of Xinjiang must hand in their passports to local police stations for “examination and management”.“Anyone who needs the passport must apply to the police station,” an anonymous police officer in Aksu prefecture told the paper, adding that the policy had been implemented throughout Xinjiang. Many members of the more than 10 million-strong Muslim Uygur minority in the region have complained about discrimination – including denials of passport applications – as well as controls on their culture and religion. In mid-October, the public security bureau of in the city of Shihezi posted a directive on a verified social media account asking residents to hand in their passports to police. It stated: “Those who refuse to hand them in will bear the responsibility themselves should there be consequences such as being forbidden to go abroad.”The post was later deleted.
Source: South China Morning Post
ECONOMY
China, US kick off high-level dialogue to seek more economic cooperation
China and the United States on November 23, kicked off an annual high-level dialogue to seek more cooperation between the world's two largest economies, aiming to pave the way for a smooth transition of bilateral ties amid the US presidential change. At the opening plenary session of the 27th Session of the China-US Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT), Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang said China will consider reasonable concerns of the United States. The two sides have to expand areas of cooperation and yield more deliverables in the areas of two-way investment, digital economy and food safety, laying a solid foundation for China-US economic and trade relations over the next year and a longer period. Thirdly, he called on the two sides to further strengthen the outcomes of the JCCT and highlight the JCCT's role in bilateral economic cooperation, showing a new type of China-US major country relations with the principles of non-confrontation, non-conflict, mutual respect and win-win cooperation. Launched in 1983, the JCCT was the first high-level economic dialogue mechanism between China and the US, and plays an important role in China-US economic cooperation and addressing economic and trade frictions.
Source: Xinhua
Chinese premier vows better environment for foreign investment
During an inspection of Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone on November 21 and 22,Premier Li Keqiang said China will create a better investment and operation environment for foreign businesses. China will continue to roll out opening up policies, and existing policies to attract foreign investment will remain unchanged. According to Li, China not only has a huge market, but is also rich in human resources. Although China's per capita natural resource level is below the global average, unlimited development space can be created on the back of combination of imagination and creativity from the hundreds of millions of talented people at home and abroad. China welcomes foreign investors to establish businesses in the country and achieve mutual benefit and win-win results, Li added. Achieving this goal, Li further pointed out, relies not only on people, but also on the strength of institutionalized mechanisms. Effective supervision creates an environment conducive to simplifying administrative procedures and delegating power to lower levels.
Source: Xinhua
Chinese official refutes accusation of China as currency manipulator
A senior Chinese official on November 23 refuted the accusation of China as currency manipulator, saying that China has been making progress in its market-oriented reforms of the country's foreign exchange system. Exchange rate issue is not new in China-US relationship, said Zhang Xiangchen, China's deputy international trade representative with the Ministry of Commerce at a press briefing for the 27th Session of the China-US Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT). Academic and political communities have already made the conclusion that China does not manipulate its currency, said Zhang when asked about comments on US President-elect Donald Trump's plan to label China as a currency manipulator after he takes office. Zhang stressed that China has "paid close attention" to Trump's remarks during his presidential campaign, particularly his remarks on the US-China economic and trade relations.
Source: Xinhua
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Alibaba Health to expand its pharma e-commerce business
Alibaba Health Information Technology, the Hong Kong-listed health care flagship of Alibaba Group, is gearing up to expand its pharmaceutical e-commerce business after reporting an interim loss in the six months ended September 30. The company has been looking to swiftly diversify its operations, following the China Food and Drug Administration’s decision in February to end mandatory use by drug trading enterprises of its product identification, authentication and tracking system on the mainland. It started an online retail pharmacy for over-the-counter drugs in August, when it completed the buyout of licensed online drug retailer Guangzhou Wu Qian Nian Pharmaceutical Chain Company. “This business will quickly grow to become the most important source of operating revenue for the group,” Alibaba Health chief executive Wang Lei said in the company’s filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange on November 24.
Source: South China Morning Post
Chinese scientists discover 1,445 new RNA viruses
Chinese scientists have discovered 1,445 new RNA virus species, which is expected to facilitate future studies in virus evolution and the origins of life. The research was led by a team of scientists at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with the findings published online in the journal Nature on November 24. The discovery of the new virus species will challenge current rules in classifying viruses, said Zhang Yongzhen, researcher with CDC's National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention. The team found the new viruses by studying more than 220 invertebrate species, a wide range of creatures, including insects, that account for 95 percent of the world's animals, Zhang said. Some of the new viruses can be classified as new virus families, given their differences to known virus species, Zhang said, adding the discovery enriches diversities of RNA viruses.
Source: Xinhua
Chinese astronaut stuns Olympic champions of table tennis
It's very rare to see novice impress champions. But that's exactly what happened when Chinese astronauts showed their hands at table tennis aboard the space lab Tiangong-2. Astronaut Chen Dong served and returned the ball single-handedly shown via video link during a CCTV reality show "Challenge the Impossible" on November 20. His performance impressed Rio Olympics gold medalist Ma Long and silver medalist Zhang Jike as well as the head coach of the Chinese table tennis team Liu Guoliang. "He moves even faster than Ma and Zhang," said Liu. Before the game, Chen and Jing Haipeng, an astronaut on his third space trip and the commander of the mission, showed the bat they were given to play table tennis in space and demonstrated their skills. According to an expert, playing table tennis in space is really mission impossible as both air drag and gravity are needed. In space, when the ball is hit, it goes only straight forward and cannot spin in the air.
Source: China Daily
BIBLIOGRAPHY
HolgerDalkmann, “Equitable access key to healthy urbanisation”,China Daily, November 23, 2016
Asit K.Biswas and Kris Hartley, “Stronger policies needed to fight air pollution”,China Daily, November 21, 2016
Shyam Saran, “China, India and the World After Trump”, The Wire, November 24, 2016
Peter Hartcher, “The moment the US gave the world to China”, The Sydney Morning Herald, November 22, 2016
Zhong Sheng, ‘Commentary: Asia-Pacific should resort to openness for prosperity’ People’s Daily, November 23, 2016
‘Trump quitting TPP sends unclear signals’ Global Times, November 22, 2016
Zhu Junqing, “Commentary: Internet governance demands collective efforts”, Xinhua, November 24, 2016
Contributors:
- Sreeparna Banerjee
- Pratnashree Basu
- Ambalika Guha
- Swagata Saha
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