Two US&nbsp;Navy&nbsp;warships&nbsp;sailed&nbsp;near&nbsp;South China Sea islands claimed by China on Sunday, two US&nbsp;officials told Reuters, in a move likely to anger Beijing as President Donald Trump seeks its continued cooperation on North Korea. 
 
The operation was the latest attempt to counter what Washington sees as Beijing's efforts to limit freedom of navigation in the strategic waters. 
 
While this operation had been planned months in advance, and similar operations have become routine, it comes at a particularly sensitive time and just days after the Pentagon uninvited China from a major US-hosted naval drill. 
 
The US&nbsp;officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Higgins guided-missile destroyer and the Antietam, a guided-missile cruiser, came within 12 nautical miles of the Paracel Islands, among a string of islets, reefs and shoals over which China has territorial disputes with its neighbors. 
 
The US&nbsp;military vessels carried out maneuvering operations&nbsp;near&nbsp;Tree, Lincoln, Triton and Woody islands in the Paracels, one of the officials said. 
 
Trump's cancellation of a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has put further strain on US-China ties amid a trade dispute between the world's two largest economies. 
 
Critics of the operations, known as a "freedom of navigation," have said that they have little impact on&nbsp;Chinese&nbsp;behavior and are largely symbolic. 
 
The US&nbsp;military has a long-standing position that its operations are carried out throughout the world, including in areas claimed by allies, and that they are separate from political considerations. 
 
Satellite photographs taken on May 12 showed China appeared to have deployed truck-mounted surface-to-air missiles or anti-ship cruise missiles at Woody Island. 
 
Earlier this month, China's air force landed bombers on disputed islands and reefs in the South China Sea as part of a training exercise in the region, triggering concern from Vietnam and the Philippines. 
 
Pentagon officials have long complained that China has not been candid enough about its rapid military build-up and using South China Sea islands to gather intelligence in the region. 
 
Chinese&nbsp;officials have accused Washington of viewing their country in suspicious, "Cold War" terms. 
 
China's claims in the South China Sea, through which about $5 trillion in shipborne trade passes each year, are contested by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. 
 
The United States has said it would like to see more international participation in freedom-of-navigation operations in the South China Sea. 
&nbsp;

The operation was the latest attempt to counter what Washington sees as Beijing's efforts to limit freedom of navigation in the strategic waters

Two US Navy warships sailed near South China Sea islands claimed by China on Sunday, two US officials told Reuters, in a move likely to anger Beijing as President Donald Trump seeks its continued cooperation on North Korea. The operation was the latest attempt to counter what Washington sees as Beijing's efforts to limit freedom of navigation in the strategic waters. While this operation had been planned months in advance, and similar operations have become routine, it comes at a particularly sensitive time and just days after the Pentagon uninvited China from a major US-hosted naval drill. The US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Higgins guided-missile destroyer and the Antietam, a guided-missile cruiser, came within 12 nautical miles of the Paracel Islands, among a string of islets, reefs and shoals over which China has territorial disputes with its neighbors. The US military vessels carried out maneuvering operations near Tree, Lincoln, Triton and Woody islands in the Paracels, one of the officials said. Trump's cancellation of a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has put further strain on US-China ties amid a trade dispute between the world's two largest economies. Critics of the operations, known as a "freedom of navigation," have said that they have little impact on Chinese behavior and are largely symbolic. The US military has a long-standing position that its operations are carried out throughout the world, including in areas claimed by allies, and that they are separate from political considerations. Satellite photographs taken on May 12 showed China appeared to have deployed truck-mounted surface-to-air missiles or anti-ship cruise missiles at Woody Island. Earlier this month, China's air force landed bombers on disputed islands and reefs in the South China Sea as part of a training exercise in the region, triggering concern from Vietnam and the Philippines. Pentagon officials have long complained that China has not been candid enough about its rapid military build-up and using South China Sea islands to gather intelligence in the region. Chinese officials have accused Washington of viewing their country in suspicious, "Cold War" terms. China's claims in the South China Sea, through which about $5 trillion in shipborne trade passes each year, are contested by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. The United States has said it would like to see more international participation in freedom-of-navigation operations in the South China Sea.

US warships sail near South China Sea islands claimed by Beijing

Malaysia's new transport minister said the search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 by a private US&nbspfirm will end on Tuesday next week and there will be no more extensions.

Houston-based Ocean Infinity has been searching for the aircraft that disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014, with 239 people on board, in one of the world's greatest aviation mysteries.

"This morning I raised this in cabinet and agreed to extend to May 29," Anthony Loke told reporters. Asked if that meant no more extensions, he said: "Yes."

Houston-based Ocean Infinity has been searching for the aircraft that disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014, with 239 people on board, in one of the world's greatest aviation mysteries.

Malaysia's new transport minister said the search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 by a private US&nbspfirm will end on Tuesday next week and there will be no more extensions. Houston-based Ocean Infinity has been searching for the aircraft that disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014, with 239 people on board, in one of the world's greatest aviation mysteries. "This morning I raised this in cabinet and agreed to extend to May 29," Anthony Loke told reporters. Asked if that meant no more extensions, he said: "Yes."

Malaysia says private search for MH370 to end next week

Europe could end up rueing a potential new deal between China and the United States after the two sides stepped back from a trade war, France's Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire warned Sunday.

"The United States and China risk entering an agreement at the expense of Europe if Europe is not capable of showing a firm hand," Le Maire told CNEWS television.

"The United States wants to make Europe and European countries pay for China's bad behaviour. All of that is totally absurd and incomprehensible for allies," he said.

His comments came after a joint statement issued in Washington said Beijing had agreed to reduce its trade deficit, "significantly" increasing purchases of American goods.

Trump had threatened China with tariffs on up to $150 billion (127 billion euros) of imports, prompting Beijing to warn it would target US agricultural exports, aircraft, and even whiskey.

US levies on $50 billion of Chinese imports could have come into effect as early as next week.

Trump had in March imposed steep tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminium imports, though it exports comparatively little of the metals to the US market.

Le Maire said French President Emmanuel Macron had been "very clear" on his request for "total and definitive exemption from American tariffs".

Trump announced earlier this month that the EU would be shielded from his steel and aluminium tariffs along with Mexico and Canada, but only for another 30 days.

On Friday, the EU told the World Trade Organization that it was ready to unfurl retaliatory measures against US metal tariffs, which would include European tariffs on motorcycles and bourbon.

Europe could end up rueing a potential new deal between China and the United States after the two sides stepped back from a trade war, France's Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire warned Sunday

Europe could end up rueing a potential new deal between China and the United States after the two sides stepped back from a trade war, France's Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire warned Sunday. "The United States and China risk entering an agreement at the expense of Europe if Europe is not capable of showing a firm hand," Le Maire told CNEWS television. "The United States wants to make Europe and European countries pay for China's bad behaviour. All of that is totally absurd and incomprehensible for allies," he said. His comments came after a joint statement issued in Washington said Beijing had agreed to reduce its trade deficit, "significantly" increasing purchases of American goods. Trump had threatened China with tariffs on up to $150 billion (127 billion euros) of imports, prompting Beijing to warn it would target US agricultural exports, aircraft, and even whiskey. US levies on $50 billion of Chinese imports could have come into effect as early as next week. Trump had in March imposed steep tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminium imports, though it exports comparatively little of the metals to the US market. Le Maire said French President Emmanuel Macron had been "very clear" on his request for "total and definitive exemption from American tariffs". Trump announced earlier this month that the EU would be shielded from his steel and aluminium tariffs along with Mexico and Canada, but only for another 30 days. On Friday, the EU told the World Trade Organization that it was ready to unfurl retaliatory measures against US metal tariffs, which would include European tariffs on motorcycles and bourbon.

US-China trade deal could cost Europe: France's Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire

China's Foreign Ministry on Thursday announced that anyone who would want to carry out oil and gas exploration or exploitation in Chinese waters would require a prior permission from Beijing.

Chinese Ministry spokesman Lu Kang informed media at a briefing. Kang reacted to queries over recent drilling by Russian state oil firm Rosneft in China claimed waters.

"We urge relevant parties to earnestly respect China's sovereign and jurisdictional rights and not do anything that could impact bilateral relations or this region's peace and stability," Lu said.

(With inputs from Reuters)

Chinese Ministry spokesman Lu Kang reacted to queries over recent drilling by Russian state oil firm Rosneft in China claimed waters

China's Foreign Ministry on Thursday announced that anyone who would want to carry out oil and gas exploration or exploitation in Chinese waters would require a prior permission from Beijing. Chinese Ministry spokesman Lu Kang informed media at a briefing. Kang reacted to queries over recent drilling by Russian state oil firm Rosneft in China claimed waters. "We urge relevant parties to earnestly respect China's sovereign and jurisdictional rights and not do anything that could impact bilateral relations or this region's peace and stability," Lu said. (With inputs from Reuters)

No one can carry out oil, gas activities in Chinese waters without permission: China

Top officials from China and the United States reached a consensus on some aspects of the countries'&nbsptrade row, but disagreements over other issues remain "relatively big", China said on Friday.&nbsp

A statement from the nation's state-run Xinhua news agency at the end of the talks gave little indication that there had been agreements on the biggest issues, stressing instead that there had been exchanges of opinion. The two sides, though, committed to resolving their trade disputes through dialogue, Xinhua said.&nbsp

The Americans have yet to give their account of the talks.&nbsp

In one specific sign of progress, US&nbspnegotiators agreed to bring up with US&nbspPresident Donald Trump the question of a ban on US&nbspcompanies selling goods and software to Chinese telecommunication equipment maker ZTE Cororation&nbspafter

representations from the Chinese side, the report said. ZTE faced the seven-year ban after the US&nbspsaid it failed to keep to an agreement it made after breaching US&nbspsanctions.

The talks over the past two days have involved a high-level US&nbsptrade delegation led by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and top Chinese officials, including Vice Premier Liu He, following months of threats and counter threats from both sides in a series of disputes over trade practices.&nbsp

The US&nbspteam has already left Beijing and is heading back to the US, a US&nbspofficial told Reuters early on Friday evening.&nbsp

The trade discussions had been "candid, efficient and constructive," Xinhua said, but gave almost no details on what the officials had agreed.&nbsp

The officials exchanged opinions on resolving tariffs and non-tariffs measures, on expanding two-way investment and the protection of intellectual property, and on expanding US&nbspexports to China and bilateral services trade, Xinhua reported. It gave no indication of what actions might be taken based on those exchanges.

"My impression was that (the talks) didn't go well given the rhetoric," said Kevin Lai, senior economist at Daiwa Capital markets in Hong Kong. "I think the divide is still very big."

In an editorial on its website, widely-read Chinese state-run tabloid the Global Times cited people close to the talks as saying the Chinese "hit back hard" at US&nbspcriticism, letting them know that China won't give in.&nbsp

The United States has proposed tariffs on $50 billion of Chinese goods under its so-called "Section 301" intellectual property probe. Those could go into effect in June following the completion of a 60-day consultation period, but activation plans have been kept vague.

China has said its own retaliatory tariffs on US&nbspgoods, including soybeans and aircraft, will go into effect if the US&nbspduties are imposed.&nbsp

The US&nbsptariffs focus heavily on technology products benefiting from the "Made in China 2025" programme, which promotes the development of 10 sectors including aerospace, robotics and clean-energy cars.

Punitive action

A breakthrough deal to fundamentally change China's economic policies was viewed as highly unlikely during the two-day visit, though any signs of meaningful progress in the dispute could delay any punitive action from the US

"We are having very good conversations," Mnuchin told reporters earlier on Friday as he left his hotel.&nbsp

US&nbspPresident Donald Trump on Thursday praised his relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping as the US delegation began their talks, which were held at a state guest house in the western part of the Chinese capital.&nbsp

Trump has targeted China's massive trade surplus with the United States, in recent months demanding a $100 billion annual reduction in the $375 billion US&nbspgoods trade deficit with China.&nbsp

According to two sources with knowledge of the matter, the US&nbspdelegation submitted a document to the Chinese before the talks asking China to cut its trade surplus with the United States by $200 billion by 2020 and lower tariffs on all products to levels no higher than those imposed by the United States.

The delegation also asked China to halt subsidies for advanced technology, the sources said.&nbsp

Chinese officials believed the proposal was "unfair," the Wall Street Journal reported, quoting people with knowledge of the negotiations.

"I think the US&nbspis asking for the impossible. Reducing the deficit by $200 billion by 2020 is quite an unrealistic demand, but it may also be a negotiation tactic to start high first," said Tommy Xie, economist at OCBC Bank in Singapore.&nbsp

In a proposal submitted by the Chinese side, Beijing offered to increase US&nbspimports and lower tariffs on some goods, including cars, according to the sources.

But China requested that the US&nbsptreat Chinese investment equally under national security reviews, stop issuing any new restrictions on investment, and halt a proposal to implement 25 per cent tariffs under its Section 301 probe.&nbsp

China also offered to reconsider anti-dumping duties on US&nbspsorghum, according to the proposal.&nbsp

No illusions

US-based trade experts have said they expected Beijing to offer Trump's team a package of policy changes that may include some previously announced moves, such as a phase-out of joint venture requirements for some sectors, autos tariff reductions and increased purchases of US&nbspgoods.

US&nbspcomplaints about Chinese intellectual property abuses are at the core of the current dispute. The Trump administration says US&nbspcompanies lose hundreds of billions of dollars annually to China's theft of trade secrets.

Members of the Trump administration's delegation to Beijing for talks to try to stave off a trade war between the world's two largest economies included US&nbspTrade Representative Robert Lighthizer, a hard-line and experienced trade negotiator.&nbsp

Lighthizer said on Tuesday it was not his objective to change China's economic system, but that he would try to find ways to limit the damage it causes to the United States and open it further for US&nbspcompanies.&nbsp

Some economists noted that the deficit with China was the natural result of the large amount of manufacturing assembly of US&nbspproducts, such as iPhones, that takes place in China.

"As long as China remains the assembly hub of the world, it's always going to have a large trade surplus with developed consumer countries like the US&nbspand the EU&nbspand that's not necessarily a problem," said Julian Evans-Pritchard, senior China economist at Capital Economics.&nbsp

The US&nbspdelegation also included Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and White House trade and manufacturing adviser Peter Navarro, a noted China trade hawk.

Navarro advised Trump throughout his 2016 election campaign, during which the candidate routinely threatened to impose a 45 per cent across-the-board tariff on Chinese goods as a way to level the playing field for American workers. 
&nbsp

The Americans have yet to give their account of the talks.

Top officials from China and the United States reached a consensus on some aspects of the countries'&nbsptrade row, but disagreements over other issues remain "relatively big", China said on Friday. A statement from the nation's state-run Xinhua news agency at the end of the talks gave little indication that there had been agreements on the biggest issues, stressing instead that there had been exchanges of opinion. The two sides, though, committed to resolving their trade disputes through dialogue, Xinhua said. The Americans have yet to give their account of the talks. In one specific sign of progress, US&nbspnegotiators agreed to bring up with US&nbspPresident Donald Trump the question of a ban on US&nbspcompanies selling goods and software to Chinese telecommunication equipment maker ZTE Cororation&nbspafter representations from the Chinese side, the report said. ZTE faced the seven-year ban after the US&nbspsaid it failed to keep to an agreement it made after breaching US&nbspsanctions. The talks over the past two days have involved a high-level US&nbsptrade delegation led by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and top Chinese officials, including Vice Premier Liu He, following months of threats and counter threats from both sides in a series of disputes over trade practices. The US&nbspteam has already left Beijing and is heading back to the US, a US&nbspofficial told Reuters early on Friday evening. The trade discussions had been "candid, efficient and constructive," Xinhua said, but gave almost no details on what the officials had agreed. The officials exchanged opinions on resolving tariffs and non-tariffs measures, on expanding two-way investment and the protection of intellectual property, and on expanding US&nbspexports to China and bilateral services trade, Xinhua reported. It gave no indication of what actions might be taken based on those exchanges. "My impression was that (the talks) didn't go well given the rhetoric," said Kevin Lai, senior economist at Daiwa Capital markets in Hong Kong. "I think the divide is still very big." In an editorial on its website, widely-read Chinese state-run tabloid the Global Times cited people close to the talks as saying the Chinese "hit back hard" at US&nbspcriticism, letting them know that China won't give in. The United States has proposed tariffs on $50 billion of Chinese goods under its so-called "Section 301" intellectual property probe. Those could go into effect in June following the completion of a 60-day consultation period, but activation plans have been kept vague. China has said its own retaliatory tariffs on US&nbspgoods, including soybeans and aircraft, will go into effect if the US&nbspduties are imposed. The US&nbsptariffs focus heavily on technology products benefiting from the "Made in China 2025" programme, which promotes the development of 10 sectors including aerospace, robotics and clean-energy cars. Punitive action A breakthrough deal to fundamentally change China's economic policies was viewed as highly unlikely during the two-day visit, though any signs of meaningful progress in the dispute could delay any punitive action from the US "We are having very good conversations," Mnuchin told reporters earlier on Friday as he left his hotel. US&nbspPresident Donald Trump on Thursday praised his relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping as the US delegation began their talks, which were held at a state guest house in the western part of the Chinese capital. Trump has targeted China's massive trade surplus with the United States, in recent months demanding a $100 billion annual reduction in the $375 billion US&nbspgoods trade deficit with China. According to two sources with knowledge of the matter, the US&nbspdelegation submitted a document to the Chinese before the talks asking China to cut its trade surplus with the United States by $200 billion by 2020 and lower tariffs on all products to levels no higher than those imposed by the United States. The delegation also asked China to halt subsidies for advanced technology, the sources said. Chinese officials believed the proposal was "unfair," the Wall Street Journal reported, quoting people with knowledge of the negotiations. "I think the US&nbspis asking for the impossible. Reducing the deficit by $200 billion by 2020 is quite an unrealistic demand, but it may also be a negotiation tactic to start high first," said Tommy Xie, economist at OCBC Bank in Singapore. In a proposal submitted by the Chinese side, Beijing offered to increase US&nbspimports and lower tariffs on some goods, including cars, according to the sources. But China requested that the US&nbsptreat Chinese investment equally under national security reviews, stop issuing any new restrictions on investment, and halt a proposal to implement 25 per cent tariffs under its Section 301 probe. China also offered to reconsider anti-dumping duties on US&nbspsorghum, according to the proposal. No illusions US-based trade experts have said they expected Beijing to offer Trump's team a package of policy changes that may include some previously announced moves, such as a phase-out of joint venture requirements for some sectors, autos tariff reductions and increased purchases of US&nbspgoods. US&nbspcomplaints about Chinese intellectual property abuses are at the core of the current dispute. The Trump administration says US&nbspcompanies lose hundreds of billions of dollars annually to China's theft of trade secrets. Members of the Trump administration's delegation to Beijing for talks to try to stave off a trade war between the world's two largest economies included US&nbspTrade Representative Robert Lighthizer, a hard-line and experienced trade negotiator. Lighthizer said on Tuesday it was not his objective to change China's economic system, but that he would try to find ways to limit the damage it causes to the United States and open it further for US&nbspcompanies. Some economists noted that the deficit with China was the natural result of the large amount of manufacturing assembly of US&nbspproducts, such as iPhones, that takes place in China. "As long as China remains the assembly hub of the world, it's always going to have a large trade surplus with developed consumer countries like the US&nbspand the EU&nbspand that's not necessarily a problem," said Julian Evans-Pritchard, senior China economist at Capital Economics. The US&nbspdelegation also included Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and White House trade and manufacturing adviser Peter Navarro, a noted China trade hawk. Navarro advised Trump throughout his 2016 election campaign, during which the candidate routinely threatened to impose a 45 per cent across-the-board tariff on Chinese goods as a way to level the playing field for American workers.

China, US reach some deals in trade row but Beijing says differences still relatively big

US&nbsp;President Donald Trump on Thursday praised his relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping as officials from the world's two largest economies began trade talks in Beijing, while state media said China would stand up to US&nbsp;bullying.

A breakthrough deal to fundamentally change China's economic policies is viewed as highly unlikely during the two days of talks, though a package of short-term Chinese measures could delay Washington's decision to impose tariffs on about $50 billion worth of Chinese exports.

The discussions, led by US&nbsp;Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, are expected to cover a wide range of US&nbsp;complaints about China's trade practices, from accusations of forced technology transfers to state subsidies for technology development.

"Thrilled to be here. Thank you," Mnuchin told Reuters at his hotel when asked if he expected progress. He made no other comments.

As Mnuchin arrived, Trump tweeted: "Our great financial team is in China trying to negotiate a level playing field on trade! I look forward to being with President Xi in the not too distant future. We will always have a good (great) relationship!"

It was not clear when Trump and Xi might meet again next, though both will likely attend some of the same multilateral summits this year, including those of the G20 and APEC.

Throughout his 2016 election campaign, Trump routinely threatened to impose a 45 percent across-the-board tariff on Chinese goods as a way to level the playing field for American workers. At the time, he was also accusing China of manipulating its currency to gain an export advantage, a claim that his administration has since dropped.

The US&nbsp;Embassy in Beijing said the US&nbsp;delegation planned to meet Chinese officials on both days, in addition to US&nbsp;Ambassador Terry Branstad, before leaving on Friday evening.

The delegation returned to their hotel late on Thursday evening without taking questions from reporters, though, when asked how the talks were going, one unidentified US&nbsp;official said "Well."

In Washington, the US-China Business Council, which represents American companies doing business in China, said it was pleased the two governments were talking and urged a deal to end forced technology transfers and improve China's intellectual property protections.

"USCBC believes it is unlikely that the issues will be fully resolved in this meeting, but we hope the two sides will be able to lay out a path for continued negotiations that will lead to a solution and avoid tariffs and other commerce-slowing sanctions," the group said in a statement.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a briefing in Beijing: "The outcome should be mutually beneficial and win-win."

In a commentary widely cited in Chinese media on Thursday, the official Xinhua news agency said if things went poorly and a trade war did break out, China would never yield and would hit back strongly.

"China will inevitably suffer losses, but China has the political advantage of a centralised and unified leadership and support of a massive domestic market," it said.

The official China Daily said in an editorial that China would "stand up to the US' bullying as necessary."

"The US&nbsp;wants greater access to China's market, but it should not use trade actions as a battering ram to force China to open its doors. It is already in the process of opening them wider," the English-language newspaper said.

In doing so, China expected Washington to reciprocate and open its market to Chinese investment and competition, it said.

US&nbsp;tariffs ready in&nbsp;June

The first round of threatened tariffs under the US&nbsp;government's "Section 301" intellectual property probe focused heavily on technology products benefiting from a "Made in China 2025" programme to upgrade China's domestic manufacturing base with more advanced products.

The US&nbsp;tariffs could go into effect in June following the completion of a 60-day consultation period.

US-based trade experts said they expected Beijing to offer Trump's team a package of policy changes that may include some previously announced moves, such as a phase-out of joint venture requirements for some sectors, auto tariff reductions and increased purchases of US&nbsp;goods.

Trump has demanded a $100 billion annual reduction in the $375 billion US&nbsp;goods trade deficit with China.

But members of the diverse US&nbsp;trade delegation, which includes US&nbsp;Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, both of whom have been critical of China, are likely to have differing views on the merits of such an offer. 
&nbsp;

A breakthrough deal to fundamentally change China's economic policies is viewed as highly unlikely during the two days of talks

US President Donald Trump on Thursday praised his relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping as officials from the world's two largest economies began trade talks in Beijing, while state media said China would stand up to US bullying. A breakthrough deal to fundamentally change China's economic policies is viewed as highly unlikely during the two days of talks, though a package of short-term Chinese measures could delay Washington's decision to impose tariffs on about $50 billion worth of Chinese exports. The discussions, led by US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, are expected to cover a wide range of US complaints about China's trade practices, from accusations of forced technology transfers to state subsidies for technology development. "Thrilled to be here. Thank you," Mnuchin told Reuters at his hotel when asked if he expected progress. He made no other comments. As Mnuchin arrived, Trump tweeted: "Our great financial team is in China trying to negotiate a level playing field on trade! I look forward to being with President Xi in the not too distant future. We will always have a good (great) relationship!" It was not clear when Trump and Xi might meet again next, though both will likely attend some of the same multilateral summits this year, including those of the G20 and APEC. Throughout his 2016 election campaign, Trump routinely threatened to impose a 45 percent across-the-board tariff on Chinese goods as a way to level the playing field for American workers. At the time, he was also accusing China of manipulating its currency to gain an export advantage, a claim that his administration has since dropped. The US Embassy in Beijing said the US delegation planned to meet Chinese officials on both days, in addition to US Ambassador Terry Branstad, before leaving on Friday evening. The delegation returned to their hotel late on Thursday evening without taking questions from reporters, though, when asked how the talks were going, one unidentified US official said "Well." In Washington, the US-China Business Council, which represents American companies doing business in China, said it was pleased the two governments were talking and urged a deal to end forced technology transfers and improve China's intellectual property protections. "USCBC believes it is unlikely that the issues will be fully resolved in this meeting, but we hope the two sides will be able to lay out a path for continued negotiations that will lead to a solution and avoid tariffs and other commerce-slowing sanctions," the group said in a statement. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a briefing in Beijing: "The outcome should be mutually beneficial and win-win." In a commentary widely cited in Chinese media on Thursday, the official Xinhua news agency said if things went poorly and a trade war did break out, China would never yield and would hit back strongly. "China will inevitably suffer losses, but China has the political advantage of a centralised and unified leadership and support of a massive domestic market," it said. The official China Daily said in an editorial that China would "stand up to the US' bullying as necessary." "The US wants greater access to China's market, but it should not use trade actions as a battering ram to force China to open its doors. It is already in the process of opening them wider," the English-language newspaper said. In doing so, China expected Washington to reciprocate and open its market to Chinese investment and competition, it said. US tariffs ready in June The first round of threatened tariffs under the US government's "Section 301" intellectual property probe focused heavily on technology products benefiting from a "Made in China 2025" programme to upgrade China's domestic manufacturing base with more advanced products. The US tariffs could go into effect in June following the completion of a 60-day consultation period. US-based trade experts said they expected Beijing to offer Trump's team a package of policy changes that may include some previously announced moves, such as a phase-out of joint venture requirements for some sectors, auto tariff reductions and increased purchases of US goods. Trump has demanded a $100 billion annual reduction in the $375 billion US goods trade deficit with China. But members of the diverse US trade delegation, which includes US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, both of whom have been critical of China, are likely to have differing views on the merits of such an offer.

Trump praises China's Xi as trade talks begin in Beijing

The citizens of&nbspBeijing on Friday expressed hope for the historic summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in taking place in the demilitarized zone between the two countries.

While some in Beijing admitted they had not heard about this summit, others said that if the talks lead to tangible agreements this would be good for the "safety and stability" of the region, news agency Reuters reported.

The summit, which is aimed at ending South Korea and North Korea's decades-long conflict, comes weeks before Kim is due to meet US&nbspPresident Donald Trump to discuss denuclearising the Korean peninsula.

The two countries expect to release a joint statement late on Friday - possibly called the Panmunjom Declaration - that could address denuclearisation and peace, and an improvement in relations, South Korean officials said.

While some in Beijing admitted they had not heard about this summit, others said that if the talks lead to tangible agreements this would be good for the "safety and stability" of the region

The citizens of&nbspBeijing on Friday expressed hope for the historic summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in taking place in the demilitarized zone between the two countries. While some in Beijing admitted they had not heard about this summit, others said that if the talks lead to tangible agreements this would be good for the "safety and stability" of the region, news agency Reuters reported. The summit, which is aimed at ending South Korea and North Korea's decades-long conflict, comes weeks before Kim is due to meet US&nbspPresident Donald Trump to discuss denuclearising the Korean peninsula. The two countries expect to release a joint statement late on Friday - possibly called the Panmunjom Declaration - that could address denuclearisation and peace, and an improvement in relations, South Korean officials said.

People in Beijing express hopes for historic inter-korea summit

The meetings of the defence and foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), being attended by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, began in Beijing on Tuesday.

The two meetings are being held at around the same time.

Sitharaman who arrived in Beijing last night attended the defence ministers' meeting and Swaraj took part in the foreign ministers' meeting.

The two meetings were being held as part of the preparations for the SCO summit to be held in the Chinese city of Qingdao in June.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to attend it.

These are the first top ministerial-level meetings of the SCO after the admission of India and Pakistan as members last year.

A host of issues including the regional security and terrorism were expected to be discussed at the meetings and prepare agenda for the SCO summit.

The SCO, headquartered in Beijing, was founded in 2001.

Comprising China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, India and Pakistan, the SCO aims at military cooperation between the member states and involves intelligence sharing, counter-terrorism operations in Central Asia and joint work against cyber terrorism.&nbsp

These are the first top ministerial-level meetings of the SCO after the admission of India and Pakistan as members last year

The meetings of the defence and foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), being attended by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, began in Beijing on Tuesday. The two meetings are being held at around the same time. Sitharaman who arrived in Beijing last night attended the defence ministers' meeting and Swaraj took part in the foreign ministers' meeting. The two meetings were being held as part of the preparations for the SCO summit to be held in the Chinese city of Qingdao in June. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to attend it. These are the first top ministerial-level meetings of the SCO after the admission of India and Pakistan as members last year. A host of issues including the regional security and terrorism were expected to be discussed at the meetings and prepare agenda for the SCO summit. The SCO, headquartered in Beijing, was founded in 2001. Comprising China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, India and Pakistan, the SCO aims at military cooperation between the member states and involves intelligence sharing, counter-terrorism operations in Central Asia and joint work against cyber terrorism.

SCO Defence, Foreign Ministers' meeting begins in Beijing

After meeting Chinese vice-president,&nbsp;India's external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj today met President Xi in Beijing on Monday.

Swaraj who is on a four-day visit to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) had met China's vice president Wang Qishan at Zhongnanhai on Monday afternoon.

On Sunday, Sushma Swaraj had met her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and announced that PM Modi and President Xi will meet in Wuhan on April 27-28.

Earlier on Monday, &nbsp;Swaraj had met Kyrgyzstan foreign minister Erlan Abdyldaev to discuss trade and development. India's external affairs minister had also met Uzbekistan foreign minister Abdulaziz Kamilov.

India's latest connect with China comes in the backdrop of China, US face-off on trade issues with the Communist state keen to improve relations with India focussing on trade and investment.

The Chinese side is keen to "reset" relations with India after both countries were involved in a huge border row over Doklam last year.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to discuss the Doklam issue with President Xi when he visits Beijing in on Friday with both sides eager to&nbsp;carve a new relationship.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/o6Ylx72a6UY" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>

&nbsp;

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to discuss the Doklam issue with President Xi

After meeting Chinese vice-president, India's external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj today met President Xi in Beijing on Monday. Swaraj who is on a four-day visit to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) had met China's vice president Wang Qishan at Zhongnanhai on Monday afternoon. On Sunday, Sushma Swaraj had met her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and announced that PM Modi and President Xi will meet in Wuhan on April 27-28. Earlier on Monday, Swaraj had met Kyrgyzstan foreign minister Erlan Abdyldaev to discuss trade and development. India's external affairs minister had also met Uzbekistan foreign minister Abdulaziz Kamilov. India's latest connect with China comes in the backdrop of China, US face-off on trade issues with the Communist state keen to improve relations with India focussing on trade and investment. The Chinese side is keen to "reset" relations with India after both countries were involved in a huge border row over Doklam last year. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to discuss the Doklam issue with President Xi when he visits Beijing in on Friday with both sides eager to carve a new relationship.

Sushma Swaraj meets China's President Xi, Vice-President Wang Qishan

International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde said on Thursday that China's Belt and Road initiative is showing signs of progress but warned of potential debt risks for partner countries involved in joint projects.

One challenge is to ensure that Belt and Road only travels where it is needed, and the second is to focus on sound fiscal policies, Lagarde said in prepared comments in a speech at a Belt and Road conference in Beijing on Thursday.

"Fortunately, we know that China's leadership is aware of these potential risks - as well as the proven strategies that can help address the challenges," Lagarde said.

President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road Initiative, unveiled in 2013, aims at building a modern-day Silk Road connecting China by land and sea to Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa. China has pledged $126 billion for the ambitious plan.

In his opening speech to the annual Boao Forum on Tuesday - Asia's equivalent of Davos - Xi said Belt and Road pacts had been made over the last five years with more than 80 countries and international bodies.

Lagarde said the initiative can provide much needed infrastructure financing to partner countries, but should not be considered "a free lunch" by those nations.

Belt and Road ventures can lead to a "problematic" increase in debt, potentially restricting other spending as debt service obligations rise, which could create balance of payment challenges.

In countries where public debt is already high, careful management of financing terms is critical, in order to protect China and partner governments from entering into pacts that will cause financial difficulties in the future, Lagarde warned.

President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road Initiative, unveiled in 2013, aims at building a modern-day Silk Road connecting China by land and sea to Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa.

International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde said on Thursday that China's Belt and Road initiative is showing signs of progress but warned of potential debt risks for partner countries involved in joint projects. One challenge is to ensure that Belt and Road only travels where it is needed, and the second is to focus on sound fiscal policies, Lagarde said in prepared comments in a speech at a Belt and Road conference in Beijing on Thursday. "Fortunately, we know that China's leadership is aware of these potential risks - as well as the proven strategies that can help address the challenges," Lagarde said. President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road Initiative, unveiled in 2013, aims at building a modern-day Silk Road connecting China by land and sea to Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa. China has pledged $126 billion for the ambitious plan. In his opening speech to the annual Boao Forum on Tuesday - Asia's equivalent of Davos - Xi said Belt and Road pacts had been made over the last five years with more than 80 countries and international bodies. Lagarde said the initiative can provide much needed infrastructure financing to partner countries, but should not be considered "a free lunch" by those nations. Belt and Road ventures can lead to a "problematic" increase in debt, potentially restricting other spending as debt service obligations rise, which could create balance of payment challenges. In countries where public debt is already high, careful management of financing terms is critical, in order to protect China and partner governments from entering into pacts that will cause financial difficulties in the future, Lagarde warned.

IMF's Lagarde says Belt and Road progressing but warns of debt risks

The India-China boundary issue should not be "hyped up" and the two sides must abide by the agreements to maintain the peace and tranquillity along the border areas, the Chinese foreign ministry asserted on Monday.

The ministry skirted a direct response to a report that China has lodged a strong protest with New Delhi, alleging "transgression" by the Indian troops in the strategically sensitive Asaphila area along Arunachal Pradesh. The Indian side has dismissed Beijing's complaint.

"As for the situation on the India-China border, I am not aware of the detailed information," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a media briefing when asked about the report.

"Pending the resolution of the issue, we hope the two sides can abide by the agreements and instead of hyping up the relevant issue", Geng said, adding that peace and tranquillity should be upheld in the border areas.

He, however, reiterated China's repeated stand that Beijing never recognised Arunachal Pradesh, which it claims as part of southern Tibet.

"China's position on the India-China border is consistent and clear-cut. The Chinese government never recognised the so-called Arunachal Pradesh," Geng said.

"China and India are engaged in consultation and negotiation to resolve border issues and pursue a fair and just solution that can be accepted by both sides," he said.

Both the countries have Special Representative talks mechanism to resolve the boundary issue.&nbsp

The two countries so far have held 20 rounds of talks to resolve the boundary dispute and worked out different mechanisms to keep the peace along the 3,488 km long Line of Actual Control (LAC).&nbsp

Asked about the recent visit of Chinese vice-foreign minister Kong Xuanyou to New Delhi on April 6 and reports of several Indian top ministers visiting China this month, Geng said, "China and India have the sound momentum of exchanges and close cooperation. It is not strange to have such kind of cooperation."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to due to visit China in June to take part in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, (SCO) summit to be held in the Chinese city of Qingdao.&nbsp

China and India are engaged in consultation and negotiation to resolve border issues and pursue a fair and just solution that can be accepted by the both sides.

The India-China boundary issue should not be "hyped up" and the two sides must abide by the agreements to maintain the peace and tranquillity along the border areas, the Chinese foreign ministry asserted on Monday. The ministry skirted a direct response to a report that China has lodged a strong protest with New Delhi, alleging "transgression" by the Indian troops in the strategically sensitive Asaphila area along Arunachal Pradesh. The Indian side has dismissed Beijing's complaint. "As for the situation on the India-China border, I am not aware of the detailed information," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a media briefing when asked about the report. "Pending the resolution of the issue, we hope the two sides can abide by the agreements and instead of hyping up the relevant issue", Geng said, adding that peace and tranquillity should be upheld in the border areas. He, however, reiterated China's repeated stand that Beijing never recognised Arunachal Pradesh, which it claims as part of southern Tibet. "China's position on the India-China border is consistent and clear-cut. The Chinese government never recognised the so-called Arunachal Pradesh," Geng said. "China and India are engaged in consultation and negotiation to resolve border issues and pursue a fair and just solution that can be accepted by both sides," he said. Both the countries have Special Representative talks mechanism to resolve the boundary issue. The two countries so far have held 20 rounds of talks to resolve the boundary dispute and worked out different mechanisms to keep the peace along the 3,488 km long Line of Actual Control (LAC). Asked about the recent visit of Chinese vice-foreign minister Kong Xuanyou to New Delhi on April 6 and reports of several Indian top ministers visiting China this month, Geng said, "China and India have the sound momentum of exchanges and close cooperation. It is not strange to have such kind of cooperation." Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to due to visit China in June to take part in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, (SCO) summit to be held in the Chinese city of Qingdao.

India-China boundary issue should not be 'hyped up': Beijing

Beijing's only sperm bank has set loyalty to the Communist Party as a prerequisite for donors, in a sign that China's increasing emphasis on ideological training is being extended to the womb.

The bizarre requirement was part of a sperm donation drive launched Wednesday by Peking University Third Hospital -- a public hospital affiliated to an elite university considered to be China's Harvard.

As well as being free of genetic or infectious diseases, potential donors must have "sound ideological qualities", according to a notice posted on the hospital's official account on popular messaging app WeChat.

Men between the ages of 20 to 45 who wish to donate semen must "love the socialist motherland, support the leadership of the Communist Party, be loyal to the party's cause and be decent, law-abiding citizens, free of political problems", it said.

Those who successfully donate after undergoing two rounds of medical checks -- to assess the quality of their semen and general fitness -- will be paid 5,500 yuan ($900), the statement said.

There were no details on how the hospital would verify whether donors satisfied the political requirements.

AFP's calls to the hospital to ask if these requirements were part of a larger government policy went unanswered.

China has only 23 sperm banks nationwide, according to the country's National Health Commission, and many are plagued by a severe shortage of donors.&nbsp

Requirements for donors at other major collection centres, including those in Shanghai and Guangzhou, do not include loyalty to the party.

The controversial campaign, which runs until late May, has inspired several tongue-in-cheek comments by Chinese internet users.&nbsp

"Love for the party starts with a sperm," wrote one social media commentator on WeChat.

"Maybe they haven't learned biology. Acquired traits can't be passed down," wrote another on micro-blogging service Weibo.&nbsp

Demand for sperm is booming in China since the one-child policy was axed in 2016, but there have been concerns over quality levels.

Beijing's only sperm bank has set loyalty to the Communist Party as a prerequisite for donors, in a sign that China's increasing emphasis on ideological training is being extended to the womb. The bizarre requirement was part of a sperm donation drive launched Wednesday by Peking University Third Hospital -- a public hospital affiliated to an elite university considered to be China's Harvard. As well as being free of genetic or infectious diseases, potential donors must have "sound ideological qualities", according to a notice posted on the hospital's official account on popular messaging app WeChat. Men between the ages of 20 to 45 who wish to donate semen must "love the socialist motherland, support the leadership of the Communist Party, be loyal to the party's cause and be decent, law-abiding citizens, free of political problems", it said. Those who successfully donate after undergoing two rounds of medical checks -- to assess the quality of their semen and general fitness -- will be paid 5,500 yuan ($900), the statement said. There were no details on how the hospital would verify whether donors satisfied the political requirements. AFP's calls to the hospital to ask if these requirements were part of a larger government policy went unanswered. China has only 23 sperm banks nationwide, according to the country's National Health Commission, and many are plagued by a severe shortage of donors. Requirements for donors at other major collection centres, including those in Shanghai and Guangzhou, do not include loyalty to the party. The controversial campaign, which runs until late May, has inspired several tongue-in-cheek comments by Chinese internet users. "Love for the party starts with a sperm," wrote one social media commentator on WeChat. "Maybe they haven't learned biology. Acquired traits can't be passed down," wrote another on micro-blogging service Weibo.

China sperm bank asks for ‘Communist only' semen donations

The India-China bilateral trade reached $84.44 billion last year, an historic high notwithstanding bilateral tensions over a host of issues including the Doklam standoff.

A rare novelty of the bilateral trade otherwise dominated by the Chinese exports was about 40 per cent increase of Indian exports to China in 2017 totalling to $16.34 billion, data of the Chinese General Administration of Customs accessed by PTI here showed.

The bilateral trade in 2017 rose by 18.63 per cent year-on-year to reach $84.44 billion. It is regarded as a landmark as the volume of bilateral trade for the first time touched $80 billion, well above the $71.18 billion registered last year.

The trade touched historic high despite bilateral tensions over a number of issues including the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, China blocking India&#39;s efforts to bring about a UN ban on Jaish-e-Mohammad leader Masood Azhar, Beijing blocking India&#39;s entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) as well as the military standoff at Doklam lasting 73 days.

The bilateral trade stagnated around $70 billion for several years despite the leaders of both the countries setting $100 billion as a target for 2015.&nbsp;

Though it is still about $20 billion short, officials on both sides expect trade and Chinese investments in India to pick up further this year as both the governments are trying to scale down tensions and step-up the normalisation process.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit China in June this year to take part in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Qingdao. Reciprocal visits by Chinese leaders too are expected to take place this year.

There were also expectations that the new commerce minister of China to be named later this week in government reshuffle was expected to visit India in the coming weeks for talks to improve bilateral trade.

While the bilateral trade reached a new landmark, the trade deficit too continues to remain high at $51.75 billion - registering a growth of 8.55 per cent year-on-year in 2017.

According to India&#39;s trade figures, the deficit had crossed $52 billion last year. India has been pressing China to open the IT and Pharmaceutical sectors for Indian firms to reduce the massive trade deficit.

As per the Chinese trade data, India&#39;s exports to China increased by 39.11 per cent year-on-year to $16.34 billion last year. India&#39;s imports from China increased by 14.59 per cent to $68.10 billion.

India has emerged as the seventh largest export destination for Chinese products, and the 24th largest exporter to China.

Significantly, diamonds along with copper, iron ore, organic chemicals and cotton yarn contributed to the increase Indian exports to China.

India&#39;s exports of diamonds grew 4.93 per cent totalling to $2.59 billion. India was the second largest exporter of diamonds to China with a market share of 33.06 per cent after South Africa.

Also, Indian exports of copper registered a significant increase of 115.78 per cent to reach $2.15 billion.

India&#39;s cotton including yarn and woven fabric exports to China showed an increase of 1.86 per cent to reach $1.30 billion. India was the second largest exporter of cotton to China with 15.04 per cent market share last year.

India&#39;s exports of Zinc to China showed a sharp increase of 802 per cent to reach $240 million.&nbsp;

China&#39;s exports, on the other hand, were dominated by electrical machinery and equipment registering an increase of 28.23 percent to $21.77 billion.

India was the largest destination for China&#39;s fertilizers exports registering 16.98 per cent of its total fertilizers worth $1.03 billion to India.&nbsp;

India was also the largest export destination for Chinese Antibiotics - with exports worth $783 million taking place in 2017.

Chinse exports were also led by organic chemicals, worth $6.56 billion in 2017.

Bilateral trade between the two countries had stagnated at around $70 billion for several years despite the leaders of both countries setting $100 billion as the target for 2015

The India-China bilateral trade reached $84.44 billion last year, an historic high notwithstanding bilateral tensions over a host of issues including the Doklam standoff. A rare novelty of the bilateral trade otherwise dominated by the Chinese exports was about 40 per cent increase of Indian exports to China in 2017 totalling to $16.34 billion, data of the Chinese General Administration of Customs accessed by PTI here showed. The bilateral trade in 2017 rose by 18.63 per cent year-on-year to reach $84.44 billion. It is regarded as a landmark as the volume of bilateral trade for the first time touched $80 billion, well above the $71.18 billion registered last year. The trade touched historic high despite bilateral tensions over a number of issues including the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, China blocking India's efforts to bring about a UN ban on Jaish-e-Mohammad leader Masood Azhar, Beijing blocking India's entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) as well as the military standoff at Doklam lasting 73 days. The bilateral trade stagnated around $70 billion for several years despite the leaders of both the countries setting $100 billion as a target for 2015. Though it is still about $20 billion short, officials on both sides expect trade and Chinese investments in India to pick up further this year as both the governments are trying to scale down tensions and step-up the normalisation process. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit China in June this year to take part in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Qingdao. Reciprocal visits by Chinese leaders too are expected to take place this year. There were also expectations that the new commerce minister of China to be named later this week in government reshuffle was expected to visit India in the coming weeks for talks to improve bilateral trade. While the bilateral trade reached a new landmark, the trade deficit too continues to remain high at $51.75 billion - registering a growth of 8.55 per cent year-on-year in 2017. According to India's trade figures, the deficit had crossed $52 billion last year. India has been pressing China to open the IT and Pharmaceutical sectors for Indian firms to reduce the massive trade deficit. As per the Chinese trade data, India's exports to China increased by 39.11 per cent year-on-year to $16.34 billion last year. India's imports from China increased by 14.59 per cent to $68.10 billion. India has emerged as the seventh largest export destination for Chinese products, and the 24th largest exporter to China. Significantly, diamonds along with copper, iron ore, organic chemicals and cotton yarn contributed to the increase Indian exports to China. India's exports of diamonds grew 4.93 per cent totalling to $2.59 billion. India was the second largest exporter of diamonds to China with a market share of 33.06 per cent after South Africa. Also, Indian exports of copper registered a significant increase of 115.78 per cent to reach $2.15 billion. India's cotton including yarn and woven fabric exports to China showed an increase of 1.86 per cent to reach $1.30 billion. India was the second largest exporter of cotton to China with 15.04 per cent market share last year. India's exports of Zinc to China showed a sharp increase of 802 per cent to reach $240 million. China's exports, on the other hand, were dominated by electrical machinery and equipment registering an increase of 28.23 percent to $21.77 billion. India was the largest destination for China's fertilizers exports registering 16.98 per cent of its total fertilizers worth $1.03 billion to India. India was also the largest export destination for Chinese Antibiotics - with exports worth $783 million taking place in 2017. Chinse exports were also led by organic chemicals, worth $6.56 billion in 2017.

Despite Doklam, India-China bilateral trade hit historic high of $84.44 billion in 2017

Three recent developments in the neighbourhood have posed new challenges for India which is on an overdrive to expand and consolidate its influence across the world. These developments are critical for two reasons. The first is that they have the potential to impact New Delhi&rsquo;s security interests in the region. And the second is that they intensify the China Factor which is at play. That the two reasons are also interconnected to an extent, further underlines the significance. To add to the dilemma, the options for India are limited and fraught with risks. It could be damned if it takes chances, and it could be damned if it doesn&rsquo;t. The country&rsquo;s Neighbourhood First policy faces a stiff test.

&nbsp;

The three challenges come from the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Coincidentally, they have arrived in quick succession, and this has strained New Delhi&rsquo;s nerves even more. Kathmandu is poised to have a KP Oli-led government that promises to be less friendly to India than New Delhi would want; the incumbent regime in Male, not known for its pro-India stance, has declared a state of emergency there and is busy bulldozing its way against an opposition that leans towards India; and the party of former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who turned India-baiter in the last months of his tenure, has signalled a possible comeback with a resounding win in the local body elections. Rajapaksa had leaned towards Beijing once he turned against New Delhi, Oli openly prefers China to India, and the Maldives President Abdulla Yameen is determined to thwart India-friendly opposition leader Mohammad Nasheed&rsquo;s attempts to make a comeback.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

It can be argued that some of New Delhi&rsquo;s apprehensions are based on presumptions. For instance, Oli may not eventually be the anti-India figure he is expected to be, given Nepal&rsquo;s geographical constraints. Similarly, Yameen, realising India&rsquo;s growing clout in the region and beyond, will hesitate to antagonise a powerful regional power. As for Rajapaksa, it is still uncertain that his party will return to office &mdash; the national election is due in 2020. In any case, unlike the two other leaders, the former Sri Lankan President had been close to New Delhi once upon a time and it is possible that he may return to his old self if and when he wins. But this line of thought underestimates Beijing&rsquo;s ability to seize an advantage when it sees one in the region, at India&rsquo;s cost.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The common factor in the Maldives and Sri Lanka is that New Delhi had sent boots on the ground there. In the first case, the Indian military had intervened to thwart a joint operation by a group of Maldivians and Sri Lankan militants to overthrow the Mammon Abdul Gayoom regime there in&nbsp; 1988; and in the second, Indian Armed Forces had arrived there in 1987 at the invitation of Colombo to fight the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Operation Cactus of the Indian Army succeeded in Male, whereas Operation Pawan, which involved the erroneously named Indian Peacekeeping Forces (IPKF) entering Lankan territory to disarm the LTTE, ended in a disaster.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

There are voices both in favour and opposition to yet another Indian military intervention in Male. The Maldives is strategically located in the Indian Ocean, of which India is a &lsquo;net security provider&rsquo; and where Beijing is seeking to expand its influence. An unfriendly Male, thus, could become a weak spot for New Delhi in the region. Besides, the Maldives is a member of SAARC, and at a time when India is already facing obstacles from Pakistan in pushing through its various pan-SAARC initiatives, it could do without another obstructionist in the form of Male. The third reason for India&rsquo;s concerns is, of course, China&rsquo;s massive presence in the Maldives &mdash; one that could gain further momentum in an India-unfriendly Government there. By some estimates, 70 per cent of the Maldives&rsquo; debt is owed to China alone. There is, thus, danger in New Delhi remaining non-committal at this stage.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

But those who are opposed to direct India&rsquo;s intervention say that interfering in another nation&rsquo;s internal affairs can only be counter-productive. It would be used by sections there to further boost anti-India sentiments. There is also no certainty that military boots on the ground will fetch results. They add that New Delhi would gain more by pressuring Male diplomatically, both bilaterally and globally, and not by escalating the crisis through direct intervention.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The Rajapaksa-backed Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna&#39;s (SLPP) landslide victory in the local body election was the result of many factors, the primary among them being the discord among the ruling parters led by President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. The coalition arrangement has been far from smooth, paving the way for Rajapkasa to cash in on the discontent and growing public disaffection with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the United National Party (UNP) partnership. Given that Rajapaksa&rsquo;s SLPP has won big in Sinhala-dominated wards while the Tamil National Alliance has done well in Tamil-populated wards, the UNP-SLFP got squeezed out.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

It may be recalled that New Delhi and Rajapaksa had shared a wonderful relationship at the time when Colombo had waged a do or die battle with the LTTE, in which it emerged victorious following decades of bloodshed. But thereafter things began to go wrong as India felt the Rajapaksa government had failed in meeting the commitments at reconciliation with the traumatised Tamil community. True, domestic compulsions also made New Delhi take a hard stand. But that also led Rajapaksa to start veering towards China. He even attributed his electoral defeat to India&rsquo;s intervention.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Like the Maldives, Sri Lanka too is an important component of the Indian Ocean region and a SAARC member. In case Rajapaksa makes a national comeback and continues from where he had left &mdash; in China&rsquo;s favour &mdash; then New Delhi&rsquo;s hopes of continuing to be a net security provider in the region could be compromised. The already large Chinese presence in Sri Lanka can then only get bigger, much to New Delhi&rsquo;s chagrin. It makes sense for India to initiate some sort of outreach to the former President.

&nbsp;

Closer home, in Nepal, the situation is the most grim of all. It is not in Oli&rsquo;s DNA, nor in that of his outfit, the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), to be pro-India. For years, the CPN (UML) has clung on to slogans against &lsquo;Indian expansionism&rsquo;, and Oli has benefitted politically from his anti-India line. The 2015 blockade strengthened his hands and made his rant shriller &mdash; and more credible. In his first, albeit short, tenure, Oli had sought to snub New Delhi and opened the doors for Beijing to be major partners in the Nepal growth story. With the trend likely to resume in the coming months, New Delhi can only hope that the communist leader will soften his position.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

There is a belief that his partnership with the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) can achieve this to some extent. The CPN (MC) is led by former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal &lsquo;Prachanda&rsquo;, who is favourably inclined towards India, and he can be expected to temper the coalition regime&rsquo;s anti-India sentiment. But that is only an expectation, and against this, we have the track record of the Oli regime which gives little cause for cheer to New Delhi.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

India&rsquo;s campaign for lasting regional superiority rests on its relations with the immediate and near neighbourhood. The way it tackles the challenges relating to Nepal, the Maldives and Sri Lanka holds the key to success. If New Delhi falters, Beijing gains.

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;

India’s campaign for lasting regional superiority rests on its relations with the immediate and near neighbourhood.

Three recent developments in the neighbourhood have posed new challenges for India which is on an overdrive to expand and consolidate its influence across the world. These developments are critical for two reasons. The first is that they have the potential to impact New Delhi’s security interests in the region. And the second is that they intensify the China Factor which is at play. That the two reasons are also interconnected to an extent, further underlines the significance. To add to the dilemma, the options for India are limited and fraught with risks. It could be damned if it takes chances, and it could be damned if it doesn’t. The country’s Neighbourhood First policy faces a stiff test. The three challenges come from the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Coincidentally, they have arrived in quick succession, and this has strained New Delhi’s nerves even more. Kathmandu is poised to have a KP Oli-led government that promises to be less friendly to India than New Delhi would want; the incumbent regime in Male, not known for its pro-India stance, has declared a state of emergency there and is busy bulldozing its way against an opposition that leans towards India; and the party of former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who turned India-baiter in the last months of his tenure, has signalled a possible comeback with a resounding win in the local body elections. Rajapaksa had leaned towards Beijing once he turned against New Delhi, Oli openly prefers China to India, and the Maldives President Abdulla Yameen is determined to thwart India-friendly opposition leader Mohammad Nasheed’s attempts to make a comeback. It can be argued that some of New Delhi’s apprehensions are based on presumptions. For instance, Oli may not eventually be the anti-India figure he is expected to be, given Nepal’s geographical constraints. Similarly, Yameen, realising India’s growing clout in the region and beyond, will hesitate to antagonise a powerful regional power. As for Rajapaksa, it is still uncertain that his party will return to office — the national election is due in 2020. In any case, unlike the two other leaders, the former Sri Lankan President had been close to New Delhi once upon a time and it is possible that he may return to his old self if and when he wins. But this line of thought underestimates Beijing’s ability to seize an advantage when it sees one in the region, at India’s cost. The common factor in the Maldives and Sri Lanka is that New Delhi had sent boots on the ground there. In the first case, the Indian military had intervened to thwart a joint operation by a group of Maldivians and Sri Lankan militants to overthrow the Mammon Abdul Gayoom regime there in 1988; and in the second, Indian Armed Forces had arrived there in 1987 at the invitation of Colombo to fight the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Operation Cactus of the Indian Army succeeded in Male, whereas Operation Pawan, which involved the erroneously named Indian Peacekeeping Forces (IPKF) entering Lankan territory to disarm the LTTE, ended in a disaster. There are voices both in favour and opposition to yet another Indian military intervention in Male. The Maldives is strategically located in the Indian Ocean, of which India is a ‘net security provider’ and where Beijing is seeking to expand its influence. An unfriendly Male, thus, could become a weak spot for New Delhi in the region. Besides, the Maldives is a member of SAARC, and at a time when India is already facing obstacles from Pakistan in pushing through its various pan-SAARC initiatives, it could do without another obstructionist in the form of Male. The third reason for India’s concerns is, of course, China’s massive presence in the Maldives — one that could gain further momentum in an India-unfriendly Government there. By some estimates, 70 per cent of the Maldives’ debt is owed to China alone. There is, thus, danger in New Delhi remaining non-committal at this stage. But those who are opposed to direct India’s intervention say that interfering in another nation’s internal affairs can only be counter-productive. It would be used by sections there to further boost anti-India sentiments. There is also no certainty that military boots on the ground will fetch results. They add that New Delhi would gain more by pressuring Male diplomatically, both bilaterally and globally, and not by escalating the crisis through direct intervention. The Rajapaksa-backed Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna's (SLPP) landslide victory in the local body election was the result of many factors, the primary among them being the discord among the ruling parters led by President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. The coalition arrangement has been far from smooth, paving the way for Rajapkasa to cash in on the discontent and growing public disaffection with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the United National Party (UNP) partnership. Given that Rajapaksa’s SLPP has won big in Sinhala-dominated wards while the Tamil National Alliance has done well in Tamil-populated wards, the UNP-SLFP got squeezed out. It may be recalled that New Delhi and Rajapaksa had shared a wonderful relationship at the time when Colombo had waged a do or die battle with the LTTE, in which it emerged victorious following decades of bloodshed. But thereafter things began to go wrong as India felt the Rajapaksa government had failed in meeting the commitments at reconciliation with the traumatised Tamil community. True, domestic compulsions also made New Delhi take a hard stand. But that also led Rajapaksa to start veering towards China. He even attributed his electoral defeat to India’s intervention. Like the Maldives, Sri Lanka too is an important component of the Indian Ocean region and a SAARC member. In case Rajapaksa makes a national comeback and continues from where he had left — in China’s favour — then New Delhi’s hopes of continuing to be a net security provider in the region could be compromised. The already large Chinese presence in Sri Lanka can then only get bigger, much to New Delhi’s chagrin. It makes sense for India to initiate some sort of outreach to the former President. Closer home, in Nepal, the situation is the most grim of all. It is not in Oli’s DNA, nor in that of his outfit, the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), to be pro-India. For years, the CPN (UML) has clung on to slogans against ‘Indian expansionism’, and Oli has benefitted politically from his anti-India line. The 2015 blockade strengthened his hands and made his rant shriller — and more credible. In his first, albeit short, tenure, Oli had sought to snub New Delhi and opened the doors for Beijing to be major partners in the Nepal growth story. With the trend likely to resume in the coming months, New Delhi can only hope that the communist leader will soften his position. There is a belief that his partnership with the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) can achieve this to some extent. The CPN (MC) is led by former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, who is favourably inclined towards India, and he can be expected to temper the coalition regime’s anti-India sentiment. But that is only an expectation, and against this, we have the track record of the Oli regime which gives little cause for cheer to New Delhi. India’s campaign for lasting regional superiority rests on its relations with the immediate and near neighbourhood. The way it tackles the challenges relating to Nepal, the Maldives and Sri Lanka holds the key to success. If New Delhi falters, Beijing gains. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: If New Delhi falters with its neighbours, Beijing gains

A woman was killed and 12 other people injured after a man carried out a knife attack in a mall in a busy shopping district in the Chinese capital, Beijing, police said on Sunday.

Beijing police said in a short statement they had detained a man over the early afternoon attack at the Joy City Mall in the Xidan district.

Three men and 10 women were sent to hospital after the attack and one woman died of her injuries, police said. The others were all expected to recover.

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Police said they acted quickly in handling the incident and identified the detained man as a 35-year-old surnamed Zhu from the northern province of Henan.

The man had already confessed to carrying out the attack to &quot;express his discontent&quot;, they said but did not elaborate.

Beijing radio showed pictures on their WeChat account of blood spattered on the floor in part of the mall and at least one injured person being taken from the scene.

Violent crime is rare in China compared with many other countries, especially in major cities where security is tight, but there has been a series of knife and axe attacks in recent years, many targeting children.

In 2015, police arrested a sword-wielding man who killed a Chinese woman and injured a French man in Beijing&#39;s fashionable Sanlitun shopping and entertainment district.

Such attacks are often blamed on people with mental illness or who have personal grievances. Knives are most commonly used because gun controls are extremely strict in China.

However, the government has also blamed some knife attacks on militants from the violence-prone far western region of Xinjiang, where Beijing says it faces an Islamist insurgency, adding to China&#39;s nervousness about such incidents.

Thirty-one people were killed in 2014 during a knife attack at Kunming train station in southwestern China that the government said was the work of Xinjiang militants. Police shot dead four of the attackers.

Beijing police said in a short statement they had detained a man over the early afternoon attack at the Joy City Mall in the Xidan district

A woman was killed and 12 other people injured after a man carried out a knife attack in a mall in a busy shopping district in the Chinese capital, Beijing, police said on Sunday. Beijing police said in a short statement they had detained a man over the early afternoon attack at the Joy City Mall in the Xidan district. Three men and 10 women were sent to hospital after the attack and one woman died of her injuries, police said. The others were all expected to recover. Police said the man had already confessed to carrying out the attack to 'express his discontent', but did not elaborate × Police said they acted quickly in handling the incident and identified the detained man as a 35-year-old surnamed Zhu from the northern province of Henan. The man had already confessed to carrying out the attack to "express his discontent", they said but did not elaborate. Beijing radio showed pictures on their WeChat account of blood spattered on the floor in part of the mall and at least one injured person being taken from the scene. Violent crime is rare in China compared with many other countries, especially in major cities where security is tight, but there has been a series of knife and axe attacks in recent years, many targeting children. In 2015, police arrested a sword-wielding man who killed a Chinese woman and injured a French man in Beijing's fashionable Sanlitun shopping and entertainment district. Such attacks are often blamed on people with mental illness or who have personal grievances. Knives are most commonly used because gun controls are extremely strict in China. However, the government has also blamed some knife attacks on militants from the violence-prone far western region of Xinjiang, where Beijing says it faces an Islamist insurgency, adding to China's nervousness about such incidents. Thirty-one people were killed in 2014 during a knife attack at Kunming train station in southwestern China that the government said was the work of Xinjiang militants. Police shot dead four of the attackers.

Woman killed, 12 injured in Beijing mall knife attack

China always values the good neighbourliness and friendship with India, but it is also firm on upholding its &quot;sovereign rights&quot;, interests and territorial integrity, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said.

Beijing handled the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/china-downplays-disengagement-of-troops-from-doklam-warns-india-to-draw-lesson-19600" target="_blank">Dokalam standoff </a>with &quot;restraint&quot;, showing the &quot;emphasis&quot; it places on ties with New Delhi, he said.

Touching on China&#39;s relations with major countries and its diplomatic initiatives last year, Yi, in a lengthy article in the Chinese International Studies journal, dwelt about Sino-India ties, stating that Beijing&#39;s diplomatic engagement with New Delhi resulted in India withdrawing its troops and equipment from Dokalam.

The journal is published by China Institute of International Studies, a think-tank attached to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

The 73-day standoff at Dokalam over which Bhutan also has counterclaims began in June last year when Indian troops objected to Chinese army building a road close to India&#39;s Chicken-Neck Corridor, a narrow corridor connecting northeastern states.

The standoff ended on August 28 after Chinese troops agreed to stop building the road following which both the sides agreed on the &quot;expeditious disengagement&quot; of personnel at Dokalam, according to the External Affairs Ministry.

Yi said China always values the good neighbourliness and friendship with India as &quot;we are each other&#39;s big neighbours and ancient civilisations&quot;.

In the meantime, China is also firm in upholding its sovereign rights and interests and territorial integrity, he said.

&quot;We handled the Indian border troops trespass into China&#39;s Dong Long (Dokalam) area in our national interest, on just grounds and with restraint. Through diplomatic means, we engaged with the Indian side and it withdrew its equipment and personnel.

&quot;This demonstrates not only the value and emphasis we put on relations with India but also our sincerity and sense of responsibility in maintaining regional peace and stability,&quot; the foreign minister said.

&quot;We believe as we continue to engage in in-depth strategic communication and promptly dispel strategic misgivings, the strategic value of China-India cooperation will speak for itself and there will be a prospect of &#39;the Dragon and Elephant dancing together&#39; and 1+1=11 effect as expected by the leaders,&quot; Yi said.

On Chinese diplomacy in general, he said China will continue to break new ground in pursuing major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics in the new era.

&quot;We will take a longer and broader perspective, and be even more open-minded and resourceful in our diplomacy. We will give more consideration to the overall interests of the world and humanity, and work in a proactive manner,&quot; he said.

China will firmly uphold the existing international system with the UN at the core, and protect and expand the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries, he said.

&quot;We will continue to act as a responsible major country to contribute to world peace, promote global development, and uphold the international order,&quot; Yi added.

Chinese Foreign Minister dwelt about Sino-India ties, stating that Beijing's diplomatic engagement with New Delhi resulted in India withdrawing its troops and equipment from Dokalam.

China always values the good neighbourliness and friendship with India, but it is also firm on upholding its "sovereign rights", interests and territorial integrity, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said. Beijing handled the Dokalam standoff with "restraint", showing the "emphasis" it places on ties with New Delhi, he said. Touching on China's relations with major countries and its diplomatic initiatives last year, Yi, in a lengthy article in the Chinese International Studies journal, dwelt about Sino-India ties, stating that Beijing's diplomatic engagement with New Delhi resulted in India withdrawing its troops and equipment from Dokalam. The journal is published by China Institute of International Studies, a think-tank attached to the Chinese Foreign Ministry. The 73-day standoff at Dokalam over which Bhutan also has counterclaims began in June last year when Indian troops objected to Chinese army building a road close to India's Chicken-Neck Corridor, a narrow corridor connecting northeastern states. The standoff ended on August 28 after Chinese troops agreed to stop building the road following which both the sides agreed on the "expeditious disengagement" of personnel at Dokalam, according to the External Affairs Ministry. Yi said China always values the good neighbourliness and friendship with India as "we are each other's big neighbours and ancient civilisations". In the meantime, China is also firm in upholding its sovereign rights and interests and territorial integrity, he said. "We handled the Indian border troops trespass into China's Dong Long (Dokalam) area in our national interest, on just grounds and with restraint. Through diplomatic means, we engaged with the Indian side and it withdrew its equipment and personnel. "This demonstrates not only the value and emphasis we put on relations with India but also our sincerity and sense of responsibility in maintaining regional peace and stability," the foreign minister said. "We believe as we continue to engage in in-depth strategic communication and promptly dispel strategic misgivings, the strategic value of China-India cooperation will speak for itself and there will be a prospect of 'the Dragon and Elephant dancing together' and 1+1=11 effect as expected by the leaders," Yi said. On Chinese diplomacy in general, he said China will continue to break new ground in pursuing major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics in the new era. "We will take a longer and broader perspective, and be even more open-minded and resourceful in our diplomacy. We will give more consideration to the overall interests of the world and humanity, and work in a proactive manner," he said. China will firmly uphold the existing international system with the UN at the core, and protect and expand the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries, he said. "We will continue to act as a responsible major country to contribute to world peace, promote global development, and uphold the international order," Yi added.

China values India ties but firm on 'sovereign rights': Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi

Beijing issued its first major smog alert of the winter for the capital, triggering stringent measures to curb output of heavy industry as plunging temperatures spurred heating demand.

The orange alert issued late on Thursday, the second highest on China&#39;s four-level system, comes after Beijing was reported to have made big improvements in air quality last year as industrial activity shifted away from the capital.

The Ministry of Environmental Protection warned in a statement that heavy air pollution will envelope Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and the surrounding area from Friday until Jan. 17.

According to the forecast, southern areas of Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, southern Shanxi, western Shandong, northern Hebei will suffer from toxic air from Jan. 13 to Jan. 15. On Jan 15, level of air pollution is expected to surge to the maximum, it said.

Under an orange alert, factories that make furniture, cement and other heavy industry must limit output by between 30 and 50 percent. A list of companies in the capital affected contains more than 700 enterprises.

The capital has been largely spared the notoriously bad air that typically blankets the north during the colder winter months when people crank up the heat in their homes in part to the government&#39;s stringent anti-smog measures, including curbing factory output and banning coal burning in homes.

But this alert comes a month after the government was forced to reverse its ban on coal for heating as gas shortages left people freezing and after a prolonged bout of freezing weather across the north.

The city issued an orange alert in early November before the winter heating season started on Nov. 15.

On Wednesday, the government said all 28 Chinese cities in a demanding winter anti-smog campaign met their air quality targets from October to December, the environment ministry.

The 28 northern cities were ordered to cut concentrations of small, breathable particles known as PM2.5 by 10-25 percent during October 2017-March 2018. They have been curbing industrial output, thinning traffic and cracking down on coal use in a bid to limit smog build-ups.

The Ministry of Environmental Protection warned in a statement that heavy air pollution will envelope Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and the surrounding area from Friday until Jan. 17

Beijing issued its first major smog alert of the winter for the capital, triggering stringent measures to curb output of heavy industry as plunging temperatures spurred heating demand. The orange alert issued late on Thursday, the second highest on China's four-level system, comes after Beijing was reported to have made big improvements in air quality last year as industrial activity shifted away from the capital. The Ministry of Environmental Protection warned in a statement that heavy air pollution will envelope Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and the surrounding area from Friday until Jan. 17. According to the forecast, southern areas of Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, southern Shanxi, western Shandong, northern Hebei will suffer from toxic air from Jan. 13 to Jan. 15. On Jan 15, level of air pollution is expected to surge to the maximum, it said. Under an orange alert, factories that make furniture, cement and other heavy industry must limit output by between 30 and 50 percent. A list of companies in the capital affected contains more than 700 enterprises. The capital has been largely spared the notoriously bad air that typically blankets the north during the colder winter months when people crank up the heat in their homes in part to the government's stringent anti-smog measures, including curbing factory output and banning coal burning in homes. But this alert comes a month after the government was forced to reverse its ban on coal for heating as gas shortages left people freezing and after a prolonged bout of freezing weather across the north. The city issued an orange alert in early November before the winter heating season started on Nov. 15. On Wednesday, the government said all 28 Chinese cities in a demanding winter anti-smog campaign met their air quality targets from October to December, the environment ministry. The 28 northern cities were ordered to cut concentrations of small, breathable particles known as PM2.5 by 10-25 percent during October 2017-March 2018. They have been curbing industrial output, thinning traffic and cracking down on coal use in a bid to limit smog build-ups.

China's capital issues first major smog alert of winter

Fewer than 100 North Koreans a month defected to the South last year, Seoul said Friday, the lowest for 15 years as Pyongyang and Beijing both tighten controls on movement.

A total of 1,127 North Koreans came to the South last year, down 21 percent from 2016, according to data from the unification ministry. It was the lowest figure since 2001.

The vast majority of defectors from the impoverished North, which suffers chronic food shortages and is subject to UN Security Council sanctions over its banned nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes, go first to China.

They sometimes stay there for several years before making their way to the South, often via a third country.

Defections across the heavily guarded Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) that divides the Korean peninsula are very rare, but this year there have been four, including a dramatic dash under a hail of bullets by a Northern soldier in November.

Another soldier escaped to the South across the DMZ in December but observers said there was no evidence of a trend.

Pyongyang has been bolstering border controls since the second half of 2015, putting up more guards and setting up high-tension wires to prevent its citizens from fleeing to its giant neighbour.

&quot;On top of that, China has drastically strengthened crackdowns on North Korean escapees, repatriating them recklessly whenever they find them,&quot; Seo Jae-Pyong, an official of the Association of North Korean Defectors, said.

Many professional brokers who help arrange defectors` trips through China and Southeast Asian countries to the South have consequently gone underground, he said.

As of the end of December, more than 31,000 North Korean defectors had entered the South since 1948, when the two Koreas were officially separated into different states.

Numbers peaked at 2,914 in 2009 and have mostly declined in recent years.

Female defectors continue to account for a lion`s share, with women making up 83 per cent of last year`s defectors.

It is easier for women to leave the North, as men all have assigned jobs, making any absence easier to spot for the authorities.

Defections across the heavily guarded Demilitarised Zone that divides the Korean peninsula are very rare, but this year there have been four.

Fewer than 100 North Koreans a month defected to the South last year, Seoul said Friday, the lowest for 15 years as Pyongyang and Beijing both tighten controls on movement. A total of 1,127 North Koreans came to the South last year, down 21 percent from 2016, according to data from the unification ministry. It was the lowest figure since 2001. The vast majority of defectors from the impoverished North, which suffers chronic food shortages and is subject to UN Security Council sanctions over its banned nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes, go first to China. They sometimes stay there for several years before making their way to the South, often via a third country. Defections across the heavily guarded Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) that divides the Korean peninsula are very rare, but this year there have been four, including a dramatic dash under a hail of bullets by a Northern soldier in November. Another soldier escaped to the South across the DMZ in December but observers said there was no evidence of a trend. Pyongyang has been bolstering border controls since the second half of 2015, putting up more guards and setting up high-tension wires to prevent its citizens from fleeing to its giant neighbour. "On top of that, China has drastically strengthened crackdowns on North Korean escapees, repatriating them recklessly whenever they find them," Seo Jae-Pyong, an official of the Association of North Korean Defectors, said. Many professional brokers who help arrange defectors` trips through China and Southeast Asian countries to the South have consequently gone underground, he said. As of the end of December, more than 31,000 North Korean defectors had entered the South since 1948, when the two Koreas were officially separated into different states. Numbers peaked at 2,914 in 2009 and have mostly declined in recent years. Female defectors continue to account for a lion`s share, with women making up 83 per cent of last year`s defectors. It is easier for women to leave the North, as men all have assigned jobs, making any absence easier to spot for the authorities.

North Korean defector numbers slump as controls tighten

China is reportedly planning to invest $1 billion in the construction of three 60-storey buildings at a <a href="http://www.wionews.com/preview/article/26316" target="_blank">mega-project near Sri Lanka&#39;s main port</a>, Colombo.

&quot;China Harbour (company) will put in $1 billion to build three buildings,&quot; Sri Lanka&#39;s Urban Development Minister Champika Ranawaka said.&nbsp;

&quot;These three 60-storey buildings will be able to attract more foreign companies into Sri Lanka,&quot; he added.

Beijing&#39;s move is considered a way to boost its influence in the Indian Ocean.

The deal follows an earlier Chinese investment of $1.4 billion to carry out reclamation work for the wider Colombo International Financial City development.

It is located next to Sri Lanka&#39;s harbour, the only deep-sea container port in the region.

The project was initiated by the former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapakse and will create a financial centre in the Indian Ocean comparable with those in Singapore and Europe.&nbsp;

Sri Lankan officials said 60 per cent of the 269 hectare (672 acre) reclamation which was due to finish next year has already been completed.

Colombo is a major hub for Indian import-export cargo. &nbsp;After protests by New Delhi, Colombo removed freehold rights granted to the Chinese company and offered the land on a 99-year lease instead.

Beijing's move is considered a way to boost its influence in the Indian Ocean

China is reportedly planning to invest $1 billion in the construction of three 60-storey buildings at a mega-project near Sri Lanka's main port, Colombo. "China Harbour (company) will put in $1 billion to build three buildings," Sri Lanka's Urban Development Minister Champika Ranawaka said. "These three 60-storey buildings will be able to attract more foreign companies into Sri Lanka," he added. Beijing's move is considered a way to boost its influence in the Indian Ocean. The deal follows an earlier Chinese investment of $1.4 billion to carry out reclamation work for the wider Colombo International Financial City development. It is located next to Sri Lanka's harbour, the only deep-sea container port in the region. The project was initiated by the former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapakse and will create a financial centre in the Indian Ocean comparable with those in Singapore and Europe. Sri Lankan officials said 60 per cent of the 269 hectare (672 acre) reclamation which was due to finish next year has already been completed. Colombo is a major hub for Indian import-export cargo. After protests by New Delhi, Colombo removed freehold rights granted to the Chinese company and offered the land on a 99-year lease instead.

Watch: China to invest $1 billion in Sri Lanka port project

China&#39;s ambition of becoming a world leader in <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-using-artificial-intelligence-to-spot-signs-of-suicide-25299" target="_blank">Artificial Intelligence</a> is all set to&nbsp;take off with the country&#39;s new AI development park.&nbsp;

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China is planning to build a 13.8 billion yuan ($2.12 billion) <a href="http://www.wionews.com/science-tech/acquisitions-accelerate-as-tech-giants-seek-to-build-ai-smarts-16103" target="_blank">artificial intelligence</a> development park.&nbsp;

The project will be developed by Zhongguancun Development Group in collaboration with foreign universities.

It will be designed to attract enterprises that work on big data, biometric identification, deep learning and cloud computing.&nbsp;

The park will be constructed&nbsp;to house up to 400 enterprises and to yield an annual output of 50 billion yuan.&nbsp;

It will be built in west Beijing.&nbsp;

Also&nbsp;read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/this-black-metal-album-was-created-using-artificial-intelligence-and-sounds-just-like-a-human-band-26258" target="_blank">This black metal album was created using Artificial Intelligence and sounds just like a human band</a>

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/opinion-revolutionise-talent-management-with-chatbots-ai-26231" target="_blank">Opinion: Chatbots &amp; AI to revolutionise talent management</a>

China aspires to become a world leader in Artificial Intelligence by 2025.

There is an increasing competition between China and United States of America for utilising the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/is-artificial-intelligence-boon-or-bane-4703" target="_blank">Artificial Intelligence technology</a> in the military.&nbsp;

In the development roadmap released by the country in 2017, China unwrapped a series of plans to boost talent, investment and research in Artificial Intelligence. The roadmap also wanted collective efforts from private, public and military firms on national AI goals.&nbsp;

AI is the intelligence displayed by machines, wherein the device perceives its environment and takes action.

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It will be designed to attract enterprises that work on big data, biometric identification, deep learning and cloud computing

China's ambition of becoming a world leader in Artificial Intelligence is all set to take off with the country's new AI development park. × China is planning to build a 13.8 billion yuan ($2.12 billion) artificial intelligence development park. The project will be developed by Zhongguancun Development Group in collaboration with foreign universities. It will be designed to attract enterprises that work on big data, biometric identification, deep learning and cloud computing. The park will be constructed to house up to 400 enterprises and to yield an annual output of 50 billion yuan. It will be built in west Beijing. Also read: This black metal album was created using Artificial Intelligence and sounds just like a human band Also read: Opinion: Chatbots & AI to revolutionise talent management China aspires to become a world leader in Artificial Intelligence by 2025. There is an increasing competition between China and United States of America for utilising the Artificial Intelligence technology in the military. In the development roadmap released by the country in 2017, China unwrapped a series of plans to boost talent, investment and research in Artificial Intelligence. The roadmap also wanted collective efforts from private, public and military firms on national AI goals. AI is the intelligence displayed by machines, wherein the device perceives its environment and takes action.

China to construct $2 billion Artificial Intelligence development park

Not many relationships in international politics make headlines like China-India relations often do. The chronicle of the transient year 2017 suggests that China-India relations continued to struggle to thrive, even though this relationship commanded plenty of promises and pledges. Best remembered as the &ldquo;year of Doklam&rdquo;, 2017 witnessed Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping pledging a &ldquo;forward-looking constructive&rdquo; bilateral relationship.

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During the September Xiamen BRICS summit, both the leaders tried to overcome the setback that the relationship has faced in recent times. How will this envisioned &ldquo;constructive&rdquo; China-India relationship that aims to have a &ldquo;forward-looking&rdquo; spirit unfold in 2018?&nbsp;

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Fundamentally speaking, a &ldquo;forward-looking constructive&rdquo; relationship would imply that the two countries manage to handle their differences, including the age-old boundary dispute while fostering an engaging economic partnership that will enhance their bilateral and global relationship.&nbsp;

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The official media transcript after the Xiamen BRICS summit stated that the established intergovernmental mechanisms between China and India are supposed to play a stronger role to this effect. Their common pledge to scrutinise neoliberal ideas, uphold the structure of a multipolar world order, and reform the global order in favour of the developing world are all indicators of a constructive forward-looking relationship.&nbsp;

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The pledge to have a &ldquo;forward-looking&rdquo; and &ldquo;constructive&rdquo; relationship is, however, not entirely a new proposition. Both sides have used similar phrasing in the past to offer a &ldquo;political&rdquo; guidance to their relationship, which is often marred by a range of conflicts &ndash; boundary to geopolitics. Indeed, the proposition to have a &ldquo;constructive&rdquo; relationship is part and parcel of their &ldquo;developmental partnership&rdquo;, which was officially instituted during President Xi Jinping&rsquo;s visit to India in September 2014.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The core essence of this &ldquo;developmental partnership&rdquo; was to guide China-India relations through a stronger economic engagement. The economic engagement has been nurtured under a number of bilateral mechanisms, such as the Joint Economic Group (JEG), Strategic Economic Dialogue and Financial Dialogue to name just a few. These have acted as stabilisers, preventing the relationship from going on a conflict path.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Consequently, bilateral trade, seen often as a &lsquo;stable variable&rsquo; in China-India relations, witnessed a steady rise over the last one decade amidst the rising border tensions and mutual mistrust. From a meagre US$10 billion in 2004, the bilateral trade has expanded to reach around $71 billion by 2017.&nbsp;

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in the recent past, however, a subtle change is noticed in the pattern of relationship. Bilateral trade and institutional dialogue have become extraneous to a stable bilateral relationship.&nbsp; In fact, bilateral trade has been constant around $70 billion for last few years without showing much improvement. The trade imbalance between the two sides is expanding, much to China&rsquo;s favour, creating an increasing discord among the Indian business community.&nbsp;

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Additionally, the institutional mechanisms look obsolete to address the rising differences between the two countries. Even frequent leadership meetings have offered little to push ahead their envisioned &ldquo;developmental partnership&rdquo;. For example, before their meeting at the Xiamen BRICS summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping met during the SCO summit in Astana and the G-20 summit in Hamburg in 2017. These meetings, however, could not generate necessary maturity on both sides so as not to engage in an episode like the Doklam stand-off.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Besides, India&rsquo;s decision not to participate in China&rsquo;s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) meeting held in Beijing in May 2017 spiralled their geopolitical differences into the international limelight. The two and a half months&rsquo; long Doklam stand-off damaged further the residual goodwill that their relationship had accomplished over the years, making 2017 the defining year for China-India relations.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

This changing treatise in China-India relations sufficiently indicates that the relationship would be thorny in 2018 and ahead. The official longing might be to carve out an &ldquo;upward trajectory&rdquo; in China-India relations, but fostering such a relationship in the current practical circumstances would be difficult to foresee. Three specific developments explain why China-India relations might continue to struggle to thrive even though there might be a temporary improvement in their overall relationship.

&nbsp;

First, foreign policy passages in both China and India are witnessing constant changes which might point to a more &ldquo;state-centric&rdquo; non-accommodative approach towards each other. After the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), China aims to push ahead it&rsquo;s national security ambitions, in terms of exploiting resource opportunities, expand the country&rsquo;s power base, and exhibit China&rsquo;s leadership both in Asia and beyond.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Xi Jinping sees the next few years as a &ldquo;period of strategic opportunities&rdquo; for China and India as a &lsquo;limited Asian power&rsquo; only.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

On the other hand, New Delhi&rsquo;s foreign policy, under an &ldquo;India first&rdquo; approach,&nbsp; seeks to engage more with big powers while having a focus on Asia and Asian neighbours. Currently, India&rsquo;s prime targets are resource exploration and increasing India&rsquo;s outreach in Asia. This would bring the Chinese and Indian foreign policy into a point of contestation than engagement.

&nbsp;

Second, even though the scope and potential of greater China-India economic engagement are bigger today, still the differing approaches in the promotion of a &ldquo;developmental partnership&rdquo; would be the main barrier between them. China wants to pursue a more purposeful international economic engagement which will facilitate Chinese economic growth. The induction of the BRI into the revised CPC Constitution at the 19th National Congress points to that. This might create friction in the Sino-Indian relations since India is yet to endorse China&rsquo;s BRI.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The usual China-India &ldquo;sister-city&rdquo; and &ldquo;sister-province&rdquo; level engagements have been one of the most promising aspects of their bilateral relationship over the last one decade. But from Beijing&rsquo;s perspective, the &ldquo;sister-city&rdquo; and &ldquo;sister-province&rdquo; level engagements are today seen as an integral part of China&rsquo;s BRI scheme, which India may see as antithetical to its national interest. Besides, it is not clear how China would like to address India&rsquo;s economic concerns on the rising trade imbalance and would situate it in the overall relationship framework.

&nbsp;

Third, China-India differences in the Asia-Pacific region is another new complicated chapter that would not be supportive of their bilateral relations. Beijing seems to be keen on following an intensive maritime strategy not only to protect its interests but also to expedite overseas maritime presence in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Many democratic countries, including the United States, Japan and India are not in favour of China&#39;s expansion in the IOR.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Beijing under Xi Jinping is emerging fast as a &ldquo;trading nation&rdquo; and the new focus is to expedite its maritime trading routes in the IOR. That would bring Indian maritime interests into contestation. India&rsquo;s S-A-G-A-R (Security and Growth for All Region) initiative under Prime Minister Narendra Modi equally emphasises on the maritime economy and marine resources which would emerge as a matter of contest between the Chinese and Indian interests in the IOR.

&nbsp;

China aims to configure a bipolar world, sharing the &quot;major&quot; power platform with the United States. China wants to shun the existing &ldquo;status quo&rdquo;&nbsp; and emerge as a &ldquo;revisionist&rdquo; power. This would significantly influence China-India relations.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;Contrasting bilateral perspectives come as a major impediment to a working relationship between India and China today. Just like 2017, the year 2018, therefore, might equally witness conflicting trends between India and China, overriding their cooperative trends.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

China wants to shun the existing ?status quo? and emerge as a ?revisionist? power which would significantly influence China-India relations.

Not many relationships in international politics make headlines like China-India relations often do. The chronicle of the transient year 2017 suggests that China-India relations continued to struggle to thrive, even though this relationship commanded plenty of promises and pledges. Best remembered as the “year of Doklam”, 2017 witnessed Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping pledging a “forward-looking constructive” bilateral relationship. During the September Xiamen BRICS summit, both the leaders tried to overcome the setback that the relationship has faced in recent times. How will this envisioned “constructive” China-India relationship that aims to have a “forward-looking” spirit unfold in 2018? Fundamentally speaking, a “forward-looking constructive” relationship would imply that the two countries manage to handle their differences, including the age-old boundary dispute while fostering an engaging economic partnership that will enhance their bilateral and global relationship. The official media transcript after the Xiamen BRICS summit stated that the established intergovernmental mechanisms between China and India are supposed to play a stronger role to this effect. Their common pledge to scrutinise neoliberal ideas, uphold the structure of a multipolar world order, and reform the global order in favour of the developing world are all indicators of a constructive forward-looking relationship. The pledge to have a “forward-looking” and “constructive” relationship is, however, not entirely a new proposition. Both sides have used similar phrasing in the past to offer a “political” guidance to their relationship, which is often marred by a range of conflicts – boundary to geopolitics. Indeed, the proposition to have a “constructive” relationship is part and parcel of their “developmental partnership”, which was officially instituted during President Xi Jinping’s visit to India in September 2014. The core essence of this “developmental partnership” was to guide China-India relations through a stronger economic engagement. The economic engagement has been nurtured under a number of bilateral mechanisms, such as the Joint Economic Group (JEG), Strategic Economic Dialogue and Financial Dialogue to name just a few. These have acted as stabilisers, preventing the relationship from going on a conflict path. Consequently, bilateral trade, seen often as a ‘stable variable’ in China-India relations, witnessed a steady rise over the last one decade amidst the rising border tensions and mutual mistrust. From a meagre US$10 billion in 2004, the bilateral trade has expanded to reach around $71 billion by 2017. in the recent past, however, a subtle change is noticed in the pattern of relationship. Bilateral trade and institutional dialogue have become extraneous to a stable bilateral relationship. In fact, bilateral trade has been constant around $70 billion for last few years without showing much improvement. The trade imbalance between the two sides is expanding, much to China’s favour, creating an increasing discord among the Indian business community. Additionally, the institutional mechanisms look obsolete to address the rising differences between the two countries. Even frequent leadership meetings have offered little to push ahead their envisioned “developmental partnership”. For example, before their meeting at the Xiamen BRICS summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping met during the SCO summit in Astana and the G-20 summit in Hamburg in 2017. These meetings, however, could not generate necessary maturity on both sides so as not to engage in an episode like the Doklam stand-off. Besides, India’s decision not to participate in China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) meeting held in Beijing in May 2017 spiralled their geopolitical differences into the international limelight. The two and a half months’ long Doklam stand-off damaged further the residual goodwill that their relationship had accomplished over the years, making 2017 the defining year for China-India relations. This changing treatise in China-India relations sufficiently indicates that the relationship would be thorny in 2018 and ahead. The official longing might be to carve out an “upward trajectory” in China-India relations, but fostering such a relationship in the current practical circumstances would be difficult to foresee. Three specific developments explain why China-India relations might continue to struggle to thrive even though there might be a temporary improvement in their overall relationship. First, foreign policy passages in both China and India are witnessing constant changes which might point to a more “state-centric” non-accommodative approach towards each other. After the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), China aims to push ahead it’s national security ambitions, in terms of exploiting resource opportunities, expand the country’s power base, and exhibit China’s leadership both in Asia and beyond. Xi Jinping sees the next few years as a “period of strategic opportunities” for China and India as a ‘limited Asian power’ only. On the other hand, New Delhi’s foreign policy, under an “India first” approach, seeks to engage more with big powers while having a focus on Asia and Asian neighbours. Currently, India’s prime targets are resource exploration and increasing India’s outreach in Asia. This would bring the Chinese and Indian foreign policy into a point of contestation than engagement. Second, even though the scope and potential of greater China-India economic engagement are bigger today, still the differing approaches in the promotion of a “developmental partnership” would be the main barrier between them. China wants to pursue a more purposeful international economic engagement which will facilitate Chinese economic growth. The induction of the BRI into the revised CPC Constitution at the 19th National Congress points to that. This might create friction in the Sino-Indian relations since India is yet to endorse China’s BRI. The usual China-India “sister-city” and “sister-province” level engagements have been one of the most promising aspects of their bilateral relationship over the last one decade. But from Beijing’s perspective, the “sister-city” and “sister-province” level engagements are today seen as an integral part of China’s BRI scheme, which India may see as antithetical to its national interest. Besides, it is not clear how China would like to address India’s economic concerns on the rising trade imbalance and would situate it in the overall relationship framework. Third, China-India differences in the Asia-Pacific region is another new complicated chapter that would not be supportive of their bilateral relations. Beijing seems to be keen on following an intensive maritime strategy not only to protect its interests but also to expedite overseas maritime presence in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). Many democratic countries, including the United States, Japan and India are not in favour of China's expansion in the IOR. Beijing under Xi Jinping is emerging fast as a “trading nation” and the new focus is to expedite its maritime trading routes in the IOR. That would bring Indian maritime interests into contestation. India’s S-A-G-A-R (Security and Growth for All Region) initiative under Prime Minister Narendra Modi equally emphasises on the maritime economy and marine resources which would emerge as a matter of contest between the Chinese and Indian interests in the IOR. China aims to configure a bipolar world, sharing the "major" power platform with the United States. China wants to shun the existing “status quo” and emerge as a “revisionist” power. This would significantly influence China-India relations. Contrasting bilateral perspectives come as a major impediment to a working relationship between India and China today. Just like 2017, the year 2018, therefore, might equally witness conflicting trends between India and China, overriding their cooperative trends. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

Opinion: 'Year of Doklam' points to a conflicting China-India relation in 2018

An opinion piece in a Chinese daily has described China`s ties with India as still being fragile, especially after troops of both countries were engaged in a military stand-off near the trilateral boundary that they share with Bhutan on the Doklam Plateau.

The opinion piece further rubs in the fact that Beijing exhibited its prowess and strength and emphatically sent out a message in the neighbourhood that it could not be messed around with when it came to its sovereignty over the territory.

&quot;This summer witnessed the Doklam standoff between China and India. The two sides eventually resolved the crisis peacefully. Yet the incident exposed how fragile Sino-Indian ties are, while indicating (at the same time) Chinese capability to push back provocations from other nations (Read India) through its own strength,&quot; says the opinion piece in the state-run Global Times.

Doklam or Zhoglam (in Standard Tibetan), known as Donglang in Chinese is an area with a plateau and a valley, lying between Tibet&#39;s Chumbi Valley to the north, Bhutan&#39;s Ha Valley to the east and India&#39;s Sikkim state to the west.

In June 2017, a military standoff occurred between China and India as China attempted to extend a road on the Doklam Plateau southwards near the Doka La pass and Indian troops moved in to prevent the Chinese.

India claimed to have acted on behalf of Bhutan, with which it has a &#39;special relationship&#39;. Bhutan also then formally objected to China&#39;s road construction in a disputed area.

On August 28, 2017, it was announced that India and China had mutually agreed to a speedy disengagement on the Doklam Plateau, bringing to an end to the military face-off that lasted for close to three months.

The Chinese foreign ministry, however, sidestepped the question of whether Beijing would continue the road construction.

Latest reports and satellite images of the area indicate that China is continuing with road construction activity on its side of the trilateral boundary.

&quot;Needless to say, the neighbourhood around China is the most complex one among major powers. Without stability in the region surrounding the country, the Global Times simultaneously adds that &quot;it is (would be) impossible for Beijing to take its strategic initiative around the world.

&quot;Describing China as a rising power, the daily says that &quot;China is getting to know better how to adapt to its surrounding nations. Although individual problems and crisis had at time been troublesome, the strategic stability following the emergence of China has increased.&quot;

On tensions related to the South China Sea, it says that the year 2017 has seen an improvement in Beijing&#39;s ties with the ASEAN and this momentum being maintained and sustained with the help of a framework for establishing a Code of Conduct for the South China Sea.

&quot;Beijing&#39;s diplomatic efforts have played a significant role in cooling troubled waters. The rise of China is a fact..Tensions in the South China Sea have tested relevant nations in this regard and consensus concerning those questions has been accumulated..The biggest challenge in China`s periphery in 2017 is the situation on the Korean Peninsula. The almost uncontrollable confrontation between Washington and Pyongyang mirrored the limitations of China`s ability to shape the landscape around it,&quot; the Global Times opines.&quot;

Yet 2017 tells us that emerging China has the resources to solve and control the problems even as they increase.

The self-healing ability of crisis in our neighbourhood is also growing stronger.

The biggest driving force for solving China`s problems on its periphery is development. As long as Beijing keeps its strong development momentum, China will be able to implement ever greater strategic initiatives,&quot; the opinion piece concludes.

Beijing exhibited its prowess and strength and emphatically sent out a message in the neighbourhood that it could not be messed around with when it came to its sovereignty over the territory

An opinion piece in a Chinese daily has described China`s ties with India as still being fragile, especially after troops of both countries were engaged in a military stand-off near the trilateral boundary that they share with Bhutan on the Doklam Plateau. The opinion piece further rubs in the fact that Beijing exhibited its prowess and strength and emphatically sent out a message in the neighbourhood that it could not be messed around with when it came to its sovereignty over the territory. "This summer witnessed the Doklam standoff between China and India. The two sides eventually resolved the crisis peacefully. Yet the incident exposed how fragile Sino-Indian ties are, while indicating (at the same time) Chinese capability to push back provocations from other nations (Read India) through its own strength," says the opinion piece in the state-run Global Times. Doklam or Zhoglam (in Standard Tibetan), known as Donglang in Chinese is an area with a plateau and a valley, lying between Tibet's Chumbi Valley to the north, Bhutan's Ha Valley to the east and India's Sikkim state to the west. In June 2017, a military standoff occurred between China and India as China attempted to extend a road on the Doklam Plateau southwards near the Doka La pass and Indian troops moved in to prevent the Chinese. India claimed to have acted on behalf of Bhutan, with which it has a 'special relationship'. Bhutan also then formally objected to China's road construction in a disputed area. On August 28, 2017, it was announced that India and China had mutually agreed to a speedy disengagement on the Doklam Plateau, bringing to an end to the military face-off that lasted for close to three months. The Chinese foreign ministry, however, sidestepped the question of whether Beijing would continue the road construction. Latest reports and satellite images of the area indicate that China is continuing with road construction activity on its side of the trilateral boundary. "Needless to say, the neighbourhood around China is the most complex one among major powers. Without stability in the region surrounding the country, the Global Times simultaneously adds that "it is (would be) impossible for Beijing to take its strategic initiative around the world. "Describing China as a rising power, the daily says that "China is getting to know better how to adapt to its surrounding nations. Although individual problems and crisis had at time been troublesome, the strategic stability following the emergence of China has increased." On tensions related to the South China Sea, it says that the year 2017 has seen an improvement in Beijing's ties with the ASEAN and this momentum being maintained and sustained with the help of a framework for establishing a Code of Conduct for the South China Sea. "Beijing's diplomatic efforts have played a significant role in cooling troubled waters. The rise of China is a fact..Tensions in the South China Sea have tested relevant nations in this regard and consensus concerning those questions has been accumulated..The biggest challenge in China`s periphery in 2017 is the situation on the Korean Peninsula. The almost uncontrollable confrontation between Washington and Pyongyang mirrored the limitations of China`s ability to shape the landscape around it," the Global Times opines." Yet 2017 tells us that emerging China has the resources to solve and control the problems even as they increase. The self-healing ability of crisis in our neighbourhood is also growing stronger. The biggest driving force for solving China`s problems on its periphery is development. As long as Beijing keeps its strong development momentum, China will be able to implement ever greater strategic initiatives," the opinion piece concludes.

Doklam exposed fragility of ties with India, says Chinese daily

China needs to let local governments take responsibility for their finances, including allowing bankruptcies, as part of an effort to defuse their debt risks, a central bank official wrote on Monday.

Central government control of the scale of local government bonds should be eliminated, while responsibility to issue and repay bonds should be held by the city or county that will actually use the funds, Xu Zhong, head of the People&#39;s Bank of China&#39;s research bureau, wrote in a an editorial on the financial news website Yicai.

&quot;Eliminate central government control on the scale of local government bond issues, expand the scale of local government debt issues,&quot; Xu wrote.

&quot;Whether (bonds) can be issued, and at what price, must be examined and screened by the financial markets. There does not need to be worry about local governments chaotically issuing debt.&quot;

China&#39;s top leadership decided at a meeting this week to take concrete measures to strengthen the regulation of local government debt next year as policymakers look to rein in a massive debt pile and reduce financial risks facing the economy.

The government needs to clarify responsibility as it explores a bankruptcy system for local governments, Xu wrote, as there is still an expectation that the central government will bail out those that run into fiscal problems.

&quot;China must have an example like the bankruptcy in Detroit. Only if we allow local state-owned firms and governments to go bankrupt will investors believe the central government will break the implicit guarantee,&quot; Xu wrote, adding that social services should be maintained.

The United States city of Detroit filed the largest-ever municipal bankruptcy in July 2013, with $18 billion of debt.

Xu also said that China should dismantle the hukou system of internal migration control, as free movement of people promoted equal access to public services and helped resolve imbalances in finances.

In a report published on Saturday, China`s National Audit Office said China should dispel the &quot;illusion&quot; that the central government will pick up the bill for local government debt.

But China should also increase the limit for local government debt as general government debt is primarily used for poverty relief spending, while also controlling spending on new projects.

&quot;Financial institutions must not provide financing to projects without a source of stable operating cash flow or that do not have compliant collateral,&quot; the office said.

China's top leadership decided this week to take concrete measures to strengthen the regulation of local government debt next year as policymakers look to rein in a massive debt pile and reduce financial risks facing the economy.

China needs to let local governments take responsibility for their finances, including allowing bankruptcies, as part of an effort to defuse their debt risks, a central bank official wrote on Monday. Central government control of the scale of local government bonds should be eliminated, while responsibility to issue and repay bonds should be held by the city or county that will actually use the funds, Xu Zhong, head of the People's Bank of China's research bureau, wrote in a an editorial on the financial news website Yicai. "Eliminate central government control on the scale of local government bond issues, expand the scale of local government debt issues," Xu wrote. "Whether (bonds) can be issued, and at what price, must be examined and screened by the financial markets. There does not need to be worry about local governments chaotically issuing debt." China's top leadership decided at a meeting this week to take concrete measures to strengthen the regulation of local government debt next year as policymakers look to rein in a massive debt pile and reduce financial risks facing the economy. The government needs to clarify responsibility as it explores a bankruptcy system for local governments, Xu wrote, as there is still an expectation that the central government will bail out those that run into fiscal problems. "China must have an example like the bankruptcy in Detroit. Only if we allow local state-owned firms and governments to go bankrupt will investors believe the central government will break the implicit guarantee," Xu wrote, adding that social services should be maintained. The United States city of Detroit filed the largest-ever municipal bankruptcy in July 2013, with $18 billion of debt. Xu also said that China should dismantle the hukou system of internal migration control, as free movement of people promoted equal access to public services and helped resolve imbalances in finances. In a report published on Saturday, China`s National Audit Office said China should dispel the "illusion" that the central government will pick up the bill for local government debt. But China should also increase the limit for local government debt as general government debt is primarily used for poverty relief spending, while also controlling spending on new projects. "Financial institutions must not provide financing to projects without a source of stable operating cash flow or that do not have compliant collateral," the office said.

China needs Detroit-style bankruptcy as debt problems remain: Central bank official

China&#39;s Xinhua state news <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/jinping-orders-chinas-toilet-revolution-to-march-on-25251">agency said over 8,000 people were </a>punished across the country after the government&#39;s budget last year revealed several fraud cases.

President Xi who <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/new-era-in-china-president-xi-unveils-new-politburo-members-22861">recently received another </a>five-year term in office has made fighting corruption as a key initiative of this government. In his 19th party congress speech, Xi had pledged fighting corruption as one of the top agendas of his new regime.

A report claimed that over around 1.5 million Chinese government officials were investigated on graft allegation. The Communist Pary of China(CPC) has over 90 million active members.

Last year, China had raised the death sentence level in graft cases to 3 million yuan while unveiling new judicial guidelines. Earlier, the threshold limit was 100,000 yuan.

In 2015, China&#39;s ex-security chief Zhou Yongkang was sentenced to life on charges of taking bribes and abuse of power.

Hu Zejun, head of the National Audit Office said 970 were punished for misusing funds earmarked for a poverty relief campaign and another 1,363 were charged for fund &quot;irregularities&quot;.&nbsp;

Hu added that about 48 billion yuan ($7.30 billion) of funds earmarked for affordable housing projects had been left unused for more than year while another 1.37 billion yuan of misused funds were recovered.

The unused affordable housing funds had since been put to use, the official informed.

A report claimed that over around 1.5 million Chinese government officials were investigated on graft allegation.

China's Xinhua state news agency said over 8,000 people were punished across the country after the government's budget last year revealed several fraud cases. President Xi who recently received another five-year term in office has made fighting corruption as a key initiative of this government. In his 19th party congress speech, Xi had pledged fighting corruption as one of the top agendas of his new regime. A report claimed that over around 1.5 million Chinese government officials were investigated on graft allegation. The Communist Pary of China(CPC) has over 90 million active members. Last year, China had raised the death sentence level in graft cases to 3 million yuan while unveiling new judicial guidelines. Earlier, the threshold limit was 100,000 yuan. In 2015, China's ex-security chief Zhou Yongkang was sentenced to life on charges of taking bribes and abuse of power. Hu Zejun, head of the National Audit Office said 970 were punished for misusing funds earmarked for a poverty relief campaign and another 1,363 were charged for fund "irregularities". Hu added that about 48 billion yuan ($7.30 billion) of funds earmarked for affordable housing projects had been left unused for more than year while another 1.37 billion yuan of misused funds were recovered. The unused affordable housing funds had since been put to use, the official informed.

President Xi at the helm, China punishes over 8,000 people for corruption

Foreign ministers from Afghanistan, China and Pakistan are all set to hold talks in Beijing this Tuesday.

The trilateral talks -- to be held on December 26 -- will aim to enhance ties and cooperation among the three states.&nbsp;

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani and Foreign Minister of Pakistan Khawaja Asif will hold in-depth discussions on mutual political trust and reconciliation, developing cooperation and connectivity, security cooperation and counter-terrorism.&nbsp;

The meeting would build consensus, enhance mutual trust and promote Afghanistan-Pakistan-China ties.&nbsp;

&quot;As a common neighbour and friend of Afghanistan and Pakistan, China always supports Afghanistan and Pakistan to live in friendship and achieve common development,&quot; Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying, noted.

The three countries agreed to establish the &#39;Foreign Ministers&#39; trilateral dialogue&#39; during the Chinese foreign minister&#39;s visit to Afghanistan and Pakistan earlier in June.

(With inputs from ANI)

Foreign ministers from Afghanistan, China and Pakistan are all set to hold talks in Beijing this Tuesday

Foreign ministers from Afghanistan, China and Pakistan are all set to hold talks in Beijing this Tuesday. The trilateral talks -- to be held on December 26 -- will aim to enhance ties and cooperation among the three states. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani and Foreign Minister of Pakistan Khawaja Asif will hold in-depth discussions on mutual political trust and reconciliation, developing cooperation and connectivity, security cooperation and counter-terrorism. The meeting would build consensus, enhance mutual trust and promote Afghanistan-Pakistan-China ties. "As a common neighbour and friend of Afghanistan and Pakistan, China always supports Afghanistan and Pakistan to live in friendship and achieve common development," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying, noted. The three countries agreed to establish the 'Foreign Ministers' trilateral dialogue' during the Chinese foreign minister's visit to Afghanistan and Pakistan earlier in June. (With inputs from ANI)

China-Afghanistan-Pakistan to hold trilateral talks next week

&nbsp;

By Asit K. Biswas and Kris Hartley*

Delhi&rsquo;s air pollution crisis made international headlines in early December when a cricket match between India and Sri Lanka was suspended due to poor air quality.

Smog has also led to numerous school closures and flight cancellations in India&rsquo;s capital and largest city. It has also been blamed for highway accidents.

Delhi is home to 20 million residents, and the city&rsquo;s more than 10 million vehicles are a major contributor to air pollution. Industrial emissions are also to blame. Thirteen coal-fired power stations operate within a 300 kilometre radius of the city. Conditions reach crisis level every winter, when the capital&rsquo;s already poor air quality is further degraded by smoke from post-harvest burning in the neighbouring agricultural states of Haryana and Punjab.

The concentration of airborne particulate matter (PM2.5) recently reached 999 in parts of Delhi. This measurement was literally off the charts of maximum thresholds for air pollutants. The alarming fact is that Delhi is not even India&rsquo;s smoggiest city. By one measure, four other Indian cities typically suffer even worse air pollution.

There is little evidence that either the central or Delhi government has any effective policy strategy for air pollution. Now is the time for India to peer through the smog and learn how another major city, Beijing, is taking meaningful steps to stabilise its own air pollution crisis. While China still has progress to make, some lessons from the country&rsquo;s capital are a useful guide for clearing Delhi&rsquo;s air.

China&rsquo;s response

According to the World Health Organisation, ten of the world&rsquo;s 20 most polluted cities are in India, and three in China. The two countries top the ignoble list of deaths related to air pollution, with more than one million each in 2015. The two are the world&rsquo;s most populous countries and also have among the highest proportions of deaths related to air pollution.

Nevertheless, China is making progress. The central government has taken a systematic and coordinated approach to managing air pollution. It has adopted a suite of policies that promote alternative energy and punish regulatory breaches.

The country is rapidly scaling back capacity for coal-fired power and steel, whose production is suspected of threatening respiratory health. China is also soliciting foreign investment in green energy technologies, and has intensified inspections of major polluters around Beijing.

In Beijing alone, fines for pollution topped USD$ 28 million in 2015. To combat vehicle exhaust smoke, which is responsible for one-third of Beijing&rsquo;s emissions, an annual quota of 150,000 new cars was established for 2017, with 60,000 allotted only to fuel efficient cars. Beginning in 2018, this quota will be reduced by one third, to 100,000 annually. This will limit the total number of cars to around 6.3 million.

Beijing is also aiming to reduce coal consumption from the current 11 million tons per year to under 5 million by 2020.

There is some evidence that these measures are working. In the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, PM2.5 levels decreased by 27% between 2013 and 2016.

India&rsquo;s apathy

By comparison, India&rsquo;s political inefficiency is making regional air pollution a nearly intractable problem. Although the states of Haryana and Punjab have banned farmers from burning straw, implementation has been minimal. Policy coordination is also weak across states governed by rival political parties. For example, the leaders of Delhi and Haryana have publicly clashed about who is to blame for air pollution. They have also failed to hold discussions about the problem or to find feasible solutions.

Farmers constitute a significant voting base in Haryana and Punjab. This has led state governments to demand compensation from central government for losses farmers incur by ceasing burning. Such focus on short-term political gain is distracting policymakers from collaborating on regional solutions. The consequences of territorial grandstanding are deadly.

Another difference between India and China is the level of apathy among the government and general public. In China, years of seething public anger prompted Prime Minister Li Keqiang to &ldquo;declare war&rdquo; on pollution in 2014.

In India, public outrage over air pollution is still &ldquo;seasonal&rdquo; and rarely swells beyond social media. The central government has remained largely silent about pollution while state leaders indulge in meaningless inter-party squabbling and political theatre.

Amid this discouraging accountability vacuum, India&rsquo;s Supreme Court recently assumed the mantle of leadership on air pollution. It banned fireworks in the capital during the Diwali festival and pushed for response focused <a href="http://cpcb.nic.in/final_graded_table.pdf">action planning</a>. While these are encouraging steps, bypassing the legislative process on such fundamental public health issues is hardly ideal or sustainable.

Progress is needed

India has made remarkable progress lifting millions of people out of poverty in recent years. It aspires to be a global superpower, but has singularly failed to curb air pollution. Central government must intervene to coordinate collaborative policy among states and hold officials accountable for inaction. Central government should also reinforce state-level initiatives to minimise burning and promote sustainable farming.

More broadly, it may be time to ask whether highly argumentative democratic models are always the best solution for problems that transcend city and provincial boundaries. Sensible and informed policy leadership is needed to solve environmental challenges. India must rise above petty politics, lest the country bicker its way into smoggy irrelevance.

&nbsp;*Kris Hartley, Lecturer in City and Regional Planning, Cornell University

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

&nbsp;

The central government of China has taken a systematic and coordinated approach to managing air pollution. India dabbles in petty politics.

By Asit K. Biswas and Kris Hartley* Delhi’s air pollution crisis made international headlines in early December when a cricket match between India and Sri Lanka was suspended due to poor air quality. Smog has also led to numerous school closures and flight cancellations in India’s capital and largest city. It has also been blamed for highway accidents. Delhi is home to 20 million residents, and the city’s more than 10 million vehicles are a major contributor to air pollution. Industrial emissions are also to blame. Thirteen coal-fired power stations operate within a 300 kilometre radius of the city. Conditions reach crisis level every winter, when the capital’s already poor air quality is further degraded by smoke from post-harvest burning in the neighbouring agricultural states of Haryana and Punjab. The concentration of airborne particulate matter (PM2.5) recently reached 999 in parts of Delhi. This measurement was literally off the charts of maximum thresholds for air pollutants. The alarming fact is that Delhi is not even India’s smoggiest city. By one measure, four other Indian cities typically suffer even worse air pollution. There is little evidence that either the central or Delhi government has any effective policy strategy for air pollution. Now is the time for India to peer through the smog and learn how another major city, Beijing, is taking meaningful steps to stabilise its own air pollution crisis. While China still has progress to make, some lessons from the country’s capital are a useful guide for clearing Delhi’s air. China’s response According to the World Health Organisation, ten of the world’s 20 most polluted cities are in India, and three in China. The two countries top the ignoble list of deaths related to air pollution, with more than one million each in 2015. The two are the world’s most populous countries and also have among the highest proportions of deaths related to air pollution. Nevertheless, China is making progress. The central government has taken a systematic and coordinated approach to managing air pollution. It has adopted a suite of policies that promote alternative energy and punish regulatory breaches. The country is rapidly scaling back capacity for coal-fired power and steel, whose production is suspected of threatening respiratory health. China is also soliciting foreign investment in green energy technologies, and has intensified inspections of major polluters around Beijing. In Beijing alone, fines for pollution topped USD$ 28 million in 2015. To combat vehicle exhaust smoke, which is responsible for one-third of Beijing’s emissions, an annual quota of 150,000 new cars was established for 2017, with 60,000 allotted only to fuel efficient cars. Beginning in 2018, this quota will be reduced by one third, to 100,000 annually. This will limit the total number of cars to around 6.3 million. Beijing is also aiming to reduce coal consumption from the current 11 million tons per year to under 5 million by 2020. There is some evidence that these measures are working. In the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, PM2.5 levels decreased by 27% between 2013 and 2016. India’s apathy By comparison, India’s political inefficiency is making regional air pollution a nearly intractable problem. Although the states of Haryana and Punjab have banned farmers from burning straw, implementation has been minimal. Policy coordination is also weak across states governed by rival political parties. For example, the leaders of Delhi and Haryana have publicly clashed about who is to blame for air pollution. They have also failed to hold discussions about the problem or to find feasible solutions. Farmers constitute a significant voting base in Haryana and Punjab. This has led state governments to demand compensation from central government for losses farmers incur by ceasing burning. Such focus on short-term political gain is distracting policymakers from collaborating on regional solutions. The consequences of territorial grandstanding are deadly. Another difference between India and China is the level of apathy among the government and general public. In China, years of seething public anger prompted Prime Minister Li Keqiang to “declare war” on pollution in 2014. In India, public outrage over air pollution is still “seasonal” and rarely swells beyond social media. The central government has remained largely silent about pollution while state leaders indulge in meaningless inter-party squabbling and political theatre. Amid this discouraging accountability vacuum, India’s Supreme Court recently assumed the mantle of leadership on air pollution. It banned fireworks in the capital during the Diwali festival and pushed for response focused action planning. While these are encouraging steps, bypassing the legislative process on such fundamental public health issues is hardly ideal or sustainable. Progress is needed India has made remarkable progress lifting millions of people out of poverty in recent years. It aspires to be a global superpower, but has singularly failed to curb air pollution. Central government must intervene to coordinate collaborative policy among states and hold officials accountable for inaction. Central government should also reinforce state-level initiatives to minimise burning and promote sustainable farming. More broadly, it may be time to ask whether highly argumentative democratic models are always the best solution for problems that transcend city and provincial boundaries. Sensible and informed policy leadership is needed to solve environmental challenges. India must rise above petty politics, lest the country bicker its way into smoggy irrelevance. *Kris Hartley, Lecturer in City and Regional Planning, Cornell University This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

Opinion: Delhi should follow Beijing in tackling air pollution

Kham, a region in the south east of the ancient mighty Tibetan Kingdom is the birthplace of all Khampas, the legendary and fierce warriors mentioned in the history. A rugged mountainous area comprising of Hengduan mountains and several river valleys are like the nature of Khampas - looks pleasant when silent but can cause massive damage if disturbed. Kham area is referred in Tibetan history as &quot;Chushi Gangdruk&quot; which means the land of six mountains and four rivers.

Since the very start, the Khampa warriors have been an integral part of Tibetan Army and have been protecting His Holiness Dalai Lama even at the cost of their lives. For a Khampa, life is always dedicated to his land and he is expected to fight till the last drop of his blood.

When Communist China started invading the land of Buddha in 1950, and razed their monasteries in eastern Tibet, the Khampas or the &quot;Buddha Warriors&quot; - a name by which they are also known - formed different armed groups to fight.

In 1959, when His Holiness Dalai Lama had to flee to India after situations become uneasy with Beijing, local Khampa tribesmen formed a strong resistance movement employing their guerrilla warfare against the invading Chinese army. The warriors were without any support and had to sustain at their own in the very beginning until the US started supporting them. The main concern of Washington and the CIA was to stop the spread of Communism especially in the pretext of a possible collaboration between erstwhile USSR and China.

In the early sixties, the CIA decided to organise a covert military establishment inside Tibet. The Khampa&#39;s initial stories of success against China with their limited resource led the CIA to back the group with arms, funding and training them in guerrilla warfare from the late 1950s until 1969. The initial set of warriors were flown to the US and were trained in Camp Hale in Colorado.

Soon thereafter, they set up their base camps in the then-kingdom of Mustang, which was a remote Himalayan region bordering Tibet but geographically located in Nepal. The training was tough and climate was not favourable. Moreover, the warriors had problems of food and other resources but all that couldn&#39;t deter the Khampas from their target. The initial lot of Khampas was also known as &quot;Mustang Warriors&quot;.

A former Khampa who also accompanied the Dalai Lama when he moved out of Tibet in 1959, says, &quot;We were able to fight so hard because we were fighting for Tibet. The Tibetan people had lost their freedom. They were enduring many hardships. And we wanted to go return to Tibet. That was why we fought so hard.&quot;

Despite the hardships and the political and military pressure from both China and Nepal, the armed group did succeed in temporarily taking control of large areas of Tibet during the territorial conflict.

Since China feared these warriors and their potent guerrilla tactics, it compelled Nepal to send its forces into Mustang for the surrender of the Khampas. To avoid confrontation, the Dalai Lama, being the ultimate authority in Tibetan Buddhist culture, sent the fighters a taped message asking them to lay down their arms to spare themselves a bloody confrontation.

While some of the warriors accepted the Dalai Lama&#39;s request, few of them chose to commit suicide rather than disobey their spiritual leader or face dishonour by surrendering. Even those who surrendered were murdered in cold blood by the joint team of Chinese and Nepalese army including the entire leadership of Khampa movement with their last General Wangdu, their last leader.

You can kill few Khampas but not their spirit which is still alive in the Kham region. In the subsequent years, more and more Khampas took the oath to fight for their land and the Dalai Lama and formed another movement with the support of Indian government. &quot;The movement will not die till we get back our motherland back from China. No matter how many of us perish but very soon we will be successful,&quot; says another fighter of the rank of a Colonel who is desperately waiting to fight for his leader, the Dalai Lama and his country.

Since the very start, the Khampa warriors have been an integral part of Tibetan Army and have been protecting His Holiness Dalai Lama even at the cost of their lives.

Kham, a region in the south east of the ancient mighty Tibetan Kingdom is the birthplace of all Khampas, the legendary and fierce warriors mentioned in the history. A rugged mountainous area comprising of Hengduan mountains and several river valleys are like the nature of Khampas - looks pleasant when silent but can cause massive damage if disturbed. Kham area is referred in Tibetan history as "Chushi Gangdruk" which means the land of six mountains and four rivers. Since the very start, the Khampa warriors have been an integral part of Tibetan Army and have been protecting His Holiness Dalai Lama even at the cost of their lives. For a Khampa, life is always dedicated to his land and he is expected to fight till the last drop of his blood. When Communist China started invading the land of Buddha in 1950, and razed their monasteries in eastern Tibet, the Khampas or the "Buddha Warriors" - a name by which they are also known - formed different armed groups to fight. In 1959, when His Holiness Dalai Lama had to flee to India after situations become uneasy with Beijing, local Khampa tribesmen formed a strong resistance movement employing their guerrilla warfare against the invading Chinese army. The warriors were without any support and had to sustain at their own in the very beginning until the US started supporting them. The main concern of Washington and the CIA was to stop the spread of Communism especially in the pretext of a possible collaboration between erstwhile USSR and China. In the early sixties, the CIA decided to organise a covert military establishment inside Tibet. The Khampa's initial stories of success against China with their limited resource led the CIA to back the group with arms, funding and training them in guerrilla warfare from the late 1950s until 1969. The initial set of warriors were flown to the US and were trained in Camp Hale in Colorado. Soon thereafter, they set up their base camps in the then-kingdom of Mustang, which was a remote Himalayan region bordering Tibet but geographically located in Nepal. The training was tough and climate was not favourable. Moreover, the warriors had problems of food and other resources but all that couldn't deter the Khampas from their target. The initial lot of Khampas was also known as "Mustang Warriors". A former Khampa who also accompanied the Dalai Lama when he moved out of Tibet in 1959, says, "We were able to fight so hard because we were fighting for Tibet. The Tibetan people had lost their freedom. They were enduring many hardships. And we wanted to go return to Tibet. That was why we fought so hard." Despite the hardships and the political and military pressure from both China and Nepal, the armed group did succeed in temporarily taking control of large areas of Tibet during the territorial conflict. Since China feared these warriors and their potent guerrilla tactics, it compelled Nepal to send its forces into Mustang for the surrender of the Khampas. To avoid confrontation, the Dalai Lama, being the ultimate authority in Tibetan Buddhist culture, sent the fighters a taped message asking them to lay down their arms to spare themselves a bloody confrontation. While some of the warriors accepted the Dalai Lama's request, few of them chose to commit suicide rather than disobey their spiritual leader or face dishonour by surrendering. Even those who surrendered were murdered in cold blood by the joint team of Chinese and Nepalese army including the entire leadership of Khampa movement with their last General Wangdu, their last leader. You can kill few Khampas but not their spirit which is still alive in the Kham region. In the subsequent years, more and more Khampas took the oath to fight for their land and the Dalai Lama and formed another movement with the support of Indian government. "The movement will not die till we get back our motherland back from China. No matter how many of us perish but very soon we will be successful," says another fighter of the rank of a Colonel who is desperately waiting to fight for his leader, the Dalai Lama and his country.

Meet the Khampa warriors, who even the Chinese feared

China&#39;s efforts to tackle the toxic air pollution which is all-time high in the country, especially the metropolitan cities, is finally yielding some positive results.

As per media reports, the world&#39;s biggest polluter had put in place the largest clean coal-fired power generation system and the outcome is nothing less than &#39;remarkable&#39; as the nation witnessed a decrease of nearly 40 percent in the air pollution level in three major metropolitan cities, including Beijing.&nbsp;

According to Minister of Environmental Protection Li Ganjie, Beijing had seen many blue days in December, something less common during winter, which is usually the worst period of the year for air quality due to the operation of central heating, which is generally fuelled by coal.&nbsp;

With four-tier colour-coded warning system for severe weather, China placed the clean coal-fired power generation system over the past five years which resulted in 83 percent decrease in sulfur dioxide emission, 50 percent cut in nitrogen oxides, and 67 percent reduction in smoke.

This year from January to November, 338 Chinese cities saw a combined 20.4-percent reduction in particulate matter (PM) 10, compared to that in 2013.

As the country went through heavy industrialisation, Beijing and northern cities suffered from smog and severe pollution especially in winter, forcing the government to crack down heavily by removing the coal-fired industries&nbsp;

In 2013, the Chinese government unveiled a five-year national clean air action plan with an aim to improve air quality by closing factories, limiting cars and replacing coal with clean energy.&nbsp;

With this outcome, the Indian government must take up the matter with the Chinese government at earliest, because the smog in New Delhi is so thick that you cannot see to the end of a block, leaving the citizens with no option than to inhale toxic air.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

December is usually the worst period of the year for air quality due to the operation of central heating

China's efforts to tackle the toxic air pollution which is all-time high in the country, especially the metropolitan cities, is finally yielding some positive results. As per media reports, the world's biggest polluter had put in place the largest clean coal-fired power generation system and the outcome is nothing less than 'remarkable' as the nation witnessed a decrease of nearly 40 percent in the air pollution level in three major metropolitan cities, including Beijing. According to Minister of Environmental Protection Li Ganjie, Beijing had seen many blue days in December, something less common during winter, which is usually the worst period of the year for air quality due to the operation of central heating, which is generally fuelled by coal. With four-tier colour-coded warning system for severe weather, China placed the clean coal-fired power generation system over the past five years which resulted in 83 percent decrease in sulfur dioxide emission, 50 percent cut in nitrogen oxides, and 67 percent reduction in smoke. This year from January to November, 338 Chinese cities saw a combined 20.4-percent reduction in particulate matter (PM) 10, compared to that in 2013. As the country went through heavy industrialisation, Beijing and northern cities suffered from smog and severe pollution especially in winter, forcing the government to crack down heavily by removing the coal-fired industries In 2013, the Chinese government unveiled a five-year national clean air action plan with an aim to improve air quality by closing factories, limiting cars and replacing coal with clean energy. With this outcome, the Indian government must take up the matter with the Chinese government at earliest, because the smog in New Delhi is so thick that you cannot see to the end of a block, leaving the citizens with no option than to inhale toxic air.

China's cleaner coal experiment bears fruit, pollution level reduces by 40 %

Foreign interference in Australian politics has become a &quot;serious problem&quot;, a top official said Monday, with tougher laws on espionage and overseas donations to be introduced to parliament.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull ordered an inquiry in June after media revelations that the nation&#39;s spy agency had warned the country&#39;s political elite two years ago about taking donations from two billionaires with links to the Chinese Communist Party.

The probe, by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Fairfax Media, said that despite being cautioned, both the Liberals and Labor continued accepting substantial sums of cash.

It said intelligence agencies had major concerns that China was interfering in Australian institutions and using the political donations system to gain access. Beijing denied the allegations as &quot;totally groundless&quot;.

Since then concern over foreign interference has gathered momentum, heightened by ongoing revelations of Russian meddling in the American political system.

&quot;The issue of foreign interference in our politics is an extremely serious problem,&quot; Attorney-General George Brandis told parliament on Monday.

&quot;So I can tell the Senate that later this week, the government will introduce a milestone legislative package to reform Australia&#39;s espionage and foreign interference legislation.&quot;

He said the new laws would strengthen and modernise a range of offences &quot;for the purposes of investigating, disrupting and prosecuting acts of espionage and covert interference in the Australian political process&quot;.&nbsp;

There would be a new transparency scheme, providing &quot;visibility of the nature and extent of influence over Australia&#39;s government and political processes by foreign interests&quot;.&nbsp;

&quot;It will introduce new offences targeting foreign interference and economic espionage, including offences that criminalise covert and deceptive activities that support the intelligence activities of foreign actors,&quot; he added.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said in response on Monday that Beijing &quot;always stays committed to following the principle of mutual respect for sovereignty and non-interference in the internal affairs&quot; of other countries.&nbsp;

&quot;At the same time we urge the relevant people on the Australian side to abandon prejudices,&quot; Geng Shuang told a regular press briefing.&nbsp;

Last week, a key Australian Labor MP, Sam Dastyari, was forced to resign as deputy opposition whip after reports that he told a Chinese businessman his phone was likely being tapped by intelligence agencies.

The man, Huang Xiangmo, is a prominent Chinese political donor.

A probe said intelligence agencies had major concerns that China was interfering in Australian institutions and using the political donations system to gain access

Foreign interference in Australian politics has become a "serious problem", a top official said Monday, with tougher laws on espionage and overseas donations to be introduced to parliament. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull ordered an inquiry in June after media revelations that the nation's spy agency had warned the country's political elite two years ago about taking donations from two billionaires with links to the Chinese Communist Party. The probe, by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Fairfax Media, said that despite being cautioned, both the Liberals and Labor continued accepting substantial sums of cash. It said intelligence agencies had major concerns that China was interfering in Australian institutions and using the political donations system to gain access. Beijing denied the allegations as "totally groundless". Since then concern over foreign interference has gathered momentum, heightened by ongoing revelations of Russian meddling in the American political system. "The issue of foreign interference in our politics is an extremely serious problem," Attorney-General George Brandis told parliament on Monday. "So I can tell the Senate that later this week, the government will introduce a milestone legislative package to reform Australia's espionage and foreign interference legislation." He said the new laws would strengthen and modernise a range of offences "for the purposes of investigating, disrupting and prosecuting acts of espionage and covert interference in the Australian political process". There would be a new transparency scheme, providing "visibility of the nature and extent of influence over Australia's government and political processes by foreign interests". "It will introduce new offences targeting foreign interference and economic espionage, including offences that criminalise covert and deceptive activities that support the intelligence activities of foreign actors," he added. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said in response on Monday that Beijing "always stays committed to following the principle of mutual respect for sovereignty and non-interference in the internal affairs" of other countries. "At the same time we urge the relevant people on the Australian side to abandon prejudices," Geng Shuang told a regular press briefing. Last week, a key Australian Labor MP, Sam Dastyari, was forced to resign as deputy opposition whip after reports that he told a Chinese businessman his phone was likely being tapped by intelligence agencies. The man, Huang Xiangmo, is a prominent Chinese political donor.

New Australia laws to deal with foreign political meddling

Three Beijing education officials are under investigation for &quot;lack of supervision&quot; at a local kindergarten where allegations that children were <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/chinese-teacher-used-needles-to-discipline-children-police-25412" target="_blank">abused with needles</a> sparked national outrage, authorities said.

The head and deputy and a lower official of the Chaoyang District education committee were &quot;not doing their jobs&quot;, the municipal government said on its official social media account late Wednesday.&nbsp;

On Tuesday, Beijing police said a 22-year-old teacher at the kindergarten was detained for using sewing needles to punish children for not sleeping at the daycare, which is run by a company listed on the New York stock market.

But police said it found no evidence of other child abuse, including sexual molestation, after reviewing 113 hours of restored surveillance footage from RYB Education New World kindergarten.

Authorities said classroom video recordings were &quot;damaged&quot; because a staff member often turned off the building&#39;s electricity after school.

The investigation into the kindergarten was opened last week after parents said toddlers were given mysterious pills and had apparent needle marks.

But police also cast doubt on allegations that children were given unidentified pills.

Addressing a television report showing a clip of a student saying he was fed pills by teachers at the school, police said the child&#39;s father had admitted to &quot;instructing&quot; the child to say so.

The case prompted the State Council, China&#39;s top administrative body, to call for an &quot;immediate&quot; investigation into all kindergartens across the country.&nbsp;

The company directly operates 80 kindergartens and has franchised another 175 in 130 cities across China for children ranging from newborns to six-year-olds, according to its Nasdaq listing.

RYB Education has apologised for the incident, which was not the first to hit the company.

RYB apologised in April and suspended the head of a Beijing kindergarten after the Beijing News obtained videos showing teachers throwing a child on a bed and kicking another in the back.

In 2016, two teachers from a RYB kindergarten in northeast Jilin province were sentenced to 34 months in prison for jabbing children in the head, inside their mouths, and on their legs and buttocks with sewing needles, according to the People&#39;s Court Daily.

The head and deputy and a lower official of the Chaoyang District education committee were 'not doing their jobs', the municipal government said on its official social media account

Three Beijing education officials are under investigation for "lack of supervision" at a local kindergarten where allegations that children were abused with needles sparked national outrage, authorities said. The head and deputy and a lower official of the Chaoyang District education committee were "not doing their jobs", the municipal government said on its official social media account late Wednesday. On Tuesday, Beijing police said a 22-year-old teacher at the kindergarten was detained for using sewing needles to punish children for not sleeping at the daycare, which is run by a company listed on the New York stock market. But police said it found no evidence of other child abuse, including sexual molestation, after reviewing 113 hours of restored surveillance footage from RYB Education New World kindergarten. Authorities said classroom video recordings were "damaged" because a staff member often turned off the building's electricity after school. The investigation into the kindergarten was opened last week after parents said toddlers were given mysterious pills and had apparent needle marks. But police also cast doubt on allegations that children were given unidentified pills. Addressing a television report showing a clip of a student saying he was fed pills by teachers at the school, police said the child's father had admitted to "instructing" the child to say so. The case prompted the State Council, China's top administrative body, to call for an "immediate" investigation into all kindergartens across the country. The company directly operates 80 kindergartens and has franchised another 175 in 130 cities across China for children ranging from newborns to six-year-olds, according to its Nasdaq listing. RYB Education has apologised for the incident, which was not the first to hit the company. RYB apologised in April and suspended the head of a Beijing kindergarten after the Beijing News obtained videos showing teachers throwing a child on a bed and kicking another in the back. In 2016, two teachers from a RYB kindergarten in northeast Jilin province were sentenced to 34 months in prison for jabbing children in the head, inside their mouths, and on their legs and buttocks with sewing needles, according to the People's Court Daily.

Beijing probes officials over daycare 'needle' scandal

A Beijing kindergarten teacher used sewing needles to punish children for not sleeping, police said, but other abuse claims have been rejected by an investigation into a scandal that sparked national outrage.

Authorities opened the probe into RYB Education New World kindergarten last week after parents said toddlers were given mysterious pills and had apparent needle marks.

The 22-year-old female teacher from Hebei province surnamed Liu &quot;was detained as soon as suspicions of abuse arose&quot;, the public security bureau of Beijing&#39;s Chaoyang district said late Tuesday on its official social media account.

The statement did not give further information on the use of needles, such as details of children&#39;s injuries or their age.

Classroom surveillance footage was &quot;damaged&quot; because a staff member often turned off the building&#39;s electricity after school, according to the statement.&nbsp;

&quot;Following review of 113 hours of restored surveillance footage, we have not found evidence of other child abuse,&quot; police said, adding that the investigation was ongoing.

China&#39;s state-run Xinhua news agency had earlier reported that children at the kindergarten were also &quot;reportedly sexually molested&quot;.

An examination of a girl involved in the case on her parents&#39; request found &quot;no abnormality&quot;, police said, adding that claims children had been collectively molested were &quot;rumours&quot; started by two women.

One woman was detained and the other was given a warning, according to police, who did not specify the pair&#39;s relation to the school.

Police had said Saturday that a 31-year-old woman was detained for disseminating &quot;fake news&quot; on the internet, and she expressed &quot;repentance&quot; for fabricating the story that military personnel were abusing children.

It is unclear if police have fully investigated claims that children were given mysterious pills to take.&nbsp;

The statement said that it is the school&#39;s policy for parents to give written permission before children can take medication at school.&nbsp;

Addressing a television report showing a clip of a student saying he was fed pills by teachers at the school, police said the child&#39;s father had admitted to &quot;instructing&quot; the child to say so.

The case prompted Chinese authorities to call for an &quot;immediate&quot; investigation into all kindergartens across the country.&nbsp;

RYB Education directly operates 80 kindergartens and has franchised another 175 in 130 cities across China for children ranging from newborns to six-year-olds, according to its Nasdaq listing.

RYB already apologised in April and suspended the head of a Beijing kindergarten after admitting that teachers committed &quot;severe mistakes&quot;. The Beijing News had obtained videos showing teachers throwing a child on a bed and kicking another in the back.

The People&#39;s Court Daily reported that two teachers from a RYB kindergarten in northeast Jilin province were sentenced to 34 months in prison for jabbing children in the head, inside their mouths, and on their legs and buttocks with sewing needles in October 2016.

A Beijing kindergarten teacher used sewing needles to punish children for not sleeping, police said, but other abuse claims have been rejected by an investigation into a scandal that sparked national outrage

A Beijing kindergarten teacher used sewing needles to punish children for not sleeping, police said, but other abuse claims have been rejected by an investigation into a scandal that sparked national outrage. Authorities opened the probe into RYB Education New World kindergarten last week after parents said toddlers were given mysterious pills and had apparent needle marks. The 22-year-old female teacher from Hebei province surnamed Liu "was detained as soon as suspicions of abuse arose", the public security bureau of Beijing's Chaoyang district said late Tuesday on its official social media account. The statement did not give further information on the use of needles, such as details of children's injuries or their age. Classroom surveillance footage was "damaged" because a staff member often turned off the building's electricity after school, according to the statement. "Following review of 113 hours of restored surveillance footage, we have not found evidence of other child abuse," police said, adding that the investigation was ongoing. China's state-run Xinhua news agency had earlier reported that children at the kindergarten were also "reportedly sexually molested". An examination of a girl involved in the case on her parents' request found "no abnormality", police said, adding that claims children had been collectively molested were "rumours" started by two women. One woman was detained and the other was given a warning, according to police, who did not specify the pair's relation to the school. Police had said Saturday that a 31-year-old woman was detained for disseminating "fake news" on the internet, and she expressed "repentance" for fabricating the story that military personnel were abusing children. It is unclear if police have fully investigated claims that children were given mysterious pills to take. The statement said that it is the school's policy for parents to give written permission before children can take medication at school. Addressing a television report showing a clip of a student saying he was fed pills by teachers at the school, police said the child's father had admitted to "instructing" the child to say so. The case prompted Chinese authorities to call for an "immediate" investigation into all kindergartens across the country. RYB Education directly operates 80 kindergartens and has franchised another 175 in 130 cities across China for children ranging from newborns to six-year-olds, according to its Nasdaq listing. RYB already apologised in April and suspended the head of a Beijing kindergarten after admitting that teachers committed "severe mistakes". The Beijing News had obtained videos showing teachers throwing a child on a bed and kicking another in the back. The People's Court Daily reported that two teachers from a RYB kindergarten in northeast Jilin province were sentenced to 34 months in prison for jabbing children in the head, inside their mouths, and on their legs and buttocks with sewing needles in October 2016.

Chinese teacher used needles to 'discipline' children: Police

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