Articles by "Beijing"
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Hello Jammu News at 8:34:00 PM 0


Beijing, Apr 10 :   President Xi Jinping on Friday called for tighter supervision of safety measures at workplaces as China gears up to resume work and production in a big way after over two months of battle against the coronavirus pandemic.

Xi asked officials to strengthen monitoring and law enforcement of production safety even as coronavirus cases began to rise again in China following the return of Chinese nationals from abroad in big numbers.

Authorities should firmly hold the bottom line of workplace safety, Xi was quoted as saying by the state-run Xinhua news agency on Friday.

Noting that the country had made progress in workplace safety last year with the number of accidents declining, Xi said there remained many risks and much work is yet to be done.

Workplace safety must not be regarded as a trivial matter or treated with formalism or bureaucracy, Xi said.

In view of the main features and outstanding problems in workplace safety, Xi said efforts should be made to improve the responsibility system, ensure strict rectification of problems found, and strengthen risk prevention and control so that hidden dangers could be fundamentally eliminated and major accidents effectively curbed.

Premier Li Keqiang, who headed the leading officials group to control COVID-19 also said officials must not let up on workplace safety at a time when the country is in a critical period of coordinating epidemic control and work resumption.

The instructions were delivered at a national teleconference on workplace safety in Beijing on Friday.

China has reported 42 new coronavirus cases, including 38 imported infections, taking the total tally to 81,907, health officials said on Friday, as the country started a new trial of re-testing the recovered COVID-19 patients amid heightened concern of a rebound of the deadly disease.

The Chinese health authority on Friday said that 47 new asymptomatic coronavirus cases, including 14 from abroad, were reported in the mainland.

China's National Health Commission (NHC) said 42 new confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported, including 38 imported cases on Thursday.

Four new domestically transmitted cases were reported --three in Guangdong Province and one in Heilongjiang Province -- it said.

As the new infections continue to increase, China on Thursday unveiled a new trial protocol warranting re-testing of the recovered coronavirus patients besides intensifying the screening of asymptomatic cases as concerns grew over a second wave of the infections in the country.

The move comes a day after China lifted the 76-day lockdown in Wuhan where the pandemic originated.

One death was reported in coronavirus epicentre Hubei Province, taking the overall death toll in the country to 3,336, while the overall confirmed cases on the mainland reached 81,907 by Thursday. This includes 77,455 patients who were discharged after treatment.

The NHC said 1,097 asymptomatic cases, including 349 from abroad, were still under medical observation.

Asymptomatic cases refer to people who are tested positive for the coronavirus but develop no symptoms such as fever, cough or sore throat but they are infectious and pose a risk of spreading to others, according to a new official notification.
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Hello Jammu News at 8:03:00 PM 0


Beijing, Mar 27 :  China and the United States should "unite to fight" the deadly coronavirus pandemic that has ravaged the globe, said President Xi Jinping in a call with his US counterpart on Friday, according to state media.

The two countries have clashed in recent weeks over the virus, but Xi told President Donald Trump that China "wishes to continue sharing all information and experience with the US," said state broadcaster CCTV.

The two leaders appeared to strike a conciliatory tone after Trump and his Secretary of State Mike Pompeo angered Beijing this month by repeatedly referring to "the Chinese virus" when discussing the COVID-19 outbreak first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan.

Earlier this month a foreign ministry spokesman in Beijing also suggested in a tweet that the US military brought the virus to Wuhan.

Friday's call also took place as the US overtook China as the country with the most coronavirus cases -- the pathogen has now infected more than 82,400 people in the world's largest economy.

Xi said Sino-US relations were at a "critical juncture", CCTV said, adding that cooperation was mutually beneficial and "the only right choice." "I hope that the US will take substantive actions to improve Sino-US relations, and both sides can work together to strengthen cooperation in fighting the epidemic," he said.

Some provinces, cities and companies in China have provided medical supplies and support to the US as well, Xi added.
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Hello Jammu News at 3:23:00 PM 0


Beijing, Mar 24 :  China reported 78 new confirmed cases, including 74 imported infections, while the death toll from the novel coronavirus increased to 3,277 after seven more fatalities were confirmed from the COVID-19, health officials said on Tuesday.

The overall confirmed cases on the Chinese mainland have reached 81,171 by the end of Monday. This included 3,277 people who died of the disease, 4,735 patients who were still being treated and 73,159 patients discharged after recovery, the National Health Commission (NHC) said on Tuesday.

The NHC said, 78 new confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported on the Chinese mainland on Monday, of which 74 were imported from abroad taking the number of overseas cases to 427.

Also on Monday, seven deaths and 35 new suspected cases were reported on the mainland with all the deaths in Hubei Province.

The total COVID-19 cases in Beijing climbed to 522 with eight deaths prompting local governments of Beijing as well as Shanghai to announce that all overseas arrivals will be subjected to nucleic acid tests to ensure proper detection.

Of the 74 newly imported cases, 31 were reported in Beijing, 14 in Guangdong, nine in Shanghai, five in Fujian, four in Tianjin, three in Jiangsu, two in Zhejiang and Sichuan respectively, and one in Shanxi, Liaoning, Shandong and Chongqing respectively, the NHC said.

Beijing is already diverting all international flights to different cities where the passengers will be quarantined for 14 days before arriving in the city.

The NHC said 132 people were still suspected of being infected with the virus.

Coronavirus epicentre Wuhan has reported one confirmed case after a gap of five days prompting officials to begin to ease restrictions.

Wuhan also reported seven new deaths, bringing the total number of deaths in the city and Hubei province for which Wuhan is the capital to 3,160.

The province also saw 444 patients discharged from hospital after recovery on Monday. Among the 4,200 patients being treated in hospital, 1,203 were still in severe condition and another 336 in critical condition, the local health commission said.

By the end of Monday, 356 confirmed cases, including four deaths have been reported in Hong Kong, which has restricted the entry of foreigners into the city. Also a total of 25 confirmed cases were reported in Macao and 195 in Taiwan including two deaths, state-run Xinhua news agency reporrted.

After days of decline in coronavirus cases, China on Monday said that COVID-19 has effectively been "stemmed" in the country and it started easing severe restrictions imposed on Wuhan's 11 million people who were under lockdown since January 23.

The authorities began relaxing restrictions in Wuhan as it reported no new case for the fifth consecutive day on Monday.

Significantly, the Central Leading Group (CLP), headed by Premier Li Keqiang which is coordinating efforts to contain the virus since January 23, said the virus has been curtailed in the country as well as in Wuhan.

"The meeting noted that the spread of the virus nationwide, particularly in the epicentre of Wuhan, has been effectively stemmed," an official statement said on Monday.

The meeting, however, warned that the risks for sporadic infections and localised outbreaks have not gone away. With the pandemic rampaging across the world, the situation remains complex and challenging.

"Wuhan city and Hubei province should stay focused on medical treatment and community-level containment as the two key priorities. They should continue to treat the severe cases, promptly admit new cases, and advance epidemiological investigations," the meeting said.

In Wuhan, officials said people are allowed to go back to work while restrictions on the public transport are gradually being eased.

The Hubei province and its capital Wuhan with over 56 million people were under lockdown since January 23. The vicious virus broke out in city, reportedly at a live animal market in December last year and became virulent inflicting thousands of people in the city and province catching the government off guard.

As the country saw a surge in imported infections, the Chinese government announced that all international flights scheduled to arrive in Beijing will be redirected to airports in 12 other Chinese cities from Monday.

International passengers flying to Beijing will instead land at airports in 12 cities including Shanghai, Tianjin, Nanjing and Shenyang as their first points of entry, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said in a statement.

On Monday, China said international travellers should "think twice" about choosing Beijing for flight transfer in view of the restrictions.

Starting from Monday, all international flights scheduled to arrive in Beijing will be redirected to airports in 12 other Chinese cities, Liu Haitao, an official with China's National Immigration Administration said.

Passengers would go through entry procedures and quarantine measures at the designated cities' airports before they continue their flights to Beijing, Liu said, urging travellers to reserve enough time for their next flights to make sure that they do not miss their outbound flights.
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Hello Jammu News at 6:22:00 PM 0
Shen Wei



Beijing, Mar 5 :  The Corona Virus causing havoc in China has spread almost all over the world. It has killed more than 300 hundred people and infected 80,000 people in China. Now, China has claimed that it has discovered a vaccine to escape the Corona Virus [Covid-19]. 

This vaccine has been prepared under the leadership of medical expert Shen Wei of the People`s Liberation Army in Wuhan for the past one month, the medical team of Chinese army. The world`s first vaccine of Corona Virus was tested by injecting the vaccine into the left hand of the inventor Shen Wei.

Shen Wei is the same major general of the Chinese army, who a few years ago created a vaccine to ward off dangerous viruses such as SARS and Ebola and saved the entire world from their threats.
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Hello Jammu News at 9:23:00 PM 0


Beijing, Jun 25  :  Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will visit China in July first week, the first trip to Beijing after her re-election, during which the Asian giant may press for speeding up of the Bangladesh-China- India-Myanmar (BCIM) economic corridor which has failed to take off.

With an estimated USD 31 billion investments, China has emerged as a major investor in Bangladesh - mainly in the infrastructure and energy sectors - raising concerns in India over growing Chinese influence in the region.

The rapid expansion of Chinese investments in Bangladesh were regarded as the second highest by Beijing after the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Hasina would visit China from July 3 to 5 during which she would hold talks with President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang and other top leaders on improving the bilateral ties and exchange views on issues of mutual interest, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told the media here on Tuesday.

Hasina would also take part in the Summer Davos meeting at Dalian which would be inaugurated by Li, Geng said.

"Summer Davos", also known as the annual Meeting of the New Champions (AMNC), is organised every year in China by the World Economic Forum (WEF) which hosts annual meeting at Davos in Switzerland where world leaders gather to interact on the state of the global economy and investments.

This will be the first official visit of Prime Minister Hasina since her re-election and her visit provides an important opportunity for the two sides to charter the future course of the bilateral relations, Geng said.

He said both the countries are strategic cooperative partners. "In recent years, they enjoyed mutual political trust, economic cooperation and cultural exchanges," he said.

President Xi visited Bangladesh in 2016 during which the two leaders reached an important consensus, he said.

"We have been implementing that consensus and advancing the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) cooperation projects bringing tangible benefits to our peoples. We look forward to this visit to consolidate our friendship and strengthen development strategies coordination, deepening cooperation and bring bilateral relations to a new high," he said.

The reference to the BRI was significant as China has been routing most of its investments through its multi-billion dollar global project aimed at financing and building infrastructure projects, especially in developing countries to enhance its influence across the world.

Both the CPEC and the BCIM were the components of the BRI which was mooted by President Xi when he came to power in 2013. The BRI aims to link Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Gulf region, Africa and Europe with a network of land and sea route.

While the CPEC regarded as the flagship project took off, the BCIM failed to make headway.

India has protested to China over the CPEC as it is being laid through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

China lately is making efforts to revive the BCIM.

After a long gap, Xi raised the BCIM project during his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Bishkek on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit early this month.

"We need to expand cooperation channels, carry out cooperation in investment, production capacity and tourism, expand common interests, and jointly promote regional connectivity, including the development of the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor (BCIM) so as to achieve better cooperation and common development," Xi said.

The 2800-km BCIM corridor proposes to link Kunming in China's Yunnan province with Kolkata, passing though nodes such as Mandalay in Myanmar and Dhaka in Bangladesh before heading to Kolkata.

China this month organised the BCIM Forum, an unofficial body of think-tanks from the respective countries at the just concluded China South Asia Business Forum in the Chinese city of Yuxi in Yunnan province.

It was expected to come up during Hasina's visit.

China's investments in Bangladesh included the construction of 6-km long bridge across the Padma river, as the Ganga is known in the country, costing about USD 3.7 billion and the USD 2.5 billion power plant at Payra near Dhaka, according to media reports.

The power plant was in news this month following clashes between Bangladeshi workers and their Chinese counterparts. One Chinese worker was killed and six others injured in the clashes.                                                                       [Agencies]
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Hello Jammu News at 3:58:00 PM 0


Beijing, Jun 10 :  Describing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping as "good friends", China on Monday hoped that the two leaders would discuss their respective trade frictions with the US and reach a consensus on opposing trade protectionism during their "very important" meeting this week on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Bishkek. 

This year's summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) will be held in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek on June 13-14 where Modi and Xi are scheduled to meet and discuss bilateral and international issues.

The meeting assumes significance as this is the first meeting between the two leaders after Modi-led BJP's massive victory in the recent elections in India. 

Xi had congratulated Modi on his re-election through a letter on May 23.

"Once again we congratulate Prime Minister Modi. President Xi and Prime Minister Modi are good friends. They had very successful informal summit at Wuhan last year," Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Hanhui told a media briefing here answering a question on the Modi-Xi meeting.

He said the Wuhan summit has provided strategic guidance for the development of India-China ties, paving the way for stable growth of China-India relations in the long run.

The April 27-28 Wuhan summit between Modi and Xi was largely credited to have turned around the bilateral relations soured by the 73-day Doklam standoff in 2017, triggered by Chinese troops' attempt to build a road close to the Indian border in an area also claimed by Bhutan. 

After the Wuhan summit, both the countries stepped up efforts to improve relations in different spheres including the military-to-military ties. 

When asked about the meeting between the two leaders on the sidelines of the SCO summit, Zhang said, "While the details for the meeting are under discussion, I believe every bilateral meeting between President Xi and Prime Minister Modi is very important. From the Chinese side, we will make good perpetrations for the success of bilateral meeting." 

He also said the China-US trade war and the "spectre" of emerging trade frictions between the US and India could become important part of the discussions between the two leaders.

"Whether they will talk about trade fictions between China and the US and the spectre of trade frictions between the US and India, such things are not surprising. I believe this could become an important topic in his bilateral meetings with the related leaders," he said.

The two countries have been in an escalating conflict over trade for the past year. The scope of the battle has expanded in recent months as Washington has tightened trade restrictions on Chinese telecoms giant Huawei.

Hopes for an imminent trade deal were shattered in May after the Trump administration more than doubled tariffs on USD 200 billion of Chinese imports and threatened additional duties. 

US President Donald Trump is demanding China to reduce massive trade deficit which last year climbed to over USD 539 billion. He is also insisting on China to workout verifiable measures for the protection of intellectual property rights (IPR), technology transfer and more access to American goods to the Chinese markets. 

Chinese officials hope that India, which is also facing trade frictions with the US specially over termination of its designation as a 'beneficiary developing country' under the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP), would join the fight against Trump's protectionist policies. 

"Trade protectionism and unilateralism are very much on the rise. How to respond to the bullying practices of the US, its practice of trade protectionism this is an important question not only to China, but also has direct bearing on the recovery of global economy," Zhang said.

"So I would say it will be helpful if the two leaders could exchange views and we hope their communication will lead to extensive consensus on upholding justice and opposing trade protectionism," he said.

"I hope with their cooperation, the two countries will not only enhance bilateral trade but also play an important role in promoting global economy," he said. 

Xi will exchange views with his foreign counterparts on bilateral and international issues as well, he said.                [Agencies]
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Hello Jammu News at 12:11:00 PM 19


Beijing, Oct 12 (AFP) China's trade surplus with the United States ballooned to a record USD 34.1 billion in September, despite a raft of US tariffs, official data showed Friday, adding fuel to the fire of a worsening trade war.

Relations between the world's two largest economies have soured sharply this year, with US President Donald Trump vowing on Thursday to inflict economic pain on China if it does not blink.

China's exports to the US rose to USD 46.7 billion while imports slumped to USD 12.6 billion, according to China's customs administration.

The world's top two economies imposed new tariffs on a massive amount of each other's goods mid-September, with the US targeting USD 200 billion in Chinese imports and Beijing firing back at USD 60 billion worth of US goods.

"China-US trade friction has caused trouble and pounded our foreign trade development," customs spokesman Li Kuiwen told reporters Friday.

China's overall trade -- what it buys and sells with all countries including the US -- logged a USD 31.7 billion surplus, as exports rose faster than imports.

Exports jumped 14.5 per cent for September on-year, beating forecasts from analysts polled by Bloomberg News, while imports rose 14.3 per cent on-year.

While the data showed China's trade remained strong for the month, analysts forecast the trade war will start to hurt in coming months.

"The big picture is the Chinese exports have so far held up well in the face of escalating trade tensions and cooling global growth, most likely thanks to the competitiveness boost provided by a weaker renminbi (yuan)," said Julian Evans-Pritchard, China economist at Capital Economics.

"With global growth likely to cool further in the coming quarters and US tariffs set to become more punishing, the recent resilience of exports is unlikely to be sustained," he said.

Trump accused China of thinking Americans are "stupid" and boasted that his tariffs had already "had a big impact" on China's stumbling economy in a Thursday interview on Fox News.

"I have a lot more to do if I want to do it. I don't want to do it but they have to come to the table," he warned.

The yuan has fallen for weeks against the US dollar, dropping nine per cent in the past six months, which mitigates the rise in the price of Chinese goods caused by punitive US tariffs.

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, in comments published in the Financial Times this week warned China against engaging in competitive currency devaluations.

China has steadfastly denied that it has manipulated the yuan to cope with the tariffs. 

The US dollar has strengthened against a range of currencies this year as American interest rates have risen.

China's stock market has plunged this year but the trade war has also started to erode Trump's oft-touted US stock gains, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average down more than five per cent for the week.

The International Monetary Fund this week cited the trade war as it lowered its 2019 growth forecast for China, which is set to see its slowest expansion since 1990.

The IMF also lowered estimates for the United States and the global economy as a whole. (AFP)
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Hello Jammu News at 12:04:00 PM 0


Washington, Oct 12 (PTI) As part of its pressure campaign against Beijing, the Trump administration has announced measures to prevent export of nuclear technology to China, alleging that it has been trying to illicitly acquire sensitive American technologies.

"The United States cannot ignore the national security implications of China's efforts to obtain nuclear technology outside of established processes of the US-China civil nuclear cooperation," Secretary of Energy Rick Perry said after his department announced the measures Thursday.

These national security measures are results of a US government policy review prompted by concerns regarding China's efforts to obtain nuclear material, equipment, and advanced technology from US companies.

The policy guidance establishes a clear framework for disposition of authorisation requests for transfers to China that are currently on hold because of military diversion and proliferation concerns. 

As per the new policy, there will be a presumption of denial for new licence applications or extensions to existing authorisations related to the China General Nuclear Power Group, which is currently under indictment for conspiring to steal US nuclear technology. 

"For decades, China has maintained a concerted, central government-run strategy to gain nuclear advantage," a senior administration official told reporters during a conference call.

These efforts are necessary to strike an appropriate balance between the long-term risk to US national security and economic interests, as well as the immediate impact to the US nuclear industrial base, the Department of Energy said. 

China is "actively pursuing our advanced nuclear technology for diversion to military use in its third-generation nuclear power submarine, in the development of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and in strategic dual-use nuclear-powered platforms, such as small modular reactors and floating nuclear power plants deployable in the South China Sea," the official said.

The official alleged that China was already using nuclear power on man-made islands it created in the South China Sea. "We know that they are developing platforms for use on these islands and for nuclear-powered icebreakers, also floating nuclear power plants, which give the potential for rapid deployment to any platform that it could be tethered to," the official said.

In 2017, China imported nuclear technology worth USD 170 million from the US. The administration "carefully weighed" the economic impact, the official said.

"We understand the US industry may suffer in the short term. We believe that in the long term, this policy will benefit the US and protect the American nuclear industry," the official asserted.

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Hello Jammu News at 2:03:00 PM 0

Beijing, Oct 8: The former Chinese head of Interpol, who went missing last month, has been placed under investigation for accepting bribes, China's public security ministry said Monday.

Meng Hongwei, who resigned on Sunday, "accepted bribes and is suspected of violating the law", the ministry said in a statement, adding that any others who took bribes would be investigated. (AFP)
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Hello Jammu News at 5:13:00 PM 0

Beijing, Oct 2: Mahatma Gandhi's popular quotes and bhajans resonated on Tuesday in the sprawling Chaoyang Park in central Beijing where people from all walks of life gathered to commemorate his 149th birth anniversary.

A cultural team from the Indian Embassy here sung Gandhi's most popular bhajans and some of his popular quotes were recited by the Chinese school children.

The statue of Gandhi carved by China's acclaimed sculptor and artist Yuan Xikun was installed in the park in 2005, providing an opportunity for all his admirers here to pay homage to him.

Besides Gandhi, Yuan had also sculpted the bust of Rabindranath Tagore which is displayed in the museum attached to the park.

The statue was garlanded by the Charge d'affaires of the Indian Embassy Acquino Vimal.

A large gathering of Indian diplomats, including the Charge d'affaires and Indian expats attended Tuesday's function.

"Starting today, Embassy of India, in collaboration with others in China, intends to celebrate in a major way the birth anniversary of Gandhiji," Vimal said.

"Gandhiji did not visit China, however his thought and philosophy has been recognised and appreciated by Chinese thinkers," he added. (PTI)
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Hello Jammu News at 3:50:00 PM 0

Beijing, Sep 19: Amid the escalating trade war with US, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday appealed for global support for free trade, saying "unilateralism" does not offer solutions to trade disputes which should be redressed through consultation.

Speaking at the summer session of the World Economic Forum in the eastern city of Tianjin, Li, the second ranking leader of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC), also ruled out any attempts by Beijing to weaken the Chinese currency to boost its exports.

"It is essential that we uphold the basic principles of multilateralism and free trade," Li said a day after China and the US swapped tit-for-tat tariffs.

While US President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on Chinese products worth about USD 200 billion on Tuesday, on top of USD 50 billion already targeted, China said it would retaliate with tariff hike on USD 60 billion worth of US imports to be effective from next Monday.

After Beijing decided to retaliate Tuesday with duties on American products, Trump accused China of seeking to influence midterm congressional elections by taking aim at his political base.

Without directly referring to the ongoing tariff war, Li said solutions "need to be worked out through consultations."

"No unilateralism will offer a viable solution," he said.

He also said China has no intention of weakening its currency to help exporters and will not engage in any form of competitive devaluation of its exchange rate.

China will stick to market-oriented reform of the exchange rate formation mechanism and won't pursue competitive devaluation of its currency, he said.

"China will create conditions for a stable exchange rate," Li said, rebutting speculation that the Chinese government deliberately engineered the devolution of the currency in recent months.

The Yuan depreciated by about eight per cent against the US dollar since March which led to the speculation that it was aimed offsetting the effects of US tariffs on Chinese imports.

Some people think China deliberately [devalued the yuan]; this is groundless, Li said, in an indirect response to Trump's allegations that Beijing is manipulating its currency, the Hong-Kong based South China Morning Post reported.

"A one-way depreciation will do more harm than good for China," Li said.

"China will not choose the path of bolstering exports by devaluing the yuan the yuan exchange rate will be kept basically stable," he said.

Li also said China will adopt a stricter protection system on intellectual property rights (IPRs), a key demand by Trump to protect the rights of US technology investors in China.

Li said that protecting IPRs means protecting and stimulating innovation. China cannot achieve innovative development without an environment that respects knowledge and protects property rights, he said.

He also said China has become a new fertile land for global entrepreneurs and innovation, with new growth drivers breaking new ground for the country's economic development.

Trump has been pressuring China to reduce the trade deficit with the US, totalling to USD 335.4 billion in 2017.

Earlier, both sides had resumed trade talks but at a lower level. Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce Wang Shouwen held talks in Washington but without much results. (PTI)
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Hello Jammu News at 12:57:00 PM 0

Beijing, Sep 10: Alibaba co-founder and chairman Jack Ma will step down as head of the e-commerce giant on September 10, 2019, the company said on Monday.

Ma is staying on as executive chairman for 12 months to "ensure a smooth transition" before handing over his role to chief executive officer Daniel Zhang, Alibaba said in a statement.

"While remaining as executive chairman in the next 12 months, I will work closely with Daniel to ensure a smooth and successful transition," Ma said in the statement.

"Thereafter, I will stay on the Alibaba board of directors until our annual shareholders meeting in 2020."

Ma, who turned 54 on Monday, was an English teacher before starting Alibaba in 1999 and building it into a multi-billion-dollar internet colossus, becoming one of the world's richest men and a revered figure in his homeland.

The statement did not specify exactly what Ma planned to do after stepping down but it said he wants to "return to education".

Ma has lately taken on educational initiatives as a pet project.

"As for myself, I still have lots of dreams to pursue. Those who know me know that I do not like to sit idle," he said.

His own worth has soared along with that of his company, which has added cloud computing, films and e-payments to its growing portfolio and was valued at USD 420.8 billion when the stock market closed on Friday.

Ma gave up the title of Alibaba CEO in 2013 but remains a pivotal figure within the company as well as its most recognisable face.

In an interview with Bloomberg TV released on Friday, Ma hinted at his retirement plans, saying he wanted to follow in the footsteps of Microsoft founder Bill Gates, one of the world's most prolific philanthropists.  (AFP)
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Hello Jammu News at 6:01:00 PM 0

Beijing, Aug 29: China today dismissed reports that it is setting up a military base in Afghanistan in a narrow corridor connecting the two countries near Xinjiang to prevent infiltration of Uygur militants into the volatile province.

According to a report in the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post, China has started building a training camp for Afghan troops in Wakhan corridor a project Beijing is fully funding.

Once the camp is completed, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) is likely to send hundreds of military personnel at least one battalion strong to Afghanistan's isolated Wakhan, the Post report said.

When asked about the report, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said, "After checking with relevant departments, it has been found that this report is not true."

Asked whether China is funding Afghanistan to setup the base, Hua said "if setting up military base is not true what comes next is also not true".

The Chinese military had denied a similar report in January this year.

The Wakhan corridor is a narrow strip of inhospitable and barely accessible land extending about 350km from the northern Afghan province of Badakhshan to China's Muslim region of Xinjiang, where Chinese authorities have carried out sweeping crackdowns on the Uygur ethnic minority group in recent months.

Uygurs are agitating against large scale settlements of majority Han from other parts of China.

China is battling militants of the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), a separatist outfit who reportedly used the corridor as well as the routes through the adjacent Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) to infiltrate in Xinjiang.

China has been periodically putting pressure on Pakistan to crackdown on ETIM training bases in its tribal areas.

Reports in the official media here in the past said China and Afghanistan border troops jointly patrolled the PoK part of the border to prevent infiltration.

China which looks to spread its influence far and wide has already set up a base at Djibouti in the Horn of Africa in the Indian Ocean. Beijing says it is a logistics base aimed at providing resting facilities to its naval troops taking part in the anti-piracy operations.

China is also developing a strategic port at Gwadar in Pakistan which will provide it access to the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean.

Also China has acquired the Hambantota port in Sri Lanka for 90 years. The Sri Lankan government insists that it is purely for civilian purposes and no military activities will be permitted. (PTI)
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Hello Jammu News at 4:58:00 PM 0

Beijing, Aug 25: At least 18 people were killed and 19 others injured after a fire broke out at a hotel earlier today in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.

The fire started at 4:36 am at Beilong Hot Spring Leisure Hotel in Songbei district in the city and was put out at 7:50 am, according to Global Times.

During the search, firemen cleared the area twice and the injured were admitted to a hospital, it said.

The Ministry of Emergency Management has urged all-out efforts in the rescue and investigation, and sent a work team to Harbin to guide the site work, the daily said.

The rescue work is underway, it said, adding that the cause of the fire is not known. (PTI)
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Hello Jammu News at 1:42:00 PM 0

Beijing, Aug 23: China today said it would continue to "counter-attack" as Washington imposed new tariffs on USD 16 billion worth of its goods, further inflaming trade tensions.

The US moves were "clearly suspected" of violating World Trade Organization rules, the commerce ministry said in a statement, adding that it would file a lawsuit against them under the WTO's dispute resolution mechanism.

Beijing had earlier said that it would impose retaliatory tariffs on USD 16 billion of US goods at the exact same time as the US levies came into force. (AFP)
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Hello Jammu News at 5:51:00 PM 0

Beijing, Aug 22: China said today it is willing to play a "constructive role" in easing relations between India and Pakistan as it welcomed the "positive" remarks of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan on improving bilateral ties.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said the improvement and development of relations between India and Pakistan are quite important to regional peace, stability and prosperity.

"We have noted relevant reports and we welcome the positive remarks made by the Indian and Pakistani leaders on improving bilateral relations," Lu said while replying to a question on the statements made by the two leaders soon after Khan assumed office.

"Both Pakistan and India are important countries in South Asia. As a common neighbour to Pakistan and India, China firmly supports the two sides to enhance dialogue increase mutual trust, properly handle and solve their differences," Lu said.

China hopes the two countries can jointly stay committed to regional peace and development, he said.

"China is willing to play a constructive role in this aspect," he added.

On August 20, Prime Minister Modi had sent a letter to Khan, conveying that New Delhi was looking for constructive and meaningful engagement with Islamabad.

Khan in a tweet yesterday expressed Pakistan's willingness to re-start the stalled India-Pakistan peace process and said the two countries must engage in dialogue to resolve their differences, including on the Kashmir issue, and start trade.

Asked what he meant by China playing a constructive role, Lu said, "I said we are glad to see the positive remarks made by the India and Pakistan on improving their bilateral relations and all their efforts that are conducive to the improvement of the relations and the peace and stability in the region. We welcome that. We will play a constructive role in that aspect."

Pressed further whether he meant that China wants to mediate between India and Pakistan, the spokesman said, "I cannot give you a prejudgement or in what aspect and what area we will do. I cannot give you such prejudgement.

In June, the Chinese Ambassador to India, Luo Zhaohui, was quoted in the media as saying that Sino-Indian ties cannot take the strain of "another" Doklam standoff. According to the reports, he had mooted a "trilateral" China-India-Pakistan dialogue on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) conference to resolve regional issues and maintain peace.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar at that time had said that India did not received any such suggestion from the Chinese government.

India has been maintaining that it is ready to talk to Pakistan only bilaterally without the intervention of any other nation, including China. (PTI)
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Hello Jammu News at 5:28:00 PM 0

Beijing, Aug 21: Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad confirmed during a visit to Beijing today that three China-backed projects totalling USD 22 billion will be cancelled until his country can find a way to pay its debts.

The projects include a railway connecting Malaysia's east coast to southern Thailand and Kuala Lumpur, and two gas pipelines.

"I explained to (the Chinese leaders) why we can't have the ECRL (East Coast Rail Link)," Mahathir told Malaysian reporters at the end of his five-day visit.

"It's about borrowing too much money, which we cannot afford, we cannot repay, and also because we don't need those projects for Malaysia at this moment... our problem now is how to solve our financial deficit."

Mahathir is trying to reduce Malaysia's national debt, which has ballooned to some USD 250 billion.

After meeting Premier Li Keqiang yesterday, Mahathir said he believed China would help Malaysia resolve its fiscal problems.

The Malaysian leader also warned against "a new version of colonialism happening because poor countries are unable to compete with rich countries just in terms of open free trade".

The USD 20 billion rail project was contracted with China's largest engineering firm, China Communications Construction Company, and mostly financed by a loan from the Export-Import Bank of China.

Malaysia's finance ministry said in July that 88 percent of the cost of two gas pipeline projects costing 9.4 billion ringgit ( 2.32 billion) had been paid to the Chinese contractor despite only 13 per cent of the work being completed.

One pipeline is in Malaysia's Sabah state on Borneo island and the other runs from Malacca in peninsular Malaysia to the northern state of Kedah.

In May Mahathir shelved separate plans to build a high-speed railway between Singapore and Malaysia which had been agreed several years ago, saying it was too costly.

Despite the threat to revise China-linked contracts, Mahathir sought to strengthen business ties with Beijing during the trip.

China is the top trading partner of Malaysia, which is home to a substantial ethnic Chinese minority.

Relations were warm under the previous government of Prime Minister Najib Razak, and Chinese investment in the country surged as Beijing signed deals for major infrastructure and construction projects.

But critics said there was often a lack of transparency and the terms, such as interest rates on loans, were unfavourable to Malaysia, fuelling suspicions about Najib's real motives.

Najib and his cronies are accused of plundering billions of dollars from a sovereign wealth fund, 1MDB. Najib, who has been charged over the scandal, denies any wrongdoing. (AFP)
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Hello Jammu News at 12:43:00 PM 0

Beijing, Aug 21: China and El Salvador established diplomatic relations today as the Central American nation ditched Taiwan in yet another victory for Beijing in its campaign to isolate the island.

Beijing has been using its economic clout to peel away international support for the democratically-ruled island, leaving it with only 17 diplomatic allies around the world.

Speaking in Beijing at the Diaoyutai Guest House, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi praised El Salvador's decision to "recognise there is one China in the world".

Salvadoran Foreign Minister Carlos Castaneda, after signing a document with Wang establishing relations, said his country had made a "strategic decision" and taken the "correct and beneficial path for the people of both nations".

The president of El Salvador, Salvador Sanchez Ceren, said in an address on national television Monday night: "I announce that my government has taken the decision to break diplomatic relations maintained until today between the Republic of El Salvador and Taiwan, and establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China."

The announcement in Beijing followed a decision by Taiwan to sever its ties with El Salvador after it learned the country was planning on recognising Beijing.

Speaking in Taipei, foreign minister Joseph Wu condemned China's "crude actions".

"We will not engage in dollar diplomacy with China," said Wu, adding that El Salvador had been asking for "huge funding" for a port development project which Taiwan was unwilling to give because it would leave both countries in debt.

El Salvador's move leaves Taiwan with a dwindling number of allies around the world as a growing number switch recognition to China, which sees the self-ruling democratic island as a renegade part of its territory.

"El Salvador has made the choice to commit itself to one China with no pre-conditions, thus standing with most countries in the world," Wang said in comments that seemed intended to pre-empt Taiwanese accusations that

China had bought the small Latin American nation's loyalty.

But, he added, the country "will get tangible gains from its partnership with China".

Relations between Taipei and Beijing have worsened since president Tsai Ing-wen came to power as her government refuses to acknowledge that Taiwan is part of "one China".

China has stepped up its poaching of Taiwan's allies since Tsai became leader in 2016.

El Salvador is the fifth diplomatic loss under her presidency and the third this year, following Burkina Faso and the Dominican Republic.

The small African nation of Sao Tome switched recognition to Beijing in late 2016, followed by Panama in June last year.

Taiwan and China have been engaged for years in a diplomatic tug-of-war in developing countries. Economic support and other aid are often used as bargaining chips for diplomatic recognition.

Tsai's government is trying to enhance Taiwan's international profile but faces a concerted attempt by Beijing to shrink its space on global platforms.

Beijing has stepped up pressure on her government by blocking Taiwan from attending a growing list of international events and staging a string of military drills around the island. (AFP)
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Hello Jammu News at 1:09:00 PM 0

Beijing, Aug 16: China will send a top negotiator to the United States in late August to resume trade talks, the commerce ministry said today, the first public meeting on the subject in weeks as the trade conflict intensifies.

Vice Commerce Minister Wang Shouwen, the deputy representative on international trade negotiations, will meet with a senior US treasury official, David Malpass, at the invitation of the United States, the ministry said in a statement.

"The Chinese side reiterates that it opposes unilateralism and trade protectionism practices and does not accept any unilateral trade restriction measures," the ministry said.

"China welcomes dialogue and communication on the basis of reciprocity, equality and integrity." US Commerce Minister Wilbur Ross held talks with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He in Beijing in June.

But the discussions failed to reduce tensions as the United States slapped tariffs on 34 billion worth of Chinese goods in early July, triggering an immediate dollar-for-dollar retaliation from Beijing.

The two countries plan to launch a new round of tit-for-tat tariffs on 16 billion worth of goods from each country on August 23.

Washington has also lined up an additional 200 billion in Chinese imports and US President Donald Trump said he could raise tariffs on those products to 25 percent instead of the previously touted 10 percent.

"It is hard to tell how the talks will go but it's a positive signal that the two countries are looking for some compromise plan," said Makoto Sengoku, market analyst at Tokai Tokyo Research Institute.

"If they were determined to fight it out, they wouldn't meet," he told AFP.

Chinese officials say the tariffs have yet to make an impact on the country's economy, with its exports even beating forecasts in July.

But analysts warned that China could feel the full effect of tariffs in August.

Trump has boasted that trade wars are "easy to win" and warned he would hit virtually all Chinese imports if Beijing does not back down and take steps to reduce its 335 billion surplus with the US.

China does not import enough from the United States to match Washington dollar-for-dollar, but it has warned that it could fire back with other measures.

The yuan has declined in recent weeks, helping Chinese exporters as it makes their products cheaper, but it could fuel tensions with Trump, who has accused Beijing of manipulating its currency.  (AFP)
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Hello Jammu News at 6:08:00 PM 0

Beijing, Aug 1: China's government has warned it will retaliate if Washington imposes new trade penalties following a report the Trump administration will propose increasing the tariff rate on an additional USD 200 billion of Chinese imports.

A foreign ministry spokesman, Geng Shuang, warned Tuesday that Beijing will "definitely fight back" to defend its "lawful rights and interests." He gave no details of possible retaliatory measures.

Bloomberg News reported, citing three unidentified sources, the Trump administration would propose imposing 25 percent tariffs on a 200 billion list of Chinese goods, up from the planned 10 percent.

The two sides have imposed 25 percent tariffs on billions of dollars of each other's goods in a dispute over China's technology policy. (AP)
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