this”, in the form of an incomplete and inaccurate understanding of China by barring scholars wh
nternational relations scholars of his generation think of the US
China and the United States have made new progress in negotiating the text of an econom
ic and trade deal, but much work remains to be done, the Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday.
Negotiating teams from the two countries are hashing out the text of the deal, including
an enforcement mechanism, on the basis of mutual respect and benefit, said Gao Feng, ministry spokesman.
The remarks came as the world’s two biggest economies have been i
ntensifying their consultations and aiming to break the deadlock in a timely manner.
In the most recent round of trade consultations, the negotiators discussed technolo
gy transfers, protection of intellectual property rights, nontariff measures, the service sector, agriculture, tra
de imbalances and enforcement mechanisms, according to earlier reports.
The American Chamber of Commerce in China said in a recent white paper that the US business commu
nity in China, long an advocate of good bilateral relations, can no longer be relied on to be a positive anchor.
m in which airborne particulate matter is present. The lower the ceilin
g is, the higher the density of pollutants which then mix with the cleaner air.
With a low mixing layer, Taihang mountain range to the west and the Yanshan mountai
n range to the north serve as walls that form a semi-closed “room” in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei cluster.
The high level of emissions is the major reason for air pollution in th
e greater Beijing area, and meteorological conditions also play a key role as an exte
rnal factor, said Xu Xiangde, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences.
Zhang Xiaoye, Xu’s colleague, said the “marked effect” of continuous pollutant accu
mulation on meteorological conditions could make overall pollution even worse.
“After the accumulation reaches a certain level, it will further wor
sen the meteorological conditions, which then will further affect air quality, causing explosive
China’s economy, despite headwinds, has enjoyed a good start in the first quarter of 2019, and the country has the confide
nce to achieve the annual projected growth goal, said the country’s top economic planner.
“The first quarter’s stable economic development has laid a solid foundation for the an
nual growth,” said Yuan Da, spokesperson with the National Development and Reform Commission.
“The economy has stayed on the track of steady growth. We have the confidence, conditio
ns and capability to meet the projected targets for economic and social development this year.”
Yuan made the remarks at the NDRC press conference on Thursday in Beijing.
According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, China’s economy expanded at a faster-than-expected 6.4 perce
nt year-on-year in the first quarter. The growth was unchanged from that in the fourth quarter in 2018.
year at a range of 6 to 6.5 percent, according to the 2019 Government Work Report.
A further 3.24 million new urban jobs were added in the first quarter, and the survey
ed unemployment rate remained at a comparatively low level of 5.2 percent in
March. Consumer price registered a moderate rise by 1.8 percent in the first three months this year.
A basic equilibrium in the balance of payments was m
aintained, and China’s foreign exchange reserves remain more than $3 trillion.
Economic structure further improved during the same period. Value-added high-tech se
ctor’s output rose by 7.8 percent, higher than the country’s value-added industrial output.
In the first quarter, NDRC has approved 50 fixed asset investment projects, mainly i
n the fields of energy, transportation and high-tech sectors. The total investment hit 370.3 bill
when the late Qing Dynasty residence of Wu Lu, the province’s last zhuangyuan (top scorer on imperial examinations), was damaged.
Fire this year also destroyed a bridge dating from four centuries ago in Nanping, Fuji
an, a Qing Dynasty residence in Wenzhou, Zhejiang, and an office structure from the 1930s in Fuzhou, Jiangxi.
The operators of the sites hit by fire will be responsible for the dam
age, said the heritage administration. “Electrical faults and loose supervision over the use of fire
during renovation are the main reasons” for the damage, the administration’s statement said.
Though the fire at Notre Dame is under investigation, Frenc
h officials said they suspect its source might have been related to restoration work on the cathedral.
Mainland slams response by island’s leader, who called exercise ‘a threat’
A spokesman for the Chinese mainland said a military drill by Chinese bombers and warships around Taiwan on Monday was routin
e and slammed the island’s administration for misleading the Taiwan people and hyping tensions.
On Monday, various warships, bombers and reconnaissance aircr
aft of the People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command conducted “necessary train
ing” around Taiwan as a means to test the joint assault capability between different branches of the military, Senior Colone
l Zhang Chunhui, the theater command’s spokesman, said in a statement on Monday.
The exercise took place in waters east of Taiwan and was part of a scheduled PLA exercise, he said.
“It is completely within the normal legal rights of a sovereign cou
ntry, and it’s beneficial for maintaining peace and security in the Taiwan Straits,” Zhang said.
with the island by officially acknowledging that military personnel have been posted in the Taipei office of the American Institute in Taiwan since 2005.
US weapons manufacturer Raytheon was also granted a $9 million contract to upgrade Taiwan’s Patriot missile defense system.
Senior Colonel Liang Fang, a professor at PLA National Defense Universit
y, said the recent drill will test and enhance the PLA’s joint operating capabilities.
“It will increase the PLA’s ability to protect national sovereignty, and warn thos
e who are trying to undermine it to abandon their illusions,” she said. “Similar drills
will be more common in the future, with increasingly sophisticated equipment and training methods.”
Xiu Chunping, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social
Sciences’ Institute of Taiwan Studies, said the recent drill serves to warn the US and separati
tedly part of the French destiny and the project we will have for the coming years … a national subscription will be launched, and well beyon
