File photo of a container being lifted by a crane at the port in Qingdao, in China's Shandong province. (AFP PHOTO) The list - which includes electronics, aircraft parts, medicine, machinery and other goods - has yet to be finalised and is intended as a response to China's alleged theft of American companies' intellectual property and technology. The move comes a day after Beijing imposed duties on about US$3 billion in US exports, a countermeasure widely seen as a warning that Chinese officials will not hesitate to retaliate quickly. "The proposed list of products is based on extensive inter-agency economic analysis and would target products that benefit from China's industrial plans while minimising the impact on the US economy," the office of US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said in a statement. The proposed list identifies roughly 1,300 goods but remains subject to a 30-day public review process before it can take effect. China slammed the "unilateralistic and … [Read more...] about US identifies US$50b in Chinese imports facing tariffs
Chinese say
China says it hopes US, N Korea summit can avoid ‘disruptive factors’
China hopes that a planned meeting between the leaders of North Korea and the United States in May can advance smoothly and that all sides maintain focus and avoid “disruptive factors,” a senior Chinese diplomat said on Tuesday. China has traditionally been secretive North Korea’s closest ally but ties have been frayed by Kim’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and missiles and Beijing’s backing of tough U.N. sanctions in response. Wang Yi, a State Councillor and China’s Foreign Minister, said there had been positive changes on the peninsula and that all sides were engaging in “sincere exchanges.” “China hopes all sides can cherish this hard to come by situation, maintain the momentum of contact and dialogue, and create conditions to smoothly restart dialogue,” Wang said during a joint news briefing with visiting Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis. Wang said he hoped the meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. … [Read more...] about China says it hopes US, N Korea summit can avoid ‘disruptive factors’
‘Out of control’ Chinese space lab to meet fiery end on Monday
An abandoned Chinese space laboratory is set to meet a fiery end within hours as it re-enters Earth's atmosphere, hitting a speed of around 26,000 kilometres an hour before disintegrating. China's defunct Tiangong-1 space laboratory was expected to meet a fiery end on Monday. (AFP/STR) The European Space Agency forecast that China's defunct Tiangong-1 craft would come down during "a window of about four hours ... centred on 01:07 UTC (GMT)" on Monday. The agency said in a blog post on Sunday (Apr 1) that this was its "final estimate" because it is "at the limit of what we can forecast". The China Manned Space Engineering Office had said earlier on Sunday that the abandoned orbital outpost would make its earthbound plunge on Monday. The eight-tonne craft is unlikely to cause any damage when it comes down, but its fiery disintegration will offer a "splendid" show akin to a meteor shower, Chinese authorities said previously. Previous plunges of space stations or modules … [Read more...] about ‘Out of control’ Chinese space lab to meet fiery end on Monday
Defunct Chinese space lab plunges back to Earth over Pacific
Viet Nam News BEIJING - A defunct Chinese space lab plunged through Earth’s atmosphere on Monday, breaking apart as it headed towards a watery grave in the South Pacific, Beijing said. The Tiangong-1 "mostly" burnt up above the vast ocean’s central region at 8:15am, China’s Manned Space Engineering Office said, moments after predicting a slightly later re-entry over the Atlantic. Space officials had stressed that the craft would not cause any earthly damage when it returned, with Chinese space officials saying its disintegration will offer a "splendid" show akin to a meteor shower. Space officials had warned that knowing the exact location of the re-entry would not be possible until shortly before it happened, and China’s space agency had predicted it would be off Sao Paulo just moments before the Tiangong-1 made its actual return. The European Space Agency had indicated earlier that the Tiangong-1 was likely to break up over water, which covers most of the … [Read more...] about Defunct Chinese space lab plunges back to Earth over Pacific
Namibia president says China not colonizing Africa: China state media
By Reuters  April 1, 2018 | 10:28 am GMT+7 President Hage Geingob of Namibia speaks during an interview with Reuters. Photo by Reuters/Stefan Wermuth Hage Geingob said growing cooperation between the world's No. 2 economy and Africa benefits both sides. Namibia President Hage Geingob said China is not colonizing Africa and that growing cooperation between the world's No. 2 economy and Africa benefits both sides, China's official Xinhua News Agency reported on Saturday. The report said Geingob, currently on a state visit to China, said "comments smearing bilateral cooperation" between China and Namibia are "doomed to fail." "We are mature, we can choose our friends, we can choose what we want for, and what's good for us," Geingob said. Africa has been a region of focus for Beijing's quest for greater global influence, with billions of dollars being pumped into infrastructure projects in the continent. Some critics have questioned China's motives, … [Read more...] about Namibia president says China not colonizing Africa: China state media