China This Week: China-Japan Economic Dialogue; Move on North Korea Talks; Partnership with South Africa and Vietnam

Third China-Japan Economic Dialogue: Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan said Saturday that bilateral trade between China and Japan has recovered and exceeded the level before the global financial crisis.

Wang made the remarks at the opening of the third China-Japan high-level economic dialogue, which he chaired with Japanese Foreign Minister Okada Katsuya.

The two countries had maintained sound cooperation in energy-saving, environment protection, food safety, product quality and the construction of China-Japan-ROK Free Trade Area, Wang said.

China, South Africa “Strategic Partnership”: President Hu Jintao and his South African counterpart Jacob Zuma on Tuesday raised bilateral ties to a "comprehensive strategic partnership", opening more avenues to expand trade and strengthen relations between Beijing and the largest African economy.

In the Beijing Declaration, the two sides based a comprehensive strategic partnership  on equality, mutual benefit, and common development. They agreed to provide mutual technical support in the areas of the green economy, skills development, and industrial financing.

Chinese, S Korean Nuclear Envoys Meet: China's special representative for Korean Peninsula affairs Wu Dawei on Thursday met with South Korea's top nuclear envoy Wi Sung-lac for talks on restarting the long- stalled six-party discussions on denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

Wu visited North Korea from 16 to 18 August, meeting Foreign Minister Pak Ui Chun and Vice Foreign Ministers Kim Kye-gwan and Kim Song Gi.

Beijing hosts the multilateral talks that include both Koreas, the US, Japan, and Russia. Pyongyang unilaterally pulled out of the discussions in April 2009.

China Aid to Flood-hit Pakistan: More relief supplies, worth 20 million yuan ($2.94 million), have been sent from China to flood-hit Pakistan, the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement Wednesday.

China was one of the first countries to respond delivering 10 million yuan on 4  August. Beijing indicated it will offer an additional 60 million yuan of supplies to Pakistan, Ministry of Commerce official Chong Quan announced while meeting with Masood Khan, Pakistani ambassador to China.

Chinese Defense Minister meets Greek Air Force Chief: Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie on Monday met with Vasileios Klokozas, chief of the General Staff of the Greek Air Force, as the two sides pledged to boost military exchange and cooperation.

Vietnam, China Vow to Enhance Trade: Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang and Chinese Minister of Commerce Chen Deming and China declared Monday that the two countries would enhance trade and investment cooperation

Hoang asked China to encourage more imports and to create favorable conditions for Vietnamese companies. He also encouraged big Chinese firms to invest in Vietnam. Chen offered agreement and said Beijing will help Vietnam in training officials,

Trade between Vietnam and China was more than $20 billion in 2009 and has exceeded $13 billion in the first seven months this year.

Vietnam welcomes China's Military Development: Vice Defense Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh said Wednesday Vietnam welcomes China's military development. The Chinese military can contribute to disaster relief efforts in the region, he said.

Vinh is in Beijing for consultations with Chinese defense ministry officials ahead of the first ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus to be held in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi  in October.

China, Japan Support Climate Talks: China and Japan are willing to push forward international climate change talks, said Zhang Ping, minister of the National Development and Reform Commission, on the sidelines of the third China-Japan high-level economic dialogue.

He said China and Japan regard energy-saving and environmental protection as important areas, linked to the growth of economic cooperation between both countries.

The two countries agreed to hold the fifth China-Japan forum on energy-saving and environmental protection in late October in Tokyo to promote green economy and cooperation on low-carbon technologies.

Enquiry into Deadly Plane Crash: Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang has ordered a thorough probe into Tuesday night's plane crash in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province.

At least 42 people died while 54 others survived when the Brazilian-made Embraer E-190 jet crashed as it approached Lindu Airport in Yichun city.

Amendments to Hong Kong's Basic Law: China's top legislature on Saturday approved an amendment to the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region regarding the method of selecting Hong Kong's Chief Executive.

Hong Kong, Philippines to Exchange Hostage Probe Info: Hong Kong Police will investigate the deaths of Hong Kong tourists slain in Monday's hostage tragedy in Manila and will exchange information with the Philippine authorities through Interpol when necessary, Under Secretary for Security Lai Tung-kwok said Saturday.

Hong Kong has sent two Police officers to Manila to assist in the investigation, and Lai said more officers will be sent if necessary.

Deaths Up in Industrial Accidents: The death toll from major industrial accidents jumped 50 percent in the first seven months of this year, the State Administration of Work Safety said on Friday.

From January to July, 53 major incidents in the country killed 904 people. In a hot and rain-plagued August, there have been 13 major incidents and 210 people killed or missing.

The accidents included the deadly explosion in a firecracker factory and this week's plane crash that ended Chinese civil aviation's 2,000-plus days of flight safety. Both incidents occurred in Yichun City in northeast China's Heilongjiang province.

China's Crackdown on Illegal Labour Export: Chinese authorities are intensifying their crackdown on the illegal outsourcing of labour in a bid to protect the legal rights of overseas workers.

The Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued an emergency circular prohibiting illegal labuor agencies from dispatching labourers abroad.

The circular also bans the subcontracting of overseas labour service by domestic contract engineering firms.

China has been exporting labourers as fishermen, construction workers, or farmhands. More than 340,000 Chinese people worked abroad in 2009, according to statistics from the Ministry of Commerce.

China to Spend Millions on Disaster Prevention: China plans to spend 2.23 billion yuan ($328 million) to improve disaster prevention systems in a mountainous northwest China town devastated by a landslide earlier this month.

The plan is scheduled to be carried out in three phases from 2010 to 2012..

China Green Belt to stop Deserts merging: China has started an ambitious project to plant a green belt between the country's third and fourth largest deserts to stop them converging, said Wang Xiaodong, a forestry official in northern Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

"It is the first time in China that a green belt is being planted between two deserts. The project is expected to take five years to plant a 202-km (125 miles) long and 5 to 15-km wide stripe of vegetation between Badain Jaran Desert and Tengger Desert," said Wang.

China This Week: Geological Disasters; US-Chinese Relations; Carbon Emissions

Geological Disasters Spike: China recorded more than 26,000 geological disasters in the first seven months of this year, nearly 10 times the number in the same period last year, Minister of Land and Resources Xu Shaoshi said on Friday.

The disasters, ranging from landslides to ground subsidence, left 843 people dead or missing and led to direct economic losses of more than 3.34 billion yuan ($491 million), Xu said.

Xu attributed the disasters to frequent extreme weather such as severe droughts and rainstorms, as well as to the impact of seismic activities.

Four dead, 88 missing after mudslides: Four people have been confirmed dead and 88 others are still missing Thursday after mudslides hit a remote mountain town in southwest China's Yunnan Province.



Days of torrential rain triggered the mudslides, local officials said.

Torrential rains have wreaked havoc across China this summer, with the worst flooding and landslides in decades. Massive mudslides on 8 August 8 in Zhouqu county, in Gansu Province in northwestern China, have left 1,287 people dead and 457 missing.

China “Not a Threat” in Latin America: The US does not view China as a threat in Latin America and Washington is in talks with Beijing on cooperation in the region, long considered America's backyard, a senior US official said on Wednesday.

While China's trade share in Latin America is small, the potential is huge and there are many areas of possible cooperation, said Arturo Valenzuela, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere affairs, as he arrived in China for a five-day tour. However, Valenzuela added, "We are talking generally we haven't come up with any concrete steps".

The Obama Administration's top diplomat for Latin America said he regarded China's accession to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) as well as official observer status at the Organization of American States (OAS) as positive moves.

China Criticises US Military Report: China on Wednesday lashed out at a Pentagon report on Beijing's defense capabilities. "Issuing this report is not beneficial for the improvement and development of China-US military ties," Senior Colonel Geng Yansheng, spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, said.

The report, issued on Monday after a five-month delay, devoted a whole chapter to blaming the current impasse in China-US military contacts on Beijing. Military contacts were frozen in January after Washington pressed for a $6.4-billion arms deal with Taiwan.

In June, China rejected a proposed visit by US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.

China envoy visits North Korea: Wu Dawei, China's special representative for Korean Peninsula affairs, visited the Democratic People's Republic of Korea from 16-18 August, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

Wu exchanged views with the North Koreans on maintaining the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and on restarting the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear programme.

China, Mongolia Military Co-operation: The Chinese andMongolian militaries should continue exploring new areas of co-operation, said Ma Xiaotian, deputy chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, as he meeting Bor Baatar, Secretary of State of Mongolia's Defense Ministry, on Friday.

The two sides also exchanged views on regional security.

China Maritime Hotline with Japan?: China has proposed establishment of a maritime emergency hotline with Japan to prevent civilian and military clashes in the East China Sea and other waters, sources from both governments have said.

The measures raised by Beijing include an annual meeting, a conference to discuss emergency situations, and sharing of frequencies and signals used by ships and airplanes during emergencies.

Beijing has already established hotlines with Seoul and Washington.

China, IAEA to Ink Nuclear Safety Deal: China and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are expected to sign an agreement on nuclear safety as the UN nuclear watchdog's chief, Yukiya Amano, visits China.

The two sides will boost cooperation in personnel training and nuclear safety in East Asia and across the world, according to a draft of the agreement.

Carbon Reduction Locations: The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China's top economic planning body, said on Wednesday that it has selected pilot carbon cities to address the nation's carbon emissions issues.

The NDRC has selected five provinces --- Guangdong, Hubei, Liaoning, Shaanxi, and Yunnan --- and the cities of Tianjin, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Xiamen, Shenzhen, Guiyang, Nanchang, and Baoding.

Each area is required to draft a plan to reduce carbon emissions and develop a green economy for China's 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015).

The country pledged to reduce its 2005 carbon intensity rate --- the amount of carbon dioxide produced per unit of GDP --- by 40 to 45% before the end of 2020.

China to Spend Billions on Forestation: China's government will earmark a total 200 billion yuan ($30 billion) to forestation schemes to the end of 2021, the State Forestry Administration (SFA) announced Wednesday.

China had 195 million hectares of forests by the end of 2008, according to the most recent survey.