Tag: China

KARACHI - Pakistan and China are time-tested friends and this bond would only get stronger with the passage of time, Sindh Culture Minister Sassui Palijo said on Saturday.
"The foundation of this friendship was laid by Pakistan People's Party founding chairman Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and the relations were further strengthened by Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto," she said at the 'China Cultural Week' event held in connection with 60-year celebrations of Pak-China friendship.
The event,

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif is going to China on an official visit today (Sunday) to boost bilateral trade volume and bring investment in Pakistan. He will be accompanied by Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah, parliamentarians and a group of businessmen.
The visit is highly significant for giving boost to socio-economic cooperation between the two countries, especially at the level of Punjab.

SHANGHAI - World championship leader Sebastian Vettel underlined his superiority by storming to pole position for Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix with the fastest lap ever recorded at the Shanghai circuit.
The 23-year-old's Red Bull clocked a time of one minute 33.706 seconds, seven-tenths of a second quicker than the McLaren of Britain's Jenson Button, sending a strong message to rivals that the German remains the man to beat. By taking pole, defending world champion Vettel became

BEIJING - China and India reported higher-than-expected inflation readings on Friday, giving fresh ammunition to central bankers and investors alike who are worried about mounting price pressures in the global economy.
Consumer prices in the euro zone also picked up more than expected, while figures due later in the day from the United States are expected to show a similar trend, with the inflation rate still moderate but steadily rising, not least because of higher food and

Former 'Baywatch' star and animal activist Pamela Anderson has called on China to join other countries in banning imports of seal meat and oil from her native Canada, calling seal-hunting inhumane. Anderson sent a letter to China's minister of land and resources, Xu Shaoshi, inviting him to accompany her to Canada to witness the "cruelty of the annual seal slaughter". "Please don't allow China to become a dumping ground for seal meat and oil products that even Canadians don't want,"

BEIJING - A 21-year-old Chinese man who attended a proposed pro-democracy "Jasmine Revolution" protest in Beijing was sentenced to labour re-education, in the first confirmed punishment for the Middle East-inspired gatherings that were squashed by wary authorities. The man, Wei Qiang, was sentenced to 2 years in a labour re-education camp. He was a former art student who did some work at the studio of the detained artist-activist Ai Weiwei, according to two friends of Wei, who

BEIJING - Beijing police arrested dozens of Christian worshippers Sunday from a "house church" -- one not formally recognised by the government -- when they tried to pray outdoors, a rights group said.
They sang hymns and said prayers as police loaded them onto waiting buses in Beijing's western Haidian district, the US-based Christian rights group China Aid said in a statement, citing witnesses. "The Beijing authorities have again demonstrated their total disregard of their

SHANGHAI - China said Sunday it had posted its first quarterly trade deficit in seven years, despite a narrow surplus in March, as rising commodity prices pushed manufacturers' costs higher.
China recorded a small trade deficit of $1.02 billion for the first quarter, its first since the beginning of 2004. But analysts said a large trade surplus was expected for the full year as its exports tend to grow later in the year.
"China's demand is strong and the prices of bulk

BEIJING - Beijing police arrested dozens of Christian worshippers Sunday from a "house church" -- one not formally recognised by the government -- when they tried to pray outdoors, a rights group said.
They sang hymns and said prayers as police loaded them onto waiting buses in Beijing's western Haidian district, the US-based Christian rights group China Aid said in a statement, citing witnesses.
"The Beijing authorities have again demonstrated their total disregard of

TOKYO - China said on Friday it was concerned at Japan pump ing radioactive water into the sea from its crippled nuclear power plant, reflecting growing international unease at the month-long crisis triggered by a massive earthquake and tsunami.
China will "closely" monitor Japan's actions to regain control of the plant, the foreign ministry said, demanding Tokyo provide swift and accurate information on the crisis which began on March 11 when a magnitude 9 earthquake and

BEIJING - China on Friday expressed concern over the release of radioactive water from Japan's crippled nuclear power plant and urged its neighbour to protect the marine environment.
"As a neighbour of Japan's, it is natural for us to express concern," foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said in a statement published on his ministry's website.
"We hope Japan acts in line with international laws and takes effective steps to protect the marine environment."

BEIJING - Counter-culture hero and 1960s protest singer Bob Dylan got a rapturous welcome from fans on Wednesday at his first gig in China, despite agreeing to sing an approved set so as not to offend political sensitivities.
Famous for his songs against injustice and for civil liberties and pacifism, Dylan struck a cautious line in Beijing and did not sing anything that might have overtly offended China's Communist rulers, like "The Times They Are A-Changin'."

KOZHIKODE - India believes improvement in relations with neighboring countries, including China and Pakistan, could be brought about by solving disputes through talks, Indian Defence Minister AK Antony said here Sunday.
According to the Press Trust of India news agency, the Indian minister said, "Our ambition is to improve relations with neighboring countries, including China and Pakistan. Any disputes can be sorted out through mutual discussions."
At a 'meet the leader'

HONG KONG - The world's highest hotel opened its doors in Hong Kong on Tuesday, housed in the city's tallest skyscraper and offering unrivalled panoramic views of the world famous Victoria Harbour.
Towering some 490 metres (1,600 feet) above the bustling, chaotic streets of the Southern Chinese city, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel is making a grand comeback after temporarily closing in 2008.
Visitors peered out of the floor-to-ceiling windows of the 118th floor of the International

LAHORE - Chinese Ambassador Li Jian Monday said his country wanted a strong agricultural base and prosperous farmers in Pakistan, adding that no one could stop Pakistan's farming sector to grow. Addressing a ceremony organised in connection with completion of the Auriga Group's ten years, he praised Allama Muhammad Iqbal who had said that Chinese were not sleeping and preparing themselves to become a strong nation.
He promised to ensure that the Pak-China relations moved further

ISLAMABAD - Gilgit-Urumqi Business Forum President Nazir Ahmad on Sunday urged the Pakistani business community to adopt the "Look China Policy" with a futuristic approach rather than focusing on Dubai, Bangladesh and other neighboring states for business opportunities because China was the future giant.
Talking to Pakistan Today, Nazir, who is visiting Pakistan these days, said the Pakistani business community should explore new business endeavours in China which was a hub of

KARACHI - China has refused the grant of trade concessions on almost 268 export products to Pakistan. Islamabad had proposed concessions in order to minimise the huge trade deficit. Rejecting Pakistan's demands, China explicitly said that similar concessions could only be given to the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), sources told Pakistan Today. China, last year, granted duty free access on 4,762 products to 33 LDCs, majority of which are in Africa. However, at least three are from