China

HONG KONG, Sept 9 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Hong Kong’s government on Monday warned foreign governments not to interfere in the city’s “internal affairs,” following weekend protests that called for US support in the three-month-old crisis.

In a statement, the government also condemned “the illegal behaviour of the radical protesters” after violent clashes overnight between some protesters and police.

BEIJING, September 8. /TASS/: Trade turnover between Russia and China in January-August 2019 grew 4.5% to $70.59 bln, China’s General Administration of Customs said on Sunday.

According to the data published by the agency, the volume of Chinese exports to Russia showed zero growth the first eight months of this year, estimated at nearly $31.14 bln. China’s imports of Russian goods and services increased 8.3% to $39.45 bln.

In July, trade turnover between the two countries reached $9.41 bln.

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong police fired tear gas to disperse protesters in the upmarket Causeway Bay shopping district on Sunday, after demonstrators had rallied at the U.S. Consulate calling for help in bringing democracy to the Chinese-ruled city.

Police moved on protesters from the Central business district who dispersed to nearby Admiralty, the bar district of Wan Chai and on to Causeway Bay in a now familiar pattern of cat-and-mouse clashes over three months of unrest.

BEIJING, Sept 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) – China’s exports fell in August by 1 per cent year-on-year amid a protracted trade war with the United States, official data showed on Sunday.

Exports fell to just over 214 billion dollars, while imports fell 5.6 per cent to just under 180 billion dollars, figures from the Beijing statistics office showed.

According to the figures, exports to the US took a particularly big plunge, dropping by 16 per cent to 37.3 billion dollars. 

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Thousands of Hong Kong protesters on Sunday chanted the U.S. national anthem and called on U.S. President Donald Trump to “liberate” the Chinese-ruled city, the latest in a series of demonstrations that have gripped the territory for months.

Police stood by as protesters, under a sea of umbrellas against the sub-tropical sun, waved the Stars and Stripes and placards appealing for democracy after another night of violence in the 14th week of unrest.

“Fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong,” they shouted. “Resist Beijing, liberate Hong Kong.”

BEIJING (Reuters) - China’s exports unexpectedly fell in August while imports shrank for a fourth month, pointing to further weakness in the world’s second-largest economy and underlining a pressing need for more stimulus as the Sino-U.S. trade war escalates.

Beijing is widely expected to announce more support measures in coming weeks to avert the risk of a sharper economic slowdown as the United States ratchets up trade pressure, including the first cuts in some key lending rates in four years.

HONG KONG (AP) — Demonstrators in Hong Kong planned to march to the U.S. Embassy on Sunday to drum up international support for their months-long protest movement, a day after attempts to disrupt transportation to the city’s international airport were thwarted by police.

The planned march from a central park to the embassy follows yet another night of clashes between police and protesters in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.

7 Sep 2019; MEMO: China is planning to invest $280 billion in Iran’s oil, gas, and petrochemical sectors that are being affected by US sanctions, according to Petroleum Economist magazine.

The energy affairs magazine quoted a senior source who was linked to the Iranian Oil Ministry, as stating that this enormous investment represents a key point in a new agreement between the two countries.

7 September 2019; AFP: Riot police fanned out across Hong Kong on Saturday and thwarted plans by pro-democracy protesters to target the airport, days after the city's leader made a surprise concession which was rejected by the movement as too little, too late.

Millions of pro-democracy supporters have taken to Hong Kong's streets for the past three months in the biggest challenge to China's rule since the city's handover from Britain in 1997.

WUHAN, China (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel renewed calls for a peaceful solution to unrest in Hong Kong on Saturday during her trip to China.

The Hong Kong protests have overshadowed a three-day visit Merkel had planned to use to press for greater access to Chinese markets for German businesses suffering a slowdown at home.

“I have advocated that conflicts be resolved without violence and that anything else would be a catastrophe from my point of view,” Merkel said.