China

GUANGZHOU, May 8 (Xinhua): The 2019 World Ports Conference opened Wednesday in Guangzhou, capital of southern China's Guangdong Province, as port industry leaders gather to discuss common challenges and opportunities.

The conference, organized by the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH), will see over 1,000 representatives from more than 50 countries.

BEIJING, May 9 (Xinhua): China's consumer inflation quickened to the highest level in six months as tighter supplies of vegetables, pork and fruit drove up food prices, official data showed Thursday.

The consumer price index (CPI), the main gauge of inflation, grew 2.5 percent year-on-year in April, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

Beijing, May 8; GANASHAKTI:  China on Wednesday called on all parties to uphold the Iranian nuclear pact after Tehran said it would end curbs on its uranium enrichment stockpile unless other powers helped it bypass renewed US sanctions.

"Maintaining and implementing the comprehensive agreement is the shared responsibility of all parties," said Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang at a regular press briefing.

BEIJING, May 8. /TASS/: China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi will make a visit to Russia, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang said at a briefing on Wednesday.

"Foreign Minister and State Council member Wang Yi will make an official visit to Moscow at the invitation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov," he said.

SHANGHAI (AP) — Patient Number One is a thin man, with a scabby face and bouncy knees. His head, shaved in preparation for surgery, is wrapped in a clean, white cloth.

Years of drug use cost him his wife, his money and his self-respect, before landing him in this drab yellow room at a Shanghai hospital, facing the surgeon who in 72 hours will drill two small holes in his skull and feed electrodes deep into his brain.

The hope is that technology will extinguish his addiction, quite literally, with the flip of a switch.

BEIJING, May 7 (Xinhua): China and Japan will hold their 11th round of high-level consultations on maritime affairs in Otaru, Japan, from May 10 to 11, a foreign ministry spokesperson said Tuesday.

Spokesperson Geng Shuang told a routine news briefing that officials from foreign ministries, defense ministries, maritime law enforcement and management departments of both counties will attend the talks.

China expects to fully exchange views with Japan on maritime issues of common concern to strengthen mutual understanding and trust with Japan, Geng said.

BEIJING, May 7 (Xinhua): China on Tuesday expressed sincerity towards continuing economic and trade talks with the United States, saying the Chinese side does not evade conflict.

"Negotiation itself is a process of discussion, and it is normal for the two sides to have differences," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang at a press briefing.

Geng said China always believes that mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit are the premise and basis for reaching an agreement, and that adding tariffs will not solve any problems.

FUZHOU, May 7 (Xinhua): China is working to build smart museums with latest technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR), China's National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) said Tuesday.

Guan Qiang, deputy head of NCHA, said at the ongoing second Digital China Summit in eastern China's Fujian Province that they are promoting the use of AI, VR, augmented reality (AR), immersion display and smart guidance at the country's many cultural heritage institutions.

BEIJING, May 7 (Xinhua): China announced a targeted cut in reserve requirement ratio (RRR) in its latest attempt of using structural tools rather than an across-the-board stimulus to help cash-strained small businesses.

On Monday, the central bank announced that it would apply a relatively low RRR, or the amount of money banks must set aside as reserves, for some small and medium-sized banks starting from May 15.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Accusing Beijing of “reneging” on commitments it made in earlier talks, the nation’s top trade negotiator said Monday that the Trump administration will increase tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods Friday, a sharp escalation in a yearlong trade dispute.

At the same time, a Chinese trade delegation is expected to arrive in Washington to resume negotiations on Thursday, a day later than originally planned.