China

HEFEI, March 8 (Xinhua) -- A new China-Europe freight train service was launched Thursday night, linking Hefei, capital of east China's Anhui Province, with Duisburg of Germany.

A train carrying electronic components, solar cell modules and power cabinet components departed from an international railway logistics center in Hefei, marking the start of the service.

BEIJING, March 8 (Xinhua) -- China and the United States stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Friday.

"This is the most important thing we can learn from the past," Wang said at a press conference on the sidelines of the country's annual legislative session.

Though a lot of changes have taken place in the world and in both countries since they established diplomatic relations four decades ago, this valuable lesson still holds true today and must be adhered to and safeguarded, Wang added.

BEIJING, March 8 (Xinhua) -- China will surely become stronger, but will not become assertive, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Friday.

Wang made the remarks at a press conference on the sidelines of the country's annual legislative session.

He stressed that assertiveness has never been part of the Chinese tradition and hegemony will never be its choice, even the country grows stronger.

BEIJING (AP) — Imports of canola, a Canadian oilseed crop, will now undergo more thorough inspections in China, the country’s customs agency said Thursday, amid what appears to be a retaliatory move amid a diplomatic row over the arrest of a Chinese executive.

Relations between Canada and China have been tense since December, when Canada arrested Chinese tech executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver at the request of the U.S. China warned of “grave consequences” if Canada did not immediately release Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Huawei.

BEIJING, March 6 (Xinhua) -- Downward pressure on the Chinese economy has worried global investors, but national lawmakers and political advisors attending the ongoing annual "two sessions" are optimistic about the economic outlook.

They have good reason to. While the GDP target of 6-6.5 percent for 2019 moderated from the 6.6-percent growth the country achieved last year, a series of new growth drivers have emerged that are expected to underpin the country's long-term prosperity.

BEIJING, March 6 (Xinhua) -- Senior Chinese leaders on Wednesday urged for more efforts to advance high-quality development.

Li Keqiang, Wang Yang and Han Zheng -- members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee -- made the remarks at the annual "two sessions" of the country's top legislative and political advisory bodies.

BEIJING, March 5 (Xinhua) -- China announced Tuesday that the country's new solid rocket booster, with 200-tonne thrust engine, completed hot firing tests, proving its readiness for commercial launches.

With a diameter of 2.65 meters, the booster engine is expected to be used on the modified version of the Long March-11 rocket.

The rocket is the only series in the Long March family that uses solid propellants, and it can be launched within 24 hours.

BEIJING (AP) — China announced a robust annual economic growth target and a 7.5 percent rise in military spending Tuesday as it convened an annual legislative session overshadowed by a tariff war with Washington.

Seeking to defuse U.S. and European complaints the Chinese system is rigged against foreign companies, Premier Li Keqiang promised in a speech to the National People’s Congress they will be “treated as equals” with their Chinese competitors.

05 Mar 2019; AFP: China announced Tuesday a 7.5 percent increase in military spending in 2019, lower than last year as the country faces an economic slowdown, but still likely to make Asian neighbours nervous.

It it working to provide the two million-strong People's Liberation Army (PLA) with state-of-the-art hardware, spending heavily on stealth warplanes, aircraft carriers and other weaponry.

SHIJIAZHUANG, March 5 (Xinhua) -- The main part of Yanchong expressway linking Yanqing district of Beijing and Chongli district of Zhangjiakou, two competition zones of 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games, is expected to be completed and open this year.

Yanqing and Chongli will stage all the skiing events in 2022. The 116-kilometer expressway, an important transportation project for 2022 Winter Games, will shorten the distance between the two zones and cut the transportation time from more than two hours to nearly one hour.