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☆ New Zealand foreign minister to meet Chinese counterpart in Beijing
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 20 (Reuters) - New Zealand's foreign minister, Nanaia Mahuta, will travel to China on Tuesday to meet her counterpart Qin Gang on the first such visit by a New Zealand minister since 2019. "New Zealand's relationship with China is one of our most important, complex and wide ranging," she said in a statement. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said New Zealand's position on China had not changed. Hipkins said he had not "certainly taken off the table" a trip to China this year. Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Alasdair Pal and Clarence FernandezOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Xi promotes China as peacemaker on first trip to Russia since Ukraine invasion
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Jennifer Jett | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

In this grab taken from video, China's President Xi Jinping, left, speaks with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting in Moscow, Russia, Monday, March 20, 2023. Russia, China and the U.S. are not members of the court. "I am pleased to once again set foot on the soil of our friendly neighbor Russia," Xi said in a statement after arriving in Moscow on Monday for the three-day state visit. Xi said his Russia trip was intended to strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries in a world faced with "damaging acts of hegemony, domination and bullying." The Chinese Foreign Ministry has not confirmed reports that Xi may hold a virtual meeting with Zelenskyy after his trip to Moscow.

☆ India says situation with China fragile, dangerous in the Himalayan front
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW DELHI, March 18 (Reuters) - The situation between India and China in the western Himalayan region of Ladakh is fragile and dangerous, with military forces deployed very close to each other in some parts, Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday. At least 24 soldiers were killed when the two sides clashed in the region in mid-2020, but the situation has been calmed through rounds of diplomatic and military talks. "The situation to my mind still remains very fragile because there are places where our deployments are very close up and in military assessment therefore quite dangerous," Jaishankar said at an India Today conclave. Jaishankar said he discussed the situation with China's new foreign minister, Qin Gang, on the sidelines of a meeting of the foreign ministers of the G20 nations hosted by India this month. Two G20 ministerial meetings in India in the last three weeks have been overshadowed by Russia's 13-month invasion of Ukraine.

☆ Chinese leader Xi Jinping is heading to Russia to meet Vladimir Putin
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Xi Jinping is scheduled to visit Russia next week to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. This marks the first time that Xi will be traveling to Russia since the start of the Ukraine war. Xi's visit would mark the first time China's leader will visit Russia since Moscow launched its war on Ukraine in February 2022. Xi and Putin will discuss "deepening Russian-Chinese cooperation" between their nations, the Kremlin said in a Friday statement. Ahead of the announcement, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang called his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, on Thursday evening.

☆ China hopes Russia and Ukraine will hold peace talks, says senior Chinese diplomat
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang waves at the end of a news conference on the sidelines of the National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, China March 7, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File PhotoBEIJING, March 16 (Reuters) - China is concerned about an escalation of the war in Ukraine and hopes Moscow and Kyiv will hold peace talks, senior Chinese diplomat Qin Gang told his Ukrainian counterpart on a phone call on Thursday. "China hopes that all parties will remain calm, rational and restrained, and resume peace talks as soon as possible," Qin told Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, according to a Chinese foreign ministry statement. Qin added that China hopes Ukraine and Russia will not close the door to a political solution no matter how difficult and challenging the situation, the ministry said. "I underscored the importance of (Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's) Peace Formula for ending the aggression and restoring just peace in Ukraine," Kuleba wrote on Twitter.

[1/3] Admiral John C. Aquilino, Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command speaks at the IISS Special Lecture in Singapore March 16, 2023. REUTERS/Caroline ChiaSINGAPORE, March 16 (Reuters) - The current friction in the Indo Pacific is alarming and "trending in the wrong direction", but the U.S. presence was not an effort to contain or invite conflict with China, a senior U.S. admiral said on Thursday. Admiral John Aquilino, Commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, said an "AUKUS" partnership between Australia, Britain and the United States to provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines was to boost its defence capability. Aquilino said the United States, with its exercises and patrols in the region, was not seeking conflict or to contain China, and would not support Taiwan's independence. "There's a place for China in this world to adhere and follow the rules like all the rest of us do," he said.

☆ China names U.S.-sanctioned general Li Shangfu as defence minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BEIJING, March 12 (Reuters) - China named Li Shangfu, a U.S.-sanctioned general, as its new defence minister on Sunday. Li has been under U.S. sanctions since 2018 over the purchase of combat aircraft and equipment from Russia's main arms exporter, Rosoboronexport. Chen Yixin and Wang Xiaohong remained as ministers of state security and public security, respectively. Qin Gang and He Rong remained as ministers of foreign affairs and justice, respectively. Reporting by Yew Lun Tian and Ethan Wang; Editing by William MallardOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

China's four new vice premiers:Ding Xuexiang, 60, is the first-ranked vice premier who also sits in the ruling Communist Party's Politburo Standing Committee, China's top echelon of power. Wang Zhigang, 65, remains minister of science and technology. Huai Jinpeng, 60, remains minister of educationPan Yue, 62, remains head of the National Ethnic Affairs CommissionWang Xiaohong, 65, remains minister of public securityChen Yixin, 63, remains minister of state security. Considered a Xi ally, he had worked with Xi when the latter was party chief of Zhejiang province from 2002-2007. Tang Dengjie, 63, remains minister of civil affairsHe Rong, 60, remains minister of justiceWang Xiaoping, 59, remains minister of human resources and social securityWang Guanghua, 59, remains minister of natural resourcesHuang Runqiu, 59, remains minister of ecology and environmentNi Hong, 60, remains minister of housing and urban-rural developmentLi Xiaopeng, 63, remains minister of transportLi Guoying, 63, remains minister of water resourcesTang Renjian, 60, remains minister of agriculture and rural affairsHu Heping, 60, remains minister of culture and tourismMa Xiaowei, 63, remains head of the National Health CommissionPei Jinjia, 59, remains minister of veterans affairsWang Xiangxi, 60, remains minister of emergency managementHou Kai, 60, remains auditor-general of the National Audit OfficeReporting by Yew Lun Tian, Ziyi Tang, additional reporting by Albee Zhang; Editing by Raju GopalakrishnanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Xi Jinping wants China's army to work closely with the country's tech giants, further blurring the lines between the military and civilian sectors
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Chinese leader Xi Jinping wants China's army to work more closely with local tech giants. Chinese tech firms are already facing intense scrutiny in the US over their ties to the CCP. "To consolidate and improve the integrated national strategic system and capabilities, the key is to work hard on integration to maximize national strategic capabilities," he said. Chinese tech companies are already under intense scrutiny in the USXi's emphasis on forging closer ties between the Chinese military and civilian tech companies comes amid intense scrutiny from the US government on how Chinese tech giants are using the data they harvest. Huawei, Hikvision, and Dahua are among the Chinese tech firms blacklisted by the US.

☆ U.S. says it doesn't want to separate its economy from China's
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING — The U.S. is pushing back on the idea it wants to suppress China and said it doesn't want to separate the two economies, according to a State Department spokesperson's comments. The spokesperson was responding to a CNBC request for comment on Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang's remarks Tuesday. "We have made it clear we do not seek to contain China or have a new Cold War," the U.S. State Department spokesperson said. The spokesperson pointed to Secretary of State Antony Blinken's comments last year that said the U.S. doesn't seek to stop China from growing its economy or "advancing the interests of its people." "He also said we do not want to sever China's economy from ours, though China is pursuing asymmetric decoupling," the spokesperson said.

☆ China's Jan-Feb passenger cars sales down 20% - CPCA
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SHANGHAI/BEIJING, March 8 (Reuters) - China's passenger vehicle sales fell 20% in the first two months of this year, industry data showed on Wednesday, underscoring weak demand in the world's biggest auto market even as some car manufacturers offer reduced prices to revive demand. Sales in February, 1.42 million units, were 10.4% higher than a year earlier, a low base period when a week-long Lunar New Year holiday reduced business activity, the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) said. Sales of new energy vehicles (NEVs), which include pure battery electric cars and plug-in hybrids, grew faster than the overall market, up 61% in February on a year earlier. NEVs accounted for more than 30% of new car sales. Tesla accounted for 11.5% of China's battery electric car sales in February, little changed from 11.3% a year before, indicating a waning effect of price cuts it implemented in early January.

March 8 (Reuters) - A look at the day ahead in Asian markets from Jamie McGeever. Given all that, it is maybe surprising that Wall Street's three main indexes 'only' fell between 1% and 1.5%. The RBA raised rates by 25 bps as expected on Tuesday to 3.60%, the highest in more than a decade. But its dovish outlook caught markets flat-footed, and the Australian dollar plunged 2%. Trade activity fell in February, reflecting weak global and domestic demand, but trade with Russia boomed.

It was not clear what new support China, the world's biggest sovereign creditor, had extended to Sri Lanka on Monday. By end-2020, Sri Lanka owed the Export-Import Bank of China $2.83 billion or 3.5% of the island's external debt, according to IMF data. Sri Lanka needs to repay about $6 billion on average each year until 2029 and will have to keep engaging with the IMF, Wickremesinghe said. Countries in debt distress such as Zambia and Sri Lanka have faced unprecedented delays in securing IMF bailouts as China and Western economies have clashed over how to provide debt relief. Sri Lanka has been waiting for about 187 days to finalise a bailout after reaching a staff-level deal with the IMF.

☆ Sri Lanka expects approval of $2.9 billion IMF deal after China support
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Uditha Jayasinghe | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"Sri Lanka has completed all prior actions that were required by the IMF," Wickremesinghe said. It was not clear what new support China, the world's biggest sovereign creditor, extended to Sri Lanka on Monday. By end-2020, Sri Lanka owed the Export-Import Bank of China $2.83 billion or 3.5% of the island's external debt, according to IMF data. Sri Lanka needs to repay about $6 billion on average each year until 2029 and will have to keep engaging with the IMF, Wickremesinghe said. Sri Lanka has been waiting for about 187 days to finalise a bailout after reaching a staff-level deal with the IMF.

☆ China’s Foreign Minister Says Ties With U.S. Risk Going Off the Rails
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Brian Spegele | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

BEIJING—China’s foreign minister warned that the U.S. strategy toward China risked plunging the countries into conflict and pledged to continue responding strongly to what he viewed as persistent attacks on Beijing by Washington. In a press conference Tuesday on the sidelines of China’s annual gathering of its National People’s Congress in Beijing, Qin Gang said the Biden administration is being insincere when it says it wants to erect guardrails around the relationship, warned the U.S. against engaging in “new McCarthyism” and praised China’s ties with Russia.

☆ With China's support, Sri Lanka expects nod for $2.9 bln IMF deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Uditha Jayasinghe | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"Sri Lanka has completed all prior actions that were required by the IMF," Wickremesinghe said. It was not clear what new support China, the world's biggest sovereign creditor, extended to Sri Lanka on Monday. By end-2020, Sri Lanka owed the China EximBank $2.83 billion or 3.5% of the island's external debt, according to IMF data. Sri Lanka needs to repay about $6 billion on average each year until 2029 and will have to keep engaging with the IMF, Wickremesinghe added. Sri Lanka has been waiting for about 187 days to finalise a bailout after reaching a staff-level deal with the IMF.

☆ China says must advance relations with Russia as world becomes more turbulent
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, March 7 (Reuters) - China must advance its relations with Russia as the world becomes more turbulent, Foreign Minister Qin Gang said on Tuesday. Speaking to reporters at an annual parliamentary session in Beijing, Qin said the close interactions between both leaders - President Xi Jinping and President Vladimir Putin - provided the anchor for China-Russia relations. He did not give a definite answer when asked if Xi would visit Russia after China's parliament session, which goes on for one more week. Asked whether it is possible that China and Russia would abandon the U.S. dollar and euro for bilateral trade, Qin said that countries should use whatever currency is efficient, safe and credible. China, which has refused to name Russia as the aggressor in the Ukraine conflict, has often criticised the United States for bullying other countries with unilateral sanctions.

☆ China says U.S. relations have left rational path, warns of conflict unless they 'hit the brake'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Qin Gang, now China's foreign minister, is pictured here speaking in Washington, D.C., in Dec. 2022 while he was China's ambassador to the United States. BEIJING – China's new foreign minister Qin Gang said relations with the U.S. have left a rational path and warned of conflict if the U.S. doesn't "hit the brake." Qin was speaking at his first press conference since becoming foreign minister. Qin on Tuesday also presented Beijing's relations with Moscow as an example for relations with other countries. "The more unstable the world becomes the more imperative it is for China and Russia to steadily advance relations," Qin said via an official English translation.

☆ China says Ukraine crisis driven by 'invisible hand'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, March 7 (Reuters) - The Ukraine crisis seems to be driven by an invisible hand pushing for the protraction and escalation of the conflict, China's foreign minister Qin Gang said on Tuesday. The "invisible hand" is "using the Ukraine crisis to serve certain geopolitical agendas", Qin said on the sidelines of an annual parliament meeting in Beijing, calling for dialogue to begin as soon as possible. Qin also said Beijing has not provided weapons to either side of the Ukraine conflict, amid loud warnings from U.S. officials on unspecified "consequences" for China, should it send lethal aid to Russia. "(China) is not a party to the crisis and has not provided weapons to either side of the conflict. So on what basis is this talk of blame, sanctions and threats against China?

☆ China's new foreign minister says relations with U.S. have 'entirely deviated' from a rational path
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailChina's new foreign minister says relations with U.S. have 'entirely deviated' from a rational pathChina's new foreign minister Qin Gang says the U.S. must "hit the brakes" or "there will surely be conflict and confrontation." CNBC's Evelyn Cheng reports.

☆ China fully respects Middle East countries as masters of their own affairs
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BEIJING, March 7 (Reuters) - China fully respects Middle East countries as masters of their own affairs and has no intention to fill a so called "vacuum", China's foreign minister Qin Gang said on Tuesday. China will continue to stand for justice and support countries in this region in seeking political settlement of hot spot issues through dialogue and consultation, Qin said on the sidelines of an annual parliament meeting in Beijing. Reporting by Ryan Woo; Writing by Bernard Orr; Editing by Tom HogueOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Summary Taiwan says will not allow "repeated provocations" from ChinaChina warns US not to cross red line on TaiwanTaiwan President, US House Speaker plan to meet in USTAIPEI/BEIJING, March 7 (Reuters) - Taiwan will not allow "repeated provocations" from China, the island's defence minister said on Tuesday, as China's foreign minister said Taiwan was the "first red line" that must not be crossed in Sino-U.S. relations. Speaking to reporters at parliament, Taiwan Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said he was not aware of a planned meeting between Tsai and McCarthy. In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said it was "absurd" for U.S. officials to say that Taiwan is not an internal affair of China's. "The United States has unshakable responsibility for causing the Taiwan question." Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Ryan Woo; Editing by Gerry Doyle and Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China warns US against suppressing it or risk 'conflict'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Journalists attend a news conference by Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang on the sidelines of the National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, China March 7, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas PeterBEIJING, March 7 (Reuters) - The U.S. should change its recent mistaken policies towards China or "conflict and confrontation" will follow, China's foreign minister said on Tuesday, while reiterating Beijing's call for dialogue to end the conflict in Ukraine. "The United States' perception and views of China are seriously distorted," Qin said. China has fiercely defended its stance on Ukraine, amidst Western criticism of its decision not to call Russia the aggressor in the conflict. But China must advance its relations with Russia as the world becomes more turbulent, Qin said.

☆ China's trade with Russia surges at double-digit pace in Jan-Feb
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

China's exports to Russia jumped 19.8% in the first two months, to a total of $15 billion, while it recorded shrinking demand from markets elsewhere. Imports from Russia soared by 31.3% to $18.65 billion. That left the world's second-biggest economy's trade deficit with Russia at about $3.6 billion. Asked whether it was possible that China and Russia would abandon the U.S. dollar and euro for bilateral trade, Qin said that countries should use whatever currency was efficient, safe and credible. China's trade with Russia hit a record high in 2022 as Western countries imposed sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

☆ Sri Lanka says 'positive news' coming from IMF on $2.9 bln package
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Uditha Jayasinghe | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

COLOMBO, March 7 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka is on the verge of getting "very positive news" from the International Monetary Fund on a $2.9 billion programme, a government minister said on Tuesday, while a senior source said it had also won debt restructuring support from China. The island nation of 22 million is struggling with its worst economic crisis in more than seven decades. "Sri Lanka is on the verge of getting very positive news from the IMF," the junior finance minister, Shehan Semasinghe, told parliament. "The IMF programme is essential for us and Sri Lanka has worked very hard since last September to secure it." A senior Sri Lankan government official said the Export-Import Bank of China had written to the IMF supporting Sri Lanka's debt restructuring programme, which is critical to securing final approval for the loan.

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