china

China set to hit back at US with rare earths

China set to hit back at US with rare earths

President Xi Jinping’s visit to a rare earths plant last week had sparked speculation that China would use its dominant position as an exporter of rare earths to the United States as leverage in the trade war.

Rare earths are a group of 17 chemical elements used in everything from high-tech consumer electronics to military equipment. The prospect that their value could soar as a result of the trade war caused sharp increases in the share prices of producers, including the company visited by Xi.

While China has so far not explicitly said it would restrict rare earths sales to …

China denies US claim about Huawei’s government ties

China denies US claim about Huawei’s government ties

China ramped up a war of words with the United States over Huawei on Friday, accusing Washington of spreading “lies” about the telecom giant thrust to the centre of their trade war.

The fiery response came hours after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo rejected Huawei’s denials that the Chinese company works with the Communist government.

The Trump administration has infuriated Beijing by blacklisting the smartphone and telecommunications company over worries that China uses it as a tool for espionage, and allegations of breaking sanctions on Iran.

Huawei has repeatedly denied it works with the Communist-led government.

“To say that …

China responsible for ozone-depleting emissions – Study

China responsible for ozone-depleting emissions – Study

China is to blame for much of the increase in illegal ozone-depleting substances (ODS) since 2013, according to a study published by the journal Nature on Thursday, with domestic companies accused of violating a global production ban.

About 40-60 per cent of the global rise in the prohibited ozone-destroying refrigerant trichlorofluoromethane (CFC-11) since 2013 could be attributed to the industrial provinces of Shandong and Hebei in northern China, researchers from Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation and Britain’s University of Bristol said.

The Ministry of Ecology and Environment did not respond immediately to a request for comment on Thursday.
China to USA: We can’t swallow your bitter fruit on trade

China to USA: We can’t swallow your bitter fruit on trade

China is refusing to be arm-twisted by Donald Trump’s America over agreeing to a trade deal, as it said it would not swallow any “bitter fruit” that harmed its interests.

Trade negotiations between the two countries are deadlocked over Washington’s demands that China implement promises of concrete changes to its law.

The trade war between the world’s top two economies escalated on Friday, with the United States hiking tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods after President Donald Trump said Beijing “broke the deal” by reneging on earlier commitments made during months of negotiations.

White House economic adviser Larry …

China builds 158 Internet hospitals to control congestion

China’s medical authority said on Wednesday that 158 Internet hospitals had been built, to address congestion in large urban hospitals amid digital tide.

Mao Qun’an, a director of the National Health Commission, said at the second Digital China Summit that 19 provinces, or over half of China’s provincial-level regions, had established provincial tele-medicine platforms.

The central government has also earmarked 99 million U.S. dollars in special funds to add tele-medical and other equipment in primary-level health institutions in impoverished counties.

The commission is now working to realise online services in second and tertiary hospitals, he said.

China’s has a three-tier …

China, using espionage to steal secrets – US Pentagon

The Pentagon says China is using espionage to steal secrets to help bulk up its military. A new report says China is using a variety of methods to obtain cutting-edge tech, including “cyber theft and exploitation of private Chinese nationals’ access to these technologies.”

These techniques have helped China obtain military-grade equipment from the US, including aviation and antisubmarine warfare technologies.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff recently warned Congress that US companies doing business in China were often indirectly benefiting the Chinese military.…

IMF cautions Nigeria against borrowing from China

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned Nigeria and other emerging market countries taking excessive loans from China to consider the terms of such facilities, especially, their compliance with the Paris Club arrangements.

Speaking on Wednesday at the ongoing IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings in United States of America, Director, IMF Monetary and Capital Markets Department, Tobias Andrian, said that there was nothing bad in borrowing from China, except that the terms of such loans are always questionable.

He said: “Loans from China are good, but the countries should consider the terms of the loans. And we urge countries that when …