Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

BEIJING, June 10 (Xinhua) -- The 21st round of China-European Union bilateral investment treaty (BIT) negotiations kicked off in Beijing Monday, according to the Ministry of Commerce (MOC).

This round is scheduled to last for five days.

The two sides will negotiate over the agreement text and list, and strive for positive headway, the MOC said.

The talks are one of China's most important trade and economic negotiations, which started the first round in 2013 and are expected to see a high-level agreement inked in 2020.

10 June 2019; AFP: Chinese media on Monday blamed foreign interference over the huge protest that brought central Hong Kong to a standstill at the weekend, accusing opponents of the city's pro-Beijing government of "collusion with the West".

Organisers say more than a million people marched through the streets of the territory against a proposed new law that would allow extradition from Hong Kong to mainland China.

10 June 2019; DW: Chinese exports rose 1.1% to $213.8 billion (€188.4 billion) and imports fell 8.5% to $172.2 billion in May, the Chinese customs agency said Monday.

China's trade surplus with the United States widened to a four-month high of $26.89 billion in May according to the data. The figure for April had been $21.01 billion.

Beijing, Jun 9 (PTI) Chinese telecom giant Huawei said it has obtained 46 commercial 5G contracts so far in 30 countries and shipped more than one lakh 5G stations globally, emerging as a top player in the race for setting up the super-fast telecommunications system despite the US ban on use of its 5G services.

The Shenzhen-headquartered firm, which is under immense pressure after the US issued the ban warning that Huawei systems could be manipulated by Beijing to spy on other countries and disrupt critical communications, made the announcement on Thursday in a press statement.

Hong Kong, Jun 10 (AFP) Hong Kong's pro-Beijing leader said Monday she had no plans to withdraw a controversial plan to allow extraditions to the Chinese mainland, a day after huge crowds came out to oppose the proposal.

"This is a very important piece of legislation that will help to uphold justice and also ensure that Hong Kong will fulfil her international obligations in terms of cross-boundary and transnational crimes," chief executive Carrie Lam told reporters.

Beijing, Jun 10 (PTI) Describing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping as "good friends", China on Monday hoped that the two leaders would discuss their respective trade frictions with the US and reach a consensus on opposing trade protectionism during their "very important" meeting this week on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Bishkek.

BEIJING, June 10 (Xinhua) -- China's meteorological authority on Monday continued a yellow alert for heavy rain in the country's southern regions.

Rainstorm is expected to hit parts of Guangxi, Guangdong, Taiwan, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guizhou and Yunnan over the next four days, the National Meteorological Center said.

Some southern regions have experienced torrential rains from June 6 to 9, with precipitation up to 350 mm in parts of Guizhou, Guangxi, Jiangxi, Zhejiang and Fujian.

BEIJING, June 9 (Xinhua) -- For years, non-U.S. transnational firms, vying to carve a niche in the global market with cutting-edge technologies or products, often find themselves fronting an opponent far more powerful and brutal than any commercial rival they have ever contested with -- the U.S. government.

BEIJING, June 10 (APP): Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi should take pragmatic actions to recover the bilateral dialogue process, promote better relations with Pakistan and work to establish peace in the region.

FUKUOKA, Japan (AP) — Finance ministers and central bank chiefs from the Group of 20 major economies wrapped up a meeting in Japan on Sunday with a pledge to use all the policies they can to protect global growth from disruptions due to trade and other tensions.

The G-20 finance leaders said in a joint communique that risks from trade and geopolitical tensions were “intensifying.” They did not refer directly to the tariffs war between the United States and China, though leaders participating in the meetings indicated it was the No. 1 concern.