Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

China renews blue alert for heavy rain

BEIJING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- China's national observatory on Sunday renewed a blue alert for heavy rain in some southern and southwestern regions.

From Sunday to Monday, heavy rain is expected to hit parts of Yunnan, Guangdong, Hainan and Fujian provinces, and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, said the National Meteorological Center.

Some areas in Guangxi and Guangdong will be hit by up to 120 mm of rainfall within 24 hours.

China-Europe train services on the rise

ZHENGZHOU, April 13 (Xinhua) -- China-Europe trains made 234 trips departing from or arriving in the city of Zhengzhou, capital of Henan Province, during the Jan.-March period, up 95 percent from last year.

The freight carried by the trains totalled 110,300 tonnes, with a value of 763 million U.S. dollars, up 56.6 percent and 12.1 percent, respectively, according to the customs of the city.

Philippine presidential communication staff start to learn Chinese language

MANILA, April 12 (Xinhua) -- "Feilvbin" (the Philippines); "Zongtongfu" (presidential palace); "Xinwenbu" (communications operations office).

For the first time on Friday, some 15 staff members from the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) of the Philippines read aloud with zest the three white bond papers that Ms. Meng Guangjie flashed in front of a "special class" at the Presidential Palace in Manila.

Kim open to another summit with Trump, with conditions

PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he is open to a third summit with President Donald Trump, but set the year’s end as a deadline for Washington to offer mutually acceptable terms for an agreement to salvage the high-stakes nuclear diplomacy, the state-run media said Saturday.

China's inflation rebounds in March, easing deflation fears

BEIJING, April 11 (Xinhua) -- With the consumer prices rebounding solidly in March and producer prices notching its first acceleration in nine months, market fear over deflation risks of the Chinese economy has been largely abated.

As there is no worry about high inflation risk, analysts said China's monetary policy will remain unchanged, and there is still much room for the country's central bank to manoeuver its monetary tools.

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China's Chang'e-4 moon probe switches to dormant mode

BEIJING, April 12 (Xinhua) -- The lander and the rover of the Chang'e-4 probe switched to dormant mode for the lunar night on Friday, with the rover traveling an accumulated 178.9 meters on the far side of the moon.

The rover Yutu-2, or Jade Rabbit-2, is expected to awaken again on April 28, and the lander to awaken the following day, according to the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center of the China National Space Administration.

Qinghai tourism festival attracts over 1,000 domestic, foreign companies

XINING, April 12 (Xinhua) -- More than 1,000 domestic and foreign companies are attending a tourism festival, which opened Friday in northwest China's Qinghai Province.

The Qinghai culture and tourism festival will last from April to July. The Northwest China Tourism Marketing Conference, lasting from Friday to Sunday, is a major part of the festival.

With an exhibition hall covering 28,000 square meters, the conference has attracted participation of 1,268 companies in cultural and tourism sectors from across China and nearly 30 countries and regions.

Chinese B&RI "very important contribution" to global economy: IMF

WASHINGTON, April 11 (Xinhua) -- The China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a "very important contribution" to the global economy, the Director of the Asia and Pacific Department at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Changyong Rhee said.

The BRI has benefited the world in fostering infrastructure need in the low-income countries and also promoting regional cooperation and connectivity in trade investment, human mobility and finance, Rhee told Xinhua in a recent interview on the sidelines of the Spring Meetings of the IMF and the World Bank.

Xi congratulates Kim on re-election as chairman of DPRK State Affairs Commission

BEIJING, April 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping sent congratulations Friday to Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), on his re-election as chairman of the State Affairs Commission (SAC) of the DPRK.

In his message, Xi said Kim's re-election as SAC chairman at the First Session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly demonstrated the trust in and support for Kim from the Party and people of the DPRK, and extended warm congratulations and sincere wishes to Kim.

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