China News Now

By Bloomberg News - 2012-07-01T00:59:49Z China ’s manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index was 50.2 in June, the National Bureau of Statistics and China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing said today. The reading compares with the 49.9 median estimate in a Bloomberg News survey of 24 economists and 50.4 in May. A number above 50 indicates expansion. China will report second-quarter gross domestic product data next week that may show a sixth straight deceleration in growth as Europe ’s debt crisis crimps exports and property curbs damp domestic demand. The pace of expansion may slow to around 7.5 percent, according to Bank of America Corp., while Credit Agricole CIB projects a rate as low as 7 percent after an 8.1 percent gain in the first three months of 2012. The federation’s PMI hasn’t dropped below 50 since November’s reading. That contrasts with a separate purchasing managers ’ index from HSBC Holdings Plc and Markit Economics. Its preliminary readi...

Woman may be on next year's manned mission, Xin Dingding and Wang Qian report. The grasslands of Inner Mongolia can by no means be called big when compared with outer space. But they surely are when compared with the tiny capsule holding China's three astronauts, including its first female one, which returned to Earth on Friday morning. The return capsule of the Shenzhou IX mission landed in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region at 10:03 am as planned. On the vast grasslands, as the astronauts were removed from the capsule to have their first earthly breath in nearly two weeks, China's first manned space docking mission was declared a success. "The result is satisfactory, the process is perfect, and the mission will bear fruit," Wang Zhaoyao, director of China Manned Space Agency, said at a news conference on Friday. Jing Haipeng, commander of the Shenzhou IX crew, was the first to come out of the capsule, followed by Liu Wang and woman ...

1 of 8. Chinese President Hu Jintao listens as Hong Kong officials show him exhibits on Kai Tak Cruise Terminal Pier in Hong Kong June 30, 2012. Credit: Reuters/Tyrone Siu By Tan Ee Lyn and James Pomfret HONG KONG | Sat Jun 30, 2012 9:33pm EDT HONG KONG (Reuters) - New Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying was sworn into office on Sunday by Chinese President Hu Jintao for a five-year term in which he will confront challenges ranging from human rights to democracy after a tumultuous year of transition and protest. Security was tight at the same harbourfront venue where the British handed Hong Kong to back to China exactly 15 years ago, with hundreds of police, some with dogs, making a solid ring fence to ensure the isolated protests were out of sight and earshot. "This is really taking things to the extreme," said cab driver Lee Fongshu, who was forced to drop his passenger more than half a kilometer from the inaugur...

By Bloomberg News - 2012-07-01T00:59:49Z China ’s manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index was 50.2 in June, the National Bureau of Statistics and China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing said today. The reading compares with the 49.9 median estimate in a Bloomberg News survey of 24 economists and 50.4 in May. A number above 50 indicates expansion. China will report second-quarter gross domestic product data next week that may show a sixth straight deceleration in growth as Europe ’s debt crisis crimps exports and property curbs damp domestic demand. The pace of expansion may slow to around 7.5 percent, according to Bank of America Corp., while Credit Agricole CIB projects a rate as low as 7 percent after an 8.1 percent gain in the first three months of 2012. The federation’s PMI hasn’t dropped below 50 since November’s reading. That contrasts with a separate purchasing managers ’ index from HSBC Holdings Plc and Markit Economics. Its preliminary readi...

By Bloomberg News - 2012-07-01T00:59:49Z China ’s manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index was 50.2 in June, the National Bureau of Statistics and China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing said today. The reading compares with the 49.9 median estimate in a Bloomberg News survey of 24 economists and 50.4 in May. A number above 50 indicates expansion. China will report second-quarter gross domestic product data next week that may show a sixth straight deceleration in growth as Europe ’s debt crisis crimps exports and property curbs damp domestic demand. The pace of expansion may slow to around 7.5 percent, according to Bank of America Corp., while Credit Agricole CIB projects a rate as low as 7 percent after an 8.1 percent gain in the first three months of 2012. The federation’s PMI hasn’t dropped below 50 since November’s reading. That contrasts with a separate purchasing managers ’ index from HSBC Holdings Plc and Markit Economics. Its preliminary readi...

Beijing -- An ex-police chief whose visit to a U.S. Consulate led to the fall of a prominent Chinese politician has resigned from the national legislature, state media reported Saturday, a sign that he might be a step closer to formal arrest and trial. Wang Lijun , the former police chief of south China's Chongqing metropolis, asked to resign from the National People's Congress, the official Xinhua News Agency said. Wang has been under investigation since he visited the U.S. Consulate in nearby Chengdu city in February. He is thought to have divulged information unfavorable to Bo Xilai , then Chongqing's party chief. It is unclear what charges Wang could face. He might be charged with treason if he divulged information on top-level Chinese officials to the Americans. Treason carries a maximum penalty of death, although Wang is expected to receive leniency for providing evidence against Bo and his wife. Bo was sacked from his job and is being investigated for un...

China’s online censors went into overdrive on Friday, blocking internet searches and references to Xi Jinping, the man anointed as the country’s president-in-waiting, after US news service Bloomberg published a forensic report on the fortune amassed by his relatives. Getty Images Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping is said to become the next President of the country. Access to Bloomberg’s news feed was also blocked following the story’s publication. The detailed report could be embarrassing for Mr Xi, who has long cultivated his image as a clean official in a country where government corruption is identified by the ruling Communist party as the single biggest threat to its authoritarian rule. “Our Bloomberg.com and Businessweek.com websites are currently inaccessible in China in reaction, we believe, to a Bloomberg News story that was published Friday,” said Ty Trippet, a Bloomberg spokesman. Using publicly available records, Bloomberg identified inv...

1 of 8. Chinese President Hu Jintao listens as Hong Kong officials show him exhibits on Kai Tak Cruise Terminal Pier in Hong Kong June 30, 2012. Credit: Reuters/Tyrone Siu By Tan Ee Lyn and James Pomfret HONG KONG | Sat Jun 30, 2012 9:33pm EDT HONG KONG (Reuters) - New Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying was sworn into office on Sunday by Chinese President Hu Jintao for a five-year term in which he will confront challenges ranging from human rights to democracy after a tumultuous year of transition and protest. Security was tight at the same harbourfront venue where the British handed Hong Kong to back to China exactly 15 years ago, with hundreds of police, some with dogs, making a solid ring fence to ensure the isolated protests were out of sight and earshot. "This is really taking things to the extreme," said cab driver Lee Fongshu, who was forced to drop his passenger more than half a kilometer from the inaugur...

GENEVA -- Russia and China joined the United States Saturday in calling for a transitional government to replace the Bashar al Assad dictatorship in Syria, a major shift after a bloody conflict in which Assad has used the army and police to fight a pro-democracy uprising. It suggested a significant move for Russia, which has backed Assad and his late father, Hafez, for 40 years. Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin joined President Barack Obama in a joint call for Syrians to democratically choose their own government, but stopped short of joining the call for Assad's ouster. The question remained over how Moscow would implement the new policy. At an all-day meeting of foreign ministers called by special envoy Kofi Annan, Russia, China, the U.S., Britain, France and several of Syria's neighbors pledged to use their leverage on the Assad regime and on the opposition to stop the fighting and form an interim government with full executive powers. Syria was ...

A strong earthquake jolted China's far-western frontier early Saturday, shaking buildings and cutting off electricity in the remote mountainous area and injuring at least 34 people. The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake, which hit the Xinjiang region, at magnitude 6.3, while China's Earthquake Networks Center put it at 6.6. China's state-run Xinhua News Agency reported no deaths but said 34 people were injured. The quake also triggered landslides, one of which hit a national highway, trapping 120 people, Xinhua said. Residents near the epicenter were shaken out of bed in pre-dawn darkness and some households lost electricity, Xinhua reported. The quake toppled several buildings 300 kilometers (186 miles) to the west in the regional capital, Urumqi, Xinhua said, adding that rescuers had been dispatched to the sparsely populated area to search for casualties. An official from the Xinjiang Earthquake Bureau said the quake was "strongly felt"...

China's national legislature adopted a new law Saturday that will target foreigners who are living and working in China illegally, the official Xinhua News Agency said, adding that the government encourages citizens to inform on suspected illegal workers. The law approved by the National People's Congress Standing Committee now requires foreigners to obtain valid documents â€" including employment certificates â€" to work in China, Xinhua said. It allows for employers to be fined 10,000 yuan ($1,580) for every foreigner they hire illegally, Xinhua said. Authorities encourage Chinese citizens to report clues regarding foreigners who may work in China illegally and ask universities and language schools to share the employment information of their students, Xinhua said. For at least a decade, foreigners on short-term visas have managed to live and work in China for extended periods of time by dashing to the border and renewing their temporary permits such...

BEIJING â€" China’s national legislature adopted a new law Saturday that will target foreigners who are living and working in China illegally, the official Xinhua News Agency said, adding that the government encourages citizens to inform on suspected illegal workers. The law approved by the National People’s Congress Standing Committee now requires foreigners to obtain valid documents â€" including employment certificates â€" to work in China, Xinhua said. It allows for employers to be fined 10,000 yuan ($1,580) for every foreigner they hire illegally, Xinhua said. Authorities encourage Chinese citizens to report clues regarding foreigners who may work in China illegally and ask universities and language schools to share the employment information of their students, Xinhua said. For at least a decade, foreigners on short-term visas have managed to live and work in China for extended periods of time by dashing to the border and renewing their temporary per...

An ex-police chief whose shocking visit to a U.S. consulate led to the fall of a prominent Chinese politician has resigned from the national legislature, state media reported Saturday, a sign that he might be a step closer to formal arrest and trial. Wang Lijun, the former police chief of south China's Chongqing metropolis, asked to resign from the National People's Congress, and the standing committee of the Chongqing People's Congress accepted his resignation Tuesday, the official Xinhua News Agency said. Wang has been under investigation since he visited the U.S. Consulate in nearby Chengdu city in February. He is thought to have divulged information unfavorable to Bo Xilai, then Chongqing's party chief. AP FILE - In this March 11, 2012 file photo,... View Full Caption FILE - In this March 11, 2012 file photo, Chongqing party secretary Bo Xilai puts on his glasses during a plenary session of the National People's Congress at the Great Ha...

BEIJING â€" A strong earthquake jolted China’s far-western frontier early Saturday, shaking buildings and cutting off electricity in the remote mountainous area and injuring at least 17 people. The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake, which hit China’s Xinjiang region, at magnitude-6.3, while China’s Earthquake Networks Center put it at 6.6. The Xinjiang regional government reported no deaths but said 17 people were injured. China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency said most of the victims were tourists. Residents near the epicenter were shaken out of bed in pre-dawn darkness and some households lost electricity, Xinhua reported. The quake toppled several buildings 300 kilometers (186 miles) to the west in the regional capital, Urumqi, Xinhua said, adding that rescuers had been dispatched to the sparsely populated area to search for casualties. An official from the Xinjiang Earthquake Bureau said the quake was “strongly felt” in Urumqi. The man, who gav...

Handout / Reuters Demonstrators protest against Syria's President Bashar al-Assad after Friday prayers in Habeet, near Idlib, Friday By msnbc.com staff and news services British Foreign Minister William Hague urged Russia and China to agree with Western powers on a political transition plan for Syria at a crisis meeting on Saturday, but admitted the talks would be “very difficult.” On Friday, Syrian troops shelled a suburb of Damascus, killing an estimated 125 civilians and 60 soldiers. The uprising in Syria since March of last year has killed some 14,000 people.  Hague told reporters upon arriving at the conference in Geneva, Switzerland, that reaching a deal with Russia and China "remains very difficult," The Associated Press reported. "I don't know if it will be possible to do so. In the interest of saving thousands of lives of our international responsibilities, we will try to do so," he said. "It's been always been...

The agency’s investigation said chief pilot Qi Quanjun violated aviation rules during the descent, did not locate the runway before landing and abandoned the crashed aircraft. The Embraer E-190 jet hit the ground 690 meters (2,260 feet) short of the runway at the Lindu airport in Heilongjiang province’s Yichun city, then burst into flames. Media reports at the time said fog shrouded the runway during the landing. The Civil Aviation Administration of China has said that a 2008-2009 investigation had found that 200 pilots falsified their flying histories, with more than half of them working for Henan Airlines’ parent company. It said airlines desperate for staff had been hiring pilots whose resumes had been faked. The most recent report didn’t say if Qi was among those who doctored his resume. The report said Qi should have his pilot’s license revoked, be removed from his post and expelled from the Communist Party, and should also face criminal charges though it didn’...

BEIJING â€" Six suspects arrested in a foiled plane hijack in the far-western Xinjiang region are all Uighur men, Chinese state media reported Saturday, adding to ethnic tension in the region days ahead of the third anniversary of deadly riots. Xinjiang is home to a large population of minority Uighurs (pronounced WEE’-gurs), but is ruled by China’s ethnic majority Hans. There have been clashes between authorities and Uighurs resentful of government controls over their religion and culture. State media reported that the men arrested Friday tried to hijack a plane headed for the regional capital of Urumqi, but that their efforts were foiled by passengers and flight crew. Four crew members were injured in a tussle with the suspects, China’s Civil Aviation Administration said. The plane carrying 92 passengers and nine crew members safely returned to Hotan city in southern Xinjiang 22 minutes after takeoff, according to operator Tianjin Airlines. Dilxat Raxit, spokes...

BEIJING | Sat Jun 30, 2012 5:21am EDT BEIJING (Reuters) - A former police whose dash to a U.S. consulate triggered China's biggest political scandal in two decades has resigned as a national lawmaker, state media said on Saturday, possibly paving the way for criminal charges against him. Wang Lijun, former Chongqing police chief, briefly holed up in the Chengdu U.S. consulate in February, a step that ultimately led to the ousting of Chongqing's former leader Bo Xilai from the top ranks of Communist Party and sparked uncertainty ahead of a critical leadership handover. The official Xinhua news agency said that Chongqing authorities had on June 26 accepted Wang's resignation as a deputy to the country's largely rubber stamp parliament. The report provide no other details, but the act removes Wang's immunity from prosecution as a member of parliament. Wang was afraid for his life after he alleged that Bo's wife wa...

BEIJING â€"   Six suspects arrested in a foiled plane hijack in the far-western Xinjiang region are all Uighur men, Chinese state media reported Saturday, adding to ethnic tension in the region days ahead of the third anniversary of deadly riots. Xinjiang is home to a large population of minority Uighurs (pronounced WEE'-gurs), but is ruled by China's ethnic majority Hans. There have been clashes between authorities and Uighurs resentful of government controls over their religion and culture. State media reported that the men arrested Friday tried to hijack a plane headed for the regional capital of Urumqi, but that their efforts were foiled by passengers and flight crew. Four crew members were injured in a tussle with the suspects, China's Civil Aviation Administration said. The plane carrying 92 passengers and nine crew members safely returned to Hotan city in southern Xinjiang 22 minutes after takeoff, according to operator Tianjin Airlines. Dilxat Raxit,...

The three-member crew, which includes China's first female astronaut, emerged grinning from their Shenzhou 9 space capsule. China 's first female astronaut and two other crew members emerged smiling from a capsule that returned safely to Earth on Friday from a 13-day mission to an orbiting module that is a prototype for a future space station. Skip to next paragraph A capsule carrying three Chinese astronauts â€" one that nation's first women in that role â€" touched down. Chip Reid reports. The Shenzhou 9 parachuted to a landing on the grasslands of the country's sprawling Inner Mongolia region at about 10 a.m. (0200 GMT). China declared the first manned mission to the Tiangong 1 module â€" the space program's longest and most challenging yet â€" a major stride ahead for the country's ambitious space program. About an hour later, mission commander and veteran astronaut Jing Haipeng , 45, emerged from the capsule, f...

By Arshad Mohammed WASHINGTON | Fri Jun 29, 2012 9:31pm EDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China will lead talks among the five original nuclear-armed states to define arms control terms, the group said on Friday, a first for Beijing and a step that might ultimately bring greater clarity about its nuclear arsenal and strategy. A working group of the United States, Russia, Britain, France and China is expected to launch talks this summer on a glossary of nuclear terms, an arcane but necessary step for wider talks on disarmament. Of the five original nuclear-weapons states within the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, China is the most secretive about its arsenal, its stockpile of fissile material and its nuclear doctrine, analysts say. Under the treaty, which entered into force in 1970, the five committed to pursuing disarmament while the other signatories committed not to develop or acquire nuclear weapons. Rose Gottemoeller, the acting U....

By TE-PING CHEN HONG KONGâ€"Hong Kong and its neighboring Pearl River Deltaâ€"south China's industrial hub in Guangdong provinceâ€"are moving toward tighter integration, aided by new transportation links and efforts by both sides to bolster stronger economic ties. For the former British colony, the push for tighter relations reflects the need to boost competitiveness and to better capture booming domestic demand in the world's second-biggest economy. Meanwhile, markets in China, as with other parts of Asia, are racing to catch up to Hong Kong's well-established financial institutions and sound regulatory regimes. Agence France-Presse/Getty Images Mainland Chinese tourists visit a Hong Kong shopping mall. Increased travel between Hong Kong and south China's Guangdong province is part of a broad effort to bolster integration. Proponents of greater integration say better linkages will allow the region to capitalize on Hong Kong...

The three-member crew, which includes China's first female astronaut, emerged grinning from their Shenzhou 9 space capsule. China 's first female astronaut and two other crew members emerged smiling from a capsule that returned safely to Earth on Friday from a 13-day mission to an orbiting module that is a prototype for a future space station. Skip to next paragraph The Shenzhou 9 parachuted to a landing on the grasslands of the country's sprawling Inner Mongolia region at about 10 a.m. (0200 GMT). China declared the first manned mission to the Tiangong 1 module â€" the space program's longest and most challenging yet â€" a major stride ahead for the country's ambitious space program. About an hour later, mission commander and veteran astronaut Jing Haipeng , 45, emerged from the capsule, followed by crew mates Liu Wang, 43, and 33-year-old Liu Yang, China's first female astronaut. The three, all experienced air force pilots, were...

China's first female astronaut and two other crew members completed a 13-day mission Friday to an orbiting prototype for a future Chinese space station. China 's first female astronaut and two other crew members emerged smiling from a capsule that returned safely to Earth on Friday from a 13-day mission to an orbiting module that is a prototype for a future space station. Skip to next paragraph A capsule carrying three Chinese astronauts â€" one that nation's first women in that role â€" touched down. Chip Reid reports. The Shenzhou 9 parachuted to a landing on the grasslands of the country's sprawling Inner Mongolia region at about 10 a.m. (0200 GMT). China declared the first manned mission to the Tiangong 1 module â€" the space program's longest and most challenging yet â€" a major stride ahead for the country's ambitious space program. About an hour later, mission commander and veteran astronaut Jing Haipeng , 45, e...