China’s Xi sidesteps SE Asia pressure over South China Sea disputes

Chinese President Xi Jinping showed no sign of bending to Southeast Asian pressure to resolve increasingly irascible territorial disputes over the South China Sea on Thursday, simply repeating calls for dialogue.

Xi, in the first address by a foreign leader to Indonesian MPs, made no reference to regional demands, echoed in Washington, that Beijing deal with the rival claims through multilateral talks rather than with individual negotiations.

Read Full Article HERE

Kanupriya Kapoor, Reuters via CHINA US Focus http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ChinaUsFocus/~3/ZgU0PBjv_d8/

Another Shutdown Victim: U.S. Efforts to Offset China

Debate over the federal government shutdown has tended to focus on those it hurts: veterans, tourists barred from the Lincoln Memorial and Yellowstone National Park, and giant-panda enthusiasts deprived of their publicly funded panda cam.

But the shutdown has already produced at least one winner: China.

By forcing President Obama to cancel a visit next week to Malaysia and the Philippines, the impasse with House Republicans is spoiling Mr. Obama’s show of support for two Southeast Asian countries that have long labored under the shadow of China. And it is undermining his broader effort to put Asia at the heart of American foreign policy.

Read Full Article HERE

Mark Landler, The New York Times via CHINA US Focus http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ChinaUsFocus/~3/91zf3K9f6QY/

China’s Poisoned Air Prompts Woman to Devise Green Tax

Reading in her hotel room in 1996, geology student Cao Jing noticed something alarming: the pages of her book were being coated with brown coal dust.

Her realization — in Qinhuangdao, a tourist city where China’s Great Wall meets the sea — marks the moment when the young undergraduate at Beijing’s Peking University became interested in studying the effects of China’s runaway industrial pollution. It was the first step in a 17-year journey that has taken Cao, 36, into the field of economics to tackle emissions in the world’s biggest producer of greenhouse gases.

Read Full Article HERE

Bloomberg News via CHINA US Focus http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ChinaUsFocus/~3/g9R5eG3Kz70/

Counterparties: Today’s Best Links Brazilian Eike Batista, Chairman and CEO, EBX Group takes part in the panel discussion ‘Global Overview: Uncertainty Is the Only Certainty’ at the 2011 The Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California May 2, 2011. REUTERS/Fred Prouser How to lose $34 billion in one year Brazil’s richest man has seen his business and personal fortune collapse in stunning fashion, Bloomberg Businessweek reports. Read more at Counterparties America’s “boom, bust, flip” phenomenom Zynga founder’s next move Get today’s best links delivered to your inbox Follow Reuters Facebook Twitter RSS YouTube Recommended Video Euro zone economic activity at a 27-month high – PMIs Play Video Euro zone economic activity at a 27-month high – PMIs At least 22 dead after asylum boat capsizes (0:45) Play Video At least 22 dead after asylum boat capsizes (0:45) Is A400M heading for hard landing? Play Video Is A400M heading for hard landing? All-New Electric-Vehicle Taxis Turn Heads in New York City All-New Electric-Vehicle Taxis Turn Heads in New York… (New York Post) 63 percent of Americans feel their world is becoming riskier. What worries you? 63 percent of Americans feel their world is becoming… (Travelers) Euro zone economic activity at a 27-month high – PMIs Play Video At least 22 dead after asylum boat capsizes (0:45) Play Video Is A400M heading for hard landing? Play Video All-New Electric-Vehicle Taxis Turn Heads in New York City 63 percent of Americans feel their world is becoming riskier. What worries you? [?] Key Rates Mortgage Home Equity Savings Auto Credit Cards See today’s average mortgage rates across the country. Type Today 1 mo 30-Year Fixed 4.27% 4.56% 15-Year Fixed 3.33% 3.56% 10-Year Fixed 3.33% 3.49% 5/1-Year ARM 3.43% 3.64% 30-Year Fixed Refi 4.25% 4.55% 15-Year Fixed Refi 3.32% 3.55% 5/1 ARM Refi 3.49% 3.57% 30-Year Fixed Jumbo 4.57% 4.79% Rates may include points. Source: Bankrate.com See More Key Rate Data Read FBI shuts alleged online drug marketplace, Silk Road 02 Oct 2013 Obama, congressional leaders still deadlocked on shutdown | Video 02 Oct 2013 FBI raids alleged online drug market Silk Road, arrests owner 02 Oct 2013 Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant operator says another tank leaked toxic water 12:07am EDT U.S., Japan to modernize alliance to counter 21st century threats 3:19am EDT Discussed 252 Deadlocked Congress takes U.S. government to brink of shutdown 183 White House rejects latest Republican offer to end shutdown 169 Capitol quiet as federal government shutdown nears Pictures Photo Reuters Photojournalism Our day’s top images, in-depth photo essays and offbeat slices of life. See the best of Reuters photography. See more | Photo caption Photo Scenes from the shutdown Images from the U.S. government shutdown. Slideshow Photo The elderly boom A United Nations report says the world may not be ready to support its growing elderly population. By 2050, estimates say seniors over 60 will outnumber children under 15. Slideshow Sponsored Links China official services PMI hits six-month high, supported third-quarter pickup

Activity in China’s services sector expanded at the fastest pace in six months in September as demand grew, cementing a modest pickup in the world’s second-largest economy.

The official purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for the non-manufacturing sector rose to 55.4 in September – the highest reading since March – from 53.9 in August, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on Thursday.

Read Full Article HERE

Li Hui and Kevin Yao, Reuters via CHINA US Focus http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ChinaUsFocus/~3/rB0SjHhYAIA/

China Tourist Sites Urged to Take Precautions

Chinese authorities have asked managers of the country’s popular tourism sites to take safety precautions during the current weeklong National Day holiday period, after thousands of tourists were stranded for hours in a national park.

The China National Tourism Administration issued a notice to the managers on Thursday, one day after more than 4,000 tourists were stranded in the Jiuzhai Valley National Park in the southwest province of Sichuan following delays in shuttle bus services. The delays paralyzed the area’s transportation system, and military police were summoned to keep order.

Read Full Article HERE

The Associated Press via CHINA US Focus http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ChinaUsFocus/~3/xks184HaESw/

Tesco to Pay $550 Million in Supermarket Deal in China

Tesco, the giant British supermarket chain that sold off its businesses in the United States last month, is turning instead to China.

In yet another sign of how the rising spending power of Chinese consumers is reshaping the global retailing industry, Tesco said on Wednesday that it would pay 4.3 billion Hong Kong dollars ($554 million) to set up a joint-venture supermarket business in China with a state-run partner.

Read Full Article HERE

Neil Gough, The New York Times via CHINA US Focus http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ChinaUsFocus/~3/qN99qggHmN0/

Chinese president makes first Southeast Asia visit to strengthen ties with Indonesia

The leaders of China and Indonesia agreed Wednesday to improve cooperation in several areas, as Chinese President Xi Jinping began his first visit to Southeast Asia since taking office, striving to boost ties and economic partnerships with the region’s biggest country.

Xi met with his Indonesian counterpart, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, and is expected to meet with business leaders and become the first foreign leader to address the country’s Parliament during the two-day trip.

Read Full Article HERE

The Associated Press via CHINA US Focus http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ChinaUsFocus/~3/rpA_8jaSeG0/