Voice from New Delhi

IANS: China must be cautious in exiting economic stimulus: Wen 15/03

China's exit strategy on the economic stimulus should be "very cautious and flexible" in order to shore up the hard-earned economic recovery, Premier Wen Jiabao said on Sunday.

Wen said the government will make more efforts to keep its policies flexible while keeping close watch on domestic and international economic changes, Xinhua news agency reported.

He noted it is a very difficult job to properly handle the relations between maintaining economic growth, adjusting economic model and managing inflation expectation this year.

Wen said agriculture is the life-line of the national economy, and it plays a decisive role in ensuring economic growth and managing inflation expectation, he said.

He stressed that China will make institutional arrangements to turn the country into a "fair playing ground" for foreign investors and grant foreign enterprises "national treatment".

Sky News: China rejects foreign currency pressure 14/03

US President Barack Obama called on Beijing last week to adopt a 'market-oriented' exchange rate policy, upping the pressure on China to allow the yuan - effectively pegged to the dollar since mid-2008 - to appreciate.

Wen hit back, rejecting all outside interference in China's exchange rate policy decisions and saying a stable yuan had helped not just China, but also the world, emerge from the worldwide slowdown.

The premier said China had made 'strong efforts' since the outbreak of the international financial crisis to keep the yuan at a 'stable level'.

Hindustan Times: No hidden defence spending, says Chinese official 12/03

China has dismissed reports that it is hiding expenditure on defence and claimed that its per capita defence budget was lowest among the permanent members of the UN Security Council.

China publishes the national defence white paper every two years, which is more detailed in military expenditure than many other countries, Jia Yong, a member of the National Committee of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), was quoted as saying by the official media in Beijing on Friday.

While speaking on the sidelines of the sessions of the National Peoples Congress, he said the reports in the foreign media alleging that China had hidden defence budget were merely meant to draw more attention.

Hindustan Times: China 'appreciates' Indian stand on Tibet 11/03

China today appreciated the stand of the Indian government recognising Tibet autonomous region as an integral part of China and New Delhi's assertion not to allow "Tibetan separatist" activities in the country.

"The Indian government has said that the Tibet Autonomous Region is an integral part of Chinese territory and that they do not allow Tibetan separatist activities in India. We express our appreciation to the Indian side," Jiang Yu, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said today.

She was replying to a question whether Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama's speech on the 51st anniversary of the Tibetans' National Uprising Day yesterday had any negative impact on China's ties with India and does Beijing think that New Delhi is doing enough to restrict the Tibetan separatist activities.

"China and India are the promoters of the five principles of peaceful coexistence. One of the principles is mutual respect for each others' sovereignty and territorial integrity. We hope China and India can develop conducive and comprehensive relations," she said.