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Closer ties with US on the cards

China is keen to work with the United States to keep the two nations on the right path toward building a new type of major-country relations, President Xi Jinping told his US counterpart Barack Obama on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague on March 24.

The Chinese leader said he appreciated a similar commitment from the US in a letter he received recently from Obama.

Xi added that he agreed with Obama's comments in the letter that China-US cooperation is beneficial for the two countries to promote shared interests and to deal with common challenges.

Beijing will remain committed to the policies of non-confrontational action, mutual respect and win-win cooperation, Xi said.

Obama said the two countries not only work on issues of mutual interest and concern, but are also able to work through frictions that exist in their relations such as human rights, or dealing with maritime issues in the South China Sea and the Pacific region in a way that is constructive and hopefully will lead to solutions for all parties.

Obama added that he believes ultimately that by working together, China and the US can help to strengthen international law and respect for the sovereignty of nations.

Nations 'need to consider impact'

Developed countries should be aware of the "spillover" effect of their economic policies, and emerging markets will remain an important force in global growth despite their present difficulties, Premier Li Keqiang said when meeting International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde on March 24.

"Developed countries should be aware of the spillover effect of their own economic policies," Li told Lagarde.

"The emerging markets face challenges, but they remain an important force in world growth."

He admitted there are difficulties for nations in coordinating their macroeconomic policies, but he urged all countries to strengthen dialogue and cooperation under international arrangements such as the Group of 20.

Kenya lauds support to end poaching

Wildlife authorities in Kenya have welcomed China's support in their campaign to end rhino and elephant poaching in the African country.

Kenya Wildlife Services Director General William Kiprono said on March 25 that the East African nation has been working with China at the technical and political levels, especially in areas like wildlife conservation, and has received extensive support from China for its anti-poaching campaigns.

"The Chinese government has been extremely supportive and expressed its keenness to work with us to stop elephant and rhino poaching," Kiprono said.

"China has offered to improve the surveillance around Kenya's national parks and game reserves and also help the Kenyan Wildlife Services in dealing with poachers," he said.

China has also assured Kenya that it would provide the latest equipment and technology to enable security agencies to track down poachers.

China took bold steps to curb the poaching menace after it banned the illegal trade in ivory in 1989.

Describing the fight against poaching as a process, and not an event, Kiprono said that Kenya would set up a wildlife forensic and molecular laboratory in May to step up the fight against poaching.

Tanzania sees room for better ties

Tanzania has expressed confidence that it would be able to enhance bilateral ties with China through more social and economic exchanges.

According to John Haule, Tanzania's permanent secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, bilateral trade with China reached $3.7 billion in 2013, a 49 percent increase over the corresponding period in the previous year.

Reviewing bilateral relations a year after President Xi Jinping visited Tanzania, Haule said China is now the second-largest foreign investor in Tanzania with total foreign direct investment reaching $2.5 billion.

"There are 500 Chinese companies in Tanzania, creating more than 150,000 local job opportunities," Haule said.

Projects being undertaken by Chinese companies in Tanzania include the Mtwara-Dar es Salaam gas pipeline construction, the Shinyanga agricultural industrial park, the Bagamoyo port and fiber optic backbone network project.

The Chinese ambassador to Tanzania, Lu Youqing, said President Xi's visit last year showed the importance that China attaches to its ties with Tanzania.

Testing ground forgreener economy

Fujian province has announced that it has been designated China's first environmental protection pilot zone, which gives it the green light to test a series of measures aimed at energy efficiency, emissions reductions and government accountability.

The provincial government made the announcement on March 22, citing a decision by the State Council.

The measures to be implemented include audits of officials to examine their efforts on financial budgets for environmental protection and registering natural resources, such as bodies of water and forests, as intellectual property. The plan also includes economic measures that will lead to the development of cleaner industries.

Japan's nuclearstocks 'excessive'

China has added its voice to international concerns over Japan's large stockpile of nuclear materials, saying the Japanese have far more than needed for nuclear power.

Such a large stockpile increases security risks, Chen Kai, secretary-general of the China Arms Control and Nuclear Disarmament Association, said at a briefing before the plenary session of the Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague.

"The international community has found that Japan has stocked excessive amounts of nuclear material that surpass its need for nuclear power," Chen said.

Chinese group to bring relic back

A 3,000-year-old Chinese bronze called min fanglei will soon return to its birthplace to be reunited with the lid from which it was separated nearly a century ago.

The reunion was made possible by a private purchase by Chinese collectors in New York.

Acclaimed as the "king of all fanglei", the square bronze, which dates to the Shang Dynasty (c.16th century-11th century BC), served as a ritual wine vessel. It was excavated in Taoyuan, Hunan province, in 1922.

It was supposed to appear in a Christie's auction, but a deal was reached before the sale between its European owner and a group of Chinese collectors from Hunan. It will be donated to the Hunan Provincial Museum, where the lid has been kept for decades.

China Daily-Xinhua

(China Daily Africa Weekly 03/28/2014 page2)