Briefly

Defense ministers meet in Beijing

China's Minister of National Defense Dong Jun met with his Vietnamese counterpart, Phan Van Giang, in Beijing on Tuesday. Dong stressed the need for accelerated efforts from the two militaries to improve cooperation quality and efficiency. Work should be done to maintain the momentum of cooperation in various fields including personnel training, joint exercises and international collaboration, while expanding new areas for more practical results, Dong said. Giang said the Vietnamese side will continue strengthening cooperation with the Chinese military in mutual visits and friendly border exchanges and promote bilateral ties to a new level.

Regular freight train links Chongqing, HK

A cargo train left Chongqing bound for Hong Kong on Tuesday, with a stopover at Shenzhen's Yantian Port, marking the launch of a regular Chongqing-Shenzhen-Hong Kong freight service. In Hong Kong, the cargo — comprising car parts and electronic products — will be loaded onto international liners bound for Europe, Japan and Southeast Asia. The launch of the Chongqing-Shenzhen-Hong Kong train service will provide a more efficient and cost-effective sea route for products manufactured in Chengdu, Sichuan province, and Chongqing, according to Xu Min, a Shenzhen transportation official.

Former adviser arrested for graft

The Supreme People's Procuratorate has ordered the arrest of Dai Daojin, a former senior political adviser in Hunan province who has been accused of taking bribes. Dai, a former deputy secretary and vice-chairperson of the leading Party members group of the Hunan Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, was investigated by the National Commission of Supervision before being handed over to prosecutors, the top procuratorate said on Tuesday.

Coins to feature wooden pagoda

China's central bank will issue a set of commemorative coins on Aug 27 featuring the world's tallest wooden pagoda. The set of three coins — all legal tender in China and ranging from 10 yuan ($1.40) to 1,500 yuan in value — consists of two gold coins and one silver coin, according to the People's Bank of China. All three coins will bear an image of the Sakyamuni Pagoda at the Fogong Temple in Yingxian county, Shanxi province, on one side. The pagoda was built in 1056. The 67.31-meter-high building is the tallest and oldest wooden multistory structure in the world, according to UNESCO.

5 killed in workshop explosion in Ningxia

Five people were killed in an explosion at a workshop in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region on Monday, according to local authorities. The explosion occurred around 2:38 pm at a workshop of a new materials company at the Ningdong Energy Chemical Industry Base. By 3:35 pm, open flames at the scene had been fully extinguished. Rescuers found three people dead at the scene, and later confirmed that two previously missing people had also died.

Endangered sturgeon seen in Yangtze River

The Yangtze sturgeon, an endangered species under first-class national protection, has been spotted in the upper stream of the Yangtze River in Yunnan province, local agricultural authorities said Tuesday. Images of the rare fish were captured recently by photography enthusiasts on the river. The Yangtze sturgeon is one of the oldest vertebrates on Earth.

Xinhua