BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping said Wednesday that China is ready to work with the United States to contribute to each other’s progress and push for common prosperity. In a congratulatory message to the annual Gala Dinner of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, Xi applauded the committee’s longstanding dedication to the exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in …

BEIJING: China aims to develop outdoor sports into a three-trillion-yuan (about 418 billion U.S. dollars) industry by 2025, according to an action plan released by the government on Tuesday. The action plan, which covers the period from 2023 to 2025, seeks to boost the construction of outdoor sports facilities and improve outdoor sports services. The plan proposes that by 2025, …

SANTIAGO: Chile’s active participation in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) will not only enrich China-Chile relations, but also make Chile an important pivot for BRI cooperation between China and Latin America, said Chinese Ambassador to Chile Niu Qingbao. China-Latin America relations were also deepened under the initiative, and friendly cooperation across the Pacific Ocean has become wider, the Chinese …

HONG KONG: China’s Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) will reduce stamp duty on stock transfer as part of efforts to bolster the stock market, HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee said on Wednesday. The stamp duty will be cut from the current 0.13 percent to 0.1 percent of the consideration or value of each transaction payable by buyers and sellers, …

JIUQUAN: Chinese astronauts Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie, and Jiang Xinlin will carry out the Shenzhou-17 manned spaceflight mission, and Tang Hongbo will be the commander, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced at a press conference on Wednesday. It is the first time that the spaceflight team consists of one veteran from China’s second batch of astronauts and two space …

CAIRO: Every participant of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which was proposed by China ten years ago, is a winner, Alaa Thabet, editor-in-chief of Egypt’s top daily Al-Ahram Newspaper, told Xinhua recently. The BRI has enhanced global development and trade over the past decade, creating more infrastructure projects, services, industrial zones, and free zones for trade exchange, “so everyone …

ISLAMABAD: Hafiz Salman, a 24-year-old Pakistani MPhil student, was keenly performing digital image processing to analyze the size and shape of wheat grains at the recently established China-Pakistan Joint Wheat Molecular Breeding International Lab in Quaid-i-Azam University in capital city Islamabad. “We are collaborating with Chinese experts and scientists to produce the best varieties of wheat to enhance the yield …

ISTANBUL: Inflation in the United States has become so “sticky” that the Federal Reserve’s interest rate policy has been insufficient to bring it down, a Turkish economist has said. “The Fed’s rate hikes have reduced inflation to some extent, but inflation fluctuating around 3.5 and 3.8 percent is not anymore a rate it can manage under its current policies,” Murat …

JIUQUAN: The Shenzhou-17 crewed spaceship is scheduled to be launched at 11:14 a.m. Thursday (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, announced the China Manned Space Agency on Wednesday.

BISHKEK: Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrived here on Tuesday to attend the 22nd Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Member States, and pay an official visit to the Kyrgyz Republic from Tuesday to Friday at the invitation of Kyrgyz Prime Minister Akylbek Japarov. “China is ready to work with Kyrgyzstan to fully …

CHICAGO: General Motors Company announced on Tuesday that its net income in the third quarter of this year was 3.1 billion U.S. dollars, down 7 percent year on year. GM’s revenue in the third quarter increased 5.4 percent from a year ago to 44.13 billion dollars, while the operating profits declined 16.9 percent from the third quarter of 2022 to …

ISLAMABAD: Chinese investments in the special economic zones (SEZs) being established under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will increase Pakistan’s exports and revenue, said a Pakistani business leader on Tuesday. Fuad Ishaq, president of the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, said in a statement that the country’s exports would be further enhanced by …

State institutions, such as the Capital Development Authority and Defence Housing Authority (DHA) in Islamabad, implicitly or explicitly support urban sprawl through regulations that limit the height of residential constructions. This is partly due to their limited capacity to manage high-rise buildings effectively, lacking the necessary equipment for rescue operations. At the same time, paradoxically, they have entered the real …

Out of Pakistan’s national budget of 14.46 trillion rupees for 2023-24, total revenue amounts to 6.9 trillion rupees. A substantial 7.3 trillion is earmarked solely for interest payments, equivalent to 5.7% of GDP. An additional 7.56 trillion rupees is designated for financing further debt. What strategies might the government consider to reduce this debt burden? If the government chooses to …

BEIJING: President of Xinhua News Agency Fu Hua met with Julia Arevalo, president of European Pressphoto Agency (EPA), in Beijing on Tuesday. Fu welcomed Arevalo’s visit to Xinhua, saying Xinhua and EPA have maintained good cooperation as providers of quality photographic news products. He called on the two agencies to promote their existing partnership and explore new opportunities in video …

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz looked beyond Ukraine’s war against Russia’s invasion on Tuesday, saying he wanted to place European Union support for Ukraine on a sustainable footing by the end of the year to help Kyiv on its path to joining the bloc. The “Ukraine facility” would bundle grants, loans, private and public investments alongside the grants Ukraine already had …

The Punjab government on Tuesday suspended PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif’s sentence in the Al-Azizia reference, the Punjab caretaker information minister and the former prime minister’s lawyer confirmed. However, caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi later clarified the case had been forwarded to the court. Nawaz, who returned to the country over the weekend after almost four years in self-exile, was convicted …

A Rawalpindi Anti-Terrorism Court on Tuesday extended PTI President Chaudhry Parvez judicial remand till November 21 in the Judicial Complex attack case. Speaking to reporters outside the courtroom, Elahi said the PML-N would face the repercussions of the 16 months of the previous government in the elections. He made the remarks when asked to comment on Nawaz’s return. He also …

The Karachi Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on Tuesday claimed to have arrested a banned outfit militant, who was allegedly involved in several high-profile killings after he was recently released from jail. In a statement, the CTD said in a statement: “The CTD’s LJ (Lashkar-i-Jhangvi) cell in-charge carried out an action in Patel Para and arrested Hafiz Qasim Rasheed alias Bilal …

Geopolitical tensions heightened by the Middle East conflict pose the biggest threat to the world economy right now but other risks are also at play, World Bank President Ajay Banga said on Tuesday. “The US 10-year Treasury (yield) just crossed 5 per cent briefly yesterday, these are areas we haven’t seen. So yes, that is right there lurking in the …

HANGZHOU: The 4th Asian Para Games is held from Oct.22 to Oct.28 in Hangzhou, south China’s Zhejiang Province. Here are some of the touching moments of Day 2. Iran’s Roza Ebrahimi (L) celebrates after winning the Women’s K44 57KG Gold Medal Contest of Taekwondo against Kazakhstan’s Kamilya Dosmalova at the 4th Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province, …

BEIJING: Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, held a talk with the new leadership of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) and gave a keynote speech. He stressed that the development of the Chinese workers’ movement has developed from very beginning under the …

BEIJING: China’s steel industry maintained steady operations in the first three quarters of 2023, marked by an increasing output and improved structure, the China Iron and Steel Association (CISA) said on Tuesday. “Rising steel demand from domestic manufacturers and expanding steel exports were the main factors underpinning the output growth during the first three quarters of the year,” said Jiang …

BEIJING: Chinese Vice President Han Zheng on Tuesday met with visiting Bhutanese Foreign Minister Tandi Dorji in Beijing. Both sides agreed to accelerate the boundary demarcation process and the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Han said that China and Bhutan are friendly neighbors sharing mountains and rivers. He said that although the two countries have not yet …

BEIJING: China’s State Council Information Office on Tuesday released a white paper titled “Development of China’s Distant-Water Fisheries.” The white paper mainly focuses on seven aspects of China’s distant-water fisheries (DWF) sector, including high-quality development, coordination of resource conservation and sustainable use, fulfillment of flag state duties, strict regulation, reinforcement of scientific and technological support, ensuring safety and increasing international …

BISHKEK: Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrived in Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday to attend the 22nd Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Member States and pay an official visit to the country.

ISLAMABAD: The Silk Road International Communication Forum is all set to commence in Xi’an city of China’s Shaanxi province on Wednesday. Xinhua News Agency along with the Shaanxi Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government are jointly hosting the Silk Road to implement the important outcomes of the China-Central Asia Summit and establish a platform for in-depth cooperation among media organizations …

BEIJING: Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese foreign minister will visit the United States from Oct. 26 to 28, at the invitation of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning announced on Tuesday.

WUHAN: The World Conference on Wudang Tai Chi opened on Monday at the foot of Wudang Mountains, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in central China’s Hubei Province. Over 2,000 participants, including 1,500 practitioners, from 33 countries and regions gathered in the Wudang Mountain Tourist and Economic Special Zone, Shiyan City for the conference, which aims to promote Chinese traditional culture …

ISLAMABAD: The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) helps promote common development and prosperity, said a Pakistani expert. The BRI has facilitated infrastructure development, trade, investment, and cultural exchanges in more than 150 countries and with over 30 international organizations, promoting a shared vision of growth, peace, and prosperity, Farhat Asif, president of the Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies said …

XICHANG: China on Tuesday successfully launched a new remote sensing satellite into space from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China’s Sichuan Province. A Long March-2D carrier rocket carrying the satellite Yaogan-39 lifted off at 4:03 a.m. (Beijing Time). The launch was the 492nd mission undertaken by the Long March rocket series.

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping has sent a message to an international symposium on China’s neighborhood diplomacy, which was held in Beijing on Tuesday. “China will continue to follow the principle of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness, and work with other countries in the region to build an Asian homeland of peace, tranquility, prosperity, beauty and friendly coexistence, to …

BEIJING: A Chinese research team announced Monday that it has built an automated weather station at a 5,896-meter altitude in the Kunlun Mountains in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The new station, launched on Sunday, is now the highest in the Kunlun Mountains. It marked the completion of the observation station network in the middle section of the Kunlun …

TEHRAN: The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) makes a good example of collective cooperation for building a favorable future for nations, said Alireza Zakani, mayor of the Iranian capital of Tehran. The initiative is a pioneering idea, a win-win game for all participating countries, said Zakani in an interview with Xinhua prior to his trip to China to participate in …

NANJING: China’s largest vehicle-grid integration network demonstration zone has become operational in the city of Wuxi, east China’s Jiangsu Province. It can draw electricity to the smart grid from 50 new energy vehicles (NEV) simultaneously. According to the State Grid Jiangsu Electric Power Co. Ltd., NEV owners can receive subsidies by sending unused power in their vehicles to the grid …

XI’AN: The Emperor Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum Site Museum, which houses the world-renowned iconic Terracotta Warriors in Xi’an, capital of northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, welcomed its 10 millionth visitor in 2023 on Monday, hitting a record high, local authorities said. Nearly 150 million visits, from both home and abroad, have been recorded at the museum since it opened in 1979. In recent …

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping Tuesday stressed rallying individuals in the private sector around the Party more closely and breaking new ground in the work of federations of industry and commerce. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in a congratulatory letter to the …

RAFAH: Gaza’s health ministry said Monday that more than 5,000 people have been killed in the besieged Palestinian enclave since Israel launched its withering bombing attacks more than two weeks ago. Alarm has surged about the spiralling humanitarian crisis in Gaza amid the war sparked by the October 7 Hamas attack that, Israeli officials say, killed more than 1,400 people …

A special court established under the Official Secrets Act on Monday indicted former prime minister Imran Khan and ex-foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cipher case. The cipher case pertains to a diplomatic document that reportedly went missing from Imran’s possession. The PTI alleges that the document contained a threat from the United States to oust Imran from office. …

DHAKA: At least 15 people have been killed and 100 others injured in Bangladesh after two trains collided on Monday, with officials saying they fear the death toll will rise. The crash in the eastern city of Bhairab saw a freight train smash into a passenger train travelling in the opposite direction, derailing two passenger carriages, officials said. “We have …