Chinese President Xi Jinping has met with US Secretary of State John Kerry.

The two spoke to each other at the Great Hall of the People, with President Xi saying China is committed to building relations with the US, and he hopes to improve dialogue, trust, and cooperation with the Americans.

Kerry echoed those hopes, and says he hopes the US and China can also improve the green economy and fight climate change together.

Kerry arrived in Beijing on Friday morning, following meetings in Seoul, South Korea. He will also be visiting Indonesia and United Arab Emirates.

 

U.S. urged to respect China's interests in East, South China sea

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is urging the United States to respect China's sovereign interests in the East China Sea and South China Sea.

Wang made the comments while meeting his US counterpart in Beijing.

Wang Yi also says the Chinese government is sticking to a peaceful development path and continues to seek peaceful settlement of disputes with neighboring countries.

Wang also says no one can "shake" China's determination to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

 

China slams U.S. navy official's remarks

China has slammed a U.S. navy official's remarks concerning the South China Sea and asked the United States to keep its position neutral on territorial disputes between China and the Philippines.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said China has repeatedly expressed its firm position on the disputes and will address the issue through discussions and negotiations directly with concerned parties. 

She said as a bilateral arrangement, the U.S.-Philippines alliance should not undermine the interests of third parties.

Hua Chunying emphasized that the U.S. is not the party concerned in South China Sea disputes and it should keep its promise of a neutral position on the issue. She added that the U.S. should act in a prudent manner to make real efforts for peace and stability in the region.

 

11 terrorists killed in Xinjiang attack

Police say 11 terrorists have been shot dead by police during a terrorist attack Friday afternoon in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The terrorists attacked police who were on a routine patrol in Wushi County.

Last month, Six terrorists were shot down by police during an attack against a police station in Aksu Prefecture.

 

Delegations of Syiran warring sides admit no progress achieved

Delegates of Syrian government and the opposition have both admitted the second round of the Geneva II conference failed to achieve any progress. 

The current negotiations stuck in setting the agenda of discussions, witnessing the two sides not budging an inch from their positions.

France to send 400 more soldiers to Central African Republic: Elysee

France will send 400 more soldiers to the Central African Republic (CAR) where sectarian clashes still haunted the country despite the deployment of French and African forces to restore order.

French President Francois Hollande's office says at the end of a defense meeting at the Elysee on the situation in its former colony, France decided to increase "temporarily" the number of its servicemen to 2,000 where already 1,600 have been deployed in the violence-torn African country.

 

Smog dims Lantern Festival revelry

The tradition during Lantern Festival is to light off fireworks, but in many big cities in China, that is not the case this year.

Severe smog is once again dampening festivities across a large section of the country.

Usually, all leftover fireworks would be set off, but the air quality index in Beijing had reached level 5 by Friday morning - the most heavily polluted reading on the scale.

The city's weather department sent out an advisory, urging people not to set off any fireworks during Lantern Festival, which is the last legal day for fireworks celebrations.

 

China announces Toyota, Chrysler recalls

Toyota has announced to recall of nearly 9,400 Highlander vehicles sold in China due to defective air bags.

The recall covers Highlander vehicles produced between December last year and February this year.

Meantime, Chrysler is planning to recall over 150 imported Chrysler 300S models produced between February and May last year.

 

China mulls rules for Internet finance

The China Securities Regulatory Commission is promising to develop rules to govern the burgeoning internet finance industry.

It says it will develop guidelines with help from other agencies that have a stake in the nascent sector.

The CSRC says it is generally supportive of Internet finance, but the sector still needs proper guidance and regulation.

The new industry is led by products like Alibaba's Yu'E Bao (Leftover Treasure), which has attracted a lot of attention since its launch in June.

It lets users invest extra money in their bank accounts in a money-market fund.