China informs Malaysia, Australia its satellite imagery finding

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei says China has informed Malaysia and Australia soon after a Chinese satellite spotted a large object possibly related to missing flight MH370.
Satellite imagery, captured by the high-definition earth observation satellite "Gaofen-1", shows a 22-meter-long, 13-meter-wide object in the southern Indian Ocean according to the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense.
Hong Lei says China hopes that these data will be helpful for searching and rescuing efforts.
He says it still needs further analysis and verification on whether the suspicious floating object is related to the missing Malaysia Airlines plane, adding that China's sea and air search-and-rescue forces are heading for the southern Indian Ocean. 
Hong Lei says China will continue to cooperate closely with parties concerned and share information with them, so as to make an all-out effort to search and rescue work.

Chinese planes arrive in Perth to step up search efforts

Two highly-anticipated Chinese Air Force planes arrived Saturday afternoon at the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Pearce Air Force base to drive the ongoing search for signs of missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 now focusing on the southern Indian Ocean. 
Commander Liu dianjun told Xinhua he hoped the integration of Chinese military assets can precipitate a swift conclusion to the agonizing international search for MH370 that has gone missing since March 8. 
With Australian and New Zealand airforce P3 Orions limited by the vast distances and their dependence on infrared imaging, the Chinese IL-76 will be a welcome relief to the authorities here as the challenges of the task at hand begin to overwhelm available resources. 
Australia's Acting Prime Minister Warren Truss told media earlier Saturday that the IL-76 was certain to play a key role in the coming critical days as the air search changed from radar detection to visual sightings.

 

Chinese president arrives in Netherlands for state visit, nuclear summit

Chinese President Xi Jinping is now in Amsterdam for a state visit to the Netherlands and a global nuclear summit.
The Netherlands is the first leg of Xi Jinping's European tour, which will also take him to France, Germany and Belgium. He will attend the third Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) in The Hague from March 24 to 25. 
Xi is the first Chinese president to visit the Netherlands since the two states established diplomatic relations in 1972. He will meet King Willem-Alexander and parliamentary leaders, and hold talks with Prime Minister Mark Rutte. The two sides will sign cooperation agreements on agriculture, energy, finance and culture.

DPRK fires 30 more short-range missiles amid S. Korea-U.S. military drills

North Korea fired off a total of 30 more short-range missiles Saturday morning amid the continued joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States. 
The launch came six days after Pyongyang fired off 25 FROG missiles, which were introduced by North Korea from the Soviet Union from the 1960s.

 

Michelle Obama supports studying abroad for "bridges of understanding"

In a speech at the Stanford Center at Peking University, U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama has called on students to study abroad to build "bridges of understanding" during her visit to a Beijing university. 
She said on the 35th anniversary of China-U.S. diplomatic relations, the U.S. government is supporting more American students in China than any other country in the world. 
After the speech, Obama, her daughters Malia and Sasha, and her mother Marian Robinson took a tour of the Summer Palace in the suburbs of Beijing.
They will visit the Great Wall on Sunday.

 

Rescue continues in central China mine blast

Rescuers have retrieved four bodies from the scene of Friday's colliery explosion in central China's Henan Province.
Local authorities say rescuers have made the site safe, after gas filled the pit in Ruzhou City on Friday morning.
When the blast occurred, 250 miners were working more than 500 meters underground. Nine are still missing. 
Rescuers are clearing the coal bed and restoring the lift system to cintinue the search.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation.

China to reform college entrance exam system

China is soon to unveil a reform plan on the college entrance examination, considering two separate test modes for technical and academic students.
An educational official says the first mode, targeting the technically inclined students such as those who want to be engineers, senior mechanic and high-quality laborers, will assess the candidates' technical skills and textbook knowledge as a combination.
The second mode, the current practice throughout the country, tests only textbook knowledge. The mode applies to the academically inclined students, according to the official.