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Every weekend, Asia Pacific Daily will provide you with a run-down of the latest hot news.
This week, the following hot news you should know:
Top 1 | Xi-Biden meeting: 'Thorough, in-depth' talks conducted on Taiwan question, trade, climate change
China and the U.S. agreed to continue to maintain close contact through various means and bring bilateral relations back to the right track of sound and steady development in a virtual meeting between the two heads of state on Tuesday.
The meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden was "candid, constructive, substantive and productive," and major topics of concern including the Taiwan question, trade and climate change topped the agenda.
The highly-anticipated virtual meeting came after a year of ups and downs in bilateral ties.
Top 2 | China calls for joint 'active steps' to advance ties with U.S. in 'positive direction'
Chinese President Xi Jinping, speaking during a virtual meeting with his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden on Tuesday, called for China-U.S. relations to be advanced "in a positive direction" with "active steps."
"China and the U.S. should each run their domestic affairs well and, at the same time, shoulder their share of international responsibilities, and work together to advance the noble cause of world peace and development," Xi said, before calling for the two sides to increase communication and cooperation.
Noting that China and the U.S. are the world's two largest economies and permanent members of the UN Security Council, he said the two countries should work together to advance the cause of world peace and development.
Top 3 | Wang Yi says China to continue offering COVID-19 vaccines to ASEAN countries
China will continue to strengthen its efforts in offering COVID-19 vaccines to the countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), until the ultimate win of the pandemic, said Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday.
Wang made the remarks when meeting with ASEAN countries' diplomats based in Beijing.
According to official data, trade between China and the ASEAN has exceeded $410 billion in the first half of this year, up 38.2 percent year-on-year. China is willing to work with ASEAN countries in pushing for the economic revive and promote regional integration and economic globalization, Wang said.
Top 4 | COP26 concludes with Glasgow Climate Pact but stubborn issues remain uncertain
The United Nations climate change conference concluded in Glasgow on Saturday after a one-day extension, with negotiators agreeing on a new global pact to tackle climate change.
Nearly 200 participating countries adopted the Glasgow Climate Pact at the end of 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
The pact is the first COP agreement to explicitly reference fossil fuels, including oil, gas, and coal, and acknowledge their role in escalating climate change.
Top 5 | China's 'star' jet trainer L-15 appears at Dubai Airshow 2021
China's locally-built jet trainer L-15, dubbed by the media as a "star model," appeared at the Dubai Airshow 2021 which began on Sunday.
The L-15 is a two-seat, twin-engine supersonic model designed to satisfy the need of training the best pilots.
"The model is for export purposes," military expert Wang Mingliang told China Media Group (CMG). "Its performance is on-par with third-generation fighters."
Wang added that the jet is equipped with weapons enabling to serve as a real fighter when necessary.
Top 6 | China vows to enhance innovation cooperation with Israel
China stands ready to promote the sustained, healthy and stable development of its innovative comprehensive partnership with Israel and bring more benefits to the two peoples, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday.
President Xi made the remarks in a telephone conversation with Israeli President Isaac Herzog ahead of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries next year.
China and Israel established diplomatic ties in January 1992. They announced a bilateral innovative comprehensive partnership in March 2017.
Top 7 | China expresses strong protest, firm objection to Lithuania's approval of establishment of so-called 'Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania'
China on Thursday expressed strong protest over and firm opposition to Lithuania's approval of the establishment of the so-called "Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania", according to a Foreign Ministry spokesperson.
The Lithuanian government, in disregard of the Chinese side's strong objection and repeated dissuasion, approved the establishment of the so-called "Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania" by the Taiwan authorities.
This act created the false impression of "one China, one Taiwan" in the world, flagrantly violated the one-China principle, and renounced Lithuania's political commitment in the communiqué on the establishment of diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, undermined China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and grossly interfered in China's internal affairs.
Top 8 | Putin accuses the West of taking Russia's "red lines" too lightly
President Vladimir Putin has said the West is taking Russia's warnings not to cross its "red lines” too lightly and accused NATO of destroying all mechanisms for dialogue with Moscow.
In a wide-ranging televised foreign policy speech on Thursday, Putin also described relations with the United States as "unsatisfactory" but said Russia remained open to talks with Washington.
The Kremlin said in September that NATO, the U.S.-headed transatlantic security alliance with which Moscow severed ties last month, would overstep a Russian red line if it expanded its military infrastructure in neighbouring Ukraine.
Top 9 | UN experts review plans for release of Fukushima plant water
A team from the UN nuclear agency arrived in Japan on Monday to assess preparations for the release into the ocean of treated radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant.
The six experts on the team from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are to meet with Japanese officials and visit the Fukushima Daiichi plant to discuss technical details of the planned release, Japanese officials said.
The government and the plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO), announced plans in April to start gradually releasing the treated radioactive water in the spring of 2023 to allow for the removal of hundreds of storage tanks to make room for facilities needed for the destroyed plant's decommissioning.
Top 10 | 2021 WTO world trade report calls for increased economic resilience
The World Trade Organization (WTO) called on Tuesday for increased economic resilience by unwinding trade integration, as well as more regional and multilateral cooperation.
The body made the appeal in a new world trade report that examined vulnerabilities and resilience in global trade. The report noted that today's hyper-connected global economy has made the world simultaneously more vulnerable and resilient to shocks.
"Ongoing WTO negotiations on services, investment, agriculture, electronic commerce and micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises could create further opportunities for inclusive trade and diversification, making economies more resilient in the future," said WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. She added that "reinvigorated international cooperation, not a retreat into isolationism, is the more promising path to resilience."
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
