In a rare concession on a highly responsive issue, Chinese President Hu Jintao used his White House appointment on Wednesday to acknowledge "a lot still needs to be done" to improve human rights in his population accused of repressing its people. President Barack Obama pushed China to adopt fundamental freedoms but assured Hu the U.S. considers the communist nation a friend and imperative economic partner
Hu's comments met with in need of attention skepticism from human rights advocates, who dismissed them as words backed by thumbs down real history of action. Hu contended his country has "made enormous progress" but provided no specifics.
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HANGZHOU — Gravel-laden barges glide past the willow-fringed banks of the Grand Canal, plying a trade route built 2,500 years ago to bring grain from China's fertile south to its rulers in the north.Now the 1,800-kilometer (1,125-mile) passage is part of an even grander scheme: a $150 billion plan to bring water from the mighty Yangtze river to the parched north in what is the world's most expensive infrastructure project.
Increasingly, a group of rising economies from Brazil to the United Arab Emirates is building the showcase projects that once were mainly the pride of the U.S., Western Europe and Japan. America's Hoover Dam made headlines in the 1930s; today, it is China's $25 billion Three Gorges Dam.Just as railways and highways transformed America into an industrial superpower, the 21st-century building boom is laying the foundations for these rapidly growing economies to join the top leagues. Full Story
China and North Korea reached consensus on the Korean peninsula crisis after "candid" talks, Chinese state media reported, which analysts said suggested Pyongyang likely agreed not to inflame the situation.
The meeting came as Beijing and Washington continued to trade barbs over how best to deal with the spike in tension on the divided peninsula, with China rejecting U.S. pressure to take its impoverished ally to task over last month's artillery attack on the South. China’s Xinhua news agency said State Councilor Dai Bingguo met the isolated North's ailing leader Kim Jong-Il for talks in the Pyongyang and "the two sides reached consensus on bilateral relations and the situation on the Korean peninsula after candid and in-depth talks."
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China's call for a return to talks is an inadequate response to the threat posed by North Korea, America's top military officer said Wednesday.China reacted to the increased tensions after the artillery shelling of a South Korean island killed four people by urging a return to the six-party talks that include North Korea, South Korea, China, the United States, Japan and Russia.
"Beijing's call for consultations will not be a substitute for action,"said Adm.Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.He called on China to take action against North Korea because it has the best leverage to stop the rogue nation's "reckless behavior." So the potential for instability has increased. And I also believe that China's leadership has more influence in Pyongyang than any other country, period. Full Story
