China

Beijing, Feb 11 : US negotiators were in Beijing on Monday for a new round of high-stakes trade talks, hoping to reach a deal before the March 1 deadline set by Donald Trump as the IMF warned of a possible global economic "storm".

Preliminary discussions had been expected to start on Monday, according to the White House, before US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin step in for the main event on Thursday and Friday.

Washington, Feb 11; PTI/GANASHAKTI: The US sailed two warships close to the disputed islands in the South China Sea on Monday to challenge China's excessive maritime claim, according to a media report which said the move is certain to draw the ire of Beijing.

The guided-missile destroyers USS Spruance and USS Preble sailed within 12 nautical miles of the Spratly Islands as part of what the US Navy calls a "freedom of navigation operation," CNN reported.

ANTARCTICA, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- A total of 37 members on China's 35th Antarctic research mission on Friday night arrived at the Zhongshan Station after a six-day 520-km journey amid storms.

They started off from the Taishan Station on Feb. 3, which, at an altitude of 2,621 meters, is located between the Zhongshan and the Kunlun Stations. The stations are the latest three out of the four scientific research bases on the Antarctic ice sheet built by China since 1964.

10 Feb 2019; Xinhua: China's icebreaker Xuelong arrives at the Zhongshan Station, a Chinese research base in Antarctica, Feb. 9, 2019 and started to transfer fuel oil to the station by helicopter.

BEIJING, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Liu He will hold a new round of high-level China-U.S. economic and trade consultation with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in Beijing from Feb. 14 to 15.

Building on the recent consultation in Washington, the two sides will have further discussion on issues of common concern.

The U.S. delegation will arrive in Beijing on Feb. 11.

CHICAGO, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- General Motors (GM) sold 3.65 million vehicles last year in China, which retained the title of the biggest market for the leading U.S. auto maker.

GM released its 2018 year-end report on Wednesday, saying that in the midst of a softening auto market in China, it delivered 3,645,044 vehicles there, down 9.8 percent year on year.

Still, it sold more units in China in 2018 than its home market, where GM delivered nearly 3 million vehicles.

NEW YORK, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Science-fiction (sci-fi) lovers and cinemagoers in the United States can soon enjoy China's first homemade sci-fi blockbuster as "The Wandering Earth" will premiere in the country on Tuesday, the first day of the Chinese New Year.

A total of 29 cities across the United States will see the movie released, among which 12 will roll out the movie in the form of IMAX 3D, including New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and San Francisco.

3 Feb 2019; Xinhua: The Kunlun team and the Taishan team of China's 35th Antarctic expedition move amid a blizzard in Antarctica on Feb. 3, 2019.

The Kunlun team and the Taishan team of China's 35th Antarctic expedition left the Taishan Station for Zhongshan Station, which is some 520 kilometers away. They are expected to reach the destination on Feb. 8.

Beijing, Feb 3 (PTI) Playing down concerns over economic slowdown in China amid the intense trade war with the US, President Xi Jinping on Sunday said the world's second largest economy has made "steady" progress as his government took new steps for reforms and opening-up of economy to avert major risks.

Greeting Chinese people on the eve of the Lunar New Year, also known as Spring Festival, Xi said at an official reception here that in the past year China has made efforts and "achieved a lot".

03 Feb 2019; AFP: China is fast-tracking a foreign investment law at an unprecedented pace to meet Washington's demands on trade, but businesses fear that time to review and raise objections on a crucial piece of legislation has been cut short.

The law will eliminate the requirement for foreign enterprises to transfer proprietary technology to Chinese joint-venture partners.

It also includes other steps to level the business playing field that Western trading partners have long demanded.