Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

SHANGHAI, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- China has launched its first domestically built polar research vessel and icebreaker "Xuelong 2" or "Snow Dragon" which will be operational in the first half of 2019.

The vessel was deployed in Shanghai on Monday and will go through a series of tests and interior decoration before beginning official operations, according to its builder Jiangnan Shipyard Group.

The launch of the vessel has extensively boosted China's polar research and expedition capabilities, said the builder.

Beijing, Sept 10, IRNA – In the framework of the new Silk Road program, China has established a new railway between Inner Mongolia and Iran for logistics purposes.

CHANGCHUN, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- China's leading train maker on Friday released its new-generation carbon-fiber light rail train at an exhibition held in Changchun, capital of northeast China's Jilin Province.

The body of the train is made of carbon fiber composite and weighs 30 percent less than those made of stainless steel, making it more energy-efficient, according to its manufacturer CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles Co. Ltd.

BEIJING, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- China's goods trade went up 9.1 percent year on year to 19.43 trillion yuan (about 2.85 trillion U.S. dollars) in the first eight months of this year, customs data showed Saturday.

Exports rose 5.4 percent year on year in the January-August period to 10.34 trillion yuan while imports grew 13.7 percent to 9.09 trillion yuan, resulting in a trade surplus of 1.25 trillion yuan, which narrowed by 31.3 percent, according to the General Administration of Customs.

In August, exports rose by 7.9 percent while imports jumped by 18.8 percent.

BEIJING, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Saturday's China Daily published an article titled "The West once again gets it wrong on China," which is an excerpt from a signed article published on Qiushi magazine. The following is the full text of the article:

The United States equates China's economy with "state capitalism", saying socialist market economy is not real market economy but state-led protectionist and mercantilist economy, which, it claims justifies the imposition of high tariffs on Chinese goods.

Kathmandu, Sept 8; GANASHAKTI: Kathmandu and Beijing have finalised a transit protocol that will give Nepal access to Chinese ports for trade with China and beyond. This will bring to an end Nepal’s heavy dependence on Indian ports for trade with other countries.

Officials of the two governments signed the protocol after a marathon meeting on Thursday night, giving final shape to the framework treaty signed between the two countries when Nepal Prime Minister K P Oli visited China in March 2016 in the wake of economic blockade by India.

Manila, Sep 8 (AFP) Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday blamed US President Donald Trump after inflation hit a nine-year high in the Philippines, hurting the image of the populist leader.

It was an unexpected claim from the fiery Duterte, a one-time fierce critic of the United States but who has since embraced Trump after the business tycoon was elected in November, 2016.

When questioned by reporters about the 6.4 per cent inflation in August, a nine-year high that exceeded most analysts' forecasts, Duterte blamed Trump's economic policies.

BEIJING, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday congratulated via a video on the opening of a forum in Kazakhstan to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative.

In the video, Xi also extended sincere gratitude to Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and sincere regards to all the guests at the forum.

After the initiative was put forward, it has gained extensive attention from the international community and active response from related countries, Xi said.

HANOI, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- During upcoming World Economic Forum on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) slated for Sept. 11-13 in Vietnam's capital, 1,000 delegates from 43 countries and regions will focus their discussions on five key topics, organizers said on Thursday.

BEIJING (AP) — A rocket developed by Chinese company iSpace blasted into space Wednesday carrying three miniature satellites in another milestone for the country’s budding private spaceflight industry.

Reports said the SQX-1Z rocket took off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China and entered space at a suborbital level. Two of the satellites will be released into space for testing while the third will re-enter the atmosphere and parachute down to Earth.