China trims GDP target, citing severe challenges Beijing, China | AFP | Chinese Premier Li Keqiang warned Sunday the world’s second-largest economy faces severe challenges, signalling a further deceleration as he announced a trimmed 2017 GDP growth target of “around 6.5 percent.” The economy is already growing at its slowest …
Read More »Key points on China’s annual parliamentary meeting
Beijing, China | AFP | Thousands of politicians from across China have converged on Beijing for the country’s annual legislative meetings known as the “lianghui” or “two sessions”. The gathering provides a glimpse into the country’s politics and priorities, and this year’s event is being monitored particularly closely for hints …
Read More »China counts over 100 billionaires among top Communist legislators
Beijing, CHINA | AFP | China counts more than 100 billionaires among its top legislators, with 209 of the richest holding wealth nearly equivalent to Belgium’s annual GDP, according to a report released as the Communist Party’s annual parliamentary session started Friday. A key focus of the sessions is eliminating …
Read More »COMMENT: Achieving Africa’s industrialisation
COMMENT: By Justin Yifu Lin and Andrea Goldstein In an interconnected global economy, effective development demands effective external partnerships In the mid-2000s, after decades in the slow lane, African economies hit the accelerator. But what lies ahead for the continent is not an open highway. If Africa is to achieve …
Read More »Russia, China veto UN resolution on Syria sanctions
United Nations, United States | AFP | Russia and China on Tuesday vetoed a Western-backed UN resolution that would have imposed sanctions on Syria over chemical weapons use, in the first clash at the Security Council since US President Donald Trump took office. The twin vetoes came as peace talks …
Read More »China overtakes US as Germany’s top trade partner
Frankfurt am Main, Germany | AFP | China overtook the United States last year to become Germany’s biggest trading partner for the first time, official data showed, a shift likely to reassure Berlin as worries grow over US President Donald Trump’s protectionist leanings. The figures compiled by federal statistics office …
Read More »As North Korea steps up sanctions-busting, UN notifies Uganda
United Nations, United States | AFP | North Korea is flouting tougher new UN sanctions with more ingenuous tactics, circumventing trade bans by relying on middlemen and front companies, notably in Malaysia and China, a report by UN sanctions experts says. The 100-page report, obtained by AFP, confirmed that North …
Read More »First drug-resistant malaria parasite detected in Africa
Miami, United States | AFP | For the first time in Africa, researchers said Wednesday they have detected a malaria parasite that is partially resistant to the top anti-malaria drug, artemisinin, raising concern about efforts to fight a disease that sickens hundreds of millions of people each year. The discovery …
Read More »Bird-flu deaths rise in China, shutting poultry markets
Beijing, China | AFP | China is experiencing its deadliest outbreak of the H7N9 bird-flu strain since it first appeared in humans in 2013, killing 79 people in January alone and spurring several cities to suspend live poultry trade. The National Health and Family Planning Commission said on Wednesday that …
Read More »Enter the dragon: rural Chinese honour mythical beast
Liancheng, China | AFP | Dragons several hundred metres long snake their way down pastoral roads and through country hamlets, part of centuries-old Chinese folk celebrations for a mythical creature revered as a blessing. The visually striking festival is among a range of colourful traditional observances unique to eastern Fujian …
Read More »