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Politics & Society

Hu Jintao to make landmark visit to Japan

President Hu Jintao will visit Japan from May 6 to 10, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday. According to state media, it will be the first visit to Japan by a Chinese president in a decade. Hu is expected to meet with Japan’s Emperor Akihito and hold talks with Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda. The […]

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Politics & Society

IOC chief calls on West to cool human rights talk

The West should stop harrassing China over human rights abuses in the run-up to the Beijing Olympics, said Olympic committee chief Jacques Rogge, the Financial Times reported. Rogge called harsh criticism of China a "big mistake" for those who wish to see progress in China, pointing out that Western countries only gradually evolved a concept […]

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Politics & Society

Zimbabwe-bound arms shipment recalled

China’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that a ship carrying arms bound for Zimbabwe had been recalled by the Chinese company behind the sale, Reuters reported. Speaking at a news conference, ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said the recall was made because the ship was unable to unload its goods at port in South Africa. Port […]

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Politics & Society

Hu calls for French cooperation in easing tensions

President Hu Jintao said French cooperation was necessary to restore Sino-French relations following the Olympic torch protests in Paris and subsequent picketing of Carrefour stores in China by local demonstrators, AFP reported. In a meeting with Christian Poncelet, leader of the French Senate, Hu complained about the protests against China’s control of Tibet that overshadowed […]

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Politics & Society

US calls on China to halt Zimbabwe arms shipment

The US State Department has asked China to withdraw an arms shipment to Zimbabwe and halt further such shipments to the African country, AFP reported. A Chinese ship, the An Yue Jiang, has had to abandon plans to offload arms in the South African port of Durban, following a court case that barred it from […]