China

China move good for Rooney – Sven

Eriksson, who has managed Guangzhou R&F, Shanghai SIPG and Shenzhen FC, insists foreign players are treated magnificently in the country and feels Rooney would be able to settle easily.

After making what could be his last United appearance as a late substitute in the Europa League final last month, the 31-year-old revealed he has "lots of offers from England and abroad" and was close to reaching a decision on his future.

China cracks down on toothpick crossbow toys

The new gadget toy appears to be selling like hotcakes in China - much to the horror of concerned parents across the country.

The tiny crossbows fire toothpicks powerful enough to break cardboard, apples or even soda cans.

Some cities worried the toys can cause serious injury have now banned them.

According to Chinese media, cities like Chengdu, Kunming and Harbin have already banned sales of the toy, while parents in Hong Kong are also raising concerns.

Dog meat festival begins despite rumours of ban

The Lychee and Dog Meat festival takes place annually in Guangxi province.

Earlier this year, US campaigners claimed that vendors had been told by authorities not to sell dog meat.

But stall holders had told the BBC they had heard nothing about this from officials. On 15 May, city officials confirmed there was no ban.

On Wednesday, reports from Yulin said dead dogs could be seen hanging from meat hooks at stalls in Dongkou market, the biggest in the city. There were also reports of a heavy police presence on the streets.

Pacific Island nations welcomed in Chinese initiative

Deputy director-general of the Information Department at the China Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wang Xining, says they would like to promote trade with all countries.

Xining highlighted that the key idea of the Belt and Road initiative is connectivity.

The Belt and Road (B&R) is a development strategy proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping that focuses on connectivity and cooperation between Eurasian countries.

​PNG invited to join Asian investment bank

AIIB is based in Beijing, China, and is a multilateral development bank that aims to support the building of infrastructure in the Asia Pacific region.

The bank has 52 member states while another 18 are prospective members as of March 2017 and was proposed as an initiative by the government of China.

Head of communication and development at AIIB, Laurel Ostfield, said AIIB is yet to fund infrastructure projects in the Pacific region.

Fiji and Samoa are the only members from the Pacific region, Samoa recently joined this month.

​China commits to addressing climate change

Deputy Director-General of the Information Department at the China Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wang Xining, said China has taken a lot of measures to address global warming.

These include penalising enterprises violating the environment protection law in order to bring up a more sustainable economic development module.

Xining explained during a dialogue with Asia Pacific journalists that China has stressed out innovative ways to put the green elements into the economic growth.

China committed to addressing climate change

Deputy Director-General of the Information Department at the China Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wang Xining said China has taken a lot of measures to address global warming.

These include penalising enterprises violating the environment protection law in order to bring up a more sustainable economic development module.

Xining explained during a dialogue with Asia Pacific journalists that China has stressed out innovative ways to put the green elements into the economic growth.

China claims breakthrough in mining 'flammable ice'

Chinese authorities have described the success as a major breakthrough.

Methane hydrates, also called "flammable ice", hold vast reserves of natural gas.

Many countries including the US and Japan are working on how to tap those reserves, but mining and extracting are extremely difficult.

What is 'flammable ice'?

The catchy phrase describes a frozen mixture of water and gas.

China, India could help offset US climate failures

Climate Action Tracker, an umbrella group for three climate think tanks, said sweeping policy changes by US President Donald Trump would flatten out a recent US trend of falling greenhouse gas emissions, unless cancelled out by other events.

"The highly adverse rollbacks of US climate policies by the Trump Administration, if fully implemented and not compensated by other actors, are projected to flatten US emissions instead of continuing on a downward trend," said Professor Niklas Höhne, from one of the think tanks, NewClimate Institute.

North Korea: China stomping on 'red line' in relations

A commentary in the state-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun vowed North Korea would not give up its nuclear program. It accused China of "dancing to the tune of the US" and providing Washington excuses to deploy more military assets to the Korean Peninsula.