CRI Hourly News 2012 09 24

Japan's vice 1 FM to Visit Beijing to Repair Ties

The Japanese government has decided 2 to dispatch its Foreign Ministry's top official to China on a two- day tour to repair frayed 3 bilateral 4 ties over islands in the East China Sea.

Deputy Foreign Minister Chikao Kawai will start his visit to Beijing Monday afternoon, and is expected to hold talks Tuesday with Chinese vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun.

Earlier in the day, Kawai lodged 5 a protest over the phone with Chinese Ambassador to Japan Cheng Yonghua about the latest entry of Chinese surveillance vessels 6 into waters near the Diaoyu Islands.

Relations between Tokyo and Beijing have soured in the aftermath of Japan's so called "nationalization plan" earlier this month of the Diaoyu Islands, which are claimed by both countries.

5 admit to vandalism in S China protest

Five people in the south China city of Shenzhen have turned themselves into police after tip-offs on social networks concerning recent damage to Japanese private property.

The damage occurred during the recent nationwide anti-Japanese protests following Tokyo's alleged 7 purchase of the disputed Diaoyu Islands.

The district authorities in Futian had posted photos of 20 people on Sina Weibo - China's Twitter - that they wanted to question in connection to the damage.

Wang Lijun sentenced to 15 years in prison

A court in southwest China's Chengdu city has sentenced former Chongqing police chief Wang Lijun to 15 years in prison.

Wang, also the former vice mayor of Chongqing, has been found guilty of bending the law for selfish ends, defection, abuse of power as well as bribery 8.

The Chengdu City Intermediate People's Court says Wang received a combined punishment for all the offences.

He has decided not to appeal the verdict.

40 injured in fight at N China Foxconn plant

Forty people have been injured in a fight that broke out among workers at a Foxconn plant in north China's Shanxi Province.

Three people are in a serious condition.

The fight started late Sunday night in the site's dormitory zone in Taiyuan, attracting more than 10,000 spectators.

Around 5,000 policemen were sent to the scene, bringing it under control at Monday morning.

An initial investigation 9 found that the fight broke out as workers from Shandong Province clashed with those from Henan.

Foxconn, the world's largest maker 10 of computer components 11, currently has about 1 million employees on the Chinese mainland, including more than 70,000 in the Taiyuan plant.

Akhmetov approved as new Kazakh PM

The Kazakh parliament has approved Serik Akhmetov as the new prime minister of the Central Asian country.

Akhmetov, the first deputy prime minister, was named by President Nursultan Nazarbayev to succeed long-serving Prime Minister Karim Masimov.

Masimov resigned earlier on Monday to take the post as head of the presidential administration.

Sudanese and South Sudanese Presidents hold talks over issues

The leaders of Sudan and South Sudan have held talks in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa over long standing 12 disputes, with another meeting scheduled for later today.

The Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir and South Sudan's Salva Kir spent almost 2 hours discussing differences over the border, oil revenues as well as the disputed region of Abyei.

With the issue of Abyei previously 13 taking both sides to the brink 14 of war, the United Natioins is threatening sanctions if the latest talks don't end in an agreement.

More talks are expected at the summit later today, with both the Sudanese and South Sudanese Presidents expected to attend.

S&P lowers China GDP perspective to 7.5%

Ratings agency Standard & Poor has lowered its prediction for China's economic growth this year to 7.5 percent.

S&P has also downgraded the growth perspective of several other Asian countries.

The ratings agency blames the less optimistic perspective on China's economic slowdown, the eurozone crisis and a slow recovery in the US.

China approves over 9 bln QFII quotas 15 this year

China's foreign exchange regulator says it has approved over 9 billion US dollars worth of foreign investment quotas so far this year.

That covers over 70 Qualified 16 Foreign Institutional Investors 17.

The State Administration of Foreign Exchange says it has accelerated the approval process since the beginning of this year.

It says the move is designed to boost the slowing economy and accelerate the market-based reform of the country's financial system.

Beijing Benz cars could pose health risk: newspaper

Chinese media reports are claiming the strange smell in some Mercedes Benz's C-class cars could pose a health risk.

The Securities Daily newspaper quoted sources in Beijing as saying the irritating odor could make people dizzy and vomiting 18.

A third-party assessment 19 says the formaldehyde level in the cars is four times higher than the national standard.

The report blames the smell on interior materials and adhesives 20.

Beijing Mercedes Benz has rejected the result of the report.

China library unveiled at Tanzania

The China Library has been unveiled at the National Library of Tanzania, the largest library in the country.

China has donated 20 computers and 1,000 types of publications worth some 300 thousand US dollars.

The launch of the China Library is part of the "Experience China" program organized by the State Council Information Office.