China keeps silent over Kim visit, speculation continues
January 12, 2006China on Thursday continued to refrain from confirming or denying that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is visiting the country, while the mystery of his whereabouts deepened further. ''Presently I really do not know any information that I can provide to everyone,'' Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said at a press briefing.
6 nations agree on technical cooperation to curb global warming
January 12, 2006Six countries that account for almost half of the world's greenhouse gas emissions agreed during the first Asia-Pacific climate conference here Thursday to promote technical cooperation in eight industrial sectors to fight global warming. Senior ministers from Australia, Japan, the United States, China, India and South Korea adopted a joint communique at the end of the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate, in which they agreed to set up working groups in each of the eight sectors and work out action plans by mid-2006.