President Xi Jinping arrives in Ashkhabad, Turkmenistan, on Tuesday, the first stop of his first trip to Central Asia since he took office in March. Huang Jingwen / Xinhua
China and Turkmenistan vowed on Tuesday to be "long-term, stable and reliable" energy partners and ensure the annual transport of 65 billion cubic meters of natural gas to China by 2016 through the world's longest natural gas pipeline.
A group-buying website, which has received orders for 300,000 mitten crabs from Germany, said on Tuesday it has dropped its sales plan because of quarantine restrictions. "We are the first to try to import crabs from Germany, and we underestimated the complicated imports process," juhuasuan.com said on its micro blog. Quality inspection and quarantine authorities said last month the crabs are not qualified for import because they don't have risk assessment and quarantine reports from the German authorities.
The friendly relationship between China and Turkmenistan dates back a long time. The commercial and cultural exchanges along the ancient Silk Road have laid a solid foundation for the traditional friendship between the two countries. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1992, bilateral relations have come a long way. Last year, two-way trade reached a record $10.3 billion and growth rose more than 100-fold in seven years. The two sides both have communicated and coordinated effectively with the United Nations and with regards to Central Asian affairs. Both have firmly upheld their common strategic interests. China is satisfied with the achievements in its relations with Turkmenistan.
'A man in his 90s sobbed at the door of an old adobe house. He grumbled that he had so much farm work to do every day, but his mother still assigned him new tasks, such as helping his grandmother chop firewood and cook supper. When asked where his mother was, the old man pointed to the mountains and said: 'She's cutting pigweed somewhere in the valley'."
Four issues will be in the spotlight at the upcoming G20 summit in St. Petersburg, Russia: boosting confidence in global economic growth, promoting reform of global governance, increasing unity and cooperation among developing countries, and evaluating China's economic growth trend.
American 64-year-old long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad became the first person to swim across the Florida Straits from Cuba without a shark cage on Monday, succeeding on her fifth attempt at the feat.
China's economic growth is expected to pick up to 8 percent by the fourth quarter after a slowdown in the first half of 2013, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said on Tuesday in its latest assessment.
After three reviews over the past two years, a revised Trademark Law was approved last week by China's top legislative body. It will take effect on May 1 next year.
Dubbed the "Ancient Roman Castles of the Orient", more than 600 enclosed houses in southern Jiangxi province still stand today, testament to the history of the Hakka people, who migrated here from Central China and built these mini-fortresses to defend themselves against local outlaws.
Arsenal smashed its transfer record by luring German playmaker Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid on Monday, while Manchester United made a late move to sign Marouane Fellaini from Everton.
Shuozhou is a city that shines with both historic and modern charms.