The World in Brief

  • A Chinese delegation headed by Chinese chief negotiator Long Yongtu visited Switzerland for key talks with World Trade Organization members in a bid to resolve the remaining issues in the multi-lateral process concerning China's WTO entry.

  • China has agreed to a Japanese request they hold talks to end the escalating trade dispute. On April 23 this year, the Japanese Government started temporary protective measures against three farm products including green onion, fresh mushroom and tatami rushes, which are mainly imports from China. In retaliation, China began to impose 100 percent tariffs on 60 Varieties of products from a range of three classes of Japanese goods including mobile phones, vehicles and air conditioners.

  • China's foreign minister Tang Jiaxuan and US Secretary of State Colin Powell agreed during a telephone conversation requested by the United States on June 28 that bilateral relations had taken a turn for the better. China reiterated it attaches importance to its relations with the US, hoping to forge constructive and cooperative relations with the US.

  • A powerful earth quake hit southern Peru and parts of Chile and Bolivia last Saturday. Aftershocks continued to be felt in parts of Peru. The death toll rose Wednesday to 115, according to the country's civil defense authorities. Some 1,390 people were injured and 53 people were still missing. Almost 73,400 people have been left homeless and more than 21,000 homes were left uninhabitable.

  • Vladimiro Montesinos, Peru's former spy chief, was arrested in Venezuela and deported to Lima to face Charges of arms- and drug- dealing, embezzlement, directing death-squads and money-laundering. Mr. Montesinos was the eminence grise behind president Albert Fujimori, who was forced to resign last year.

  • Colin Powell, the American secretary of state, flew to Middle East after meeting Sharon, the Israeli prime minister, in Washington, DC. After meeting with Powell, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat said at the joint news conference Thursday that the Palestinians will continues its commitment to the ceasefire plan with Israel.

  • Former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic was handed over to the custody of the United Nations war crimes tribunal in The Hague on Thursday. He would be the first former head of government to be brought before the International War Crimes Tribunal.

  • Ousted Philippine president Joseph Estrada appeared in the anti-graft court Wednesday for his arraignment on perjury charges. This was the first time Estrada appeared in court since he was arrested and incarcerated on a plunder complaint on April 25.

  • UN Secretary-General Kofi Atta Annan was unanimously approved by the 15-member Security Council Wednesday for a second five-year term as the world's top diplomat.

    (CIIC 07/01/2001)



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