A blind Chinese activist was hurriedly taken from a hospital today and boarded a plane that took off for the United States, closing a nearly month-long diplomatic tussle that had tested US-China relations.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Chinese officials today pledged to expand high-level talks on economic issues to include troubling security matters.

Pro-democracy opposition figures scored three new seats in Hong Kong’s parliament, but fell short of expectations, official results showed today, as critics attacked problems with the voting and the count.