Chinese agriculture vice-minister Gao Hongbin is to visit an export-approved beef plant today as part of a formal tour in which “significant” progress has been made in food trade talks between the two countries.

A Chinese inventor is using recycled toilets to make school desks.

A NEW ZEALAND petrol station owner suspected of withdrawing millions of dollars and going on the run after a bank error has appeared in court after being extradited from Hong Kong.

At least 17 kindergarten children and two adults were killed today when a school minibus with just nine seats but crammed with 64 people crashed on its way to class in western China, state media reported.

A dissident Chinese lawyer who was missing for more than a year suddenly resurfaced today, saying he is now living in northern China and wants only to spend time with his family away from media attention.

China today demanded richer countries set aside a fixed amount of their national income to help poorer nations fight global warming.

A Chinese milk company knew their product was contaminated with a dangerous chemical six weeks ago, but did nothing to remove it from shop shelves according to a major shareholder.

The Tibetan government-in-exile has asked for a temporary stop to protests against China as the country grapples with the aftermath of an earthquake that has killed 40,000 and left millions more homeless.

A Chinese national spent half an hour in the Royal Canal on a freezing winter night after being pushed down a steep incline into the water by three teenage thugs who had attempted to rob him.

China's state media today welcomed US toy maker Mattel's apology regarding its recalls of Chinese-made toys, saying that although overdue it should help restore the country's sullied export reputation.

DAVID BENTLEY improved his chances of an England call-up with a superb volley that put Blackburn on the road to the first round of the UEFA Cup.

A JAILED Chinese reporter accused of leaking state secrets has joined a US lawsuit claiming internet giant Yahoo helped the government convict dissidents, his mother said yesterday.

A jailed Chinese reporter accused of leaking state secrets has joined a US lawsuit claiming Yahoo helped the Chinese government convict dissidents, his mother said today.

China’s top health official today said the pollution of the Songhua River by a chemical spill was a big problem which has highlighted the country’s need to have contingency plans for emergencies.

The San Diego Zoo’s baby panda got a special present for her 100-day birthday: a name.

Authorities in south-eastern China put 800,000 people in temporary shelters as Typhoon Haitang churned toward the coast today with fierce rains and high winds after hammering northern Taiwan and leaving three people dead.

Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from China’s south-east coast ahead of the expected arrival of Typhoon Haitang.

An airliner that crashed in northern China exploded seconds after take-off and “broke into flaming fragments” before plunging into an ice-covered lake, killing 54 people, but investigators found no evidence of terrorism, reports said today.

GOVERNMENTS across East Asia were today considering tougher measures in their struggle to stop the SARS outbreak that has killed at least 205 people worldwide and infected more than 3,800 – most of them in Asia.

Twelve more people have died of the SARS virus and more than 300 new cases have been diagnosed, China announced today.

Brazil v China teams

Brazil v China teams

China face Costa Rica in their opening games of the World Cup today.

China today expelled a US-based Chinese sociologist convicted of spying for Taiwan, a US official said.

A US-based Chinese sociologist has been convicted in Beijing of spying and sentenced to 10 years.

A US-based political scientist whose detention in China has caused a diplomatic uproar in Washington has been formally arrested on spying charges.