New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully to visit to China, Mongolia; The Pentagon: The visit to the United States by Chinese Minister of National Defense Chang Wanquan will help sustain the "positive momentum"; Russian President Vladimir Putin meets C
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    • According to reports, New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully will travel to China, Mongolia and Hong Kong this week for a series of bilateral meetings. "This visit, which has been planned for some time, will enable me to update authorities on the response to recent meat and dairy issues," McCully said in a statement released on August 18. In China, McCully will meet his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and State Councillor Yang Jiechi to discuss a wide range of issues."Our relationship with China is much broader than trade. We are working closely together on a range of issues, including in the Pacific where China is an increasingly important player," McCully said. 1
    According to reports, the visit to the United States by Chinese Minister of National Defense Chang Wanquan will help sustain the "positive momentum" that has been achieved in the US-China military-to-military ties, the Pentagon said August 17. Chang is expected to hold talks with his US counterpart Chuck Hagel at the Pentagon on Monday, when the two "will have an opportunity to discuss a variety of issues," including the US-China relationship and the military-to-military relationship, Pentagon spokesman Steve Warren said. 2
    Reports noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin met visiting Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi in Sochi on August 17, with both sides pledging to deepen their strategic ties. Putin asked Yang to conveyed greetings to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, noting that he and Xi had agreed to lift the Russia-China relationship to a new level. Russia has the will and confidence to work with China to fully implement bilateral relations development plans, keep close contact at top levels, and deepen pragmatic cooperation, strengthen coordination on international affairs, and safeguard global and regional peace and stability, he added. 3
    Reports noted that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held telephonic talks on August 16 with his Egyptian counterpart Nabil Fahmy over the violence in Egypt. Briefing Wang on the current situation in Egypt, Fahmy said that the Egyptian government will strive to achieve reconciliation through dialogue and formulate an interim political roadmap. Reaffirming China's position on violent conflicts that have occurred in Egypt, Wang, for his part, said that China is closely following the development of the situation in Egypt. 4
    According to the Chinese State Oceanic Administration, a four-ship fleet of the China Coast Guard (CCG) patrolled the territorial waters surrounding the Diaoyu Islands on August 16, 2013. The vessels were CCG 2151, 2146, 2102 and 1126. 5
    According to reports, China summoned Japan's ambassador on August 15 to lodge a strong complaint after two Japanese cabinet ministers publicly paid their respects at a controversial Tokyo shrine for war dead, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said. Their visit to the Yasukuni Shrine "seriously harms the feelings of the people in China and other Asian victim countries", the ministry said in a statement.
    Reports noted that two Japanese cabinet ministers publicly paid their respects at the Yasakuni Shrine. China summoned the Japanese ambassador to lodge a strong complaint against this action. The Chinese ministry statement said that, “their visit to the Yasakuni Shrine seriously harms the feelings of the people in China and other Asian victim countries”. 6
    According to reports, the Chinese People's Liberation Army will conduct a four-day live-fire exercise beginning on Aug 15, off the coast of Xiangshan county, East China's Zhejiang province. It will be the second military exercise for PLA on the East China Sea this summer, following gunnery training on July 11. 7
    According to reports, China's first guideline to prevent unjust or wrongful judgments will better safeguard judicial independence, build credibility for the judicial system and help to improve public trust. The guideline, issued by the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee on August 13, said law enforcement personnel will have to bear life-long responsibility for their roles in wrongful judgments. To prevent the extortion of confessions via torture, the guideline reiterates the Criminal Procedural Law, saying all interrogations should be conducted in detention houses and recorded using audio or video equipment. 8
    According to reports, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force’s Bayi Aerobatic Team went to Moscow in order to stage their first air show with J-10 jet fighters. This team will join their Russian counterparts at the 11th Moscow Air show at the Ramenskoye Airport between August 27 and September 1. 9

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