US and UK navy ships are seen conducting Mine Countermeasures Exercise taking place at Arabian Sea, Sept 10, 2018. [Photo/Agencies] Beijing firmly objects to any form of official or military contacts between the United States and Taiwan, an official said on Wednesday, after a US Navy research vessel docked at Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan on Monday. Our position is consistent and clear, as always, Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said at a regular news conference in Beijing. The Taiwan question concerns China's sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as the country's core interests, he said. We urge relevant parties to exercise caution so as not to cause damage to the peace and stability across the Straits. The island's military authority said on Tuesday that the vessel, the Thomas G. Thompson, is not engaged in military activities and is visiting Taiwan for joint scientific research with Taiwan University. It is the fourth time this year the ship docked at Kaohsiung Port, during which time it loaded up on supplies and made crew changes. The ship sets sail for Australia on Thursday, it said. The vessel belongs to the Office of Naval Research, and it can be used to conduct oceanic surveys for the US Navy. The ship is operated and maintained by the University of Washington, the island's media reported. In late September, the US State Department approved the sale of spare parts worth $330 million to Taiwan for F-16 fighters, C-130 cargo planes and other aircraft. Beijing has strongly protested the sale and urged Washington to immediately withdraw the deal and cease military contacts with Taiwan to avoid more damage to Sino-US relations and stability across the Straits. The arms sales to Taiwan have seriously violated the one-China principle, interfered with the country's domestic affairs and harmed Chinese sovereignty and security interests, as well as Sino-US relations, the Ministry of National Defense said in a statement on Sept 25. Those who rely on foreigners to build themselves up and undermine the peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits will certainly pay a price for their deeds, An Fengshan, another spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office, said earlier. wristbands canadacustom silicone bracelets canadarubber bracelets canadasilicone bracelets canadasilicone wristbands canadacustom wristbands canadacanadian wristbandswristbands canada
A watchtower of the Palace Museum and the blue sky in Beijing on Jan 22, 2018. [Photo/VCG] Weather center data show steady fall in air pollution since peak 5 years ago China has seen continuous improvements in air quality since 2013, when pollution levels hit a record high, with another drop in smoggy days recorded last year, according to meteorological data. Starting in 2000, the country began to experience a steady increase in pollution, reaching a peak in 2013 when it experienced 13 rounds of smog, data from the National Meteorological Center show. However, since the central government introduced its Action Plan on Air Pollution Control and Prevention that year, the smog has lessened in intensity, according to a bulletin on atmospheric environment released by the center on Sunday. The improvement in air quality in 2017 is the most noticeable, said Zhang Hengde, the center's senior engineer. Monitoring stations across China recorded just 27.5 smoggy days on average last year, 19.4 days fewer than in 2013, he said, adding that the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region saw the biggest change: from 71.1 days down to 42.3. Chinese meteorological centers use the term smoggy days to describe poor air quality based on factors such as PM2.5 (fine hazardous particulate matter), visibility and humidity. But its measurements can differ from the indexes used by environmental protection authorities. Long-term data from the center show the country has also seen a steady decrease in sandy weather since 2010. Zhang attributed the progress last year to government efforts to curb pollution as well as the high number of windy days, especially in winter months. Credit should be given to the effective controls on pollutant emissions, he said. Simulations based on the center's meteorological monitoring show measures to reduce pollutant emissions nationwide managed to cut the daily average PM2.5 concentration by 43.5 percent last year compared with the level in 2013. The findings are similar to information released earlier by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, which said the average PM2.5 concentration had fallen by 44.2 percent over the same period. However, Zhang warned that despite the positive trend, the weather could still worsen in some regions during specific periods, so controls must be continued. We will continue to cooperate with the environmental protection authorities to provide monitoring and forecasts on air pollution, he added.
