Following U.S. secretary of state Hillary Clinton’s Asia tour the U.S. and China will resume their military dialogue end of February, officials from both countries announced today. The dialogue was temporarily suspended last year as a result of U.S. arms sales to Taiwan.
China’s Ministry of Commerce emphasized its concerns over spreading protectionism worldwide during a press conference on Monday. As one of the main exporting nations China has a particular strong interest in free trade.
China’s main retailers saw domestic consumption growing an average of 25 percent in January in a year-on-year comparison. Even car sales grew almost five percent as this industry faces severe problems the U.S. and the EU.
The provinces in Northern and Central China are still facing a severe drought as limited rainfall over the last days brought only temporary relief. The affected region is China’s main supplier of grain and has suffered under a particularly dry winter so far.
FDI in China declined the fourth month in a row in January, China’s Ministry of Commerce said today at a briefing. As foreign investors are struggling with the economic crisis the FDI inflows in China fell 32.6 percent from a year earlier. Analyst expect that investment will surge again once the global economy is on its way of recovery.