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Chinese New Year begins form Tuesday

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The biggest holiday of the year has begun in China.

Starting Tuesday, relatives will reunite, red envelopes filled with money will be exchanged and massive feasts will be planned to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

When does it happen? The Chinese New Year began Tuesday, which marks the start of the lunar year. That begins with the start of the new moon, the BBC reported. The day fluctuates annually, since the date of the new moon varies from year to year — but the holiday will always fall sometime between Jan. 21 and Feb. 20.

Next year’s lunar year begins Jan. 25, according to the BBC.

What’s in a name? People of Chinese descent refer to the Lunar New Year as Chunjie, or the Spring Festival. Because it is celebrated in different parts of the world besides mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, the Lunar New Year has different names, according to National Geographic. In Vietnam, it is called Tet. In Korea, it is called Seollal, and people in Tibet refer to it as Losar.

Chinese Zodiac: There are 12 Chinese Zodiac signs, and they are taken much more seriously than horoscopes.

This year’s animal, the pig, is a symbol of optimism, enthusiasm and hard work, the BBC reported. Coveted signs include the dragon, which is thought to be strong, authoritative and successful. The dog is sincere, loyal and independent, while the rabbit is modest, sensitive and warm. The Year of the Pig was last celebrated in 2007; it will be celebrated again in 2031

Lots of noise: Firecrackers explode all night when the Lunar New Year begins. While the Chinese government has clamped down on fireworks in the cities, smaller towns continue to set off fireworks, according to National Geographic. The fireworks served a major function for Chinese residents, according to the magazine: to scare away Nian. According to legend, the dragon-lion monster would attack villagers and sometimes eat children, but was frightened by loud noises. Nian also does not like the color red, which means lunar new year revelers will be decked out in red, CNN reported.

Seeing red: Red is not just used to scare legendary monsters. In traditional and even contemporary Chinese culture, red is equated with happiness and prosperity, according to National Geographic. If it is your Zodiac year, you should wear an abundance of red to protect against bad luck. For those who do not like red as an outer garment, the Chinese sell red underwear, the magazine reported.

 

Millions took plunge at the world’s largest religious gathering “Kumbh Mela” in India

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ALLAHABAD, INDIA (AFP) – Millions of Hindu pilgrims took the plunge into sacred rivers at the world’s largest religious gathering Monday (Feb 4), led by ash-smeared holy men and accompanied by religious chanting.

On the most auspicious day of the months-long Kumbh Mela festival, devotees rose at dawn in the northern city of Allahabad to immerse themselves at the confluence of three rivers – the Ganges, the Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati.

Thousands of Naga Sadhus, a devout, fierce and famously nude sect of followers of the Hindu god Shiv, and other holy men clad in saffron robes, led the mass bathing in the chilly waters, some brandishing swords and tridents.

Hindus believe that bathing in the sacred rivers cleanses them of sin and Monday’s Mauni Amavasya Snan – the “no moon day” – is considered the holiest of the gigantic 48-day festival that runs until March 4.

More than 30,000 police were on duty to manage the huge crowds and prevent the deadly stampedes that have marred previous gatherings.

The authorities have spent about US$40 million on an operation to block drains and make sure others undergo special cleansing so that waste water pouring into the rivers does not threaten the pilgrims.

Special skimmer boats collected waste from the surface of the rivers and more than 40,000 temporary toilets have been installed.

Pilgrims have been streaming into a temporary tent city – three times the size of Manhattan island – in buses, trains and cars to participate in the festival’s high point.

The confluence of the three rivers is considered especially holy and Hindus believe bathing there during the Kumbh helps cleanse sins and bring salvation.

Nearly 12 million people attended the inaugural bathing ritual on Jan 15 and about 120 million are expected during the whole festival.

Devotees meditate on the banks of the rivers after the dip and collect Ganges water in cans to take home. Many observe complete silence for the rest of the day after their ritual bath.

According to Hindu mythology, gods and demons fought a war over a sacred pitcher, or kumbh, containing the nectar of immortality.

During the clashes, a few drops fell to earth at four different locations – one being Allahabad.

The historic city was recently renamed Prayagraj by the state’s Hindu government but is still widely known as Allahabad, the name it was given by Muslim rulers hundreds of years ago.

UK home secretary approves Vijay Mallya’s extradition to India

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LONDON (AFP) – Tycoon Vijay Mallya on Monday (Feb 4) promised to appeal Britain’s decision to order his extradition to India to face fraud charges.

The case of the 63-year-old owner of Kingfisher beer, who also heads the Force India Formula One racing team, is the most high-profile of several extradition cases between Britain and India.

Mallya left India in 2016 owing more than US$1 billion (S$1.3 billion) after defaulting on loan payments to a state-owned bank and allegedly misusing the funds.

The loans were intended to bail out his failed carrier Kingfisher Airlines.

In December, a British court ruled that he could be sent back to India, where he was once a member of parliament.

On Monday, Britain’s interior ministry confirmed that Home Secretary Sajid Javid has signed an order for his extradition.

Mallya has two weeks to appeal.

“After the decision was handed down on December 10, 2018, by the Westminster Magistrates Court, I stated my intention to appeal,” Mallya tweeted on Monday.

“I could not initiate the appeal process before a decision by the home secretary. Now I will initiate the appeal process.”

Judge Emma Arbuthnot ruled in December that Mallya had misrepresented how loans received from banks would be used and therefore had a case to answer.

She said bankers had been “charmed” by a “glamorous, flashy, famous, bejewelled, bodyguarded, ostensibly billionaire playboy” into losing their common sense.

Mallya was once known as the “King of Good Times” but dropped off India’s most wealthy list in 2014, engulfed by Kingfisher Airlines’ massive debts.

Angelina Jolie in South Asia, observed humanitarian crisis of Rohingya in Bangladesh

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COX’S BAZAR, BANGLADESH (AFP) – Hollywood superstar Angelina Jolie visited a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh on Monday (Feb 4) ahead of a new UN appeal for nearly one billion dollars to look after the refugee influx.

After arriving in the South Asian nation, Jolie, a special envoy of the UN Refugee agency UNHCR, went straight to a camp in Teknaf near the Myanmar border to talk to some of the 720,000 Muslims who fled a military clampdown in the neighbouring state in August 2017.

The 43-year-old made no immediate public comment, but Cox’s Bazar district deputy police chief Ikbal Hossain told AFP that Jolie will be visiting more camps on Tuesday.

Jolie is in Bangladesh to assess the humanitarian needs of the one million Rohingya in camps around the town of Cox’s Bazar.

She has previously met with displaced Rohingya while in Myanmar in July 2015 and in India in 2006.

Bangladesh has been reeling since more than 730,000 Rohingya arrived from Myanmar after August 2017.

More than 620,000 of the Muslims live in the Kutupalong camp, the world’s largest refugee settlement.

There were already about 300,000 in the camps before the exodus which has strained Bangladesh’s resources to the limit.

Jolie will conclude her visit by meeting Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, and other senior officials in Dhaka, a UNHCR statement said.

The talks will focus on how the UNHCR can help Bangladesh’s efforts for the Rohingya and the need for “sustainable solutions” to settle the persecuted minority, the statement added.

The UN is to soon launch a new international appeal for US$920 million (S$1.24 billion) to meet the needs of Rohingya refugees and the communities hosting them, the refugee agency said.

Shocking report :Mt Everest & K2 might lose 2/3 of ice due to warming, Decimate High-Altitude Water

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KATHMANDU (Reuters) – At least a third of the ice in the Himalayas and the Hindu Kush will thaw this century as temperatures rise, disrupting river flows vital for growing crops from China to India, scientists said on Monday.

Vast glaciers make the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region – which is home to the world’s highest peaks topped by Mount Everest and K2 – a “third pole” behind Antarctica and the Arctic region, they said.

“This is the climate crisis you haven’t heard of,” said Philippus Wester, who led the report.

“Global warming is on track to transform the frigid, glacier-covered mountain peaks of the HKH cutting across eight countries to bare rocks in a little less than a century,” said Wester of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).

The report, by 210 authors, said that more than a third of the ice in the region will melt by 2100 even if governments take tough action to limit global warming under the 2015 Paris climate agreement.

And two-thirds of the ice could vanish if governments fail to rein in greenhouse gas emissions this century. “To me this is the biggest worrying thing,” Wester told Reuters on the sidelines of an event to launch the report in Kathmandu.

Glaciers have thinned and retreated across most parts of the region since the 1970s. Ice in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region would push up sea levels by 1.5 metres if it all melted, Eklabya Sharma, deputy director general of ICIMOD, told Reuters.

MOUNTAIN CLIMATE HOTSPOTS

The region stretches 3,500 km (2,175 miles) across Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan.

The study said the thaw will disrupt rivers including the Yangtze, Mekong, Indus and Ganges, where farmers rely on glacier melt water in the dry season. About 250 million people live in the mountains and 1.65 billion people in river valleys below.

Changes in river flows could also harm hydropower production and cause more erosion and landslides in the mountains.

But more research is needed to gauge exactly how glaciers affect distant crops, said Wouter Buytaert, of Imperial College in London, who was not involved in the study.

“While glacier meltwater propagates downstream, it mixes with water from other sources such as direct rainfall, wetlands, and groundwater, up to a point where the impact of glacier melting may become negligible,” he said.

The authors said that people living in small island states were often viewed as the most vulnerable to climate change because of rising sea levels.

“It’s not just occupants of the world’s islands that are suffering,” said Dasho Rinzin Dorji, an ICIMOD board member from Bhutan. He said in a statement that mountain regions were also extremely vulnerable as “climate hotspots”.

British Pound falls as May plans fresh sattelment for Brexit

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London : The pound dropped today following weak UK construction data and as Prime Minister Theresa May seeks to try and finally unlock the Brexit stalemate.

London’s benchmark FTSE 100 index, featuring large multinationals earning in dollars and euros, climbed to a two-month high above 7,000 points thanks to the weaker pound.

Eurozone stock markets faltered, while Asia mostly advanced.

Oil prices fell after hitting the highest levels this year as the crisis in OPEC producer Venezuela fuelled concerns over potential tighter crude supplies.

“A minor decline for the pound, one that followed a 10- month low UK construction PMI… allowed the FTSE to hit a fresh two-month high,” noted Connor Campbell, financial analyst at Spreadex traders.

The IHS Markit/CIPS UK Construction purchasing managers’ index fell to 50.6 in January from 52.8 the previous month.

‘Snuffed out recovery’

“Uncertainty about Brexit has snuffed out the recovery in the construction sector,” said Samuel Tombs, chief UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics.

“In the unlikely event of a no-deal Brexit, the sector likely will slide into another recession, amid weaker business confidence and tighter credit conditions.

“But provided a deal is signed off, the construction sector likely will enjoy strong growth soon.

“Business investment should rebound later this year, given that firms’ profit margins are relatively healthy and their balance sheets are awash with cash,” Tombs added.

May on Sunday said she would be “armed with a fresh mandate and new ideas” when she next meets European Union negotiators over her Brexit deal.

EU officials have insisted that the deal—rejected by British lawmakers—is not open for renegotiation.

But May wrote in the Sunday Telegraph that she would be “battling for Britain and Northern Ireland” in her efforts to get rid of the agreement’s unpopular “backstop” provision.

The so-called backstop is intended to ensure there is no return to a hard border with Ireland, but Brexit supporters fear it will keep Britain tied to the EU’s customs rules.

US markets opened flat, with Briefing.com analyst Patrick O’Hare saying there was little news to push stocks either way.

“There hasn’t been anything in the headlines to make much of a difference with respect to broad market sentiment,” said O’Hare.

Expectations that the Federal Reserve will take its foot off the gas in raising US interest rates—and optimism that China and the United States will eventually hammer out a deal to resolve their long-running trade war—provided support. — AFP

Nepali woman dies while being banished during her menstruation period following a taboo

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AFP- KATHMANDU, Feb 3 — A Nepali woman has died of suspected smoke inhalation while banished to a hut during her period, police said today, just weeks after the deaths of a mother and two children in similar circumstances sparked outrage.

Many communities in Nepal view menstruating women as impure and in some remote areas they are forced to sleep in a hut away from the home, following a centuries-old tradition known as “chhaupadi”.

Parbati Bogati, 21, was found dead in a smoke-filled hut on Thursday morning in the western Doti district when her mother-in-law went to check on her.

“We suspect she died due to smoke inhalation and suffocation because she closed the door of the windowless hut and lit a fire on the floor for warmth during the night,” local police officer Lal Bahadur Dhami told AFP.

he body has been sent for autopsy, Dhami said.

Chhaupadi was outlawed in 2005 but is still enforced in parts of Nepal, particularly in remote and conservative western regions.

The practice is linked to Hinduism and considers women untouchable during menstruation and after childbirth.

Under Chhaupadi, women are barred from touching food, religious icons, cattle and men.

Just three weeks ago a mother and her two sons in neighbouring Bajura district died of suspected smoke inhalation while observing the tradition.

Their deaths prompted locals to demolish chhaupadi sheds in their village and local authorities to warn that services would be denied to anyone forcing their daughters and daughters-in-law to follow the banned practice.

Last year, Kathmandu introduced a three-months’ jail sentence and a 3,000 rupee (RM122) fine for anyone caught imposing chhaupadi.

Ganga Chaudhary, a lawmaker who was involved in the drafting of the legislation, said much more needs to be done to enforce the law and change social norms.

“We have realised that only legal provisions are not enough to end such practices. We need to focus on awareness and educating women,” Chaudhary said. — AFP

Nilambar Acharya appointed as the new ambassador of Nepal to India

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Kathmandu : Nilambar Acharya, Nepal’s former law minister, has been appointed as the country’s ambassador to India.

The position of the Nepalese ambassador to India was vacant for more than a year after Deep Kumar Upadhyay resigned to join politics.

President Bidya Devi Bhandari on Sunday administered oath of office to Acharya at Rastrapati Bhawan at Sheetal Niwas.

Bhandari congratulated Acharya for being an ambassador to a very close neighbor of Nepal.

Acharya is the first Nepalese ambassador to take oath of office and secrecy from the president under a new provision. Earlier, ambassadors were administered oath of office by Supreme Court chief justice.

A Moscow University graduate, Acharya was initially left-leaning but later joined the Nepali Congress party.

He was minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs and Labour and Social Welfare in the interim government of 1990.

Nepal Government’s plan of launching railway service begins

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Kathmandu- A procurement process has begun to materialize the government plan of launching the railway service from Kurtha of Janakpur to Jaynagar of India.
The Cabinet meeting of January 13 decided to go with the procurement process. The Department of Railways under the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport has started preparations to purchase the rails.
It may be noted that the government in the current fiscal year allocated Rs 500 million to purchase two trains for the service, but the Department says the budget is not sufficient. It needs at least 1.5 billion two purchase rails.
The Cabinet granted the permission in principle to the Ministry to go with the procurement process, said Department spokesperson Aman Chitrakar. The Department has proposed the Indian government companies towards that end, and some of them have responded to the proposals.
It has been planned to operate the service in a total distance of 35 kilometers in the first phase. The trial of first phase has been already carried out. The Department is not in the position of predicting the date for launching the service until the rails arrive.
The total length of the Bardibas-Janakpur-Jaynagar-Kurtha-Bijayapura is 69 kilometers.

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Nepal won T-20 International series deciding match 2-1 by a 14 run

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UAE : Nepal won the Twenty-20 International series 2-1 by a 14 run defeat to UAE in the series decider at the ICC Academy in Dubai on Sunday.

The match was shortened to 10 overs due to the disruption of rain , Nepal who were sent to bat wast after losing the toss made 104 runs at a loss of 8 wickets. UAE, in reply, fell short to 90 runs to lose the series.

Skipper Khadka struck 29 runs in 14 balls recouping the losses after a poor batting start by opener Pawan Sarraf who was sent off for no runs in the first over.

From balling line, Karan KC and Abinash Bohora grabbed two crucial wickets each for Nepal sending UAE on the brink of collapse in the final three overs of the match.

Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi took back-to-back wickets in the first two balls of the final over of the match handing over UAE a sour defeat.

Sundeep Jora, who recently became the youngest batsman to score T20I 50 on debut in the series opener against UAE hammered three towering sixes taking his run-tally to 28 runs in just 11 balls before he was bowled at the 7th over.

Nepal becomes self-reliant in cement production with huge chunk of Foreign investment in the industry

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KATHMANDU: With huge amount of national and foreign investments in cement industries, Nepal is self-reliant in cement production this year onwards.

According to industrialists, cement industries have received the investment of around Rs 200 billion while this sector has the annual transaction of worth Rs 150 billion.

Chairman of Nepal Cement Producers’ Association Dhrubaraj Thapa said that Nepal has become self-reliant in cement production from zero levels at the interval of 16 years with the entry of the private sector in the production of cement adding that Nepal is expected to export cement from the next fiscal year.

“Compared to other sectors, cement industry progressed in a speedy manner. This is the prideful moment for Nepal. Now, the government should take steps to resolve the problems faced by the cement industries,” he argued.

Himal Cement Company first started the productions of cement in Nepal in 1960 but the private sector invested in cement industry 16 years ago. Currently, there are 56 cement industries in Nepal including two state-owned companies — Udayapur Cement Industry and Hetauda Cement Industry.

According to Thapa, the cement factories in the country produced 9 million tonnes of cement in the last fiscal year despite their production capacity of 13 million tonnes. Likewise, the country imported meager five percent of cement during the same period. However, industrialists claim that cost of cement production in Nepal is one of the highest in the world and lack of sufficient raw materials and coal is responsible for the high cost.

The industrialists have argued that frequent changes in policies, problems in labour laws, compulsion to hire foreign human resources, hassles in regard to mines and forest sectors, a debate about taxation in between local and provincial levels and some others are the key problems in this sector.

Engineer at Department of Mines and Geology Jayaraj Ghimire said that programmes to promote limestone would be initiated in Nepal adding that a total of 168 industries are given license to extract the limestone.

Likewise, Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Matrika Prasad Yadav said that the government was planning to further develop the cement industries by amending the legal hassles existing since past. He also urged the stakeholders for cooperation and consultation, stating that prosperity was not likely without the development of industries and partnership with the private sector.

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Nepal Airlines has gained an Air Operator’s Certificate to operate flights form Nepal to Japan

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KATHMANDU: The national flag-carrier Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) has gained an Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) through the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) to operate flights from Nepal to Japan.

According to NAC Assistant Spokesperson Nawaraj Koirala, CAAN granted it an AOC to use its new A-330 wide-body for Kathmandu-Osaka flights on Friday.

Likewise, the national flag carrier – that plans to launch Kathmandu-Osaka flights in the upcoming month – will soon seek green signal from Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) to materialise the plan, informed officials.

It has been learnt that the corporation has managed human resources to handle the flights to Osaka as well as Kathmandu-China flights for which authorities are yet to give a nod.

At present the NAC operates international flights to New Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Malaysia, Singapore, Bangkok and Qatar. Meanwhile, efforts are underway to add China, South Korea, and the Saudi Arabia in NACs’ straight flight destinations.

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Nepal women’s blind cricket team beat Pakistan by ten wickets

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RAWALPINDI: Nepal women’s blind team beat Pakistan by ten wickets in the third T20  at the Waqar-un-Nisa College for Women on Saturday.

The match was originally scheduled to be played in Faisalabad on Feb 1 but due to heavy rains was shifted to Rawalpindi.

Pakistan women’s blind cricket team won the toss and decided to bat first and scored 102 for the loss of 6 wickets in the allotted 20 overs. Tayyaba was their top scorer (27) and Sadia contributed 17. Bhagwati and Binita Pun took a wicket a piece for Nepal.

In reply, Nepal chased the target with ease in just 7.3 overs without losing any wicket. Openers Mankisi and Binita remained unbeaten on 58 and 34, respectively.

PBCC chairman Syed Sultan Shah and Major Pawan Ghimrie who is chairman Cricket Association of the Blind in Nepal, distributed prizes among the players.

Mankisi of Nepal was declared the player of the match while Binita of Nepal was named the most valuable player.

Trump Thought Nepal and Bhutan Were Part of India earlier he said “Nipple” to Nepal and “Button” to Bhutan : Media

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Donald Trump thought Nepal and Bhutan were a part of India, the TIME magazine reported on Saturday, quoting unidentified US intelligence officials.

The US President’s latest factual inaccuracy came at a briefing he attended on South Asia, the magazine said.

The officials told the magazine that Trump pointed at a South Asia map and remarked that Nepal was a part of India. When told by officials that it was an independent country, he said Bhutan was in India.

Exchanges between Trump and his advisors have of late not been in news for the best of reasons. Two intelligence officers told TIME that Trump reacts angrily when his advisors disagree with him. The officers have reportedly said that officials have been told to avoid giving the President intelligence assessments that contradict his own position.

In the previous week, Trump had lashed out at US intelligence agencies in a tweet. Accusing them of being “passive and naïve” about Iran during a ‘World Threat Assessment’ report briefing, Trump said, “Perhaps intelligence should go back to school!”

Trump’s recent lesson in geography, however, does not end the tale of his unfamiliarity with South Asia. In August, Politico had reported that Trump mispronounced Nepal as “Nipple” and Bhutan as “Button” during a brief prior to meeting PM Modi in 2017.

Later on January 2018, Washington Post reported that Trump said  some African countries including Nepal as a Shithole country 

 

Major Devendra Ale to be the fifth high ranking officer from British Gurkha community

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London : Major Devendra Ale MVO MBE ,a British army man  form Syanja, Nepal  has become one the five Gurkhas to become lieutenant colonel in British Army after his recent pride promotion in the service.

Mr Ale has been promoted by the board on Thursday to the prestigious  Lieutenant Colonel position of the British Army,  which is considered as the 7th rank hierarchy in the service.

In the 200 years of the history of Gurkha service  there are only five Gurkhas to reach in this position among them  Lal Bahadur Pun , Vijaya Rawat, Yam Bahadur Rana and Tul Khamcha including Mr Ale.

Mr Ale  moved to Colchester in 1993 to be part of 10 Transport Regiment Royal Logistic Corps (RLC). In 1995 he deployed to the Former Republic of Yugoslavia and two subsequent tours of the Balkans in 1996 and 1999 , mentioned  in a congratulations message from Gurkha Brigade Association

After promoting to Sergeant in 1999 he spent jut over 2 years at the Defence School of Transport in Leaconfield as an instructor. In 2004 he rejoined 28 Squadron on promotion to Staff Sergeant and deployed to Iraq on Operation Telic 1.

In 2004 he assumed the appointment of Sergeant Major 1 Engineer Support and Water Squadron RLC.

He was commissioned in 2006 and had a short period as a Troop Commander in 28 Transport Squadron QOGLR before taking over as the Regimental Signals Officer in 2007. He deployed on Operation Herrick 11 during 2009 – 2010 and subsequently took over the Staff Officer Instructors appointment in the Bowman Training and Advisory Group (South) July 2010.

In the summer of 2012 he returned to the Regiment as the Regimental Careers Management Officer whilst at the same time carrying out duties as the Queen’s Gurkha Orderly Officer.

From August 2013 he assumed the appointment of Gurkha Major QOGLR.

In 2016 he was awarded the MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List. An inspirational officer within the Brigade who became  instrumental in the development of an innovative community engagement strategy, led on Regimental commitments to mark 200 years of Gurkha Service to the Crown and given a lifetime of service to the Brigade and QOGLR.

He continues to serve the Brigade and the wider Army and his talents have been recognised with this deserved promotion.

Major Devendra Ale, is a truly inspirational officer within the Brigade who led in 2015 on an innovative community engagement strategy and led on Regimental commitments to mark 200 years of Gurkha Service to the Crown and given a lifetime of service to the Brigade and the Queen’s Own Logistic Regiment,a congratulations note from the Bigrade Association states.

China urged US to accept its industrial development instead of copy blame

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BEIJING, Jan 31 (AP) — China urged Washington on Thursday to accept its industrial development after U.S. intelligence officials said Beijing steals or copies foreign technology, as the two sides prepared for another day of talks aimed at ending a tariff war over Beijing’s technology ambitions.

It is “totally unreasonable to make random accusations,” said a foreign ministry spokesman, Geng Shuang.

On Wednesday, U.S. intelligence officials told Congress that China is the biggest commercial and military threat to the United States. A separate report this week said Beijing will steal or copy technologies it cannot make itself.

“The United States is the world’s top power in terms of technology, we acknowledge that,” Geng said. “But we hope that the US can see the scientific and technological progress of other countries with an open and inclusive attitude. It must allow others to make progress while developing itself.”

On Monday, China’s biggest technology company, Huawei, was indicted on U.S. charges including technology theft.

The U.S. has objected to Chinese plans for state-led development of advanced technologies that American officials say violate Beijing’s market-opening commitments.

President Donald Trump wants to see a rapid decline in the chronic U.S. trade deficit that could be difficult to achieve without fundamental changes to China’s approach to developing its economy and lifting living standards for its 1.4 billion people.

The negotiators meeting in Washington face a March 2 deadline: the Trump administration is scheduled to escalate its tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports from 10 percent to 25 percent if a deal is not struck before then.