In Brief
Nigerian caught with 87kg of marijuana
Customs officers at Beijing airport caught a Nigerian man carrying 87kg of marijuana, in the mainland's biggest drug bust so far this year, state press said yesterday. The Nigerian, whose identity has not been disclosed, was apprehended attempting to bring 72 bricks of marijuana wrapped in black plastic bags into the country, the China Daily said. The man arrived in Beijing on March 2 and checked the suitcase containing the drugs into airport storage. He was detained the next day when he returned to collect it. It was unclear whether he would be charged with drug trafficking. AFP
Dead sailors' families protest outside Russian embassy
Relatives of sailors who died when a Russian warship sank a Chinese cargo vessel staged a small protest outside the Russian embassy in Beijing, Xinhua said. The 32 demonstrators - all relatives of the victims - were asked to leave the embassy shortly after they arrived. The Hong Kong-owned vessel, New Star, sank on February 15 off Russia's east coast after a Russian naval vessel fired more than 500 rounds in an attempt to force the vessel back to port. AFP
Beijing and Moscow agree to joint military exercises
Russia and China will conduct joint military exercises this summer on Chinese territory, Interfax news agency reported, citing a source in the Russian defence ministry. 'Consultations between the two countries' defence ministries will begin shortly, [to determine] the forces and resources involved in the exercises ... as well as the thematic focus of the joint manoeuvres,' he said. Counterterrorism would be one element of the war games, the source said. 'These will be bilateral, Russian-Chinese exercises and not manoeuvres under the auspices of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation,' the source said, referring to the six-nation regional grouping led by Moscow and Beijing. AFP
Washington 'comfortable' with reduced cross-strait tensions
The United States was 'comfortable' with the dramatic warming of relations between Taiwan and the mainland since Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou took office last year, a US official in charge of Taiwan affairs said. 'We're comfortable with what is happening and we're comfortable with where it seems to be going,' Raymond Burghardt, chairman of the American Institute in Taiwan, said in Taipei. His comments came amid concerns in the US Department of Defence and think-tank circles that Mr Ma may be moving Taiwan too close to Beijing, threatening US interests in the region. Kyodo
Railway planned for Gansu
Local authorities have announced that a railway will be built between Gannan Tibetan Prefecture in northwestern Gansu province and its capital, Lanzhou. Construction of the 174km railway will cost 8.75 billion yuan (HK$9.93 billion). A Gannan official said work would begin at the end of the year and was expected to be completed in three years. Staff Reporter
