Briefs, January 23, 2013

A Foreign Ministry spokesman yesterday called on Norway to take concrete steps towards improving bilateral ties, putting the onus on Oslo to mend relations, Xinhua reported. Hong Lei made the appeal at a press briefing when asked whether Norway's support of China's bid for permanent observer status to the Arctic Council could improve ties. Relations have been strained since jailed dissident Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010 by the Oslo-based committee. Staff Reporter

The gap between the number of boys and girls born on the mainland narrowed slightly last year, but it was still higher than the warning level, the National Population and Family Planning Commission said. The gender ratio stood at 117.7 newborn boys for every 100 girls, a decline of 0.08 from 2011. Xinhua