China has protested to the United States after Taiwan's de facto embassy in Washington hoisted a Taiwanese flag on New Year's Day, and urged the United States to respect the "One China" policy, the foreign ministry said on Monday.
China has scrapped a quota system aimed at restricting exports of rare earths, a group of 17 metals used in high tech sectors, as it moves to comply with a World Trade Organisation (WTO) ruling last year, official Chinese media reported on Monday.
A senior Chinese diplomat has been sacked and is under investigation for suspected corruption, the foreign ministry said on Friday, the first time a top diplomat has fallen victim to a sweeping campaign against graft.
A stampede killed at least 36 people during New Year's Eve celebrations in Shanghai, authorities said, but police denied reports it was caused by people rushing to pick up fake money thrown from a building overlooking the city's famous waterfront.
