BRICS News

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his French counterpart Francois Hollande in Paris in November 2015. Hollande praised ties with China and lauded Xi’s globalization efforts [Image: Élysée.fr]
French President Francois Hollande has lauded tied with China, saying he hoped to see increased human exchanges between the two countries.
He alluded to the rise of Chinese visitors and tourists to France in recent years.
He said that ties had moved forward significantly in 2016 particularly in the sector of nuclear cooperation.

The violence and disorder broke out when local police went on strike [Xinhua]
The deployment of 1,200 troops has restored order in the city of Vitoria in Brazil’s southeastern state of Espirito Santo after a security vacuum enabled a crime wave which killed dozens of people and left shops vandalized.
Law and order broke down as the city fell to criminals and gangs following a strike by local police over wages.
Local police stopped patrolling Vitoria on Saturday and the city quickly plunged into chaos.

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered “snap drills” to test combat readiness on Tuesday [Xinhua]
Russia has begun to implement measures to enhance combat readiness a day after Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu put the Air Force on high alert following an order from President Vladimir Putin to ensure their combat competence.
Shoigu ordered all air force bases and units to conduct drills and pay attention “to the combat alert missions, deployment of the air defense systems for a time of war and the readiness of the air groupings to repel aggression”.

South Korean opposition protesters hold placards during a rally against the deployment of the advanced US missile defense system on the Korean Peninsula, called Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) [Xinhua]
Russia on Tuesday said that it was majorly concerned by Washington’s determination to deploy advanced anti-missile weapons in South Korea.

BP reported a higher net income in the Q4 of 2016, but still well below market expectations [Xinhua]
With oil prices largely stabilizing in 2017, energy companies are expecting to return to profits after two years of sustained losses.
But they may have to wait a bit before they are at pre-2014 levels.
On Tuesday, oil giant British Petroleum (BP) reported a net income – $400 million – that was below the analyst forecast of $560 million for the fourth quarter 2016.

China, which claims about 2 million square km of the maritime territory, has always maintained that “the situation in the South China Sea is stable [Xinhua]
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has said that diplomacy is the best and only means to resolving any regional disputes and welcomes any such initiative from other countries.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang was responding to remarks made by US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis during his trip to Japan that emphasized the role of diplomacy in handling South China Sea disagreements.

China’s services sector grew at its fastest pace this year in December as a sizzlingstock market rally helped boost consumer confidence [Xinhua]
Activity in the service sector in China dipped slightly in January, the Caixin General Services Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) showed on Monday.
The Caixin China General Services PMI, which is based on data compiled from monthly replies to questionnaires sent to purchasing executives in over 400 companies, fell to 53.1 in January from 53.4 in December.
December’s figures marked a 17-month streak of activity growth.

The plan, which also targets illegal blood transfusions, mother to child transmission and needle sharing, is part of the 13th Five-Year Plan, the Council said [Xinhua]
China’s State Council has embarked on a multi-tier strategy including education and awareness, prevention and treatment to deal with the growing numbers of HIV/AIDS patients.
The plan, which also targets illegal blood transfusions, mother to child transmission and needle sharing, is part of the 13th Five-Year Plan, the Council said.

Syrian soldiers walk through territory seized from Islamist extremists in the town of Daraya [Xinhua]
Syrian President Bashar Al Assad has extended an amnesty for rebels and anti-government forces who have engaged against his forces.
The amnesty, which now ends in June 2017, comes as Syrian government forces continue to make grounds against Islamic State and Al Nusra Front militias.

China will deepen supply-side structural reform in the agricultural sector to accelerate the cultivation of new development engines for the sector [Xinhua]
China’s efforts to modernize its agricultural sector, particularly in supply-side structure and new agro-science, are beginning to pay off, officials said on Sunday.
China’s central Henan Province, for example, announced that it had been able to use the agricultural reforms to produce some 500,000 hectares of high-yield farmland in 2016.