New Milestone for China-S.Korea Ties

July 3， Seoul： Chinese President Xi Jinping and South Korean President Park Geun-hye greet children waving the two countries national flags during a welcome ceremony at South Koreas presidential Blue House. For his first visit to the neighboring country since taking office， Xi made the unusual move of visiting only South Korea； it is rare for Chinas top leaders to visit a single country in a single trip. Accompanied by a large business delegation composed of several of the countrys leading telecommunications tycoons， the tightly scheduled trip focused primarily on economic cooperation and strategic communication amidst a changing situation in northeast Asia. The two sides confirmed over 90 cooperative programs covering 23 fields， including a deal to establish arrangements for the Chinese yuans clearance in Seoul， and agreed to push for the completion of negotiations on a free-trade agreement by year-end， which will not only deepen bilateral ties but also greatly promote the process of economic integration among Asian countries.

Kim Hong-Ji/REUTERS

Merkel Explores Sichuan Cuisine

July 6， Chengdu， Sichuan Province： German chancellor Angela Merkel learns to cook kung pao chicken， a spicy Sichuan dish made with chicken， peanuts， vegetables， and chili peppers， from a Chinese chef at a traditional Sichuan restaurant during her visit to Chengdu. Earlier， Merkel experienced Chengdu street life as she visited an open market and bought a bag of broad bean paste for 5 yuan （$0.8）. Invited by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang， Merkel started her 3-day visit to China on July 6. With business cooperation in mind， she chose Chengdu as her first stop， a place that German companies regard as a springboard to relatively underdeveloped western regions of China， and visited the Chengdu FAW-Volkswagen Factory. This is Merkels seventh visit to China. CFP

Paving the BRICS Road Ahead

July 15， Fortaleza： Chinese President Xi Jinping （2nd R）， Russian President Vladimir Putin （L）， Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi （2nd L）， Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff （C） and South African President Jacob Zuma （R） pose together during the 6th BRICS Summit. Leaders of these five countries held their annual summit in Brazil from July 15 to 16， where they signed a deal to create a New Development Bank. Headquartered in Shanghai， the bank will have an initial authorized capital of US$100 billion， and its initial subscribed capital of $50 billion is equally contributed by its founding members. With the move， BRICS countries are a step closer to having a bigger say in the worlds financial system. Xinhua