US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel went further the next day by directly accusing China of "destabilizing" the South China Sea and by backing Tokyo's pursuit of a more muscular military role as a counterweight to Beijing.

"The speeches made by Mr Abe and Mr Hagel gave me the impression that they were coordinated with each other, they supported each other, they encouraged each other and they took the advantage of speaking first at the Shangri-La Dialogue and staged provocations and challenges against China," Wang said.

Calling such rhetoric unacceptable and unimaginable, Wang said: "China has never taken the first step to provoke trouble. China has only been forced to respond to the provocations of others."

Brazil looks to shine as World Cup starts

Rio de Janeiro's majestic setting will be in the spotlight as the World Cup kicks off in Brazil on June 12, but the ultimate goal in hosting the event is to show that the country's many attractions go beyond fun and sun, for visitors and investors alike.

"Obviously, we are taking advantage of the event to promote something beyond football," said Valdemar Leao, Brazilian ambassador to China.

"Brazil is a country with diverse culture, food and beautiful scenery. The northwest has more people of indigenous extraction, while the east coast has more of a cultural mixture, including those of African, indigenous and European descent. I think people visiting Brazil will be completely immersed in that unique, rich diversity."

China may lower green card thresholds

China is considering lowering the application and approval thresholds for permanent residency.

Authorities have drafted regulations on permanent residence for foreigners and will consider more flexible and pragmatic application standards, the Organizational Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China said.

Launched in 2004, China's green card policy provides permanent residency for high-end foreign experts, people with large investments or outstanding contributions to the country.

More than 4,700 foreigners managed to get green cards by 2011, a small number compared with the 600,000 foreigners living in China at the time.

Foreign technology firms 'pose threat'

Foreign technology services providers such as Google and Apple can become cybersecurity threats to Chinese users, security analysts said, one week after China announced that it will put in place a security review on imported technology equipment.

Other major technology companies, such as Yahoo, Cisco, Microsoft and Facebook, were required by the US National Security Agency to transfer their users' information, said Wan Tao, founder of Intelligence Defense Friends Laboratory, an institution focusing on cybersecurity in China.

Wan said online services have become a major way for the US to steal information globally.

Ning Jiajun, a senior researcher at the Advisory Committee for State Informatization, said, "Previously, the US asked companies to install wiretapping software on their technological products, but if users found and shut down related functions, its 'plan' would fail," he said.

Yuan clearing bank to open in London

A yuan clearing bank will be officially appointed in Britain this month, said Mark Boleat, policy chairman for the City of London Corp.

"There will be a clearing bank in London. In due course, there will be an announcement."

The news will be an endorsement of London's efforts to become an offshore yuan center. Other European financial centers in the race to become a yuan center include Frankfurt, Paris, Switzerland and Luxembourg.

An official clearing bank facilitates efficient clearing of offshore renminbi transactions, achieved through the appointed bank's direct cooperation with the People's Bank of China, the country's central bank.

Manufacturing reaches highest level

Growth in China's manufacturing sector continued to accelerate last month, rising to the highest level this year and adding to signs of a stabilizing economy, recent data indicate.

The Purchasing Managers Index, a gauge of manufacturing activity, rose to 50.8 in May, from 50.4 in April, according to the National Bureau of Statistics and the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing.

The monthly reading, continuing to inch above the 50-point level, indicated that the manufacturing sector and the economy as a whole are picking up.

This is the third consecutive monthly rise in the index, seen as one of the key indicators of economic performance, following three months of decline that ended in March.

China, Morocco vow closer ties

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Morocco's foreign affairs chief Salaheddin Mezouar, who was in Beijing for the China-Arab Cooperation Forum's Sixth Ministerial Conference.

Wang said he appreciated the work Morocco has done as the rotating chair of the Arab League's foreign ministers' council and the co-chair of the China-Arab Cooperation Forum's Sixth Ministerial Conference, calling for Morocco's continued active role in promoting China-Arab collaboration.

On China-Morocco relations, Wang said China would like to encourage more Chinese businesses to invest in Morocco and play a part in the country's construction of high-speed railways, highways, ports, airports and other key projects.

Wang called on Morocco to create a favorable and efficient environment for Chinese investment.

Mezouar said his country expects to work more closely with China in infrastructure, agriculture, service and culture.

China congratulates Malawi's new president

China congratulated Malawi's new president, Peter Mutharika, on his inauguration.

China and Malawi have rapidly developed bilateral cooperative relations since diplomatic ties were established in 2007, yielding considerable results and bringing tangible benefits to both peoples, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said.

China is ready to cooperate in all fields based on respect, equality and mutual benefit, and to contribute to the social and economic development of Malawi, Hong told a regular news briefing.

"China is delighted to see the international community increase aid and support for Malawi to help its development," Hong said.

Malawi, traditionally dependent on Western aid donors, will look for "new friends" in countries such as China and Russia, President Mutharika said at his inauguration.

"We will continue with traditional relationships, but we are now looking for new friends in emerging economies such as Brazil, China, India, South Africa and Russia," Mutharika said.

S. Africa among top 25 FDI destinations

South Africa has been listed as the only country in Africa on the list of top 25 countries for foreign direct investment, according to a new report.

A.T. Kearney, a global management consulting firm with 59 offices in major business centers in 40 countries, said in its 2014 Foreign Direct Investment Confidence Index that South Africa climbed two spots to become the 13th most attractive destination for FDI.

The United States maintains its first place position from last year, followed by China and Canada.

The South African government welcomed the report, saying it shows that South Africa's strategic partnership with foreign investors is gaining momentum.

"The report, which cites South Africa as the only country in Africa on the list of top 25 countries, demonstrates that our country's blueprint on development is yielding results," said Phumla Williams, acting CEO of the Government Communication and Information System.

Abducted tourist freed unharmed

Two women, including a Chinese national, who were kidnapped on the Malaysian island of Borneo in early April have been freed with no ransom demanded by the abductors.

The two women, a Chinese tourist and a Philippine hotel worker, were released from an island in the southern Philippines by the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group. Philippine police then took a speedboat to transfer the women to Malaysian waters. The women, abducted by a group of gunmen from a Semporna resort in Sabah, were freed after negotiations involving Malaysian security officers.

The Chinese tourist, Gao Huayun, arrived in Kuala Lumpur, and an official of the Chinese consulate in Malaysia said Gao was in good health.

Reserve ratio cuts to tackle slowdown

The central government will not shift its policy direction amid the economic slowdown, but will intensify targeted financial easing in coming months, the State Council said in a statement.

The statement, which followed an executive meeting of the council, said the government will strengthen the "targeted reduction" of the reserve requirement ratio - the amount of money banks have to set aside as reserves.

The statement said banks that have lent "a certain portion" of their total loans to agriculture-related firms, small and micro-sized enterprises and other companies that cater to economic restructuring demand would enjoy the ratio cut. It did not specify the portion required.

Xi endorses increase in jobs for Xinjiang

The central government has pledged to boost employment in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, a move that experts say is crucial for improving livelihoods and maintaining stability.

President Xi Jinping said authorities in Xinjiang must make improving employment their top priority, urging them to help residents gain more skills, to find jobs or to start their own businesses.

Xi addressed a two-day, top-level conference in Beijing about Xinjiang attended by nearly all senior Chinese officials.

He said the number of Xinjiang residents going elsewhere in China to study, find work or to settle should be expanded.

Xi asked the government to allocate more education funding to Xinjiang and said schools should push bilingual education.

Surge tipped for cross-border trade

Cross-border trade volume at Horgos Port, a border station connecting China and Kazakhstan, is expected to grow by 14 percent by the end of this year as Central Asian and European countries vie for larger footholds in the Chinese market.

Horgos is a land entry port, also known as a border station, in the Ili Kazakh autonomous prefecture of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. Its history can be traced back to the Sui Dynasty (AD 581-618), when the port served as part of the Silk Road trade routes.

The center, on which construction began in 2011 and is now nearly complete, is built across the border between the two countries and is located near the town of Horgos in Xinjiang. Exactly 3.43 square kilometers of the center is located in Xinjiang, and the rest, 1.85 sq km, lies in Kazakhstan. It serves as a free trade zone, an industrial innovation park and a cross-border logistics hub.

Bosses get heavy with former staff

Workers have been paid their salaries in over 50,000 coins one month after they finished their project in Nanning city, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

A worker named Peng and his fellow workers were hired for a renovation project at a shop in March and agreed to be paid their wages of about 52,000 yuan ($8,300) when they finished. In the end, they had to resort to the local labor department for help. They finally received what they were owed but were given more than 50,000 coins weighing more than 300 kilograms. The employers said they were angry because the workers' behavior hurt the company.

China Daily-Xinhua