Additional News for June 15, 2006

China Easing Its Stance On Taiwan (June 15, 2006) Washington Post - Gradually and without fanfare, China has substantially softened its stand on Taiwan, according to senior officials and diplomats. President Hu Jintao, they said, has begun to play down China's long-standing vow to recover the self-ruled island by force if necessary and shifted the focus to preventing any move toward formal independence.

China, Taiwan OK limited direct flights (June 15, 2006) CNN - Taiwan and China have agreed to launch direct charter passenger flights during major holidays of the year, Taiwan's government has said, a major development between the rivals who split amid civil war five decades ago.

China Construction, Factory Investment Up (June 15, 2006) SFGate - China reported Thursday that the country's spending on construction and factory equipment surged 30.3 percent in January-May over the same period a year earlier, as central bank Gov. Zhou Xiaochuan said economic fine-tuning measures were on the way.

China to remain "kingdom of bicycles": vice minister (June 15, 2006) China View (Xinhua News) - China's Vice Minister of Construction, Qiu Baoxing, has lashed at city authorities for making it harder for cyclists to get around, saying the country should retain its title as the "kingdom of bicycles.”