Ministry document shows border violations

India's trespass across the China-India boundary in the Sikkim Sector and into the Donglang area (Doklam) is a severe violation of China's territory and integrity, and this behavior "cannot be tolerated by any sovereign state", Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Aug 2. Earlier in the day, the ministry issued a paper giving details of the incursion and rebuking India's excuses for the move. China has repeatedly pointed out that India's trespass violates the 1890 Convention Between Great Britain and China Relating to Sikkim and Tibet, which delineates the China-India boundary in the Sikkim Sector. According to the convention, the Donglang area (Doklam) is on the Chinese side of the boundary.

Gunshots fired near Chinese consulate

China has asked the United States to determine what happened on Aug 2 in a shooting incident outside the Chinese consulate in Los Angeles and to take measures to ensure the safety of the building and the diplomats working there. A man fired several gunshots outside the Consulate General of China in Los Angeles before taking his own life. The shooting, reported at about 6 am, did not injure anyone else. The man, in his 60s, died in his vehicle at the scene, Xinhua News Agency quoted an official from the consulate as saying. A consulate official also told Xinhua that a report saying the shooter is a Chinese national is "just speculation." The official said the Los Angeles Police Department was investigating and would ascertain the gunman's background in the coming days.

Alipay, WeChat Pay vie for customers

Chinese mobile payment leaders Alipay and WeChat Pay are engaged in a weeklong battle from Aug 1 to 8 to encourage consumers to use their e-wallets amid an escalating fight for digital payment supremacy. By dishing out a slew of incentives, such as cash rebates, free bus rides and even a chance to win gold, the companies are taking the cashless payment fever to new heights. During the promotional period, consumers who use Alipay, the world's top mobile payment tool, for their transactions stand to earn up to 4,888 yuan ($727; 613 euros; ￡550) in cash rebates if they make purchases at any of the 10 million-plus brick-and-mortar stores across the country accepting the service.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 08/04/2017 page3)