*China finance minister says 'fully confident' in fending off systemic debt risks--Reuters

China is fully confident of its ability to fend off systemic debt risks, while it continues to strengthen control over local government debt, Finance Minister Xiao Jie said on Wednesday.

China will reasonably set quotas on local government debt issuance and keep cracking down on "chaotic" debt financing, Xiao said at a press briefing held during China's annual parliament meeting.

*China to enact its first soil pollution law--The Strait Times

Curbing pollution and keeping the environment clean are key tenets of Chinese President Xi Jinping's pledge to build a "moderately prosperous society" by 2020.