Beijing - China's health ministry on Thursday raised the number of infants hospitalized for problems linked to the consumption of tainted milk powder to 47,000, with more than 10,000 still under treatment.

A total of 36,144 children were released from hospitals nationwide after treatment for kidney problems and other ailments believed to be linked to melamine-contaminated milk powder, the ministry said on its website.

Beijing - Pakistan Pr

San Jose, Costa Rica - Chinese President Hu Jintao is set to visit Costa Rica next month, 17 months after the Central American nation broke 63 years of ties with Taiwan to establish a diplomatic link with Beijing, Costa Rican authorities said Wednesday.

During his November 17 visit, Hu is set to meet with Costa Rican President Oscar Arias, to discuss bilateral ties in the fields of politics, trade and cooperation.

Costa Rican Congress Speaker Francisco Antonio Pacheco told the media that Hu also plans to attend an event in the legislature.

Beijing - China's central bank on Wednesday cut its base interest rates and the reserve ratio for commercial banks, in moves designed to bolster the economy against fallout from the global financial crisis.

Base interest rates for deposits and loans will be reduced by 0.27 percentage points from Thursday, while the required reserve ratio of deposits to loans will be lowered by 0.5 percentage points from October 15, the People's Bank of China announced via state media.

Beijing - Shares on China's two stock markets plunged by 3 per cent on Wednesday as financial firms led a third straight daily fall following last week's global market losses.

The key Shanghai Composite Index, which tracks shares traded in local and foreign currencies, ended down 65.61 points, or 3.04 per cent, at 2,092.22.

The smaller Shenzhen Component Index also lost more than 3 per cent as both markets fell for the third consecutive day of trading since a seven-day National Day holiday ended Sunday.

Beijing, Oct. 8: A 6.4 billion dollar deal to sell US arms to Taiwan has ruined years of Chinese efforts to build military trust with the Pentagon.

A spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said Washington should bear full responsibility for the consequences.

He made the remarks after the US government announced plans on Friday to sell a massive arms package to Taiwan, including 30 Apache attack helicopters and 330 Patriot missiles.