China grants market access to agricultural, food products from 50 more nations, regions: official

China granted market access to 135 types of agricultural and food products from 50 more countries and regions in the first three quarters, said an official from the General Administration of Customs in Beijing on Monday.

Lyu Daliang, head of the department of statistics and analysis at the agency, released the data at a press conference, saying despite the fact that China's import value dropped 0.2 percent year over year in the first three quarters, the country's import volume continues to grow compared with the same period last year.

"In the first three quarters, the declines in prices of some commodities in the international market impacted the import growth rate and the related data, but in terms of volume, China's import volume index increased by 0.6 percent year over year. Monthly import growth marked its fourth straight year by September. Driven by domestic production and consumption demand, in the first three quarters, import volumes of crude oil and metal ores increased by 2.6 percent and 4.2 percent, respectively. The import value of food, tobacco and alcohol as well as cultural and entertainment products rose by 10.2 percent and 9.4 percent, respectively. Since China has lifted all foreign investment restrictions in the manufacturing sector, imports by foreign-invested enterprises grew by 1.1 percent in the first three quarters," he said.

According to the official, China approved market access for more imported agricultural and food products from other countries and regions in the first ninth months.

"As China opens its door even wider to the rest of the world, we are sharing development opportunities with increasing trading partners while pursuing the path of Chinese modernization. In the first three quarters, we granted market access to 135 types of agricultural and food products from 50 countries and regions. Since China has granted zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent of tariff lines to all least developed countries with which it has diplomatic relations, imports from these countries increased by 9.7 percent. Meanwhile, China is also actively advancing the implementation of zero tariffs on all tariff lines for the 53 African countries with which it has diplomatic relations through the negotiation and signing of the agreement on common development and economic partnership," said Lyu.

China grants market access to agricultural, food products from 50 more nations, regions: official

More than 1,000 people gathered in Berlin over the weekend to protest against U.S. threats of military intervention in Venezuela and voice support for the Venezuelan government.

The demonstrations, held on Saturday and Sunday in the German capital, drew participants who condemned the U.S. sanctions on Venezuela and the naval deployments in the Caribbean.

Protesters said that the United States, under the pretext of counter-narcotics, deployed several warships in the Caribbean near Venezuela, and such a military threat was aimed at interfering in Venezuela's internal affairs.

"The military threat brings a great danger. The United States and Western countries, including Europe, are targeting at Latin American countries that refuse to yield to U.S. pressure and stick to pursue independent policies. They are trying to interfere in Latin American politics and install governments that are obedient to them," said Diedrich Franck, organizer of the protest.

Some protesters said the United States' open threat of ground operations to topple the Maduro government was aimed at seizing Venezuela's oil resources.

"The United States has long been treating Latin America as its backyard to exploit its raw materials and also the Latin American people. Venezuela is the country with the largest oil reserves in the world. There are very obvious interests for the United States to seize its resources and at the same time control the entire Latin American continent. Therefore any leftist, anti-imperialist government in Latin America is seen as a problem by the United States," said Max, a German scholar of modern history.

Washington has deployed around a dozen warships and 15,000 troops to the Caribbean Sea, which shares a significant amount of coastline with Venezuela. U.S. forces have carried out at least 21 known strikes since Sept. 2 on boats suspected of carrying drugs in the Caribbean and East Pacific, killing at least 83 people.

Protesters gather in Berlin against U.S. intervention in Venezuela