US plans $1.5-bn worth projects with China: The United States and China will sign agreements on Monday for projects worth about $1.5 billion, US commerce secretary William Daley said on Sunday. The agreements would include about $1.4 billion of "US content", Daley told reporters. "There are a number of projects we are going to sign tomorrow, successful projects by US companies that will amount to about a billion-and-a-half dollars," Daley said.China irks Kremlin: The Kremlin seems to be irked by the generosity with which US president Bill Clinton was welcomed in China - Russia's immediate neighbour in the Far East. Though there has been no overt expression of this irritation by the Kremlin, the postponement of Yeltsin's scheduled visit to Kazakhstan, which was to be crowned by crucial regional security summit including chairman Jiang of China next Friday, clearly indicates this.
`Chinese swadeshi affecting US business': China has launched a low-profile "buy China" programme that hasdrastically cut into American business opportunities and trade, US business analysts accompanying president Bill Clinton to the communist country said. "The Chinese, wary of the devastation wrought by the fast pace of globalisation in South Asia, have adopted their own form of swadeshi," severely curtailing foreign business opportunities in the country, they said. "Consequently, fewer contracts are likely to be tied up during president Clinton's China visit," they added.
Bar reforms on the anvil in UK: Britain is on the verge of making far reaching reforms to the bar as part of a major offensive on the remaining restrictive practices of the judicial system. In a new move, which could trigger similar reforms in developing countries, the lord chancellor has announced that he proposes to scrap the bar's near-monopoly of work in the higher courts. Kuwait to privatise national carrier soon: Kuwait hopes to start within months the phased privatisation of its national carrier, which has some $2 billion innet assets and $880 million in debt. Kuwait Airways chairman Ahmad al-Meshari said the privatisation could be preceded by the state paying part of the airline's debts, a cut in employees from 5,730 and raising airfares to regional levels.
Thailand to push for Asia fund: Thailand will raise the issue of possible establishment of a fund to help restructure ailing Asian economies during US treasury secretary Robert Rubin's visit on Monday, deputy prime minister Supachai Panichpakdi said on Sunday.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
