"China's ambitions to be a leader in nuclear technology have been dealt a fresh blow, as construction of its most advanced reactor is facing a new delay. The project-which China is developing with Westinghouse Electric Co. of the U.S.-faces new development problems and now isn't expected to start up until 2016 at the earliest, the chief engineer at China's state-owned reactor technology company said Thursday...The delay is the second for the project, which had been slated to start by the end of 2013. It marks another setback for China's clean-energy ambitions, as technical hurdles loom over Beijing's aim to triple its nuclear power capacity by 2020. China is the most active builder of nuclear reactors in the world, with 24 reactors in operation and 25 under construction, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency," writes The Wall Street Journal. 

The New York Times reports, "A jump in violent crime in Chinese towns near the border with North Korea has prompted the authorities in China to organize civilian militias to help secure the largely unprotected border, a state-run publication has reported. The militias, as described by the publication, China Defense News, are part of an enhanced system to keep villagers safe from North Koreans, some of them armed soldiers and border guards who have been crossing into China in search of food and money... The killings have strained a relationship already frayed by North Korea's erratic diplomacy and its continued pursuit of a nuclear arsenal, leading to increased tensions in northeast Asia. China is North Korea's most important ally, and according to some news reports, Beijing has expressed its discontent over Pyongyang's truculence by constraining cross-border trade and reducing shipments of food and oil. North Korean defectors and international aid workers say that hunger and malnutrition are rife throughout the country." 

According to TIME, "just two weeks into the year, Beijing is on 'yellow alert' - the third highest in a four-tiered government pollution warning system. The U.S. embassy said its air-quality index, measuring PM2.5 particulates, had hit 545 (anything above 300 is considered hazardous)... This year's first spell of particularly putrid air comes on the heels of news that the region's air-pollution problem is, believe it or not, improving. Earlier this month, local authorities reported that average air pollution was actually down slightly in 2014.That's good news, although the level of the most dangerous particulate matter was still more than three times the recommended limit."