"China's coal consumption fell by 2.9 percent in 2014, the first drop in 14 years...contrary to grumbling in the U.S. Congress about the strength, or even existence, of China's climate commitments, it's clear that China's efforts to cut its coal consumption and carbon emissions are not only real, but are already producing results...Much of the drop in China's coal consumption can be attributed to efforts to tackle the country's staggering air pollution. China's air pollution control action plan, adopted in September 2013, focuses heavily on cutting coal consumption in its three most polluted regions surrounding Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Some cities, including Beijing, are already starting to see some improvement in air quality," explains The Huffington Post. 

"China defended its activities in the South China Sea as restrained and responsible Friday after the U.S. intelligence chief called its expansion of outposts in the region an 'aggressive' effort to assert sovereignty...China says it has historical claims to a huge swath of the South Sea China that overlaps the claims of several neighbors including Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and the Philippines, and it objects to what it considers U.S. meddling. The U.S. says it has a national interest in the peaceful resolution of the disputes in the region," reports The Washington Post. 

The Wall Street Journal writes, "The U.S. amped up pressure on China over proposed rules for technology in the Chinese banking industry that have become the latest flash point over cybersecurity between Washington and Beijing...The rules call for Chinese banks to sharply increase their use of secure technology, but U.S. and European business groups have said the rules are intrusive and require turning over proprietary information to Chinese authorities. 'China's new regulations on the use of information and communications technology in the banking industry go directly against a series of China's bilateral and multilateral trade commitments...For example, the rules would require technology transfer and use of domestic Chinese intellectual property as a precondition for market access-both of which China has committed not to do.'The rules are expected to go into full effect by April 1."