The Wall Street Journal reports, "With an energetic effort to deliver assistance to earthquake-ravaged Nepal, China is pushing both humanitarian support and its own diplomatic goals. China has said it will provide $3.2 million in aid to its quake-struck neighbor. It has also sent dozens of medical and search-and-rescue personnel and four People's Liberation Army aircraft to aid in relief efforts. The first batch of 186 tons of emergency supplies arrived Tuesday. In its response, China is hoping to show Nepal the benefits of closer cooperation and demonstrate to the world Beijing's willingness to take on a role as a responsible power, according to experts."
"President Barack Obama told Prime Minister Shinzo Abe he shared Japan's concerns about China's assertive behavior in maritime disputes with its neighbors and assured him of the U.S. commitment to defending Japanese territory, including tiny islands that Beijing claims. Speaking at a joint news conference in the White House Rose Garden, Obama said a strong U.S.-Japan alliance should not be seen as a provocation to China, but he sought to put to rest any Japanese doubts on whether Washington would stand by Tokyo in any possible confrontation with Beijing," writes Reuters.
According to Bloomberg, "China, the world's largest carbon emitter, has pushed up its timetable for an $11 billion project to improve the quality of fuel used by cars and trucks. China will cap sulfur content in gasoline and diesel at 10 parts per million starting in 2017...China has been struggling to fight pollution, a byproduct of the nation's economic boom over the past 30 years, as dirty air and water generate public discontent. President Xi Jinping pledged in March at the annual session of the National People's Congress to punish violators of the nation's environmental laws with an 'iron hand.'"