The Wall Street Journal writes, "President Barack Obama is trying to sell his ambitious trade agenda by warning that failure would help China eclipse the U.S. as the global trade referee. Even some of the president's allies on trade say he's exaggerating the China threat in a way that might sour relations with Beijing. The Chinese already suspect the U.S. aims to constrain China, and Mr. Obama's trade argument seems to confirm that...Mr. Obama is pushing for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a 12-nation trade deal that includes the U.S., Vietnam, Australia, Japan and others-but not China."
"The leader of the U.N. Development Program on Monday praised China's relief efforts in Nepal and said the country's importance to global development will only grow. Helen Clark, the UNDP administrator, met with Premier Li Keqiang and commerce, economic planning and foreign ministry officials on Monday. On Tuesday she will meet with environment officials. Clark said China had been 'a very good neighbor' in assisting Nepal after the April 25 earthquake. Beijing has sent more than 200 military staff, 10 plane loads of tents, blankets and other supplies along with helicopter support," reports The New York Times.
According to Reuters, "Chinese President Xi Jinping offered the head of Taiwan's ruling Nationalist Party on Monday 'equal' talks to resolve their political differences, but only if Taiwan accepts it is part of China, a concept many Taiwanese balk at. Xi, in his role as head of China's ruling Communist Party, met Nationalist chairman Eric Chu in Beijing's Great Hall of the People, the first meeting between the leaders of the old political rivals in six years... Nationalist forces fled to Taiwan in 1949 at the end of a civil war with the Communists that has never formally ended. China considers Taiwan a renegade province, to be brought under its control by force if necessary."