Xinhua China News Digest at 16:00 GMT, Nov. 17

TOP STORIES:

* Highlights of Sino-U.S. summit, joint statement

BEIJING, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao and
U.S. President Barack Obama discussed Sino-U.S. relations and
global issues during their meeting Tuesday in Beijing and the two
countries issued a joint statement after the talks.

Following are the highlights of the joint statement and
speeches by President Hu and President Obama in the talks and the
meeting with the press.

* Roundup: Hu meets with Obama, makes 5 proposals for Sino-U.S.
relations

BEIJING, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao made
five proposals on promoting Sino-U.S. relations and tackling
delicate issues of common concern while meeting with visiting U.S.
President Barack Obama in Beijing Tuesday.

* China seeks U.S. support to prevent separatism against China

BEIJING, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao
Tuesday told visiting U.S. President Barack Obama that China hoped
the U.S. will properly handle the Taiwan issue, and not allow
separatists to use the U.S. soil to stage anti-China activities
aimed to split the country.

* Top Chinese legislator meets U.S. president

BEIJING, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- Top Chinese legislator Wu Bangguo
met visiting U.S. President Barack Obama on bilateral ties Tuesday
afternoon.

* China's Three Gorges edges toward capacity after drought
discharges

YICHANG, Hubei, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- Plans to raise the water
level of China's Three Gorges reservoir to its 175-meter maximum
are back on track, said a statement issued by the China Three
Gorges Corporation Tuesday.

* Chinese President hosts welcome banquet for Obama

BEIJING, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao hosted
a welcome banquet for visiting U.S. President Barack Obama Tuesday
evening at the Great Hall of the People.

* China, U.S. agree on economic rebalance, pursuit of
forward-looking monetary polices

BEIJING, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- The United States and China, the
world's first and third largest economies, have pledged to
rebalance each other's economy and move in tandem on
forward-looking monetary polices for a strong and durable global
economic recovery, according to a China-U.S. joint statement
released here on Tuesday.

* China, U.S. to advance military relations: joint statement

BEIJING, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- China and the United States issued
a joint statement in Beijing Tuesday, promising that the two
countries would "take concrete steps" to advance "sustained and
reliable" military-to-military relations in the future.

* China, U.S. agree transition to green, low-carbon economy
essential

BEIJING, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- China and the United States singed
a joint statement here Tuesday after talks between Chinese
President Hu Jintao and his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama,
agreeing that "the transition to a green and low-carbon economy is
essential."

* China, U.S. vow deeper co-op on counter-terrorism

BEIJING, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- China and the United States issued
a joint statement in Beijing Tuesday, vowing to deepen
counter-terrorism consultation and cooperation between the two
countries on an equal and mutually beneficial basis.

* Hu says his talks with Obama candid, constructive, fruitful

BEIJING, Nov, 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao said
here Tuesday that his talks with U.S. President Barack Obama were
candid, constructive and fruitful.

* Chinese university kissing ban heats debate while lovers cool
off

NANJING, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- Two months after an east China
university banned public kissing and canoodling on campus, the
petting police are still on patrol -- despite a heated debate
online and on-campus that shows no sign of abating.

* 2nd Ld-Writethru: Massive landslide leaves 23 dead in north
China

ZHONGYANG, Shanxi, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- Eight infants aged 1 to
4 are among 23 people confirmed dead in Monday's massive landslide
that buried part of a village in north China's Shanxi Province,
local authorities said Tuesday.

* IMF chief praises China's efforts to shift growth model

BEIJING, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- Dominique Strauss-Kahn, managing
director of the International Monetary Fund(IMF), said here
Tuesday the Fund fully supports China's efforts to shift its
growth model "from heavy reliance on exports toward private
consumption."

BUSINESS & FINANCE:

* 1st Ld-Writethru: Chinese shares rise to three-month high

BEIJING, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese equities continued their
rise for the third consecutive trading day and closed slightly up
Tuesday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index rising to a
three-month high.

* Chinese economist issues stern warning on asset bubbles

BEIJING, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese economist has warned
that the country's soaring property prices and equities were
"signs of asset bubbles," owing to excessive liquidity.

FEATURES:

* China Exclusive: Obama: I will come back to Forbidden City

by Xinhua writers Miao Xiaojuan and Xiong Zhengyan

BEIJING, Nov.17 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama said he
would return to China and revisit the Palace Museum, or the
Forbidden City, during his tour on Tuesday as part of his four-day
trip to China.

COMMENTARY:

* Commentary: World watches as China, US steer their ship of
relations

by Xinhua Writers Tian Ye, Xu Haijing, Fengwu Jingjing

BEIJING, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- When the American merchant ship
Empress of China arrived in the Middle Kingdom in 1784, the crew
probably could have known they were making history, but they could
never have predicted where the current of history would take the
ship of China-U.S. relations.

More than two centuries after the vessel's arrival, the
earliest contact between the two nations as believed by American
historian Jonathan D. Spence, President Barack Obama's maiden
visit to China, which came within a year after his inauguration,
invited attentions and expectations on how the two countries would
advance their relations and cooperate to tackle global challenges.

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Duty editor: Wang Jiaquan @ 8610 6307 3665

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