Beijing - US-based soft-drink giant Coca-Cola's offer to buy the leading Chinese fruit juice firm faces an anti-monopoly review, state media said on Monday.

China Central Television (CCTV) quoted Commerce Ministry spokesman Yao Shenhong as saying officials were still awaiting the formal application by Coca-Cola following its announcement last week that it had offered 2.4 billion dollars to buy China's Huiyuan Juice Group.

Kolkata, Sept 8 : Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jeichi on Monday expressed a keenness for more Chinese investments in India.

Jeichi, who arrived here on Sunday on an official two-day visit to India, met West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee this morning and held discussions on various issues.

Addressing the media after his interaction with Bhattacharjee, Jeichi said his country would be interested in making investments in various fields including infrastructure building and other areas.

Beijing - China's two stock markets fell sharply Monday despite new rules designed to boost the markets and a global rebound sparked by the US government's bailout of two troubled mortgage giants.

The key Shanghai Composite Index, which tracks shares traded in foreign and local currencies, lost 59.03 points, or 2.68 per cent, to end the day at a 21-month low of
2,143.42.

State media said concerns over slower economic growth and continuing slumps in petrochemical and property shares prompted Monday's fall in Shanghai and the smaller Shenzhen Compenent Index, which also lost about 3 per cent.

Beijing - German President Horst Koehler left China Monday on board a commercial Air China flight because of technical problems with his German air force plane.

The Airbus Konrad Adenauer could not be repaired in time, forcing Koehler and his 50-member delegation to fly to Frankfurt with the commercial airline.

During his three-day visit to Beijing, Koehler attended the opening of the Paralympics, the Olympic games for athletes with disabilities.

The German president said he wanted to send a sign of encouragement for the integration of the physically disabled into society.

New Delhi, Sep 8 : China has said that relevant cooperation should help maintain the integrity and validity of the international nuclear non proliferation system after the
45 nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) permitted nuclear trade with India.

“China always advocates that all countries are entitled to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, and carry out international cooperation in this regard. However, relevant cooperation should help maintain the integrity and validity of the international nuclear nonproliferation system,” said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu.

London, September 8 : China has announced the date for the launch of Shenzhou VII, its third manned space mission, as sometime between 25 and 30 September.

The spacecraft will be launched from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the country’s northwestern Gansu province.

According to a report by BBC News, the Shenzhou VII flight will feature China’s first ever space walk, which will be broadcast live with cameras inside and outside the spacecraft.