BEIJING - Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, on Friday discussed the situation on the Korean Peninsula and bilateral relations via phone.Speaking by telephone, Xi told Trump that he appreciates the US president's desire to resolve the Korean Peninsula issue politically, hoping that the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) will start dialogue as soon as possible and strive for positive results.Xi added that he hopes all parties concerned will show goodwill and avoid doing anything which might affect or interfere with the improving situation on the peninsula, calling on them to maintain the positive momentum on the Korean Peninsula issue.Xi also told Trump that China and the United States should focus on cooperation, control differences, promote win-win economic cooperation, and push for new advancement of bilateral relations in the new year. rubber bracelets canada
ZHENGZHOU -- Cloned peonies made their debut show at the ongoing peony festival in Luoyang, Central China's Henan province, with their full blossoming set for mid April.As an imperial capital during 13 dynasties, Luoyang claims to have the country's best peonies. The flower was a favorite of royal families for its luxuriant blossom, which came to symbolize prosperity and wealth.The city hosts the annual festival from April 5 to May 5 to celebrate the auspicious flower.Kong Xiangsheng, professor with the Henan University of Science and Technology, said 125 cloned peony plants were on the exhibition in Luoyang. Tourists can enjoy the blossoming for a week from mid-April.The plants were cloned from peony tissue ranging from roots, stems and leaves in a sterile environment, he said.The Luoyang academy of agriculture and forestry science completed the sequencing of the peony genome last year, recording 65,898 peony genes, and putting together a database of 1,000 peony varieties.Mapping of the genome will lead to better protection of wild peonies and precision seeding, and expand the use of peonies for making cosmetics and other commercial products.Wang said that with the cloning technology, scientists could make fast cultivation of rare breed peonies on a large scale.
