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The State Administration for Religious Affairs on Wednesday urged the Vatican to rescind its threats to excommunicate two Chinese bishops, who are to be consecrated without papal approval, and return to the "correct path of dialogue." The threats of excommunication are "extremely unreasonable and rude," a spokesperson said in a statement. Yue Fusheng and Ma Daqin will be consecrated on Friday and Saturday in Heilongjiang Province and Shanghai, respectively. The Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association was forced to begin to consecrate elected bishops in the 1950s after the Vatican threatened to impose excommunication. The association has so far consecrated more...

BreakingNews.ie Calls for 'punitive' US sanctions against China US lawmakers called for legislative action today to address a huge trade imbalance with China, reflecting what they described as a growing impatience among US citizens with Beijing’s economic policies. At a congressional advisory panel, lawmakers also complained of massive Chinese counterfeiting of copyrighted goods that they said hurt American manufacturers. The focus, however, was a soaring US trade deficit with China. “It is dangerous for our national security. It is dangerous for our economy and we need to do something about it,” Democratic Senator Ben Cardin told the US-China Economic...