China

Last last week, for the first time, frozen albacore tuna was off-loaded at Port Vila's main wharf before being transported to the Chinese-funded fish packing plant at Black Sands.

The Daily Post reports that with the assistance of United States surveillance vessels, the Vanuatu government is committed to having all Vanuatu-flagged fishing vessels unload their catches from the country's Exclusive Economic Zone in Port Vila.

The paper says Bumblebee is in discussion about building a plant in Vanuatu.

The Cyberspace Administration of China posted a 20-point edict that will go into effect next month. It said the regulations were aimed at "promoting the healthy and orderly development" of the industry.

Under the new regulations, users are prohibited from live streaming any content that could "endanger national security and undermine social stability."

It happened quietly last week when China suddenly lifted its four-year blockade of the Scarborough Shoal, allowing Filipino fishermen to freely access the shoal's plentiful waters.

If it lasts, this will be chalked up as a victory for Duterte's pivot to China and a geopolitical setback for the United States.

The results of China's annual civil service exams came out this week, the first step in the highly competitive civil service recruitment drive.

The job that received the most applicants - a record-setting 9,837 - was the opening for "China Democratic League public reception staff".

The Democratic League is one of several minority political parties in the country which have very limited powers, and is hardly seen as a prestigious placement.

So why are so many people hoping to be its receptionist?

It's an easy job

The Samoa Observer reports an air service agreement was signed on Monday by Samoa's Minister of Works, Transport and Infrastructure, and China's Ambassador to Samoa.

The paper reports the deal opens the door for any carrier interested in servicing the route between Beijing and Samoa's Faleolo Airport.

The minister Papali'itele Niko Lee Hang said the agreement signified the bond between the two countries.

He said it would have a domino effect on aviation, tourism and trade.

The local government in the nearby city of Yulin told CNN on Tuesday that 106 had been injured and the search for survivors continued.

It added that initial investigations showed some kind of explosive had caused the blast.

According to state news agency Xinhua, the blast took place at about 2 p.m in a prefabricated house which had been built inside a larger residential compound.

Rescue crews were combing through the rubble overnight in the hope of finding survivors and to discover the cause of the explosion.

The Chinese artist, who featured in CNN Style's inaugural TV show, is the subject of an upcoming documentary directed by Kevin Macdonald ("The Last King of Scotland") and produced by Wendi Murdoch. It was released on Netflix on October 14.

The astronauts took off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northern China.

They will dock with the experimental Tiangong 2 space lab and spend 30 days there, the longest stay in space by Chinese astronauts.

This and previous launches are seen as pointers to possible crewed missions to the Moon or Mars.

An earlier Tiangong - or Heavenly Palace - space station was decommissioned earlier this year after docking with three rockets.

The Agreement aims to further develop the friendly relations, economic and technical cooperation between the two countries; and in accordance with the needs and priorities of the Government of Samoa.

Through the Agreement, the Government of the People’s Republic of China will provide RMB (Y) 100,000,000.00.

One project, among others, that has been identified for implementation through the Agreement is the Police Academy.

Senior citizens aged 65 or over account for up to 80% of missing elderly person cases, according to the Zhongmin Social Assistance Institute under the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

"This is obviously a huge number and a social issue we cannot afford to ignore," Wang Zhikun, president of the Zhongmin institute, said on Sunday.

Around 25% of those missing had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's or dementia, while 72% suffered some sort of memory impairment, according to the report.