![China’s manufacturing added value accounted for nearly 30 per cent globally, close to the combined total of the United States, Japan, Germany, South Korea and India, according to a report by the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Photo: Xinhua](data:image/svg+xml,<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="76" height="47"><rect fill-opacity="0"/></svg>)
Cook book: Sichuan Cookery by Fuchsia Dunlop
Susan Jung
Sichuan Cookery By Fuchsia Dunlop
Available from Paddyfield.com, Page One (Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui, tel: 2271 5217) and Dymocks (IFC Mall, Central, tel: 2117 0360)
Dunlop writes with great under-standing of the cuisine but also explains things a Chinese cook or diner might take for granted: the different slicing techniques and methods of cooking, or the variety of textures that have no succinct English equivalent. The book shows the diversity of Sichuanese food, with recipes for the familiar (ma po dou fu, hot and sour soup, hotpot) and the more exotic (wild duck braised with konnyaku beancurd, jade web soup with quail eggs and bamboo pith).
The book has been published under two titles: Sichuan Cookery in Britain and Land of Plenty in the United States. Dunlop has also written a book on the cuisine of Hunan (Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook) and a volume of her eating experiences on the mainland (Sharks Fin and Sichuan Pepper).
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China urges Iran and Saudi Arabia to work together to ‘avoid miscalculation’ as diplomats meet on restoration of ties
- Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks with senior Saudi and Iranian officials in first meeting of committee to support normalisation of relations
- In pointed reference to US – Riyadh’s ally and Tehran’s rival – Wang calls on the Middle Eastern countries to ‘eliminate external interference’
“China has always stood by Arab and Muslim countries and supported the restoration of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. The most urgent task is to promote a ceasefire in Gaza, to stop the war, to promote humanitarian assistance, and to resume the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations,” state news agency Xinhua quoted Wang as saying.
China’s Wang Yi urges coordination with Iran in call to discuss Israel-Gaza war12 Dec 2023
The meeting was the first of the China-Saudi Arabia-Iran joint committee, a dialogue mechanism to support Riyadh and Tehran’s normalisation process.
“It is hoped that the two sides will continue to enhance mutual trust through dialogue and consultation, and achieve a lasting and comprehensive good-neighbourly friendship,” Wang said.
Riyadh-owned Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said China expressed its readiness to continue playing a constructive role and its support for the Saudi and Iranian sides to strengthen ties.
SPA also reported that the talks covered the reopening of the two countries’ embassies and mutual visits by their foreign ministers.
03:02
Xi Jinping calls for Gaza ceasefire, says two-state solution only option for lasting regional peace
According to Xinhua, Wang said Saudi Arabia and Iran should strengthen trade, security, personal exchanges and negotiations to avoid “miscalculation”.
The two countries should also “eliminate external interference” from their relationship, he said in a pointed reference to the United States, a long-time ally of Saudi Arabia but Iran’s rival.
“The Middle East can no longer become a geopolitical arena for the global powers, and the fate of the Middle East should be in the hands of the peoples of the countries of the region,” Wang was quoted as saying.
“I believe that Saudi Arabia and Iran are fully capable of removing external interference promptly and pushing the reconciliation process forward to maintain long-term peace and stability in the region.”
China and Iran vow to work together for peace amid Israel-Gaza war6 Dec 2023
Iran is believed to be a key military and financial backer of Hamas, but it has denied any involvement in the group’s sudden assault on Israel on October 7.
On Monday, Iran’s state-owned Islamic Republic News Agency reported that Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian warned Wang that the Gaza conflict had “already expanded” in the region.