October 18, Wednesday, 2023

1. Chinese President Xi Jinping met on Wednesday in Beijing with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The two are attending an international forum on China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Xi and Putin sat down on the sidelines of the event to discuss their shared vision for the future. 2. The Chinese government released third-quarter GDP data on Wednesday showing the recovery of the world’s second-largest economy slowed down amid a prolonged slump in the real estate sector. 3.Prices of newly harvested Japanese rice have risen for the second consecutive year amid higher costs of fertilizers and fuel. The agriculture ministry conducted a survey during the September harvest season. It found that the average wholesale price of new rice was 15,291 yen, or about 102 dollars. For a 60-kilogram sack. That is up nearly 10 percent in yen terms from a year earlier.