The officials met in Tokyo on Wednesday, with Japanese Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Keiichi Katakami and Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce Gao Yan attending.

They agreed on advancing talks on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, or RCEP. The 16 member countries include Japan, China, and Southeast Asian countries, but not the United States.

US President-elect Donald Trump says he will take America out of the TPP deal.

Observers say China wants to make RCEP the basis for trade rules in the Asia-Pacific region.

They also say Japan wants RCEP to enable free trade at the same level as the TPP.

The 13th World's 500 Most Influential Brands, compiled by New York-based consultancy World Brand Lab, was released on December 26.

Google and Amazon ranked second and third respectively.

Thirty-six Chinese brands have made it onto the list this year.

Among them, eight are in the top 100, including the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC), the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), Tencent, China Central Television (CCTV), Haier, China Mobile, Huawei and Lenovo.

The 500 brands come from 28 different countries, among which nearly half, 227, are from the United States.

They come mostly from 50 different industries including food and beverage, automobiles and auto components, media, retail, energy and the Internet.

American brands such as Chipotle, Texas Instruments and General Dynamics are on the list for the first time.

New Chinese firms on the list include Vanke, China Railway Engineering Corporation (CREC) and China Taiping Insurance.

Those making the World's 500 Most Influential Brands list are selected on a criteria based on market share, brand loyalty and global leadership.

Non-fossil fuel consumption accounts for 13.3 percent of the total amount, up 1.3 percentage points year on year, as China encourages users to switch from coal and oil to cleaner fuels, Nur Bekri, director of National Energy Administration, told a conference.

The country aims to raise the ratio of non-fossil fuel consumption to 14.3 percent in 2017, while cutting the ratio of coal to around 60 percent, he added.

He also called for efforts to promote clean energy and emission reductions, optimize the country's energy structure and strengthen international energy cooperation.

China has long been promoting clean fuels and is committed to increasing investment in renewable energy.

It is currently the world's biggest country in terms of installed water, solar and wind capacity.

The scandal has also caught Samsung up in allegations that it backed foundations controlled by Choi Soon-sil in the hope of receiving political favours, which investigators are also examining.
Politicians voted on 9 December to impeach President Park - a decision South Korea's constitutional court has six months to uphold or overturn. Until then she remains formally president but stripped of her powers, which are handed to the prime minister, a presidential appointee.
Ms Park denies wrongdoing but has apologised for the way she managed her relationship with Ms Choi, who also denies committing criminal offences.

In 2017 a larger share of capital inflow will be directed to high-end manufacturing, a key part of the real economy, Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng said at a national commerce work conference concluding Tuesday.

Investment access restrictions will be lowered for general manufacturing as well, he added.

Foreign investment will also highlighted in the development of a modern service industry, as the country opens its finance and telecommunication service sectors in an orderly fashion, Gao said.

Developing the real economy will be a major feature of the country's efforts to go global next year, with more investment for technical and managerial expertise.

The country's foreign direct investment, excluding investment in the financial sector, is likely to be around 785 billion yuan ($126 billion) this year, with 70 percent of the inflow going to the service sector, official estimates show.

To attract more foreign investment, Gao called for repeating the success of free trade zones, which have fewer investment restrictions.

Thereby, this year´s pledge is increased to 13,5 mil. EUR in grant funding for this innovative approach, which aims at improving management structures of natural spaces that deserve particular protection. 6,5 mil. EUR were already pledged during the successful governmental negotiations in Berlin, held November 23rd and 24th 2016. Germany provides Mongolia an amount totaling to 25 mil. EUR for the joint project “Biodiversity and Adaption to Climate Change”.

The Mongolian contribution adds further 3.5 mil. EUR. An increase of the Mongolian contribution is being planned currently. D. Oyunkhorol - Mongolian Minister for Environment and Tourism - highlighted in a meeting with Dr. Christian Glass – Head of the Development Cooperation Division at the German Embassy – and Petar Gjorgjiev – Director of KfW Office Ulaanbaatar – the high importance of the cooperation. She stressed that with this project Mongolia’s unique nature can be preserved, the livelihood can be enhanced and, simultaneously, the basis for sustainable tourism can be established.

As of now, the following 11 protected areas were selected this year with the aim to improve their management and park infrastructure with German and Mongolian support: Dornod, Gorkji Terelj, Khangai, Khan Khentee, Khustai, Onon Balj, Orkhon, Otgontenger, Tarvagatai, Ulaan Taiga und Zed Khantai. With the additional funding, protected areas in western Mongolia shall be supported. Possible measures in the Gobi region may also be assessed. The innovative approach based on the principle of competition, whereby protected areas with good management concepts can apply, remains valid. Dr. Glass stressed that the support for protected areas and their population by the Mongolian Government remains an important investment to the country´s future, even in times of financial challenges.

In 2017, the German–Mongolian Development Cooperation celebrates its 25th anniversary. Approximately 347 mil. EUR of funding were pledged by Germany within these 25 years. Supporting Mongolia in the priority areas “Biodiversity”, “Energy Efficiency” and “Sustainable Resource Management”, Germany promotes the country´s sustainable development and remains an important partner in the sustainable improvement of the living conditions of the Mongolian population throughout the country and the implementation of the “Sustainable Development Goals”.

The plan was filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. Peabody is targeting emergence around the beginning of the second quarter of 2017.

"Today's proposed plan is an important achievement in our path toward emergence," said Peabody Energy President and Chief Executive Officer Glenn Kellow in a news release.

"The plan charts Peabody's course forward and reflects an enormous amount of work by the company and multiple creditor groups to advance a proposal that has broad consensus, maximizes the value of the enterprise and paves the way for a sustainable future. We look forward to moving toward confirmation of the plan."

The company is negogiating with three key stakeholder groups—the First Lien Creditors, the Second Lien Group and the Unsecured Noteholder Group. It is also updating its projections given changes to the industry and commodity prices.

"Eight months ago, we set out on a path to strengthen the balance sheet and position the company for long-term success amid historically challenged coal industry fundamentals," said Kellow.

"While we still have outstanding issues to resolve prior to emergence, this plan demonstrates that Peabody retains an unmatched asset base, leading U.S. platform, substantial Australian thermal and metallurgical coal business, and a team of skilled employees with a fundamental commitment to lasting values. We're pleased to reach this important step as we move to the next phase of Peabody's Chapter 11 process. And we appreciate all of our employees' actions in continuing to manage safe, low-cost operations and deliver the results that can best ensure our success."