On July 6, the Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok opened for business, five days after the territory celebrated its first year as a special administrative region of China.

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Mr. Hong: It's one of the most dynamic and convenient cities to work and live in because it's good for both family life and work life, and is in the middle of the Asia region, right next door to China and within a four-hour flight to most of the region's capital cities.

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Now William Rose, formerly McDonald's station chief of a region between India and China, has been dispatched to become the new chief executive for Donatos.

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Sceptics argue that China alone cannot ignite economic recovery across the region because a large portion of Asia's exports to China are just intermediate goods, which are processed into exports to developed economies.

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The Obama administration is seeking to significantly increase its diplomatic presence in Asia, as a number of U.S. allies in the region voice concerns about China's increasingly assertive positions on territorial, security and economic issues.

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Standing up for Chinese sovereignty is a test of China's revived status as the major power in the region.

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While GDP growth for the region is expected in the 4% to 5% range, in line with the East Asian Tigers, currency pressures and inflation, along with the possibility of a substantial slowdown in either Brazil or China, pose huge risks for the region.

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Researchers have been able to trace a line between some of the earliest modern humans to settle in China and people living in the region today.

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Details of the meeting were scant, but a China Mobile spokesman said it was regarding "matters of co-operation" in the region.

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China is still a candidate for the role of global savior and early indicators from the region show strong proof that legions of hopeful traders could be onto a winner.

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"A further slowdown in China would affect commodity exporters in the region particularly strongly, since, with the exception of Timor-Leste, China is their major trade-partner in commodities, " the World Bank said in its latest report on the region.

BBC: Asian economies face regional and global challenges

She asked Hagel how he can assure China that the increased military deployments to the region are part of an effort to build a more positive relationship with Beijing.

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Yin Gang, a Middle East analyst at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, says China's overarching objective in the region is to maintain friendly ties with its four main groups: Arabs, Turks, Persians and Jews.

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America is working with the countries of the region -- South Korea, Japan, China and Russia -- to find a peaceful solution and to show the North Korean government that nuclear weapons will bring only isolation, economic stagnation and continued hardship.

CNN: Transcript of State of the Union

China has won negotiating rights to exploit two of the largest oilfields in the Caspian Basin, a region some analysts believe conceals as many as 178 billion barrels of oil, making it second only to the Gulf.

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