A free trade deal between China and the Association of Southeast Nations (Asean) comes into affect this year.

The government Indonesia, which is part of Asean, says removing barriers and ensuring easy cross border trade will help grow the domestic economy.

But many workers are worried they will not be able to compete against a flood of Chinese products and Indonesian farmers, especially, worry that they will soon be out of jobs as consumers choose cheaper Chinese produce.

Thousands of workers have taken to the streets calling for parts of the trade pact to be delayed.

Al Jazeera’s Step Vaessen reports from Cipanas in West Java.

Mozambique gets infrastructure boost from China

China has overtaken the US as Africa’s top trading partner, and Beijing’s growing economic clout is increasingly visible across the continent – but critics say the Asian giant’s pursuit of lucrative contracts is at the expense of the environment.

In the latest in our series China Buys The World, Al Jazeera’s Haru Mutasa reports from Mozambique, where Beijing’s conduct is drawing concern.

The White House has reassured China that its hundreds of billions of dollars in US bond investments are safe, despite the global economic crisis.

Wen Jiabao, the Chinese prime minister, has called on Washington to ease worries about the security of those assets.

Al Jazeera’s Sebastian Walker reports.

Parts of northern and central China have been hit by one of the worst droughts in 50 years, and the government has moved quickly to irrigate fields and revive crops.

Al Jazeera’s Melissa Chan reports from one of the hardest-hit areas in Henan province.

Many families of children who fell sick after consuming chemical-laced infant formula are struggling to pay for medical care saying they have not received the promised compensation.

Al Jazeera’s Melissa Chan reports from China’s Hebei province on the continuing fallout of the tainted milk scandal.

China food safety initiative

China has launched a four-month food safety campaign, in an attempt to address concerns over industry standards.

Consumer confidence has been most recently damaged by the tainted milk scandal.

Tony Cheng reports from Beijing.