"We urge the United States to abide by the one-China policy that has been repeatedly reiterated by President George W. Bush and the U.S. Government, and honor its commitment to conform to the three joint communiqués signed by the two countries."

China's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Liu Jianchao, opposing Washington selling weapons to Taiwan

"I believe this article needs to be revised from the viewpoint of defending Japan. Japanese people should themselves write a constitution that befits the 21st century. "

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told the London-based Financial Times, believing that the U.S.-imposed constitution bars Japan from maintaining a military, adding that Japan was now expected to play a greater role in international security

"They are serious negotiations. This issue is on track. We are moving ahead. How long does it take? It's up to the nature of the negotiations."

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, speaking about the fate of two Israeli soldiers whose July 12 capture by his militant group sparked a month of brutal fighting in Lebanon

"The court has been working hard to recruit a sufficient number of judges. It's proving to be slow going. That itself tells you what a huge burden it is to adequately review the large number of death sentences."

Jerome Cohen, an American expert on Chinese law, called China's new legislation that requires approval from the country's highest court before putting anyone to death an "encouraging and significant" step forward

"The main risk is the U.S. slowdown, which we expect will continue into the fourth quarter, and that's affecting export orders and manufacturers in China. But the impact on the overall economy is quite limited since exports only account for about 9 percent of gross domestic product.''

Ma Jun, head of China economic research at Deutsche Bank AG in Hong Kong, predicted a possible slowdown in China's manufacturing sector