U.S. Secretary of Treasury Jack Lew in the East Room of the White House in Washington, March 4, 2013.

WASHINGTON | Fri Mar 15, 2013 12:30pm EDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Treasury Secretary Jack Lew will press China to take "serious steps" to stop cyber attacks directed at the United States and urge the administration of new Chinese President Xi Jinping to accelerate economic reforms, a U.S. official said on Friday.

Lew's visit to Beijing on Tuesday and Wednesday comes at a crucial time, the official told reporters on condition of anonymity. "China is undergoing their once-in-a-decade leadership transition and, of course, their reform process is at a crossroads."

"It's important to deepen our relationship with China's new leadership team at this time," the official said.

Lew lacks the international stature of his predecessor, Timothy Geithner, and is signaling the importance the United States put on its economic relationship with China by making his first international trip as secretary to Beijing.

Secretary of State John Kerry in coming weeks will also make his first trip to China since taking office last month.

Both Kerry and Lew will host their Chinese counterparts in Washington in the middle of this year for the annual U.S-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue, the official said.

China's legislature formally chose Li Keqiang as premier on Friday, installing the English-speaking bureaucrat as the man in charge of the world's second-largest economy.

President Barack Obama raised U.S. concerns about computer hacking in a phone call with Xi on Thursday, just days after U.S. intelligence leaders said for the first time that cyber attacks and cyber espionage had supplanted terrorism as the top security threat facing the United States.

"We will press China to take serious steps to investigate and put a stop to these activities and to engage with us in a constructive direct dialogue to establish acceptable norms of behavior in cyberspace, recognizing it is a growing challenge for both of us," the senior U.S. official said.

Lew will also press China to allow its currency to rise further against the dollar and push on other concerns such as increased market access for U.S. goods and better protection of intellectual property rights, the official said.

China's yuan has appreciated 16 percent in real terms against the dollar since June 2010. "More progress, however, is needed," the official said.

(Reporting by Doug Palmer; Editing by Doina Chiacu)

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BEIJING | Thu Jan 10, 2013 7:24am EST

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's carbon intensity, or its emissions relative to economic output, fell more than 3.5 percent in 2012, outperforming its average annual target, China's chief climate change official said on Thursday.

China aims to cut carbon intensity by 17 percent during the 2011-2015 period, which means an annual average target of around 3.5 percent. Intensity is the amount of carbon dioxide emitted per unit of gross domestic product.

"The situation last year was relatively good. Based on a preliminary estimate, China could achieve a more than 3.5 percent fall in carbon intensity," said Su Wei, director general of climate change department of National Development and Reform Commission.

Cutting carbon intensity allows China to meet international demands for it to curb emissions and also keep its priority that development must come first while many Chinese still live in poverty.

The government is currently drawing up a national plan on climate change till 2020, which is expected to be finalized soon, Su said.

China recently published a new industrial carbon emissions plan. Steel, nonferrous metals and petrochemical sectors are required to cut CO2 intensity by 18 percent by 2015 compared with the 2010 level.

By 2020, China aims to cut its carbon intensity by 40 to 45 percent versus the 2005 level, a target that is stimulating a sharp increase in investment demand in energy efficiency and renewable energy.

Its efforts to control emissions are also paving the way for creation of a carbon market, which requires accurate measurements of the carbon emitted.

China's biggest listed steelmaker, Baoshan Iron and Steel, is among the industrial companies that must participate in a pilot carbon trading scheme in Shanghai, the local government said last month.

China will need 1.24 trillion yuan ($199.2 billion) in energy conservation investments in 2011-2015, an increase of 50 percent from the level in 2006-2010, according to a research report released by Tsinghua University on Thursday.

The investment in China's renewable energy sector in 2011-2015 will increase 37.5 percent to 1.8 trillion yuan, the report showed. ($1 = 6.2262 Chinese yuan)

(Reporting by Wan Xu and David Standway; editing by Jane Baird)

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1 of 13. A deceased beached whale lies on a beach with the skyline of New York rising behind it in the Queens borough region of Breezy Point, New York, December 27, 2012. A 60-foot finback whale that washed up on a beach in New York City on Wednesday has died, a marine rescue official said on Thursday.

NEW YORK | Thu Dec 27, 2012 1:59pm EST

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A 60-foot whale that washed up on a beach in New York City on Wednesday has died, a marine rescue official said on Thursday.

The finback whale had appeared on the beach in New York's Breezy Point neighborhood and marine conservationists had been fearful for its survival. Breezy Point, in the borough of Queens, faces the Atlantic Ocean and was devastated by flooding and fire in superstorm Sandy in October.

"Biologists have confirmed that the whale has died," said Mendy Garron, a marine mammal rescue specialist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "Plans are currently being developed for necropsy and disposal of the carcass."

The finback is the second largest marine mammal species after the blue whale, according to the NOAA Fisheries website. An adult can reach 85 feet and weigh up to 80 tons, although northern hemisphere finbacks tend to be somewhat smaller than their southern cousins. Typical lifespan is 80 to 90 years.

(Writing by Dan Burns; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)

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There are reports that Jamaican Olympic sprinter, Yohan Blake, could be fined by the International Olympic Committee for wearing a watch which contravenes branding guidelines.