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SCHWEIZER
BOTSCHAFT IN BEIJING
EMBASSY OF SWITZERLAND IN BEIJING
AMBASSADE DE SUISSE EN CHINE
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Der wöchentliche
Presserückblick der Schweizer Botschaft in der VR China
The Weekly Press Review of the Swiss Embassy in the People's Republic
of China
La revue de presse hebdomadaire de l'Ambassade de Suisse en RP
de Chine |
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Foreign
Policy |
Cheney's China tour highlights common interest than difference
2004-04-15 Xinhua News
After US Vice President Dick Cheney's 46-hour heavily arranged
visit in China, the "low-profile but very influential"
official concluded his visit by saying that "the areas
of agreements (between the United States and China) are far
greater than those we disagree". During his stay in Beijing
since Tuesday afternoon, he held talks or meetings with Chinese
President Hu Jintao, Chairman of the Central Military Commission
Jiang Zemin and Premier Wen Jiabao and Vice President Zeng Qinghong.
Cheney and Chinese leaders exchanged views frankly on bilateral
ties and a range of regional and international issues involving
the Taiwan issue, the Korean nuclear issue, trade and Iraq situation.
On the Taiwan issue, the most vital in the Sino-US relationship,
Chinese leaders described "Taiwan independence" as
"the biggest threat to peace and stability across the Taiwan
Straits." China will never tolerate it and urged the United
States to honor the one-China policy. Chinese Vice President
Zeng Qinghong also told Cheney during their talks Tuesday evening
that the election result in Taiwan could not change the fact
that Taiwan is part of China. Replying to his hosts, Cheney
reiterated that the US government will continue to adhere to
the one-China policy, which was based on the three joint communiques
between the United States and China, not support "Taiwan
Independence", and oppose any unilateral action to change
the status quo across the Taiwan Straits. On the bilateral trade
issue, which arose much concern in the two countries, there
seems to be not much argument during Cheney's meeting with Chinese
leaders, including the US trade deficit with China and the alleged
"manipulated" exchange rates of Chinese currency,
the RMB. Cheney and the Chinese leaders agreed that China and
the US witnessed sound development in bilateral ties and cooperation
in all fields including major regional international issues,
vowing to further the Sino-US constructive cooperation relationship.
The two countries agreed to increase high-level exchanges and
strengthen cooperation in anti-terrorism, trade, law-enforcement
and military aspects. During his first visit to China's biggest
economic hub Shanghai, the last leg of his China tour, Cheney
addressed the faculty and students of the prestigious Fudan
University as former US President Ronald Reagan has done in
the same season 20 years ago.
Chinese President stresses expansion of Sino-EU links
2004-04-15 People's Daily
Chinese President Hu Jintao said Wednesday that China is ready
to strengthen consultation and coordination with the European
Union (EU) on important international and regional issues. Hu
said China is willing to expand mutually beneficial cooperation
between China and EU, adding that the two sides should join
hands to contribute to world peace, stability and development.
President Hu Jintao made the remarks during his meeting with
visiting European Commission (EC) President Romano Prodi in
the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Wednesday afternoon.
The two sides made an important decision to set up a strategic
partnership last year, setting clear direction for the development
of Sino-EU relations in the new century. Hu said the China-EU
policy document forum held in Beijing earlier this year put
forward a series of detailed targets and plans of strengthening
cooperation between the two sides. China and EU are both important
forces to safeguard world peace and stability and to promote
common development, Hu said. He said China supports the enlargement
and integration of the EU and hopes it will play a bigger role
in international affairs. Prodi said EU-China relations have
never been so good, noting that the two sides have conducted
sound and fruitful cooperation in political, cultural and scientific
areas. He said the EU places importance on China's important
position and role in the international community and wishes
to develop closer strategic relations with China. Chinese Premier
Wen Jiabao raised three proposals for strengthening Sino-EU
relations as he met with visiting European Union (EU) Commission
President Romano Prodi Tuesday. The proposals include: First,
the two sides should study and set objectives and plan for the
development of Sino-EU relations in the coming 10-15 years.
Through the exchange of visits by high-ranking officials and
the Seventh China-EU Leaders' Meeting to be held in December,
the two sides should add substance to and further develop the
all-round strategic partnership between China and the EU. Secondly,
the two sides should earnestly implement the policy documents
that they signed on Sino-EU relations last year so as to expand
and deepen their cooperation in various areas. Thirdly, the
two sides should observe the principles of mutual respect, equality
and mutual benefits to properly resolve important issues of
common concern through dialogue and consultation. ( )
"New constitution" means timetable for Taiwan
independence: official
2004-04-14 Xinhua News
A Taiwan affairs official of China's State Council Wednesday
warned that the Taiwan leader's plan to hatch up a "new
constitution" will result in tensions and danger in the
Taiwan Straits. At the first regular press conference after
the March 20 election in Taiwan, Li Weiyi, a spokesman for the
Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, or the Chinese central
government, described the agenda on "constitution"
as a timetable for "Taiwan Independence". Chen Shui-bian,
leader of Taiwan authorities, has stated in public time and
again his intention to hold a referendum on writing a new constitution
in 2006 and enact the constitution in 2008 to make Taiwan a
"normal and complete nation", while calling for a
cross-strait framework for peace, stability and interaction.
The spokesman dismissed Chen's remarks on the proposed framework
for peace, stability and interaction between the two sides as
a move to deceive the people of Taiwan and the international
community. Li noted that Chen has been creating chaos in Taiwan
society and sabotaging cross-strait relations during his four
years in power, and blamed Chen's separatist stance for the
increased factors of instability in Taiwan and the deterioration
of Taiwan's environment for development. What Chen had said
and done had "posed a direct threat to peace and stability
in the Asia-Pacific region", Li said. ( ) Chen is misleading
people and has caused serious damage to the cross-strait relations,
Li said, and it will impair the stability of Taiwan society,
economic development and the well-being of the people of Taiwan.
( )
Vatican must break links with Taiwan before China allows
relationship
2004-04-15 Xinhua News
The Vatican should first break off its relations with Taiwan,
and does not interfere in China's internal affairs under the
pretext of religion, if it wants to establish relations with
China, said Kong Quan, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, here
Thursday. Kong Quan made the remarks in response to a reporter's
question on whether the Vatican wants to establish diplomatic
relations with China. Kong said China holds a clear stance on
the Vatican issue, and it is up to the Vatican to take action,
he said. The Vatican should meet the above two demands if it
has the sincerity to establish relations with China.
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Domestic
Policy |
Banning not the way to eliminate begging
2004-04-14 China Daily
Beijing is not going to ban begging and busking at subway stations
and on the trains, the municipal government's Legal Affairs
Office announced at a press conference on Monday. ( )Since there
is no violation of law, there is no legal ground for local authorities
to ban it. Looking deeper for the reasons behind begging, we
will find that the inadequate social security system is probably
the prime cause. Many poverty-stricken people living on the
bottom rungs of the social ladder do not get enough help from
society. Natural disasters, disease and unemployment can leave
people in helpless situations. Begging then becomes their only
means of making a living. Therefore, a sound social security
network covering every inch of our land and providing every
citizen with protection is the ultimate resolution. Instead
of banning, the government should persuade those beggars with
working abilities to make a living through lawful work, and
help those who, for various reasons are unable to work, to live
with dignity.
Verschärfung der Internetkontrolle
2004-04-14 Renmin Wang (Übersetzung)
Seit Dienstag gelten weitere strenge Bestimmungen für minderjährige
Internetnutzer. Internet-Cafes und weitere öffentliche
Internet-Möglichkeiten sind nun für junge Leute endgültig
verboten. Bei zweimaligem Verstoss gegen das Gesetzt für
Jugendliche wird dem IT-Anbieter die Schliessung oder gar mit
dem Entzug der Lizenz angedroht. Mit den neuen Beschränkungen
wird die Verbreitung unkontrollierter Informationen im Internet
bekämpft werden.()
Quenching thirst in Tarim Basin
2004-04-14 China Daily
The 1,321 kilometre Tarim River runs west to east along the
northern edge of the Taklimakan Desert, China's largest, and
flows into Taitema Lake. The river is the most important source
of water in semi-arid Xinjiang, with more than 8 million people
living in oases clustered along its banks and in an alluvial
plain downstream. Yet, due to the increasing population, excessive
water use for irrigation, and random land reclamation upstream,
the lake has been drying up for three decades. To prevent further
deterioration of the ecosystem , the central government launched
a five- year emergency water diversion programme in 2000 with
10.7 billion yuan (US$1.3 billion) earmarked for the reclamation
of the river and Taitema Lake. This is the sixth time since
May 2000 that water has been diverted from nearby Bosten Lake
to the lower reaches of the Tarim River to rehabilitate the
fragile ecosystem. In recent years, some 1.3 billion cubic metres
of water has been released from Bosten Lake north of the Tarim
River to flow downstream into the dry riverbed. The latest water
diversion started in late March this year and water is now flowing
into the river at a maximum speed of 50 cubic metres per second.
Some 300 million cubic metres are expected to be diverted, Liu
says.
HIV/AIDS sufferers can receive free therapy
2004-04-14 China Daily
HIV infected people and AIDS patients in rural China and those
urbanites with low incomes are now eligible for no cost anti-virus
treatments, according to a document jointly released by the
ministries of health and finance Tuesday in Beijing. Since July
2003, the central government has promised to provide free medical
treatments for HIV carriers stricken by poverty, said Hao Yang,
director of the HIV/AIDS division of the Ministry of Health.
And up to now, about 6,000 AIDS patients have received treatments
in various regions, including Central China's Henan Province.
( )
Xinjiang enjoys stability and development
2004-04-12 Xinhua News
There have been no blasts or assassination incidents in northwestern
China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region over recent years,
according to a news conference held here on Monday. The current
security situation in this region is "very good",
said Simayi Teliwardi, chairman of the Xinjiang autonomous region,at
a press conference held by the State Council Information Office
in Beijing. ( ) In early the 1990s, with the support of international
terrorists, a handful of violent terrorists hatched up and engineered
a number of violent incidents in Xinjiang, seriously jeopardizing
the lives and property of all ethnicities and social stability
in this region. "The activities are firmly opposed and
consciously boycotted by all Chinese people including locals
of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang," said the chairman.
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Economy |
President Hu emphasizes grain production
2004-04-13 Xinhua News
President Hu Jintao recently urged all local Party committees
and governments to fully carry out the central policies of raising
grain production and farmers' income, hoping to stabilize the
fundamental status of agriculture in China's economy. Hu said
he was pleased to see the farmers' enthusiasm for growing grain
on the rise, and reiterated the importance of grain farming
during an inspection tour in northwestern Province of Shaanxi
from April 9 to 13. Touching the public with a "people
first" principle, Hu's government has worked out a series
of policies favoring its 900 million rural people, including
purchasing grains at protected prices, subsidizing grain producers
directly, stepping up supervision over the price surge of production
means for farming and cutting down on agriculture taxes. The
Chinese government has pledged to earmark 10 billion yuan (1.21
billion US dollars) this year from its grain risk fund to directly
subsidize grain producers. Premier Wen Jiabao also pointed to
the government's plan to cancel agriculture taxes in five years,
another significant measure to alleviate the burden and promote
income growth.
China's economy to grow by 9%: expert
2004-04-13 Xinhua News
The Chinese economy is expected to grow by nine percent this
year, compared with the target of seven percent growth rate
set by the Chinese government earlier this year, an economic
expert said Monday. Xu Hongyuan, vice-director of the Development
and Research Department under the official State Information
Center, said the growth rate of the national economy is likely
to exceed 10 percent during the second quarter of this year,
as against the estimated 9.5 percent for the first quarter.
The economy will slow down to at least eight percent during
the second half of this year as the central government moved
to regulate the macro-economy, said the vice-director. The average
growth rate for the economy in 2004 will stand at about nine
percent.
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Patrick Dreher
Embassy of Switzerland
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The Press review is a random selection
of political and social related news gathered from various media
and news services located in the PRC, edited or translated by
the Embassy of Switzerland in Beijing and distributed among Swiss
Government Offices. The Embassy does not accept responsibility
for accuracy of quotes or truthfulness of content. Additionally
the contents of the selected news mustn't correspond to the opinion
of the Embassy.
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