China condemns proposal for Taiwan's UN entry
2004-08-11 Xinhua News
China is resolutely opposed to a proposal raised by a small handful of countries for "Taiwan's entry into the United Nations," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said here Wednesday. On Aug. 11, Chad and a few other countries wrote to the UN secretary-general, requesting the 59th session of the UN General Assembly to discuss the issue. Since 1993, the Taiwan authorities have instigated those countries that have "diplomatic relations" with it to put forward proposals for Taiwan's joining the United Nations. ( ) He said there is only one China in the world and the Government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legitimate government that represents all Chinese people. Taiwan, which is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory, has no qualifications to enter the United Nations which is composed of sovereign states. ( )

China, Vietnam reach accord on border issue
2004-08-10 Xinhua News
Diplomats from China and its neighbour Viet Nam held talks on Sunday, agreeing to take no drastic or military action in dealing with boundary disputes. Vice-Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is the head of the Chinese delegation, met and exchanged in-depth views with his Vietnamese counterpart Vu Dung in Nanning, the capital of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, on how to implement the consensus reached by the national leaders in May, reported Xinhua. According to a summary issued after their meeting, the two sides vowed to strengthen mutual trust, to prevent and properly handle disputes on border issues. ( ) Any actions that complicate or exaggerate disputes over territorial waters should be avoided, it said, and such action also includes military measures or threats to, for example, fishing boats. The Beibu Gulf Demarcation Agreement and the Beibu Gulf Fishery Co-operation Agreement were signed by China and Viet Nam on 25 December 2000 in Beijing, reports said. ( )

Premier Wen stresses efficient use of coal supplies
2004-08-12 People's Daily
Efficient use of the nation's coal resources is the best way for China to tackle its power supply problems, national leaders said Wednesday. A State Council meeting chaired by Premier Wen Jiabao pledged to develop and utilize the nation's coal resources in a sustainable and efficient way to ensure supply stability. The central government will encourage coal mines to develop clean coal technology, while also working to increase coal output by updating the coal production facilities and transforming and expanding major mines. Efforts will also be made to reform the pricing of coal and electricity and make the power price fluctuate with that of coal. ( ) More than 80 per cent of the nation's power plants use coal to generate electricity, with coal shortages resulting in power shortfalls in many provinces in past months. Since the beginning of last month, 24 provinces have imposed restrictions on power supplies. The power shortage in the third quarter was estimated to reach over 30 million kilowatts and East China's power grid will lack more than 18 million kilowatts, experts say. ( )

Second manned spacecraft to be launched in 2005
2004-08-11 Xinhua News
China is to launch its second manned spacecraft Shenzhou-6 next year, a top space official said Wednesday. Sun Laiyan, director of the China National Space Administration, told reporters China is still considering how long the spacecraft will remain in space and whether one or two astronauts will man the trip. But his words conflicted with that of a leading scientist of China's manned space program. Wang Yongzhi, chief architect of China's manned space program, told. ( )

Document aids victims seeking redress
2004-08-11 China Daily
A judicial explanation, expected to take effect on October 1, will offer stronger legal support for citizens who have been wronged by the country's courts. "The explanation is a leap forward in human rights protection and makes judicial proceedings more democratic," said Chen Guangzhong, a leading professor of procedural law with China University of Political Science and Law. ( ) The State Compensation Law was enacted in May 1994 and took effect at the beginning of 1995. State compensation includes both compensation for administrative errors and wrongful judicial action. The law says individuals, corporations and other organizations have the right to claim compensation from the State when their legal rights and interests have been infringed upon by administrative or judicial agencies that have violated the law in exercising their functions and powers. However, legislative loopholes have made it difficult for victims to claim compensation from government or judicial agencies. For example, the law says a claimant should first go to the agencies which allegedly did the wrongdoing to confirm whether their rights have been infringed upon and whether they deserve State compensation. The judicial explanation deprives the primary level courts of the rights to determine if it is obliged to provide compensation. ( )

Protestantism sees rapid growth
2004-08-10 China Daily
Leaders of China's Protestants said that the Church is experiencing rapid growth thanks to the central government's respect for religious freedom as a legal right. Congregations at Protestant churches across China are increasing annually by 500,000 to 600,000, with the number of worshippers surpassing 16 million gathering in more than 50,000 churches and other places of worship, said Deng Fucun, vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement of the Protestant Churches in China. ( ) Everything, including the Church's relationship with the State and society, are placed under laws and regulations. This is conducive to the protection of the legal rights and interests of the Church and Protestants," she stressed. Today, the central government pays great attention to views of the Church when formulating religious policies, she said. Cao also pointed out that the Chinese people did not trust Protestantism because it was associated with colonialism and imperialism in the past. That was the reason why Protestant churches had to launch a patriotic movement through self-management, self-support and self-propagation in order to remove the barrier between them and the people. ( )

Chinese know little about AIDS: survey
2004-08-09 Xinhua News
Merely 8.7% of the people in China know all the ABCs about AIDS transmission and prevention, a survey has found. Jointly conducted by the Horizon Group and the Futures Group Europe in 2003, the sample survey was randomly carried out among urbanites in seven large and medium-sized cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, and residents in small towns and villages of seven provinces. ( ) The survey shows more reluctant acceptance of victims of HIV/AIDS among Chinese in daily life from the previous year, due to people's inadequate knowledge of AIDS. Only 33.9% of urbanites and 19% of small town residents acknowledged that they could treat HIV/AIDS victims equally at work, down 7.1% and 12% respectively fromthe previous year. ( ) "The survey indicates Chinese nationals' knowledge of AIDS remains limited despite growing awareness of AIDS on the part of ranking officials in recent years," said an expert in connection with the survey. Health experts warned that the AIDS virus is spreading into China's general population from such high-risk groups as intravenous drug users. ( )

Corruption crimes on the up in first half
2004-08-09 People's Daily
More than 20,000 corruption cases were investigated in the first six months of this year, a senior official confirmed at a meeting of chief prosecutors from around China, China Daily reported Monday. Procurator-General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate Jia Chunwang said 24,247 people were being questioned for 21,164 'job-related criminal cases,' about 4 per cent involving more than 1 million yuan (US$120,000) in bribes. He said 713 cases involved 1 million yuan (US$ 120,000) or above, up 6.9 per cent over the same period last year. Some 1,690 of those under investigation were officials of county magistrate or higher levels, he said. ( )

Chinas Kampf gegen die Geldwäscherei
2004-08-10 Guangming Wang (Übersetzung)
Ein Vertreter des Amts für die Devisen am Montag in Beijing berichtete, dass China gegen Geldwäsche-Delikte harte Massnahmen einleiten wird. Deshalb wurde eine Datenbank für die Geldwäschebekämpfung etabliert. ( ) Diese Datenbank soll hauptsächlich Transaktionen erfassen, die entweder als verdächtige oder als vergleichsweise unnormale Zahlungen gelten. Folglich sollten gezielte Untersuchungen des Devisen-Amts eingeläutet werden. ( )

Millionen Chinesen suchen eine Arbeitsstelle
2004-08-09 Xinhua Wang (Übersetzung)
Das Thema Arbeitslosigkeit wird auch im Semester des Jahres ernstzunehmendes Problem sein. Wegen Konkurs oder Firmenumstrukturierungen werden bis zum Ende 2004 mehr als 2 Mio Menschen ohne Arbeit sein, so Wang Yadong, von Ministerium für Arbeit und Soziale Sicherheit. Statistiken des Ministeriums für Arbeit und Soziale Sicherheit belegen, dass die registrierte Arbeitslosenrate der Landgebiete Chinas im ersten Halbjahr 2004 bei 4,3% und somit auf Vorjahresniveau liegt. Noch vor vier Jahren lag sie bei 3,1%, gefolgt von 3,6% im Jahr 2001 und 4% im Jahr 2002. Man vermutet gar, dass die reale Arbeitslosenrate in China möglicherweise über 10% liegt, da die Statistiken das Überangebot an Arbeitskräften auf dem Land nicht berücksichtigen. Die Massenabwanderungen von Landarbeitern in die Städte und die entlassenen Arbeitnehmern in den Gross- und Kleinstädten sind der Hauptgrund für die noch immer hohe Arbeitslosigkeit in China. Ausserdem schaffe das Wirtschaftswachstum zuwenig neue Jobs.

Premier vows to continue macro-economic control
2004-08-08 Xinhua News
Premier Wen Jiabao has reiterated the importance of the macro-economic control policy and pledged to further consolidate the achievements of the macro-economic control and realize the preset targets for 2004. Between Aug. 5-8, the premier visited a number of cities in Sichuan Province, southwest China, to meet local villagers, factory workers, scientists and urban residents. On Aug. 5, the premier paid a visit to the ancestral house of late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping (1904-1997) in Guang'an City, to mark the 100th anniversary of Deng's birth, which falls on Aug. 22. ( ) But the macro-economic control is in its crucial stage, he said, calling for ceaseless efforts to accomplish the work of various kinds. In the second half of this year, the government will substantially strengthen the agricultural sector to increase grain production and farmers' income; further curb the rampant growth of investment and optimize the investment structure; strengthen the readjustment of economic operation to ease tension in the industries of coal, power, oil and transport; continue the economic restructuring by deepening state enterprise reform and promote the development of private sector; and deal with protruding issues that have a bearing on the interests of the people, to maintain social stability.

Patrick Dreher
Embassy of Switzerland