| Chinese President Hu
Jintao appoints new ambassador (Xinhua)
2007-07-02
Chinese President Hu Jintao appointed a new ambassador to the
United Nations Office in Geneva on Monday. (…) Li Baodong
replaced his predecessor Sha Zukang who became a UN under-secretary-general
for Economic and Social Affairs on June 22. ^ top ^
China urges Vatican to take actions to
improve ties (Xinhua)
2007-06-30
The Vatican should take actions, instead of creating barriers,
if it wants to improve ties with China, Chinese Foreign Ministry
spokesman Qin Gang said Saturday. Qin made the remarks when
answering a question about Pope Benedict XVI's open letter to
Chinese Catholics. "China's stance on improving relations
with the Vatican is consistent. Namely, Vatican should sever
the so called diplomatic ties with Taiwan and recognize the
People's Republic of China is the sole government representing
China," said Qin. (…). ^ top ^
Third China-EU Financial Dialogue held
in Brussels (Xinhua)
2007-07-04
China and the European Union (EU) on Wednesday held the Third
China-EU Financial Dialogue here, aiming at beefing up exchanges
in financial policies. At the one-day meeting, the two sides
discussed various topics of mutual concern, such as macro-economic
situation and policies, reforms in financial sectors, guidelines
on accounting and governmental purchases. Chinese Vice Minister
of Finance Zhu Zhigang and EU Commissioner for Economic and
Monetary Affairs Joaquin Almunia attended the meeting. (…).
^ top ^
Spokesman: China, Pakistan to cut bilateral
trade tariffs from July (Xinhua)
2007-06-29
China and Pakistan will start to cut or scrap tariffs on all
products from July 1 to boost bilateral trade, Wang Xinpei,
spokesman of the Ministry of Commerce, has said. The two-phase
step is in accordance with a free trade agreement (FTA) signed
by the two countries last November, which aimed to triple the
trade volume to 15 billion dollars in five years. Under the
agreement, both sides will, during Phase I, slash tariffs on
85 percent of the products by different ranges in five years
after the agreement is put into force, and eliminate tariffs
on 36 percent of the products in three years. (…).
^ top ^
China urges more talks on Iran, not sanctions
(China Daily)
2007-07-04
China's UN ambassador said on Tuesday that diplomacy on Iran's
nuclear program should run its course before any consideration
of additional Security Council sanctions to curb Tehran's nuclear
ambitions. "More importance should be attached to the diplomatic
track," Ambassador Wang Guangya told a news conference,
adding that he doubted "if it is right moment for the Security
Council to take more measures in the sanctions area.(…)
Wang said that the council should take no action, or even draft
a resolution imposing more penalties. (…) Wang said that
Iran had the right to "enjoy the peaceful uses of nuclear
technology" but some kind of a "freeze" was necessary
because "there are some suspicions of its nature."
(…). ^ top ^
Africa looks forward to all-round co-op
with China (Xinhua)
2007-07-04
African countries are looking forward to carrying out all-round
cooperation with China, said Mohamed El Mamy, secretary-general
of the Mauritania Chamber of Commerce and Industry, on Wednesday.
Mohamed El Mamy, also the head of African industry and commerce
group, made the remark at a Sino-Africa trade conference in
central China's Hubei province. Together with Mohamed El Mamy,
some 49 high-ranking trade officials and business people from
21 African countries, are attending a series of exchange programs
and forums in Wuhan, capital city of Hubei. They have put forward
more than 100 economic and trade projects for their Chinese
counterparts, covering infrastructure development, automobiles,
agriculture, medicine and electronics, according to the China
Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT). (…).
^ top ^
UN chief urges China to do more in war
on climate change (SCMP)
2007-07-03
The United Nations' secretary-general yesterday called on the
mainland, whose rapid industrial growth has turned it into one
of the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases, to do more to tackle
climate change. "China is one of the biggest emitters and
should take part ... in the international community's common
efforts to address these climate change issues," Ban Ki-moon
said in Geneva. A Dutch government research body last month
said China's emissions of carbon dioxide - the main greenhouse
gas responsible for global warming - surpassed those of the
United States by 8 per cent last year. But the central government
immediately rebuffed the claim, saying the report was "flawed".(…)
|
| President Hu on Party
education (People's Daily Online)
2007-07-05
The Communist Party of China (CPC) should enhance its self-construction
to succeed in building a well-off society, says an editorial
in People's Daily. An excerpt follows: Enhancing the construction
of the Party is the key to creating a new situation in building
socialism with Chinese characteristics. President Hu Jintao
stressed this important thought in his speech at the Party School
on June 25. He gave a profound exposition on the importance
of the Party's self-perfection and further charted the direction
of the Party's construction. (…) All members of the Party
should study and implement Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought
and Deng Xiaoping Theory, the important thought of Three Representatives
and the scientific concept of development. (…) Democratic
construction should be promoted. The construction in the Party's
ideological style should be strengthened and formalistic and
bureaucratic style of work should be curbed. (…) The struggle
against corruption concerns the survival of the Party and the
country. (…)An overall system that emphasizes education,
legislation and supervision should be built to prevent and punish
corruption. (…). ^ top ^
Supreme People's Court targets "judicial
injustice" (Xinhua)
2007-07-05
Different yardsticks for applying the death penalty have led
to "judicial injustice". Zhang Jun, vice-president
of the Supreme People's Court, acknowledged on July 4 that uneven
standards applied during mandatory second-instance trials by
provincial high courts in cases involving the death penalty
have led to problems during the review by the highest court.
"The Supreme People's Court will gradually unify standards
for penalties for similar categories of criminal cases across
the country" (…) Ni Shouming, the apex court's spokesman,
told China Daily that different penalty criteria exist because
of complex and complicated local conditions in the huge country,
but are mainly for economic and drug-trafficking crimes.(…)
Zhang said the review has reduced the number of death sentences
in China, and "human rights protection is constantly improving".
He did not provide the number. (…). ^ top ^
New laws put us at more risk: lawyers Rules
of conduct upset the legal profession (SCMP)
2007-07-02
Lawyers have criticised proposed changes to the mainland's Lawyers
Law, saying that, while they demonstrate a step forward in protecting
their rights, some clauses actually weaken lawyers' powers.
The amendments, put before the National People's Congress Standing
Committee last week for a first reading, are the first set of
comprehensive proposed changes to the law since it was passed
in 1996. "These clauses will not act to protect lawyers
when put into use," said lawyer Li Fangping . "What
they actually do is provide more grounds on which authorities
can hold lawyers responsible." He pointed to one amendment
that aims to free lawyers from any liability in their court
speeches, except for those that are deemed to threaten state
security, that amount to defamation, or disrupt the order of
the court. […] ^ top ^
Legal aid network to help migrants - Pact
to tackle unpaid wages and injuries (SCMP)
2007-07-05
More than 30 mainland cities have signed a pact creating an
inter-city legal aid network to provide migrant workers easier
access to legal advice on everything from unpaid wages to compensation
for work-related injuries. The so-called Chongqing Pact signed
on Tuesday by government-sanctioned legal aid centres in 31
cities is aimed at streamlining access to legal assistance for
migrant workers, according to He Hongbin , vice-director of
the Chongqing Justice Bureau's Legal Aid Department. Chongqing
is one of the major exporters of migrant workers. The agreement
seeks to counter the lack of recourse many migrant workers face
with labour disputes or work-related injuries. Recently, for
example, about 200 construction workers from Kaixian county,
Chongqing, were beaten by hired thugs in Heyuan , Guangdong,
for demanding unpaid wages for their work on a hydroelectric
power station. […]. ^ top ^
New standards to be set for dental products
(SCMP)
2007-07-05
The government is drafting a set of standards for the approval
of oral-care products following a spate of scandals including
a toxic chemical in toothpaste and corruption involving the
National Committee for Oral Health (NCOH). (…) The mainland
is under immense pressure to repair its tainted image, with
an increasing number of countries banning or expressing concerns
over the safety of its exports, including food, drugs and oral-care
products. […]. ^ top ^
China speeds up military sector reform
(China Daily)
2007-07-04
The government is mulling policies to speed up reform of its
secretive military sectors, yet maintain national security,
a senior defense official said. The new policies will cover
market entry, investment, taxation, and land acquisition, Vice-Minister
of the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National
Defense Sun Qin said on Monday. China pledged to open up its
military industries to private investors - both domestic and
foreign - last month. (…) A few "key military enterprises
with national strategic security concerns and core State secrets"
will remain solely in State hands, Sun said. (…).
^ top ^
Official: "Mass incidents" on
rise as environment deteriorates (Xinhua)
2007-07-04
Chinese people's refusal to accept an ever deteriorating environmental
situation has resulted in a rising number of "mass incidents",
the country's chief environment official said on Wednesday.
Zhou Shengxian, director of the State Environmental Protection
Administration (SEPA), did not give detailed figures or examples
when addressing a national environment meeting on Wednesday.
But Zhou did reveal that his agency received 1,814 petitions
in the first five months of the year appealing for a better
environment, an 8 percent increase over the same period of last
year. "As people's living standards rise, they are focusing
more on the environment and on quality of life," said Zhou,
acknowledging that repeated environmental incidents have undermined
public confidence. (…) SEPA vice-director Pan Yue said
on Tuesday that "traditional ways of development have caused
the near breakdown of China's resources and environment and
people's lives are in great danger." He set in motion a
plan to tackle water pollution in China's four major rivers,
mainly targeting illegal pollution discharge.
^ top ^
Beijing denies bid to cover up World Bank
pollution data (SCMP)
2007-07-06
The central government denied yesterday that it had put pressure
on the World Bank to cut data from an environmental report that
allegedly found that pollution caused about 750,000 premature
deaths on the mainland each year. The Financial Times reported
on Monday that Beijing had persuaded the bank to remove findings
that outdoor air pollution in mainland cities caused 350,000
to 400,000 premature deaths each year. […].
^ top ^
Vice Premier calls for development of irrigation
in drought-hit areas (Xinhua)
2007-07-04
Chinese Vice Premier Hui Liangyu on Wednesday called for efforts
to develop irrigation facilities and water conservancy projects
to minimize losses in drought-hit northeast China. Severe drought
has plagued north China since June, especially in the northeast
Liaoning and Jilin provinces. More than 1.7 million people and
760,000 head of livestock are still facing drinking water shortages
and 183 reservoirs have dried up so far in the drought-stricken
region. Hui urged local farmers to make up for the losses in
the farming sector by working as migrant workers in the urban
areas and developing the breeding industry. (…).
^ top ^
3.5m affected by floods in China (China
Daily)
2007-07-03
More than 3.5 million people in China's central province of
Hubei have now been affected by the heavy rain which has been
lashing the country over the last five days. Storms first hit
the region towards the end of June and have sparked flooding
and landslides which have killed 26 people and forced over 70,000
to leave their homes. Despite the rains easing over the last
24 hours, the Yangtze, and many other major rivers running through
Hubei remain dangerously high. (…) The flooding has caused
a huge amount of economic damage with government officials estimating
losses at just over $100 million. Since the start of this year
more than 40 million people have been affected, with over 118,000
homes now destroyed (…). ^ top ^
Only acid rain falls on Guangzhou (SCMP)
2007-07-05
Guangzhou saw only acid rain in the first three months of the
year, with average pH values of less than 4, mainland media
reported yesterday. Acid rain affected 15 of Guangdong's 21
major cities and polluted a dozen from January to March, the
Southern Metropolis News reported. Guangzhou, Zhuhai , Shenzhen,
Foshan and Dongguan were among the worst hit. (…) The
report said acid rain caused the province annual losses of 4
billion yuan between 1996 and 2000. Wu Dui , researcher at the
Guangzhou Research Institute of Tropical Oceanic Meteorology,
said acid rain had fallen more than 70 per cent of the time
in Guangzhou since 2000. He said acid rain had affected agricultural
output, construction materials and historical sites. […].
^ top ^
32 firms shut down for river pollution
(China Daily)
2007-07-04
A branch of a Chinese dairy giant and a unit of the biggest
oil refiner are among 32 companies that were ordered to stop
production yesterday for violating pollution limits. The State
Environmental Protection Administration demanded that the companies
clean up their operations. The enterprises, along with six sewage
treatment plants singled out for criticism, operate along the
Yangtze River, Yellow River, Huaihe River and Haihe River, according
to SEPA vice director Pan Yue. Mengniu Dairy's branch in Dengkou
County, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, has operated without
wastewater processing facilities ever since it began business
in December, 2005, and it discharges effluent into the Yellow
River without treatment, SEPA said. (….
^ top ^
China to build inland waterway network
(China Daily)
2007-07-03
The State Council has approved a national inland waterway and
port plan jointly formulated by the National Reform and Development
Commission and the Ministry of Communications, said Weng Mengyong,
Vice Minister of Communications. According to the plan, China
will construct a network connecting superior waterways composed
of the trunks of the Yangtze River, Xijiang River and Beijing-Hangzhou
Grand Canal, the Yangtze Delta Waterway Network, the Pearl River
Delta Waterway Network, as well as 18 other waterways. (…)When
finished, the water network will run through 20 provinces or
regions, connecting 56 cities each with a population of over
500,000 and 27 national-level ports(…). Shanghai may be
the biggest beneficiary from the plan (…).
^ top ^
China heading for top spot in world tourism
rankings (China Daily)
2007-07-02
With the Olympics as a launch pad and amid a rising global fascination
in all things Chinese, China is expected to replace France as
the world's top tourism destination by 2014, an AFP report said,
citing experts. The number of foreign visitors to China reached
22 million in 2006, excluding arrivals from Hong Kong, Macau,
and Taiwan, compared to a mere 300,000 in 1978, according to
the China National Tourism Administration.(…). This year
alone China's tourism industry is expected to generate US$78
billion, 2.5 percent of GDP, a figure that could rise to US$277
billion by 2017, according to the World Tourism Organisation.
(…) The broader impact of the thriving sector on the rest
of the economy is huge, accounting for 440 billion dollars this
year and up to 1.6 trillion by 2017, the World Tourism Organisation
said. ^ top ^
Foreign tour firms set for easier travel
in China (China Daily)
2007-07-05
The tourism regulator is working on details to further open
the market to foreign operators by lowering capital requirements
and allowing subsidiaries. Foreign tour agencies will be treated
on par with domestic counterparts when it comes to registered
capital, a China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) official
has said. Currently, they are required to have a minimum of
2.5 million yuan ($328,000) in registered capital, compared
to 300,000 yuan (39,400) for domestic tours and 1.5 million
yuan ($197,000) for outbound and inbound tours for Chinese counterparts.
(…). ^ top ^
Chinese travelers spur tourism growth in
Asia Pacific region (Xinhua)
2007-07-02
Chinese tourists have become the driving force behind fast tourism
growth in Asia and the Pacific Region, according to sources
at an international conference on travel trends. The Asia-Pac
region posted a 8.6 percent rise in tourism in the first four
months of the year, and 75 percent of in-bound international
tourists came from within the region. (…) China now handles
125 million international tourists, plus 1.4 billion domestic
tourists, every year. (…) In 2009, China could receive
145 million international tourists, said Yates, advising China
to make efforts to limit the destructive impact of tourists
on the country's natural resources. (…).
^ top ^
Third riot in a month erupts in Chongqing
(SCMP)
2007-07-06
Thousands of people took to the streets in Chongqing for the
third time in a month, in protest against a land deal that killed
one man and injured more than 10, officials and villagers said
yesterday. The rioting began on Tuesday and eventually involved
about 5,000 rural residents before the crowd dispersed at about
2am yesterday. Changshou district authorities sent more than
1,000 armed police and two armoured vehicles to restore order,
a spokesman from the Yanjiayuan Street office said. The third
large-scale outbreak of social unrest in the municipality in
a month was triggered by farmers dissatisfied with different
government compensation offered for land for different phases
of an industrial zone project. (…). ^ top ^
Striking migrant workers attacked in Guangdong,
1 killed (China Daily)
2007-07-02
Hundreds of hired thugs attacked striking migrant workers, killing
one man, in southern China's bustling Guangdong province, newspaper
reports and a company manager said Monday. The assailant some
dressed in security guard uniforms, also seriously injured six
workers after they allegedly attacked the strikers with shovels,
axes, steel clubs and knives Friday, said Liu Zhongcheng, a
manager of the Shenzhen Qiutian Construction Co. Liu said the
attack on the workers continued after police arrived on the
scene, suggesting the local government may have colluded with
Fuyuan Energy Company - which hired Shenzhen Qiutian Construction
- to break the strike at a hydroelectric plant. (…).
^ top ^
Farmers take stake in land-use reform (SCMP)
2007-07-04
The southwestern city of Chongqing is piloting a reform that
allows farmers to transfer their land-use rights to companies
and become shareholders in the firms, state media reported yesterday.
According to a policy recently announced by the Chongqing Industrial
and Commercial Bureau, farmers with "contracted operating
rights" for land can transform them into stakes in newly
established companies, Xinhua and state television said. However,
the land must continue to be used for its original purpose,
typically agriculture. The mainland bars farmers from owning
land, which belongs to the state. Instead, farmers are granted
rights to use the land. Some people on the mainland have called
for true ownership of land, but the government is clinging to
one of the last vestiges of socialism despite the move towards
a market-oriented economy. […]. ^ top ^
After the blast, a deafening silence falls
on the media (SCMP)
2007-07-06
As the outside world waited yesterday for news of the karaoke
parlour blast in northeastern Liaoning that killed 25 young
revellers, a deafening police silence fell on the province's
media. After hastily concluding search-and-rescue operations
at what was left of the entertainment venue that housed the
hall, restaurant and public bathhouse in Tianshifu, Benxi county,
police ordered the rubble cleared without suggesting what might
have caused the explosion. A reporter working for a regional
newspaper in Liaoning province said the provincial propaganda
department had issued a gag order soon after the explosion in
the mining town, without giving any reason. (…) Censorship
on major disasters is not unusual on the mainland. (…).
^ top ^
|
| China top choice for
foreign investors (Xinhua)
2007-07-05
China is the most attractive destination for foreign investment,
according to a survey conducted by leading global professional
services firm Ernst & Young. Between February and March
2007, the survey asked 809 managers from various industries
in European, American and Asian firms about their investment
preferences. Almost half -- 48 percent -- of international investors
cited China as one of their top three preferred business locations
in 2007, up from 41 percent in the 2006 survey. They said they
were drawn to China for its low labor costs, more competitive
rates and higher productivity. (…) However, the survey
revealed that China, while topping the rankings for its favorable
labor costs, still lags behind in quality of workforce -- only
4 percent of those surveyed said it is the most attractive country
in terms of labor skills. (…). ^ top ^
Yuan hits new high against U.S. dollar
(Xinhua)
2007-07-03
China's currency, the yuan, hit a new high on Tuesday against
the U.S. dollar, according to the Chinese Foreign Exchange Trading
System. The central parity rate of the yuan, also known as Renminbi
(RMB), stood at 7.5951 yuan to one U.S. dollar on Tuesday, gaining
124 basis points from Monday's reference rate of 7.6075 to the
dollar. It is the first time that yuan's value exceed 7.60 mark.
On July 2, it challenged the 7.61 mark to reach 7.6075. The
Chinese currency has climbed 2,136 basis points from 7.8087
yuan to one U.S. dollar posted on the last trading day of 2006.
The accumulative appreciation since July 21, 2005, when China
discontinued yuan's peg to the greenback, has exceeded 7.5 percent.
[…]. ^ top ^
Tax rebate cut changes textile export
strategy (China Daily)
2007-07-03
The tax rebate of textile exports will be reduced to 11 percent
from 13 percent from this month, which will mean a 25 percent
profit drop to Fomo, a Beijing-based garments company. […]
China decided to cut or do away with tax rebates for over 2,800
items from July 1 as an effort to reduce the mounting trade
surplus and adjust the export mix. It is the boldest move the
government has ever made to rein in exports since it joined
the World Trade Organization in 2001. The affected items account
for 37 percent of all export products (…).
^ top ^
BP: China's primary energy consumption
grows 6% faster than world's average (Xinhua)
2007-07-02
China's primary energy consumption rose by 8.4 percent in 2006,
6 percent more than the growth rate of global consumption, according
to a report released by BP on Monday. The world consumption
rose 2.4 percent last year, slowing from a rise of 3.2 percent
in 2005, according to the BP Statistical Review of World Energy.
China consumed 1.7 billion tons of oil equivalent in 2006, accounting
for 15.6 percent of the world's primary energy consumption,
the report showed. […]China's dependency on oil imports
stood at 47 percent in 2006. […] China is also catching
up in gas production and consumption. […] China's coal
consumption was 1.19 billion tons of oil equivalent in 2006,
and remained self-sufficient in coal consumption with coal output
reaching 1.21 billion tons of oil equivalent. China's nuclear
power output rose by 2.3 percent in 2006, and hydropower output
by 5 percent, both higher than the world average growth of 1.4
percent and 3.2 percent respectively.[…].
^ top ^
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