BEIJING, May 30 (Xinhua) -- China's central authorities issued a circular here Saturday urging candidates to practice fair play in direct elections of village heads amid complaints of bribery and other dirty tricks to win votes. "The villagers' committee election work in some rural areas is not properly conducted as bribery situation is grave and seriously harms the impartiality of election," said the circular jointly issued by the General Office of the State Council and the General Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee. According to the circular, candidates' behaviors must be "strictly regulated". Punishment ranging from disqualification from election, removing current post to criminal penalty will be given to those who try to win votes from villagers with money, violence or intimidation and those who cheat in vote count. Villagers have the rights to report any improper behaviors of the candidates and such reports should be investigated and managed immediately, the circular said. "Currently, the country's rural areas are experiencing fresh reform and farmers' ideas are also undergoing deep changes," said the circular." Improving the work of election will help ensure villagers to practise their rights and develop grass-root democracy." In addition, government organizations at provincial, city, county and township levels should set up special departments to regulate and guarantee the smooth run of village elections. According to the circular, related organizations are also urged to "carefully" deal with post-election issues, such as auditing the work of former villagers' committees, ensuring former committee members' social welfare and even comforting candidates who lose. A villagers' committee in China's countryside is a mass organization of self-management comprising local villagers, usually five members that manage village affairs. China has introduced the practice of self-administration and direct elections at village levels since the Organic Law of Villagers' Committees was enacted in 1988. The law, which sets out basic principles to ensure democracy at a local level, states that any villager aged 18 years or over has the right to vote or stand as a candidate.
BEIJING, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Natural disasters killed 88,928 people in China last year, according to a report released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs. The number is the highest since 1976, when the 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit Tangshan City in north China's Hebei Province and killed more than 242,000 people, according to the report on the statistics of the country's civil affairs in 2008. In addition, a total of 480 million people were affected by natural disasters, with direct financial losses of 1.175 trillion yuan (about 173 billion U.S. dollars). In 2008, major natural disasters were frequent in China, with the unexpected strike of snows in the south and the devastating May 12 earthquake in Sichuan Province, the ministry said in the report. The 8.0-magnitude earthquake left more than 87,000 people dead or missing and more than 374,640 injured in Sichuan and neighboring provinces. Before that, the blizzards that struck much of central and southern China in early 2008 left 129 people dead and losses reached 151.65 billion yuan, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
BEIJING, April 28 (Xinhua) -- China and Peru on Tuesday signed a free trade agreement (FTA) in Beijing, capping over-a-year-long negotiations and legal processes. Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping and his Peruvian counterpart Luis Giampietri Rojas witnessed the signing ceremony in Beijing, with both hailing the deal "a new landmark" in bilateral ties. "China-Peru agreement is the first FTA package China has signed with a Latin American country," said the Chinese Commerce Ministry. Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Peruvian First Vice President Luis Giampietri Rojas at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, April 28, 2009. After 14 months of negotiations, China and Peru concluded their free trade talks in November 2008, followed by some legal processes in both countries. "With the global financial crisis looming, the China-Peru deals ends a positive message of deepening cooperation and tiding over difficulties," said Zhu Hong, deputy director general of the International Department of the Chinese Commerce Ministry. The pact is China's second in Latin America, following an accord with Chile in 2005. "The China-Peru FTA is a comprehensive deal, covering goods, service, investment and other fields while the accord with Chile deals with goods only," Zhu said. A complementary deal on service trade was signed with Chile in 2008. "The pact features a high degree of openness," Zhu said, citing phased, free tariffs on more than 90 percent of goods ranging from China's electronic products and machinery to Peru's fish powder and minerals. Under the deal, both pledged to further open their service sectors and offer national treatment to investors from the other country. China and Peru also reached agreement on intellectual property, trade rescue, customs procedures and other fields. The official said the pact would play an important role in helping both nations deal with global financial foes and boosting their own economies. Trade between the two countries reached 7.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2008, according to Chinese customs authority. The FTA deal is likely to come into force in early 2010, Zhu said. Since the beginning of the decade, Beijing has vigorously pursued free trade agreements. So far, China has signed FTA deals with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Chile, Pakistan, New Zealand, Singapore and Peru. China is also in free trade talks with Australia, the Gulf Cooperation Council, Iceland, Norway and Costa Rica, among others.
SHIJIAZHUANG, July 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese top political advisor Jia Qinglin Monday encouraged private companies to go "green" by developing new energy and energy-saving technologies. In a one-day inspection tour to Langfang city of central China's Hebei Province, Jia, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), visited the XinAo Group, a local private company specialized in research and development of renewable energy and new energy. Jia Qinglin (C), chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, visits XinAo Group, a private company specialized in research and development of renewable energy and new energy, during his inspection tour in Langfang, a city in north China's Hebei Province, July 6, 2009. When talking with the staff of the company, Jia said new energy and energy-saving industries would not only serve as an effective stimulus for the country's economic recovery, but were also of great potential and importance to future development. "Developing a green economy has been widely recognized by the world. Private companies can play an important role in the development of new energy and the environment-friendly and energy-saving industries," Jia said. Jia Qinglin (C), chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, visits XinAo Group, a private company specialized in research and development of renewable energy and new energy, during his inspection tour in Langfang, a city in north China's Hebei Province, July 6, 2009. He noted that China's private companies were faced with both challenges and opportunities amid the current global financial crisis, and urged them to boost research, development and trade of energy-saving products and technologies. "In this way, the private business can create new market demand and more job opportunities," he said. Jia Qinglin (2nd R Front), chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, visits XinAo Group, a private company specialized in research and development of renewable energy and new energy, during his inspection tour in Langfang, a city in north China's Hebei Province, July 6, 2009. He also urged local governments and relevant trade organizations to fully recognize the important role private business played in the national economy, and give favorable policies to help them prosper. The private companies, on the other hand, should make use of the opportunities at hand, and increase their exports and improve their competitiveness in the international market, he said. Jia Qinglin (C), chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, visits XinAo Group, a private company specialized in research and development of renewable energy and new energy, during his inspection tour in Langfang, a city in north China's Hebei Province, July 6, 2009.
BEIJING, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice-Premier Li Keqiang on Monday vowed to keep the worsening global epidemic of influenza A/H1N1 out of China's border, while the same day the government sent a chartered plane to Mexico to pick up around stranded 200 Chinese nationals. "The most important work at present was to strictly check on border entry" as the killer disease has been mainly reported overseas, Li gave the direction during a visit to the Ministry of Health. China could not rule out the possibility of the virus' spreading into its border although no confirmed case had been reported yet on its mainland, Li warned. "We must be fully prepared and strive for the best outcome through orderly and effective work," he said. He ordered government bodies to step up technical equipment and material storage, arrange designated hospitals and be well prepared for emergencies. Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang (2nd R) arrives to attend a symposium together with experts on prevention and control of A/H1N1 Flu at the Ministry of Health in Beijing, May 4, 2009.Information transparency was of key importance to the scientific epidemic prevention and control, he said, calling for further improvement in information publicity. "Infections within our border must be immediately publicized, and the prevention and control work must be transparent," he said. CHARTERED FLIGHT In light of the plight of around 200 Chinese citizens still stranded in Mexico, center of the flu outbreak, the government sent a chartered flight late Monday to pick them up. The plane left Guangzhou for Mexico City and Tijuana at 10 p.m. and is expected to return to Shanghai at 9 a.m. Wednesday, China Southern Airlines said. The 17-strong crew have been trained on precautions against the flu and dealing with any health emergencies. A quarantine expert from the Ministry of Health and doctors from the airline would closely monitor the health conditions of the passengers. Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang (R, front) shakes hands with an expert on prevention and control of A/H1N1 Flu prior to a symposium at the Ministry of Health in Beijing, May 4, 2009.If any passengers developed symptoms like fever, all the passengers and flight crew would probably be quarantined after returning to China, sources with the airline told Xinhua. China suspended flights from Mexico to Shanghai starting Saturday after a 25-year-old Mexican man, who arrived in Shanghai Thursday aboard flight Aeromexico 098, was later diagnosed with influenza A/H1N1 in Hong Kong. The Mexican became Hong Kong's first confirmed case of influenza A/H1N1 infection Friday. It was also the first such casein Asia. China Monday cancelled a chartered flight to Mexico to pick up 120 or so stranded passengers. The airline said another 80 Chinese citizens have requested to take the expected chartered flight back to the country. NO DISCRIMINATION, CHINA SAYS Monday's take-off of Chinese plane has been a result of a bilateral agreement between the governments, which allows both to send chartered flights to each other's country to lift their stranded nationals. The agreement was reached even after diplomatic disputes whether China has taken discriminatory measures against Mexican citizens. Mexican Foreign Minister Patricia Espinosa Cantellano has complained China's quarantine of some Mexican citizens with no symptoms of the virus was discriminatory and short of scientific evidence. He also reminded Mexican citizens not to travel to China until it corrected the discriminatory measures. Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said on Monday that the country's medical quarantine of some passengers who had traveled on the same flight with the Mexican man who was infected with influenza A/H1N1 as necessary. "The measures concerned are not targeted at Mexican citizens and there is no discrimination," he said in a press release. "This is purely a medical quarantine issue." Ma said China hoped Mexico would be understanding of the measures adopted by China and handle this matter objectively and calmly given the overall situation of jointly addressing the epidemic. He also said China and Mexico are friendly countries and China attaches great importance to diplomatic relations with Mexico. "China is willing to enhance cooperation with Mexico and make joint efforts to combat the epidemic situation," said Ma. All the 176 passengers and 13 crew aboard have been located and those who remained in China have been quarantined, including Mexicans. MORE INSPECTION TEAMS In another move to contain the epidemic, the government has stepped up checks on people entering the country by sending another six supervision teams to major provinces to prevent influenza A/H1N1 from spreading to the country, the top quality supervisor said Monday. These teams went to provinces of Shandong, Hebei, Sichuan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hunan, Hubei and Shaanxi and would work together with local authorities, according to the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (GAQSIQ). GAQSIQ required all people entering China by air, land and sea to fill in personal health statement cards to strength control efforts. The 6 teams were in addition to the previous 5 teams going to Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou on April 25. Also on Monday, the Ministry of Health said it had listed A/H1N1 under the category of infectious diseases that warranted quarantine, and would quarantine people and material crossing China's borders that were suspected of transmitting the virus.
GUANGZHOU, May 30 (Xinhua) -- South China's Guangdong Province reported one suspected A/H1N1 flu case late Saturday. The case involved a 23-year-old Chinese Venezuelan. The female college student left Venezuela Tuesday and flied to Guangzhou, Guangdong's capital, Wednesday via Paris, and her relative drove her home in Foshan City, the provincial health department said. She took a rest at home after showing flu symptoms Thursday and was sent to Foshan No.1 People's Hospital Friday. Early Saturday, the woman was tested positive for A/H1N1 flu by the Foshan Center of Disease Control and Prevention. The Provincial Center of Disease Control and Prevention reexamined Saturday noon and the result was also positive. The case needs further testing. China Saturday reported three new influenza A/H1N1 cases, bringing to 24 the total number of confirmed cases on the Chinese mainland. The one in the southeastern province of Fujian involved a local who studied in Canada. The other two in Beijing involved a Chinese American and a Chinese student who studied in the United States. All the cases but one on the mainland were found shortly after they came from countries hard hit by the A/H1N1 flu epidemic. Seven were in Beijing, four in Shanghai, six in Guangdong, three in Fujian, and one each in Sichuan, Shandong, Zhejiang and Hunan. Eight cases have been discharged from hospital by Saturday afternoon, according to the Ministry of Health (MOH). China raised vigilance against influenza A/H1N1 Friday after a patient in southern Guangdong Province was declared the first case of local transmission on the mainland. Medical experts are investigating into and analyzing the local transmission. The patient, a 24-year-old woman living in Guangdong's capital city of Guangzhou, was believed to be infected by a man from New York on Monday. Guangdong provincial department of health confirmed both as A/H1N1 flu cases Friday noon. Her flu symptoms have eased, Yin Zhibiao, deputy president of the Guangzhou No. 8 People's Hospital, said Saturday. But as the mainland's first case of local transmission, she would likely stay longer in hospital, Yin added.
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BEIJING, May 22 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese mainland will send a sports delegation to participate in the 2009 World Games to be held in Kaohsiung, a southern coastal city of Taiwan. Liu Peng, chairman of the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC), said athletes from nine associations of the COC will compete in the games. He made the promise during his meeting with Kaohsiung City Mayor Chen Chu in Beijing Friday. The mainland will also send an observation delegation to the games, Liu said, adding that sports is a medium and bridge which connects people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits. Chen Chu said her delegation hoped to learn from the successful experience of the Beijing Olympic Games. She led a promotion team for the 2009 World Games to the mainland on Thursday. The games will be held from July 16 to 26.
BEIJING, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao stressed the importance of promoting domestic consumption and independent research and development during a three-day inspection tour of the central Hunan Province, which ended Sunday. Wen said the key to a sound economic future lay in continuing to "unswervingly" implement the government's policies to deal with the international economic downturn. Companies should increase investment in research and development and better utilize science and technologies to "foster new economic growth points," he said. Local governments, meanwhile, should develop energy-efficient and environment-friendly industries and put priority on a recycling and green economy, he said. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (C), also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, talks with employees of Geely Automobile Parts Co.,Ltd in central China's Hunan Province, on June 13, 2009. Premier Wen made an inspection tour in Hunan Province from June 12 to June 14.During his trip in Hunan, Wen visited companies, Hunan University, job markets and farmlands. He said the enhanced economic power of central and western regions, whose economies profited from central government support policies, added vigor to the country's economic development and should continue to be supported. The central region, a link between the east and the west, should speed up industrial restructuring with a focus on local characteristics and advantages while tapping emerging industries, such as IT and bioengineering, said Wen. He also called for more attention to education and talent in China's future reform and opening, and the building of a social welfare system that values the improvement of living standards. Visiting farms, Wen said wheat production this summer was sure to grow over last year and that the country should focus on a more balanced economic development between urban and rural areas. "Stable agricultural output makes a stable economy and stable lives for the people," Wen said.
BEIJING, June 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Wednesday raised a four-point proposal to boost collaboration with Malaysia so as to jointly tackle the global financial crisis. China and Malaysia should insist on the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence, take each other's concern into consideration and achieve common development, Wen said to visiting Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak during their meeting at the Great Hall of the People. Wen raised a four-point proposal for further cooperation between the two countries, which included promoting trade diversification, enhancing mutual investment, deepening financial cooperation and safeguarding financial stability, and strengthening coordination on regional affairs. Visiting Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak (front, L) receives a special gift, a photo of his late father and China's late Premier Zhou Enlai when the two established diplomatic ties between China and Malaysia in 1974, from Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (front, R), in Beijing, capital of China, June 3, 2009. Malaysia has become China's largest trade partner among members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Trade between the two countries reached 39.06 billion U.S. dollars in 2008, up 10.3 percent year on year. This year marks the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Malaysia. Wen said that China is ready to work with Malaysia to take this opportunity to promote their relations. Malaysia was the first ASEAN member country to forge diplomatic relations with China 35 years ago under then Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak, Najib's late father. Najib said it is his honor of choose China as the first non-ASEAN destination since he took office in April. "This shows that Malaysia attaches great importance to the development of Malaysia-China relations." Najib noted that his visit is aimed at further accelerating the development of the bilateral ties and strengthening cooperation. Najib said he agree with Wen's proposal on advancing Malaysia-China relations, saying Malaysia, on the basis of reciprocity and mutual benefit, is ready to enhance cooperation with China in the fields of economy, finance, resources, energy and infrastructure construction. After the meeting, the two leaders witnessed the signing of bilateral agreements on cooperation. Najib received a special gift from the Chinese side: a photo of his late father and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai when the two established diplomatic ties between China and Malaysia in 1974. Najib received an honorary doctorate in international relations from the Beijing Foreign Studies University at the opening ceremony of an international seminar on the dialogue between Chinese and Malaysian civilizations here Wednesday.
TAIYUAN, June 13 (Xinhua) -- "Terrorists" took over part of a police school in Taiyuan, the capital of northern Shanxi Province, late Friday night, and then, they attacked a number of other important and public targets in this north China city. It ushered in a replica of antiterror battle as part of the "Great Wall-6" antiterror exercise in areas around Beijing, the national capital since last week. A spokesman of the exercise headquarters told Xinhua that the drills in Taiyuan were aimed to test the abilities of the government and antiterror forces in dealing with a large-scaled terror attack on several targets, involving many people held hostages by the terrorists.