espect. During his meeting with Anastase, Xi said China-Romania relations have maintained steady development since the two countries forged diplomatic ties 60 years ago. China highly appreciates Romania's support on major issues relating to Taiwan, Tibet and Xinjiang which concerns China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, he said. The recent years have witnessed frequent exchanges of high-level visits, growing political mutual trust, fruitful economic and trade cooperation, and various cultural and educational exchanges, he added. Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping (R, front) meets with Romanian Chamber of Deputies Speaker Roberta Anastase in Bucharest, Romania, Oct. 19, 2009China highly values the bilateral friendly relations with Romania and expects to work with Romania to expand their pragmatic cooperation and push the bilateral ties to a new height, Xi said. Anastase said that the past 60 years have seen frequent exchanges between the two countries' parliaments. The Romanian parliament hopes to further strengthen exchanges with China's National People's Congress and is ready to help promote economic and trade cooperation between the two countries, she said. Both Geoana and Anastase reaffirmed that the Romanian parliament would never change its stand on the one-China policy. The Chinese vice president arrived here on Sunday on an official visit to Romania, which was the last leg of his five-nation European tour.
QINGDAO, Shandong, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- The most severe icing situation in the past 30 years in the coast off east China's Shandong Province continued to worsen amid cold snaps, oceanic officials said Sunday. Sea ice appeared last week along the coastline of the Bohai Sea and northern Yellow Sea as cold fronts pushed the temperature down to minus 10 degrees Celsius, said Guo Kecai, deputy general engineer of the North China Sea Branch (NCSB) of the State Oceanic Administration. A mariculturist breaks the ice on the sea in Jiaozhou, east China's Shandong Province, Jan. 10, 2010The outer edge of the ice sheets in the Liaodong Bay, Bohai Bayand northern Yellow Sea extended 60 nautical miles, 15.5 nautical miles and 20 nautical miles, respectively, according to the NCSB. With another cold front expected Monday, the sea ice along the coastline would further develop, experts said. More than 200 fishing boats were frozen at a port in Dongying Village in the Jiaozhou Bay. Fishermen said the ice sheet could be20 cm to 30 cm thick. Police help move the vessels stucked by ice in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, Jan. 10, 2010In the waters near Liaodong Bay and Laizhou Bay, floating ice was reported in an area of 65 to 75 nautical miles, with ice measured more than 50 cm thick, threatening ship navigation, anchoring and operations at ports, Transport Minister Li Shenglin said Saturday. The NCSB had strengthened monitoring on icing conditions and sent warnings to local residents and governments.
BEIJING, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso exchanged views on climate change and China-EU cooperation on Monday during a telephone conversation. The upcoming UN climate change conference in Copenhagen should aim to achieve positive results in the full, effective and sustained implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol, Wen said. "Emphasis should be put on making clear and detailed arrangements for mitigation, adaptation, technology transfer and financing," he added. "The key to success at the conference is to uphold the UNFCCC, the Kyoto Protocol, the principle of 'common but differentiated responsibilities' and the authorization of the Bali Road Map," he said. President Hu Jintao had made clear China's position and specific measures at the UN climate change summit in September, he said. The premier specified six aspects China will give priority to in its next steps. That included integrating actions on climate change into its economic and social development plan, implementing and improving the National Climate Change Program, promoting the green economy, and reinforcing the comprehensive capability in coping with climate change. Work also needs to be done in improving legislation on dealing with climate change and boosting international exchanges and cooperation, Wen said. China highly values its relations with the European Union and both sides should further deepen the strategic mutual trust and strengthen all-round cooperation under new conditions, Wen said. China is ready to work with the EU to push for a success of the Copenhagen conference and promote the comprehensive strategic partnership with the EU, he added. In the telephone conversation, Barroso briefed Wen on the EU's position and proposals on climate change. Barroso said the EU appreciates China's efforts in coping with climate change and its achievements in energy saving and emission reduction. The EU hopes to enhance coordination and cooperation with China to make sure the Copenhagen conference produces positive outcomes, and expects to make joint efforts with China to push bilateral cooperation to a new level, Barroso said.
BEIJING, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) -- China will raise gasoline and diesel prices both by 480 yuan (70.28 U.S. dollars) per tonne from Tuesday, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) announced on its website Monday. The benchmark price of gasoline will be 7,100 yuan a tonne and that of diesel 6,360 yuan a tonne, according to the NDRC. The retail price of gasoline will climb by 0.36 yuan per liter and that of diesel will rise by 0.41 yuan per liter. The country adopted a new fuel pricing mechanism, which took effect on Jan. 1. Under the pricing mechanism, the NDRC will consider changing the benchmark retail prices of oil products when the international crude price changes more than four percent over 22 straight work days. A worker adjusts the price tag at a gas station in east China's Shanghai Municipality, early Nov. 10, 2009. China raised gasoline and diesel prices both by 480 RMB yuan (70.28 U.S. dollars) per tonne on Nov. 10 "Margins of price fluctuations are within expectation. The price hike can help relieve domestic refiners' pressure from soaring oil refining cost," said Wang Jing, an analyst on petrochemical sector with Orient Securities Company Limited. The price hike was aimed to protect oil refiners' interests, ensure market supply and help lead rational consumption to promote energy-saving and emission reduction, the NDRC said. The NDRC would take active measures to help reduce pressure brought to sectors like transportation, the NDRC said. International crude oil price might continue to rise within this year as demand would continue to grow amid global economic recovery, Wang said.
BEIJING, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- China's premium income hit 936.09 billion yuan (137.1 billion U.S. dollars) in the first 10 months, according to China Insurance Regulatory Commission. The figure represented an increase of 78 billon yuan, or 9.09 percent, over that in the first nine months. During January to October period, premium of property and casualty insurance was 243.18 billion yuan, and 692.9 billion yuan, respectively. Total asset of the country's insurance sector stood at 3.83 trillion yuan by the end of October.
BEIJING, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- China's anti-graft chief He Guoqiang Thursday hailed an online interview program on rectifying officials and government agencies' misconduct. He, secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China, said the program by the People's Daily Online has made full use of the Internet media to answer people's questions and help solve their problems. The program will undoubtedly help promote the government's efforts in rectifying misconduct of officials and government agencies. The program started on July 16 to encourage people's participation in the government's rectifying campaign. Officials in charge of the rectification work are invited to answer netizens' questions, which cover a wide range of hot topics including farmers' benefits, education, medical treatment, transportation, food and drug safety among others. Netizens can also disclose misconduct of government agency staff during the online interview, and authorities will start investigations, according to the State Council's rectification office. Currently rectification offices in 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities have set up their official Web sites.
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FUZHOU, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of the Chinese mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) and Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) will hold talks in Taiwan's Taichung on Dec. 22, according to Thursday's preparatory meeting. The two organizations are authorized by authorities in the mainland and Taiwan to handle cross-Strait issues. According to a preliminary agreement, ARATS President Chen Yunlin and SEF Chairman Chiang Pin-kung will meet for the fourth round of talks since they resumed negotiations in June last year following a 10-year suspension. Zheng Lizhong, standing vice president of the ARATS, and Kao Kung-lian, vice chairman and secretary general of the SEF, decided the ARATS delegation would visit the island between Dec. 21 and 25. The agenda was agreed on during the preparatory meeting in Fuzhou, capital of southeastern Fujian Province, which faces Taiwan across the Taiwan Strait. The agenda includes discussion of labor cooperation in the fishing industry, cooperation in the fields of inspection and quarantine of agricultural products and standard measurement authentication, avoidance of double taxation and boosting taxation cooperation. The two organizations are scheduled to hold a symposium on Dec.23 to introduce the mainland investment to the island. The ARATS delegation will also tour the Taichung City, the surrounding area and the Sun Moon Lake, and leave the island at noon of Dec. 25. Zheng said talks between the ARATS and the SEF, which negotiate issues deeply concerned by people of both sides, were "remarkable symbolization of the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations." He said it shows the two organizations respect each other and "treat each other as equals" in promoting cross-Strait economic cooperation and improving people's livelihood. The talks were supported and welcomed by people from both sides, Zheng said, adding the upcoming fourth round of talks would take into consideration the desire of people on both sides and the development of cross-Strait relations. The two sides also discussed the use of relief funds donated by the mainland to Taiwan to combat Typhoon Morakot in August. The ARATS received 450 million yuan of relief funds and has already delivered one third of it to the SEF. The rest would be sent to the SEF next week, it said. Both sides agreed that the funds would be used in rebuilding the island's damaged bridges, schools and public facilities.
BEIJING, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Heavy fog faded in most Chinese provinces after a cold front from Siberia moving south cleared up the sky on Wednesday. As a result, road, river and air traffic was finally restored after days of disruption in many parts of China. Traffic on the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal resumed at noon after 11 hours of closure, said an official from Yangzhou City of east China's Jiangsu Province Wednesday. Nearly 100 vessels stranded in Yangzhou have entered the Yangtze River. Highrise buildings are seen shrouded by heavy fog at the financial district of Shanghai, east China, Dec. 2, 2009 But sea areas off Shanghai were still shrouded by heavy fog. In the first three quarters of this year, Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration reported 32 accidents in its administrative area, in which 13 vessels were wrecked and 20 people went missing. Direct economic loss was estimated at 39 million yuan (about five million U.S. dollars). The administration reminded passing vessels to be ready for emergencies because of the bad weather. Visibility in east China's Shandong Province rose to more than 1,000 meters. Delayed flights and closed highways had been resumed, said the provincial meteorological bureau. However, the heavy fog staggered in east China's Anhui Province, north China's Shanxi Province and northwest China's Shaanxi Province on Wednesday. Visibility was 200 to 50 meters in most parts of Anhui, where police had to reinforce traffic control on highways. Two of the three flights canceled on Tuesday in Hefei City tookoff Wednesday, though some other flights were delayed. Visibility in Shanxi was 100 to 20 meters on Wednesday. Flights at the Airport of Yuncheng in Shanxi were postponed.
SHANGHAI, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama said here Monday the U.S.-China cooperation enables both countries to be more prosperous and more secure and that young people are the best ambassadors. Obama had a dialogue with 500-strong Chinese college students Monday afternoon in the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, a highlighted activity in the first stop of his four-day maiden trip to China since taking office in January. He covered a wide range of topics, notably the outlook of Sino-U.S. cooperation and youth exchanges between the two countries, while delivering opening remarks and answering questions from the students and Chinese Internet users. POSITIVE SINO-U.S. TIES Obama said China is a nation that encompasses both a rich history and a belief in the promises of the future and that the same can be said of the relationship between the two countries. The Shanghai Communiqué signed 37 years ago opened the door to a new chapter of engagement between the governments and the people of the two countries, he said. "Today we have a positive, constructive and comprehensive relationship that opens the door to partnership on the key global issues of our time: economic recovery, development of clean energy, stopping the spread of nuclear weapons and the surge of climate change, and the promotion of peace and security in Asia and around the globe," Obama said. "We have seen what is possible when we build on our mutual interests and engage on the basis of mutual respect." The success of that engagement depends on understanding, on sustaining an open dialogue and learning about one another and from one another, he said. "Our relationship has not been without disagreement and difficulties. But the notion that we must be adversaries is not predestined," Obama said, noting that the two countries "share much in common" while they are "different in certain ways." He said one country's success need not come at the expense of another. "That is why the United States insists we do not seek to contain China's rise; on the contrary, we welcome China as a strong and prosperous and successful member of the community of nations, a China that draws on the rights, strengths and creativity of individual Chinese like you," Obama said to the students. YOUNG PEOPLE BEST AMBASSADORS Obama announced in his speech that the United States would further expand its youth exchanges with China by increasing the number of students studying in China to 100,000. "These exchanges mark a clear commitment to build ties among our people, as surely as you will help us determine the destiny of the 21st century," he said. He said young people in China and U.S. are the best ambassadors and that cooperation between the countries should go beyond the governments. "I believe strongly that cooperation must grow beyond our government. It must be rooted in our people, in the studies we share, in the business we do, in the knowledge that we gain, and even in the sports we play, and these bridges must be built by men and women just like you, and your counterparts in America," Obama said. "I am absolutely confident that America has no better ambassadors to offer than our young people, for they just like you are filled with talent, energy and optimism about the history that is yet to be written. "So let this be the next step in the steady pursuit of cooperation between our two nations and the world," Obama said. "If there is one thing we can take from today's dialogue, I hope that it is a commitment to continue this dialogue going forward," Obama said in his speech.
TAIPEI, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Kuomintang (KMT) Party won 12 county and city chief seats in Taiwan's local elections Saturday, while the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) landed four seats, voting results showed. The KMT won 289 county and city lawmaker seats whereas the DPP won 128. Candidates with no party affiliations and those who did not run in the election through political parties won 170 seats. The KMT also won a majority of 121 seats in the election of township chiefs, as opposed to the DPP's 34 seats. The voting, also known as "three-in-one elections," lasted from8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.