BEIJING, June 23 (Xinhua) -- President Hu Jintao on Monday hailed the country's remarkable science and technology achievements since the launch of its 1978 Reform and Opening-up Drive, but he also admitted that there is "still a large gap" with the world's most advanced. Among developing countries, China had now taken the lead regarding the general level of science and technological development, said Hu, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee. He attributed the achievements to the full support of the Party, the nation and the hard work by Chinese scientists and technicians. Hu made the remarks at Monday's inaugural ceremony for both the 14th Congress of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Ninth Congress of the Chinese Academy of Engineering Science. Chinese President Hu Jintao makes a speech at the joint inaugural ceremony of both of the 14th Congress of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Ninth Congress of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, June 23, 2008. He began his speech by giving a brief summary of the country's strenuous anti-earthquake efforts after a powerful 8.0-quake struck Wenchuan County in the southwestern Sichuan Province on May 12. Members of the two academies had made full use of their collective wisdom and power to play an important role in the quake relief, he said. In his speech, Hu mentioned two major historic events -- the National Science Congress in March 1978, and the Third Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee in December that same year. The science conference has been called a "Spring" for the country's science circles following the end of the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). The latter ushered in the Reform and Opening-up Drive in the country. Hu recalled it was Deng Xiaoping who talked about major issues regarding the political status. At the meeting, the late leader proposed that science and technology were a productive force, intellectuals were part of the working class, and the key of the country's modernization drive lay with the modernization of science and technology. He reiterated science and technology were the No.1 productive force; human resources were the No. 1 resource; and it was a must to persistently increase the capabilities in independent innovation; it was a must to adhere to the political advantage of socialism, which enabled the government to gather powers to do big things; it was a must that science and technology served economic and social development as well as the people; and it was a must to display the scientific spirit.
LANZHOU, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Local governments should promote the spirit of quake relief to carry out reconstruction work and economic and social development, said a senior Chinese official. Jia Qinglin, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), said this during his inspection tour to quake-affected Shaanxi and Gansu provinces from Sunday to Thursday that there have been heavy tasks for local governments in terms of relocating quake survivors and rebuilding damaged or destroyed facilities. Jia Qinglin (2nd L), chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), receives Tibetan scroll painting Tangka and Hada, a long piece of silk used as a traditional greeting gift, offered by a living Buddha of the Labrang Lamasery during his visit to the Lamasery in Xiahe County, Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Gansu Province, July 9, 2008.He went into tents to ask local people about quake relief supplies and their living conditions, praised soldiers and workers on rebuilding sites, and encouraged students to keep up their studies in temporary classrooms. He told officials to ensure food, water, clothes and bedding continue to get to survivors, focus on solving housing problems and make scientific plans for reconstruction. Jia, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, also visited several high-tech enterprises in Gansu. "Although we have gone through the most severe challenge, the country's economy continues to develop in a steady, relatively fast way in general," he said, adding: "We should transfer the spirit of quake relief into the driving force of economic development." He also stressed maintaining social stability in Tibetan-inhabited regions
BEIJING, July 13 (Xinhua) -- The Beijing municipal government said on Sunday that the city's state-owned enterprises (SOEs), institutions and social groups should adjust their working hours from July 20 to Sept. 20 to avoid traffic jams. A notice issued by the municipal government said that, except for schools and institutions that provide essential services, SOEs should operate from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Beijing municipal government said on Sunday that the city's state-owned enterprises (SOEs), institutions and social groups should adjust their working hours from July 20 to Sept. 20 to avoid traffic jams Large shopping centers should open at 10 a.m. and stay open later in the evening. Other institutions should operate from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Government departments won't alter their hours, the notice said. The notice also encouraged institutions to handle business online if possible and arrange flex-time arrangements where feasible.
BEIJING, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- With the Beijing Paralympic Games under way, Chinese President Hu Jintao and other top leaders watched a musical and dancing performance staged by disabled artists in Beijing on Thursday night. The grand show, titled "My Dream," was presented by the China Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe (CDPPAT) in the Poly Theatre in downtown Beijing. Specially prepared for the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics, the show has been continuously modified and Thursday's was already its fifth edition. Sitting among the audience were Party and state leaders Wu Bangguo, Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinglin, Li Changchun, Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, He Guoqiang and Zhou Yongkang, as well as International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President Philip Craven and International Olympic Committee Honorary President Juan Antonio Samaranch. Chinese President Hu Jintao greets artists of China Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe after their performance "My Dream" at the Poly Theatre in Beijing Sept. 11, 2008The performance -- a mixture of music, dancing, Peking Opera, dancing drama and music drama -- has been a hit since its debut on Aug. 10, staged for more than 40 times in the Chinese capital. The performance on Thursday night began with a poem titled "My Dream," which was presented by performers using the sign language. "We are trying to hear sounds and rhythms in silence, to see light in darkness, and to pursue perfection with disabilities," the poem goes. In a classical repertoire of the troupe called the Thousand-hand Bodhisattva, Tai Lihua, a deaf dancer with great popularity in China, led 20 other hearing-impaired dancers in golden costumes to perform in breath-taking synchronicity. Chinese President Hu Jintao, other top party and state leaders Wu Bangguo, Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinglin, Li Changchun, Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, He Guoqiang and Zhou Yongkang, International Paralympic Committee President Philip Craven and International Olympic Committee Honorary President Juan Antonio Samaranch pose for a group photo with artists of China Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe after the performance "My Dream" at the Poly Theatre in Beijing,China, Sept. 11, 2008Other highlights of the show included singing by disabled vocalists, playing of traditional Chinese musical instruments by blind musicians, and rhythmic dances and Peking Opera performance by blind, deaf or amputated artists. Amazed by the spectacular show, the entire audience, including President Hu and IPC chief Craven, warmly applauded time and again to show their respect for the artists. When the show ended, Hu, Craven and others also ascended the stage to shake hands with the performers and congratulate them on the success of the performance.
BEIJING, April 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said here on Monday the free trade agreement signed between China and New Zealand was of importance and profound significance. Wen told New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark in their talks that the signing of the free trade accord "explored broad prospects for deepening mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries". He added the China-New Zealand ties were faced with important new development opportunity. The two reached consensus to push the China-New Zealand comprehensive, friendly and cooperative relations to a new high. Wen hailed the vigorous development of China-New Zealand relations in recent years, saying the practical cooperation in every area had made constant breakthroughs, bringing real benefits to the two peoples. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao meets New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark in Beijing on April 7, 2008. The two attended the signing ceremony of the free trade agreement and respectively delivered speeches He noted the two nations shared broad common interests in promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region. Wen pledged China was ready to implement the annual meeting mechanism between the leaders of the two countries, strengthen consultation at all levels and consolidate the political basis for the bilateral relations. Wen suggested the two sides make full use of complementary advantages in sustainable development areas, such as climate change, energy saving, environmental protection and low-carbon economy, foster new growing points in trade and economic cooperation, expand cooperation on culture, education, science, technology and justice, and increase communication and coordination on important international and regional issues. Clark said since China was an important cooperation partner, New Zealand attached great importance to the bilateral relations from a strategic level. "New Zealand explicitly sticks to the one-China policy, advocates to enhance contact and cooperation with China and supports China in its efforts to play an active role in the world," she said. On the FTA deal, Clark said New Zealand and the country's business circle would firmly support and earnestly carry out the agreement. She added New Zealand was ready to maintain high-level exchanges with China, step up exchanges and cooperation in the spheres of goods, service trade, agriculture, stock-breeding, energy saving, environmental protection, culture and education, and increase consultation and cooperation between the two countries in the United Nations and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. After the talks, the two attended the signing ceremony of the free trade agreement and respectively delivered speeches.
BEIJING, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- China's central bank on Wednesday announced cuts in both the interest rate and reserve-requirement ratio in the latest effort to boost the domestic economy amid worries over the deepening global financial crisis. The deposit and lending rates would be lowered by 0.27 percentage points from Thursday and the reserve-requirement ratio would be down by 0.5 percentage points from Oct. 15, the People's Bank of China (PBOC) said. "This was mainly out of concerns over an economic slowdown," said Ba Shusong, deputy chief of the Finance Research Institute under the Development Research Center of the State Council. "The rate cut was expected as the world was faced with a cycle of interest rate cuts," he told Xinhua. OUT OF SLOWDOWN CONCERNS The loosening in monetary policy, the second such move in less than a month, highlighted the government's rising concern over the slowing economy and slumping capital market. The PBOC cut the benchmark one-year lending rate by 0.27 percentage points on Sept. 16, the first rate cut in six years. It also lowered the reserve requirement at medium- and small-sized lenders by 1 percentage point as of Sept. 25. Tang Min, China Development Research Foundation deputy secretary, echoed Ba's viewpoint. Tang said the government made the move mainly out of concerns over domestic problems. "The deepening U.S.-originated credit crisis has impacted the psychology of Chinese and also the real economy," he told Xinhua. Investors, gripped by lingering fears of global economic downturn, dumped equities to drive the stock market down 66 percent from its peak last October. China's gross domestic product (GDP) expanded 10.1 percent in the second quarter of the year, marking a deceleration for four consecutive quarters. Its exports, a major driver behind the economy, reported slowing growth this year as the credit crisis reduced overseas demand for its goods. This has led to the closures of tens of thousands of local exporters and also job losses. Local businesses bore the brunt of higher borrowing costs and were even finding it difficult to get credit after last year's tightening measures aimed at curbing inflation and averting economic overheating. The easing in inflation has given room for the authorities to loosen monetary policy. The consumer price index rose 4.9 percent in August, off from the 12-year-high of 8.7 percent in February. "Inflation is no longer a threat with the declining commodities prices," Tang said. The monetary policy has been starting to loosen and the trend would not change in the short term, said Zhuang Jian, an Asian Development Bank (ADB) economist. "The whole world doesn't have strong confidence in the economic outlook." TAX CUT TO BOOST DEMAND In another move to boost domestic demand, the State Council, China's Cabinet, said it would scrap the 5 percent individual income tax on savings interest earnings starting on Thursday. China began levying a 20 percent individual income tax on interest earnings in 1999 to narrow the income gap and encourage consumption and investment. The tax rate was slashed to 5 percent on Aug. 15, 2007. The income tax cut was a must as it would help alleviate the erosion on personal income by high prices, especially given the cut in the deposit rate, Li Yang, head of the Finance Research Institute under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The tax cut, together with lower borrowing costs, would boost domestic demand, an increasingly more important driver of economy in the global credit crisis, Zuo Xiaolei, China Galaxy Securities chief economist, said. GLOBAL COORDINATED RESPONSE The move was also a timely response to the rate cuts by other major central banks and part of a coordinated effort to stem the global crisis, Tang said. Six other major central banks, including the U.S. Federal Reserve, slashed interest rates on the same day to cope with the current financial crisis. The U.S. Federal Reserve lowered its target for the federal funds rate by 0.5 percentage points to 1.5 percent. The Bank of England cut its rate by half a point to 4.5 percent and the European Central Bank cut by the same margin to 3.75 percent. Central banks of Canada, Sweden and Switzerland took similar actions. The Bank of Japan said it strongly supported these policy actions. Australia's central bank on Tuesday slashed the interest rate by 1 percentage point, the largest cut since 1992.
郑州seo排名优化
BEIJING, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Tropical storm Higos, the 17th this year, will drop heavy rain on parts of south China's Guangdong and Hainan provinces over the next two days, the National Meteorological Observatory said on Thursday. The office advised everyone in those regions to prepare for therain, as well as lightning storms and gale-force winds. Tourists in coastal cities of the island province of Hainan, such as Sanya and Bo'ao, have been advised to avoid offshore activities over the next three days. Higos was centered about 700 km southeast of Zhuhai, Guangdong,as of 5 p.m. on Thursday, and it was moving north-west at 20 km per hour. Tourists stay at the beach in Haikou, capital of south China's Hainan Province, on Oct. 2, 2008. Tropical storm Higos, the 17th this year, is moving towards south China's island province of Hainan, the provincial meteorological station said on Thursday, affecting the ongoing National Day holidays. The storm is gaining momentum as it nears eastern Hainan and the mid-west regions of Guangdong, according to the national observatory. Higos, which formed on Tuesday in the Pacific Ocean, comes on the heels of storms Jangmi and Hagupit, which together killed some 20 people in China
ROME, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Food security in China is guaranteed despite the recent major earthquake and heavy snowfalls earlier this year, China's Agriculture Minister Sun Zhengcai said in an interview with Xinhua. "The earthquake will not change the nation-wide situation of agricultural production this year since local output of the affected area is quite small compared to that of the whole country," Sun said, who was attending a world summit here on soaring food prices, hosted by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). An 8.0-magnitude earthquake hit southwestern China in May, with its epicenter in Wenchuan County, a mountainous area of Sichuan province, with the death toll currently at over 70,000 people and causing massive economic loss. Sun acknowledged local agricultural production was in no way immune from damage. A farmer harvests wheat in the Hailing District of Taizhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, June 3, 2008. The harvest season for nearly 19,000 hectares of wheat in Taizhou started on June 3. "The damage was mainly to planted crops and livestock," he said, adding an urgent harvesting and planting effort has helped minimize the impact and which had no national implications. The devastating earthquake struck following severe snow and ice storms that swept southern China early this year, giving rise to concerns about food shortages in the world's most populous country. However, Sun said food security remains guaranteed because of sufficient stockpiles and a big harvest ahead. "This year, China's agriculture has prevailed over disasters of snow and ice storms and the extremely severe earthquake, and our summer grains and oilseeds are set to harvest good crops," he said. Since 2004, food production in China has increased for four consecutive years and the total grain output exceeded 500 million tons last year. Sun said China's grain reserves are currently abundant and there is enough supply of major farm products to offset the effects of the two natural disasters. If there are no more major disasters, China is expected to have a big summer harvest this year, with grain output set to rise for the fifth consecutive year. Even in southern China, oilseeds, which had been feared to drop due to the snowfalls, would reverse the declining trend in the previous three years. Sun said as a huge, developing country with 1.3 billion people, China has always paid great attention to food and agricultural development. The Chinese government will continue to adhere to the food security policy of basic self-sufficiency, complemented by imports and exports to readjust surplus and shortfalls, he said.
BEIJING, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao on Saturday met separately with several foreign leaders in the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing. The foreign leaders included President of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Lee Myung bak, President of the Philippines Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Mongolian President Nambaryn Enkhbayar, Uzbek President Islam Karimov, and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. The leaders all attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games, held in the National Stadium in north Beijing on Friday night. Chinese President Hu Jintao (R) shakes hands with President of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Lee Myung bak during their meeting in Beijing, China, Aug. 9, 2008. Lee Myung bak attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games on Friday night. In his meeting with the ROK president, Hu called for more efforts from all parties involved to advance the six-party talks to a new stage. "We hope all parties of the six-party talks enhance communication and coordination, try to implement the second phase action of the talks soon in a comprehensive and balanced way, and advance the talks to a new stage," said Hu. He reaffirmed China's consistent support for the reconciliation and cooperation between the north and south of the Korean Peninsula. The ROK president responded that the six-party talks are progressing on the right track, and the ROK will strive to promote the development of south-north relations in the right direction. On the China-ROK relationship, President Hu said the relationship is heading in the right direction, and he is looking forward to his forthcoming state visit to the ROK. Lee said the ROK government and people are pleased with the establishment and development of the strategic partnership with China and are looking forward to Hu's visit. Chinese President Hu Jintao (R) shakes hands with President of the Philippines Gloria Macapagal Arroyo during their meeting in Beijing, China, Aug. 9, 2008. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games on Friday night. Meeting with President Arroyo, Hu said that trade and economic cooperation between China and the Philippines in recent years has maintained rapid development and brought concrete benefits to the two peoples. "We hope China and the Philippines forge ahead with the existing trade and economic cooperation projects, and explore new fields of cooperation at the same time," Hu said. Hu also thanked Arroyo for her invitation of 100 Chinese children from the quake-battered areas to visit the Philippines for rehabilitation. Reiterating the Philippines' adherence to the one-China policy, Arroyo said that her country looks forward to deepening and expanding cooperation with China in various fields. Chinese President Hu Jintao (R) shakes hands with Mongolian President Nambaryn Enkhbayar during their meeting in Beijing, China, Aug. 9, 2008. Nambaryn Enkhbayar attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games on Friday night.In the meeting with his Mongolian counterpart, Hu said that China and Mongolia are on a smooth track of developing their relations, and the two countries have broad potentials and bright prospects in friendly cooperation. He said that the two countries will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic ties next year, and hoped that the two sides could hold various activities to enhance friendship and bolster exchanges.
ZHENGZHOU, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao visited a special education school and a rural middle school in the central Henan Province to mark the country's 24th Teachers' Day, which falls on Wednesday. At the Zhengzhou Deaf-Mutes School in the provincial capital, Hu, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, commended the teachers for bringing sunshine and hope to the handicapped children with their love and hard work. He said the cause of special education deserved respect from the whole society, urging the 110-strong faculty members to give more care and even better education to the children for their healthy growth. Chinese President Hu Jintao (R Front) shakes hands with a teacher as he visits Gaomiao Middle School in Qinghua Town of Bo'ai County under Jiaozuo City, central China's Henan Province. President Hu Jintao made an inspection tour in Henan Province from Sept. 8 to Sept. 10In the classrooms, the president told the students about the significance conveyed by the ongoing Beijing Paralympic Games, and encouraged them to build themselves a bright future with the help of the society and the teachers. On Tuesday morning, Hu also visited a rural junior high school called the Gaomiao Middle School, in Qinghua Township, Jiaozuo City. He sent his greetings to the teachers, saying their diligent work has helped many children from the countryside realize their dreams. He promised to further improve rural teachers' working and living conditions and told them to foster more talents for the country. Chinese President Hu Jintao (C) shakes hands with a teacher as he visits a school for blind, deaf and dumb students in Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan Province, on Sept. 10, 2008, the 24th Teachers' Day of China. President Hu Jintao made an inspection tour in Henan Province from Sept. 8 to Sept. 10Hu also expressed concern about children left behind by parents who were working in cities as migrant workers, saying the country was taking measures to give them better care. The president also visited the school kitchen and the students' dormitory, telling the school to take good care of their life. After playing together with the students on the playground, Hu talked with student Huang Zaizhen, encouraging him to study hard to become a person of use for his hometown and for the homeland. He led the students in the applause in honor of the teachers. Chinese President Hu Jintao (C) shakes hands with a teacher as he visits a school for blind, deaf and dumb students in Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan Province, on Sept. 10, 2008, the 24th Teachers' Day of China. President Hu Jintao made an inspection tour in Henan Province from Sept. 8 to Sept. 10