BEIJING, April 11 (Xinhua) -- China's foreign exchange reserves rose 16 percent year-on-year to 1.9537 trillion U.S. dollars by the end of March, said the People's Bank of China on Saturday. It represents an increase of 7.7 billion dollars for the first quarter, but the increase was 146.2 billion dollars lower than the same period of last year. Outstanding foreign currency loans stood at 235.2 billion U.S. dollars by the end of March, down 11.7 percent year on year. In the first quarter, foreign currency loans dropped by 8.5 billion U.S. dollars. The decline was 57.3 billion U.S. dollars heavier over the same period of last year. In March, foreign currency loans rose by 4.3 billion U.S. dollars. The increase was 6.4 billion U.S. dollars lower than the same period of last year. Meanwhile, outstanding foreign currency deposits rose 28.9 percent, or 7.5 billion U.S. dollars, to 200.3 billion U.S. dollars in the first quarter. The increase was 13 billion U.S. dollars higher over the same period of last year. In March alone, foreign currency deposits rose by 3.3 billion U.S. dollars. The increase was 1.8 billion U.S. dollars higher over the same month in 2008. Analysts said the smaller growth of foreign exchange reserves in the first quarter was related with changes in the value of non-U.S.-dollar assets and money flows under the capital account. In March alone, the foreign exchange reserves rose by 41.7 billion U.S. dollars. The increase was 6.7 billion U.S. dollars higher than the corresponding period of last year. The country's foreign exchange reserves reduced to 1.914 trillion U.S. dollars at the end of January and 1.912 trillion U.S. dollars at the end of February. "Changes of foreign exchange reserves in the first quarter were mainly driven by non-U.S.-dollar assets' volatile fluctuation," said Liu Yuhui, an economist with Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS). During the first quarter, especially the first two months, non-dollar foreign currencies dropped heavily against the U.S. dollar, leaving about 40 percent of the country's non-dollar assets depreciated. Meanwhile, the country's trade surplus had reduced during the first quarter due to a weakening external demand. Exports fell 17.5 percent in January, 25.7 percent in February and 17.1 percent in March. In February, trade surplus plummeted by34.3 billion U.S. dollars to 4.8 billion. "The 7.7-billion-dollar increase in foreign exchange reserves for the first quarter showed the country's economy still depends heavily on external demand," said Mei Xinyu, an economist with the Ministry of Commerce (MOC). Yuan Gangming, a researcher with the CASS, said the smaller increase in foreign exchange reserves might also be caused by capital flight. Official statistics show during the first two months, the actually-utilized foreign direct investment dropped by 26.2 percent. A large proportion of the country's foreign exchange reserves are invested in U.S. treasuries and notes. Last month, the U.S. Federal Reserve announced a plan to buy up to 300 billion U.S. dollars in long-term treasuries. That added to worries in the value stability of the country's foreign exchange reserves. Mei said the slower growth in foreign exchange reserves could be conducive to the national economic security because less capital would be exposed to devaluation risks. "The top priority should be to keep the value of foreign exchange reserves stable," said Yuan. He suggested relevant authorities should keep a close eye on flows of foreign reserves and prevent a similar capital flight that happened after the Asian financial crisis.
BEIJING, Feb. 12 -- A sharp fall in imports and exports in January, which included a weeklong Spring Festival holiday, has both puzzled and alarmed economists. General Administration of Customs figures released yesterday showed exports plummeted 17.5 percent year-on-year, much sharper than the 2.8 percent fall in December. Imports fell even more dramatically, to 43.1 percent year-on-year. The combined foreign trade in January fell 29 percent year-on-year. Such a major decline in monthly foreign trade is rare in the 30 years of reform and opening up. General Administration of Customs figures released yesterday showed exports plummeted 17.5 percent year-on-year, much sharper than the 2.8 percent fall in December Because of the global economic downturn, foreign trade is likely to fall for several more months, the economists said. Su Chang, a macro-economic analyst with China Economic Business Monitor, said it could decline by 10 percent in the first quarter of this year. "It is possible that China's yearly record will be negative as well." But, he said the decline in imports would be largely because of the fall in prices of industrial materials. "Prices of primary goods - China's main imports - are at a low points now, while they were at historic highs just a year ago," he said. Last month, however, was an exception because it had one full week of holiday from January 26. The Chinese Lunar New Year is the most important festival for Chinese but usually it falls in February. So this year, January had five fewer working days than those in many of the previous years. If that is considered, the Customs said, exports actually rose 6.8 percent year-on-year in January. And compared with December, they increased 4.6 percent. The worldwide deflationary cycle was another problem, the economists said. The sharp drop in imports was caused both because of a fall in global prices (most noticeably of crude oil and farm products) and a drop in demand for electronic components, which reflected the shrinking of the country's manufacturing industry. Ting Lu, economist with Merrill Lynch in Hong Kong, said there was no good method to adjust for the Chinese New Year effects. "Our first suggestion: ignore them," Lu said in note to clients in the monthly trade figures. When compared with neighboring economies, experts said, China's record is not the worst. Jing Ulrich, analyst with JP Morgan, has written in a report that while the recent export slowdown has been alarming, it has not been as severe in China as in some neighboring economies that rely more heavily on the hi-tech sector. While Jing Wang, chief economist of Morgan Stanley, said China's export structure is more diverse, and as a result less volatile, in the region.
BEIJING, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao on Friday called for the country's law-enforcement personnel to learn the selfless dedication to the people from Tan Dong, a policeman in Sichuan Province. Tan, 45, was a traffic policeman in Dayi County of Chengdu, capital city of Sichuan. He died of myocarditis on Jan. 5 because of long-time hard work at his position. On Dec. 29 last year, in order to save a person having fallen into a trench in a car accident, Tan jumped into the cold water and got a serious cold. Being seriously sick afterwards, Tan insisted on working, until the last minute of his life. After his death, Tan was honored as a first-class model by the Ministry of Public Security and Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. On Friday, some of Tan's relatives and colleagues were invited to give a report on his heroic deeds in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The audience were deeply moved by the report and gave applauses to show their respect for the hero. More than 800 police and citizen representatives listened to the report. Zhou Yongkang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, met with Tan's families and colleagues before the report. "He is an ordinary, but great person. He is the model for the police, and also a good example for China's grassroots officials," Zhou said. In Tan Dong's diary, he wrote: one cannot be a public servant if he has no intention of dedication. "He did what he said," Zhou said.
BEIJING, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- About 20 million of China's migrant workers have returned home after losing their jobs as the global financial crisis takes a toll on the economy, said a senior official here on Monday. Chen Xiwen, director of the office of the central leading group on rural work, said about 15.3 percent of the 130 million migrant workers had returned jobless from cities to the countryside. The figures were based on a survey by the Ministry of Agriculture in 150 villages in 15 provinces, carried out before the week-long Lunar New Year holiday which began on Jan. 25. Chen Xiwen, director of the Office of the Central Leading Group on Rural Work, speaks at a press conference held by the State Council Information Office, Feb. 2, 2009. His remarks came a day after the central government issued its first document this year, which warned 2009 will be "possibly the toughest year" since the turn of the century in terms of securing economic development and consolidating the "sound development momentum" in agriculture and rural areas. The country's economic growth slowed to 6.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008, dragging down the annual rate to a seven-year low of 9 percent. The document urged local and central government departments to adopt measures to create jobs and increase rural incomes. Companies were asked to take on more social responsibilities and give rural migrant workers more favorable employment treatment. Flexible employment policies and more training chances were also encouraged. Meanwhile, local government departments should increase investment to provide favorable tax and fee policies to those who lost jobs in cities and expect to find new work in their hometowns. The government also urged departments to map out basic pension insurance measures suitable for rural conditions and migrant workers to ensure their rights.
BEIJING, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- A new entry in government-issued press cards, to be added later this month, might help many Chinese reporters persuade tight-lipped officials to talk. The entry will say: "The governments at all levels should facilitate the reporting of journalists who hold this card and provide necessary assistance." "Without a proper reason, government officials must not refuse to be interviewed," said Zhu Weifeng, a senior official with the General Administration of Press and Publication. Many considered this a positive signal that the authorities welcomed supervision from the media. The new press card statement followed a regulation on the disclosure of government information, effective last May, which was the first government rule safeguarding citizens' right to be informed. "Media and public supervision are among the arrangements the country is making to control the power of the state and protect civil rights," said Li Yunlong, a human rights expert at the Institute for International Strategies of the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC). "How to prevent state power from infringing on civil rights is a very important issue in human rights protection," Li said. This week, the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva conducted its first review of China's human rights record, and it acknowledged the country's efforts in human rights protection. The country took a long and winding road to acceptance of the concept of "civil rights" but was headed in the right direction, Li said. "I have seen a trend toward increasing supervision of the authorities and more restrictions on their power." Mo Jihong, a research follow with the Law Institute under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, saw the same trend in legislation. "The changes in the Constitution were obvious," said Mo. China's first three Constitutions, issued respectively in 1954,in 1975 and 1978, all had a chapter on the fundamental rights and duties of citizens. But none of those versions defined "citizen," which affected the implementation of these items, he said. The current Constitution, adopted in 1982, closed this loophole and put the chapter on citizens' rights before that of the structure of the state, he said. "It showed the country acknowledged that the state derived its legitimacy through protecting citizens' rights, rather than by giving rights to citizens." In 2004, an amendment to the Constitution added an article stating that the state respects and preserves human rights. "Through the amendments, the Constitution gave more responsibility to state organs to protect civil rights," Mo said. The country has also adopted laws to restrict the exercise of state power. In 1990, the law on litigation against the administration provided the first way for the common people to sue government departments. Further, the law on legislation, adopted in 2000, included an article stating that only laws can limit personal freedom. This had the effect of barring any authority, except the legislature, from issuing regulations or rules to limit personal freedom. "But the implementation of laws remained a problem," Mo said. "The authorities who enforce the laws should be carefully watched." Li noted that China's unique culture played a role. Traditionally, Chinese seldom talk about "rights" but instead stress the concept of people's obedience to the society. "Civil right is a concept borrowed from the West. That's why it will take time to make everyone aware of it, especially those holding power," he said. "But we should not give up because we don't have such a tradition," he said. "China does not need to make itself a Western nation but can explore its own way based on its own culture and reality," he said. Last year, in the wake of an increasing number of protests nationwide, the government launched a campaign requiring officials to talk with citizens and consider their requests regularly. The move proved to be an effective way to ease public anger and reduce misunderstanding. A trial program to invite independent inspectors to detention houses in northeast Jilin Province also received acclaim as an innovation in this field. The two-year program ended late last year. The 20 independent inspectors, who were teachers, doctors, businessmen and community workers, examined conditions in these detention houses and examined their records so as to ensure that custody procedures were in line with the law and detainees were not treated inhumanely. "The concept of 'putting people first' raised by the present CPC leadership can be regarded as an effort to respect and protect civil rights," Li said.
nturns that a retreat to narrow, short-term protectionism policies would only serve to deepen the global recession and we must not and will not allow that to happen again," said Brown. Brown said that Britain and China supported the reform of international institutions and the creation of an early-warning system for the global economy. The two countries would push these and other proposals at the London Summit of G20 nations in April, he added. Wen arrived in London on Saturday for a three-day official visit. Britain is the last leg of his week-long European tour, which began on Tuesday and has already taken him to Switzerland, Germany, the European Union headquarters in Brussels and Spain. During the visit, Wen met with people from political, business and financial circles. He also delivered a speech at the University of Cambridge. The premier is also paying a return visit for Prime Minister Gordon Brown's China tour early last year, as part of a regular high-level meeting mechanism between the two countries.
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PATTAYA, Thailand, April 11 (Xinhua) -- China, Japan and South Korea agreed here Saturday to continue pushing forward the Six-Party talks aimed at realizing denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The consensus was reached when Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak met here to discuss the recent rocket launch by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Discussions about related issues should be conducive to maintaining the progress of the Six-Party talks, peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia, Wen said. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao meets with Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso(r) and President of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Lee Myung Bak(l) in Pattaya, Thailand, on April 11, 2009 Any action that may further complicate the situation should be avoided, he emphasized. The three leaders also agreed to strengthen cooperation between China, Japan and South Korea and push forward their cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The three leaders expected to meet in China later this year for the second summit of Chinese, Japanese and South Korean leaders.
BEIJING, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao and his Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev held talks in Beijing Thursday afternoon. The heads of states agreed to deepen bilateral cooperation in all fields and join hands to tackle the challenge of international financial crisis. After the talks, Hu and Nazarbayev signed a joint declaration and witnessed the signing of 10 agreements on cooperation in the fields of transport, education, agriculture and telecommunications. Chinese President Hu Jintao(R) shakes hands with Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev in Beijing, China, April 16, 2009. President Hu said the strategic partnership between China and Kazakhstan had maintained a fast growth in recent years. The two countries have maintained frequent high-level contacts, political mutual trust, expansion of practical cooperation and good collaboration within the multilateral frameworks. Chinese President Hu Jintao(L) and Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev review honor guards at the welcoming ceremony in honor of Kazakhstan's President in Beijing, China, April 16, 2009. Hu expressed gratitude to Kazakhstan for supporting China on such major issues as Taiwan, Tibet and the holding of Beijing Olympics and Paralympics. Nazarbayev said Kazakhstan values the development of friendly and cooperative relations with China. He said China has raised its status in the international community by successfully holding the Olympic Games and launching the Shenzhou-7 spacecraft. He said the effective measures taken by the Chinese government to cope with the global financial crisis have benefited not only the Chinese economy, but also the world economic growth. Hu said the Chinese government always gives priority to developing the strategic partnership with Kazakhstan. Hu suggested that the two countries should work on four areas. Firstly, Hu said the two countries should continue to enhance high-level contact, improve cooperative mechanism and deepen political links. The leaders of the two countries should maintain close contact. The governments of the two countries should give full play to the role of China-Kazakhstan Cooperation Committee to increase communication and coordination. The parliaments and political parties of the two countries should carry out exchanges in various forms on the experience of governing their respective countries. Secondly, the two countries should utilize the complementarity of their economies to deepen cooperation in such fields as economy, trade, energy, resources and finance to achieve common development. The two sides should further optimize trade structure, expand the scale of bilateral trade, work together to build major energy and resources projects and non-resources projects, and accelerate infrastructure construction at border areas. Thirdly, the two countries should promote cultural exchanges and cooperation. China is ready to deepen cooperation with Kazakhstan in culture, education, health, tourism and sports. He said the two countries should encourage non-governmental organizations, media and youth organizations to expand contact and enhance friendship. Fourthly, the two countries should deepen security cooperation and join hands to tackle various challenges. He said China will continue to strengthen coordination and cooperation with Kazakhstan within such multilateral frameworks as the United Nations, Shanghai Cooperation Organization and Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia. He said the two countries should join effort to strike trans-border organized crimes and the evil forces of separatism, terrorism and extremism so as to safeguard peace, stability and security of the two countries and the whole region. Nazarbayev fully agreed with Hu's suggestion, saying under the current situation, Kazakhstan is ready to strengthen its strategic partnership with China. He expressed the willingness to expand bilateral cooperation in trade, energy, transport, agriculture, finance and telecommunications. He said the two countries should continue to step up cooperation in multilateral arena, especially within the frameworks of the United Nations, Shanghai Cooperation Organization and Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia. He said the two countries will work together to fight against the three evil forces of separatism, terrorism and extremism to maintain peace and stability in the region and the world over. Nazarbayev reiterated that Kazakhstan supports China's stance on the issues of Taiwan and Tibet. It supports China to safeguard sovereignty and territorial integrity. Before the talks, President Hu hold a welcome ceremony for President Nazarbayev at the Great Hall of the People.
BEIJING, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao has called for greater awareness of both hardships and opportunities presented by the global financial crisis in order to offset the impacts of the crisis. In a speech to the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Political Bureau on Tuesday, Hu said China must be prepared for the most difficult and complicated situations in the world economy and meanwhile make good use of or create development opportunities amid the transformation of international and domestic conditions. The world economic situation was austere and complicated; the global financial crisis had yet to level out; and China's economic growth was under pressure of a slow-down, he said. He said no fundamental changes had occurred in the country's basic economic development situation, its advantageous conditions for economic development, its accelerating trend of industrialization and urbanization, and the external environment of peace, development and cooperation. "The strong Party leadership, the advantages of the socialist system, and the united efforts of our people of all ethnic groups are the strength for us to overcome the difficulties and withstand the impacts of the global financial crisis," he said. The government should maintain the policy of giving top priority to increasing domestic demand while stabilizing external demand, he said. He called for more powerful and efficient measures to increase domestic demand, consumer demand in particular. He urged continuing to make the reform and opening-up a powerful driving force for economic growth, actively pushing forward reform in key areas and links. Hu urged all Party committees and governments to deepen the implementation of the "scientific view of development" and "carry out the decisions and arrangements of the central authorities in a creative way". Hu, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, presided over Tuesday's panel study of the Politburo, at which two scholars explained world economic situation and ways to boost economic growth. The lecturers were Zhao Jinping, of the State Council's Development Research Center, and Bi Jiyao, of the Macro-economic Research Institute under the National Development and Reform and Commission.
BEIJING, April 6 (Xinhua) -- China will promote health-care reform in four areas -- public health services, medical treatment, medical insurance and drug supply -- for both urban and rural residents, according to a central government document released on Monday. The reforms will make health-care more convenient and affordable and narrow the urban and rural gap, said the reform guidelines, jointly issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the State Council. The government will provide unified education on disease prevention and control, health-care for women and children, first aid, blood donation and family planning to both urban and rural residents, the guidelines said. Efforts will be made to further improve the sanitation of living and working conditions for urban and rural residents and to deal with all forms of pollution, said the document, adding that the monitoring for food sanitation and sanitation at work places and schools will be strengthened. Medical treatment will mainly depend on nonprofit medical organizations with state-run hospitals playing the major role and commercial hospitals developing in a complementary way, the guidelines said. The medical service in rural areas will be greatly improved, with emphasis on county-level hospitals. Large hospitals in cities should provide long-term aid to county-level hospitals in terms of clinical services, personnel training, technological guidance and equipment sharing, according to the document. The reform will set up a new urban medical system based on community health-care services, which can help lower the medical expenses and provide more convenient service. Chinese traditional medicine will play a bigger role in disease prevention and control, and in dealing with emergency public health incidents and medical care services, the document said. The guidelines said a comprehensive medical insurance system composed of the basic medical insurance for urban employers and employees, basic medical insurance for urban residents and a new rural cooperative medical care program will cover 90 percent of the population by 2011. In 1998, China began to establish a medical care system, aimed to cover all employers and employees in urban areas. The country introduced a comprehensive medical insurance program, which covers all urban residents, including children and the unemployed, in July 2007. A total of 79 cities were selected to launch the pilot program. The insurance system's principle will shift from major diseases to also covering minor diseases. Commercial medical care insurance will also be made available to meet individual needs, according to the guidelines. The document said China will speed up the establishment of a drug supply system to ensure basic supply and safety. The system is based on a catalogue of necessary drugs that are produced and distributed under government control and supervision. The basic medical insurance will cover all listed drugs to effectively provide access to a range of basic medicines and to reduce quality problems, and prevent manufacturers and business people from circumventing the government's price controls.