BEIJING, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese leaders on Friday offered their Spring Festival greetings to people across the nation at a gathering to mark the incoming Lunar New Year.President Hu Jintao, top legislator Wu Bangguo, Premier Wen Jiabao and top political advisor Jia Qinglin attended the gathering, held by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the State Council at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.Chinese President Hu Jintao presides over a gathering in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 12, 2010Other leaders including Li Changchun, Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, He Guoqiang and Zhou Yongkang also attended the gathering.The Spring Festival, or the Chinese Lunar New Year, is the most important traditional festival for family reunion in China. It falls on Feb. 14 this year, and the weeklong holiday kicks off Saturday, or the eve of the Spring Festival. Top Communist Party of China (CPC) and state leaders Hu Jintao (front, C), Wu Bangguo (front, 4th R), Wen Jiabao (front, 4th L), Jia Qinglin (front, 3rd R), Li Changchun (front, 3rd L), Xi Jinping (front, 2nd R), Li Keqiang (front, 2nd L), He Guoqiang (front, 1st R) and Zhou Yongkang (front, 1st L) attend a gathering in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 12, 2010
BEIJING, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- China's National People's Congress (NPC), the top legislature, on Saturday voiced strong protest against Washington's plan to sell a package of arms worth about 6.4 billion U.S. dollars to Taiwan, urging the U.S. side to immediately withdraw the wrong decision.The U.S. government announced the plan "in disregard of the strong opposition and repeated representations from the Chinese side," said a leading official of the NPC Foreign Affairs Committee."We are firmly opposed to that (the plan), and has lodged severe representations to the U.S. side," the official said.Such a move is gravely against the three joint communiques between China and the United States, especially the "Aug. 17" communique, in which the United States promised not to seek to carry out a long-term policy of arms sales to Taiwan, and intended to gradually reduce arms sales to the island.The plan endangers China's national security and efforts for peaceful reunification. It also harms Sino-U.S. relations and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. "The Chinese people are strongly indignant about it," the official said.The arms package would include 114 Patriot (PAC-3) anti-missile systems, 60 UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters, 12 Harpoon Block II Telemetry missiles, 2 Osprey Class mine hunting ships and a command and control enhancement system, according to a Pentagon website.
JAKARTA, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- China's State Councilor Dai Bingguo met with Surin Pitsuwan, secretary-general of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) here on Friday.Dai highly appreciated the achievement of ASEAN in terms of ASEAN Community construction and its integration development. He said that China as a strategic partner supported the development of ASEAN and was willing to see it show more influence in international affairs.He said that the relationship between China and ASEAN had gone steadily, and the two sides had achieved plenty fruits in their cooperation. "As the China-ASEAN free trade zone went into operation on Jan. 1, the two sides saw their economic and trading cooperation entering into a comprehensive and deepening development stage, which provides more benefits to their people," said the visiting State Councilor.Dai added that the cooperation between China and ASEAN follows the development trend and people's wishes, and it would improve the peace and development of Asia-Pacific region, while the economic globalization and regional integration were being accelerated.He said China had attached great importance to its relationship with ASEAN. According to him, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao declared a series of important initiatives on further strengthening China- ASEAN cooperation at the recent China-ASEAN summit. China is willing to join hands with ASEAN nations to fulfill these initiatives, expand and deepen communication and cooperation with them, share the opportunity, face the challenges, achieve win-win, and create a brighter future for the China-ASEAN strategic partnership, and contribute to the common development and prosperity of Asia.Dai also said that China as a member of East Asia family always proposed and supported East Asia cooperation. With a diversification, East Asia has many cooperation system existed. China advocates opening up and make each system to support and improve others with its own advantages. China welcomes countries outside East Asia to make efforts for the peace and development, with the cooperation between ASEAN and China, Japan and South Korea as a main channel and ASEAN working steadily as a guiding force.Surin said that the ASEAN-China relationship developed fast with many active, innovative and prominent achievements. According to him, China acted positively against the international financial crisis with a responsible attitude, which contributes significantly to the stability and recovery of Asia and world's economy.He added that the ASEAN nations appreciated the support and assistance from China, and was believing they could benefit from China's Development.The secretary-general said that ASEAN expected to join hands with China in the development of ASEAN-China free trade zone, enhance cooperation in more areas, realize mutual benefit and win- win, and improve the stability and prosperity in this Region. "We are confident about the future of ASEAN-China free trade zone," said Surin.
BEIJING, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese lawmakers and political advisors from Tibet and Xinjiang said Friday that cultural and religious freedom is fully respected and protected according to law in the two ethnic regions, fighting back against an annual U.S. human rights report."If you go to Tibet, you will find scripture halls or shrines in almost all believers' families, and see prayer banners or cairns of stones with scripture texts almost everywhere," Padma Choling, chairman of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Regional Government, told Xinhua on the sidelines of the ongoing annual session of the country's top legislature, the National People's Congress (NPC), in Beijing."Monasteries in Tibet are always thronged with believers turning the prayer wheels or paying homage to Buddha. Every year, more than 1 million worshippers make the pilgrimage to the regional capital Lhasa," he said.The central government has allocated 700 million yuan (103 million U.S. dollars) and a great deal of gold and silver since 1980s for the maintenance of monasteries in Tibet, he said.Currently, Tibet has more than 1,700 religious venues and 46,000 monks and nuns, whose religious beliefs are well protected by law, he said.NPC deputy Dawa Tashi, commissioner of Tibet's Ali Prefecture, dismissed the "cultural repression" in the U.S. report.He said in the old days, only the upper class nobles and monks were entitled to learn Tibetan language, but the serfs who accounted for 95 percent of the Tibet's population had no such right."After the peaceful liberation of Tibet in 1951, the central government ensured the Tibetan people's right to learn Tibetan language and Chinese language through legislation," he said.Dawa Tashi also pointed out that it is very "funny" for the U.S. State Department to say in the report "Tibetans repatriated from Nepal reportedly suffered torture, including electric shocks, exposure to cold and severe beatings, and were forced to perform heavy physical labor.""Ali Prefecture shares a long border line with India and Nepal, and it is true that there are some people who illegally cross the border," he said."But when they are caught, they will be handled in strict accordance with law. The fact is that they will not suffer electric shocks or else; on the contrary, we will arrange accommodation and vehicles for them to be sent home," he said."The report is utterly groundless. I strongly advise those who wrote the report visit Tibet personally before drawing a conclusion," said Lhagba Puncog, secretary-general of the Beijing-based China Tibetology Research Center.As a scholar from the Tibetan ethnic group, Lhagba Puncog goes back to Tibet for research for two months every year."I witness the increasing improvement in the living standards of Tibetan people, and they fully enjoy freedom of religious beliefs," he told Xinhua on the sidelines of the annual session of the country's top political advisory body, or the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee.Local government statistics showed that Tibet's gross domestic product (GDP) reached 43.7 billion yuan in 2009, up 170 percent from that in 2000 and posting an annual growth of 12.3 percent over the past nine years.Berkri Mamut, a CPPCC member and director of Shanshan County Islamic Association in Xinjiang, Muslims can practice their religion normally."They can freely attend religious service in mosques or practice fasting during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan," he said."Every year, the government will help make arrangements for about 12,000 Muslims nationwide who go to the holy city Mecca for hajj, of which almost 5,000 are form Xinjiang," he said."It is ridiculous to say there is 'cultural and religious repression' in Xinjiang," he added.NPC deputy Jume Tahir, vice president of the Xinjiang Islamic Association, said the U.S. report distorts facts in Xinjiang's religious activities."Every day, many people come to my mosque for praying. I myself was elected NPC deputy to participate in the management of state affairs. That is the fact," said Jume Tahir, also Imam of the Id Kah Mosque, the largest of its kind in China, in the border city of Kashgar.Yiliduosi Aihetamofu, a CPPCC member and a physician of Tatar ethnic group from the No. 1 Hospital affiliated to the Xinjiang Medical University, said what he has seen in Xinjiang is the fast economic development and improvement of people's lives."We Tatar people has a population of less than 5,000, but our cultural traditions have been preserved well," he said.
BEIJING, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- The outlook of China's steel industry will be better this year than 2009 as the impact of the stimulus package continues, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said Saturday.A strong increase in new investment plans would help boost domestic demand for steel while improving external demand following world economic recovery would encourage steel exports, the MIIT said.The implementation of a proactive fiscal policy and moderately easy monetary policy injected ample liquidity into the market and provided the steel enterprises with easy access for fund, it said.However, excess capacity, still weak external demand and rising production costs would all impose pressure on the development of the industry, the ministry said.China's crude steel production capacity was forecast at 700 million tonnes at the end of 2009, compared with 660 million tonnes at the end of 2008.In 2009, China's steel output rose 13.5 percent to 567.84 million tonnes. Its 68 large and medium sized iron and steel companies reaped 55.39 billion yuan (8.12 billion U.S. dollars) in profit in 2009, down 31.43 percent from a year earlier.
BEIJING, March 19 (Xinhua) -- China's Vice Minister of Culture Zhao Shaohua and Australian Ambassador to China Geoff Raby Friday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on reciprocal years of culture (2010-2012) between China and Australia.The Year of Australian Culture in China, the opening ceremony of which is scheduled for June 8 in the National Center for the Performing Arts, lasts from June 2010 to June 2011.It will be a showcase of cooperation between China and Australia in the fields of art, music, performance, literature, film and other media.It will include an Australian aboriginal art exhibition held in the National Art Museum of China and art performances jointly produced by Chinese and Australian artists.As the first step, the National Museum of Australia and the National Art Museum of China Monday signed a memorandum of understanding to put arrangements in place for reciprocal touring exhibitions in China and Australia from 2010 to 2012 and facilitate future cultural exchanges.According to a joint statement released during the visit of China's Vice Premier Li Keqiang to Australia last year, the Year of Australian Culture in China is scheduled from 2010 to 2011, and the Year of Chinese Culture in Australia from 2011 to 2012.China's Ministry of Culture is actively preparing for the Year of Chinese Culture in Australia.
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BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said Sunday China is firmly opposed to the recent moves by the United States that undermined China's core interests and the overall interests of bilateral ties and called for joint efforts to promote a return to sound relations."The responsibility for the current difficulty in Sino-U.S. relations does not lie with China," Yang told a press conference on the sidelines of the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC), the country's supreme legislature.He said that the China-U.S relationship had a good start after President Obama took office last year.However, the U.S arms sales to Taiwan and U.S leaders' meetings with the ** Lama "caused a serious disturbance to China-U.S ties and posed difficulty to the cooperation between the two countries," he said.
BEIJING, March 21 (Xinhua) -- China is likely to see trade deficit in March, Minister of Commerce Chen Deming said here Sunday.Chen made the remarks while delivering a speech at the China Development Forum 2010, running from Sunday to Monday, with a theme of "China and the World Economy: Growth, Restructuring and Cooperation".
BEIJING, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- China was flexing its muscles to fight corruption which was still an "persistent, complicated and arduous" task, said an expert as the internal anti-graft body of the Communist Party of China (CPC) convened its three-day plenary session. President Hu Jintao told the meeting of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) that the Party should "fully recognize the situation of the fight against corruption," which was "persistent, complicated and arduous." Last year, at least 15 ministerial or provincial level officials, including heads of State-owned enterprises (SOE), were investigated for corruption, nine of whom were referred for prosecution, the CCDI said. Among them were former Supreme People's Court Vice President Huang Songyou, who was the first supreme court justice in China removed for grave violations of the law and the Party discipline. "The graft fight and the promotion of a clean and honest work among Party cadres has a great bearing on the Party's survival," Prof. Huang Zongliang of Beijing University told Xinhua. Huang said despite the arrests of many high-ranking officials, the graft situation did not "show any sign of relaxation," citing the 2009 corruption index of the Transparency International, a Berlin-based non-government organization. Among the annual ranking of the world's countries and regions of 180, China ranked 72nd. Countries and regions towards the end of the list means more corrupt. Huang said China's ranking was low and there was little progress compared with that of previous years. ASSET REPORTING SYSTEM IN THE PIPELINE He said to build a system of officials' asset reporting was an effective way to prevent corruption. The communique of the last CCDI plenary session in September said officials should "report their properties and investment as well as employment of their spouse and children," and authorities should enhance management of officials who had family members living overseas. Such requirement was in response to several cases of corrupt officials who fled the country with huge amount of public funds. Huang said the public applauded the move to set up an officials' assets declaration system, as it signaled the Party's effort in pushing for transparency. Currently, the program has been tested in several regions, including eastern Zhejiang and Shanghai and far western Xinjiang. At the CCDI's plenary session Tuesday, Hu, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, said supervision and monitoring should be enhanced to form an effective corruption prevention system. Vice Minister of Supervision Qu Wanxiang also pledged last week to tighten supervision on the SOEs and fight corruption among their executives. At least 35 senior executives of China's large SOEs faced corruption charges last year, said a report by Faren Magazine, affiliated to the Legal Daily and overseen by the Ministry of Justice. Among them was Kang Rixin, general manager of the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), who has been under investigation for alleged grave violations of Party discipline since August. Another prominent case involved Chen Tonghai, former chairman of China's state-run oil refiner Sinopec, who was found to have taken almost 200 million yuan (29.4 million U.S. dollars) in bribes and given a death sentence with a two-year reprieve in July. Latest statistics show more than 106,000 officials in China were penalized for disciplinary violations from January to November last year. President Hu vowed that no corrupt official would be above the law and Party discipline.
BEIJING, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- The bodies of all eight Chinese police officers buried under a collapsed building in the Haiti quake had been found as of early Sunday morning Beijing time, the Ministry of Public Security said. The first body was found at 4:30 p.m. Jan. 16 Beijing time after more than 80 hours of search and rescue work, and the other seven were retrieved from 10:42 p.m. to 3:56 a.m. Jan. 17 under the joint efforts of the Chinese rescue team, the Chinese peacekeeping force in Haiti and several foreign rescue teams, the ministry's emergency response work team announced Sunday. Chinese peacekeeping police salute to a vehicle carrying the last body of their buried colleague in Port-au-Prince, capital of Haiti, on Jan. 16, 2010. The bodies of all eight Chinese police officers who were buried during the Haiti quake had been found as of early Sunday morning Beijing time, the Ministry of Public Security said Of the victims, four were officers of China's peacekeeping force in Haiti and the rest were in a team sent by the ministry to Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, for peacekeeping consultations, according to the ministry. The team arrived in the Caribbean city Tuesday afternoon. The eight were meeting UN officials in a UN building when the 7.3-magnitude quake struck on Tuesday. According to the ministry, the bodies will be transferred back to China as soon as possible. Liu Xiangyang (L), deputy chief of the National Earthquake Disaster Emergency Rescue Team, salutes to a Chinese victim in Port-au-Prince, capital of Haiti, on Jan. 16, 2010. The bodies of all eight Chinese police officers who were buried during the Haiti quake had been found as of early Sunday morning Beijing time, the Ministry of Public Security said.