Peaceful solution to Korean nuclear issue hopeful: Wen
2004-04-29 People's Daily
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said that a peaceful solution to the Korean nuclear issue is still hopeful given that all sides make joint efforts and push forward the six-party talks on that question. Wen made the remarks in an interview with Reuters on Wednesday. Wen told Geert Linnebank of Reuters that China holds an unswerving stance that the Korean Peninsula should be nuclear-free and the Korean nuclear issue should be solved through dialogue and consultation to maintain peace and stability on the peninsula. China has kept promoting the six-party talks to serve the target, Wen said. China illustrated its stance to the USA and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea respectively during US Vice President Dick Cheney and DPRK leader Kim Jong Il's visits to China earlier this month, the premier noted. The United States and the DPRK side both expressed their willingness to participate in the six-party talks continuously in a bid to solve the Korean nuclear issue in a peaceful way and they agreed to reach the final goal of a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula, he said. ( ) The Chinese premier said he cannot confirm the claim by some Pakistani scientist that the DPRK has had nuclear weapons. ( ) The working group of the six-party talks on the Korean nuclear issue will held its first meeting on May 12 in Beijing. ( )

China sends relief materials to DPRK
2004-04-25 Xinhua News
A dozen trucks loaded with relief goods and food left the Chinese city of Dandong on the Sino-Korean border for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Sunday. This was the first dispatch of the 10-million-yuan aids that China promised for disaster relief of the train blast at Ryongchon Railway Station in the northern part of DPRK. These materials included wool blankets, tents and canned foods, biscuits and instant noodle

Verhandlungen über deutsche Atomanlage eingestellt
2004-04-28 Xinhua Wang (Übersetzung)
Der Sprecher des Aussenministeriums Kong Quan hat am Dienstag der Presse mitgeteilt, dass die Verhandlungen zwischen chinesischen und deutschen Unternehmen über den Kauf der Hanauer Plutoniumanlage eingestellt wurden. Beide Seiten bezeichneten den Verkauf der rund 700 Mio Euro teuren deutschen Anlage zur Herstellung von Plutoniumbrennstäben für Chinas Entwicklung als vorteilhaft. Sind beide Parteien zu einer Fortsetzung der Zusammenarbeit in diesem Bereich bereit, könnten sie wieder Kontakt aufnehmen. ( ) Die Hanauer Anlage ist in Deutschland niemals in Betrieb gegangen.

ESCAP Session adopts Shanghai Declaration
2004-04-28 People's Daily
The 60th Session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) ended Wednesday in Shanghai with unanimous adoption of the Shanghai Declaration and other six resolutions. ESCAP Executive Secretary Kim Hak-Su said at the closing ceremony of the conference that the 60th session will be a milestone in the development of ESCAP and inject new vitality into ESCAP. During the seven-day session, over 800 representatives from ESCAP members and associate members, relevant international organizations and business circles made discussions under the topic of "Meeting the challenges in the era of globalization by strengthening regional development cooperation." The Shanghai Declaration adopted at the session emphasizes ESCAP's role as the most representative body for the Asian and Pacific region and its mandate as the main general economic and social development center within the United Nations system for the region, particularly in the three thematic areas of poverty reduction, globalization and addressing emerging social issues. ( ) ESCAP will enhance cooperation on capacity building in public health, and coordinate a more effective and comprehensive response to HIV/AIDS and other diseases in the region. ESCAP will promote human security in the region through greater regional cooperation, especially for vulnerable people. ( ) The 60th Session has passed the proposal that the 61st ESCAP Session will be held on April 21-27, 2005, in Bangkok, Thailand, with the topic as "Implementing the Monterey Consensus in the Asia-Pacific Region: achieving coherence and consistency".

EU weapon sales embargo to China is "out of time": FM spokesman
2004-04-28 PLA Daily
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said here Tuesday that the European Union (EU) weapon sales embargo to China is "out of time" and it is unreasonable to link it up with human rights issues. Kong said at the ministry's regular press briefing that the weapon embargo is a product of cold war mentality and should be abolished at an early date. He said China-EU relations have developed very fast in recent years and the two sides have decided to establish a comprehensive strategic partnership, which means that China and EU will improve political trust and economic cooperation and enhance coordination and cooperation in international affairs as well as in all other aspects. In addition, Kong expressed his disagreement with the combination of the weapon sales embargo with human rights. He said China has made continues progress in democracy and the legal system. "At the recent UN human rights session in Geneva, the majority of the international community spoke highly of China's achievements and progress in the area of human rights. "Kong said like many countries in the European Union, China's human rights condition is not perfect and still has some problems that should be worked on continuously. ( )

Konferenz der Aussenminister bez. Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)
2004-04-26 Xinhua Wang (Übersetzung)
In Moskau fand am Freitag eine eintägige Konferenz der Shanghaier Kooperationsorganisation statt. China war durch Aussenminister Li Zhaoxing vertreten. Im Zentrum standen die Durchführung der auf dem Gipfel im vergangenen Jahr in Moskau vereinbarten Resolutionen. Ebenso stand die Vorbereitung des diesjährigen Gipfel der SCO im Juni in der usbekischen Hauptstadt Taschkent zur Diskussion. Weiter auf der Liste stand der gemeinsame Kampf gegen Terrorismus. Li Zhaoxing war am Freitag auch mit seinen Amtskollegen aus Kasachstan und Usbekistan zu Einzelgesprächen zusammengetroffen. Thema war die verstärkte gemeinsame Kooperation gegen Terrorismus, Separatismus und Extremismus. ( )

DM meets with Kazakhstan counterpart, Chief of Japanese Self-Defence Air Force respectively
2004-04-27 People's Daily
Chinese Minister of National Defense Cao Guangchuan held talks with his Kazakhstan counterpart Mukhtar Altynbayev and Chief of Japanese Self-Defence Air Force Yoshimitsu Tsumagari respectively Tuesday in Beijing. Cao said that the further strengthening of the bilateral military cooperation is one of the keys to promote China-Kazakhstan relations. Kazakhstan, as a major participant nation, had made significant contribution to the success of the first joint anti-terrorism exercise conducted by the member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) last August, Cao noted, adding that the armed forces of the two nations should continue to consolidate cooperation to further promote bilateral ties. ( ) When meeting with Tsumagari, Cao put positive comments on current development of Sino-Japanese ties. He said the bilateral relations are generally good and the two nations should become partners of mutual benefit and cooperation. The historical issue should not become an obstacle to the development of bilateral ties, which should be an incentive for the two nations to further boost the centuries-long friendship, Cao stressed. ( )

China sends peace-keeping police to Kosovo
2004-04-26 Xinhua News
At the request of the United Nations, China's first team of peace-keeping police to Kosovo set out for the region Monday, said sources with China's Ministry of Public Security. This is the second time that China has sent peace-keeping police to Europe. Earlier, China had sent peace-keeping police to Bosnia-Herzegovnia. China currently has 22 peace-keeping policemen participating in UN's peace keeping operations in East Timor, Liberia and Afghanistan.

China condemns attack on consulate in Osaka
2004-04-23 Xinhua News
China on Friday lodged a protest against a Japanese right-wing vehicle ramming of its consulate in Osaka, Japan. "This is a serious incident that jeopardizes the safety of China's diplomatic facilities and personnel in Japan," said Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Kong Quan. In the early morning, a large vehicle belonging to a Japanese right-wing group stormed the front gate of the Chinese Consulate General in Osaka, and badly damaged the gate. "The Chinese side strongly condemns the unscrupulous activities of the Japanese right-wing group, and is deeply unsatisfied with the Japanese police's failure to prevent the right-wing's wild act." Kong said China has lodged solemn representations to the Japanese side, demanding it promptly find out the truth of the incident, punish the wrongdoer, compensate for China's losses, and prevent recurrence of similar incidents. ( )

Premier on protection of human rights, private property
2004-04-28 People's Daily
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said China proposes dialogue rather than confrontation on the issue of human rights. Wen made the remarks during an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera, prior to his visit to the European Union. The newspaper asked Wen to expound on China's recent revision of its Constitution to protect human rights and private property China has made long-term and unremitting efforts for the protection of human rights, he said, citing the efforts in providing assurance of its 1.3 billion people's right to subsistence and the right of development, in its reform of political structure to develop democracy, and in its efforts of promoting the rule of law. China has joined the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and submitted its first report last year. China is also preparing for the adoption of the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights, which it signed in October 1998, Wen said ( ).

2 SARS cases confirmed, one patient in critical condition
2004-04-29 Xinhua News
Two suspected SARS patients in Beijing were diagnosed as SARS patients and one is in critical condition, China's Health Ministry said here Thursday. The two patients, with surnames of Li and Teng, are the aunt and mother of Beijing's first diagnosed SARS patient, the ministry said in its daily surveillance report on SARS. At present, Li is in critical condition but Teng's condition remains relatively stable, the ministry said. According to the ministry, the two patients' blood samples were tested IgG and IgM positive on Wednesday afternoon. ( ) Among all the people in close contact with the reported patients, 22 have been removed from medical observation. The ministry said the 26-year-old Anhui diagnosed patient Song is recovering and has had normal body temperature for six consecutive days. Among the people in close contact with her, 39 have been freed from medical observation. So far, the health ministry reported four diagnosed and five suspected SARS case on the Chinese mainland, including one suspected patient who died on April 19 in Anhui.

Institute isolated after experts suspect lab infection
2004-04-26 Xinhua News
The Institute of Virology under the Chinese Center for Disease Prevention and Control has been isolated and all staff in contact with the affected areas have been quarantined. The information was released by Liang Wannian, deputy director of the Beijing municipal health bureau on Monday. The quarantined staff will be discharged from medical observation if they show no SARS symptoms within the coming 14 days, Liang said. Since April 22, China has reported two diagnosed and six suspected SARS cases in Beijing and east China's Anhui province. Since the Anhui diagnosed SARS patient and one Beijing suspected SARS patient used to work at the same laboratory in the Institute of Virology, experts held that the epidemic might have been caused by laboratory infection.

200 kids abducted in Yunnan
2004-04-27 Xinhua News
Almost 200 children had been abducted in Kunming, capital of Southwest China's Yunnan Province, CCTV reported Sunday. Most were children of migrant workers who lived in so-called city villages, or areas where migrant workers gathered, CCTV said. ( ) Many parents who have lost their children are spending the major part of their lives searching for the children, but few had been successful. Kunming police rescued 18 abducted children in a three-month campaign last year. But they acknowledged that only a small number of the abducted children had been rescued because the criminals were often well organized and the children sold to far places. Many migrant workers could not afford to send their children to kindergartens and were too busy to take care of them. There are 60 to 70 city villages in Kunming where the public security situation has always been a headache for police.

Verstärkte Sicherheit auf dem Tiananmen
2004-04-28 Xinhua Wang (Übersetzung)
Die Stadtregierung Beijings hat Richtlinien zur Förderung der Sicherheitsstandartes auf dem Tiananmen-Platz ausgearbeitet. Nach dem neuen Gesetz soll ab Dienstag ein Notfallplan für unerwartete Ereignisse in Kraft treten. Erforderlich für Veranstaltungen auf dem Tiananmen-Platz ist künftig die Bewilligung durch das verantwortliche Verwaltungskomitee. Während den Hauptverkehrszeiten müssen der östliche und westliche Platz für eine reibungslose Evakuation frei bleiben. Vertreter erklärten, es handele sich um Präventivmassnahmen, um mögliche Massenpaniken, ähnlich der Katastrophe im Kreis Miyun des diesjährigen Laternenfests zu vermeiden.

Traffic accidents claim daily average of 300 lives
2004-04-26 Xinhua News
Death toll from traffic accidents has been on the rise in China in recent years, with an average of some 100,000 lives lost annually since 2001, according to the national meeting on road safety. This meant close to 300 people were killed daily on average, said Zhang Jianfei, head of the highway department of the Ministry of Communications Monday at the meeting held in Chongqing Municipality in southwest China. Zhang acknowledged that the number of automobiles in China accounted merely for 2 percent of the world's total, whereas its death toll from road mishaps made up about 15 percent, ranking the first in the world for years. Zhang cited incompetent driving skills and lack of the sense of safety on the part of drivers as the major factor behind the traffic accidents in China. Moreover, he noted, vehicles' poor performance and road conditions were also blamed for traffic tragedies. ( )

Bis 2007 soll die Schulpflicht in Tibet umgesetzt werden
2004-04-26 Guangming Wang (Übersetzung)
( ) Nach dem Plan der Regierung des Autonomen Gebietes Tibets soll bis die Einschulungsrate der Grundschulpflichtigen mindestens 98% erreichen. In 61 Landkreisen Tibets soll die 9-jährige Schulpflicht durchgesetzt werden. Das Analphabetentum unter Jugendlichen und Menschen mittleren Alters soll auf 5% gesenkt und in allen Landkreisen in Tibet sollen Kindergärten errichtet werden. ( )

Employment a vital, difficult undertaking: Premier Wen
2004-04-29 People's Daily
How to settle the employment issue has long been an important and difficult undertaking, as China has 1.3 billion people, and 700 million of them make up the labor force, said Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao Thursday. Wen made the remarks in a meeting with Juan Somavia, director general of the International Labor Office, who led a party here to attend the China Employment Forum, a special forum co-sponsored by the International Labor Organization and China's Ministry of Labor and Social Security. He said that the Chinese government has attached importance to the employment issue and carried out a set of policies to improve the job opportunity, which has had a good result. Wen said that the Chinese government supports the labor force to choose jobs by themselves and advocates market-oriented employment, and meanwhile it has taken measures to increase the job opportunities. He added that the Chinese government has also taken financial policies, improved the education and training for workers and secured the workers' rights. Wen stressed that employment is of great significance for the people's lives, and for a country's stability as well. ( )

Party warns against over-heating fixed assets investment
2004-04-26 Xinhua News
The Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee has called for great attention to some new problems in China's national economy, especially the excessive investment in fixed assets and the shortages of coal, power, oil supplies and transportation facilities. At a meeting held here Monday on current economic situation chaired by General Secretary Hu Jintao of the CPC Central Committee, the generally-good national economic development was admitted, including satisfying agricultural production, the rise of industrial profits, the robust growth of foreign trade, large amounts of foreign investment, as well as the rapid increase of financial revenue and residents' income. The investment in some industries grew too fast, however, which has led to the rocketing of loans, the meeting pointed out, calling for great attention to these problems and active measures to solve them. ( )

Die erste Transsexuelle Chinas feiert Verlobung
2004-04-28 Xinhua Wang (Übersetzung)
Zhang Lin ist die erste Transsexuelle in Chinas, die einen Trauschein erhalten wird. Mit ihrem Partner ganz legal verlobt, wird Sie am 1. Mai ihre Hochzeit feiern. Die grosse Verlobungsfeier fand bereits am Samstag in Nanjing statt. Im März hatte die 38-jährige neben ihren neuen Personalausweis, auch noch die Genehmigung für die Heiratsurkunde vom Bürgeramt erhalten. ( ) Vor der Geschlechtsumwandlung war Zhang Lin mit einer Frau verheiratet und hat mit ihr gemeinsam eine 12-jährige Tochter.

Patrick Dreher
Embassy of Switzerland