| War of words erupts over diplomat's suicide
2005-12-30 SCMP (South China Morning Post)
A Foreign Ministry spokesman slammed the Japanese government
yesterday for intentionally smearing Beijing's image by claiming
a Japanese diplomat had killed himself in Shanghai after being
blackmailed by a Chinese intelligence officer. The agency wanted
information on Japanese encryption systems, the magazine said
in a six-page report citing various unnamed foreign ministry
sources. Speaking at the regular press briefing yesterday, ministry
spokesman Qin Gang accused Tokyo of "ulterior motives"
in bringing up the suicide case a year and a half after it happened.
"After one and a half years, Japan brings up the case again
and links the suicide with Chinese officials," he said.
( ) "What the Japanese media reports is groundless,"
he said. "As I said earlier, there was a conclusion drawn
by both sides [China and Japan] about the nature of the case.
Now they play up the incident with an ulterior motive to intentionally
smear China's image. ( ) The case has put further strain on
already tense Sino-Japanese relations after disputes over war
shrine visits by Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and
oil exploitation in East China Sea. Meanwhile, Mr Qin said as
far as China was concerned, its policies on ties with Japan
were clear, and it hoped to maintain a stable relationship with
its neighbour. "Sino-Japanese relations are a very important
bilateral relationship for us," he said. "The reason
for the grim situation with Sino-Japanese relations in the past
two years is very clear."
China demands US lift sanctions on firms
2005-12-29 Xinhua News
Chinese government on Wednesday demanded that the United States
lift sanctions imposed on six Chinese companies accused of supplying
Iran with missile technology or chemical arms material. ( )
Washington has repeatedly sanctioned Chinese companies accused
of providing missile and other weapons technology to Iran, Pakistan
and other governments in violation of international weapons
controls. The Foreign Ministry statement said Beijing has a
"responsible attitude" toward preventing weapons proliferation
and has taken steps to tighten export controls. In making the
announcement Tuesday, US State Department spokesman Adam Ereli
said the sanctions were based on "credible evidence,"
which he did not disclose. The companies on the U.S. list were
the China Aerotechnology Import Export Corp.; military contractor
China Northern Industries Corp.; Zibo Chemet Equipment Co.;
the Hongdu Aviation Industry Group; Ounion International Economic
and Technical Cooperative Ltd. and the Limmt Metallurgy and
Minerals Co. Employees who answered phone calls on Wednesday
to those companies said they had no information about possible
sales to Iran.
Six-party talks set to resume next month
2005-12-26 Xinhua News
The Six-Party Talks on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula
are expected to resume next month, a senior Chinese official
has said. "We hope all the parties concerned make joint
efforts to help start the second phase of the fifth round of
the nuclear talks in January," Vice-Foreign Minister Wu
Dawei told China Central Television (CCTV) over the weekend.
Wu is also the chief Chinese negotiator in the talks; and the
parties involved are China, the United States, the Democratic
People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the Republic of Korea (ROK),
Russia and Japan. ( ) In another development, Beijing and Pyongyang
inked a pact on Saturday to jointly develop offshore oil reserves
in an effort to further boost bilateral ties. The deal was signed
after a 45-minute meeting between Vice-Premier Zeng Peiyan and
his DPRK counterpart Ro Tu Chol in the Great Hall of the People.
However, no details of the exploration plan were available.
( ) Vice Premier Ro Tu Chol of the Democratic People's Republic
of Korea (DPRK) concluded his four-day visit to China and left
here Tuesday. During the visit, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and
Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan met with Ro on separate occasions.
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| Family planning policy becomes controversial
topic
2005-12-29 Xinhua News
( ) Since China launched its family planning policy three decades
ago, most couples have only one child. Disputes are now raised
across the country over the expanding gray generation and skewed
gender ratio. Official statistics showed that China now ranks
in the low-birth-rate" club with a population natural growth
rate of 0.9 per thousand. At the same time, people above age
65 make up 7.6 percent of China's total population, a sign of
a quicker pace into an aging society. The gender gap among children
born in China has been widened in recent years. Figures show
that the average ratio of boys to girls was 117 to 100, exceeding
the norm of 105 to 100. Chinese economists said at the forum
that the imbalanced population structure and aging population
are likely to be a bottleneck of China's long-term economic
growth and bring about a series of economic and social problems.
"With a birth rate drop, China's labor force may stabilize
at its height in 2013 and then gradually drop year by year",
said CaiFang, head of the Population and Labor Economy Institute
under the Chinese Academy of Social Science (CASS). () Professor
Zeng Yi from the China Economic Study Center of the Beijing
University proposed a two-children policy in future at the forum.
Zeng suggested that women should be allowed to have their second
babies at an age between 32 and 34. According to Zeng, his proposal
may help slow down China's pace into an aging society and postpone
the arrival of a population peak of 1.48 billion people to the
year 2038. Zeng's proposal has aroused objection from a group
of Chinese scholars and officials. Renowned Chinese economist
Fan Gang said a relaxed family planning policy in China will
lead to an additional population of 100 million or 200 million,
a big challenge to the employment. Some other experts said the
readjustment will surely bring about an unexpected expansion
of population in China, which will terminate the low-birth rate.
( )
Population may peak at 1.45 bln: report
2005-12-28 Xinhua News
China's population growth in recent years has been characterized
by a lower growth rate with peak number ahead of time and accelerated
aging, according to a research report made by the Chinese Academy
of Social Sciences (CASS). Experts estimate that China's population
is likely to hit a peak between 2025 and 2030 earlier than expected.
The peak population, however, will probably be about 1.45 billion
in the future, not to top 1.6 billion. When China's population
reached 1.3 billion early this year, some predicteed that a
peak would come in 2050 and reach about 1.6 billion, hitting
an all time high. The research report believes that China's
population will not even reach 1.6 billion even if it is calculated
according to different assumptions in line with the fifth national
population census in 2000. China's peak population will arrive
ahead of time after China's population growth turns to feature
low birth, mortality and natural growth rates, said Zhang Yi,
an expert with CASS Institute of Population and Labor Economics.
( )
Jail for those who help sex selection
2005-12-26 Xinhua News
Those who assist others with foetal gender selection that leads
to abortion will be jailed, according to a revision to the Criminal
Law that was discussed by top legislators yesterday. The amendment
was submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People's
Congress (NPC) at the ongoing session, which opened on Saturday
and will close on Thursday. "The revision aimed to prevent
the selection of a child's gender, when not conducted for medical
purposes," An Jian, vice-director of the Commission of
Legislative Affairs of the NPC Standing Committee said in a
report. ( ) As quite a number of Chinese families, particularly
in rural areas, prefer boys to girls, unauthorized services
providing ultrasounds of the unborn child are prevalent among
some parents and local hospitals. These parents would then abort
their child should it not be a male. China's boy to girl ratio
stands at 1.19 to 1, much higher than the world standard of
1.06 to 1. ( )
Safety given top priority at Beijing Olympics
2005-12-29 Xinhua News
Security measures are in full swing to ensure a safe and peaceful
Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, officials said yesterday. Among
them are regulations to be released next year, which will spell
out requirements on traffic control, behaviour at venues and
what to do in the case of an emergency. "The temporary
regulations will only apply to Beijing during the Games,"
said Lu Shimin, deputy chief of the Beijing Public Security
Bureau. Lu, also head of the security department of the Beijing
Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG)
also disclosed a plan to build a security headquarters, which
will include a traffic control centre, two fire fighting stations
and a police bureau. ( ) It aims to ensure that ample security
personnel and measures are deployed. Police forces will be assigned
one of three different tasks to deal with different situations.
We'll test the system next year in big sporting events such
as the China Open and Beijing 2006 World Junior Championships,"
said Yu. To prevent terrorist attacks, a special-forces team
of 150-personnel has been set up for the Games. This team may
be expanded next year. Bureau chief Ma Zhenchuan said that international
co-operation is key to a safe and peaceful Olympics. "We
have no experience in holding such large scale events, so it
is essential that we learn from the experiences of other countries
which have hosted such events," he said. ( )
Inner Mongolia sets up special force to fight riot, terror
2005-12-28 Xinhua News
A special police force was set up on Wednesday in Hohhot, capital
of north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in a bid to
fight riots and terror. The special force, affiliated with the
Hohhot Municipal Public Security Bureau, is composed of 240
police officers who have undergone special training, according
to Cui Haiwei, director of the bureau. The special force will
also undertake work as security guards or patrol police for
important occasions, Cui said. "It's the first of its kind
in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region," Cui said, adding
that the special force is armed with the most advanced regular
and high-end weapons in the country. It was founded in light
of the requirements of the Ministry of Public Security, Cui
said.
Delaying payment to workers will be a crime
2005-12-28 Xinhua News
To better protect employees rights and interests, Chinese lawmakers
are considering adding an article in the Criminal Law to deliver
criminal penalties to employers that delay salary payments or
run away. In a report delivered at a meeting of the Standing
Committee of the 10th National People's Congress (NPC) on Wednesday,
He Luli, vice chairwoman of the Committee, said that the legitimate
rights and interests of employees have been basically safeguarded
since the introduction of the Labor Law on Jan. 1, 1995. But
she cautioned that many problems in violation of laborers' rights
and interests still exist, especially in labor-intensive sectors
such as construction, garments and accommodation, and in many
small and medium-sized private businesses. ( ) Government statistics
showed that the number of employed people in Chinese cities
and towns jumped from 190 million in 1995 to 265 million in
2004. In order to settle the issue of delayed payment of wages
to migrant workers, 16 provincial-level regions and municipalities
have set up the mechanism to ensure the payment of salaries
and 14 provincial-level regions have introduced a system to
monitor the delivery of salaries. ( ) Less than 20 percent of
employers are found to have signed labor contracts with their
workers in small and medium-sized private businesses, most of
which have no trade unions to guarantee the staff's rights.
80% of private firms violate employee rights
2005-12-29 Xinhua News
Four in five private enterprises in China have not signed job
contracts with their employees. That's the startling result
of a survey by the country's top legislators. "The legal
rights of employees were frequently violated in more than 80
per cent of private companies, specially in real estate, light
industry, clothing and catering," He Luli, vice-chairwoman
of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress
(NPC), said yesterday at the ongoing session. According to the
Labour Law that came into effect in 1995, a contract between
employer and employee is mandatory. The lack of contracts leaves
workers in a legal limbo: they cannot seek termination benefits
should they be asked to leave; they have no right to medical
treatment even in case of a workplace accident; and employers
do not contribute their share to the pension fund. But the tight
employment market has forced job seekers to take up whatever
work is available; and requirements in the Labour Law for written
contracts, timely payment and compensation are often ignored
in practice. ( )
7th human bird flu case found in Fujian
2005-12-29 Xinhua News
The Ministry of Health on Thursday announced the country's seventh
human case of H5N1 bird flu. The infected was a 41-year-old
factory worker surnamed Zhou in Sanming City, east China's Fujian
Province. She showed symptoms off ever and pneumonia on Dec.
6 and was hospitalized two days later. She died on Dec. 21,
according to a report released by the ministry. Zhou's samples
tested negative of H5N1 virus by the Fujian Provincial Center
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Dec.13, but further
tests by the state CDC and the Fujian provincial CDC both showed
positive results, said the ministry. Zhou has been confirmed
to be infected with bird flu in accordance with the standards
of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Chinese government,
the ministry said. This is the third human fatality from bird
flu reported in China. ( )
Co-op with WHO against bird flu
2005-12-29 Xinhua News
China and the World Health Organization (WHO) have already set
up a sound cooperation mechanism on preventing human cases of
highly contagious avian flu, said Qin Gang. Qin confirmed at
a regular press conference that the Chinese Center for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) provided the virus samples of human
cases of the disease in December 2005. ( )
Information flow will be made easier: Minister
2005-12-30 Xinhua News
Foreign journalists will have increased and wider access to
government departments and find it easier to cover emergencies,
China's top information officials said yesterday. Apart from
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which holds regular news conferences,
more Chinese ministries public security, education and health
will have their spokespersons briefing the media every month
in the new year, State Council Information Office Minister Cai
Wu said. The office is also pushing other powerful departments,
like the Ministry of Commerce and the National Development and
Reform Commission, to come on board, Cai told a press meeting
yesterday. "More and more departments have realized that
closer interaction with the media is a boost rather than a barrier
to their work," Cai said. Sometimes, department leaders
are busy, and sometimes they are not accustomed to facing the
media; through increased exposure and push from journalists,
more will offer to talk to the press, Cai said. ( ) In addition
to those departments, 27 provinces and municipalities have also
established their own news release systems. ( )
China launches whistle-blowing website
2005-12-29, 2005 SCMP
China is putting its marathon anti-graft crackdown online, launching
a website for the public to report corrupt officials, state
media said on Thursday. The site adds to efforts to assure China's
public that the ruling Communist Party takes complaints seriously
at a time when many say they face retaliation for reporting
abuses. The new site is run by the party's Central Commission
for Discipline Inspection, the official Xinhua News Agency reported
on Thursday. Liu Fengyan, the commission's deputy secretary,
said it marks "another step forward by the government in
curbing corruption through the introduction of strict prevention
and punishment measures", according to Xinhua. Beijing
has punished thousands of officials in an effort to stem graft
and other abuses that have outraged China's public, threatening
to erode acceptance of communist rule. On Tuesday, a former
Cabinet minister was sentenced to life in prison on charges
of taking bribes. The new website offers Chinese villagers and
others a way to lodge complaints while avoiding local authorities,
who some complain refuse to take action or retaliate against
petitioners. Mr Liu said more than 67,000 songs with anti-corruption
themes were composed and over 24,000 singing concerts held in
the past year "to educate key officials about self-discipline",
the report said.
Govt sets major tasks for rural development
2005-12-29 Xinhua News
China has set major tasks for its rural development in the 11th
Five-Year Program (2006-2010) at a central work meeting closed
Thursday. China's agriculture and countryside, still at the
stage of mountain climbing, remain the weakest part of the national
economy, said the meeting. The government would spend more on
the development of its agriculture and countryside including
boosting infrastructure construction, it said. Steady improvement
of grain production and ensuring the safety of nation's food
supply are another important task for the country's rural development.
The rural land management policy would be maintained and the
use of farmland would be strictly controlled, so as to guarantee
the development of agriculture and the stability in the countryside,
the meeting said. ( )
Legislature abolishes agricultural tax
2005-12-29 Xinhua News
China's 2,600-year-old agricultural tax will be rescinded as
of Jan. 1, 2006, after China's top legislature voted on Thursday
to adopt a motion on the regulations revoking the agricultural
tax. The motion with only 94 Chinese characters was voted favorably
by 162 lawmakers and abstained by one. Wan Baorui, former vice
minister of agriculture and vice chairman of the Agriculture
and Rural Affairs Committee of National People's Congress told
Xinhua that the abolition of the agricultural tax demonstrates
that industry has outgrown agriculture to some extent along
with the country's economic development. And the country ushers
into a new era of "industry subsidizing agriculture".
Official figures show that agriculture contributed to 13.1 percent
of the nation's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2004, and industry
and tertiary trade contributed to 46.2 percent and 40.7 percent
respectively. Agricultural tax, China's most ancient tax category,
started to be collected in 594 BC. From that time, agricultural
tax has existed for 2,600 years in China with dominant rural
economy. During the more than 2,000 years, agricultural tax
was always the main source of the country's coffer. ( )
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| Gundalai's POP registered
2005-12-28 Mongol Messenger
On December 21, MP L. Gundalai officially registered the Party
of the People (POP) at the State Supreme Court as Mongolia's
21st political parties. Gundalai will be installed as chairman
of POP, which he claims already has over 3,000 members. The
party leadership will comprise a congress of 21 members seven
of whom have already been named.
National herd tops 30 million
2005-12-28 Mongol Messenger
The National Statistics Office has announced that preliminary
figures from this year's livestock census showed that Mongolia
has 2 million (7.1 percent) more animals (30,014,400), crossing
the 30 million mark for the first time in six years. Eighteen
aimags had 5.3-18.5 percent more livestock.Cattle were up 90,100;
sheep up 1,028,900; goats up 88,000. Camel numbers fell 4,500,
horses 4,700. Mongolia now has 252,100 camels, 2 million horses,
1.93 million cattle, 12.71 million sheep and 13.11 million goats.
News in brief
2005-12-27 Mongol Messenger
The Industry and Trade Ministry has opened a website (www.MongoliaTrade.mn)
to publicise and promote trade, production, services and local
products worldwide. Launching the website on December 26, Minister
S. Batbold said, "We hope this website will bring the world
of trader closer to Mongolia and Mongolian traders closer to
the world. "The site is in Mongolian and English and has
search links to Google and Yahoo.
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