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SCHWEIZER
BOTSCHAFT IN BEIJING
EMBASSY OF SWITZERLAND IN BEIJING
AMBASSADE DE SUISSE EN CHINE |
Der wöchentliche
Presserückblick der Schweizer Botschaft in der VR China
The Weekly Press Review of the Swiss Embassy in the People's Republic
of China
La revue de presse hebdomadaire de l'Ambassade de Suisse en RP
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DPRK and South
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Mongolia
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| Foreign
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China-U.S. S&ED concludes with substantial results (Xinhua)
2012-05-05
China and the United States wrapped up their fourth round of Strategic and Economic Dialogues (S&ED) here on Friday, with substantial outcomes yielded in strategic and economic sectors. Chinese President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao and Vice Premier Li Keqiang met with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Friday. Hu hailed the "positive results" of the dialogue and called on the two sides to fully utilize the talks in strengthening strategic communication, enhancing mutual trust and advancing strategic cooperation. Wen expressed hope the two sides can map out a long-term plan for bilateral cooperation, focusing on economic, trade, finance and investment sectors. [...] Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo said the fundamental theme of the fourth S&ED is to build a new type of China-U.S. relations. [...] During a meeting with business leaders, special representatives of both sides agreed to work together in optimizing the investment environment for companies in both countries. [...] The two-day dialogue has resulted in both parties reaching several significant agreements. [...] In the strategic sector, the two side agreed to promote high-level exchanges, enhance dialogue and consultation, jointly address regional and global challenges, step up bilateral cooperation and expand cooperation in the fields of climate change, energy, environment and science and technology. [...] This round of economic dialogue has yielded 67 outcomes, covering macro-economics, trade and investment as well as finance, Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao announced at a press briefing. Zhu said the U.S. Federal Reserve would take a positive view toward applications from China's major state-owned banks for mergers or setting up new branches in the United States. Meanwhile, Zhu said China would also make efforts to further open up its financial market and allow foreign investors to take a maximum 49-percent stake in joint-venture securities companies or futures companies. [...]. ^ top ^
Hu congratulates Putin on third presidential term (Xinhua)
2012-05-08
Chinese President Hu Jintao on Monday congratulated Vladimir Putin on his inauguration as Russian president. In a message, Hu wished greater achievements of the Russian people in developing their country under Putin's leadership. Hu said the relationship between China and Russia maintains good momentum. China and Russia are each other's largest neighbor and most important strategic partner, said the Chinese president. To develop a comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination is in line with the fundamental interests and common aspirations of the two peoples, and is conducive to regional and world peace, stability, development and prosperity, Hu said. China attaches great importance to its relations with Russia, and is willing to work with Russia to deepen pragmatic cooperation in various fields and at various levels, and strengthen strategic coordination in international and regional affairs so as to push China-Russia relations to new levels and benefit the two peoples, he said. Hu urged the two countries to take as priority the implementation of a 10-year blueprint for the development of bilateral ties on the basis of fruitful achievements already made. [...]. ^ top ^
China, U.S. defense chiefs reach consensus on developing military ties (Xinhua)
2012-05-09
China and the United States have reached consensuses on further developing military ties and strengthening pragmatic communication and cooperation between the two sides. The consensuses were reached during a meeting between visiting Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie and his U.S. counterpart Leon Panetta on Monday afternoon. [...] Liang said the military ties between the two sides have generally been moving forward despite a number of differences such as U.S. arms sale to China's Taiwan, close-in reconnaissance activities by U.S. planes and ships on China and discriminated laws against China. China and the United States should make efforts to establish a new type of military relationship that stresses equality, mutual benefit,cooperation and win-win, said Liang, adding that such a relationship is not unilaterally dominated, exclusive and zero-sum in nature. The Chinese defense minister also proposed that the two militaries embrace polices that would promote ties between them, strengthen dialogues and communication and promote mutual trust, deepen pragmatic cooperation and properly handle differences and sensitive issues. For his part, Panetta said the United States supports to build the two-way military ties which is future oriented. Panetta hoped that the two sides would step up their cooperation to face security threats and challenges together. At their meeting, the two defense chiefs reached four consensuses: Firstly, to make efforts to build the sound, stable and reliable military to military relationship in accordance with President Hu Jintao and President Barack Obama's shared vision for a China-U.S. cooperative partnership based on mutual respect and mutual benefit. Secondly, continuing to take advantage of the defense consultative talks, the defense policy coordination talks, and the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement and the defense telephone link as important channels to deepen understanding, expand consensus, improve mutual trust and reduce differences. Panetta would pay a visit to China at the second half of this year at a time convenient for both sides. Thirdly, to enhance exchanges and cooperation with respect to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, environmental protection, medical, educational, cultural, sports, military archive and other fields. Fourthly, to conduct joint exercises on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief and counterpiracy this year. After their meeting, Liang and Panetta attended a joint press conference. ^ top ^
Opposition hails China's role in Syria (China Daily)
2012-05-09
The Syrian National Council agrees with UN-Arab League envoy to Syria Kofi Annan's peace plan and values China's role in working toward a political resolution to the crisis, Burhan Ghalioun, head of the opposition, said on Tuesday. During a meeting with Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, Ghalioun said that his party opposed any outside interference and appreciated China's humanitarian aid to Syria. Annan's mediation efforts have created an important opportunity and a practical way out of the crisis, said Yang, urging related parties to maintain the cease-fire and cooperate with UN observers in the country. China supports any plans that are in the fundamental interest of the Syrian people and widely accepted by all parties, said Yang, adding that China would like to play a constructive role in a proper and early resolution to the Syria conflict. Ghalioun, invited by the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs, is visiting China from Sunday to Wednesday. Unlike the opposition parties backed by outside forces, the Syrian National Council has been calling for a political resolution of the Syrian issue, said Hua Liming, a former ambassador to Iran. "The ongoing parliamentary election can further promote Syria's democracy, but if it is boycotted by too many oppositional parties, its effects would be questionable," he said. Syrians voted on Monday in parliamentary elections under a new constitution that ends the monopoly on power of President Bashar al-Assad's Baath Party and allows a multi-party system. The election is part of the government's reform program aimed at quelling the unrest, which began in March 2011. [...]. ^ top ^
China, Arab League pledge further strategic cooperation (Xinhua)
2012-05-09
China and the League of Arab States (AL) pledged to further their strategic cooperation and expand cultural exchanges, according to a meeting between Vice President Xi Jinping and AL Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby Tuesday in Beijing. Xi hailed the unique role the AL has played in the Middle East affairs. He said China appreciates AL's valuable support on issues concerning China's core interests and major concerns and its decision to strengthen relations with China. China always supports the Arab countries in striving for their legitimate national rights, and hopes the AL will continue to play a leading role in promoting China-Arab friendship, Xi said. The vice president added that deepening strategic cooperation between the two sides is import to the construction of a harmonious world with long-term peace and common prosperity. He urged the two sides to enhance political mutual trust, deepen strategic cooperation, increase cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and strengthen the build-up of the China-Arab cooperation forum. Xi said the Chinese government attached high importance to the fifth ministerial meeting of the forum, which is slated for the end of May, and hopes the two sides will take the meeting as an opportunity to consolidate the China-Arab relationship. Elaraby said long-term close ties with China are in Arab countries' interests and are conducive to regional peace, stability and development. He thanked China for its support of Arab countries' pursuit of justice and spoke highly of the active role China played in international and Middle East affairs. The AL will continue to make concerted efforts with China for a successful holding of the ministerial meeting and promote the development of the Arab-China strategic relationship of cooperation, he said. [...]. ^ top ^
Manila accused of 'provoking' public (SCMP)
2012-05-10
Not a shot has been fired, but a war of words is under way in the South China Sea. While diplomats manoeuvre to find a solution to the four-week stand-off in the waters surrounding the Scarborough Shoal, nationalist sentiments are rising as Chinese and Filipinos trade barbs online. The Foreign Ministry yesterday accused Philippine officials of "provoking public feelings" in China with remarks about the situation at Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. And a commentary issued by Xinhua said that while China wanted to maintain good ties with its neighbours, its bottom line on its core interests should not be challenged. Deputy Foreign Minister Fu Ying warned a day earlier that Beijing was ready to respond to any escalation of a month-long stand-off at the shoal, known as Huangyan Island in China and Panatag Shoal in the Philippines. Philippine Defence Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said yesterday he had received an assurance that the United States would protect his country from attack in the South China Sea. But Philippine presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said Manila did not intend to let tensions escalate. [...] Meanwhile, Japan's defence ministry said that five People's Liberation Army Navy ships were spotted steaming 650 kilometres southwest of Okinawa on Sunday. A ministry spokesman said yesterday that they comprised two guided missile destroyers, two frigates and an amphibious landing ship, designed to put troops onto an island. Taiwanese Deputy Defence Minister Chao Shih-chang said Taipei was aware of the presence of the ships in waters southeast of Taiwan, but he believed they were only involved in normal training. In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei urged Manila to "get back on the right track". "We have noted that the Philippine side has repeatedly made strongly worded remarks about the incident on Huangyan Island, which have provoked public feelings and severely undermined the atmosphere of bilateral relations," he said. [...] However, Hong said China supported co-operation between the China National Offshore Oil Corporation and a Philippine firm in exploring for gas at Reed Bank in the Spratly Islands. The commercial counsellor's office of the Chinese embassy in the Philippines issued an urgent notice on Tuesday night to Chinese firms and their staff to stay alert and take safety precautions in view of a rally against China in Manila tomorrow. Xinhua said yesterday most mainland travel agencies had suspended their tour groups to the Philippines, citing safety concerns. Separately, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine posted a notice on its website saying it would strengthen checks of fruit imported from the Philippines because many shipments had bacteria problems. Some mainland internet users said military action was needed to defend the national interest. [...]. ^ top ^
China, Japan, ROK see ever closer cooperation: white paper (Xinhua)
2012-05-10
Exchanges and cooperation among China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) have become more frequent and ever closer since the beginning of the 21st century, delivering tangible benefits to the peoples of the three countries, says a white paper published on Wednesday. "After more than ten years of development of the cooperation, the three countries have instituted an increasingly mature trilateral dialogue mechanism, steadily moved forward cooperation in various fields, and deepened mutual understanding and mutual trust," according to the handbook titled "China-Japan-ROK Cooperation 1999-2012". The white paper was issued by the Chinese Foreign Ministry ahead of the Fifth Trilateral Summit Meeting among China, Japan and the ROK. As the coordinator for this year's trilateral cooperation, China will host the summit meeting from Sunday to Monday in Beijing. The trilateral cooperation, initiated in 1999, not only provides an important platform for China, Japan and the ROK to enhance good-neighborliness and friendship and expand common interests, but also constitutes an important part of East Asia cooperation, says the white paper. [...] The white paper says the three countries have established a full-fledged mechanism for cooperation, and formed an all-dimensional, multi-tiered and wide-ranging cooperation framework with the Trilateral Summit Meeting at its core, and supported by 18 ministerial meetings in areas like foreign policy, economy and trade, science and technology and culture and over 50 working-level mechanisms. In September 2011, the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat was established in Seoul with the aim of providing quality, efficient and professional services and support for trilateral cooperation. [...] China, Japan and the ROK together represent 74 percent and 22 percent of East Asian and world population, 90 percent and 20 percent of East Asian and world economy, and 70 percent and 20 percent of East Asian and world trade respectively. "Further advancing trilateral cooperation not only contributes to the development of the three countries, but also helps promote East Asian integration and drives global economic growth," says the white paper. "China will continue to approach and manage trilateral cooperation from a strategic perspective, and, on the basis of mutual trust, mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, expand and deepen cooperation with Japan and the ROK across the board so as to take trilateral cooperation to a new level," says the white paper. ^ top ^
Chinese navy training vessel visits India for friendship (Xinhua)
2012-05-10
Chinese Navy training vessel "Zhenghe " arrived at India's Kochin Port Wednesday, starting a four-day good will visit to the country. [...] The warship is named after the great Chinese navigator Zhenghe who had come to Kochin six times more than 600 years ago. The city of Kochin is still famous for its Chinese fishing net, reflecting the deep historic link between China and India. The Cochin Shipyard is now the largest ship-building as well as maintenance facility in India, building India's first indigenous aircraft carrier. [...] The commander of the warship, Liao Shining, deputy chief of staff of the PLA navy, said the main purpose of the visit is to promote the ideal of "a harmonious world and a harmonious ocean," as well as strengthen the friendship and cooperation between the two countries and the two navies. During the visit, senior Chinese officials will call on Indian Chief of Staff of the Southern Naval Command Rear Admiral S.Y. Srikhande, who is officiating as chief of the command in the absence of Vice-Admiral K.N. Sushil. [...] The Chinese vessel had taken on board Indian Naval Sea Cadet David Veeravalli at Malaysia as a goodwill gesture. [...]. It is also the second visits to India by the vessel and the fifth visit of a Chinese navy warship to India. On the voyage around the world that covers more than 30,000 nautical miles, the Chinese navy training vessel is scheduled to visit ports in 11 countries, including Vietnam, Italy, Spain, Canada, Ecuador, Indonesia and Brunei, besides India. ^ top ^
Beijing endorses Manila's move to resume contact (China Daily)
2012-05-11
Beijing has endorsed Manila's decision to resume diplomatic contact with the Chinese embassy in Manila, the Foreign Ministry said on Thursday. [...] In late April, Manila suspended diplomatic contact with Beijing. "Beijing continued to urge the resumption of dialogue following the suspension," Tong Xiaoling, Chinese ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, said on Thursday. The ambassador also confirmed that the Philippine government has now resumed diplomatic dialogue with the Chinese embassy. "We will closely follow the development of the situation and further moves by the Philippines," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said at a daily news conference on Thursday. China called on the Philippines to respect its sovereignty over Huangyan Island and "to not take further action that would aggravate and complicate the situation", according to Hong. [...] Despite Manila's offer to prepare a new proposal for a diplomatic solution, the impending massive Philippine protests against China on Friday will cast a shadow on ties between the two countries and add to the tension, analysts said. The Philippines recently urged its citizens at home and abroad to hold protests and demonstrations against China, and a massive protest is planned in front of the Chinese embassy's consular office on Friday. [...] In anticipation of the protest on Friday, Beijing urged Manila on Thursday to "take substantial measures" to ensure the legal rights and interests of Chinese citizens and organizations. "We call on the Philippines not to further harm bilateral ties," Hong, the spokesman, said. Meanwhile, Manila continues to seek military support from the United States, claiming that Washington had pledged to protect it from attacks in the South China Sea. Philippine Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said on Wednesday that he had received assurances during talks in Washington last week in which the Philippines' increasingly tense disputes with China in the sea were discussed, according to Agence France-Presse. [...] Gazmin also announced arms purchases Manila is making, including fighter jets from Poland and a warship from the US. On Thursday, China's Liberation Army Daily warned that any foreign attempt to seize Huangyan Island's sovereignty would not be accepted by the Chinese government, people or military. China will never bully another country with its advantages, but it "will not tolerate unreasonable behavior", the paper said. ^ top ^
Chinese, Russian FMs pledge joint efforts for political solution to Syrian issue (Xinhua)
2012-05-11
China and Russia on Thursday pledged to make joint efforts to seek a political solution to the ongoing Syrian issue as the two countries' foreign ministers held talks in Beijing. During a news conference after their talks, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov reiterated the two nations' support in the six-point plan for peace in Syria proposed by the UN-Arab League joint special envoy for Syria, Kofi Annan. Annan is working to bring an early end to the Syrian crisis which began in March 2011. [...] "To appropriately address the Syrian issue, all sides concerned should respect Syria's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity," Yang said, adding that the development path of Syria should be decided by the Syrian people on their own. Yang called for more efforts to persuade both the Syrian government and the opposition into honoring their words on ceasefire and starting a process of political dialogue at an early date. The two ministers urged "outside forces" to stop disturbing Annan's work and instigating new conflicts in Syria. "Some countries are inciting outside forces to interference into the Syrian situation, which is unacceptable," Lavrov told reporters. [...] The two officials hailed the "positive results" of the last round of nuclear talks between Iran and the UN Security Council's five permanent members -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China -- plus Germany (P5+1) concluded in Turkey's Istanbul in April. "All the sides should maintain the good momentum of dialogue and negotiations, work to ensure that the forthcoming Baghdad talks achieve progress and make efforts to prevent the situation from getting out of control," the two ministers were quoted in the release. "China and Russia will continue their close coordination to ensure that the Iranian nuclear issue will be set on the diplomatic track," said the release. [...]. ^ top ^
Leaders push for trade agreement with Colombia (China Daily)
2012-05-11
During their meeting with visiting Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, Premier Wen Jiabao and Vice-Premier Li Keqiang called for an early start to negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement. Wen also said China encourages its companies to participate in infrastructure construction and resource development in the Latin American nation. Santos is on a five-day visit to China that started on Tuesday. [...] Nine deals were signed on Wednesday after talks between Santos and President Hu Jintao, including partnerships in the fields of energy, mining and agriculture as well as a plan to jointly study the feasibility of a bilateral free trade agreement. Colombia is rich in natural resources, and has an important geopolitical location in Latin America, Li said. Li called for the two countries to deepen economic ties as well as enlarge and balance bilateral trade. He said it is necessary to carefully study the feasibility of a free trade agreement, which can promote cooperation between companies from each country. [...] In 2011, Sino-Colombian trade reached $8.2 billion, a 39 percent increase over the previous year, making China Colombia's second-largest trading partner after the United States. "I see great prospects for both countries to cooperate on agribusiness because of China's strong demand for grains and Colombia's potential to increase agricultural production," Santos said at the Colombia-China Trade and Investment Forum on Thursday morning. [...] Colombia's infrastructure development also requires large amounts of foreign investment, and China has rich experience in funding overseas infrastructure projects, Santos said. [...] Wang Yongsheng, vice-president of China Development Bank, said the bank will provide loans for Chinese companies investing in Colombia's energy, mining and infrastructure sectors. ^ top ^
Mekong murder suspect transferred to Chinese police (Xinhua)
2012-05-11
A drug lord suspected of masterminding the murder of 13 Chinese sailors on the Mekong River last year was transferred to Chinese police here on Thursday. Naw Kham, head of an armed drug gang, was arrested on April 25 at an undisclosed location, and has been sent to China on a chartered plane dispatched by Chinese authorities. Liu Yuejin, director of the Narcotics Control Bureau of the Chinese Ministry of Public Security, said that China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand worked together to fight transnational crime and succeeded in the arrests of Naw Kham and the gang's core members, maintaining safety and stability along the Mekong River. The Naw Kham gang had more than 100 members armed with AK assault rifles, M16 rifles, bazookas and machine guns. They are thought to have been engaged in drug trafficking, kidnapping, murder, looting and other crimes along the Mekong River for many years. [...] Senior cabinet members from China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand met in Beijing on Oct. 31 last year, and agreed to take joint action to crack down on cross-border crime and secure transportation along the Mekong River. Under the framework of the "Law Enforcement Cooperation along the Mekong River Mechanism," the four countries built sub-mechanisms for intelligence exchanges, patrolling and law enforcement, as well as for tackling major problems jeopardizing public order, combating transnational crimes and dealing with emergency events. [...] The cooperation of Chinese and Lao police led to the arrest of Naw Kham on April 25. [...]. ^ top ^
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Chinese President stresses reaching young people (Xinhua)
2012-05-05
When marking the 90th anniversary of China's national youth organization on Friday, President Hu Jintao stressed the importance of fostering youth organizations and improving the Party's influence among young people. Hu delivered a keynote speech at a rally in Beijing to mark the 90th founding anniversary of the Communist Youth League of China (CYLC), a mass youth organization under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC). CYLC organizations at all levels should adapt to new situations and reform their work, said Hu, who is also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee. CYLC organizations should uphold the "right" political direction, implement the CPC's policies in their work and guide young people to follow the CPC down the "road of socialism with Chinese characteristics," he said. Founded in 1922, the CYLC had a membership of about 75.4 million as of 2007. [...] The CYLC has proven itself to be a loyal aide and reserve force of the Party over the past 90 years, the president said. The CYLC serves as a bridge linking the CPC and Chinese youth, and it remains an important social pillar for the socialist state power, according to Hu. [...] In addition, Hu said Chinese youths must unswervingly follow the leadership of the CPC, carry forward patriotism, walk in the forefront of the times and take an active part in the social practices of the Chinese people. [...] In the speech, Hu said the country's young people have made great achievements over the course of three major eras, including China's revolutionary years, the socialist construction period and the times of opening-up and reform. From generation to generation, young people have grown up and become the most energetic and active force in society, according to the president. [...] The event was attended by all Standing Committee members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. ^ top ^
China to launch campaign against incorrect maps (Xinhua)
2012-05-05
China will launch a campaign this year to eliminate the publication of maps with information that could undermine sovereignty and state security, authorities said Friday. The National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geoinformation (NASMG) said the campaign will focus on maps with incorrect national boundaries and missing territory in teaching materials, travel guides and imported publications. Publications with incorrect maps will be recalled and destroyed if their flaws are serious, while websites that offer map services that are found to undermine sovereignty and state security will be punished or shut down entirely, the NASMG said. The campaign will also strengthen supervision over the market for terrestrial globes to prevent unauthorized production. The campaign, co-launched by 13 departments, including the NASMG, the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the Foreign Ministry, will be formally launched in June and last until October. An official from the NASMG said it will strengthen its protection and supervision over China's geoinformation, as the data is strategically important. A network to safeguard geodata will be established through the joint efforts of several departments in order to prevent illegal mapping activity, the administration said. Authorities have investigated and dealt with about 40 cases involving illegal mapping in China involving foreigners. While some of the incidents occurred due to a lack of awareness of Chinese law, others involved attempts to steal state secrets and undermine security, the official said. ^ top ^
China to boost energy-efficient buildings (China Daily)
2012-05-07
The Chinese government has established a goal of having energy-efficient buildings account for 30 percent of new construction projects by 2020, according to an official document released Sunday. The document, which was jointly released by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, marks the first time for China to set a goal for the development of energy-efficient buildings. The move underlines China's intent to speed up the development of energy-efficient construction following other documents published earlier this year aimed at the same goal. According to the document, the government will speed up the sector's development by increasing policy incentives and improving industry standards, as well as promoting technological progress and the development of related industries. The document also specifies a goal of bringing China's building energy consumption ratio closer to that of developed countries by 2020. ^ top ^
Chen seeks HK help for detained nephew (SCMP)
2012-05-08
Blind legal advocate Chen Guangcheng has asked Hong Kong deputies of the National People's Congress to look into the case of his detained nephew. Chen said that before leaving to study abroad he hoped to make sure his family and relatives were safe, Hong Kong broadcaster Now TV quoted him as saying yesterday. "I hope Hong Kong's deputies will raise [the issue] with the NPC," Chen told the broadcaster. [...] United States-funded radio broadcaster Voice of America reported yesterday that Chen's nephew had been detained as part of a criminal investigation into a clash he had with officials in the Chen family's village of Dongshigu in Shandong. Several officials reportedly broke into Chen Kegui's home last Thursday after discovering his uncle had fled house arrest. Kegui brandished knives and slashed at them, inflicting injuries, according to an earlier local government statement. Chen Guangcheng said Kegui's lawyer would argue that he was acting in self-defence, but he is concerned his nephew might be mistreated by police while in custody. Chen also asked a state petition official, who visited him yesterday, to help him apply for travel documents needed to study abroad, while relaying his demand for justice involving mistreatment at the hands of officials in his hometown. His family members yesterday were allowed to briefly leave the hospital in Beijing where they are staying, and his children were allowed to play outside for half an hour, Chen told Cable TV Hong Kong yesterday. Authorities prevented American officials, as well as Chen's friends and supporters, from visiting him. Still, US officials had spoken to Chen by phone regularly, he said. [...] "Since the Chinese government has promised to safeguard my constitutionally provided rights and freedom and safety, I feel that they will fulfil their commitments because it is, after all, an agreement between two countries," Chen said. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said yesterday that the US should "take necessary measures" to prevent a repeat of the Chen incident, which resulted in him seeking shelter at the US embassy for six days after his escape last month. The remark came after US Vice-President Joe Biden said on Sunday that the US expected China to stick to its commitment to let Chen leave, while vowing that a US visa would be issued as soon as possible. [...]. ^ top ^
Govt plans to give all NGOs equal treatment (China Daily)
2012-05-08
All social organizations including those involved with human rights and politics will have equal status for registration and face the same supervisory review process, the minister of civil affairs said. "Authorities will review such organizations from angles such as their founding conditions, necessity of establishment, activity objective and their roles in social and economic development," said Li Liguo, minister of civil affairs, on Monday. While social organizations serving purposes such as commerce, charity and social welfare have had an easier time getting registered since the second half of last year, other favorable policies for their development will expand from pilot cities, such as Shenzhen and Guangzhou in Guangdong province, the minister said. Current regulations on social organizations require that a non-governmental organization must find an administrative body to oversee its activities as a precondition before they can register with the civil affairs authorities. Under the new registering system, social organizations can register without an administrative body to oversee them, which will cut time and help more grassroots organizations get legal status. [...] But many cities do not have such favorable policies, and they may have to wait for some time to see the easier registration process after the new system is in place, experts said. [...]. ^ top ^
473 Chongqing officials prosecuted (China Daily)
2012-05-08
Local prosecutors in Southwest China's Chongqing municipality prosecuted 473 people for criminal behavior while in public office in the first four months of this year as it vowed to further to crack down on the abuse of power. The 473 people, including 71 officials at county level and above, were indicted in 376 individual cases, 70 percent of which were in areas regarding people's well-being, according to a statement at the municipal government's official website. "This year with the municipal government increasing its investment in areas important to people's well-being, we will increase our scrutiny on the key segments," an official from the People's Procuratorate of Chongqing Municipality was quoted by local media as saying. The local authority said it had no further comment to make regarding the cases. The most high-ranking of the officials prosecuted was Jia Jinming, the former deputy inspector of the municipal police, who is facing allegations of abuse of power and bribery. Records on the official website of the municipal government shows that Jia rose from the police chief of Fuling district in the municipality to become political commissar of the municipal police's public transportation section in 2008. He was then promoted to deputy inspector of the municipal police, a symbolic position of equivalent rank to the deputy police chief, in 2010. ^ top ^
$12.6b in public donations in 2011: minister (Xinhua)
2012-05-08
No less than 80 billion yuan ($12.6 billion) in public donations were made in China last year, Minister of Civil Affairs Li Liguo said Monday, citing a preliminary tally. Although Li did not give an exact date for when the final numbers will be released, the estimate still surprised many who thought China's charity sector had sustained irrevocable damage after the sector's credibility was tarnished by embezzlement scandals that surfaced last year. The most famous case revolved around a young woman calling herself "Guo Meimei." She claimed to work for an organization under the Red Cross Society of China and posted photos of her lavish lifestyle on the Internet, prompting speculation that she had embezzled money to fund her extravagances. The Red Cross Society of China has denied employing her. Li said the assessment of China's philanthropic development should not be affected by a certain charity or the misconduct of an individual, which he said will not be tolerated. [...] Li has promised further efforts to promote information transparency among China's charity sector. Philanthropy in China has made great progress in recent years, said Li, noting that the number of non-governmental organizations established in China has hit 457,500, and most of them are involved in public service. However, the minister said that modern philanthropy in China is still in a preliminary stage and problems exist in internal management, supervision and policy-making. The Ministry of Civil Affairs will further relax restrictions on registering eligible social organizations and accelerate the formation of relevant regulations to ensure the healthy development of China's charity sector, Li said. ^ top ^
FM calls on journalists to obey laws (Global Times)
2012-05-09
China's foreign ministry said Tuesday that foreign journalists should abide by Chinese laws, when addressing the issue of not extending a visa request for a correspondent with Al Jazeera English. "We stress that everybody must abide by Chinese laws and regulations and must abide by their professional ethics," said Hong Lei, spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Associated Press reported. Al Jazeera English said Tuesday it has closed its Beijing bureau after authorities refused to renew its correspondent's press credentials and visa. Melissa Chan, a US citizen, has been covering China for the past five years as the sole English-language correspondent for the Qatar-based TV network. The network said that its efforts to apply for additional visas for correspondents have been unsuccessful, according to a statement published on Al Jazeera's website. Speaking to the Global Times over the phone Tuesday, Chan said that she is not authorized to make comments but said she is now in the US for a one-year Knight Fellowship at Stanford. A foreign journalist who is familiar with the matter told the Global Times that Chan has been actively covering China's social issues, which ranged from forced farmland seizure to "black jails" where petitioners are detained illegally. These issues were also reported by other foreign as well as many Chinese media outlets. [...]. ^ top ^
Microblog restrictions tightened (Global Times)
2012-05-09
An outspoken online celebrity was allegedly expelled Tuesday from Sina Weibo, China's largest microblogging service provider, amid a new round of tighter online regulation. The Weibo account of Wang Xiaoshan, a prominent publisher and blogger renowned for his bold stances on various social issues, was closed Tuesday, fueling heated discussion among Web users. Wang refused to comment on the matter when contacted by the Global Times, but speculation online suggested his expulsion from the Twitter-like service might be related to his long-term campaign against dairy giant Mengniu. Wang called for a boycott of Mengniu products after it was involved in a melamine scandal in 2008 that resulted in the deaths of six infants and the hospitalization of hundreds of thousands more. As of late Tuesday, Wang's microblog accounts on other sites were still active. He called for calm among his followers on his account on Sohu. Wang is the latest high-profile Web user allegedly blacklisted by Sina, the country's most influential microblogging service provider. A series of media commentators, scholars and writers have also reportedly been silenced or ousted from the bustling cyber world. He Bing, a deputy dean at the Law School of the China University of Political Science and Law and an outspoken online celebrity known for his commentary on legal matters, told the Global Times that by the end of April, he had been blocked by several microblogging sites. [...] Sina declined to comment on the termination of some of its users' accounts when contacted by the Global Times. Instead, it issued a "Weibo community pact" late Tuesday stipulating users' rights and more than 20 regulations. According to the guidelines, users are not allowed to post comments that violate the basic principles set by the Constitution or threaten to compromise national security, reputation or interests. Microbloggers who breach the rules risk having their accounts closed, Sina outlined. Chen Youxi, a Zhejiang-based lawyer, told the Southern Metropolis Daily that the closure of users' accounts is a violation of the providers' service contract and thus infringes users' freedom of speech rights. [...]. ^ top ^
E-passports to be introduced from May 15 (China Daily)
2012-05-09
China's e-passports, which will be issued to applicants after May 15, are a major step toward allowing automatic check-in at ports and airports nationwide, a senior customs official said on Tuesday. The high-tech travel document will be fitted with a data chip that contains the holder's personal details, as well as their photograph and fingerprints. "If residents have an e-passport, it will be quicker to pass through customs and save labor resources," said Tang Lei, who is in charge of e-passport management for Beijing Public Security Bureau's exit-entry administration. However, he declined to speculate when automatic check-in could be available in China. The e-passports incorporate substantial counterfeiting prevention technology and only can be verified with special software. "In other words, if someone loses it, no one else can use or forge it," Tang said. Workers at exit-entry administrations across the capital are prepared well and all equipment, including fingerprint recorders, has been installed, he said. "New applicants will get the e-passport from May 15, while residents with passports that haven't expired can continue using their old ones," he said. [...] Since 2004, more than 90 countries and regions have began to use e-passports. ^ top ^
Students of law and politics urged to hone morality (Xinhua)
2012-05-10
A senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has urged students of politics and law to make more efforts to develop their sense of morality alongside their professional skills. Zhou Yongkang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks Wednesday while visiting the China University of Political Science and Law. "The university should strengthen students' knowledge of ideology and China's national conditions, as well as pay equal attention to the development of both professional skills and moral character," Zhou said. Zhou, who is also secretary of the Committee of Political and Legislative Affairs of the CPC Central Committee, urged the university to further innovate in the legal field and make more efforts to research issues concerning law enforcement and judicial practice. [...]. ^ top ^
China Red Cross to expand mission (China Daily)
2012-05-10
To cope with the challenges of the modern age, the Red Cross Society of China must adapt and look beyond traditional humanitarian issues, its executive vice-president said on Tuesday. In an exclusive interview during the launch of the Sino-Africa Red Cross and Red Crescent Forum, Zhao Baige laid out an ambitious blueprint for the charity, which is still rebuilding its image after it was called into question last year. “In China, our humanitarian work has long focused mainly on disaster relief and emergency medical aid,” she said. “But we now have to continuously broaden our horizon, providing more kinds of services to better fulfill our mission.” That mission, she added, is not simply to raise and distribute donations, but to protect people. [...] Non-traditional humanitarian issues include climate change, terrorism, food and water shortages, mass population migration, and a rising trend of globalization, she said, citing research by a China Red Cross think tank of experts on sociology, humanitarianism, ethics, medical science and law. For instance, behind the migrant worker population of 221 million on the Chinese mainland that has formed in the past 30 years, there are tens of millions of children and old people left behind, she said. “They are among the most vulnerable groups and should be covered by our humanitarian efforts.” [...] “Society will improve its ability to provide quality humanitarian and public services, which the (Chinese) government can purchase, and at the same time it must be a neutral, fair and independent organization,” Zhao said on Tuesday, World Red Cross Red Crescent Day, which falls on May 8 to mark the birth of Henry Dunant, the founder of the Red Cross. [...]. ^ top ^
China stays open-minded in coping with new media: senior CPC official (Xinhua)
2012-05-10
A senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) said here Wednesday that the CPC and Chinese government insist on an open-minded and inclusive attitude in coping with new media. Li Yuanchao, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the Organizational Department of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks when addressing the third China-Singapore Forum on Leadership. Li said the rapid growth of new media is an important part of the current information society, and has brought both opportunities and challenges for ruling parties and governments around the world. Efforts have been made by the CPC and Chinese government to guide officials to treat new media in a scientific and correct way, help them better harness new media and strengthen guidance of public opinion in the network, Li said. He also said China continued to take a positive approach in its handling of new media. Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, who led a Singaporean delegation to attend the forum, said new media is a double-edged sword for society. Teo Chee Hean said people should avoid arbitrary and malicious use of new media, so as not to hurt harmony of the community and social order. [...] The forum, centered on the leadership development in the age of new media, attracted over 100 representatives and scholars from the two countries. ^ top ^
New draft aims to balance workers' rights with enterprises' interests (Global Times)
2012-05-10
A new draft targeting regulations on working extra hours and the balance between workers' rights and enterprises' development in the country was released Wednesday, for which public opinion will be solicited until June 8. The draft detailed that employees should work no more than 11 hours every day, and for professions requiring flexible work hours, companies should ensure that their annual salary is above the local average level. Employees should have more than 20 minutes' break, which is counted into working hours if they have worked more than four hours in the day, according to the draft. Employees who work between 10 pm and 6 am next morning should have compensations paid by employers. "This is a timely draft that will deal with tense labor relations in the manufacturing and service industries, where workers often suffer tougher working environments and longer hours," Lin Xinqi, director of the Human Resources Department of the Renmin University of China, told the Global Times. [...] "We don't expect to see workers' rights being well protected with only this draft. The government should also strengthen punishment and supervision of companies since it's very hard to make sure all the small companies follow new regulations," Lin said. ^ top ^
Relocation prompts explosion (China Daily)
2012-05-11
The nation is in a state of shock in the wake two incidents reportedly tied to the demolition and relocation of homes: the bombing of a government office in Yunnan province on Thursday and a suicide the day earlier. A woman who went to the Qiaojia county demolition office to discuss relocation compensation ignited explosives that she had strapped to herself after officials refused her demands, according to a report by the Xinhua News Agency. The blast killed the bomber along with two staff members of the facility and injured another 14 people. Four who were badly injured were transported for treatment to Kunming, the provincial capital. The 10 others went to a local hospital, according to the county government. The blast came on the heels of a highly publicized suicide in Guangdong province. The victim's letter cited the forced demolition of her home as the reason she jumped to her death, according to the Guangzhou-based Southern Metropolis Daily. [...]. ^ top ^
Rights dissident transferred to 'luxury resort' (SCMP)
2012-05-11
A prominent ethnic Mongolian rights activist had been moved to a "luxury resort", a rights group said yesterday, in the first account of his whereabouts in more than a year since he was put under house arrest. Hada, who like many ethnic Mongolians uses a single name, was tried in Inner Mongolia in 1996 and jailed for 15 years for separatism, spying and supporting the Southern Mongolian Democratic Alliance, which seeks greater rights for ethnic Mongolians. He was released in December 2010 and then had to serve a separate sentence - "four years of deprivation of political rights", Tao Jian, the deputy Communist Party boss of Inner Mongolia's law and order committee, said in March. Hada had since been transferred to the resort in the Chifeng municipality of Inner Mongolia, the New York-based Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Centre said in an e-mailed statement, citing Hada's uncle, Haschuluu. [...] Haschuluu told the group that Hada was in poor health and had rejected an offer to go free along with family members in exchange for signing a paper that would be tantamount to admitting wrongdoing. Hada's wife, Xinna, who has denied her husband is a separatist, was jailed for three years in April for "engaging in illegal business", the group said. Authorities had offered Xinna and her son Uiles good jobs, cars, a luxury house and apparently even a "beautiful girlfriend" for Uiles if they co-operated with the authorities, or otherwise risk arrest, detention and imprisonment, the group said. Hanshuulan, Xinna's mother, told the centre that they had rejected the offer. "They are determined to sue the government for the arbitrary detention, imprisonment and physical and mental sufferings inflicted on them during the past 17 years," Hanshuulan added. [...]. ^ top ^
Chinese teen sentenced to 12-year jail term for assault (Xinhua)
2012-05-11
A teenager convicted of setting fire to a girl who turned down his romantic advances received a first-instance verdict of 12 years and one month in jail on Thursday in an east China court. The verdict was made as the 17-year-old boy, surnamed Tao, was convicted of intentional assault after he disfigured his schoolmate, surnamed Zhou, who rejected him, according to the Baohe District People's Court in Hefei, capital of Anhui province. Tao, the son of a low-level functionary couple, went to Zhou's home on Sept. 11, 2011, poured gasoline on her face and ignited it with a lighter. Zhou's aunt heard screams and came to the girl's rescue, put the fire out and rushed her to hospital. Tao was arrested the following day. [...] The case prompted public outcry after the victim's mother detailed the gruesome details of the assault online, posting photos of her daughter's bandage-wrapped face. The girl's parents had previously requested a public hearing, but their request was rejected based on the defendant's status as a minor. ^ top ^
Water quality woes die hard (China Daily)
2012-05-11
Groundwater in about 55 percent of the cities monitored across China is not safe to drink, according to a national annual report on the situation of the country's land and resources in 2011. The outlook is not optimistic, according to the report, which was released by the Ministry of Land and Resources on Thursday. [...] The problem of groundwater pollution is spreading from cities to the countryside, according to a national plan to curb pollution aimed at improving water quality over the next decade [...]. The report also said that in 2011 China witnessed nearly 15,700 geological disasters that left 245 dead, 32 missing and 138 injured. The economic losses from these events totaled 4 billion yuan ($635 million), about 37 percent less than the amount in 2010. [...] It also mentioned that the country's oil dependence rate reached about 57 percent last year, 2 percent higher than in 2010, while the ore dependency rate increased from nearly 54 percent in 2010 to more than 56 percent in 2011. The total land transfer fees collected in 2011 hit 3.15 trillion yuan, growing 15 percent compared to 2010, according to the report. ^ top ^
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| Beijing |
Beijing to train more negotiators (Global Times)
2012-05-07
Construction industry authorities and labor unions will have 1,800 negotiators this year to help migrant workers with their legal rights, Beijing Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-rural Development has revealed, but analysts questioned their effectiveness. Negotiators are picked from labor unions attached to construction projects subcontracted to non-local companies in Beijing. About 500 negotiators will be trained this year, bringing the total number to 1,800, a spokesperson from the union responsible for managing companies in Beijing's construction industry was quoted by the Beijing News as saying. These negotiators will study labor law, employment contract law and negotiation skills to help migrant workers in labor arbitration. Zhang Qing of the Sichuan Provincial Government's Beijing office, told the Beijing Times that 78 percent of Sichuan companies have set up a part-time negotiator mechanism which helped solve 64 disputes last year. [...] There are 1,500 non-local companies operating construction projects in Beijing, employing about 700,000 workers. Beijing Human Resources and Social Welfare Bureau started a campaign in December targeting collecting wages owed to migrant workers. So far, 4,561 cases have been investigated into late salary payments worth more than 181 million yuan ($28.7 million) to 32,993 workers, according to Beijing Youth Daily. ^ top ^
Ex-chief of Beijing tax bureau sentenced for corruption (Xinhua)
2012-05-10
The former head of Beijing's taxation authority was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve on Wednesday for graft and accepting bribes. The Beijing No. 1 Municipal Intermediate Court handed down the sentence to Wang Jiping after convicting him of embezzling public funds and taking bribes worth more than 14 million yuan (2.2 mln U.S. dollars). According to the court, Wang traded jobs and favorable contracts for money and gifts worth 4.35 million yuan between 2002 and 2009, when he served as the head of the Beijing Local Taxation Bureau. Wang was also found guilty of collaborating with a businesswoman to embezzle 10.47 million yuan in government purchase funds between 2002 and 2004, the verdict said. [...] Wang is the latest Beijing official to be prosecuted and sentenced for corruption. In 2011, two officials from the same bureau were given life imprisonment and a ten-year jail term, respectively, for taking bribes. ^ top ^
British man detained over sexual assault in Beijing (Xinhua)
2012-05-11
A British man has been detained by police for allegedly assaulting a Chinese woman on the side of a road in downtown Beijing Tuesday night, police said Thursday. A recording of the incident uploaded to video-sharing site youku.com by an Internet user with the screenname "ajianmeilizuofang" shows a foreign man in sportswear standing over a woman lying on a roadside flowerbed with her pants around her knees on Xuanwumen street in Xicheng district around 11:20 p.m. Tuesday. The woman can be heard crying and shouting "Help! I don't know him," followed by a Chinese man fighting with the foreigner, who is later seen lying in the middle of the street. Police arrived at the scene after the fight took place. [...] The man is a British national in China with a tourist visa. He was intoxicated on the night of the incident, Beijing police said via their official account on weibo.com, a Chinese microblogging site similar to Twitter. The video on youku.com has been watched over 3.5 million times and received 50,000 comments as of Thursday afternoon. [...]. ^ top ^
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| Shanghai |
Shanghai publicity video airs in Chicago, Houston, Shanghai (Xinhua)
2012-05-09
"Shanghai, City of Inspiration," a publicity video for Shanghai municipality featuring former basketball star Yao Ming, aired in Chicago, Houston and Shanghai on Tuesday, local officials said. The 5-minute video showing Yao in a beige suit appeared on cable TV channels in Chicago and Houston, TV screens in the Chicago O'Hare International Airport and TV channels, websites, and microblog sites in Shanghai, said officials with the municipal government's information office, which paid for the spots to be aired. Set against scenic images of Shanghai, the video shows that ordinary people -- including college students. teachers, models, businesspeople, artists, athletes and construction workers -- can achieve success in their work and personal lives in the inspiring city. Officials hope the video showcases Shanghai as a city of inspiration, charm and vitality, they said. The video was jointly produced by groups from China, the United Kingdom and Australia who obtained the right through an international bidding process. The production took six months to finish. Early last year, a national publicity video was shown in New York's Times Square and on CNN. ^ top ^
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| Guangdong |
Guangdong hailed for contested elections (Global Times)
2012-05-08
The 11th Guangdong Provincial Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) will start tomorrow, during which new provincial leaders will be produced in contested elections hailed by scholars as a sign of democratic progress. Provincial authorities said the CPC Central Committee had approved 14 candidates to compete in 13 standing memberships of the Guangdong CPC Committee. The selection of members and alternate members of the Guangdong CPC Committee, as well as members of the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee, will also go through competitive elections. The list of candidates was composed by the provincial CPC committee after adequate research and consultation work, the Guangzhou-based Yangcheng Evening News reported. [...] Zhu Lijia, a professor at the Chinese Academy of Governance, said that it is rare for contested elections to be adopted for electing high-level Party cadres such as provincial standing committee members, and the news can be regarded as significant progress in intra-Party democracy. However, he told the Global Times that the number of the candidates for standing members of the Provincial CPC Committee is not enough to ensure competitiveness, which leaves room for further improvement. [...] According to Zou Xueping, a professor with the Law School of Shenzhen University, the single-candidate election system originated in the former Soviet Union. [...] "Contested elections in China are still in their pilot stage, and the election process needs more transparency and more supervision from the public," Zhu said, adding that officials at all levels should be produced in this manner. "As a democratic country, people should be empowered with rights to elect their own leaders, who are supposed to be responsible for the people and be properly supervised," Zhu added. Premier Wen Jiabao said in March: "We must continue to encourage the people to take bold steps to experiment and enhance their ability in this regard. I believe that democracy in China will continue to develop step by step in keeping with China's national conditions, and no force is able to hold this process back." [...]. ^ top ^
Investigative reporters to be protected (China Daily)
2012-05-09
Police officers are to protect journalists in Guangdong province who investigate the illegal manufacture and sale of fake products. Authorities are taking the step to help media reporters "uncover more truths", said Wang Yang, Party chief of Guangdong, a major manufacturing hub in South China, at a news conference. A list of reporters who investigate fake products will be recorded by the provincial publicity department and the public security department. Reporters can apply for protection during investigations, Lai Tiansheng, director of the province's anti-counterfeit committee, said during a news conference on Monday. Journalists who uncover serious cases of fake products will be also be rewarded by the government, the official said. In addition to reporters, residents are also encouraged to report cases of fake products. An existing award for whistle-blowers will be increased, Lai said. Guangdong launched a crackdown on the manufacture and sale of fake products on April 26, vowing to make the market orderly and protect public health. The crackdown followed a series of scandals involving food and drug safety exposed by journalists. China Central Television revealed in early April that some capsules, including several common brands, were made from industrial gelatin, which has a much higher degree of chromium than edible gelatin. The industrial gelatin was made from waste leather, including from leather shoes, at illegal workshops in East China's Zhejiang province, CCTV reported. [...] The Guangdong government has so far found 27,273 cases, with 2,192 suspects taken into custody and 710 arrested. A total of 4,298 illegal factories have been shut down, the Guangzhou-based New Express reported. ^ top ^
Officials urged to change mindset (Global Times)
2012-05-10
Guangdong's Party chief Wang Yang Wednesday stressed the role of people in "shaping history" and called on officials to break with a "wrong notion that people's happiness is bestowed by the Party or government." Wang Yang, secretary of the CPC Committee of Guangdong Province, said in a Party conference that people have the right to pursue their own happiness, and serving the people is the government's responsibility, and the mistaken idea that happiness is bestowed by officials should be corrected, according to People's Daily Online. Furthermore, according to Wang, people's innovation and efforts to build a happy life should be respected and encouraged, and people will contribute to building a happy society when they are seeking happy lives for themselves. The speech won positive feedback on the Internet. Analysts applauded his comments as a rare stance in a country where some officials have long considered themselves parents of a big family. "Wang Yang's speech shows that the government is gaining a greater awareness of serving the people," Lin Zhe, anti-corruption expert and a professor of law at the Party School of the Central Committee of the CPC, told the Global Times. Wang's words properly show the relationship between the government and the public, as people should be the owners of the nation, and the government should be servants of the people, Lin said. Throughout China's history, officials have been likened to parents. The mentality had a deep influence on both government officials and the general public, which will not change overnight, experts say. [...] Though the government has used "serve the people" as its motto, officials, especially those in remote regions, still maintain a benefactor mentality. [...]. ^ top ^
Villagers throw out 'corrupt' leaders (Global Times)
2012-05-11
Residents of a village in Guangdong Province held a recall election Wednesday and fired all seven village leaders allegedly involved in illegal land sales, which experts say could become a means of resolving rural conflicts in the country. A total of 1,370 people among the 1,737 eligible villagers in Wanfeng, Shajing sub-district of Shenzhen, cast their ballots in the recall election organized by an election committee established a week ago by villagers themselves. Each of the officials had their performance tested in the poll, and each of them ended up with more than 50 percent of the voters rejecting them. The result led to the removal of the seven village heads, in accordance with Shenzhen's regulations on village committee elections. Villagers told the Global Times that the village's former Party secretary and his relatives had been manipulating the village affairs, including selling collectively owned lands at very low prices without informing or compensating villagers. "The former village heads were associated with gangsters. Since January, we have staged some protests," a villager surnamed Pan told the Global Times. "What we have done to recall the village committee members is in line with laws and regulations," Pan said, adding that he is looking forward to the next village committee election and hopes that the new leadership will bring the village back on the right track. [...] Xu Yong, dean of the Research School of Politics at Central China Normal University, told the Global Times that the incidents in Wukan and Wanfeng could become a model for resolving similar issues in the future. "Villagers are used to only following orders, but now they have been waking up to their own rights and interests, and gained more knowledge about laws and regulations," Xu said. "It is important for people to express their demands in accordance with the country's laws and regulations, as in some cases, protesters took extreme measures to either vent their anger or get public attention," Xu added. [...] Premier Wen Jiabao said in March that general practice in village-level elections has proven successful, and he believed that if the people are able to run the affairs of a village well, gradually they will be able to run the affairs of a township and then a county. [...]. ^ top ^
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| Tibet |
Qinghai-Tibet railway transports 49 mln passengers since operation (Xinhua)
2012-05-08
More than 49 million people have traveled on the Qinghai-Tibet railway, the world's highest, since the route opened in July 2006, the railway company said Monday. Passengers on the Qinghai-Tibet railway have increased on average 10.3 percent annually, said Wang Tao, spokesman with the Xining-based Qinghai-Tibet Railway Company. The number of passengers taking the train has increased from 6.4 million in 2006 to 10 million in 2011, said Wang. The high-elevation railway that connects Xining, capital of Qinghai province, to Tibet's capital Lhasa, also transported 40 million tonnes of cargo in 2011, up 8 percent year-on-year. Tourism in Tibet autonomous region in southwestern China has boomed since the 1,956-km railway went into operation six years ago. In 2011, a total of 8.6 million tourists visited Tibet. By the end of the 2011-2015 period, it is expected that Tibet and Qinghai will receive annual tourist arrivals of 15 and 20 million respectively. ^ top ^
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| Hongkong |
Running down the clock in Legco (SCMP)
2012-05-11
Speaking extraordinarily slowly, and quoting the Bible and ancient Chinese history classics, were among the tactics radical pan-democratic lawmakers used in their filibuster yesterday to force the withdrawal of a bill to restrict by-elections. Despite successfully mobilising members with the poorest attendance records to show up, the Beijing-loyalist camp's effort to counter a pan-democrat boycott of the bill may still fail tonight, as some lawmakers have evening engagements. Their absence will leave the council short of the minimum attendance needed for debate. This will lead to an adjournment of the debate until Wednesday, when it could face similar disruption. [...] At the centre of attention are People Power lawmakers Albert Chan Wai-yip and Wong Yuk-man, who filed 1,306 amendments to the electoral bill, which would bar lawmakers who resign from standing for election again within six months. The government introduced the bill following resignations by pan-democrats in 2009 to trigger by-elections that they hoped - in vain, as it turned out - would be a de facto referendum on democratisation. [...] Beijing-loyalist lawmakers could only stay and listen. Wong Kwok-hing brought ink and a paintbrush to make copies of his satirical poems using calligraphy, and put them up on the seats, protesting against the filibuster. [...] After the debate was suspended late last night - it will resume this morning - Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Raymond Tam Chi-yuen said the government did not have a timeframe for when it might withdraw the bill should the filibustering drag on. "There is no bottom line. I think they should stop filibustering at an appropriate time. We all have to consider public sentiment. When those who like to perform feel satisfied in one to two days, it would be time for them to vote." [...]. ^ top ^
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| Taiwan |
Hubei governor begins eight-day Taiwan visit (Xinhua)
2012-05-08
Governor of central China's Hubei province Wang Guosheng arrived in Taipei Monday for an eight-day visit, during which he is scheduled to cement business and cultural ties between his province and Taiwan. Wang is the mainland's third high-level local official to visit the island this year, following Beijing mayor Guo Jinlong's trip in February and Fujian governor Su Shulin's in March. Wang is scheduled to attend a series of industrial cooperation and cultural activities, and meet with small and medium-sized business owners. Upon his arrival, Wang paid visits to Lien Chan and Wu Poh-hsiung, the two honorary chairmen of the ruling Kuomintang. During the visits, Wang gave credit to Taiwanese businesses for their contributions to the economic development of Hubei. Wang said he believed his province had been blessed with plenty of development opportunities in the mainland's drive to stimulate domestic demand. He expressed the hope of promoting industrial exchanges as well as people-to-people communication between people both in Hubei and Taiwan. Hubei is now home to more than 2,200 Taiwan enterprises. In 2011, the investment from Taiwanese businesses in Hubei increased 75 percent, or nearly 1.9 billion U.S. dollars, official statistics from Hubei province show. ^ top ^
Duty cuts under ECFA save Taiwanese companies 225 mln USD (Xinhua)
2012-05-09
Tariff cuts under an economic pact between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan have saved Taiwanese companies about 225 million U.S. dollars from 2011 to March 2012, statistics released on Tuesday show. About 102 million U.S. dollars worth of duty cuts, an equivalent of 83 percent of the 2011 total were recorded in the first quarter of 2012, as more Taiwan goods were entitled to zero tariff from this year under the cross-Strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA), according to a press release from Taiwanese authorities in charge of economic affairs. Some industrial and agricultural products sold to the mainland have witnessed a tremendous increase from January to March this year, in comparison with the first quarter of 2011. [...] More Taiwanese business people have applied for ECFA-related business qualifications, according to the press release. In the first quarter of 2012, more than 3,300 companies, compared with about 1,100 companies in the same period last year, obtained ECFA-related business qualifications. [...] Authorities have credited the ECFA with its role in expanding the market share of Taiwanese goods on the Chinese mainland. Under the ECFA "early harvest program," more than 500 Taiwanese goods sold to the mainland will enjoy zero tariff. By the end of March 2012, 257 Taiwanese goods under the program have had a market share of over 10 percent on the mainland [...]. The ECFA has helped Taiwan attract more foreign investment and more Taiwanese entrepreneurs are coming home to invest, it notes. Another effect that the ECFA has is on the labor market, as shown by the growth rate of jobs in sectors related to the "early harvest program" is stronger than the island's average job growth rate in the manufacturing business, according to the press release. ^ top ^
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| Economy |
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120 bln yuan credit offered for power grid projects (Xinhua)
2012-05-05
China Development Bank on Friday signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the China Southern Power Grid (CSG) to raise 120 billion yuan (19.1 billion U.S. dollars) in funding by the end of 2015 to finance the grid's projects. According to the agreement, the funds will mainly support network construction and upgrades, a west-to-east electricity transmission project and the company's overseas investment, as well as the issue of commercial papers and corporate bonds. According to CDB data, the lender has thus far granted loans totaling 40 billion yuan to CSG, with more than 13 billion yuan still outstanding. Incorporated in 2002, CSG invests in, constructs and operates power networks in the five provincial-level regions of Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou and Hainan. Last year, CSG posted business revenues of 380 billion yuan with fixed-asset investment of more than 90 billion yuan. ^ top ^
Coca-Cola apologizes for chlorine-tainted drinks (Xinhua)
2012-05-05
Coca-Cola Shanxi Beverages Co. Ltd. on Friday announced the resignation of its general manager and the suspension of several employees after admitting traces of chlorine were found in some of its drinks. The company also made a public apology and said it has taken active corrective measures as the chlorine was mistakenly added during a routine pipe maintenance procedure. "We regret that our core values were not met by some individuals at our Shanxi plant. And we sincerely apologize for causing unnecessary concerns among our consumers," said David G. Brooks, president of Coca-Cola Greater China and Korea at a media briefing in Taiyuan, capital city of north China's Shanxi Province. [...] The beverage giant's bottling plant in Shanxi was asked to suspend production and take corrective actions last Saturday after being found guilty of "other production management non-conformities to relevant regulations," according to a statement issued by Shanxi Provincial Bureau of Quality and Technology Supervision. [...] China, the third-biggest and a critical growth market for Coca-Cola, accounts for 8 percent of the company's global sales by volume. ^ top ^
China's first deep-water rig to drill in South China Sea (Xinhua)
2012-05-08
The first deep-water drilling rig developed in China will be put into service in the South China Sea on Wednesday, the country's largest offshore oil producer said Monday. The sixth-generation semi-submersible CNOOC 981 will begin operations in a sea area 320 kilometers southeast of Hong Kong at a water depth of 1,500 meters, China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) said in a press release. It will be the first independent deep-water oil drilling by a Chinese company, marking "a substantial step" made by the country's deep-sea oil industry, CNOOC said. About 70 percent of oil and gas reserves in the resource-rich South China Sea is contained in 1.54 million square km of deep-water regions, or sea areas with depths of over 300 meters. However, most of China's current offshore oil exploration is conducted less than 300 meters below the surface. The South China Sea is estimated to have 23 billion to 30 billion tonnes of oil and 16 trillion cubic meters of natural gas, accounting for one-third of China's total oil and gas resources. ^ top ^
Top court gets tougher on market monopolies (China Daily)
2012-05-09
The top court has reduced the burden of proof for a plaintiff in a civil lawsuit to prove that an industry giant has a monopoly or dominant market position. Companies and public utilities now have to prove that they did not abuse their market dominance, a move legal experts welcomed as ensuring competition and protecting consumer rights. The move is also likely to see the country conduct stricter investigations into international mergers and acquisitions, experts said. A judicial interpretation of the Antitrust Law, issued by the Supreme People's Court on Tuesday, has reduced the plaintiff's burden to prove whether an industry giant, such as electricity and gas suppliers, has a dominant market position in civil disputes. It takes effect in June. On alleged monopoly agreements, defendants will now have to prove that they did not restrict competition or exclude competitors, the interpretation said. The redistribution of the burden of proof tackles a long-existing difficulty in obtaining evidence for those who said that their legitimate rights had been breached through monopolies or major companies. Between 2008, when the Antitrust Law was introduced, and the end of 2011, there have been 61 civil litigations concerning alleged monopolies. However, plaintiffs have a "rather low" success rate, Sun Jungong, court spokesman, said. This was due to both a lack of knowledge regarding antitrust cases and difficulties obtaining evidence proving monopolistic behavior or abuse of market position, Sun said. [...]. ^ top ^
China's iron ore spot trading platform debuts (Xinhua)
2012-05-09
China's first iron ore spot trading platform made its debut Tuesday as the country, the world's largest consumer of the commodity, strives to up its pricing power. The first-day transactions totaled 242,000 tonnes and around 33.17 million U.S. dollars. The platform is jointly launched by China Beijing International Mining Exchange (CBMX), China Iron and Steel Association (CISA) and China Chamber of Commerce of Metals, Minerals & Chemicals Importers and Exporters. It is hoped that the platform will create a fair, just and transparent international iron ore pricing system, said Wang Xiaoqi, vice chairman of CISA. Trading hours are 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. with a two-hour break from 11:30 a.m. The benchmark trading price will be set based on the average prices on the previous trading day, while the daily trading band is set at 10 percent. So far, the platform has 152 members, including major Chinese steelmakers such as Baosteel, Anshan Iron and Steel Group and Hebei Iron and Steel Group as well as top foreign miners BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto, Vale and Fortescue Metals Group Ltd., said CBMX president Dong Chaobin. ^ top ^
China moves to stop SOE executives overspending (Xinhua)
2012-05-09
Chief executives of China's state-owned enterprises must not spend their company's budget excessively on purchasing cars and other assets, according to a government ban released Tuesday. The statement came in a 12-article ban, which was jointly released by the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Supervision, the National Audit Office and the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, aiming to further regulate the consumption of SOE executives. Compared with similar regulations, the government has specified prohibitions for consumption activities of SOE executives in the ban. According to the ban, executives are forbidden to purchase business cars and high-end office supplies as well as decorate offices if the enterprises suffer losses. SOE executives are also banned from using companies' funds to cover expenses incurred by their families and relatives. The ban requires SOEs to strengthen management over the annuities and housing subsidies of executives, and inform employees of related duty consumption regulations in certain ways. It also orders supervision authorities and state-assets regulators to step up regular checks and inspection, while related supervision departments of SOEs should also perform their duties. ^ top ^
China starts building biomass-solar power plant in Singapore (Xinhua)
2012-05-09
China Guangdong Nuclear Power Holding Corporation (CGNPC) held a groundbreaking ceremony in Singapore on Tuesday to establish an integrated biomass-solar power generation plant and its regional headquarters, setting a milestone for the cleantech industry. The 33.6 million U.S. dollars investment project (Phase I) is fuelled by wood and horticultural waste, as well as solar installation on the rooftop. [...] This facility is the first overseas project developed and implemented by CGNPC. Being the regional headquarters, the plant affirms Singapore's strategic position as the gateway to the clean energy market in Asia Pacific. [...] "Singapore is an ideal gateway for companies keen to develop clean energy solutions tailored for Asia, given its robust supply chain capabilities and connections to the region. This facility will aim to meet the energy needs of Singapore as part of our ongoing efforts to provide clean energy for the benefit of humanity," said Mr. Tan Jiansheng, Senior Vice-President of CGNPC. This plant is expected to be completed by November 2013. ^ top ^
China to cut fuel prices from Thursday (Xinhua)
2012-05-10
China will lower the per-tonne retail prices of gasoline and diesel by 330 yuan (52.38 U.S. dollars) and 310 yuan, respectively, from Thursday, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) announced Wednesday. The move, which marks the first cuts since October of last year, was made in response to lower crude prices on the global market. The adjustments will lower the benchmark retail price of gasoline by 0.24 yuan per liter and diesel by 0.26 yuan per liter, the NDRC said. NDRC last changed the gasoline and diesel prices on March 20, raising them by 600 yuan per tonne. [...]. ^ top ^
China's rising middle class to keep global luxury goods growing at 10% (Xinhua)
2012-05-10
Millions of consumers entering the middle class in China will help to hold the pace of growth in global luxury goods at 10% annually for the next four years despite a slowing economy, a well-regarded industry report said yesterday. After an "incredible" 2011 during which the global luxury goods market grew 14%, the boom in emerging markets may boost the value of the market to 261 billion euros (US$340 billion) by 2014, CLSA said in Dipped in Gold, its annual report on the industry. Jewelry companies enjoyed the strongest sales growth last year, with Hong Kong's Chow Tai Fook seeing an exuberant 79% rise in sales between April and September, compared with the previous year, driven by consumers on China's mainland, the report found. Despite recent signs of a slowdown in luxury goods companies' first quarter results, the global market will expand by 10% this year to 216 billion euros, CLSA found. Across China as a whole demand will rise by 24% this year, a slowdown from 39% last year. [...] In a country where luxury goods import taxes already mean prices are between 30% and 70% higher than elsewhere, companies raise the cost of goods by an estimated 5% to 10% year on year, CLSA found. ^ top ^
Foreign trade growth slows, surplus widens (Xinhua)
2012-05-11
China posted a widening foreign trade surplus in April, as import growth continued to lag behind weak export growth. China's foreign trade rose 2.7 percent year on year -- well below the country's full-year target of 10 percent -- to 308.08 billion U.S. dollars in April, with a surplus of 18.42 billion U.S. dollars, the General Administration of Customs (GAC) said Thursday. The growth rate represents a month-on-month slowdown, and the trade surplus has widened from the 5.35 billion U.S. dollars logged in March, according the GAC data. Both export and import growth in April saw a pull-back on a monthly basis amid sluggish demand both at home and abroad. [...] This downward trend was reflected at the biannual Canton Fair, a barometer of China's export situation, as the spring session of the fair marked a decrease in export transactions for the first time since 2009. The European Union remained China's largest trading partner in the first four months, but bilateral trade growth has slowed considerably to just 0.3 percent year on year, or 170.53 billion U.S. dollars. [...] Meanwhile, bilateral trade between China and the recovering United States, China's second-largest trade partner, increased 9.2 percent year on year to 146.1 billion U.S. dollars, according to the GAC. [...] The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, China's third-largest trade partner, posted a 6.7-percent increase in bilateral trade, amounting to 117.65 billion U.S. dollars in the first four months. [...] But China's trade with Russia, which joined the World Trade Organization this year, and Brazil, a major exporter of iron ore and other raw materials, saw robust growth of 27.7 percent and 14.4 percent to 28.69 billion U.S. dollars and 25.07 billion U.S. dollars, respectively. However, steady trade growth with emerging markets can not make up for the shortfalls in other major markets, and analysts generally forecast a weak export outlook for the year. Adding complexities to the market, China's rising labor and materials costs, together with a strengthening currency, have combined to hamper China's export opportunities. [...] Meanwhile, domestic demand has slackened as the government tries to steer the world's second-largest economy to a sustainable growth model rather than simply pursue speed. [...]. ^ top ^
"Big Four" auditors to become local firms (Xinhua)
2012-05-11
Authorities in China on Thursday began implementing a new program that orders the "Big Four" global auditing companies dominating the Chinese market to practise as local firms after their joint venture agreements expired. The new rule applies to KPMG, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Ernst & Young and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC), noted a joint statement from the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Commerce, the State Administration of Industry and Commerce, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange and the China Securities Regulatory Commission. According to the new regulation, the auditing giants should form special group partnerships with limited liability to continue their business in China when their joint venture terms end. The new localized accounting offices should each have at least 25 qualified partners, 100 Chinese Certified Public Accountants and a registration capital of 10 millon yuan (about 1.6 million U.S. dollars). In most countries, the Big Four are owned by local partners, operating more like a franchise than a typical multinational corporation. Deloitte, KPMG and Ernst & Young will see their 20-year joint venture arrangements expire later this year, while PWC's joint venture agreement will come to an end in 2017. ^ top ^
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DPRK vows to continue pursuit of space technology, nuclear energy (Xinhua)
2012-05-07
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea(DPRK) will continue the pursuit of space technology and nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, the official KCNA news agency quoted an official as saying Sunday. An unnamed spokesman for the DPRK Foreign Ministry said his country, depending on its nuclear deterrence for self-defense, would safeguard its sovereignty and build a thriving socialist country where its people could enjoy full prosperity. His words came as a response to a joint statement issued by the UN Security Council Thursday, which urged Pyongyang to exercise restraint on nuclear tests. "This is a grave illegal action that violates the sovereignty of the DPRK and its right to use space and nuclear energy for peaceful purposes," he said. The joint statement, made at the first of three sessions of preparatory talks for the 2015 Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) conference, demanded that the DPRK stop nuclear activities and abstain from developing nuclear deterrence. However, the spokesman said nuclear powers should respect the right of every country to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes as required by the NPT. The DPRK withdrew from the NPT in 2003, accusing it of becoming a tool of the United States to enforce its hostile anti-DPRK policy. ^ top ^
S. Korea, U.S. launch major aerial drill (Xinhua)
2012-05-08
South Korea and the United States launched a biannual joint aerial drill Monday amid speculations of a potential nuclear test by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the defense ministry of South Korea said Monday. The "Max Thunder" exercise mobilizes 60 planes and hundreds of air personnel from the allies for a 12-day maneuver over the western airspace of the Korean Peninsula, according to the defense ministry here. The allies will be engaged in precision strikes and air-to-air refueling exercise. The exercise will display the joint military prowess of the allies and their readiness to immediately strike back once under attack, the ministry said. The DPRK has repeatedly threatened retaliation against joint war games, which Seoul and Washington say are defensive in nature. Experts and government officials here believe the DPRK might conduct its third nuclear test soon, following the failed rocket launch that earned international condemnation. ^ top ^
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| Mongolia |
Jailed former Mongolian president in deteriorating health condition (Xinhua)
2012-05-06
Ulan Bator - The health condition of jailed former Mongolian president Nambar Enkhbayar, who began a hunger strike at 7 a.m. Friday (2300 GMT Thursday), is quickly deteriorating, local media reported Saturday. His chief doctor Tseden-Ish said that the decision on forced treatment of Enkhbayar was made earlier in the day. Enkhbayar, held on corruption charges, demanded the dismissal of the chief of the Mongolian Supreme Court and the chief state prosecutor and top officials of the Anti-Corruption Agency, who he considered were appointed illegally. In his handwritten letter smuggled by his lawyers from the jail, the former Mongolian president said that he was "arrested by an illegal order of the current oligarchy regime. "The oligarchs, who took power through fraudulent elections... illegally detained me in order to hide their election fraud and weaken my struggle against their activities and for a fair election, the demolition of the oligarchy regime and the establishment of an independent legal and judicial system in Mongolia," he said in the letter. On April 13, Enkhbayar was arrested on charges of being involved in an illegal privatization deal of a hotel and publishing house and of using TV equipment donated to a Mongolian Buddhist organization to form his own television station. However, supporters said Enkhbayar, head of the opposition Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party, had been framed by President Tsakhia Elbegdorj for political reasons. Enkhbayar, being held in a Tuv province jail, faces an extension of his arrest for two more months until June 27, just one day before parliamentary elections. ^ top ^
NGO's to monitor the June 28 election (News.mn)
2012-05-07
The network of NGO's started parliamentary election monitor. The network, established in 2008, included- The Open Sociey Forum, The Globe International, The Center of Elector's Education, The Development Center of Philantrophy, The Center of Human Rights and Development and The MIDAS. The network confirmed and signed a rule of transparency and independent monitor on Friday. The network will monitor five process of election: -The process of printing, safe, distribute and archive of election voting paper, -The list of electors name, -The media monitor -The monitor of authomatic voting system, and -Monitor of voting day. Results should be introduced to the public and than submitted to the General Election Committee. ^ top ^
Political parties' registration finishes (Montsame)
2012-05-09
The General Election Committee (GEC) reported on Wednesday that it finished a registration of political parties and coalitions who want to run in the 2012 parliamentary election. According to the report, 11 political parties and two coalitions have been registered--the Development Program Party, the Party Implementing Freedom, the Conservative United Party, the Green Party, the Democratic Party, the Civil Will-Green Party, the Mongolian People's Party, the Mongolian Social Democratic Party, the United Party of Patriots, the Motherland Party and the Civil Movement Party; and the "Justice" joint coalition (Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party and National Democratic Party); and the "Third Force" joint coalition (Republican Party and the All-Mongolian Labor Party). In accordance with the law, the GEC shall make decision within five days whether or not to register the party or coalition after having inspected the documents sent. The same day, B.Ganbat, G.Gerelt-Od, B.Bilegt, N.Dagva and D.Erdenechuluun were appointed the members of the GEC pursuant to a parliamentary decision. ^ top ^
Mongolian PM advisor arrested for corruption investigation (Xinhua)
2012-05-10
ULAN BATOR - D. Batkhuyag, former chairman of the Mongolian Mineral Resources Authority and an advisor to Prime Minister Sukhbaatar Batbold, has been arrested on corruption charges, local media reported Wednesday. Batkhuyag is being held in a detention center and investigated for abuse of power and corruption in issuance of mining permits. The Ulan Bator office of South Gobi Sands, a mining company controlled by Canada's Ivanhoe Mines, has been sealed off Monday in relation to the corruption investigation. ^ top ^
China, Mongolia seek to expand military cooperation (Xinhua)
2012-05-11
A top Chinese military official, Xu Caihou, exchanged views Thursday with Mongolian Defense Minister Jadambaa Enkhbayar on international and regional security, ties of the two militaries and other issues of common concern. Xu, vice chairman of China's Central Military Commission, said China-Mongolia military relations have developed smoothly and healthily for a long time, no matter how the international and regional situations change and how domestic conditions develop. [...] China is willing to work with Mongolia to further enhance exchanges and cooperation on personnel training, joint exercises, border defense exchanges and peacekeeping in order to push bilateral military ties to a new stage, Xu said. China always respects Mongolia's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity and also values Mongolia's development path and foreign policy chosen in accordance with its own conditions, he said. Xu highly appreciated Mongolia's friendly foreign policy toward China and voiced support for Mongolia's friendly cooperation with every country in the world on an equal footing. He also expressed backing to Mongolia's policy of forbidding the deployment of foreign troops and the presence of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction on its territory. Enkhbayar said Mongolia-China relations have been developing rapidly in recent years, with fruitful results in political, economic, cultural and defense cooperation. [...] The Mongolian government always adheres to the one-China policy and will continue to do so, he said. ^ top ^
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Gregor Muischneek
Embassy of Switzerland
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The Press review is a random selection
of political and social related news gathered from various media
and news services located in the PRC, edited or translated by
the Embassy of Switzerland in Beijing and distributed among Swiss
Government Offices. The Embassy does not accept responsibility
for accuracy of quotes or truthfulness of content. Additionally
the contents of the selected news mustn't correspond to the opinion
of the Embassy.
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