Anti-terrorism drill in Guiyang【PHOTO NEWS】

Armed riot policemen run past a burning car during an anti-terrorism drill as part of efforts to maintain security in Guiyang, Southwest China's Guizhou Province May 22, 2007.

Foreiner in China：Money Management: in China, and in my Country

Some reflections on a Chinese language post from My Chinese Blog Experiment, called 钱的管理：中国跟我的国家有区别吗? You can also read about some of my other Chinese Language Posts here.
This was one of my first efforts at writing a Chinese post on this blog. It’s great practice for my Chinese, and I have to say I enjoyed it a lot. I chose money management as a topic, because I definitely see a lot of the new upper-middle class spending money in ways that just don’t make no sense…
I don’t mean to focus on money, but it’s tricky to avoid this topic if you’re a Canadian/American in China. When I meet someone on the street, and I tell them I’m Canadian, the most common reply is “Canada, eh? Canada’s really rich, right?”
Now, being from Canada’s poorest province, Newfoundland, I often feel the need to explain that not everywhere in Canada is rich. But instead I usually just play a game I like to call “Count the Audi’s.” Despite the fact that China is still a country in development, man oh man, does it ever have a shit-load of luxury cars! In my province, I might see a couple of Audi’s in a week. Here’s I can hit the same total in about ten seconds.
Now is it necessary to own such a car? Or is it that having such a car projects the image that you want to show others in society?
Compensating for anything?
I guess it happens everywhere in the world, but I think when you get a strata of society new to money, as some in China are, you’re likely to find this phenomenon.
Another point I raised in this post was the fact that second-hand clothing doesn’t really seem to be popular here in China. At least not that I can see — with the possible exception of army surplus stores. By the way, check out Chinese Rock Star, He Yong (left), not being afraid to buy a second-hand Navy shirt. Good for you, buddy!
Most other countries have tiny stores where you can go and get old retro, dirty cheap clothes, for about the same price as regular clothes in China. There’s a scary thought hey? If Chinese textiles can be made for so cheap, maybe the second hand stuff is priced so low it’s not worth selling…
More likely it’s the fact that Chinese people in general are more concerned about the possible image they might portray by wearing someone else’s used clothes? Maybe the knock off Ralph Lauren with the leather man-purse is a better option?
Anyway the underlying truth of the matter, in my opinion, is that appearing to have money in China seems to be almost as good as being rich for real.
What I’ve tried to say in my Chinese post - and I tried to do it in a relatively sensitive way without being negative - was that it doesn’t matter what impression you project for others to see. Expensive cars, clothes, cell phones — they’re just a mask.
The opinion others have of you means nothing in the end. The most important thing is the opinion you have of yourself.

`24' has China on the Brain!

Trying to get a sense of China’s place in the American public consciousness—to the extent it exists at all-- isn’t easy. As we’ve seen, China barely registers in presidential campaign, and when it does (as in the Republican debate the other night) the subject tends to elicit absurdly simplistic soundbites (which ,as I write that , I realize is redundancy squared…).China, however does play a bit part in one of the most popular TV series in the US: 24, the drama in which super Agent Jack Bauer routinely saves the US from terrorists in one day ( 24 stands for 24 hours). The series is entertaining—I count myself as a fan—even though the plot lines have become increasingly, shall we say, convoluted now that the series is in its sixth season. I mean, how many different ways can Jack Bauer save the Republic from terrorists 24 hours? Well, one way is to have China, the rising superpower, play a sinister role in this season’s back story. At end of last season, China intelligence agents kidnapped Jack and took him back to China, where, according to the story, he was tortured mercilessly for two years. Why had they done this? Because Jack had shot and killed a Chinese agent at the LA consulate in his pursuit of Islamic terrorists earlier in the season (why was he shooting up the Chinese consulate in pursuit of Islamic terrorists? Never mind, it seemed to make sense at the time, even if it doesn’t now)…. At the beginning of this season, Jack is returned from the Chinese prison, looking a little worse for wear, having been tortured for two years. Nevertheless, in about five minutes he’s fit as a fiddle and tracking down terrorists again. Now, as this season draws to a close, we find that Jack’s father—a high techy, CEO kind of guy—is helping the Chinese steal a critical electronic component which will give Beijing access to all of Russia’s defense plans. How is it Jack’s father is in bed with the Chinese, and why in the world does everyone from the President of the United States to Jack Bauer care so much about //Russian// defense plans? Never mind; like I said, it’s more than a little convoluted. The highlight of this episode—at least for those of us with China on the brain—came when Jack’s father tried to kidnap his grandson (Jack’s nephew). Again, never mind the rationale or how the kid fits into the plot. The priceless bit of dialogue comes when the grandfather speaks by phone to the grandson, explaining his plans for the two of them: Jack’s father (speaking to the grandson, Josh): “…I’m taking you away from this ungrateful country, to someplace we can both start over.”
Josh: “Where?"Granndpa: “China. Within a decade, they will have surpassed this country in EVERY possible way. And WE can be part of it! I am going to give you the future I promised you when you were born.Josh: “I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”“No, I didn’t think you would, but you will…”
Wow. I say this as a certified Panda Hugger (married to a Chinese woman, own a home in Shanghai, don't believe China's really a threat to anyone right now): I’m with Josh! What the hell ARE you talking about, Grandpa!!? The question of the day is, wouldn't most Americans ask the same question as Josh? Or do they, god help us, agree with Grandpa?

Spending on R&D gets boost

　　China, which last month pledged to become an innovation nation, yesterday unveiled a strategy to strengthen its scientific prowess over the next 15 years.
　　Spending on research and development (R&D) will account for 2.5 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) by 2020, according to the National Guideline on Medium- and Long-term Programme for Science and Technology Development (2006-20) issued by the State Council.
　　The ratio of spending on R&D will be increased to 2 per cent of GDP by 2010 from the current 1.3 per cent.
　　"By 2020, the general goal for our country's science and technology development is to dramatically strengthen homegrown innovation capacity," the plan said.
　　The targets are based on ground realities in China and the experience of other countries, said Gao Changlin, a senior researcher with the National Research Centre for Science and Technology for Development.
　　Gao, who was involved in strategic research for formulating the guideline, told China Daily that it is a global trend to increase investment in science and technology, both in developed and developing countries.
　　Most of the funds must come from State coffers rather than the private sector, he said, explaining that even in developed countries, government spending usually exceeds 35 per cent of the total spending on R&D.
　　Also in the guideline, the country envisions that by 2020, science and technology will contribute 60 per cent to economic growth.
　　The reliance on key foreign technology will decline to below 30 per cent from more than half now.
　　To achieve these goals, the blueprint details a number of policies on financial support, tax incentives and government procurement, together with a package of key projects.
　　Gao said motivating enterprises to go down the path of innovation would be crucial, adding that spending on R&D might be tax- deductible.
　　The guideline also pledges to have a mechanism of venture capital investment for startups; and encourages small- and medium-sized technology companies to go public overseas.
　　The guideline lists a comprehensive package of key technology, frontier technology and basic research programmes.
　　The 16 key programmes will address a series of urgent problems China confronts in energy, information, health and resources; and develop technologies for both military and civilian uses.
　　They include a new generation of wide-band wireless mobile communication technology, exploration of large oil and gas fields and coalbed gas, water pollution control, prevention of serious contagious diseases such as AIDS and hepatitis, manned space flights and lunar exploration.
　　In frontier technologies, China will focus on such sectors as energy, biology, information, new materials, advanced manufacturing, space development and exploration of seas and oceans.
　　In energy research, for example, advanced technologies for energy-efficient buildings, utilization of clean and liquidized coal, extraction of oil and gas from areas with complex geological structure and development of recycled energy and new energy are all given priority.
　　In basic science research, four major programmes are the study of proteins, control of quanta, nano technology and research of growth and reproduction.

China-Japan talks 'expect no breakthrough'

A new round of sub-cabinet-level talks between China and Japan is expected to open in Tokyo tomorrow, but Chinese analysts expect no "breakthroughs" for the frosty ties.
Heading a Chinese delegation, Vice-Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo is expected to fly to Tokyo today to hold two-day talks with his Japanese counterpart, Shotaro Yachi.
No specific topics have been officially unveiled, but Japan's Kyodo News Agency reported the upcoming Dai-Yachi talks are likely to touch on the Japanese leader's repeated visits to the Yasukuni Shrine honouring 14 convicted Class A war criminals and the bilateral dispute over China's natural gas project in the East China Sea.


A major task for the talks is to break the stalemate in the soured China-Japan relations, without which the high-level meeting between the two leaders cannot go on, said Jin Xide, a researcher on Japanese studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
"So we can't expect any breakthroughs on a specific question if it hinders the development of bilateral relations from the fourth-round China-Japan strategic talks," Jin told China Daily yesterday.
China and Japan had three rounds of talks last year, the last one taking place in Beijing in October.
The last talks were stopped when Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visited the Yasukuni Shrine, which China, along with other Asian countries, sees as a symbol of Japan's past militarism.
China-Japan relations have cooled since Koizumi took office in 2001 and began his annual visits to the Yasukuni Shrine.
Despite repeated requests by Beijing and Seoul to stop the pilgrimages, Koizumi visited the Yasukuni Shrine in October, triggering a further strain on diplomatic ties.
Signs have shown the icy political relations have "cooled" the growth of bilateral trade, because the bilateral relations were at a very low point last year.
Between January and August last year the trade volume of Japan and China increased by 10.3 per cent year on year at least 13 percentage points less than the growth rate between the EU, the United States and the Republic of Korea, which register at 23.7, 24.9 and 25.7 per cent respectively, according to the Ministry of Commerce.
The key to improving bilateral ties is for Japanese leaders to face up to wartime history and stop visiting the Yasukuni Shrine, a move that has offended the Chinese people, said Guo Xiangang, an expert at the China Institute of International Studies.
The talks are significant because communication between the two countries still functions. "I personally feel cautiously optimistic about the outcome of the talks," he said.
On Tuesday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan told reporters at a regular news briefing in Beijing that China hopes the two sides can enhance their understanding through the talks.
"We will also reiterate our solemn stances on certain issues," he added.

Remains of Chinese victims back home from Pakistan

Officers carry the coffins of three Chinese engineer victims, who were killed by gunmen in southern Pakistan, to a hearse at Luogang Airport in Hefei, East China's Anhui province February 18, 2006. The plane, carrying the three bodies of Chinese engineers from Pakistan, arrived at the Hefei Luogang Airport. Later, the bodies were carried to the hometown of the victims by car immediately. The victims, Long Hongbao, Wei Jianping and Zhao Bin, were shot along with other three colleagues when their car was attacked by gunmen on a road in the town of Hub, some 700 km (435 miles) southeast of Quetta, the Balochistan provincial capital February 15.

Baby swimming

Three infants swim in a baby health center in Huangshi, Central China's Hubei Province February 7, 2006. Swimming is conducive to the development of babies' body systems and gets increasingly popular among young parents.

Chinese new fation,haha

China's golden monkeys make a comeback

China's golden monkeys, a species more endangered than giant pandas, have made a surprising comeback with populations quadrupling in the past two decades.

China's golden monkeys, a species more endangered than giant pandas, have made a surprising comeback with populations quadrupling in the past two decades.

The snub-nosed monkeys, which are found only in southwestern Guizhou province, have risen in number from 200 in the early 1980s to around 800, Xinhua news agency said.
Despite its growing numbers, the animal is still endangered, Xinhua cited experts saying Sunday.
Poaching and forest fires are two of the main causes for the decrease in population, according to Yang Yeqin, director of Guizhou's Fanjingshan National Nature Reserve, where most of the monkeys live.
The gregarious animals are also vulnerable to human diseases, such as tuberculosis, cholera and measles, Yang said.
Researchers believe that the number of the snub-nosed monkeys would not rise rapidly even if their habitats were enlarged.
However, the numbers would drop dramatically if their habitats dwindled, which may lead to their extinction, said the researchers.
Wildlife experts said the animals' living space must be extended, monitoring and protection of their environment must be strengthened and a breeding base should be established to save the animals.

Leaving mark on 'Great Wall' costs US$120

For about 120 dollars, visitors to China's Great Wall can now leave their mark on a fake wall built recently in the name of preventing graffiti on the genuine structure.

A view of the Great Wall of China. For about 120 dollars, visitors to the Chinese landmark can now leave their mark on a fake wall built recently in the name of preventing graffiti on the genuine structure.
For about 120 dollars, visitors to China's Great Wall can now leave their mark on a fake wall built recently in the name of preventing graffiti on the genuine structure.

The management office of the Juyongguan section of the Great Wall in Beijing built the fake wall and will charge 999 yuan (124 dollars) for carvings on each brick, daily newspaper The First reported.
With 9,999 bricks available, the marble structure could help management rake in 9.9 million yuan (1.2 million dollars).
Juyongguan's management said they were hoping to satisfy visitors' desire to leave something behind -- usually their name or words of love -- while discouraging them from carving graffiti on China's best-known cultural relic.
The Great Wall, which receives four million visitors a year, has suffered greatly from graffiti.
But the project has come under some criticism with The First newspaper citing one expert as saying many schemes to "protect" the wall are actually aimed at reaping profits from the cultural treasure.
The fake wall is located near the most-visited section of the real wall in Badaling and visitors usually travel to Juyongguan on their way to Badaling.
Less than 2,500 kilometers (1,500 miles) remain of the original 6,300-kilometer structure first built in the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC).
It was rebuilt in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) to keep out northern tribes threatening the Chinese heartland.

Corruption in mining investment faces action

A senior work safety official yesterday vowed a further crack down on illegal investment by government officials into coal mines this year, in a drive to clean up the industry.
"As Premier Wen Jiabao has required, we will continue to strike hard at any illegal investment in coal mines by government officials," said Zhao Tiechui, vice-minister of the State Administration of Work Safety.

Two miners watch the live broadcast of Foreign minister Li Zhaoxing's news conference at a coal mine in Huaibei, East China's Anhui Province March 7, 2006. The hoped the ongoing session of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference could help them improve work conditions and raise incomes.[newsphoto]

Zhao, also director of the State Administration for Coal Mine Safety, issued the warning on the sidelines of the ongoing annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature.
In his government work report to the NPC on Sunday, Premier Wen placed an unprecedented emphasis on improving work safety.
"We will conduct in-depth investigations into cases of dereliction of duty and corruption related to work safety and severely punish those responsible," Wen said.
Illegal investment in coal mines by government officials have been widely blamed for their disregard of illegal or unsafe operations in the lucrative business.
Last year, 5,938 coal miners were killed in 3,341 accidents, accounting for almost 80 per cent of the world's total.
By the end of last year, the government has forced 4,878 officials and heads of State-owned enterprises to withdraw 562 million yuan (US$69 million) of investment in coal mines as part of a special campaign.
Zhao yesterday encouraged the public to report on corrupt practices and help seek out the officials who had invested in coal mines.
"We will firmly depend on the support of the public to push ahead with the work," he said.
The senior official also emphasized that his administration will step up efforts to close down unsafe coal mines through better supervision.
To curb rampant coal mine accidents, Zhao's administration issued new safety rules for coal mines in September last year, ordering the closure of illegal mines and the suspension of those that failed to meet safety requirements.
A total of 5,243 illegal and unsafe mines had been closed down by the end of last year.
"Despite the initial progress, it cannot be ruled out that some unsafe coal mines are still in operation, and we will continue to strengthen our supervision and inspection," Zhao said.
As China's coal industry is often hitted by deadly accidents, the vice-minister said he spends at least half of his working time investigating coal mine accidents each year.
Zhao expressed his hope that the central government's greater attention on work safety will pay off with greatly improved mining safety.
Earlier, Premier Wen said the central government will allocate 3 billion yuan (US$371 million) in treasury bonds to control coal mine gases, which are a major cause of coal mine blasts.

Hot Public Servant Examination

The pictures were taken on May 13, when the municipal public servant qualification examination was held in Suzhou of JianSu Provice. More than 12,000 examinees took part in the examination to compete for 481 posts.

Former Nuke Command Center Open to Tourists

The headquarters of China's first nuclear weapons research and production base in northwest China's Qinghai Province has been declassified and opened for tourism.Qinghai Atom City, code-named the No. 221 Plant of the China Nuclear Industry Corporation, was located 3,200 meters above sea level and 101 kilometers from the provincial capital, Xining.The command center of the base is 9.3 meters below the ground and built from reinforced concrete. It is composed of eight segments: a carrier wave room, a wiring room, an aeration room, a command room, an electricity generation room, a manual exchange room and a telegraph transmission room.
China's first atomic and hydrogen bombs were built at the base, which was constructed in 1958. It is located on the grasslands in the north of Qinghai and covers more than 1,100 square km.The government closed the base in 1987 to support its demands for a complete ban aiming to destroy world's nuclear weapons. The base was handed over to the local government in 1993.In 1995, China made an official international announcement that the base had been decommissioned. It became a National Patriotism Education Demonstration Base in 2005.A museum has been built to display the telegraphs, telephones, machines, clothes, bowls and food coupons that belonged to the people who worked at the base. The base is now called the Xihai Township.Last year, the government allocated 93 million yuan (US$11.6 million) to better preserve the base. The dilapidated site is currently being renovated.

Oral sex can spread throat cancer

BEIJING, May 11 (Xinhuanet) -- The same virus that causes cervical cancer increases the risk of throat cancer for both men and women engaging in oral sex, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine Thursday.The study, involving 100 people with throat cancer and 200 without it, found that those infected with the human papillomavirus (HPV) were 32 times as likely to develop one form of oral cancer than those free of the virus."It makes it absolutely clear that oral HPV infection is a risk factor," said Maura L. Gillison, a Johns Hopkins oncologist and the senior author of the study.The research suggests that unprotected oral sex is a major reason people are contracting throat cancer -- not just smoking and excessive alcohol consumption, as previously believed.Gillison said the more oral-sex partners a person has, the greater the risk of contracting oral cancers (located in the tonsils, back of the tongue and throat). The good news is that the risk remains low over all."There's been a kind of sea change in the last 10 years in who we're seeing with these cancers," Gillison said. "It makes sense with some changes we've seen in sexual behavior."But Gillison also stressed the immune system usually clears HPV on its own."People should be reassured that oropharyngeal cancer is relatively uncommon, and the overwhelming majority of people with an oral HPV infection probably will not get throat cancer," Gillison said.

China's children too busy for playtime

At the age of 12, Zhuzhu seems to have everything a child could dream for -- plenty of toys, beautiful clothes and even a piano.

Students bury their heads into the mountain of text books at a middle school classroom in a village in Jinzhai County, east China's Anhui Province, May 11, 2007. (Xinhua Photo)Zhuzhu however, has little time to play, with a mountain of homework to do.Like most other Chinese children her age, Zhuzhu has to go to school from Monday to Friday, nine hours a day -- an hour more than her parents spend at work. Come the weekend, her mum and dad indulge themselves in a lengthy lie-in -- Zhuzhu however, isn't so lucky.Unlike her parents, she has to get up early for piano lessons on Saturday and Sunday morning, followed by private extracurricular Maths and English classes the afternoon. As a reward for her hard work, Zhuzhu's parents let her play with her toys for one hour on Saturday and Sunday evening."She will have plenty of time to play after she enters university," said Zhuzhu's 42 year-old mum An Hui, a department manager of a PR company in Beijing.Zhuzhu is not alone. According to a new survey conducted by the Chinese Youth and Children Research Center (CYCRC), increasing numbers of children in large cities across the country are experiencing joyless childhoods.The CYCRC surveyed 2,500 primary and secondary school pupils across the country in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Changchun, Chengdu and Lanzhou. The results of the survey reveal how, due to long school hours and growing pressure from parents to study hard, children are feeling unhappy about a lack of playtime.On average, China's children spend 8.6 hours a day at school, with some spending 12 hours a day in the classroom. The survey also claimed that the majority of children spend longer hours at school than their parents spend at work.Almost all of the students involved in the survey said they had to do homework, revise and prepare for classes after school. Around half of the students' parents testified that they often don't allow them to play outside as it means less study time.The CYCRC survey also reveals that when they do have spare time for play, many children are either too tired to play or have nobody to play with -- only 4 in 10 of the survey's participants claim they had friends to play with.Indeed, Sun Yunxiao, director of the CYCRC noted that heavy study loads have exhausted children, more than half of the survey's participants said that what they want most is, "A good night's sleep."Chinese students are put under ever-increasing pressure by their parents to study hard due to the country's highly competitive market for university places and jobs. Study pressure has led to an increase in stress, psychological problems and even tragedy.Last June, a 16 year-old girl from Chengdu, Sichuan Province, committed suicide after failing to pass the entrance exam for a respected senior high school.In spite of persistent requests from the Ministry of Education asking parents to stop enrolling their children in extracurricular courses and requesting schools to limit homework time to one hour a night, primary and secondary schools have continued to offer after school Maths and English classes, with the sole aim of sending more students to good universities."Too many students are striving for the limited places in higher education resources may be a reason for schools' flout to the circulars," said Sun Yunxiao.As for Zhuzhu, her mother, An Hui, knows full well that her daughter doesn't get enough sleep or playtime, "We have no other choice," she said, "if she gives up now and doesn't study hard, she will regret it as her future will be lost. She will complain to us more then.""This is the reality of China," An sighed.

China's central bank to retain dollar reserves

BEIJING, May 11 -- The central bank said yesterday that the country will not sell large amounts of U.S. dollar-denominated assets to diversify its foreign exchange reserves.
The People's Bank of China also warned of a risk of rising inflation and a rebound in investment as the economy steamed ahead in the first quarter, growing by 11.1 percent year on year.
Authorities have said the country will diversify part of its foreign exchange reserves, which amounted to 1.02 trillion dollars by the end of March and are believed to be invested mainly in dollar bonds.
The central bank said it will mainly address the issue of newly added reserves by widening the foreign currency investment channel and reaffirmed the importance of its U.S. dollar-denominated assets. They will remain an important part of China's outbound investment, the bank said in its monetary policy report for the first quarter, which was published on its website yesterday.
The bank also said it would keep the yuan basically stable at a reasonable level.
The bank warned in the report that the country faced the risk of inflation and of a rebound in investment, and that it must prevent the economy from overheating.
In the first quarter, urban fixed asset investment grew by 25.3 percent year on year, 0.9 percentage points faster than in the first two months. Meanwhile, the consumer price index rose by 2.7 percent year on year, but in March the index grew by 3.3 percent, bypassing the alarm level of 3 percent set by the central bank.
In another development, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) announced yesterday that the country's current account surplus hit 249.9 billion dollars last year, an increase of 55 percent over the 2005 level of 160.8 billion dollars.
The jump came mainly from the increase in the trade of goods, which reached 217.7 billion dollars, up 62 percent year on year, the foreign exchange regulator said on its website.
The surplus in the country's capital and financial account reached 10 billion dollars, down 84 percent. The SAFE attributed the fall to the strong growth in outbound securities investment.
It gave no figures for last year's overall balance of payments surplus.

China-ASEAN military ties no threat

PATTAYA, Thailand - China's bid for closer military ties with Southeast Asia is a "positive overture" and does not pose a threat to US interests in the region, a top US military commander said on Thursday."Our reaction to it is, we are going to reach out to China and engage with them. If they want to exercise together, I'm prepared to exercise right now," said Lieutenant-General John Goodman, commander of US Marine Corps Forces in the Pacific."I view it as an opportunity. It is change, but change needs to be viewed from a long-term perspective," he told foreign journalists in the Thai resort town of Pattaya where the annual Thai-US "Cobra Gold" war games began on Tuesday.Nearly 5,000 military personnel, including 1,900 from the United States and smaller contingents from Singapore, Japan and Indonesia, are taking part in the largest multilateral exercise for US forces in the region.However, Washington's allies fear it has been distracted by Iraq, Iran, the war on terror and North Korea, allowing China to raise its profile in the region quietly and be more assertive.During a summit with leaders of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) last October, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao called for greater cooperation on cross-border issues such as counter-terrorism, transnational crime, maritime security, rescue operations and disaster relief.Those goals could equally apply to Cobra Gold which, over its 26 years, has evolved from an exclusively Thai-US exercise to include many other countries from the region.China, which has sent observers to Cobra Gold, has proposed its own joint exercises with ASEAN, according to a report by Jane's Defence Weekly last month."Sources told Jane's that the Chinese proposal, which is still in an early stage, involves a joint naval drill," wrote Robert Karniol, Jane's Asia-Pacific editor.Discussions began in early 2007 with an aim to hold the exercise in mid-2008, the report said."I think it's a positive overture. It helps move toward avoiding miscalculation," Goodman said, adding he would like to see US forces take part in a China-ASEAN exercise."Let's go out and let's exercise. Let's train together, let's get to know one another. Let's figure out who we are and how we can make this place a better place to live," he said.Jane's said the Chinese proposal "signals that Washington can expect heightened competition for influence in Southeast Asia."Goodman said: "That is true, but it does not have to be a competition. That's the most important lesson we have to learn."However, he added the fact a third of the US Marine Corps' fighting force was based in the Pacific underscored the US commitment to the region."Some of them go to Iraq and Afghanistan. They come back. This is our home and we are here for the long haul. The United States is an Asia-Pacific nation," he said.US commander on first China visitCommander-in-Chief of the US Pacific Command Timothy Keating arrived in Beijing yesterday on his first China visit since taking office.During his stay in Beijing, Keating will meet senior Chinese generals and officials, including Guo Boxiong, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, China's top military institution.The five-day visit will also take Keating to Nanjing, capital of East China's Jiangsu Province, where Keating is scheduled to visit military institutions and bases.Keating took the helm of the US forces in the Pacific in late March, succeeding William Fallon.Also yesterday, a delegation from the US National Defense University Capstone Program, headed by retired general William Nyland, visited Beijing

RMB appreciation process becomes quicker

Chinanews, Beijing, May 11 - On Tuesday, Renminbi's exchange rate against the dollar hit the 7.7 mark to reach a new high since the exchange rate regime. Renminbi value seems to rise at a faster speed than before and this has brought significant changes to China's employment and China's foreign currency exchange system, the Legal Evening News reported.

Blue-eared Pig Disease Could Be Behind Deaths

Initial indications suggest that porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), or blue-eared pig disease, has caused the deaths of more than 300 pigs in Yunfu, in southern China's Guangdong Province.The disease, which broke out late last month, was the result of a secondary bacterial infection by the PRRS virus, according to a statement released yesterday by the provincial department of agriculture.The PRRS virus entered China from overseas in the mid 1990's and has recently shown signs of mutation. It cannot spread from animals to people and is said to be under control in the district.Tests for the disease are available, and a vaccine against the disease has received State approval and is to be distributed soon, said the statement.Meanwhile, Yang Weixin, head of Silao Town, where most of the pig deaths occurred, denied overseas media reports that more than 80 percent of the 10,000 pigs in the area had died.He said the pigs produced there were mostly consumed locally. Media reports said sales of pork in the affected area had dropped significantly since the outbreak.The Yunfu city government previously organized mass sterilizations in places affected by the disease, as well as in pig markets and slaughterhouses. It has also prohibited the transport and slaughter of live pigs from the affected areas.Dead pigs, most of which belonged to individual farmers, have been buried deep underground and far from sources of water.Meanwhile, the provincial department of agriculture has called for strict measures to ensure sterilization, vaccination and supervision to prevent further outbreaks of pig diseases.

Hu, Bush discuss trade talks; $4.3B deals signed

U.S. President George W. Bush (R) and first lady Laura Bush (2nd L) gather on the South Portico of the White House with China's President Hu Jintao (2nd R) and his wife Liu Yongqing at a welcoming ceremony in Washington, April 20, 2006. [Reuters]Chinese President Hu Jintao and US President George W. Bush on Wednesday discussed an upcoming visit to Washington by a senior Chinese official aimed at bridging trade differences.US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi are to hold trade talks in Washington May 22-24.White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said Bush phoned Hu from Air Force One as he traveled to Kansas to view a tornado-stricken town."The president welcomes the visit to Washington of Vice Premier Wu Yi and her delegation later this month aimed at deepening our economic ties in a mutually beneficial fashion," Johndroe said.President Hu stressed that China and the US can properly settle problems arising from bilateral economic and trade cooperation through frank and sincere dialogue.Hu said he believes that with concerted efforts by both sides, positive achievements will be scored in the upcoming second round of strategic economic dialogue between the two countries, which will contribute to giving fresh impetus to China-US economic and trade cooperation.According to Chinese statistics, China's trade surplus with the United States widened to a record $144 billion last year, sparking concern in the United States and triggering a number of disputes between the two countries.On bilateral relations, both Hu and Bush considered that China-US relations have been kept in a momentum of favorable development and that the two sides should beef up dialogue and cooperation, to promote healthy and stable progress of the constructive and cooperative relations between the two countries.The two leaders also agreed on the need for North Korea to meet its nuclear obligations, Johndroe said.The two presidents will meet in Germany next month during the summit of the Group of Eight countries.

Tibet Officials Kick off Inspection of Water Resources

Officials from the environment and resources committee of the Tibet Autonomous Regional People's Congress on Tuesday kicked off a large-scale examination of how water from the region's five major rivers is used."As part of a nationwide environmental protection drive, the campaign will be the longest and most wide-ranging examination of the region's use of water resources," said Luosang Toinzhub, deputy director of the standing committee of the Tibet Autonomous Regional People's Congress.During the period from May 8 to June 3, more than 20 members from the environment and resources committee of the regional people's congress will travel along the Yarlung Zangbo River, Nyangchu River, Lhasa River, Niyang River and Yarlung River to collect information and statistics about the water resources in these rivers.The focus will be on the protection of drinking water, construction of small hydropower plants and pollution treatment facilities, as well as the building and maintenance of water conservancy facilities, said Luosang Toinzhub, who is also deputy head of the organizing committee of the environmental protection program in Tibet.The examination will be carried out in 16 counties in Lhasa, Xigaze, Shannan and Nyingchi areas.

China Power to Spend US$4b on Renewable Energy

China Power International plans to spend up to US$4 billion by 2010 developing renewable energy as Beijing pushes to clean up its air and water and whittle down its reliance on imported resources.To help bankroll the investment -- one of the largest planned investments in renewable energy ever announced by a corporation -- the company is studying listing shares on mainland stock exchanges, Chief Executive Li Xiaolin told reporters on Monday.Hong Kong-listed shares in the company fell 0.5 percent on Monday, lagging a 0.27 percent gain in the benchmark Hang Seng Index.China intends to spend an estimated US$200 billion on renewable energy over the next 15 years, partly to build hydropower, wind- and solar-powered plants to fuel growth in the world's largest energy consumer after the United States.The government aims to boost renewable energy to 10 percent of energy use by 2010 and has ordered its largest power firms to ensure that 5 percent of their generation runs on renewable sources by the end of this decade, rising to a 10th by 2020.State-run firms from China Power to larger rivals such as Huaneng Power and Datang International Power are gearing up commercial projects.China Power International, which became the second-largest shareholder of Oriental Investment Corp. this month, wants to change that firm's name to China Power New Energy Development Co. and re-focus it on renewable energy.By 2010, China Power International plans to put into operation 1,000 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy capacity -- including wind, hydropower and biomass -- have another 1,000 MW under construction and have a further 1,000 MW in the pipeline."It typically takes 8 to 10 billion yuan to build 1,000 megawatts of renewable capacity. So the total investment will be 24 to 30 billion yuan (US$3.1-US$3.9 billion)," said Liu Genyu, Oriental Investment's chief operating officer.DOMESTIC LISTINGAnalysts say high costs and low tariffs for renewable energy mean profit uncertainty, but executives remain optimistic.On the face of it, China Power's five-year investment plan dwarfs spending by the world's largest oil firms. The country spent US$6 billion on renewables in 2005, excluding large hydropower projects, the Xinhua News Agency cited academics as saying.Shell has invested an estimated US$1.25 billion from 1996 to 2006, according to calculations based on official data and company information, making the Anglo-Dutch company the oil sector's biggest investor in green energy.And BP Plc. has spent around US$900 million on renewables since 1999, according to published figures and information from BP sources."Because of low tariffs and high costs, there are different views on profitability of renewable energy. But we believe the government is endorsing development of new energy and will gradually issue favourable policies," Liu said.Datang, China's second-largest listed electricity provider, aims to generate 20 percent of its total power output via hydro by 2010 from about 2 percent in 2006.An A-share sale -- if allowed -- might help with some of the costs.Many Hong Kong-listed Chinese firms, eyeing record-high valuations in Shanghai and Shenzhen, are pondering mainland listings as a ready source of ample cash.But regulations are sketchy on whether red chips such as China Power, which are backed by Beijing but registered in Hong Kong or overseas -- making them essentially foreign firms -- can list easily in the Chinese mainland."The domestic A-share market is doing very well. We are actively studying the possibility of going back for a listing," Li said without elaborating. ($1=7.705 Yuan)

China Power to Spend US$4b on Renewable Energy

China Power International plans to spend up to US$4 billion by 2010 developing renewable energy as Beijing pushes to clean up its air and water and whittle down its reliance on imported resources.To help bankroll the investment -- one of the largest planned investments in renewable energy ever announced by a corporation -- the company is studying listing shares on mainland stock exchanges, Chief Executive Li Xiaolin told reporters on Monday.Hong Kong-listed shares in the company fell 0.5 percent on Monday, lagging a 0.27 percent gain in the benchmark Hang Seng Index.China intends to spend an estimated US$200 billion on renewable energy over the next 15 years, partly to build hydropower, wind- and solar-powered plants to fuel growth in the world's largest energy consumer after the United States.The government aims to boost renewable energy to 10 percent of energy use by 2010 and has ordered its largest power firms to ensure that 5 percent of their generation runs on renewable sources by the end of this decade, rising to a 10th by 2020.State-run firms from China Power to larger rivals such as Huaneng Power and Datang International Power are gearing up commercial projects.China Power International, which became the second-largest shareholder of Oriental Investment Corp. this month, wants to change that firm's name to China Power New Energy Development Co. and re-focus it on renewable energy.By 2010, China Power International plans to put into operation 1,000 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy capacity -- including wind, hydropower and biomass -- have another 1,000 MW under construction and have a further 1,000 MW in the pipeline."It typically takes 8 to 10 billion yuan to build 1,000 megawatts of renewable capacity. So the total investment will be 24 to 30 billion yuan (US$3.1-US$3.9 billion)," said Liu Genyu, Oriental Investment's chief operating officer.DOMESTIC LISTINGAnalysts say high costs and low tariffs for renewable energy mean profit uncertainty, but executives remain optimistic.On the face of it, China Power's five-year investment plan dwarfs spending by the world's largest oil firms. The country spent US$6 billion on renewables in 2005, excluding large hydropower projects, the Xinhua News Agency cited academics as saying.Shell has invested an estimated US$1.25 billion from 1996 to 2006, according to calculations based on official data and company information, making the Anglo-Dutch company the oil sector's biggest investor in green energy.And BP Plc. has spent around US$900 million on renewables since 1999, according to published figures and information from BP sources."Because of low tariffs and high costs, there are different views on profitability of renewable energy. But we believe the government is endorsing development of new energy and will gradually issue favourable policies," Liu said.Datang, China's second-largest listed electricity provider, aims to generate 20 percent of its total power output via hydro by 2010 from about 2 percent in 2006.An A-share sale -- if allowed -- might help with some of the costs.Many Hong Kong-listed Chinese firms, eyeing record-high valuations in Shanghai and Shenzhen, are pondering mainland listings as a ready source of ample cash.But regulations are sketchy on whether red chips such as China Power, which are backed by Beijing but registered in Hong Kong or overseas -- making them essentially foreign firms -- can list easily in the Chinese mainland."The domestic A-share market is doing very well. We are actively studying the possibility of going back for a listing," Li said without elaborating. ($1=7.705 Yuan)

Capital City Over Packed During Golden Week

With the growing interest in visiting the city's differently themed parks, the Forbidden City received 114,800 visitors on Wednesday, the second highest number ever since the Golden Week holiday system came into operation.On May 2, more and more people flocked to parks and suburban scenic spots for travel. Among all the tourist attractions, the Forbidden City in Beijing was the most packed at 2.3 times its capacity, receiving a total of 114,800 visitors. This was second only to its record high in 2000, according to the latest statistics from the Beijing Holiday Office yesterday afternoon.The Long Qing Gorge in Beijing's countryside attracted 15,000 visitors, also surpassing its maximum capacity. Other over-packed tourist destinations in Beijing included the Badaling Great Wall, the Summer Palace, Beijing Zoo, the Tian' an Men Square, the Beijing Aquatic Museum, the Shijingshan Amusement Park and the Happy Valley.In addition, the ongoing pop music week in Chaoyang Park, in east Beijing' s Chaoyang District, stands out as a cultural campaign for city branding. The event put on 13 performances on Wednesday morning, attracting over 61,000 visitors from both home and abroad.The Beijing News reports that 67% of the star-leveled hotels in Beijing have been rented out in the past few days with the average hotel rent ratio hitting 73% in the city and 49% in the countryside.

Chinese Police Receives Avalanche of Porn Reports

Chinese police have received more than 13,000 reports about pornographic material on the internet since the nation launched a campaign to restrict the spread of online pornography on April 12.The number of reports about pornographic websites has increased from around 300 to nearly 700 every day. And 31 percent of reports received by police in this period were about pornographic websites, according to the Ministry of Public Security (MPS)."The fight against pornographic websites has won wide support from Chinese people," said an MPS official.A computer teacher, surnamed Jiang, from east China's Zhejiang Province said: "I'm disgusted by the pornographic material on the internet, and deeply worried about the impact on children.""We really need to crack down on internet crimes and pornography and create a clean and healthy cyberspace for youngsters," Jiang said.China has roughly 123 million internet users, most of whom are young people.Wu Heping, spokesman of the Ministry of Public Security, said recently that preliminary statistics show that nearly 80 percent of juvenile delinquents have been lured into crime by evil contenton the internet."In a high proportion of cheating, rape or robbery cases involving young people, the internet is a factor," Wu said.Chinese police last week said they had arrested a 21-year-old student for running five pornographic websites with 210,000 registered users.Police also announced that they had closed 1,450 porn websites and deleted more than 30,000 obscene messages online since the launch of the campaign.Over a six-month period, the campaign by the MPS and nine other government departments will crack down on illegal online activities such as distributing pornographic materials and organizing cyber strip shows, and purge the web of sexually-explicit images, stories, and audio and video clips.The campaign will also target illegal online lotteries and contraband trade, fraud, and "content that spreads rumors and is of a slanderous nature".

Avalanche Kills 1 Tourist, Injures 7 in Yunnan

An avalanche killed one tourist and injured another seven, including two seriously, in southwest China's Yunnan Province Wednesday afternoon, said a local official.The avalanche occurred at about 3:00 PM on Wednesday in a scenic spot of the Meili Snow Mountain, about 10 km northeast of Deqen County in the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Deqen in Yunnan, said Tashi Toinzhub, head of the Deqen County.Rescuers had to first carried the injured people to a village about two hours' walk from the scenic spot to receive medical treatment, because there is no highway linking the spot with the county seat, he said.No one is missing in the accident, he said.More than 300 people, including police officers, armed soldiers, medical workers and tourist officials, have been mobilized for the rescue operation, he said.Meili Snow Mountain, about 800 km northwest of the Yunnan provincial capital of Kunming, is a well-known scenic spot that separates Yunnan from Tibet.It has 13 peaks whose average altitudes all exceed 6,000 meters, with the highest reaching 6,740 meters.

Chinese mainland to expand cross-strait charter flight services

BEIJING, May 3 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese mainland is considering opening six more airports to non-stop charter flights across the Taiwan Strait to cope with rising passenger traffic, a senior civil aviation official has said.Currently, the mainland operates flights from Beijing, Shanghai,Guangzhou and Xiamen to Taipei and Kaohsiung in Taiwan.The new airports would be Chengdu, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Shenzhen,Dalian and Guilin.Gao Hongfeng, deputy director of the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC), said that airports in another seven cities -- Tianjin, Fuzhou, Chongqing, Zhuhai, Shenyang, Qingdao and Guiyang -- would be designated as alternate airports for emergency landings.The deputy director told Shanghai-based China Business News that Taiwan airlines operating cross-strait charter flights are authorized to establish an organization or a representative office in cities where cross-strait charter flight services are available.He said the CAAC would help if Taiwanese airplanes -- for weather or aircraft reasons -- needed to make an emergency landing at mainland airports open to charter flight services.The CAAC said that Taiwan companies are encouraged to establish joint ventures on the mainland to run airlines, build airports or produce articles used on aircraft.They were also encouraged to expand cooperation with mainland counterparts in aircraft maintenance, cargo storage, market development, code sharing and purchase of flight supplies.Aviation organizations on the Chinese mainland and Taiwan launched first non-stop charter flights across the Taiwan Strait for the Chinese Lunar New Year in 2005, the first direct cross-strait air flights in more than five decades.They agreed to expand the services to other traditional Chinese festivals last year. But regular charter flights across the Strait have still not been realized.During this year's Qingming Festival or Tomb Sweeping Festival which fell on April 5, mainland and Taiwanese airlines operated 42 charter flights, carrying 7,000 passengers in total.

Capital City Over Packed During Golden Week

With the growing interest in visiting the city's differently themed parks, the Forbidden City received 114,800 visitors on Wednesday, the second highest number ever since the Golden Week holiday system came into operation.On May 2, more and more people flocked to parks and suburban scenic spots for travel. Among all the tourist attractions, the Forbidden City in Beijing was the most packed at 2.3 times its capacity, receiving a total of 114,800 visitors. This was second only to its record high in 2000, according to the latest statistics from the Beijing Holiday Office yesterday afternoon.The Long Qing Gorge in Beijing's countryside attracted 15,000 visitors, also surpassing its maximum capacity. Other over-packed tourist destinations in Beijing included the Badaling Great Wall, the Summer Palace, Beijing Zoo, the Tian' an Men Square, the Beijing Aquatic Museum, the Shijingshan Amusement Park and the Happy Valley.In addition, the ongoing pop music week in Chaoyang Park, in east Beijing' s Chaoyang District, stands out as a cultural campaign for city branding. The event put on 13 performances on Wednesday morning, attracting over 61,000 visitors from both home and abroad.The Beijing News reports that 67% of the star-leveled hotels in Beijing have been rented out in the past few days with the average hotel rent ratio hitting 73% in the city and 49% in the countryside.