BEIJING, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese netizens have made their voices heard more loudly and their presence better recognized in headline news events over the past year. When the Beijing Olympic torch relay overseas was disrupted in April, almost all the Chinese msn messenger users posted "I love China" beside their names, a move that looked "overwhelming" to Kevin, a French man who was living in Shanghai at the time. As to domestic affairs, netizens did not sit aloof. After the dairy scandal emerged in September, netizens' strong criticisms finally led to the resignation of Li Changjiang, then director of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine. Yan Jirong, professor at Peking University's School of Government, said this incident showed the government was paying attention to public voices on the Internet. A report released by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences on Dec. 2 showed about 206 million Chinese use the Internet as their main source of news. According to the China Internet Network Information Center, under-30s are the majority of online news readers, accounting for about 69 percent of total Internet users. On June 20, Hu visited the Qiangguo Forum, which is affiliated to people.com.cn, and chatted with netizens. Hu's visit drew so many clicks that it almost crashed the site. Premier Wen said frankly at a press conference on March 18 that he had been using the Internet to listen to netizens' opinions and suggestions during the annual sessions of the National People's Congress, the top legislature, and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the top advisory body. Fans of the two leaders started to post suggestions and support to the two leaders at beginning of July on a bulletin board of the people.com.cn, a website of the People's Daily. It was prompted by affection for Hu and Wen after seeing how they dealt with the May 12 earthquake, the fans said in their postings. After the magnitude-8.0 earthquake struck the southwestern Sichuan Province and the neighboring provinces on May 12, the two officials paid repeated visits to the devastated areas and impressed netizens with moving behavior and words. Some scholars said bluntly that the Internet had indeed built a direct link between the grassroots and the central power. Local officials, on the other hand, are going a step further to write blogs and hold debates with netizens on hot issues. Li Ou, vice mayor of Siping in the northeastern Jilin Province, has been hailed by netizens as being the most active mayor who uses his real name to debate with netizens on social affairs. Li's blog was selected as one of the "top 10 blogs of 2008" in a poll by the People's Daily based on the votes from millions of netizens. Another local official, Liao Xinbo, deputy director of the Department of Public Health of the southern Guangdong Province, was also on the list. His blog was picked for pointing out the keyto China's new medical reform plan which is likely to be issued in January, reported the People's Daily. Liao wrote on Dec. 25 that China should learn from other countries, such as Cuba, in drafting the long-delayed medical reform plan. "The government is seeking new ways for the public to voice opinions," said Yan. A survey taken by the China Youth Daily's poll center showed about 72 percent of those responding hoped the Internet would be anew path to democracy. More than half of those surveyed said the exchanges on the Internet helped to bring the government closer to the public.
BEIJING, Oct. 17 -- The government is ready to introduce a series of measures to cushion the impact of slower growth in foreign trade and industrial output caused by the global credit crisis, the vice-minister of the National Development and Reform Commission, said Thursday. Speaking at a press conference held by the State Council Information Office in Beijing, Du Ying said that as the global economy has slowed, foreign trade volume, value-added output and the profit growth of industrial firms based in China's coastal areas have shown a downward trend in the second half of the year. "The State Council is greatly concerned by the trend and is ready to introduce a series of measures," he said. But the full impact of the global financial crisis has yet to be seen, he said. "We must have a full picture of the difficulties and challenges," he said. The government has already taken several measures to combat the impact, including lowering the deposit reserve ratio, helping small- and medium-sized factories to upgrade their technologies, and introducing more favorable credit policies, Du said. He said he is confident China can weather the storm. "As in the past, China can overcome the challenges and difficulties and enter a new stage of development. I'm fully confident of that," Du said. With the global financial crisis continuing to escalate, China - the world's fourth largest economy - has seen its major economic indexes slide. The National Bureau of Statistics is due to release figures on Monday for the economic situation over the past three quarters. Some analysts have forecast that GDP growth might drop further in the third quarter, from 10.1 percent in the second quarter and 11.9 percent for the whole of last year. Yang Xiong, vice-mayor of Shanghai, said the city's industrial output growth fell to 6 percent last month from an average of 11.5 percent per month in the first three quarters. The financial hub remains in good shape, however, partly due to investments in preparation for the 2010 World Expo, he said. Zhao Kezhi, deputy governor of Jiangsu, said the province's trade figures were down 4 percent year-on-year in the first nine months. Chen Min'er, vice-governor of Zhejiang, said the province had witnessed "individual" cases of company failures, but denied media reports of widespread factory closures. Authorities will respond by trying to cut the tax burden on local firms, make more credit available and ensure a sufficient supply of land and power for manufacturers, Chen said, adding that now was a good time to weed out obsolete, polluting plants. On Wednesday, Zhou Xiaochuan, governor of the central bank, called for increased domestic consumption to counter the economic slowdown. "Due to the impact of various factors, we may need to increase domestic demand," he told Hong Kong-based Phoenix TV.
BEIJING, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao has ordered the Ministry of Railways (MOR) to "brainstorm for measures" to help travelers over the annual Spring Festival travel peak. The ministry's website on Thursday reported a message from Hu, saying, "This year's Spring festival is facing a tougher supply-demand imbalance and the ministry has to brainstorm for measures to promote passenger convenience and open the measures to public. The ministry has to ensure a smooth and safe transportation during the peak season." Passengers head for their trains at the Beijing West Railway Station in Beijing Jan. 15, 2009. China's annual Spring Festival pessenger rush is getting started these days as the Spring Festival comes close Senior officials Zhou Yongkang and Zhang Dejiang have also urged the ministry to investigate ticket shortage problems and take actions to guarantee tickets. In response to the instructions, Vice Minister of Railways Wang Zhiguo said the ministry had ordered to suspend cargo services to allow more passenger trains in the busiest southern and eastern regions. Short-distance passenger trains would be suspended for more long-distance trains. Hard sleepers would be changed to seats. The ministry will also transfer passenger trains serving northeast and northwest areas to south and east China and improve schedules of temporary trains, especially those for students and migrant workers. Meanwhile, tickets will be sold only in the railway ticket sales network, except for group tickets for students and migrant workers. Hotels, restaurants and travel agencies are ordered to halt ticket booking services, and major stations will adopt 24-hour sales. Stations have to set up counters for students and send staff to sell tickets in schools and places where migrant workers gather. Sales staff are prohibited from buying tickets for others, from carrying cash and mobile phones during work hours, from keeping personal belongings on the sales desk. Wang also apologized to passengers who had reacted angrily to a video posted online, which showed a sales lady in Beijing Railway Station printing 130 tickets for trains running to cities in the northeast. Passengers had accused the station of scalping tickets. People queue up to buy train tickets at the Beijing West Railway Station in Beijing Jan. 15, 2009. China's annual Spring Festival pessenger rush is getting started these days as the Spring Festival comes close. "On behalf of the ministry, I have to apologize to passengers for their unpleasant feelings and misunderstandings the incident has caused," Wang said. "The action was immediately investigated and turned out it was part of advance preparations to save time for passengers. There was no rumored collusion between railway staff and ticket scalpers." He said the ministry pledged to crack down on scalpers and exert strict supervision on booking systems, including sales outlets and online booking. Last December a nationwide campaign was launched to tackle ticket counterfeiting and scalping. As of Thursday, the authorities had detained 2,393 people in 2,009 scalping investigations and seized 78,237 tickets, of which 60,000 were counterfeit. MOR spokesman Wang Yongping said insufficient transport capacity resulted in the short supply and scalpers made it worse. Almost 188 million people are expected to travel by train in the holiday season, up 8 percent or 13.73 million from last year. The daily rail traffic will grow by 340,000 people to a record average high of 4.7 million. From Jan. 1 to 10, the number of passengers leaving Beijing increased 29.4 percent year on year. The figure for Shanghai was 22.7 percent and Guangzhou 25.8 percent. The Spring Festival rush started on Jan. 11. The first four days saw 18.15 million travelers nationwide, 4.538 million a day, up 8.5 percent from a year earlier. Wang said the ministry had arranged a record 2,208 temporary trains, 253 more than the same period last year, and more were yet to come into service, but the supply was still far from enough, he added. Wang Zhiguo said the ministry would start construction on up to 30,000 kilometers of new lines with investment of more than 2 trillion yuan (292.5 billion U.S. dollars) in two years. Operational railways would stretch 110,000 kilometers by 2012 when the difficulty of obtaining a ticket would be much eased, he added. People queue up to buy tickets at the Changsha Railway Station in Changsha, capital of central-south China's Hunan Province, Jan. 8, 2009. The Spring Festival travel period, known as Chunyun in Chinese, began to see its passenger peak in Changsha as the college students and migrant workers started to return home.
BEIJING, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- China has called on state enterprises and academic institutions to step up efforts to attract more leading Chinese scientists studying overseas, a move that would enable the country to stay globally competitive. According to a guideline issued by the General Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, high-quality Chinese talent in foreign countries, especially those at the frontier fields of science and technology, is needed for China to embrace global competition and forge ahead with its opening up. Priority should be given to the recruitment of leading scientists who are able to make breakthroughs in key technologies, develop high-tech industries and lead new discipline areas, said the guideline. It urged key laboratories, state-owned commercial and financial institutions, high-tech zones, and higher institutions to create favorable conditions to attract more overseas Chinese experts to serve their motherland. Efforts should be made to make sure they are well-treated, have good career prospects and enjoy convenient service, the guideline stated. "(We should) further emancipate our mind, break away out-of-date rules and regulations, improve relevant policies, and fully understand, trust and use them." it said. Chinese scientists who have studied abroad have long played a crucial role in developing the country's industry, education and national defense programs. Among them were Qian Xuesen, China's father of space technology, Li Siguang, founder of China's geomechanics and Deng Jiaxian, nuclear physics expert. An official with the Organizational Department of the CPC Central Committee has said that a large portion of scientists from the country's two top academies studied abroad. More than 80 percent of the academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences have studied abroad. The figure for the Chinese Academy of Engineering is 54 percent.
FUZHOU, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- Construction on a new nuclear power plant started Friday in southeast China's Fujian Province. The Fuqing Nuclear Power Plant, located in the coastal city of Fuqing, requires an investment of around 100 billion yuan (14.6 billion U.S. dollars). It will have six units that generate millions of kilowatts each. During the first phase of the project, two units will be built and put into operation in 2013 and 2014. They will use advanced second-generation pressurized water reactor technology. The two units are expected to generate more than 14 billion kilowatts of electricity annually, most of which would be consumed within the province. Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang (C) shakes hands with project representatives during the inauguration ceremony for the construction of the Fuqing Nuclear Power Plant in southeast China's Fujian Province Nov. 21, 2008 "Nuclear power is a kind of clean, efficient and reliable new energy," said Vice Premier Li Keqiang during the plant's inauguration ceremony. "To develop nuclear power is important for improving the country's energy structure and security." China National Nuclear Corporation, Fujian company of China Huadian Corporation and the government-funded Fujian Investment & Development Co. Ltd. will jointly build and operate the plant. The three companies have a stake of 51 percent, 39 percent and 10 percent, respectively, in the new plant. An unidentified local government official said three billion yuan has already been spent since preparation work for the project started in 2007.Another five billion was planned for 2009. The project is expected to create more than 10,000 jobs. Currently, China has 11 nuclear power reactors in operation. All reactors employ second-generation nuclear power technologies. The country plans to have 40-million-kilowatts of installed capacity in nuclear power by 2020, accounting for four percent of China's energy production. Right now, installed capacity of nuclear power is only about nine million kilowatts, or about two percent of the total power the country produces.
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) -- Senior leader of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Zhou Yongkang met with Brunei Foreign and Trade Minister Prince Mohamed Bolkiah on Sunday evening. The meeting came as Zhou made a transit stop in Brunei on his way back to China. Zhou, one of the nine-member Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, hailed the sound and smooth growth of China-Brunei ties since the two forged diplomatic ties in 1991. Zhou said that particularly in recent years, the all-round friendly cooperation between the two countries has been strengthened, thanks to the joint efforts of leaderships, governments and peoples of the two countries. China and Brunei have been understanding, supporting and closely cooperating with each other on regional and international issues, he said. Zhou also lauded Brunei's role as a coordinator in deepening the strategic partnership between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Zhou said China would continue to pursue its long-term neighbor friendship with Brunei and would like to work with Brunei to take the relations to a new high. Mohamed congratulated China on successfully hosting the Beijing Olympics and the summit of Asia-Europe Meeting(ASEM). The friendship between the peoples of China and Brunei can be traced back to the time earlier than the establishment of diplomatic ties, he said. He pledged Brunei would support China's increasingly important role in regional and international affairs. He said Brunei would like to work with China to seek common development. Before his transit in Brunei on Sunday, Zhou concluded his fortnight trip to the three Asia-Pacific nations, namely Vietnam, Indonesia and Australia.
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LIMA, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao said Sunday that China and Russia should strengthen strategic coordination at a time when the global political and economic structures are undergoing the most profound changes since the end of the Cold War. Hu made the remarks at a meeting with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev on the sidelines of the 16th Economic Leaders' Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Lima, Peru. China and Russia should make concerted efforts to overcome the impact of the ongoing global financial crisis, maintain the sound momentum of their economic growth, and push ahead with reforms of the international financial system, the Chinese president said. Chinese President Hu Jintao (R) shakes hands with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev during their meeting in Lima, capital of Peru, Nov. 23, 2008. Hu also called for efforts to earnestly carry out the outline on implementing the Sino-Russian Good-Neighborly Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation. The two nations should enhance consultation on strategic security, and conduct timely exchanges of views on major international and regional issues and coordinate their positions, Hu said. On issues related to their core interests, China and Russia should continue to strengthen mutual support and coordination, he added. Efforts should also be made to combine the development of the Sino-Russian strategic cooperative partnership with market-oriented policies, so as to further promote their pragmatic cooperation in various fields, he said. As for the Six-Party Talks on the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula, Hu urged relevant parties to continue to strengthen coordination and cooperation, push forward the talks and strive for the gradual establishment of a mechanism for peace and security in Northeast Asia. He expressed China's support for Russia's role as an initiator in the establishment of the mechanism, adding that the two countries should also enhance coordination in promoting regional economic cooperation. Medvedev said the two countries should strengthen strategic consultation on issues relating to peace and security across the world and in the Asia-Pacific region. Russia is willing to strengthen consultation and cooperation with China in jointly coping with the global financial crisis, the Russian president said. The financial departments of the two countries could hold a meeting at an appropriate time to discuss how to implement the results of the financial summit of the G20 held a week ago in Washington and those of the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, he said. On the Six-Party Talks, the Russian president said relevant parties should properly handle their differences and make efforts to push forward the talks and promote peace and security in Northeast Asia.
LONDON, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Sunday warned against protectionism in face of lingering global financial crisis. Speaking at a meeting with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Wen said as international financial crisis is spreading, his visit to London was to send a message of confidence for Britain and China to join hands in overcoming current difficulties. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (R) shakes hands with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair during their meeting in London Feb. 1, 2009. Wen is on a three-day official visit to Britain, the last leg of his week-long European tour. He noted that the two sides should further explore the potential for cooperation, and guard against trade protectionism, in particular. The premier, who arrived in London on Saturday for a three-day official visit, welcomed British businesses to invest in China, while expressing wishes for Britain to increase exports of goods, technology and equipment to China. On the upcoming G20 summit in April, Wen pledged that China would work together with Britain towards an active achievement. Blair said the international community highly values China's role and views in dealing with the current financial crisis. Wen's speech at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos has sent a message of confidence in strengthening cooperation and overcoming difficulties. The former British prime minister noted that Britain supports free trade, and is opposed to protectionism in trade. Businesses in the country also wish to further their ties with China. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (R) shakes hands with Britain's Conservative Party leader David Cameron during their meeting in London Feb. 1, 2009. Wen is on a three-day official visit to Britain, the last leg of his week-long European tour.On Sunday, Wen also met with David Cameron, leader of Britain's Conservative Party, the major opposition party. Wen told Cameron that China attaches great importance to developing relations with the Conservative Party, and is willing to further inter-party exchanges and improve mutual understanding and cooperation. Cameron said his party and himself adheres to one-China policy and developing relations with China, and would continue to strengthen exchanges and ties. Wen also briefed China's policy and measures on dealing with financial crisis, adding it's imperative for the two sides to adhere to fair and open trade in resolving issues arising from the international financial system. According to the premier, Sino-British cooperation is beneficial to both countries. Cameron noted that China has been a responsible country in coping with the financial crisis, and China's policies of stimulating domestic demands while keeping its market open has been beneficial to Britain and the world alike. Cameron hoped that the two countries would strengthen bilateral and multilateral ties, and work together in facing the crisis. During his three-day visit, Wen will meet with people from political, business and financial circles. He will also deliver a speech at the University of Cambridge. On Saturday, Wen met with Stephen Perry, chairman of 48 Group Club, and the representatives of "Young Icebreakers." His trip is a return visit for British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's China tour early last year, as a regular high-level meeting mechanism set between the two countries. Britain is the last leg of Wen's week-long European tour, which began Tuesday and has already taken him to Switzerland, Germany, the European Union (EU) headquarters in Brussels and Spain.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao on Saturday called on the international community to make concerted efforts to tide over difficulties arising from the global financial crisis. Hu made the appeal while addressing a summit meeting of the Group of Twenty (G20) on financial markets and the world economy in Washington. RESTORE MARKET CONFIDENCE President Hu urged the international community to take all necessary steps to promptly restore market confidence and stop the spread and development of the financial crisis. "The international financial crisis has now spread from some parts of the world to the entire globe, from developed countries to emerging markets, and from the financial sector to the real economy," said Hu, who arrived here Friday for the G20 summit. "To effectively deal with the financial crisis, all countries should strengthen confidence and intensify coordination and cooperation," he stressed. To deal with the crisis, Hu said major developed countries "should undertake their due responsibilities and obligations, implement macroeconomic policies that are conducive to economic and financial stability and growth both at home and internationally, take active steps to stabilize their own and the international financial markets and safeguard investors' interests." "Meanwhile, we should all enhance macroeconomic policy coordination, expand economic and financial information sharing, and deepen cooperation in international financial regulation so as to create necessary conditions for stability in both domestic and international markets," Hu added. REFORM INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL SYSTEM Hu urged the international community to earnestly draw lessons from the ongoing financial crisis and, based on full consultations among all stakeholders, undertake necessary reform of the international financial system. "Reform of the international financial system should aim at establishing a new international financial order that is fair, just, inclusive and orderly and fostering an institutional environment conducive to sound global economic development," Hu said. He said the reform should be conducted in a comprehensive, balanced, incremental and result-oriented manner. "A comprehensive reform is one that has a general design and includes measures to improve not only the international financial system, monetary system and financial institutions, but also international financial rules and procedures," he noted. "A balanced reform is one that is based on overall consideration and seeks a balance among the interests of all parties," Hu said. "An incremental reform is one that seeks gradual progress," said the president, adding that it should proceed in a phased manner, starting with the easier issues, and achieve the final objectives of reform through sustained efforts. "A result-oriented reform is one that lays emphasis on practical results. All reform measures should contribute to international financial stability and global economic growth as well as the well being of people in all countries," he stressed. Based on those considerations, Hu listed four priorities in reforming the international financial system -- stepping up international cooperation in financial regulation; advancing reform of international financial institutions; encouraging regional financial cooperation; and improving the international currency system. HELP DEVELOPING COUNTRIES COPE WITH CRISIS President Hu also called for international efforts to help developing countries and the least developed countries cope with the global financial crisis. "When coping with the financial crisis, the international community should pay particular attention to the damage of the crisis on developing countries, especially the least developed countries (LDCs), and do all it can to minimize the damage." It is necessary to help developing countries maintain financial stability and economic growth, sustain and increase assistance to developing countries, and maintain economic and financial stability in developing countries, he said. CHINA TO PLAY CONSTRUCTIVE ROLE Responding to natural disasters and the global financial crisis, China has made timely adjustment to its policies and strengthened macroeconomic regulation, Hu said. "Steady and relatively fast growth in China is in itself an important contribution to international financial stability and world economic growth," he noted. "The Chinese government has adopted measures to boost economic development, including lowering the required reserve ratio, cutting the deposit and lending rates, and easing the corporate tax burdens," Hu told the participants. Meanwhile, as a responsible member of the international community, "China has taken an active part in the international cooperation to deal with the financial crisis and played a positive role in maintaining international financial stability and promoting the development of the world economy," he said. "Stability of the international financial markets and sustained development of the global economy are crucial to the well being of all countries and people," Hu noted. "Let us tide over the difficulties through concerted efforts and contribute our share to maintaining international financial stability and promoting global economic growth," he concluded.