Wu Bangguo (C), chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC), holds the First plenary session of the sixth session of the 11th NPC Standing Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on Dec. 22, 2008. BEIJING, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- China announced plans Monday to establish a social security number system for the welfare of its citizens. The draft of the social insurance law was discussed by the Standing Committee of the 11th National People's Congress, the country's top legislature, on Monday. The draft said China would establish a standard social security number system across the nation by using each citizen's current identification card number. The social insurance fund will be categorized into endowment insurance, medical insurance, insurance against injury at work, unemployment insurance and childbirth insurance, the draft said. Currently, China's social insurance fund is managed by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and its branches in provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions. According to the country's labor law, the funding of endowment, medical and unemployment insurance is raised by both individuals and their employers. Workplace injury and childbirth insurance have to be paid by employers. A series of social insurance fund embezzlement scandals have been exposed in China since 1998. More than 16 billion yuan (about2.3 billion U.S. dollars) was embezzled. The new social insurance law's draft said any individual or organization has a right to complain or report illegalities about the social insurance fund. The measure is an endeavor to invite more supervision of the citizen's basic security. The draft also determined that a new type of rural medical system, in which farmers and governments raise funds together, would be included in the medical insurance. Governments will cover medical insurance expenses for citizens who live on low-income subsidies, have serious disabilities or are older than 60 years, the draft said.
UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- China called on the international community here on Friday to honor its commitment of aid to Iraq so as to help speed up its process of reconstruction and development. La Yuefan, minister counselor from the Chinese mission to the United Nations, said at the Security Council meeting on the situation concerning Iraq that for progress in security and political fields to be effectively consolidated, economic and social reconstruction must also move ahead. In this regard, "we call upon the international community to truly honor its commitment of aid to Iraq by helping Iraq speed up its process of reconstruction and development," La said, adding that China supports the meeting of foreign ministers of neighboring countries and other mechanisms playing a bigger role. China also hopes that the Iraqi government will continue to lead all factions to agree on the common vision for the future of the country by placing national interests above everything else and strengthening dialogue and unity, La said. "We encourage UNAMI (the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq) to continue its positive role in this regard. We believe it is essential to promote political dialogue and national reconciliation of Iraq in order to consolidate the progress already achieved in various fields," the Chinese diplomat said. Noting that right now the process of peace and recovery in Iraqis at a critical juncture, La said China welcomes the continuous progress achieved by Iraq in the political, security and recovery fields. However, he pointed out that the overall security situation in Iraq remained fragile. "We are especially concerned about the large number of civilian casualties caused by military operations and violent attacks," La said. "We call once again upon the parties concerned to do everything possible to avoid civilian casualties while carrying out military operations," he said.
BEIJING, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- The latest test found that Chinese baby formula milk and other milk powder products met the new temporary restrictions on melamine, the country's top quality control agency said on Thursday. It was the 13th test on the industrial chemical following the tainted baby formula scandal that killed at least three infants and sickened more than 50,000 others, according to the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ). The latest test covered 60 batches of baby formula milk powder from 14 brands in five major cities nationwide, and 68 batches of other milk powder products from 22 brands in 12 cities, the agency said. At present, 1,336 batches of baby formula from 74 brands and 1,935 batches of other milk powder from 178 brands produced after Sept. 14 were tested and all were in line with the limit, it added. Melamine, often used in the manufacturing of plastics, was added to sub-standard or diluted milk to make the protein levels appear higher. China set temporary limits on melamine content in dairy products earlier this month. The limits were a maximum of 1 mg of melamine per kg of infant formula and a maximum 2.5 mg per kg for liquid milk, milk powder and food products containing at least 15 percent milk.
BEIJING, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- China will adopt a flexible and prudent macro-control policy to keep a stable and rapid economic development in the current fourth quarter, according to the State Council here on Sunday. Related financial, credit and foreign trade measures will be carried out in the near future in response to the slowing trend of the country's economic growth and the continuous fluctuation in the domestic capital market amid the ongoing global financial crisis, according to a State Council meeting presided over by Premier Wen Jiabao on Sunday. Agriculture continued to be a priority, with multiple support policies to come following the Communist Party of China Central Committee's decision to strengthen rural development this week. To boost development of small- and medium-sized enterprises, the government planned to widen their investment channels by further encouraging financial institutions to give out more loans. Companies would also get more fiscal support for technology innovation. In addition, the country would reinforce national investment in areas such as the southwest quake-zone reconstruction, infrastructure development and social welfare system, among others. With regard to the foreign trade sector, the State Council, China's Cabinet, decided to increase imports of goods of domestic need and support the country's exports so as to realize the balance of international payments. "We will further raise the export rebate of labour-intensive products such as garments and textiles, as well as mechanical and electrical products with high-added value," the council said. In addition, the country's top administrative body would still keep a cautious eye on price increases with a focus on agricultural and energy related goods. The advent of September's tainted milk scandal had also prompted the central government to pay closer attention to food safety in the fourth quarter. Regulations on dairy product quality and safety, which took effect earlier this month, would be further reinforced, according to the council decision. While acknowledging the affect of the worldwide economic slowdown on the domestic economy, the Cabinet still expressed confidence for the nation to continue a healthy development. "Our economy remains vigorous and has the capability to defend itself against international risks," Premier Wen Jiabao said at a State Council meeting on Friday.
Visiting Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo (L) meets with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Washington, capital of the United States, Dec. 12, 2008. WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo met here with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley on Friday separately to exchange views on bilateral ties as well as international and regional issues of common concern. During the meetings, Dai recalled the great development that has been achieved in bilateral relationship since China and the United States forged diplomatic ties 30 years ago, especially the stable growth in the past eight years. Visiting Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo (L) meets with the United States National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley in Washington, capital of the United States, Dec. 12, 2008. Dai said that the recent years had witnessed frequent contacts and high-level exchange of visits of the two countries, especially between state leaders, as well as deepening political and economic dialogues, ever-increasing mutual understanding, growing common grounds, expanding bilateral cooperation, and more and more convergence of mutual interests. All these achievements highlight more than ever the strategic significance and global influence of a sound and stable Sino-U.S. relationship, Dai said. The state councilor said that the Chinese side was ready to work with the U.S. side to move bilateral relationship of constructive cooperation forward. For this end, he said, the two sides should continue to treat bilateral relationship from a strategic and long-term perspective, enhance dialogue, coordination and cooperation, and respect and accommodate each other's core interests and major concerns. Rice said since the establishment of diplomatic ties, relations between the United States and China had kept improving and bilateral cooperation had been increasingly deepened. The two sides have also had frequent communication and coordination in many areas such as how to cope with the ongoing global financial crisis and prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, she said, adding that the United States and China have become good cooperative partners. Rice said the Strategic Dialogue and Strategic Economic Dialogue between the United States and China should be carried on and expanded because the dialogues had increased mutual understanding and common grounds, achieved fruitful results and laid a solid foundation for the growth of bilateral friendly cooperation. Hadley said that U.S.-China relationship had witnessed great growth in recent years thanks to efforts made by state leaders of the two countries. He said the two sides should continue to strengthen cooperation in bilateral fields and on international and regional issues in a bid to move bilateral relationship further ahead. At the invitation of the U.S. government, Dai arrived in New York on Wednesday on a week-long working visit to the United States. The senior Chinese official is expected to co-chair the sixth Strategic Dialogue between the two countries with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte in Washington on Monday. The China-U.S. Strategic Dialogue was launched in August 2005 in accordance with the consensus of the two heads of state. The fifth dialogue was held in China in January this year.
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SHANGHAI, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said Friday he hoped the United States and China would deepen mutually beneficial financial interdependence. Carter said the financial crisis enabled closer ties between the United States and China and he hoped China would continue to buy U.S. government debt. Carter, in China to attend events to mark the 30th anniversary of Sino-U.S. diplomatic ties, conveyed President-elect Barack Obama's message of his resolve to maintain sound bilateral relations. Although China and the U.S. had different cultures, histories and political systems, they had much more in common, said Carter at a symposium marking the anniversary. The United States attached great importance to U.S.-China relations, especially in coping with the challenge of global climate change and the financial crisis, he said. He believed bilateral relations would continue to develop and improve in the next 30 years. In Shanghai, Carter also attended the opening of a photo exhibition which showcased the 30-year course of China-U.S. relations. The former president also voiced his confidence in the strong U.S. participation in the Shanghai World Expo to be held in 2010.
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.
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.
BEIJING, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- China will adopt preferential fiscal and investment policies to boost economic development and trade in border areas, said the Ministry of Finance (MOF) on Thursday. As of Nov. 1, residents who live in the border will be exempted from taxation of the daily necessities such as food and cloth costing in total no more than 8,000 yuan (1,171.3 U.S. dollars) per individual in one day. Fiscal departments at all levels of government will allocate funds to support enterprises that engage in small-amount trade in border areas as of Nov. 1. But the MOF didn't reveal how much money would be allocated. The amount of the fund is expected to increase every year, and no limitation was set on the period, said the MOF