KAMPALA, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Special Envoy on African Affairs Liu Guijin on Wednesday called for concerted efforts to be made especially by western countries toward an early ending of Darfur crisis in western Sudan through negotiations between warring parties. "There is no military solution on the ground. The only possible solution to Darfur problem is the political process," Liu told reporters in a press briefing held here at the Chinese Embassy. "We need a comprehensive approach to address the problem. To have embargoes or sanctions will not solve the problem," he said during a two-day visit here. Liu said that China has been extensively involved in facilitating the peace process in Darfur by persuading the Sudanese government to show more flexibility, which has led to Sudan's acceptance of a hybrid peacekeeping mission in the region led by the African Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN). He further urged his western colleagues, who seem to have more access to and influence on rebels, to spare no effort to bring them to the negotiation table. "We appeal to our western partners to exert more influence to convince the rebels to agree and come to the negotiating table with the government of Sudan," he said. The smooth implementation of the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) and the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) reached between northern and southern Sudan is the only means to achieve total and sustainable peace in the country, he noted. The envoy said he fully supports the position taken by the AU and the Arab League on the arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al Bashir issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in March this year. The warrant details charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during the conflict in Darfur. The AU has decided not to cooperate with ICC before an independent investigation is done by former South African President Thabo Mbeki. "We criticize such move and refuse to cooperate with it. The position of the Chinese government is in compliance with the AU and the Arab League position," Liu said, noting President Bashir has a significant role to play in the implementation of CPA and DPA. "President Bahir has played a very key role in DPA and CPA. How can you implement them without the involvement of the Sudanese government? If you want peace to be realized in Sudan, the government is a must in this process," he said. On the concern that the deteriorating relationship between Sudan and neighboring Chad could further impede the peace process in Darfur, Liu said China has been mediating between the two countries to normalize their bilateral relations. In his recent visits to the two countries, he had tried to persuade the two sides that normalizing the bilateral relationship is for their mutual and shared interests, Liu said.
BEIJING, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- China's railways carried 60.75 million passengers nationwide around the seven days of National Day holidays and one day of Mid-Autumn Festival, the Ministry of Railways said on Friday. The figure was 2.18 million more or 3.7 percent up from the same period last year, according to the ministry. The peak transport season lasted for eleven days from Sept. 28 to Oct. 8. Passengers queue to receive security check at the subway station entrance of Beijing Railway Station in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 7, 2009. As the National Day holidays are about to end, the railway transportation witnessed a travel peak all over the nation. China's railways carried a record high of 6.93 million people nationwide on Oct. 1, the National Day. The previous record was set on Oct. 5 in 2008 when China's railways carried 6.48 million passengers. This year, China's National Day holidays and the Mid-Autumn Festival, a key festival in China for family re-union, overlapped. More people working far away from home chose to go back for family re-union in the eight-day holidays.
BEIJING, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- Industrial enterprises in 22 Chinese provinces, regions and municipalities generated 1.11 trillion yuan (163 billion U.S. dollars) of profit in the first seven months, down 17.3 percent from the same period last year, according to the latest official figures. The decline is 3.8 percentage points lower than that in the first six months, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said in a statement Friday. The revenues gathered by the industrial companies' core businesses reached 21.4 trillion yuan in the first seven months, up 0.9 percent from last year. The growth rate is 0.5 percentage points higher than that in the first six months. Of the 39 industrial sectors, 14 achieved a rebound in profit growth, nine recorded a slow-down in profit declines and four turned slumping profit to rebounding profit. The 22 regions refer to China's provinces, regions and municipalities minus Beijing, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Hunan, Guangdong, Anhui, Hainan, Chongqing, Yunnan and Tibet Autonomous Region. The NBS used to publicize national industrial profit every two months, but began to issue the information monthly to improve monitoring frequency on economy this year. Only 22 provinces, regions or municipalities now provide monthly industrial profit data.
BEIJING, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- A senior Chinese legislator said Wednesday that China will promote social exchanges with Myanmar to boost bilateral ties. "We attach importance to and support friendly exchanges and cooperation between social groups and organizations in China and Myanmar, which will contribute to the development of bilateral ties," said Zhou Tienong, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, in a meeting with a delegation from a government-supported organization from Myanmar. Zhou, also president of the Chinese Association for International Understanding, briefed the eight-member delegation on China's political and economic situation, its measures in tackling the global downturn and pledged to boost economic and trade cooperation with the international community, including Myanmar. Zhou Tienong (R), vice chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, meets with a delegation of the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) of Myanmar headed by U Than Htay (L), member of the USDA Central Executive Committee and deputy energy minister of Myanmar, in Beijing, China, on Aug. 26, 2009 The delegation from the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA), was headed by U Than Htay, a member of the USDA Central Executive Committee and Deputy Energy Minister. China-Myanmar trade hit 2.6 billion U.S. dollars last year, anda Free Trade Area of China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is expected to be established in 2010.
BEIJING, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- China said on Sunday the U.S. decision to impose special protectionist tariffs on tire imports from China is grave trade protectionism and goes against its commitments made at the Group of 20 summit. "We hereby express our strong discontentment and firm opposition to the U.S. decision, which was made regardless of China's solemn stance," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said in a statement. U.S. President Barack Obama decided to impose a tariff on tires imported from China on Sept. 11, which will begin with a 35-percent duty the first year and decrease to 30 percent the second year and 25 percent the third year on passenger vehicle and light-truck tires from China. "The United States, by making the decision, failed to honor its commitments made at the G20 financial summit and abused trade remedy measures, which is grave trade protectionism and will undermine the China-U.S. economic and trade ties as well as the early recovery of world economy," Jiang said. China has lodged solemn representation to the U.S. side and reserves its right to take further actions, Jiang said.
BEIJING, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- A senior leader of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Saturday urged concrete measures to maintain stability, which he described as an "arduous" task. Zhou Yongkang, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau, made the remarks at a meeting after hearing reports on the preparation for the security during the National Day holiday and the situations in the country's far western Xinjiang and Tibet. "While on the whole the social situation is stable, the country now faces grave challenges in maintaining stability, and the task is arduous," Zhou said. Currently, the overwhelming political task is to maintain the stability of the capital, said Zhou. Grand celebrations will be held on Oct. 1 in Beijing to mark the 60th founding anniversary of the People's Republic of China. Zhou urged officials and security workers to "fully prepare themselves for the most complicated situation" in order to ensure the smooth run of all activities during the National Day holiday. Describing the security campaign as a "people's war", Zhou urged the capital's neighboring areas to strengthen security check and stamp out any factors that might harm stability outside Beijing "with utmost efforts." Zhou noted that maintaining stability in Xinjiang, where recent needle attacks caused public scare and triggered mass protests after the riot on July 5, is also one of the most significant missions. The riot left 197 people dead in Urumqi, the regional capital of Xinjiang, while five died during the mass protests in the city last week. In addition, Zhou urged the local government in Tibet Autonomous Region to strengthen management on monasteries and "strictly" prevent any harmful attempts from separatists. He said currently people across the country are all hoping for stability and development and "we are fully confident" in managing the security well around National Day.
郑州月经不按时
BEIJING, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- The major part of China's armed forces, Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), has targeted on building up a defense might capable to handle threats in multidimensional battlefields. Celebrating the PLA's 82th founding anniversary which falls on August 1, military experts told Xinhua that an ongoing significant reform inside the 2.3-million strong might will take much more attentions to modernization of the navy and air force.Among the three PLA's senior officers who were promoted to full generals on July 20, Deputy Chief of General Staff Ma Xiaotian was awarded three-star insignias on shoulder of his original Air Force blue uniform. The PLA's officers from different services used to change to the Army's green uniforms if they are promoted to positions in the PLA's four headquarters, a symbol of the Army's dominance in the PLA's construction and development. Chinese soldiers perform during a vocal concert marking the 82nd anniversary of the establishment of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), in Hefei, capital of east China's Anhui Province, Aug. 1, 2009 For example, General Liu Huaqing abandoned his white uniform as the Navy's commander after being promoted to Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) in 1987. General Ma is just a new symbol that the PLA's officers from navy and air force keep their original uniforms as the effort to pay more attentions to the voices from other services. In the current China's top military authority, commanders of the PLA's Navy, Air Force and the Second Artillery Corps for the first time become members of the CMC.
BEIJING, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun summoned Australian Ambassador to China Geoff Raby and lodged a solemn representation to the Australian side on its allowing Rebiya Kadeer, leader of the separatist World Uygur Congress (WUC), to visit Australia.Zhang expressed China's strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to the Australian side on its allowing the visit, a press release of the Foreign Ministry said. Zhang demanded it immediately correct its wrong doings and do not allow Kadeer to visit Australia and engage in anti-China separatist activities in the territory of Australia, the ministry said. The WUC led by Kadeer is believed to have masterminded the July 5 Xinjiang riots that left at least 197 people dead and 1,600 others injured
NANNING, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Authorities in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region announced Wednesday the addition of 20 million yuan (2.94 million U.S. dollars) to a fund financing efforts to fight drought as hot, dry weather maintains its grip on the region. The Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters in Guangxi simultaneously launched a drought control response mechanism which requires local departments such as weather, water resources and power supply to cooperate closely to guarantee success of the efforts to fight drought. According to the local weather department, Guangxi suffered its hottest weather in 58 years from Aug.1-30, with the temperature averaging 28.9 degrees Celsius. The south Chinese region has had 1,152 mm of rainfall in the past eight months, a drop of 12.7 percent from the average level for the same period in normal years. It had rainfall of only 91 mm last month, down 57 percent from the average level for the same month in normal years. The Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters in Guangxi said 638,500 people, plus 299,200 livestock had been suffering from water shortages. And 280,850 hectares of cropland affected because of hot weather and less rain, included 598 hectares of crops that died in the arid conditions. The regional weather service's forecast Monday said Guangxi's drought would continue during the coming week. Guangxi has already made great efforts in drought control. More than 53.41 million yuan (about 7.86 million U.S. dollars) has been set aside so far. The region's department of water resources has dispatched five working groups to areas such as Laibin, Chongzuo, Wuzhou, Hezhou, Hechi, all in Guangxi, to supervise or guide drought control efforts. Zhong Xiangting, the department's chief, said the region had since late August mobilized more than 1.71 million people to fight drought, which has helped irrigate 148,470 hectares of crops and temporarily solve water shortages faced by 390,280 people and 193,110 livestock.
BEIJING, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- China on Wednesday called for more policy assistance and financial support to encourage the development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Attendees at a State Council executive meeting, chaired by Premier Wen Jiabao, agreed that promoting the sound development of the SMEs was of great importance to maintain economic growth and social stability. The government would exert more efforts to improve the policy and law system to create a more open and fair competition environment for SMEs. Measures would be taken to help SMEs tackle financing difficulties, and the establishment of the Growth Enterprise Market (GEM), the country's first Nasdaq-style market, would speedup helping small companies raise fund. The central government would also increase funding to support the SMEs, especially in sectors such as technological innovation, industrial structure adjustment and employment. The government would pick some SMEs to participate in the country's subsidized purchasing program of home appliances, agricultural machinery and automobiles in rural areas as well as the auto, home appliance replacement program. Attendees at the meeting demanded better services for SMEs and support to promote technological progress and structure adjustment in SMEs. They also reviewed and approved draft regulations on national body-building and on the administration of joint-venture establishment of foreign companies or individuals in China. Both regulations would be released to public after further revision.