China :: Commentaries

I was born in the year China sent its first satellite into orbit in 1970, but I never expected that I would grow up pursuing aerospace stories. I don't know whether it was because the country's space program fell into the category of "State secret", or because I was not well informed. All I knew about space when I started reporting in the late 1990s was the 1970 satellite and a legend about Wan Hu, the first man believed to have blasted off 500 years ago by sitting on a chair rigged with two kites and 47 rockets. By 1998, when I was assigned to the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi province, the country was six years into its manned space program, codenamed "921 Project". It was, however, not until late 2003, when China had successfully staged its first manned space flight, that the media began to mention the project by that name. Bundled up in a thick coat, I stood in the biting cold abo...

Board any of China's high-speed trains and you'll step into a clean and comfortable cabin worthy of airlines. More important, the trains will whisk you to your destination almost as quickly as propeller-driven aircraft. These trains cover the 1,069-km journey between Guangzhou and Wuhan in about three hours, while the 120-km trip between Beijing and Tianjin is done in half an hour. But it wasn't always so. Just two years ago, the Guangzhou-Wuhan train trip would take more than 10 hours, while you would have been hard-pressed to get to Tianjin from Beijing in less than two hours before 2008. Indeed, it's been only three years since high-speed trains were introduced in China - and just four years after the State Council drew up medium- and long-term plans to develop a high-speed rail network for the country. And by the middle of this year, another high-speed train link will open, joining Beijing and Shanghai a...

Flash The Fourth Hong Kong International Art Fair, held in the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center over the weekend, was a feast for the eyes of art lovers. The event has focused the world's attention on the great purchasing power of Asian buyers. Organizers of "ART Hong Kong 2011" have promised to make it the biggest ever in Hong Kong, with a display of new images and multimedia works. There are paintings, photographs and sculptures, as well as a colorfully-painted BMW sports car that combines modern industry with art. "Focus on future, focus on Asia" is the theme of the Art Fair. Apart from the huge scale and glamorous art works, the event is also committed to developing ingenious details. In an interactive section named "little Picasso", kids can work with well-known artists to paint trees signifying growing vitality. In a little wooden house decorated with some 70,000 mirrors, children can experience the charm of fairy tales. The host also s...

Accusations of excess commercialization hit the National Museum of China on Tuesday for its decision to invite Louis Vuitton to co-organize its first design exhibition since four years' renovation was completed at the Tiananmen Square fixture. The National Museum of China in Beijing opens its doors on the eastern side of Tiananmen Square to Louis Vuitton on Tuesday. The design exhibition which runs until August 30 has drawn criticism for its obvious commercial streak but matches the museum's fresh new identity according to museum deputy director Chen Lsheng. Everything about the exhibition looks like a fancy luxury commercial, inappropriate for a national museum, anonymous guests to the museum's press conference on Monday told the Beijing News. The Louis Vuitton, Voyages exhibition will run until August 30, marking the brand's 20th anniversary of arriving on the Chinese mainland, according to the museum's official website. Trademark Louis Vuitton suitcases and handb...

The Department of Defense concluded on Tuesday that a cyber attack or sabotage coming from another nation is an act of war, and is finalizing a strategy based on their findings, said media reports. The plan has not been made formally public but the Wall Street Journal, citing military officials close to the matter, said that parts will be released next month. In the report, the Pentagon is seeking to equate a hack to an actual military attack, sending a warning to potential foes. If you shut down our power grid, maybe we will put a missile down one of your smokestacks, one military official told the Journal. An increasing number of critical sites, like nuclear power plants, power grids, and mass transportation lines have gone online, making them more likely to be hacked. Several days ago, Lockheed Martin, who is a major defense contractor for the U.S., was apparently hacked. The company has stressed that no significant information was taken. At a press conference on Tuesday, ...

Premier Wen Jiabao (C) is seenduring a warm-up activity at a PE class in Shibalidian primary school in Chaoyang district, Beijing, May 31, 2011. Wen pays a visit to the school Tuesday, where he joined students in a basketball game and encouraged children to stay healthy by participating in sports and other physical activities. [Photo/Xinhua] Premier Wen Jiabao (R2) makes a layup during a basketball game at a PE class in Shibalidian primary school in Chaoyang district, Beijing, May 31, 2011. [Photo/Xinhua]

The Chinese government is carrying out a nationwide investigation into the status of official motor vehicles in a bid to reform the way in which they are purchased and used. Official vehicles will be surveyed and checked for registration as part of the campaign. Data collected during the survey will be used to lay the foundation for reforming the way official vehicles are managed, according to a statement from the central authorities. The campaign will cover vehicles used by Communist Party of China (CPC) organizations, government-funded institutions, people's congresses, political advisory bodies, and courts and procuratorates, the statement said. The campaign focuses on areas in which official vehicles may have been improperly purchased or operated. Vehicles that are discarded while still in good condition and the use of official vehicles for private purposes are prohibited. The campaign is launched in response to the public's demand for information about the expenditure of o...

Elkroam dry land at a national nature reserve in Shishou city, Central Chinas Hubei province, May 30, 2011. Approximately 400 elk are affected by a severe drought, which is threatening their food, drinking water and mating patterns. The reserve has built more than 30 flumes to provide drinking water. [Photo/Xinhua] Elkroam dry land at a national nature reserve in Shishou city, Central Chinas Hubei province, May 30, 2011. [Photo/Xinhua] Previous Page 1 2 3 4 Next Page Previous Page 1 2 3 4 Next Page

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PRESSURES RISING: Pressures on the Iranian regime are mounting, from abroad and internal clashes between Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. A panel discusses these events, on May 25, at Heritage Foundation. (Gary Feuerberg/Epoch Times Staff) WASHINGTONThe survival of the Islamic Republic of Iran will be tested in the coming weeks as it weathers mounting pressure from abroad and internal rifts among the ruling elite. The regime has benefited, at least temporarily, from the turmoil of the Arab Spring as attention was diverted from Irans illicit nuclear program and its brutality in crushing the democracy movement. But now many international voices are calling for a refocus on Iran, based on frustration with the regimes nuclear program and long range missile development in defiance of United Nations sanctions, and its human rights abuses and support for terror. Iran gives material support to groups defined by the United States as terrorist...

Flash It is World No-Tobacco day on Tuesday. Beijing authorities have vowed to forbid smoking in schools and universities. But, punitive measures have not yet been established. And that makes enforcing the regulations a tough task. Pupils of Hefei Province are taking part in activities to emphasize the harm of smoking. According to figures from the Beijing Disease Control Center, about 25 percent of middle school students have tried smoking; nearly 10 percent smoke as a habit; and about 40 percent of non-smoking students are exposed to second hand smoke. "Many people smoke on campus especially in dormitories. Because it's hard to be caught by teachers in a dormitory," said a college student. Schools in Beijing have been asked to forbid smoking in teaching areas by the end this year. Any school found violating the rule will be penalized up to five thousand yuan. But there's no punishment for individuals who break regulations. "Apart from students, many people com...

CHANGSHA - The worst drought to hit Hunan Province in nearly a century has caused water shortages that have affected 1.11 million people in this central China province, said an official with the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters.China's "land of fish and rice" has seen its lowest levels of rainfall since 1910, according to the official. As of Monday, 13 of Hunan's 14 major cities have been affected by the drought, the official said.Continuously shrinking lakes and rivers have left 157 towns in Hunan without adequate supplies of water, according to the official.Over 10 million mu (about 709,000 hectares) of farmland in Hunan have been directly impacted by the drought, with 1.79 million mu of crops rendered unharvestable.Water levels in 30 percent of Hunan's reservoirs have dropped below "acceptable" levels, preventing them from being used for irrigation, the official said.Hunan's Dongting Lake, China's second largest freshwa...

CHINA has detained 74 people and suspended production at hundreds of battery factories in a widening crackdown on heavy metals pollution after dozens of people were sickened by lead and cadmium poisoning. The government in eastern China's Zhejiang Province said some of the people were detained in connection with pollution that sickened 172 people, including 53 children, near a battery factory in the city of Taizhou. Water and power to 652 factories had been cut, it said. Local authorities are belatedly moving to curb pollution after the central government announced plans for tighter oversight of the industry in response to reports of widespread contamination from heavy metals. The manager of Taizhou Suqi Storage Battery Co was arrested in March and three government officials suspended for neglecting to properly supervise the factory after tests found nearby residents with high levels of lead. Yesterday's statement said an investigation resulted in 74 people being detained in 56...

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NANNING - A man committed suicide after killing his son and daughter in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region Monday afternoon, police said.The man, a native of South China's Hunan province, beat his three-year-old son and seven-year-old daughter to death while they slept before jumping off of a three-story building in the city of Liuzhou, said a spokesman from the region's public security bureau.The spokesman did not give any further details about the case. A police investigation is under way.

May 30, 1925: The May 30th Massacre Shanghai students and other people hold anti-imperialist demonstrations and speeches, which are suppressed by policemen in foreign-controlled concessions, causing the "May 30th Massacre". May 30, 1958: Liu Shaoqi proposes that China simultaneously adopt a system with two primary school systems and two factory rural labor systems

Robert Lio has added a photo to the pool: Bama@Guangxi

Elks take a rest near a bank of a lake at Beijing Nanhaizi Country Park in Daxing district. Geng Feifei / For China Daily In late April, a group of bird-watchers found that one of their usual observation spots - a 7-hectare lotus root field in Sanchakou village east of the Fifth Ring Road - was being filled with construction waste with the permission of officials. The waste will destroy the wetland that attracts the birds. "I've been watching birds here for eight years," said Zhong Jia, director of China Ornithological Society. "More than 80 species use the small field as their resting place during migration every year." Zhong said a lotus root field is all an artificial wetland needs to survive. The wetland in Chaoyang district's Sanchakou has existed for at least 50 years, but its days are now numbered. "Residents older than 60 told me that the wetland has been there since they were small kids, which means it must have become a stable ecosystem,"...

For unknown reasons, my parents insisted my siblings and I study Mandarin throughout our schooling. Growing up in Adelaide, Australia, my older brother, Kyle went on to study Mandarin at Prince Alfred College and my older sister, Natassia did the same at Walford Anglican School for Girls. Rhys Williams enjoys Shanghai's wonderful skyline on a Bund River Cruise. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] Both high schools conducted biyearly Language Tours to China and I vividly recall the similar way my brother and sister arrived home- with bloated suitcases! On both occasions my family assembled around a suitcase, delicately placed on the coffee table in the centre of the lounge room as my brother and sister would conduct their 'show and tell' presentation. Out would come CD folders filled with hundreds of the latest movies, inexpensive 'designer' jeans and t-shirts, and my brother's best buy- a Gameboy Advance bought for a fraction of the cost of identical Gameboys ...

Obesity among Shanghai schoolchildren has increased 24.4 percent in the last decade, according to a survey by the Shanghai Jiao Tong University. As many as 13.3 percent of primary schoolchildren are overweight and 6.5 percent obese higher than the world average Shanghai Evening Post quoted the survey as saying. The report did not define overweight or obese. Globally, an estimated 10 percent of school-aged children between 5 and 17 were overweight or obese in 2004, the World Health Organization reported. The Ministry of Health reported the same year that childhood obesity nationally had reached 8.1 percent. Surveyors weighed 6,174 boys and 5,665 girls at 36 primary schools in Luwan, Huangpu, Yangpu and Baoshan districts and found obesity highest among boys in downtown areas of lesser-educated parents. "Over-nutrition and lack of exercise are the causes," survey leader Cai Meiqin, vice director of the nutrition department of Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, t...

Syrian Kurds hold a huge Syrian flag during a pro-democracy demonstration calling for political changes in Syria in the predominantly Kurdish northern Syrian city of Qamishli on May 27, 2011. (AFP/Getty Images) Syrian rights activists told media agencies on Sunday that troops and tanks surrounded several cities in an attempt to widen the crackdown against the three-month-long demonstrations against President Bashar al-Assads regime. At least seven people were killed in the towns of Rastan, Talbiseh, and Teir Maaleh in the central province of Homs, rights activists who wished not to be named told Al Jazeera. The towns are under siege, one activist told the television station, adding that roads into the towns were closed down by government forces. Authorities also cut off telecommunications in the region. Two more civilians have been killed at Talbiseh and a nearby village, taking the number of dead to seven, another activist told AFP. Assad has sent more heavy weaponry, tanks, a...

BEIJING - China initiated a fourth-level emergency response plan Sunday afternoon to cope with the drought in East China's Jiangxi province.The fourth level is the lowest in the country's emergency response system.According to a statement jointly issued by the National Commission for Disaster Reduction (NCDR) and the Ministry of Civil Affairs (MOCA), as part of the emergency response program the two departments had sent a working group to the province to inspect the situation and assist ongoing disaster relief efforts. Related readings: Drought Ravages Central ChinaThe local civil affairs authorities had reported that, as of Sunday noon, the serious drought had caused problems to 1.11 million residents who were now in need for the government's assistance.The NCDR and the MOCA launched a fourth level emergency response plan for the drought in central China's provinces of Hubei and Hunan on Monday, and on Thursday the MOCA and the Ministry of Finance had jointly allocated...

BEIJING - Scientific workers should be more active in expressing their opinions as a way to support the country's scientific and technologic policy making, said Shi Laide, chairman of the Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society.Shi made the remarks on Sunday during a workshop of the eighth national congress of the the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST), which opened in Beijing Friday.He stressed that scientific researchers and workers should assume more responsibilities during the discussion and decision making process before the launch of the country's major projects.Shi's opinion was echoed by other participants at the workshop.When it comes to the country's major projects, economic interests shouldn't be the only factor considered, said Lin Donglu, secretary general of the Chinese Society of Rare Earths."The scientists should help to do research for the projects from scientific perspectives as well," Lin said.Shi also emphasized the role...

YANGON -- Myanmar president U Thein Sein's three-day state visit to China has opened a new chapter in the history of Myanmar-China relations, Myanmar official media said Sunday.Describing the visit as the highest level relationship in the areas of relations between the two countries, the New Light of Myanmar stressed in its editorial that the visit has promoted comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. Related readings: China-Myanmar ties head for new high: ambassadorThe editorial quoted Myanmar President U Thein Sein as saying that "A historical Paukphaw relationship developed and it has reached a strategic level. So, efforts will be made for further strengthening the relations between the two countries".The editorial also quoted Chinese President Hu Jintao as agreeing so, underlining that "Successful discussions of the two state leaders during the state visit to PRC are based on improved existing mutual understanding , good neighborliness and bilateral coope...

BEIJING - Premier Wen Jiabao said Saturday China must develop powerful strength in science and technology and foster a large number of talented individuals in order to "gain the upper hand" in international competition.He made the remarks while addressing a plenary session of the National Congress of the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) on Saturday."China cannot develop without developing science and technology," Wen stressed. "Our future relies on the future of science and technology."He said China should pool its resources on major science and technology research programs, while making progress in the development of some strategically important new industries.Meanwhile, China should improve the quality, performance and competitiveness of traditional industries through scientific and technological progress, he said.He went on to emphasize that as a large nation, China should develop its own basic research and frontier research, adding, ...

BEIJING - Lack of rain will continue to bite the drought-plagued regions along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River till the end of May, the China Meteorological Administration said Saturday.The severe drought started in April and, as of Friday, has affected 34.83 million people in the five provinces of Jiangsu, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei, and Hunan, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Related readings: Measures announced to fight lingering drought The drought has prompted the government to roll out measures for relief work, including a call for continuous improvements to the water discharge plan for the Three Gorges Dam and an allocation of funds to alleviate the impact from the lingering dry weather.Meanwhile, heavy rains will hit the southwestern and northeastern parts of the country in the days leading up to May 31, the administration forecasted on its website.Moderate to heavy rains or showers will pound the southeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, western Yunnan provin...

A vendor offers a free plastic bag as she sells vegetables in a market in the Chaoyang district of Beijing on Friday. [Photo by Wang Jing / China Daily] BEIJING - China has saved 24 billion plastic bags since it introduced a ban three years ago on merchants giving them away, the National Development and Reform Commission has said.The use of plastic bags in supermarkets has dropped by two-thirds since the ban began on June 1, 2008, Li Jing, deputy director of the Department of Resource Conservation and Environmental Protection under the commission, was quoted as saying on Friday by Xinhua News Agency. Related readings: Plastic bags still a menace? China considering to expand ban on free plastic bags Free plastic bags may be banned at more places China needs more efforts to ban free plastic bags"We saved 600,000 tons of plastic through the reduction of 24 billion shopping bags, the equivalent of conserving 3.6 million tons of oil or 5 million tons of standard coal and a reduction of...

The country's courts have been ordered to impose even harsher punishments for food safety crimes and work-related crimes concerning food safety. The Supreme People's Court, in a recent notice, said courts should hand down the death sentence to those found guilty of food safety violations that result in human death, according to a statement from the supreme court Friday. If a person is found guilty of committing several crimes in one case, such as food safety crimes, the crime of producing and selling counterfeit and shoddy goods, infringement of intellectual property rights and illegal business dealings, he should be convicted of the crime with the harshest punishment and punished accordingly, the notice said. The notice ordered courts to impose larger fines on people guilty of food safety violations, and suggested courts ban criminals from producing and selling food during their probation period. The supreme court also urged severe punishments for government staff members who ...

BEIJING - The country's courts have been ordered to impose even harsher punishmentson food safety crimes and work-related crimes concerning food safety.The Supreme People's Court, in a recent notice, said courts should hand down the death sentence to those found guilty of food safety violations that result in human death, according to a statement from the supreme court Friday. Related readings: Special team to battle food crime Restaurants targeted in crackdown on illegal food additives China pursues most food-safety cases with criminal charges Onus on govt to make food safe If a person is found guilty of committing several crimes in one case, such as food safety crimes, the crime of producing and selling counterfeit and shoddy goods, infringement of intellectual property rights and illegal business dealings, he should be convicted of the crime with the harshest punishment and punished accordingly, the notice said.The notice ordered courts to impose larger fines on people guilt...

Flash A rare white kiwi chick has been born at New Zealand's Pukaha Mount Bruce National Wildlife Center. The bird, was named Manukura or "Chiefly One" by members of a local Maori tribe. A rare white kiwi chick has been born at New Zealand's Pukaha Mount Bruce National Wildlife Center.The bird, was named Manukura or "Chiefly One" by members of a local Maori tribe. It will lead a protected early life - unlike wild kiwis that face non-native predators that are slowly wiping them out. Officials said white kiwis are spotted in the wild about every three or four years, but the last one in captivity was released in 1915. The small, flightless birds are usually brown. A rare white kiwi chick has been born at New Zealand's Pukaha Mount Bruce National Wildlife Center.The bird, was named Manukura or "Chiefly One" by members of a local Maori tribe. The bird is being hand-reared in the reserve's new kiwi nursery, and will remain closely protected for...

BEIJING - Twenty Tibetan Buddhist nuns have started a one-week training program in Beijing that will also involve visits to world-famous tourist attractions as well as health checks, according to the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF) Friday."The federation has long been caring about women of different ethnic groups and from different walks of life in Tibet. The program will give them a chance to visit China's inland," an official in charge of training with the ACWF said.The program is jointly held by the center and the Tibetan Women's Federation.In addition to studies about national ethnic and religious policies, these nuns, mostly from the nunnery management committees in Tibet, will also visit the Beijing-based High-level Tibetan Buddhism College of China, the official said.They will also receive health checks, and visit the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the "Bird Nest" stadium and other tourist attractions in Beijing, according to the official.

Flash A teaching building at Beijing's Tsinghua University has ignited social debate after being named after a popular garment brand, Jeanswest. Although the name plaque has already been removed, the discussion goes on. Tsinghua University celebrated its 100th anniversary, nearly one month ago, receiving donations and sponsorship from many commercial institutions. Up until the naming, the building was known by students as the "number four teaching building". The University's new Jeanswest Building sparked debate about its legitimacy and moral correctness. Some people accuse Tsinghua of commercializing higher education, while others are calling for greater regulation of college sponsorship.

Flash Four days after the deadliest single tornado in more than six decades tore through the middle of Joplin, Missouri, more than 230 people remain unaccounted for. The death toll rose Wednesday to 125 people, and officials have estimated more than 900 have been injured. More than 230 peoples still missing after the deadliest tornado in Joplin, Missouri. Search-and-rescue teams have made multiple sweeps through the destruction, using dozens of dogs and listening devices in hopes of picking up the survivors beneath the rubble. But no new survivors have been found since Tuesday. The weather service said that the situation has now calmed and has suspended tornado watches and warnings for most of Mississippi, northwestern Alabama and central Kentucky.

Beijing considers plans to improve itscar registrationsystem by punishing those who have the license plate but fail topurchase car within 6 months as the city still battles over traffic congestion. The car license plate lottery system management office is working on an online survey about the expected restrictions for car plate abandoners, from May 26 to June 8, 2011. The most severe punishmentis that abandoners are not allowed to apply for the license plate in two years.The current rule is that the registration for a new car must be finished within six months after getting the plate, or the license plate will become invalid. People who abandon license plates can re-apply for a new car license plate after six months. There are no penalties for giving up the plates.Some Beijing residents said people who are not eager to buy a car apply for the plates anyway, then they don't buy cars, so it is more difficult for people who really need a car to get a license plate. Traffic management ...

Victoria Nuland, a national security adviser for former Vice President Dick Cheney from 2003 to 2005 and the U.S. ambassador to NATO from 2005 to 2008, was named the State Department's new spokesperson. (Massoud Hossaini/AFP/Getty Images) The State Department chose career diplomat Victoria Nuland as its new spokesperson, taking over a vacancy left by former spokesman P.J. Crowley, the department announced on Thursday evening. A Russia specialist, Nuland was a national security adviser for former Vice President Dick Cheney from 2003 to 2005 and the U.S. ambassador to NATO from 2005 to 2008. Nuland is stepping into a job that was vacant since March, when Crowley resigned after reports that he had called the Pentagons treatment of WikiLeaks suspect Bradley Manning ridiculous and counterproductive and stupid. Manning is accused of leaking secret diplomatic and military documents to the WikiLeaks website and is being held in a military prison in Kansas. Crowley, a retired Air F...

Police in Beijing have dismissed rumors of a poisoned gas attack on the subway system, urging commuters to stay calm after false reports circulated on the Internet, Beijing News reported on Thursday. Reports that men are roaming subway lines 4 and 10 targeting young women with poisonous gas released from cell phones have spread widely on social networking sites sparking panic. Hai Anjin, an Weibo (twitter-like microblog) user who travels on line 10 wrote online that she ran into the subway at Jinsong station where a "weird" man set beside her, holding up his cell phone, and soon afterwards, she "felt dizzy and numb" after inhaling some "odorless air". A college girl named Wang Jing (alias) penned a similar story after claiming she encountered the same scenario on May 15, which was posted on Renren.com, China's Facebook, and reposted thousands of times. Police say the panic is unnecessary. "Being drugged by gas needs a large dose, and the speculat...

BEIJING - China Southern, one of China's leading airlines, will receive its first 787 Dreamliner aircraft from the Boeing company in the fourth quarter of this year, Boeing chairman and CEO W. James McNerney said on Thursday in Beijing.The aircraft will be the first of its kind to be used in the Chinese market, according to McNerney. McNerney did not give a specific timetable for the delivery of the aircraft, only saying that it would be delivered "on time."The CEO also said that Air China, another major Chinese air carrier, will receive its first Boeing 777-300ER airplane in the middle of this year.Boeing's 787 Dreamliner aircraft are designed to use 20 percent less fuel than other aircraft of similar size, according to a profile on Boeing's official website.The aircraft can carry as many as 290 passengers on journeys of more than 15,000 kilometers, according to the profile.The company's 777-model aircraft are also more fuel-efficient than other comparable ai...

BEIJING - China opposes the United States' sanctions against Chinese firms on the basis of its domestic laws, a foreign ministry spokeswoman said in Beijing on Thursday.Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu made the remarks during a regular press briefing."China has all along opposed the United States' sanctions on Chinese companies according to its domestic laws, as this is not conducive to the two countries' cooperation in the non-proliferation area on the basis of equality and mutual respect," Jiang said.According to media reports, the United States has announced that it is imposing sanctions against three Chinese companies and relevant individuals, which the US side accused of supplying Iran and Syria, among others, with goods or technology that may be used to create weapons of mass destruction."China has established an integral law system on non-proliferation export control," Jiang said."If any Chinese entity or individual is found to b...

Heavy smoke is seen after an explosion inLinchuan district of Fuzhou city in East China's Jiangxi province May 26. [Photo/people.com.cn] NANCHANG -Explosions went off at three different locations in east China's Jiangxi province Thursday morning, injuring at least five people, the provincial government and witnesses in Fuzhou City told Xinhua.The blasts happened between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. near the city's procuratorate office, the Linchuan district government building and district food and drug administration, a source with the provincial government told Xinhua.A witness said most of the window panes in the procuratorate office, an eight-story building, were broken and a Volkswagen Santana was destroyed.Xinhua reporters saw an ambulance still standing by in Linchuan district government's office compound. Several witnesses confirmed they saw people were injured and sent to hospitals.They said the blast went off near the garage, less than 100 meters from the government bui...

Two explosions occurred simultaneously this morning at the Linchuan District government building and a local prosecutors building in Fuzhou City, Jiangxi Province. Police imposed traffic control on roads near the two buildings and a 300-meter-long section of Nanchuan Road near the district government building has been blocked. There is no immediate report about injuries or deaths in the two explosions. Police are investigating the cause of these two blasts, according to the Jiangxi Traffic Radio.

BEIJING - People purchasing large amounts of prepaid cards will soon have to reveal their real names.The latest move is aimed at preventing money laundering, tax evasion and bribery, according to an official document published by the State Council, China's Cabinet, on its website on Wednesday.Issuers of prepaid cards should register customers' identities if they purchase at least 10,000 yuan ($1,500) in cards, or if the prepaid cards carry the names of the people who will use them. Related readings: China vows to fight police corruption In addition, the value of anonymous cards should be below 1,000 yuan, while cards bearing the names of their users should not surpass 5,000 yuan.At the end of 2009, a combined 1.1 trillion yuan worth of prepaid cards were circulating in China, with a stored value totaling nearly 40 billion yuan, according to a report filed in July 2010 by China Union Loyalty Co Ltd, a Shanghai-based provider of prepaid cards.Loose regulations had given rise to c...

Diego Ulissi of Lampre was awarded the win in Stage 17 of the 2011 Giro dItalia after Farnese-Vinis Giovanni Visconti was relegated to third for pushing the Lampre rider during the final sprint. In a stage which didnt see any attacks by the leaders, all the drama was generated in the 16-rider breakaway. With four kilometers left, four riders Giovanni Visconti (Farnese Vin,) Jan Bakelants (Omega Pharma-Lotto,) Pablo Lastras (Movistar,) and Diego Ulissi (Lampre) opened a slight lead on the rest. Coming into the final kilometer, these four were watching one another waiting to see who would go first. Diego Ulissi made the first feint 750 meters out, then slowed as Giovanni Visconti marked him. The four rode slowly until about 150 meter out, when Ulissi started his sprint. Visconti, a stronger sprint for some reason wandered from the right side of Ulissi to the extreme left, and tried to squeeze between the Lampre rider and the barrier. Ulissi was drifting left all through his sprint, leavi...

BEIJING - China's quality authority said on Wednesday that the country checked 15.52 million twenty-equivalent-unit (TEU) import and export containers last year and found 440,000 TEU containers carrying contagious diseases and poisonous substances.Import loaded containers from 142 countries and regions have been found carry contagious diseases and toxic materials. These materials included pests, weeds, large dead animals and household garbage, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said in a statement posted on its website.Furthermore, the country's quality watchdogs checked 51.44 million tonnes of imported waste last year that could be used as raw materials, a decrease of 14 percent year on year.

BEIJING - China said Wednesday that it will continue to step up its anti-terrorism cooperation with Pakistan."We are willing to strengthen cooperation with Pakistan in areas such as joint training, information sharing and logistical support in order to fight terrorism," said Defense Ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng at a monthly news briefing."Pakistan has made great contributions and sacrifices in the global war against terrorism," said the spokesman.Geng's remarks came only days after Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani concluded an official visit to China. The prime minister's visit, which lasted from May 17 to 20, saw him meeting with top Chinese leaders to discuss issues of common concern.During their talks in Beijing, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and his Pakistani counterpart reaffirmed their "all-weather" friendship, which has been tested by time and changes in the international situation.Wen hailed Pakistan's contributions to the war against...

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TIMELINES Wednesday, May 25, 2011 What country got its first post-communist constitution on May 25, 1997? On May 25, 1997, the Polish people approve the constitution of the Republic of Poland in a referendum effectively purging communist elements and establishing a strong foundation for preserving human rights in the new government. After being ruled by communist regimes since the end of World War II, the new Polish constitution engraves a respect for human rights into the fabric of Polish society. The Constitution of 1997 focuses on the protection of rights and freedoms such as: (1) the natural and inalienable dignity of the human being, (2) equality, (3) protection of minorities, foreigners, and citizenship, (4) recognition of international law, (5) civil and political rights, (6) right to life, (7) right of information and, (8) religious freedom. Recently, despite the tragic loss of Polish President Lech Kaczynski in a 2010 plane crash, Poland looks forward to its fut...

Flash The 5th China (Beijing) International Exhibition and Symposium on Police Equipment and Anti-Terrorism Technology and Equipment (CIPATE 2011), organized by the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau and China Association for Science and Technology, kicked off at the Beijing Exhibition Center on May 19, 2011 and will last until May 21. Along with the economic development of China and rapid changes of the international anti-terrorism situation, new higher demands have been set on security work. CIPATE 2011 is a unique official fair in China to exchange police and anti-terrorism technology and equipment from at home and abroad. It offers a vital and effective platform for the renewal of police equipment and technologies, preventing and attacking terrorist organizations and activities. Visitors are attracted by all kinds of firearms, various sets of police equipment, as well as the brand new anti-terrorism and anti-riot cars displayed.

BEIJING - Chinese mainland spokeswoman Fan Liqing on Wednesday urged all Taiwan-funded companies to draw lessons from Friday's Foxconn blast, which killed three, and ensure production safety.Fan, spokeswoman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said at a news briefing in Beijing that Foxconn and other Taiwan-funded companies should strengthen internal monitoring and management efforts and make timely precautions and investigate potential dangers.Fan's remarks came after the blast occurred about 7 pm Friday at a workshop in Hongfujin Precision Electronics (Chengdu) Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Taiwan-based Foxconn Technology Group, located in the provincial capital of Chengdu in Sichuan Province.Two people were found dead and 16 others injured on Friday. The death toll rose to three after one seriously injured worker died in the hospital Sunday.An initial investigation indicates that the explosion could have been caused by combustible dust in the polishing workshop. Investi...

Watch Video Play Video 60 years after the peaceful Liberation of Tibet, development has also brought more education opportunities to the Tibetan people. CCTV reporter Zhang Ni takes a look at the Tibet Middle School in Beijing. Students at the Beijing Tibet Middle School are busy preparing two weeks before the national university entrance exam. But they have one more subject to prepare for than other students: The Tibetan language. Students at the Beijing Tibet Middle School are busy preparing two weeks before the national university entrance exam. But they have one more subject to prepare for than other students: The Tibetan language. Tenzin Paldon is a student from Lhasa. The Tibetan language course is her favorite. Tenzin Paldon, student of Beijing Tibet middle school, said, "Every time I take this class, I feel differently, I feel so close to my family." The Tibetan language course not only provides students with knowledge of grammar, but also Tibetan history and li...