XI'AN -- Lawmakers in Northwest China's Shaanxi Province enacted a law on Saturday that is intended to improve protection of the Qinling Mountains, a habitat of endangered giant pandas.The law, which will take effect on March 1, is aimed at preserving biodiversity, preventing soil erosion (which averages 84 million tons a year) and promoting harmony between man and nature in the mountain range, which is a divide between China's north and south.It requires all future development projects in the Qinling Mountains to be assessed for their possible impact on the ecology and bans real estate projects and polluting industries in nature reserves, where the ecology is more vulnerable.The law also bans mining and resource exploration in nature reserves and forest parks.Local governments must ensure immediate demolition of existing projects that are potentially harmful to the ecology, it says.The Qinling range, which largely spans Shaanxi Province, covers more than 50,000 square kilometers.The range is home to approximately 300 Qinling pandas, a sub-species of giant pandas on the verge of extinction, and many other rare animals under state protection, such as golden monkeys, the red ibis and antelopes.
BRASILIA - China Wednesday called on the international community to observe the principles and framework set by the Kyoto Protocol and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.The appeal was made by Cao Bochun, vice director of the Environment and Resources Protection Committee of the Chinese National People's Congress, at the G8+5 Climate Change Dialogue forum held in this Brazilian capital."As a precondition of ensuring healthy human development, tackling climate change is today's and tomorrow's basic principle with which we should persist in confronting the problem," said Cao."Common but differentiated responsibilities" stated in the Kyoto Protocol and UN Framework Convention on Climate Change should be the basis and precondition for a rational move in handling climate change, he said.The Chinese legislator said at the forum that "China, as a responsible country, has a resolute and consistent policy in dealing with climate change."China will do its "best to boost its capability" to fight climate change based on China's reality, said Cao.The capability of the mini-thermal power plants closed by the Chinese government in 2007 as an environment-protection measure reached some 14.3 million kilowatts, he said, adding that the drive will continue.He also rebutted criticism of China's increasing greenhouse gas emissions, saying most of the critics have ignored a fact that transfer emissions account for some 30 percent of China's total greenhouse gas emissions, which means China has shifted some emission pressures from a lot of countries.The forum, initiated by then British Prime Minister Tony Blair, was established in 2005 for legislators from the Group of Eight industrialized nations - Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States - and their counterparts from five emerging economies - China, India, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa - to address the global climate issue and anti-poverty efforts.
Donald Tsang wins in HK Chief election(Xinhua/Reuters)Updated: 2007-03-25 14:27 Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang and his wife Selina stand on a bus as they wave to thank local residents at a polling station after winning the election in Hong Kong March 25, 2007. [Reuters]Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang waves after winning the chief executive election, at the polling station in Hong Kong March 25, 2007. [Xinhua]
China will cooperate more with the European Union (EU) to develop safety and security criteria for products, a leading official from the top product quality supervision authority said Wednesday.To increase joint efforts to establish a product safety control system, the two sides have agreed to establish a joint information platform for industrial products, Wei Chuanzhong, vice-minister of General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ), said."We will assess what it will take to set up a database for the platform by the end of this year," Wei said."The information platform will help solve problems arising from bilateral trade, providing a more effective way to push forward win-win trade development," Wei said.Wei made the remarks after the sixth annual meeting of the Negotiating Mechanism on Sino-EU Industrial Product and WTO/TBT (World Trade Organization/technical bar-riers to trade), which took place in Beijing Wednesday.Under the negotiating mechanism, which was launched early in 2002, China and the EU have set up 10 working groups covering trade issues in several industrial sectors, such as textiles, medical devices, electrical and mechanical devices, chemicals and cosmetics.He said a four-month product-safety inspection campaign launched by the AQSIQ is currently underway nationwide.Prior to yesterday's meeting, the EU also signed the first agreement for cooperation on pharmaceuticals and related products with the Chinese State Food and Drug Administration, according to the delegation of the European Commission to China."We will not impose any discriminative supervision regulations on Chinese products exported to the EU market. Instead, we are willing to offer technological support to Chinese enterprises to ensure an effective control over product safety," Heinz Zourek, director general for Enterprise and Industry of the European Commission, said.
The CCTV footage shows that China's first lunar probe Chang'e-1 successfully completed its 1,580,000-km flying journey to the moon after entering its final working orbit on Wednesday's morning, Nov. 7, 2007. [CCTV.com]China's first lunar probe, Chang'e-I, completed its 1,580,000-km flying journey to the moon successfully on Wednesday's morning after entering its final working orbit.The probe, following the instructions of the Beijing Aerospace Control Center (BACC), started its third braking at 8:24 am and entered a 127-minute round polar circular orbit at around 8:35 am after completing the braking."The probe will travel along the orbit at a stable altitude of 200 km above the moon's surface. In each circle, it will always pass the two polars," said Wang Yejun, chief engineer of the Beijing Aerospace Control Center (BACC).The round orbit is also the final destination of the probe, where it is supposed to start carrying out all the planned scientific exploration tasks.It was originally designed to stay on the orbit for one year, but a researcher estimated that fuel saved by smooth operations and precise maneuvers may prolong its life span.Chang'e-I, named after a legendary Chinese goddess who flew to the moon, blasted off on a Long March 3A carrier rocket on Oct. 24 from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwestern Sichuan Province.
焦作哪里算命算卦特别准比较灵,地方在哪个?
TAIPEI, June 23 - Taiwan "presidential candidate" Ma Ying-jeou, who is from the main opposition party, has picked a "former premier" and economic expert as his running-mate for the 2008 election. Ma, from the Nationalist Party or Kuomintang (KMT) and one of two serious contenders for the "presidency", chose former "premier Vincent" Siew because of his experience, one of Ma's aide told Reuters. Siew, 68, served as "economics minister" from 1990 to 1993 and as "premier" from 1997 to 2000 under then "president" Lee Teng-hui. He now chairs the authoritative Chung-hua Institute for Economic Research. Siew ran unsucessfully for "vice-president" alongside KMT candidate Lien Chan in 2000, when opposition leader Chen Shui-bian swept to power, putting an end to half a century of Nationalist rule. Ma faces a close contest next year with Frank Hsieh, candidate of Chen's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
Visiting US Chief of Naval Operations Mike Mullen reaffirmed in Beijing on Tuesday that the United States will not support Taiwan independence and will adhere to the one-China policy."The United States will not support Taiwan independence or any unilateral move toward that direction on the part of Taiwan," Mullen told reporters at a press conference.As a guest of Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy commander Wu Shengli, Mullen arrived in China on August 17 for a friendly visit. He delivered a speech at a Chinese naval academy and observed naval exercises from on board a Chinese warship.During the visit, Mullen also met with Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan and Guo Boxiong, vice chairmen of China's Central Military Commission.China-US relations are one of the most important bilateral relations in the world, Cao told Mullen, noting that flourishing bilateral ties will not only serve the fundamental interests of the two countries and two peoples, but will also be conducive to the peace, stability and prosperity of the region and world as well.Agreeing with Cao's view on bilateral relations, Mullen said that US-China relations are very important and the dialogue between the two nations as well as the two militaries is "critical".Mullen, who has been nominated by US President George W. Bush to become the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, promised to Cao that he would continue to nurture the bilateral ties no matter whether he serves in his current position or as Bush's major military adviser and leader of the US Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines, according to a press release provided by the Chinese Ministry of Defense.Mullen also expressed his hope that exchanges and cooperation in such fields as military academic education and exchange visits of warships, could be further boosted in an effort to increase mutual understanding and trust, said the press release.
BEIJING, March 10 (Xinhua) -- The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China's top economic planning agency, said on Monday the country's combined edible vegetable oil consumption stood at 23 million tons in 2007, 2 million tons more than a year earlier. The country's total market supply last year reached 23.8 million tons, according to a statement on the NDRC website. The NDRC said the current demand and supply of edible vegetable oil on the domestic market were balanced and could meet citizens' needs. However, the NDRC and the State Grain Administration (SGA) called on their local branches to endeavor to maintain stable market supply as international soybean and edible oil prices had risen sharply recently. The NDRC and the SGA ordered their local branches to accentuate the importance that the import of soybeans and edible vegetable oil would not be disrupted. Two-thirds of edible oil materials in China, the largest global consumer, relies on imports. According to General Administration of Customs statistics, imports of edible oil and soybean reached 8.38 million tons and 30.82 million tons, respectively, last year, up 1.69 million tons and 2.58 million tons year on year. The NDRC also asked local governments to track the inventory and price of edible oil price in real time and make efforts to maintain a sound market order.
The China Meteorological Ad-ministration (CMA) Tuesday announced the completion of a national climate observation network to help mitigate global warming.CMA director Zheng Guo-guang said the network would collect accurate information about climate change."Climate change is threatening the environment, state security and economic development," Zheng said.Responding to a UN plan, China's first climate observation network was set up in 1997. Seven departments - meteorology, water affairs, agriculture, environmental protection, forestry, ocean and scientific research - joined the network.The network set up 16 key observation areas, Zhang Renhe, director of the Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences Director, said.These are: Atmosphere and land systems in the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau, glacier; water and ecological systems in the Tianshan Mountain area; Xilingol pastures in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region; Dunhuang desert in Gansu Province; forests in Northeast China; water circulation systems in Sichuan and Yunnan provinces; agriculture in the Yellow and Huaihe river basins; the lakes of Dongting and Poyang; the atmosphere around Mount Waliguan in Qinghai Province; ecological systems in source regions of the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang rivers; the economic belt around Beijing; economic development zones in the Yangtze and Pearl river deltas; Sichuan Basin; the land-ocean-atmosphere system around Bohai Sea; air-sea interaction in the South China Sea; and comprehensive oceanic observations.By observation and data processing, the network should provide data about temperatures, glaciers, frozen soil, accumulated snow, aerosoles, greenhouse gases, ozone, plant and soil."This data can help China predict natural disasters, strengthen forecasts of extreme weather events and be more adaptable when it comes to industrial projects," Zheng said.A National Climate Change Program was released in June, which pledged to cut greenhouse gas emissions, but with no specific goals.