SKOPJE, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang met here on Monday with Macedonian President Branko Crvenkovski with both sides vowing to boost cooperation between the two countries. "China attaches great importance to the bilateral relations with Macedonia, and regards Macedonia as a trust-worthy partner in the west Balkans," Zhang said. Zhang pointed out that the bilateral relations between the two countries have made positive progress during the past 15 years, and that economic cooperation and exchanges in the fields such as culture, education and sports have witnessed new development. Zhang said China is ready to broaden the areas of cooperation between China and Macedonia on the basis of mutual respect and mutual benefit, and lift the bilateral relations to a new level. He suggested the two countries should find new areas of cooperation, and push the companies of the two countries to develop cooperation in different forms and through various conduits. Zhang expressed thanks and gratitude to Macedonia for its stance on one-China policy and its support for China's cause of peaceful unification with Taiwan. Crvenkovski said Macedonian highly values its relations with China, saying that Macedonia will unswervingly stick to its one-China policy. "We are ready to work with China to strengthen the cooperation between the two countries in the areas of politics, trade and economy, and international affairs, pushing the bilateral relations forward," Crvenkovski said. Crvenkovski congratulated China on staging a wonderful Olympic Games in Beijing, and thanked China for its long-time help and support for Macedonia.
XIAMEN, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- China will further open up to the world and step up its international investment cooperation, Vice Premier Wang Qishan promised here Monday. Addressing the 12th Xiamen International Trade and Investment Fair in the east Fujian Province, Wang said the country would continue to stick to the national policy of opening up, constantly improve its policies on utilizing foreign investment and investing in foreign countries, and create more space for foreign companies to develop their business in China. China's reform and opening up policy had significantly transformed the country in the past 30 years, and its accession to the World Trade Organization had further integrated it with the global economy, he said. Although the country met with severe natural disasters and an unfavorable international economic environment, its coping measures made its national economy stay healthy on the whole, he said, noting it was confident in and capable of overcoming the current difficulties and challenges. Expounding on improving its policies on utilizing foreign investment and investing in foreign countries, Wang vowed to further improve the country's investment environment including building a service-oriented government, a market of fair competition, a transparent legal environment and stable policy environment. He also stressed lifting the quality and diversifying the means of utilizing foreign investment, and encouraging domestic enterprises to invest in foreign countries. The Chinese government had always supported trade and investment liberalization and opposed protectionism in any form, he said, vowing to work with the world to eliminate trade and investment barriers and cope with various difficulties and challenges for global economic prosperity and stability. Attendants of the forum are from 120 countries and regions and seven international organizations
BEIJING, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Prices of real estate in 70 major Chinese cities rose 7.0 percent in July on the same month of last year, 1.2 percentage points lower than the June level, according to the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and the National Bureau of Statistics on Tuesday. The NDRC, the country's top economic planning organ, said the growth rate had slowed down for six consecutive months. The price rise was 11.3 percent in January, 10.9 percent in February, 10.7 percent in March, 10.1 percent in April, 9.2 percent in May and 8.2 in June. Visitors view models of apartment buildings in a real estate fair in Jinan, capital of east China's Shandong Province, on April 5, 2008. In July prices of new housing went up 7.9 percent, 1.3 percentage points lower than the month-earlier level. Haikou, Urumqi, Ningbo and Beijing took the lead in price rises. Seventeen cities experienced prices fall compared with the month earlier, including Haikou, Dali, Shenzhen and Chengdu among others. Prices of second-hand houses gained 6.0 percent year on year, 1.5 percentage points lower than June. New housing for non-residential use was priced 4.9 percent higher than last July, with prices of office buildings up 6.7 percent and those of commercial real estate up 4.1 percent.
LANZHOU, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Local governments should promote the spirit of quake relief to carry out reconstruction work and economic and social development, said a senior Chinese official. Jia Qinglin, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), said this during his inspection tour to quake-affected Shaanxi and Gansu provinces from Sunday to Thursday that there have been heavy tasks for local governments in terms of relocating quake survivors and rebuilding damaged or destroyed facilities. Jia Qinglin (2nd L), chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), receives Tibetan scroll painting Tangka and Hada, a long piece of silk used as a traditional greeting gift, offered by a living Buddha of the Labrang Lamasery during his visit to the Lamasery in Xiahe County, Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Gansu Province, July 9, 2008.He went into tents to ask local people about quake relief supplies and their living conditions, praised soldiers and workers on rebuilding sites, and encouraged students to keep up their studies in temporary classrooms. He told officials to ensure food, water, clothes and bedding continue to get to survivors, focus on solving housing problems and make scientific plans for reconstruction. Jia, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, also visited several high-tech enterprises in Gansu. "Although we have gone through the most severe challenge, the country's economy continues to develop in a steady, relatively fast way in general," he said, adding: "We should transfer the spirit of quake relief into the driving force of economic development." He also stressed maintaining social stability in Tibetan-inhabited regions
BEIJING, May 11 -- China's monetary authorities are struggling to address conflicting policy goals, but inflation will remain the top policy concern, the country's central bank governor said on Saturday. While the United States and other countries are more focused on fending off a recession, China's monetary policy must target inflation over growth and employment, Zhou Xiaochuan, the People's Bank of China governor, told a forum in Lujiazui, Shanghai's financial center. "There is no cure-all medicine, and we have to make the final decisions -- everyone hopes there would be a cure-all solution, but there is not," said Zhou. China's consumer price inflation would likely to rise to 8.5 percent in April from 8.3 percent in March, two sources familiar with the data said late on Thursday. The data, which is subject to last-minute revisions, will be officially released on Monday. Zhou Xiaochuan, governor of the People's Bank of China, addresses the Lujiazui Forum 2008 in Shanghai, east China, May 10, 2008. Heads of the People's Bank of China, the country's central bank, the Securities Regulatory Commission, the Banking Regulatory Commission and the Insurance Regulatory Commission all attended the two-day financial forum, opened on May 9. Lujiazui is the name of Shanghai's financial district. Meanwhile, the government said on Friday that China's producer price index, or factory-gate inflation, hit a three-year high of 8.1 percent in April, showing a sustained build-up in pressures on consumer price inflation. Zhou listed development of financial institutions and the imbalance in global money transfers as other issues that China's monetary policy may have to target. He said China needs to reduce the savings ratio as the fundamental way to address its over-reliance on trade, which now accounts for more than 60 percent of its annual GDP, but he did not elaborate on possible specific measures. On other issues, Zhou said Beijing has yet to reach a consensus over how to develop a properly functioning domestic bond market. Disputes remain about market infrastructure, the regulatory framework as well as laws and regulations, Zhou said.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- Deputy Governor of the People's Bank of China Yi Gang called for international cooperation here on Saturday to restore global financial stability. "Our current priority is to enhance international cooperation to prevent further deterioration and spillover of the crisis and restore global economic and financial stability," Yi said. The deepening and widening of the U.S. financial crisis have triggered a major global slowdown and escalating uncertainty, Yi Gang said in a statement at the 18th meeting of the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) held here Saturday. While the advanced economies have slowed significantly since the U.S. sub-prime crisis, the emerging market economies have maintained robust growth but the deteriorating external environment is putting the resilience of their macroeconomic policies to the test, he said. The crisis has underscored shortcomings in the financial markets, Yi said. He expressed his hope that the stabilizing measures of the advanced economies will have the positive effect of calming the markets and restoring confidence. "China is willing to strengthen its cooperation with other countries and, through such joint efforts, we hope global financial stability can be safeguarded," he said. In line with their status, Yi said, the major reserve currency issuing countries should shoulder the responsibility for preventing further spillovers and minimizing shocks to other economies -- especially to the emerging markets. To promote balanced and steady global growth over the longer term, efforts should be made to advance structural reforms and increase savings, he pointed out. The International Monetary Fund -- at the core of the international monetary system -- should carry out its mandate to safeguard global economic and financial stability, he said. The IMFC is the steering committee of the 185-nation lending institution. Yi also noted that as the impact of the crisis on the real economy is much worse than expected and the recovery more protracted and difficult, the risks of deflation in some countries as a result of the credit crunch have increased significantly. "It is imperative that the major advanced economies coordinate rapid implementation of bailout packages to avoid deflation and facilitate the global recovery," said Yi. "However, we should be aware that the injection of liquidity from these emergency measures could be a potential source of inflation in the medium and long term," the deputy governor said.
天津吃什么药治反复拉稀
BEIJING, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Sunday visited hospitals, communities and supermarkets in Beijing to see for himself the infants sickened by tainted milk powder and the milk market. His first stop was Beijing Children's Hospital, where many parents had brought their children for kidney tests. Outside the consulting room, ultrasonic scan room and medical wards, Wen asked parents and children how they were faring. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (L, front) calls on a child sickened by tainted milk powder at Beijing Children's Hospital in Beijing on Sept. 21, 2008. Wen Jiabao on Sunday visited hospitals, communities and supermarkets in Beijing to see for himself the infants sickened by tainted milk powder and the milk market At the ultrasonic scan room, 9-month-old Li Qianying, was lyingon the bed undergoing an examination by doctors. "Don't cry, and it will be over in minutes," Wen told her, and asked a doctor about the little girl. After hearing many doctors and nurses had been working around the clock, he thanked them and asked they gave "careful and patient care for the sick infants". As of Saturday noon, 1,008 children in Beijing had been diagnosed with kidney stones and received treatment in 91 municipal hospitals, Beijing Municipal Health Bureau said on Saturday. More than 20 infants were discharged from Beijing Children's Hospital. Wen visited Chen Shijie at her home in Fuxingmen to inquire after her granddaughter. He was please to hear she was in good health. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (front) speaks while holds up a box of milk at Chang'an supermarket during an inspection on the milk products in Beijing on Sept. 21, 2008. "This incident made me feel sad, though many Chinese have been understanding. It disclosed many problems for government and company supervision of the milk sources, quality and marketing administration. "The government will put more efforts into food security, taking the incident as a warning." When Chen's daughter, Chen Yanhong, praised the government for the quality of the information released, he said "The government should be responsible for its people. "What we are trying to do is to ensure no such event happens in future, by punishing those responsible leaders as well as enterprises. None of those companies with no professional ethnics or social morals will be let off," Wen said to applause. Later, Wen went to a supermarket and checked the milk products. "We should check every batch of the milk powder and other milk products, and mark them so buyers can be assured of their quality." More than 6,200 infants had developed kidney stones and four infants have died after drinking baby formula tainted with melamine, a chemical illegally added to give false protein readings in tests.
MIANYANG, Sichuan, 23 (Xinhua) -- Premier Wen Jiabao continued his second trip around the quake disaster zone on Friday, visiting surviving students in Mianyang, one of the worst-hit cities in the May 12 quake. In a tent school, where more than 500 students from the destroyed Beichuan Middle School were studying, Wen encouraged them to study harder following the calamity. "Let us not forget the earthquake," he told the students in a tender voice. "Then you will know what life is all about -- it is bumpy, as the roads are." "Today, people save us and take good care of us. In the future, we will help them in return," the premier added. "Trials and tribulations serve only to revitalize the nation," he wrote on the blackboard to encourage them. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (C) salutes with the students to pay tribute to the quake victims during his visit to the makeshift tent school at Jiuzhou Stadium in Mianyang City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, May 23, 2008. Wen Jiabao went to the temporary schoolhouse of Beichuan Middle School and the makeshift tent school established at Jiuzhou Stadium in Mianyang on Friday to visit teachers and students who survived the May 12 earthquake. The students, many of whose 1,300 schoolmates and teachers were killed or missing, resumed classes on Monday. Wen also visited tent schools near the Jiuzhou Indoor Stadium in downtown Mianyang. There, he put on a red scarf and joined primary school students to salute the quake dead. During his visit on Friday, the premier underlined that providing shelters for the quake victims and preventing infectious diseases and secondary disasters are the priorities of the current relief work. His first trip to the region was just hours after the mid-afternoon earthquake jolted Sichuan.
BEIJING, April 10 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao met with visiting Qatar Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Hamad Bin Jasim Bin Jabir Al-Thani here on Thursday. The two sides agreed to step up bilateral friendly and cooperative relations. Wen hailed the development of bilateral ties on the basis of respect, equality and mutual benefits over the past 20 years since the two countries established diplomatic ties. He expressed China's appreciation of Qatar's adherence to the one-China policy. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (front, L) and Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Hamad Bin Jasim Bin Jabir Al-Thani (front, R) inspect the guard of honor at the welcoming ceremony in Beijing, capital of China, April 10, 2008. Wen noted that breakthroughs had been made in energy cooperation between China and Qatar, which also brought along collaboration in relevant industries. The advantages of economic complementarity of both countries were transforming into real results, he added. Wen said all countries, regardless of size, could make contributions to world peace and development. China attached great importance to developing relations with Qatar and was ready to maintain high-level exchanges and promote mutual trust with the country. He proposed the two countries focus on cooperation in energy and infrastructure, encourage bilateral investments and expand trade scale, strengthen exchanges and cooperation in the areas of culture, education, aviation and tourism, as well as increase coordination in international and regional affairs. Sheikh Hamad said Qatar had always adhered to the one-China policy and believed the country would host a successful Olympic Games. Qatar was willing to make joint efforts with China to develop strategic friendly and cooperative relations, he said, adding Qatar would promote cooperation with China in energy, aviation and investment. Qatar also supported China's efforts in its collective cooperation with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the prime minister said. After the meeting, the two leaders attended a signing ceremony of a series agreements concerning energy, culture and education. The Qatari prime minister arrived in Beijing on April 6, kicking off his visit to China. He will also attend the Boao Forum for Asia on April 12.
BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC), the country's largest oil producer, planned to cut its workforce by 5 percent in upcoming three years as its profits had been squeezed by heavy refining losses. The oil giant had 1.67 million staff last year, which meant more than 80,000 of them would be laid-off within three years, Beijing News reported. The move followed CNPC's earlier announcement to cut non-production spending by 10 percent from a year earlier, the paper said. The China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC), the country's largest oil producer, planned to cut its workforce by 5 percent in upcoming three years as its profits had been squeezed by heavy refining losses. CNPC's profit before tax dropped by 39 percent year-on-year to 56.4 billion yuan (8.3 billion U.S. dollars) in the first half year as a result of refining loss and windfall taxes on crude oil sales. To reduce costs, CNPC halted or cut investment in 49 projects in June, saving the company up to 20.72 billion yuan. PetroChina, CNPC's listed arm, announced last month to issue no more than 60 billion yuan to "satisfy the operational needs of the company, further improve its debt structure, reduce financing costs and supplement working capital."