BEIJING, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Relevant departments should carefully study the country's economic survey data, and let it serve as a reference for the country's economic plan, Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang said Monday. A thorough study and better use of these data would help the country to cope with the world economic crisis, adjust economic structure, save energy, and promote a sound and relatively fast development, Li said. He pointed out that the survey has made clear the country's energy and water resources consumption, and find out the basic situation of country's second and service industries. Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang (C) speaks at the meeting of leading committee of China's second national economic census in Beijing, China, Nov. 16, 2009. China started its second national economic census in October last year He also asked relevant departments to ensure valid and reliable data. China started its second national economic census in October last year. The National Bureau of Statistics started economic census in 2004, and it is conducted every five years. The current census will help form the basis of the social and economic development blueprint for the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015).
BEIJING, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor Liu Yandong said here on Thursday that the country will push forward educational reform to promote educational equity and quality. Liu made the remarks while inspecting the Central University for Nationalities and the Beijing Language and Culture University. Liu praised the Central University for Nationalities for their contribution to ethnic unity and the development of ethnic areas. She urged the university to help students find their jobs and help students from poor families. During the visit to the Beijing Language and Culture University, Liu expressed the hope that students from foreign countries could deeply understand and feel China and promote friendship between China and people all over the world. She also expressed New Year greetings to the country's teachers and students, including students from abroad.
HOHHOT, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Police said Tuesday they had shot and killed an escaped prisoner and apprehended three others in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The four escaped on Saturday from the No. 2 Prison in Hohhot, capital of Inner Mongolia, after killing a prison guard, said a spokesman from the regional public security department. Acting on information from local residents, police surrounded the men in Helin County early Tuesday, after they had hijacked a motor tricycle and taken the woman driver hostage. Police shot dead Gao Bo, who resisted arrest and injured a police officer with knife, said the spokesman. Policemen escort an escaped prisoner in Hohhot, capital of north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Oct. 20, 2009. Police said Tuesday they had shot and killed one escaped prisoner and apprehended three others in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Another man, Qiao Hai, was shot and injured. He had tried to kill himself by cutting his throat with knife and jumping off a building before being captured, the spokesman said. The hostage suffered minor injuries, he said. Police began to hunt for the four, aged from 21 to 28, soon after their escape and the prison management issued an appeal through a local television station for information leading to their arrest. Two of the men were serving suspended death sentences and two were serving life prison terms, said the spokesman without giving details of their convictions. The public security department of Inner Mongolia said 12,300 police and armed police officers had been deployed to search for the escapees, who were regarded as dangerous. Police searched thousands of hotels, nightclubs and Internet bars, questioned 47,500 people and stopped 24,600 vehicles. The four prisoners were on the run for only 66 hours before they were apprehended. "We appreciate the local residents' help in hunting the prisoners," said Zhao Liping, head of the public security department of the region." It's a successful people's war against the criminals."
BEIJING, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao said here Tuesday he and visiting U.S. President Barack Obama agreed during their talks to resolve the nuclear issues of the Korean Peninsula and Iran through dialogue. "Both of us remain committed to resolving the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and consultation," Hu said when meeting the press with Obama after their bilateral talks. "Such a commitment serves the common interests of China and the United States and all other parties concerned." Hu said China and the United States will work with other parties concerned to stick to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the six-party talks process to safeguard the peace and stability of northeast Asia. The two presidents stressed that it is very important for the stability in the Middle East and the Gulf Region to uphold the international nuclear non-proliferation regime and properly resolve the Iran nuclear issue through dialogue and negotiation, Hu said.
BEIJING, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese government will continue encouraging outbound investment while attracting foreign investment in 2010 for "stable and relatively fast" growth of the country's economy, a government official has said. Outbound investment, or "go-global" strategy, should aim at making use of overseas resources, market and advanced technologies, so as to help facilitate development of China's domestic economy, Zhang Xiaoqiang, vice minister in charge of the National Development and Reform Commission, said in the speech posted on the commission's website Tuesday. The remarks were made at a conference held in Beijing on foreign investment on Dec. 11, but was not released until Tuesday. In the first three quarters of 2009, China saw its investment overseas at 32.87 billion U.S. dollars, up 0.5 percent year-on-year, according to the Ministry of Commerce (MOC). The country would also continue to attract foreign investment, he said. "Social stability, huge potential market and low cost of productive resources are still advantages for foreign investment," he said. The country would see more advanced technologies and talents from foreign countries and foreign investment would better serve the structural reform of the country's economy. Zhang said the government would stress national economic security while seeking to increase foreign investment. "We have to properly handle new challenges and situations when further opening sectors, including finance and telecommunications." China's foreign direct investment shrank 14.26 percent from the same period last year to 63.77 billion U.S. dollars in the first nine months as foreign companies cut spending amid the global economic downturn, according to the MOC. In the speech, Zhang also said China's currency was facing renewed pressure to appreciate because of the quantitative easing monetary policy in developed countries, a weakening dollar and recovery of China's economy. The pressure would likely spur massive inflow of speculative money, making liquidity management more difficult. Premier Wen Jiabao also said in December in an interview with Xinhua that the yuan faced appreciation pressure. "China will not yield to foreign pressure for the appreciation of its currency yuan in any form," Wen said. "A stable Chinese currency is good for the international community," Wen said.
BEIJING, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- China hopes the United States can take active steps to eliminate discriminatory measures towards Chinese poultry products, said Yao Jian, spokesman of China's Ministry of Commerce, on Friday. Yao made the remarks in a comment on the ministry's official website on the 2010 Agriculture Appropriations Bill, which has modified the stance towards Chinese poultry imports, compared to that in the Omnibus Appropriations Act 2009. "We welcome the changes," Yao said. He pointed out, however, there are still restrictions against Chinese poultry products in the new bill. "China is evaluating whether the restrictions are totally in line with the non-discrimination principle of the World Trade Organization and other relevant regulations," Yao said. "China's poultry products are safe and reliable... We hope the United States can stand on the footing of maintaining mutual benefit in China-U.S. trade and take active steps to eliminate discriminatory measures and normalize bilateral poultry trade at an early date," Yao said. Yao hoped that the U.S. could modify relevant regulations to resume poultry imports from China. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the 410-billion-U.S.-dollar Omnibus Appropriations Act 2009 in February, which said "none of the funds made available in this Actmay be used to establish or implement a rule allowing poultry products to be imported into the United States from the People's Republic of China."
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MACAO, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The celebration gathering marking the10th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland and the inauguration of the third-term government of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) were held here Sunday. President Hu Jintao, who is also general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (CPC) of China and chairman of the Central Military Commission, attended the ceremony, where Macao SAR Chief Executive Fernando Chui Sai On and principal officials of the SAR government were sworn in. The celebration gathering marking the10th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland and the inauguration of the third-term government of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) were held Sunday Fernando Chui went to the podium first to take his oath solemnly, administered by Hu. Principal officials of the third-term SAR government and members of Macao's executive Council also took their oaths.
ASTANA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev on Saturday pledged to advance their countries' strategic partnership. During a meeting with Nazarbayev, Hu put forward a five-point proposal for the development of bilateral relations between China and Kazakhstan. Firstly, China and Kazakhstan should strengthen their political mutual trust by maintaining the momentum of frequent high-level contact and expanding cooperation and exchanges between parliaments and government departments, Hu said.Chinese President Hu Jintao (L) meets with Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev in Astana Dec. 12, 2009. The Chinese president said the two sides should strengthen mutual support on major issues concerning each other's core interests so as to enhance mutual understanding and trust. Hu said he has accepted an invitation by Nazarbayev to visit Kazakhstan next year, adding that he also invited Nazarbayev to visit China at a convenient time in the near future. Secondly, Hu said the two countries should deepen their cooperation in the energy sector, and earnestly implement the operation and maintenance of the China-Kazakhstan natural gas pipeline. The two countries should also strengthen cooperation in the mining sector, he said. Thirdly, China and Kazakhstan should advance their cooperation in non-energy sectors so as to push forward practical bilateral ties in an all-round manner. The Chinese president said the two countries should step up efforts to carry out their cooperation plans in non-energy sectors and in promoting the implementation of the first batch of their cooperation projects. Hu also called for joint efforts from both sides in expanding the scale and improving the economic returns of their non-energy cooperation. Fourthly, the two sides need to strengthen cooperation in the financial sector, especially in such areas as loans and financing, financial supervision, risk prevention and anti-money laundering. He said the two sides should accelerate the implementation of agreements on the 10-billion-dollar loan China provided for Kazakhstan to create favorable conditions for their cooperation in energy, mining and non-energy sectors. Chinese President Hu Jintao (L) and Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev (R) attend the completion ceremony of the Kazakhstan-China natural gas pipeline in Astana Dec. 12, 2009. Fifthly, Hu said the two sides should expand cooperation and exchanges in the fields of humanities and culture. He said China is ready to expand cooperation with Kazakhstan insuch areas as science, technology, education, culture, sports and tourism. He also announced a decision to increase from 100 to 200 the number of Kazakh students who study in China on Chinese government scholarships every year. Nazarbayev agreed with Hu's five-point proposal and said the Kazak side was satisfied with the development of the good-neighborly friendship and strategic partnership enjoyed by the two countries. Hu's visit took place on the eve of the 18th anniversary of Kazakhstan's independence, which Nazarbayev said reflects the importance that China places on its relations with his country. The two leaders watched the completion of a natural gas pipeline in Kazakhstan earlier Saturday. The pipeline is part of the China-Central Asia gas pipeline that links Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. Noting that bilateral relations have ushered in a new stage of energy cooperation, Nazarbayev said his country was willing to strengthen pragmatic cooperation with China in the fields of trade, finance, infrastructure, energy and non-energy. He also agreed with China's handling of the July 5 incident in Urumuqi in northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and reiterated his support for China's efforts to strike against the "three evil forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism China's efforts were necessary to maintain stability in Xinjiang, and were good for stability in Kazakhstan, he said. The president also thanked the Chinese government for increasing the number of Kazak students studying in China and said his country was ready to work with Beijing to smoothly run the two Confucius Institutes in Kazakhstan. China and Kazakhstan have witnessed sustained, rapid and healthy progress of bilateral ties since establishing diplomatic relations in 1992. Kazakhstan has become China's largest trading partner in Central Asia. Despite the global financial crisis, two-way trade reached 17.55 billion U.S. dollars in 2008, exceeding the 15-billion-dollar target set by the two countries' governments. China and Kazakhstan have also made concerted efforts in fighting against the "three evil forces", cracking down on drug trafficking and other cross-border crimes. Hu arrived in Astana earlier Saturday for a two-day visit to Kazakhstan at the invitation of Nazarbayev. Kazakhstan is the first leg of Hu's two-nation Central Asia trip. He is expected to leave Kazakhstan on Sunday for Turkmenistan.
DATONG, Shanxi, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang on Monday called for renovating the hovels in urban areas and at state-owned factories and mines across the country to better the livelihood of needy people. Renovation of all squatter homes in cities and at state-owned factories and mines should be completed in the next fives years. Those hovels at state-owned forest zones, reclamation areas and coal mines will be renovated within three years, Li told a national meeting. Different kinds of government funds will be used in the renovation work, and private investment will be encouraged, Li said, adding that favorable tax and land policies will be implemented. He said the renovation efforts should be open and transparent and respect the wishes of the broad masses. Efforts should be made to avoid corruption. Li said China will promote the building of low-rent houses to meet people's basic needs for housing. By the end of 2008, China has 11.48 million families living in hovels, 7.44 million of which live in cities, 2.38 million nearby state-owned plants and mines, 1.66 million in forest zones and reclamation areas.
BEIJING, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- The output value of China's energy saving and environmental protection industry would hit 2.8 trillion yuan (412 billion U.S. dollars) by 2012, said Xie Zhenhua, deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission on Sunday. Those sectors have become a new economic growth point and have bright prospects in China, Xie said at the fourth China-Japan Energy-saving and Environment Protection Forum which began Sunday. He said the government will beef up investment in the construction of resource recycling projects, which will directly boost the industry development. He noted the government will further reform the pricing system of the resource products. Enterprises should also enhance innovation to break technological bottleneck notably in the development of clean coal transfer technology and pollutants treatment facilities. China has been pushing for a national energy saving campaign to address the worsening conflicts between economic growth and environmental deterioration.