师范生实习发言稿

农机春耕工作总结

BEIJING, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao jumped in his first ever online chat on Saturday afternoon, facing questions from nearly 300,000 netizens and mobile phone users ranging from unemployment, wealth gap, social justice to democracy.     "I don't expect myself to answer every question well, but I am here with a sincere heart and speak honestly," Wen said during the two-hour-long chat jointly run by the central government web site www.gov.cn and the Xinhua News Agency web site www.xinhuanet.com . Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao(R2) speaks while visiting staff members of the Xinhua News Agency website, after his chat with Internet surfers in Beijing, China, Feb. 28, 2009. Wen Jiabao held an online chat with netizens jointly hosted by the central government website (www.gov.cn) and the Xinhua News Agency website (www.xinhuanet.com) on Saturday. The chat, second of its kind for a high-ranking Chinese official, came several days before the Premier is to deliver his annual work report at a meeting of the national legislature on March 5.     President Hu Jintao had a brief Q&A with netizens at the web site of People's Daily last June.     It seems Wen, who surfs the Internet almost every day and sometimes spends as long as one hour on the Internet, is aware of the toughness of the chat. He started the chat speaking of the approximately half million questions directed to him on local Internet forums, lately opened for the public to utter their advice ahead of the legislature meeting.     "I am deeply aware of the raft of issues that need to be addressed in a country as vast as China and I am deeply aware of the difficulty and heavy responsibility a Chinese Premier has to face," he said. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao holds an online chat with netizens jointly hosted by the central government website and Xinhua website in Beijing, China, Feb. 28, 2009.    ECONOMIC HARDSHIP     The first heavy barrage came from the concern over lingering economic slowdown which has already caused more than 20 million rural migrant workers jobless and terminated the superiority complex previously prevalent among the country's millions of college graduates on the job market.     In an obvious effort to elevate public confidence without giving false hope, Premier Wen used careful wording to evaluate the effect of the four-trillion-yuan stimulus package he endorsed last November.     "Signs in certain areas and fields pointed to a turnaround. Some key indicators showed the economic situation has somewhat turned better. But those were just temporary indices and couldn't be fully compared with the past figures," he said.     "We must fully realize we are facing a long-term and arduous task and strengthen confidence in the face of the crisis and be ready to take firmer and stronger actions when necessary."     Wen gave his personal appreciation to the "brothers" of rural migrant workers for their contribution to China's prosperity and their understanding in times of difficulty.     "You have born the first brunt of the financial crisis, but you didn't hold much grudge against the government but instead showed your understanding, with some going back home silently for farming and others dashing around for jobs," Wen said. "I thank you!"     The government would offer vocational training and tax privileges for rural migrant workers to start their own business, he said.     Wen didn't use the occasion for a national consumption pitch, although many economists agreed that raising consumption would be the only way to rebalance and sustain the economy.     "Of course we wish the wealthy could spend money boldly, but what we think essential is to increase the income of people from all walks of life. In that case, consumption would have a much more solid founding," he said.     Hand-picking a complaint over financing difficulty from netizen Shen Yuefang who ran a small-scale business in Zhejiang, Wen harshly blamed commercial banks, urging them to step up the implementation of state policies and lend more to small and medium-sized companies, especially private ones.     "I always said that economists, entrepreneurs and bankers must have moral blood. That is to say whenever the country is in trouble, we should help smaller companies and optimize the system. This is real action to share in the woes of the nation. Every banker should do this," he said.     GOOD SYSTEM MATTERS MORE     Affectionately named "Baobao" (the Chinese for baby) by his fans, the 67-year-old has become one of the nation's most popular figures after making swift appearance at disaster sites when a devastating earthquake shocked the country last May.     During his visit to Tianjin on Feb. 16 this year, Wen came cross weeping mother Wang Zhihua who couldn't afford the treatment for his seriously ill son. Wen personally donated 10,000 yuan and arranged for the two-year-old suffering leukaemia from the rural area in Zhangjiakou of Hebei Province to get hospitalized in the Beijing Children's Hospital.     This philanthropic act however triggered public sighs over the country's inadequate medical system.     "I noticed the harsh criticism which says good system matters more than good Premier," Wen said, responding to a question on the treatment of seriously ill children.     "Being the Premier, I need to think about how to optimize our medical system and have seriously ill children treated....We have already started to work in this direction. But our efforts is far from enough."     China currently has more than four million leukemic children. Treatment for each would cost more than 100,000 yuan. But no medical insurance in China would allow reimbursement for such large medical bills, Wen acknowledged.     He mentioned five steps the government will take, including expanding the coverage of insurance and establishing a basic medicine system with price ceilings.     The State Council, or the Cabinet, has lately passed a medical reform plan involving a government input of 850 billion yuan (123 billion U.S. dollars) by 2011 to provide universal medical service to the country's 1.3 billion population.     "Health care reform is not easy. Our determination to push forward the reform shows that the government cares about the health of the public," Wen said.     "Let me assure you that a good Premier would push forward the establishment of a good system," he said.     HEARTY TALK     Bombarded by questions over the widening income gap and government corruption, Wen said that in a society where fairness and justice prevail, the public should be able to share the fruits of reform.     Citing the Theory of Moral Sentiments by philosopher Adam Smith, Wen said that society would be unstable if the wealth was long concentrated in the hands of a small number of people while the majority was stuck in poverty.     "However, the needy would have no way to shake off poverty when the society was static. So only through development and progress can we tackle such difficulty from the root," he said.     "To uphold democracy and have the people truly in charge, we must rely on no individuals but a sound system to secure top-to-bottom communications for the government to listen to the voices of the masses," he said.     Asked why he didn't dodge when German student Martin Jahnke blew a whistle and hurled a sports shoe at him at the concert hall of Cambridge University on Feb. 2 during his speech, Wen admitted his eyes had been blinded by the spotlight.     "I didn't know indeed what has come to me. But I have a conviction even it was a dangerous article, I wouldn't move a bit because the first thing that came cross my mind was to safeguard the national dignity," he said.     Wen asked the moderator to prolong the chat more than once and addressed 29 more questions.

BEIJING, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese shares rose 2.84 percent Monday, advancing for a third consecutive day to a nearly eight-month high, on hopes that the economy had outperformed expectations in the first quarter.     Premier Wen Jiabao told reporters in Thailand Saturday that the economy showed signs of better-than-expected changes during the first quarter as a result of the economic stimulus package.     The National Bureau of Statistics is scheduled to release first-quarter growth data Thursday, which are expected to demonstrate a recovery in the world's fastest-growing economy. An investor is inside a securities firm in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province April 13, 2009    Data already announced have been positive. The central bank said over the weekend that new loans increased 1.89 trillion yuan (about 278 billion U.S. dollars) in March, the third straight month that new loans exceeded 1 trillion yuan.     Economists said the March figure indicated that China's liquidity was abundant, which was crucial to an economic recovery.     Wen said industrial output rose 8.3 percent in March, up from a record low of 3.8 percent in the first two months of the year.     The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index reacted to the positive news and closed at 2,513.7 points, up 69.48 points. The Shenzhen Component Index was up 2.08 percent, or 194.36 points, to 9539.8.     Gains outnumbered losses by 616 to 205 in Shanghai and 532 to 173 in Shenzhen.     Combined turnover rose to 280.46 billion yuan from 239.98 billion yuan the previous trading day.     Coal producers led gains Monday on speculation that coal prices might be raised. The country's largest coal producer, China Shenhua Energy, and six other producers, surged by the daily limit of 10 percent.     Steel stocks gained on hopes of more demand as industrial output picked up. Baoshan Iron & Steel, the nation's top steel maker, rose 4 percent to 5.97 yuan.     PetroChina went up 4 percent to 11.94 yuan and Sinopec rose 5.34 percent to 9.47 yuan on news that the country might soon announce details on a stimulus package for the petrochemical sector.     Shipping lines and other cargo carriers gained broadly on anticipation of an economic recovery. China Cosco rose by the daily limit of 10 percent to 12.87 yuan. China Shipping Development climbed 10 percent to 13.08 yuan. China Southern Airlines, one of the nation's three major carriers, rose 6.22 percent to 6.15 yuan.     Securities analysts expressed optimism about continued gains in the near term. Shanghai-based Shiji Investment said in a report that heavyweights had showed signs of robust performance and the market may rise to new highs.     Analysts at Huaxun, an on-line financial information service, said the market would find support at about 2,450 to 2,470 on buoyant confidence, with investors anticipating a recovery.

BEIJING, April 5 (Xinhua) -- China's cement production expanded 10.3 percent year on year to 159 million tonnes in the first two months, amid the booming fixed-asset investment, data released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) have shown.     The growth rate was 6.8 percentage points higher than that for December, as the fixed-asset investment accelerated due to the government's 4 trillion yuan (584.8 billion U.S. dollars) stimulus package, according to the MIIT data released on Friday.     The wholesale price was 284 yuan per ton, 5 yuan cheaper than the price peak in November, but 27.8 yuan higher than that for January.     China's urban fixed asset investment rose 26.5 percent year on year to 1.027 trillion yuan (150.35 billion U.S. dollars) in the first two months, as the government's stimulus plan propped up construction of housing and railways.     MIIT figures showed that the output value of the building material sector rose 14 percent year on year in the January-February period, two percentage points higher than that for December.     The figures were calculated based on the comparable working days in the first two months, since China's Lunar New Year holiday fell in February last year, but in January this year.     Zhu Hongren, official with the MIIT said the building material sector was back on track after the stimulus plan showed effect. However, the excess production was still prominent, and efforts must be made to eliminate outdated capacity.

郑州seo排名

BEIJING, April 15 (Xinhua) -- China on Wednesday said it would work with Mongolia to advance the relationship between the two countries. "This would benefit the two peoples," Chinese Vice President XiJinping told visiting Mongolian Prime Minister Sanj Bayar.     Hailing the 60-year diplomatic ties between China and Mongolia, Xi said the two neighboring countries enjoyed three precious experiences during the development process of bilateral relations. Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Mongolian Prime Minister Sanj Bayar in Beijing, China, April 15, 2009    Firstly, Xi said to respect each other's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity was the important base for the growth of China-Mongolia ties.     Secondly, he said both sides' commitments to enhancing bilateral relations were the source of flourishing development of China-Mongolia ties.     Lastly, he pointed out that both sides treated each other's development as important opportunities and made great efforts to increase cooperation. This was the driving force for the stable growth of bilateral relations.     Bayar said his country valued the relations with China, and was satisfied with the bilateral ties in recent years.     The Prime Minister applauded China's assistance and support to his country.     The whole world was deeply impressed by China's efforts to cope with the international financial crisis, Bayar said, noting that this also strengthened Mongolia's confidence in surviving difficulties.     Mongolia would increase cooperation with China to jointly respond to challenges and push forward the bilateral relations, he noted.     Bayar was here on a five-day working visit starting from Tuesday, and will also attend the Bo'ao Forum for Asia annual meeting, scheduled for April 17-19.

BEIJING, April 11 (Xinhua) -- China's foreign exchange reserves rose 16 percent year-on-year to 1.9537 trillion U.S. dollars by the end of March, said the People's Bank of China on Saturday.     It represents an increase of 7.7 billion dollars for the first quarter, but the increase was 146.2 billion dollars lower than the same period of last year.     Outstanding foreign currency loans stood at 235.2 billion U.S. dollars by the end of March, down 11.7 percent year on year.     In the first quarter, foreign currency loans dropped by 8.5 billion U.S. dollars. The decline was 57.3 billion U.S. dollars heavier over the same period of last year.     In March, foreign currency loans rose by 4.3 billion U.S. dollars. The increase was 6.4 billion U.S. dollars lower than the same period of last year.     Meanwhile, outstanding foreign currency deposits rose 28.9 percent, or 7.5 billion U.S. dollars, to 200.3 billion U.S. dollars in the first quarter. The increase was 13 billion U.S. dollars higher over the same period of last year.     In March alone, foreign currency deposits rose by 3.3 billion U.S. dollars. The increase was 1.8 billion U.S. dollars higher over the same month in 2008.     Analysts said the smaller growth of foreign exchange reserves in the first quarter was related with changes in the value of non-U.S.-dollar assets and money flows under the capital account.     In March alone, the foreign exchange reserves rose by 41.7 billion U.S. dollars. The increase was 6.7 billion U.S. dollars higher than the corresponding period of last year.     The country's foreign exchange reserves reduced to 1.914 trillion U.S. dollars at the end of January and 1.912 trillion U.S. dollars at the end of February.     "Changes of foreign exchange reserves in the first quarter were mainly driven by non-U.S.-dollar assets' volatile fluctuation," said Liu Yuhui, an economist with Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS).     During the first quarter, especially the first two months, non-dollar foreign currencies dropped heavily against the U.S. dollar, leaving about 40 percent of the country's non-dollar assets depreciated.     Meanwhile, the country's trade surplus had reduced during the first quarter due to a weakening external demand.     Exports fell 17.5 percent in January, 25.7 percent in February and 17.1 percent in March. In February, trade surplus plummeted by34.3 billion U.S. dollars to 4.8 billion.     "The 7.7-billion-dollar increase in foreign exchange reserves for the first quarter showed the country's economy still depends heavily on external demand," said Mei Xinyu, an economist with the Ministry of Commerce (MOC).     Yuan Gangming, a researcher with the CASS, said the smaller increase in foreign exchange reserves might also be caused by capital flight.     Official statistics show during the first two months, the actually-utilized foreign direct investment dropped by 26.2 percent.     A large proportion of the country's foreign exchange reserves are invested in U.S. treasuries and notes. Last month, the U.S. Federal Reserve announced a plan to buy up to 300 billion U.S. dollars in long-term treasuries. That added to worries in the value stability of the country's foreign exchange reserves.     Mei said the slower growth in foreign exchange reserves could be conducive to the national economic security because less capital would be exposed to devaluation risks.     "The top priority should be to keep the value of foreign exchange reserves stable," said Yuan. He suggested relevant authorities should keep a close eye on flows of foreign reserves and prevent a similar capital flight that happened after the Asian financial crisis.

BEIJING, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said Thursday that government stimulus moves had begun to produce results and the economy was now in "better-than-expected" shape.     Wen's remarks at a cabinet executive meeting came after the government said there had been positive economic changes, even though the economy grew just 6.1 percent in the first quarter, the slowest pace in a decade.     The premier cited pick-ups in investment, consumption and industrial output, abundant liquidity in the banking system, and improved market expectations as signs of those "positive changes."     The National Bureau of Statistics said Thursday that first-quarter industrial output grew 5.1 percent year on year, with a rise of 8.3 percent in March.     It also said fixed asset investment rose 28.8 percent to 2.81 trillion yuan (413.2 billion U.S. dollars), with real growth exceeding 30 percent, while retail sales grew 15 percent to 2.94 trillion yuan.     Such positive changes indicated that the government's macroeconomic policies, taken since the second half of last year, have been "timely, powerful, and effective," said Wen, who presided over the meeting.     China announced a 4-trillion-yuan stimulus package last November to boost domestic demand, slashed interest rates five times since last September, unveiled support plans for 10 key industries, and projected a record fiscal deficit of 950 billion yuan this year.     These measures were prompted by a collapse in exports as the global downturn took its toll on the world's fastest-growing economy.     China's economic growth cooled to a seven-year low of 9 percent last year, ending five years of double-digit expansion.     "However, we must also be clear-headed and understand that grounds for the country's economic recovery are not solid enough yet, as circumstances both at home and abroad remain grim," Wen warned.     He said that global financial turmoil was still spreading, and was exerting a deepening influence on the national economy.     The premier cited continued falling in external demands, oversupply in some sectors that would suppress industrial output growth and worsen corporate earnings, reluctance in private investment, increased difficulty in raising farmers' income, the dwindling fiscal revenue, and the acute pressure to create enough jobs.     He warned against blind optimism and called for unslackened efforts to achieve the country's goals of social and economic development.     China is aiming to achieve an 8-percent growth this year, which has long been held as essential for the populous developing nation.     "We should anticipate more risks and difficulties ahead, expect a longer time frame within which we would be able to overcome the crisis, and get prepared with more satisfying measures."     The government would focus on following moves, according to the premier.     -- To bring into play measures aimed at expanding investment.     The country would soon cash in the third batch of pledged central government investment. The central government has so far cashed in 230 billion yuan (33.8 billion U.S. dollars), which is part of the 4-trillion-yuan stimulus package.     The government would also revise government approval of investment projects -- or loosen government grip on investment project approval, to encourage private investment, and would continue the work on stabilizing and expanding foreign investment.     -- To expand consumption, and consumer spending in particular.     The country would continue to improve its policy for subsidies to farmers who buy designated brands of home appliances, and stimulate spending on culture, tourism and information in the service sector.     It would also try to keep spending on such items as housing and auto stable.     -- "Using every possible means" to maintain stable trade growth.     The government would scrap policies that could restrict exports, and extend support to exports of hi-tech and labor-intensive products.     It would also increase imports of important energy resources, heavily-demanded raw materials and key technologies and equipment, and encourage domestic firms to invest overseas.     -- To keep the stable development of agriculture.     The country would continue to carry out policies favorable to farmers and agriculture. It would initiate the plan to increase the country's grain output by 50 million tonnes over the next 12 years.     -- To promote the restructuring of key industries.     The government will unveil details of the stimulus packages for10 key industries as soon as possible, and cash in the fund from central government that will be exclusively used for the restructuring and technological renovation.     The Chinese government would improve policies in favor of innovation and hi-tech industries, and may cultivate new growth in sectors of new energy, energy conservation, environmental protection, bio-pharmaceuticals, telecommunications and modern services.     -- To advance with efforts to improve people's livelihood.     The government would make public the execution plan and documents for the huge health care reforms as soon as possible. The reforms are aimed to provide universal health care to the country's large population.     It would continue to provide support to migrant workers and college graduates who are hunting for jobs.     -- To make sure the financial system is providing necessary support for the economic growth.     The government would adjust the market demand for capital and ensure capital is used to fuel the economic growth.     It would give more support to small- and medium- sized enterprises to meet their capital demand.     -- To increase fiscal revenue by making more efforts to collect taxes that are due according to laws and regulations, and at the same time cutting back on unnecessary expenditures.

搜索引擎优化网站排名

BEIJING, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao on Friday called for the country's law-enforcement personnel to learn the selfless dedication to the people from Tan Dong, a policeman in Sichuan Province.     Tan, 45, was a traffic policeman in Dayi County of Chengdu, capital city of Sichuan. He died of myocarditis on Jan. 5 because of long-time hard work at his position.     On Dec. 29 last year, in order to save a person having fallen into a trench in a car accident, Tan jumped into the cold water and got a serious cold. Being seriously sick afterwards, Tan insisted on working, until the last minute of his life.     After his death, Tan was honored as a first-class model by the Ministry of Public Security and Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.     On Friday, some of Tan's relatives and colleagues were invited to give a report on his heroic deeds in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The audience were deeply moved by the report and gave applauses to show their respect for the hero.     More than 800 police and citizen representatives listened to the report.     Zhou Yongkang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, met with Tan's families and colleagues before the report.     "He is an ordinary, but great person. He is the model for the police, and also a good example for China's grassroots officials," Zhou said.     In Tan Dong's diary, he wrote: one cannot be a public servant if he has no intention of dedication.     "He did what he said," Zhou said.

BEIJING, April 8 (Xinhua) -- China and Venezuela agreed here Wednesday to step up cooperation in fields such as energy, agriculture, and high technology and take joint actions in the face of the global financial crisis.     The agreement was reached in a meeting between Chinese President Hu Jintao and his visiting Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the two exchanged in-depth views on bilateral relations and other issues of common concern and reached an important consensus.     Hu highlighted the robust growth of bilateral relations during the meeting, saying that China was satisfied with the positive outcomes from bilateral economic and technological cooperation, progress made on some key projects and close coordination on international and regional issues. Chinese President Hu Jintao (R) meets with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, on April 8, 2009    Hu also suggested the two nations should work closer and boost the various pragmatic cooperation, which would not only help resolve the impact from the international financial crisis, but also be conducive to laying a solid foundation for the long-term development of Sino-Venezuelan relations.     China highly values its ties with Venezuela and will join hands with the Venezuelan side to make efforts to push forward the bilateral strategic partnership to a higher level, Hu said.     Echoing Hu's views on bilateral relations, Chavez also applauded the progress made on bilateral cooperation in energy, agriculture, industry and technology.     He especially mentioned the successful launch and delivery of Venezuela's first telecommunication satellite thanks to cooperation with China.     Chavez noted that the world order is undergoing a profound change and China already played a significant and positive role in an effort to address the challenges posed by the international economic turmoil.     Venezuela is willing to cement its cooperation with China in such a new international context, the Venezuelan president added.     As Hu's guest, Chavez arrived in Beijing on Tuesday night for a three-day working visit.     He will also meet Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping during the visit, which is his sixth to China.

郑州seo排名公司

BEIJING, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Communist Party of China (CPC) has called for beefing up efforts to further push forward peaceful development of relations between the mainland and Taiwan.     A meeting on Taiwan work, held from Friday through Saturday, pointed out that major breakthrough had been made in development of relations across the Taiwan Straits in 2008.     The meeting urged doing solid job to further push forward development of cross-Straits relations and the process of cross-Straits consultations, continuing the progressive method of easy things first, difficult things later; and economic affairs first, political affairs later.     It urged consolidating the political bases that the two sides both oppose "Taiwan independence" and adhere to the "1992 Consensus", to maintain the momentum of the improving cross-Straits relations.     It urged vigorously beefing up economic exchanges and cooperation, fully realizing direct transport, postal and trade links, striving for normalization of economic relations and working for institutionalizing economic cooperation.     It orders taking effective measures to help Taiwan businesses on the mainland to overcome difficulties, implementing a series of policies that benefit Taiwan compatriots, beefing up cooperation in dealing with the international financial crisis.     It also urged vigorously pushing forward all-round exchanges, with emphasis on promoting cultural and educational exchanges and involving more Taiwan people in cross-Straits exchanges.     Jia Qinglin, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, attended the meeting and made a speech. Jia, who is also Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, urged following the guidelines put forward by CPC Central Committee General Secretary Hu Jintao on Taiwan work.     The meeting was presided over by State Councilor Dai Bingguo. The Taiwan Work Office of the CPC Central Committee director Wang Yi delivered a work report at the meeting.

BEIJING, Feb.2 (Xinhua) -- "The wheat grass gets so dry that it catches fire! I've never seen this in my whole life," said 50-year-old Wei Liuding in Baisha village, Muzhong County of North China's Henan Province.     Wang Hongwei, a farmer from Putaojia Village of Henan's Lankao County, grievingly held a grasp of wheat grass roots in his hand.     "All the wheat in my land is dying like this," he told a Xinhua reporter. Photo taken on Feb. 2, 2009 shows the droughty reservoir in Yiyang County of Luoyang city, central China's Henan ProvinceHenan, China's major grain producer, issued a red alert for drought Thursday. The provincial meteorological bureau said the drought is the worst since 1951. The drought have affected about 63 percent of the province's 78.9 million mu (5.26 million hectares) of wheat.     But Henan Province is not the only victim in thirsty northern China.     Anhui Province issued a red drought alert Sunday, forecasting a major drought that will plague more than 60 percent of the crops north of the Huaihe River is no rain is reported by next week.     Shanxi Province was put on orange drought alert on Jan. 21, as nearly one million people and 160,000 heads of livestock are facing water shortage.     Provinces such as Shaanxi, Shandong, Hebei and Jiangsu are also reeling from droughts.     According to the Office of State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters on Sunday, the droughts in northern China have affected about 145 million mu (9.67 million hectares) of crops, and have left 3.7 million people and 1.85 million livestock with poor access to drinking water.     Secretary of the office E Jingping said the headquarters sent four working teams to eight provinces to supervise the drought relief work.     The Ministry of Finance (MOF) has allocated 100 million yuan (14.6 million U.S. dollars) in emergency funding to help ease the drought.     E said about 1.38 billion yuan had been used to fund the relief work since the end of December. Some 74.60 million mu (4.97million hectares) of farmland have been irrigated, and drinking water shortages have been eased for about 500,000 people and 280,000 livestock.     The irrigation system in the drought area is under a crucial test. The water flow under Xiaolangdi Dam on the Yellow River reached 550 cubic meters per second as of 2 p.m. Saturday, to help soothe the drought in Henan Province.     "The water in my well is very deep today," Wei Liuding told Xinhua reporter Sunday.     "Although we were informed that the government's subsidies will be soon handed out to households, I decided not to merely rely on the government, and I am now irrigating the lands for four hours a day at my own expense."     But with a family of five, Wang Hongwei was more worried.     "Though we irrigate the lands now, the production will surely see a big drop. Like many other people in our village, I am thinking about doing odd jobs in the town to earn some extra cash."     Li Xin, an advocate for the income and rights of farmers and migrant workers who opened a company to sue false seed producers, said, "Even if the farmers go to towns and cities to work, their pays will wane as the financial crisis continues to loom."     Duan Aiming, head of the Irrigation Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences, said the current drought has "sound an alarm to the water resource utility in northern China".     "Much water is being wasted, because many mature irrigation technologies cannot be put into practice for lack of funds, and the input on irrigation infrastructure is not enough," said Duan.     "Only by a long-term improvement of the irrigation system can the government realize its goal of increasing the grain yield and the farmers' income," said Li.     In the first document of the year issued jointly by the State Council and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Sunday, local authorities were urged to take measures to avoid declining grain production, ensure the steady expansion of agriculture and rural stability.     "The foundation for securing steady and relatively fast economic growth is based upon agriculture; the toughest work of securing and improving people's livelihoods stays with farmers," it said.