BEIJING, July 20 (Xinhua) -- China's Central Military Commission (CMC) conferred the rank of general on three senior military officers here on Monday, bringing the total number of generals to 174. CMC Chairman Hu Jintao awarded the officers certificates of command at the promotion ceremony. An order for the promotion was announced by CMC Vice-Chairman Guo Boxiong. The senior officers are deputy chief of the General Staff of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Ma Xiaotian, political commissar of the PLA's Academy of Military Sciences Liu Yuan, and political commissar of Chengdu Military Area Command Zhang Haiyang. China's Central Military Commission (CMC) Chairman Hu Jintao (C) poses with newly-promoted generals, namely Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Ma Xiaotian (2nd L), Political Commissar of PLA's Academy of Military Sciences Liu Yuan (1st R), and Political Commissar of the Chengdu Military Area Command Zhang Haiyang (1st L) in Beijing, capital of China, July 20, 2009. CMC conferred the rank of general on the three senior military officers here on Monday. China began to confer military ranks to military and police officers in 1955, when Chairman Mao Zedong promoted 10 senior officers to the rank of marshal, a rank which was later abolished. Premier Zhou Enlai then issued a decree conferring the rank of general on 55 officers in 1955 and one each in 1956 and 1958. Only one veteran of the revolution that founded the People's Republic of China who was among the first group of generals is still alive: 104-year-old Lu Zhengcao, former vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. In 1965, the CMC abolished the system of military ranks and then resumed it in 1988. Since then, 118 senior military and police officers have been promoted to the rank of full general. Hong Xuezhi, who became a member of the CMC in 1988, was the only officer to receive the honor twice in 1955 and 1988. The PLA recognizes 10 military ranks for officers in active service: general, lieutenant general and major general; senior colonel, colonel, lieutenant colonel and major; captain, first lieutenant and second lieutenant.
BEIJING, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the country's top aircraft manufacturer, said Sunday total sales revenue in its auto business would reach 30 billion yuan (about 4.39 billion U.S. dollars) by 2017. Geng Ruguang, deputy general manager of AVIC, said making big passenger vehicles has become the the corporations's guiding plan for development in its auto business. Geng revealed the figure at a ceremony marking AVIC and its partner Volvol's new product Silver 900 series going into production line. The series is a new type of big and luxurious passenger vehicles, 12 meters long, which could be used for road transportation, tourist reception, and military equipment. The Silver 900 series was developed by Xi'an Silver Bus Corporation, a joint venture established in 1994 by AVIC Xi'an Aircraft Industry Co. ltd, and the Swedish bus and truck maker Volvo company. The Xi'an Silver Bus Corporation expects to produce annually 4,000 vehicles by 2014. A mockup of jumbo jet C919, the major project of the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), is displayed at the Asian Aerospace '09 in Hong Kong, China, Sept. 8, 2009
HONG KONG, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- China has made great progress in gender equality and empowering women in the past 60 years, well on track to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015, said a senior UN official on Saturday at the Asia Pacific Women Forum held in Hong Kong. Khalid Malik, the United Nations Resident Coordinator and the UN Development Program resident representative in China, quoted Chairman Mao Zedong's famous remarks "Women holding up half of the sky" to review China's good will and determination in promoting gender equality. He noted that the People's Republic of China has witnessed important progress since its founding nearly 60 years ago, with gender equality as the country's basic national policy and one of the core elements to pursue a harmonious society. Six years away from the deadline of MDGs, China is now well on track for further progress to meet the goal in promoting gender equality, said Malik. "There is almost no gender disparity to Chinese women's access to a living market, and there is much that the Asia-Pacific region can learn from China's lessons," he said. The eight MDGs, set by world leaders at a UN summit meeting in 2000, also include relieving poverty, popularizing primary education, reducing child mortality and ensuring environmental sustainability. As the Asia-Pacific region emerges stronger than any other one from the undergoing global financial crisis, he also believed the women in the region have a real prospect in redefining and strengthening their role in economy and society amid "a time of great changes". "Women are the driving force to overcome poverty and hunger, fight illiteracy, prevent the spread of diseases and promote stability," he said. More efforts were needed yet, Malik added. He urged both China and the whole region to eliminate even more bias towards empowering women and to bring the gender equality to a whole new level on the foundation of all the progress that has been made so far.
XIAMEN, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- China remains the most attractive country for foreign capital, despite that the country's foreign direct investment declined for ten straight months, a commerce official said Wednesday. "China has been the top destination for foreign capital for 17 consecutive years," Wang Chao, assistant commerce minister, said at the World Capital Forum in Xiamen, east China's Fujian Province. A report released by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on July 22 showed that China stands first on the list of five most attractive destinations for foreign capital, followed by the United States, India, Brazil, and Russia. The country has received 48.3 billion U.S. dollars of foreign direct investment (FDI) from January to July this year, down 20.3 percent over the same time last year amid a global economic downturn, Wang said. Wang said the country's prospects for overseas investment remains optimistic as it would simplify examination and approval procedures toward foreign investors. It will also guide foreign investment to go to high technology industry, advanced manufacturing industry, energy saving and environment protection industries, in a bid to optimize investment structures.
BEIJING, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- China held a grand reception hereon Friday to celebrate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties with Russia as well as the founding of the China-Russia Friendship Association. Addressing the occasion, China's top political advisor Jia Qinglin described China-Russia relations as in the best period of history, citing frequent high-level exchanges, unprecedented political trust and substantial cooperation in various areas. "The China-Russia relationship has become one of the most energetic and influential bilateral ties around the world, which not only brought benefit to the two peoples but also contributed to world peace and development," said Jia, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). Qinglin, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, addresses a reception to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic ties between China and Russia and of the founding of the China-Russia Friendship Association, in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 25, 2009Chinese President Hu Jintao had fruitful talks with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev on Sept. 23 in New York, and both reached broad consensus on important topics including bilateral cooperation and other issues of common concern, he said. Jia called on the two countries to promote the bilateral strategic partnership of cooperation from a strategic height and overall perspective, stick to the principles of the Sino-Russian Good-Neighborly Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation, keep high-level contacts and exchanges among various levels, respect each other's core interests and enhance cooperation among local governments. Russian ambassador to China Sergei Razov echoed that currently Russia-China relations are in their best period in history. Hailing the epoch-making significance of setting up bilateral diplomatic ties, he said Russia-China relations were based on common interests and enhanced trust and support. "The increasing coordination between the two countries had made a great contribution to the formation of a new world situation," he added. Some 280 delegates from both countries attended the reception including President Chen Haosu of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, and President Mikhail Titarenko of the Moscow-based Russia-China Friendship Association.
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UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- China stressed on Monday the importance of following "capacity to pay" principle while the United Nations considers the scale for determining member states' dues to the organization's budget. Liu Zhenmin, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, made the statement to the meeting of the Fifth Committee of the 64th Session of the UN General Assembly on the scale for determining member states' dues to the organization's budget in 2010-2012. "China stands ready to make an even greater contribution to the UN on the basis of capacity to pay, as our economy continues to grow," he said. But, despite its rapid economic development and impressive gross domestic product figures, China was the country with the largest population, which still faced enormous challenges at home, Liu said. In 2008, China's per capita gross domestic product stood at 3,000 U.S. dollars, ranked around the 100th place in the world and still a far cry from the average per capita Gross National Income (GNI) of 7,119 U.S. dollars (the threshold), he said. "By the standard of the World Bank which considers those living on less than .25 a day as poor, China's poverty population will total 250 million, the second largest in the world," he said. "Economic development, poverty eradication and the realization of modernization remain daunting challenges for China," Liu said. "The evaluation of China's capacity to pay should not be conducted without taking into account China's specificities."
PHOENIX, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- At the invitation of the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, Chinese top legislator Wu Bangguo arrived here on Sunday to begin his official visit to the United States on the final leg of his three-nation America tour. In a written statement released at the airport upon his arrival, Wu, chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, highlighted the "historical" growth of the China-U.S. relations in the past 30 years since the two nations forged diplomatic relations, noting that the bilateral ties already become the most important and the most dynamic ones in the world. Wu Bangguo (L), chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, the country's top legislature, shakes hands with Arizona Governor Jan Brewer greeting him upon his arrival at an airport in Phoenix of Arizona state Sept. 6, 2009. Wu Bangguo arrived here on Sunday for an official goodwill visit to the U.S., the final leg of his three-nation America tourWu will be visiting Washington Tuesday where he is expected to hold talks with Pelosi, meet with U.S. President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. "My visit to the United States is the first by a Chinese top legislator in the past 20 years," Wu said in the statement, noting that the purpose of his visit is to further implement the important consensus reached by the Chinese president Hu Jintao and Obama in an aim to push forward the positive, cooperative and comprehensive Sino-American relations. Wu arrived here after he concluded his official visit to Cuba and the Bahamas.
BEIJING, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- The inaugural World Media Summit began in Beijing on Friday with a speech from Chinese President Hu Jintao that drew praise from many foreign media members. Tom Curley, president and chief executive of The Associated Press, said that he was delighted to hear some 15 months after the Beijing Olympics that the progress of China opening up to the world would continue. Curley said that Hu's speech seemed quite sincere and that the president's appearance at the summit "was an important gesture as well." Chinese President Hu Jintao (C) waves to the participants as he arrives for the opening ceremony of the World Media Summit at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, on Oct. 9, 2009. The two-day summit, hosted by Xinhua News Agency, opened here Friday morningThe AP also said that news coverage of China has expanded dramatically in recent years amid rising global interest in its economic boom and Beijing's larger role in global affairs. The news agency also paid close attention to China's pledge to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of foreign news organizations and reporters. Foreign media coverage had played an "important role" in telling the world about the changes in China, Hu was quoted by the AP as saying. The Chinese president also called on media organizations to promote peace. South Korea's Yonhap News Agency said Hu elaborated on China's media policies in his speech and pledged that the Chinese government would safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of foreign news media and continue to facilitate foreign media coverage of China in accordance with the law. South Korea's JoongAng Daily reported that a three-day "media Olympics" Opened in Beijing, China. The newspaper said that the summit puts a heavy emphasis on the coexistence, competition, dependency and convergence of the traditional media and new media. "It is also noteworthy that China is pursuing ambitious media reconstruction strategies by planning and hosting such a large-scale event," the newspaper said. Japan's Kyodo said that representatives from about 170 media organizations worldwide began two days of talks Friday in Beijing. The talks, Kyodo said, focused on the potential for cooperation and competition between new and traditional media in an era of globalization with growing use of digital and multimedia technology. The Jiji News Agency of Japan said Chinese media are tapping into the world market by providing multi-language services and going multimedia. It said Xinhua is expanding its business by launching a TV news service and developing online and mobile phone services.
GUANGZHOU, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- One person is missing and more than a million residents affected as typhoon Koppu landed in southern China's Guangdong Province Tuesday, local authorities said. About 1.06 million people in 69 townships in Jiangmen and Yangjiang cities were feeling the effect of the storm at 6 p.m., said Guangdong Flooding and Drought Relief Headquarters. One person in Zhuhai City is missing. In Shenzhen City, 169 flights were delayed on Tuesday, stranding nearly 10,000 passengers. The typhoon, the 15th this year, has brought heavy rains to Guangdong. In Yangjiang City, where the typhoon downgraded into a strong tropical storm, fallen trees and branches could be seen along the roads. In Sanya City in the southern island province of Hainan, the typhoon brought rain of more than 167 millimeters. Shipping services across the southern Qiongzhou Strait, which have been suspended since Monday afternoon, were expected to resume Wednesday. Local experts have warned of flash flooding, with the possible dangers of mudslides and landslides. Koppu would bring heavy rain to most parts of southwestern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Hainan and Guangdong during the next two days, China's central observatory said.