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.
ISLAMABAD, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani met respectively with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi on Saturday and reiterated their resolve to improve bilateral ties to a new level. They said Pakistan will always stand with China on the Taiwan and Tibet issues and Beijing Olympics will be a great success. Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf (L) meets visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, April 26, 2008.Musharraf, at a meeting with Yang in the city of Rawalpindi close to Islamabad, appreciated China's consistent assistance and help, saying Pakistan would continue to carry out cooperation with China in such fields as trade, energy, communication, education and culture. The smooth holding of the Beijing Olympic torch relay in Islamabad showcased the deep-rooted friendship between the two neighboring countries, said Musharraf Gillani, while meeting with Yang, said Pakistan and China enjoy "all-weather and time-tested" relations and the new Pakistani government will strive to push bilateral relations forward on the basis of mutually-beneficiary cooperation. Gillani welcomed Chinese firms to invest in Pakistan, saying to develop relationship with China will be the priority of the Pakistani government. Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani (R) meets visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi (L) in Islamabad, capital of Pakistan, April 26, 2008. Yang described China-Pakistan relations as good neighbors, friends, partners and brothers, saying the two countries have seen sound cooperation on politics, trade, mega projects, military, security, culture as well as regional and international issues. China thanks Pakistan for its firm support on the Taiwan and Tibet issues, and will support Pakistan's efforts to safeguard national stability and development, Yang said. Yang said the Chinese government attaches great importance to relations with Pakistan and will deepen bilateral strategic cooperation and lift China-Pakistan strategic partnership to a new height. Yang also expressed appreciation for Pakistan's successful holding of the Beijing Olympic torch relay, which he said is a testimony to sincere friendship between the two countries. Yang arrived in Islamabad o Friday afternoon for a two-day visit to Pakistan, the first visit by the Chinese foreign minister since the new Pakistani government took office last month. Yang is also the first senior Chinese official visiting Pakistan after Musharraf paid a state visit to China from April 10 to 15. Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf (L) meets visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi (R) in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, April 26, 2008.Yang held talks with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi after his arrival, and they discussed possibilities to expand cooperation between the two countries. At a news briefing following the talks, Yang announced that China will provide Pakistan 70 million RMB (around one million U.S. dollars as technical and economic assistance and 500,000 RMB (around 71,429 U.S. dollars) for equipment for Pakistan foreign ministry. During the 24-hour visit, Yang also met with Pakistan's National Assembly Speaker Fehmida Mirza, Senate Chairman Muhammad Miam Soomro, Nawaz Sharif, leader of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain.
JIUQUAN, Gansu, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao congratulated the country's space scientists and taikonauts on the successful launch of the manned spacecraft Shenzhou-7 at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Thursday. "The successful launch marked the first victory of the Shenzhou-7 mission," Hu told Chinese experts and other work staff at the center after officials declared the spacecraft entered the preset orbit. "On behalf of the (Communist) Party Central Committee, the State Council and the Central Military Commission, I'd like to extend warm congratulations to all work staff and army forces participating in the mission," said Hu. Chinese President Hu Jintao (front R) shakes hands with the ground crew members after he viewed the launching of the Shenzhou-7 spaceship at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the northwestern Gansu Province on Sept. 25, 2008. "The Shenzhou-7 mission is the most representative and influential scientific and research practice of our country this year," said Hu. "It's another feat on the Chinese people's journey to ascend the peak of science and technology." He noted the country's first attempt of extra-vehicular activity entailed greater technical difficulty and urged the staff to continue their efforts. "I hope you carry on your work unremittingly and focus on the following jobs to achieve a full-scale triumph," said Hu. The Shenzhou-7 blasted off on a Long March II-F carrier rocket from the launch center in the northwestern Gansu Province at 9:10 p.m..
BEIJING, May 25 (Xinhua) -- All the barrier lakes (or quake lakes) formed after the massive May 12 earthquake in southwest China's Sichuan Province are "under control" but the situation is still grim, said Vice Minister of Water Resources E Jingping on Sunday. Heavy rains forecast for the area over the next three days are a major threat, as the additional water build-up in the lakes could cause the landslide barriers that formed them to burst, flooding nearby areas, E told a news conference. Liu Ning, chief engineer of China's Water Resources Ministry, briefs the media on the emergency control of the Tangjiashan imprisoned lake in Beichuan County, southwest China's Sichuan Province, after a news conference in Beijing, capital of China, May 25, 2008.The 8.0-magnitude earthquake, aftershocks and landslides created 35 such lakes, with 34 in Sichuan, posing a new danger to more than 700,000 of the people who survived the deadly quake, thevice minister said. E admitted that these lakes posed a challenge for the government's efforts to prevent secondary disasters in the quake regions. The biggest concern is the Tangjiashan lake, the largest of the34 quake lakes in Sichuan, whose water level rose by nearly 2 meters Saturday to 723 meters, only 29 meters below the lowest part of the barrier. About 1,600 armed police officers and People's Liberation Army soldiers were hiking on Sunday toward the Tangjiashan lake, hoping to blast away its landslide barrier before it bursts and causes a flood. Earlier attempts to send military helicopters on the same mission were hampered by adverse weather and low visibility at the lake. The ministry has drawn up evacuation plans for communities downstream of the 19 quake lakes at high risk of bursting, E said. He did not provide an estimate of the people who might have to move. The massive earthquake also left 69 reservoirs in danger of collapse in Sichuan. Another 310 reservoirs were in "highly dangerous" situations and more than 1,400 posed a moderate risk, according to E. Steps have been taken to tackle the problem, E said, such as completely draining the 69 collapse-prone reservoirs, lowering water levels at 826 others and putting all the damaged reservoirs under 24-hour observation. The ministry wants to fix the reservoirs in the "highly dangerous" and more risky categories before July, when the rainy season is expected to start in the quake regions, he said. Priority has been given to the Zipingpu dam, which is only 17 kilometers from the quake epicenter of Wenchuan County and would threaten 11 million lives on the downstream Chengdu Plain if it collapsed, E said. However, he said, the dam was structurally stable and safe despite some minor damage. Meanwhile, 803 hydropower stations were damaged in the quake nationwide, including 481 in Sichuan.
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.
BEIJING, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- President Hu Jintao on Thursday urged the Chinese army to carry forward the courageous spirit it had shown in the earthquake relief work earlier this year to better serve the people. Hu, also the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee general secretary and Central Military Commission chairman, made the remark here while meeting soldiers and officers who were recognized for their outstanding contributions to the disaster relief work. On Wednesday, China held a ceremony to honor outstanding organizations and individuals for their contributions to the rescue and relief work after a catastrophic earthquake hit the southwestern Sichuan and some neighboring provinces on May 12, leaving more than 87,000 dead or missing. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops and armed police were among the first to provide rescue and relief following the quake. In total, 146,000 troops, armed police, reservists and police were mobilized for the rescue and relief. Chinese President Hu Jintao (1st. Front) meets with officers at a ceremony to honor outstanding organizations and individuals for their contributions to the May 12 earthquake rescue and relief work at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, on Oct. 8, 2008. Hu spoke highly of the army's key role in the arduous work. He said the PLA should draw from the experience to strengthen its capabilities against various threats to the nation's security. Guo Boxiong, CPC Central Military Commission vice chairman, described the army's involvement in the relief as "a large-scale, non-war military action," which tested and tempered the PLA's security-safeguarding abilities. He said strong and unified leadership, high morale and well-planned logistic support in the army were vital to the success of the quake relief.
曲靖两个月做人流
BEIJING, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- China's securities supervisor said on Friday that the heavy slump on the country's equities market was caused by a combination of factors, both domestic and foreign. These included a need for internal correction, increasing uncertainties on the global markets and frequent natural disasters, China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) spokesman said at a press conference. The unsound mechanism and structure of the country's equities market worsened the situation and widened the range of the correction, he said. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index edged up 0.56 percent to 2,450.61 points on Friday, closing out the week slightly higher after five days of losses. The key index has tumbled nearly 60 percent from its peak in October. However, the trend of a steady and healthy performance would remain unchanged, he said, as the country's economy maintained steady and fast growth. CSRC would study the emerging problems, promote the improvement of basic systems and optimize the structure of fund raising, he said. CSRC would also adjust new share supply in line with market demand, enhancing the market mechanism in regulation. The commission has slowed new share issues this year in an effort to brake the steep index declines as any mention of new share offering would cause a sharp plunge in the index. From January to July, CSRC only approved the new offering (at least 100 million shares) of four companies, which raised a combined 64.32 billion yuan (9.38 billion U.S. dollars). Both the frequency and amount decreased, by 64 percent and 49 percent respectively, compared with the same 2007 period. The commission would join with the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission to set up a real-time monitoring system to supervise transfer of the state-owned shares.
XI'AN, May 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping has urged local officials to help solve living difficulties for people who have suffered from a major earthquake. Xi made the call during his inspection to northwestern Shaanxi Province, in which some counties were seriously affected by the deadly quake in neighboring Sichuan Province on May 12. At Xujiaping village, Xi comforted villagers and encouraged them to resume production as early as possible. Among all 146 households of the village, 126 were affected by the quake and half of their houses were either damaged or flattened. Xi urged local officials to offer whatever they could to help the people with rebuilding their homes. The Vice President later came to a middle school, where he told the students and teachers the government had planned for the reconstruction of all quake-ravaged areas across the country. He reminded local governments to carry out serious epidemic prevention, especially the safety of water and food after the disaster. Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping (L Front) visits a quake-affected woman during his inspection at Xujiaping Village of Xujiaping Town in Lueyang County of northwest China's Shaanxi Province,in which some counties were seriously affected by the deadly quake in neighboring Sichuan Province last week, on May 20, 2008Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping (C) talks with a vegetable peddler during his inspection at Kangming District of Lueyang County of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, in which some counties were seriously affected by the deadly quake in neighboring Sichuan Province last week, on May 20, 2008.
XIAMEN, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- China's southwestern province of Sichuan needs 1.67 trillion yuan (about 245.6 billion U.S. dollars) for reconstruction after the devastating earthquake on May 12, Huang Xiaoxiang, the province's vice governor, said on Sunday. "Sichuan is still in need of a large amount of fund despite the efforts of the central government, local governments and other social sectors," Huang told a conference held in Xiamen City, in eastern Fujian Province. The total funds, including those the central and other provincial governments raised, overseas donations, and lottery earnings, accounted for less than 25 percent of what the reconstruction work demanded. Quake-sufferers carry the re-found living necessities from the shattered houses at the quake-hit area of Huili County, southwest China's Sichuan Province Sept. 3, 2008 Huang said the province would rebuild 4.5 million urban and rural homes, 51,000 km of highways, 5,500 km of railways, 11,700 schools and 9,700 medical institutions. Apart from that, 2,000 reservoirs, 810 power stations and more than 100,000 hectares of farmland needed to be restored. The reconstruction work was expected to consume 37 million tonnes of steel, 370 million tonnes of cement, 210 billion bricks and 20 million cubic meters of timer.