UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations and China will co-organize a high-level meeting on climate change early next month, with a special focus on technology development and transfer, the world body announced Friday. UN Undersecretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Sha Zukang and China's Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Liu Zhenmin briefed member states at the UN Headquarters on the Nov. 7-8 Beijing High-Level Conference on Climate Change: Technology Development and Technology. "Technology transfer is of enormous importance in tackling climate change," Sha said. "Together with financing technology transfer, it is one of the means of achieving adaptation and mitigation action." Effective international action on climate change will require progress on the question of technology transfer, which is addressed in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)and also forms a core aspect of the Bali Action Plan, Sha noted. "In this context, the conference will provide a forum for open, practical and pragmatic discussions on technology transfer and climate change," Sha said. "The conference will focus on practical options and solutions for overcoming barriers to technology development and transfer." "We hope it will be an opportunity for member states and other stakeholders engage openly, away from the constraints of the negotiating setting," he said. Sha said that the aim of the conference is to support the UNFCCC process, particularly the forthcoming UN Climate Change Conference in Poznan, Poland in December 2008. Calling for "broad, high-level participation from member states," Sha said that the conference will be opened by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and that UNFCCC Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair have confirmed their participation. In his remarks, Liu said that over the years, the international efforts to develop and transfer clean technologies are lagged behind the needs, and the relevant mechanism and financial support are not yet put in place. With many countries having divergent views on the issue, communication and dialogue will help countries deepen mutual understanding, find common ground and work together to promote technological development and transfer, Liu said. "The purpose of the high-level conference is to provide a platform of dialogue for international cooperation in the relevant technological development and transfer," Liu said. "We hope this conference will help countries form some consensus on development and transfer of technologies for addressing climate change so as to further promote the efforts to address climate change," Liu noted.
BEIJING, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- A reception was given here Monday to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). Chinese top political advisor Jia Qinglin attended the event. Jia, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, congratulated the DPRK on the anniversary, hailing the DPRK's economic and social achievements over the past six decades. "We are wholeheartedly glad to see it, and hope to see the DPRK and its people score bigger achievements in their future national construction," Jia said at the opening of the reception. Jia Qinglin (L), chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, toasts with Choe Jin Su, ambassador of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to China, during a reception at the DPRK Embassy in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 8, 2008. DPRK Ambassador to China Choe Jin Su held the reception on Sept. 8 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Democratic People's Republic of KoreaThe senior Chinese leader also highlighted the traditional friendship between China and the DPRK, vowing that China will continue to make joint efforts with the DPRK to push forward the bilateral relations to a new level. Choe Jin Su, DPRK ambassador to China, said that the DPRK highly values its ties with China and will join with China to further promote relations, especially at the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the bilateral diplomatic relationship next year. He also expressed his congratulations on the success of the Beijing Olympic Games.
BEIJING, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Some 600,000 people visited graveyards in the suburbs of Chinese capital Beijing on Friday, about triple last year's figure of 189,000, according to official statistics. On Dec. 16, the State Council (cabinet) revised the nation's official holiday schedule to add three traditional festivals -- Qingming, Duanwu and Zhongqiu -- in response to public calls. It also changed the length of other holidays. A citizen mourns her relative in a cemetery in Guangzhou, capital of southern China's Guangdong Province, April 4, 2008. The Chinese Qingming Festival, a day two weeks after the vernal equinox, is also called the Tomb-sweeping Day, when Chinese people usually mourn their deceased relatives, pay homage to martyrs and sweep the tombs of the departed. The holiday marked on Friday was Qingming, or grave-sweeping day. The change was intended to allow more people to pay their respects to deceased relatives on what would otherwise be a workday like Friday. No national figures on this year's tomb visits were immediately available. Unlike Beijing, many residents of Shanghai, China's largest metropolis and one of the most densely-populated cities, have to go to neighboring cities to visit relatives' tombs. People are walking to a cemetery in the west of Beijing on Friday, April 4, 2008. The Chinese traditional Qingming Festival falls on Friday this year, which is the occasion for Chinese people to pay respect to past ancestors by cleaning their graves, presenting offerings of food, and burning joss paper.Space for the dead is at even more of a premium in Shanghai than for the living, and the city's graveyards long ago stopped accepting new remains. Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, receives 900,000 tomb-sweepers from Shanghai every year. Friday was a day of remembrance in many areas of China. In Huangling County, Shaanxi Province, 8,000 people including some senior officials attended the annual memorial service at the tomb of Huangdi, the "Yellow Emperor" of Chinese legend. Governor Yuan Chunqing addressed the gathering and expressed his hopes that the Beijing Olympic Games would be successful, the reunification of China would occur and the world would become harmonious. Scholars say that Qingming has preserved the "feeling" of being Chinese across the generations. "Traditional culture has been infused with new spirits in different eras, and this is the mysterious power of Chinese Culture," Shi Aidong of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told Xinhua in an interview. Qingming is always a day of bitter memories for residents of Nanjing, the provincial capital of Jiangsu. The Memorial Hall of the Nanjing Massacre received numerous domestic visitors -- and many from Japan. "We, from the aggressor side of the war, want to show regret to the victims on this special day," said one of the Japanese visitors. In December 1937, invading Japanese troops slaughtered 300,000 Chinese soldiers and civilians in the city, which was then the national capital. Many of the bodies were never properly interred, and many of the Chinese visiting the memorial on Friday have no graves to visit. Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian Province in east China, unveiled a monument ln honor of the thousands of firefighters died on duty since 1949. It is the first such monument in the country.
BEIJING, May 13 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from a major earthquake in southwest China's Sichuan Province has climbed to 9,219, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said here Tuesday morning. The 7.8-magnitude quake has killed 9,219 people in eight affected provinces and municipality of Sichuan, Gansu, Shaanxi, Yunnan, Shanxi, Guizhou, Hubei and Chongqing, the ministry said in a release issued at 7 a.m.. Rescuers work in Dujiangyan city of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on May 13, 2008. A major eathquake measuring 7.8 on Richter scale jolted Wenchuan County of Sichuan Province at 2:28 p.m. on Monday.Of the killed, 8,993 were in Sichuan, 132 in Gansu, 85 in Shaanxi, eight in Chongqing and one in Yunnan, the ministry said. The quake jolted Wenchuan County of Sichuan at 2:28 p.m. Monday, which also leveled some 500,000 rooms in the affected areas. To cope with the catastrophe, the State Disaster Relief Commission and the Civil Affairs Ministry immediately initiated a "Level II emergency response plan" on Monday afternoon, and upgraded it to level I in the evening, the ministry said. According to China's regulations, natural disasters in the country are classified into four categories based on their severity. The Level I emergency plan covers the most serious class of natural disasters. A disaster relief work group of the State Council, China's Cabinet, rushed to the quake-hit county of Wenchuan on Monday evening to coordinate the rescue and relief work. Meanwhile, the ministry said strong winds and hailstorms lashed Hubei, Hebei and Jiangsu provinces from Sunday evening to early Monday morning, affecting more than 630,000 people. In central China's Hubei Province, the hailstorms attacked 10 counties, affecting 515,000 people, collapsing 85 rooms of 33 households and damaging another 4,761 rooms as of 11 a.m. Monday. The direct economic loss was estimated at 385 million yuan (55 million U.S. dollars). Hailstorms also lashed three counties of north China's Hebei Province on Sunday, affecting 92,100 locals and resulting in a direct economic loss of 7.65 million yuan. In east China's Jiangsu Province, 24,000 people also suffered from strong winds and hails Sunday evening. Four rooms were leveled and 60 others damaged with a direct economic loss of 1.46 million yuan. People try to find their property among the debris of collapsed buildings in Dujiangyan, in southwest China's Sichuan Province, on May 12, 2008
KIEV, Sept 19 (Xinhua) -- The Seventh Euro-China Forum ended Friday in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, as participants called for further dialogue and cooperation between China and Europe. In the three-day forum entitled "Silk Road of the 21st century," nearly 200 politicians, academicians, economists from Europe and Asia discussed Sino-Europe relations and economic cooperation. Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said China has made great achievements in its economic development and "Ukraine is willing to learn China's successful experiences and strengthen exchanges and cooperation with China." China has just successfully hosted the 2008 Olympic Games and its scale and level was impressive, the president said in a message to the forum. Addressing the forum, former French Prime Minister Laurent Fabius said that apart from economic cooperation, the Europeans and Chinese should enhance their cultural exchanges to know each other even better. "The economic and trade relations is the core of the Europe- China cooperation. We, Europeans and Chinese, should seize every opportunity to smoothen out potential frictions and to bridge the gap between the intensification of our commercial relationship and the weakness of our intellectual exchanges. In this respect, the Euro-China Forum plays a crucial part. And its influence keeps growing." he said. Fabius also noted that Europe in the past called China "a sleeping giant" and the giant is now waking up. "The success of the Beijing Olympic Games showed China's vigor and enthusiasm," he said. Chinese ambassador to Ukraine Zhou Li said that Ukraine is an important country in Europe and the Chinese government attaches great importance to developing relations with Ukraine and Europe. The bilateral economic and trade relations between China and Ukraine have developed steadily in recent years, he said. "I believe the friendly cooperative relations between China and Ukraine will see a more brilliant future thanks to bilateral joint efforts," Zhou Li said. The non-governmental forum was initiated by China Europe International Business School to foster unofficial exchanges between the two sides of the Eurasian continent. The forum was first held in 2002 in Barcelona, Spain.
BEIJING, Aug. 19 -- China will complete the construction of its first four strategic oil reserves by the end of this year, a senior government official said yesterday. "The progress has been smooth and all the four bases will be completed by the year end," Zhang Guobao, administrator of the National Energy Administration (NEA), said after a press conference in Beijing. "Their total capacity will amount to 16.4 million cu m." Zhang made the comments at his first public appearance since the NEA's inauguration on Aug 8. The administration came into being as part of the reshuffle of government agencies in March. Zhang now also holds the position of vice-minister of the National Planning and Reform Commission (NDRC), the nation's top economic planner. Two technicians check the equipments in an oil refinery of China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) in Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang Province, March 29, 2008. China started to build its strategic oil reserves in 2004, in order to fend off the risk of oil shortages and reduce the impact of oil price fluctuations. The government plans to build strategic oil reserves in three phases over 15 years, involving an estimated investment of 100 billion yuan (14.6 billion U.S. dollars). The first four reserves, located in Dalian, Qingdao, Ningbo and Zhoushan, are expected to maintain strategic oil reserves equivalent to 30 days of imports in 2010. The reserve in Ningbo, a coastal city in Zhejiang province, was put into operation in late 2006. It is the largest of the first four reserves, with a total storage capacity of 5.2 million cu m. The central government is now reportedly selecting locations for the second batch of strategic oil reserves. Cities including Tangshan and Guangzhou are understood to be vying for the projects, but Zhang declined to comment on this. The newly established energy administration oversees the nation's oil reserves and monitors the domestic and overseas energy markets. It is also responsible for mapping out China's energy development strategy and formulating rules and regulations for the energy sector. Renewable energy Zhang also said yesterday that the installed capacity of wind power in the nation is expected to exceed 10 million kW by the end of this year, compared with 4.03 million kW in 2007. The drastic increase came as the government has being promoting the use of renewable energy in the face of rising oil prices. In recent years, the government has rolled out a host of fiscal and tax incentives to boost the development of the alternative energy sector, including a 50-percent cut in value-added tax for wind power plants. Last year, renewable energy such as wind power, biomass and hydropower accounted for 8.5 percent of the nation's total energy use. That figure is set to increase to 10 percent in 2010 and 15 percent in 2020. The newly established energy administration will set up more renewable energy projects to further spur the development of the sector, according to Zhang.
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BEIJING, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- With a dazzling and emotional show that highlighted the value, dignity and dream of life, the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games opened in the Chinese capital on Saturday night, rallying the world under one shared dream of "transcendence, integration and equality" for the disabled. "Ge Jiu Ge Wei (ready), Yu Bei (set) ... " At the order given in Chinese by International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President Philip Craven, nearly 100,000 spectators in the National Stadium, or the Bird's Nest, in north Beijing, clapped their hands simultaneously to give a unique and resounding "go" signal to the world's premier sporting event for elite athletes with disabilities.Photo taken on Sept. 6, 2008 shows the general view of the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games in the National Stadium in Beijing, ChinaA record 4,000-plus athletes from 147 countries and regions, 10 times the figure at the Games' debut in Rome 1960, marched into the stadium amid thundering cheers from the stands, before Chinese President Hu Jintao declared the Games open at 22:36 Beijing time. "These Games will have more athletes, more competing nations, and more sporting events than ever before," said Philip Craven in his opening ceremony speech, calling them "milestones in Paralympic history." The three-hour ceremony climaxed when Hou Bin, China's triple Paralympic high jump champion with only one leg, lit the cauldron for the Games.Fireworks are displayed at the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games held in the National Stadium in Beijing, China, Sept. 6, 2008With the torch on his wheelchair, the 33-year-old Hou used both hands to pull himself up along a hanging rope to the rim of the steel-latticed Bird's Nest to accomplish his laborious mission. Though suspended by wires, he had to halt and gasp for several times, with the entire crowd cheering him on loudly. The Paralympic flame, first lit at the 600-year-old Temple of Heaven in south Beijing on Aug. 28, was relayed through 11 Chinese cities -- including ancient capitals Xi'an and Luoyang and modern metropolises Shanghai and Shenzhen -- in nine days, covering a distance of 13,181 kilometers and involving 850 torchbearers.Fireworks are displayed during the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games in the National Stadium, also known as the Bird’s Nest, in Beijing, China, Sept. 6, 2008. Shortly before the cauldron was set ablaze, the IPC flag, which carries the IPC logo of red, blue and green curves -- a new design adopted just in 2003 and used at a Paralympics for the first time, was escorted into the stadium by a team of eight Chinese Paralympic gold medalists, and hoisted next to the Chinese national flag. On behalf of all athletes and officials, Chinese athlete Wu Chunmiao and goalball referee Hao Guohua, holding a corner of the IPC flag, took the Paralympic oath, vowing to keep the Games competition fair and clean. "Over the next 11 days, the heroines and heroes will undoubtedly be the athletes," said the IPC president. The Paralympians, many in wheelchairs or on crutches and often seen supporting each other on the track, were ushered into the stadium minutes after the opening ceremony began at 20:00 Beijing time sharp. All smiling broadly, they waved hands, hats and flags to the stands, and posed for pictures with team guides or volunteers.
BOAO, Hainan, April 12 (Xinhua) -- The economic and trade exchanges and cooperation between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan was facing a historical opportunity and needed joint efforts from both sides for further progress, Hu Jintao, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said on Saturday. Hu made the remarks while meeting with Vincent C. Siew, chairman of the Taiwan-based Cross-Straits Common Market Foundation at the Boao Forum for Asia. Hu Jintao (R), general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, meets with Vincent Siew, chairman of the Taiwan-based Cross-Straits Common Market Foundation, in Boao, south China's Hainan Province, April 12, 2008Hu said under the new circumstances, the mainland would continue promoting cross-Straits economic and cultural exchanges and cooperation. The mainland would also make efforts to push forward negotiations on weekend charter flights and mainland tourists' travel to Taiwan, Hu said. He said the mainland would continue being concerned about Taiwan compatriots' welfare and protecting their legal rights and interests, and would step up efforts to restore cross-Straits negotiations and talks. Hu said the fact that the forum was attended by so many participants from all walks of life home and abroad reflected from one aspect Asian countries and regions' strong desire to reinforce communication and cooperation and seek win-win solutions. "The fact also inspired us to think deep about cross-Straits economic exchanges and cooperation under the new circumstances," Hu said. Siew said the economies of the mainland and Taiwan were closely related, and the development of trade and economic relations had contributed to cross-Straits stability. He hoped the weekend charter flights program would be launched as soon as possible and mainland tourists would soon travel to Taiwan, adding that direct flights and normal trade ties had become an inevitable choice. Hu said the cross-Straits economic exchanges and cooperation had achieved a prominent progress after 20 years of development. Facts proved that the economic exchanges and cooperation was the most vigorous factor in the cross-Straits relations and an effective way to benefit people on both sides and expand their common interests. Hu pointed out that in recent eight years, the cross-Straits relations "suffered twists and turns for reasons known to all", and people on both sides were not willing to see that. He stressed that the peaceful development of the cross-Straits relations was the shared will and common interests of compatriots on both sides.
PYONGYANG, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping on Tuesday made a five-point proposal to strengthen bilateral ties and cooperation with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). Xi, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the proposal while meeting with Yang Hyong Sop, vice president of the Presidium of DPRK's Supreme People's Assembly. Firstly, Xi proposed maintaining the trend of mutual exchange of visits by high ranking officials, and strengthening political communication and close relations between the Chinese Communist Party and the Worker's Party of Korea. China will continue to exchange views on governance and party construction with the DPRK, maintaining communication on important issues, he said. Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping(4th L) talks with Yang Hyong Sop (3rd R), vice president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) during a meeting in Pyongyang, capital of the DPRK, on June 17, 2008. Second, he proposed the observance of "China-DPRK Friendship Year" in 2009 -- the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries. The third point of his proposal is that both sides should strive to deepen cooperation in agriculture, light industry, information industry, technology, transportation and infrastructure construction in the border areas. It should be a win-win cooperation, resulting in mutual benefits, the Chinese vice president said. China will encourage large and creditable enterprises to invest in the DPRK, he said, adding that the two sides could upgrade a number of ports to enhance their loading and unloading capacity. Fourth, Xi proposed the promotion of bilateral cultural exchanges. China will welcome artists' groups from the DPRK to the 10th Asian Art Festival in September and will continue to send high-level art groups to the International Spring Art Festival held in Pyongyang each April, he said. Finally, the Chinese vice president also proposed to strengthen bilateral coordination and cooperation in the six-party talks on the DPRK nuclear issue, and within the framework of the United Nations, to protect the interests of both countries.
BEIJING, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Communist Party of China (CPC) chief Hu Jintao has urged Party members to learn the theory on socialism with Chinese characteristics more conscientiously. Hu, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, made the remark at a seminar which was participated in Sunday afternoon by members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. Prof. Yan Shuhan from the Party School of the CPC Central Committee and prof. Qin Xuan from the Renmin University of China delivered speeches at the seminar and put forward their views on applying the theory into practice. Presiding over the seminar, Hu said the theory on socialism with Chinese characteristics is a fundamental guideline of the Party and government for social and economic construction. Party members should understand the basic principles of the theory and use them in their practical work, he added. Hu asked Party organs at all levels to make the theory accessible and understood by every Party member and draw long-term plans to promote and develop the theory.