KUWAIT CITY, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang and Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah agreed to expand economic and energy cooperation between the two countries during their meeting here on Monday. "China and Kuwait should form a lasting, stable and comprehensive partnership concerning the energy area," Li told the Kuwaiti prime minister, according to a press release from the Chinese Foreign Ministry. Li said the two sides should deepen cooperation in the energy industries and study ways of joint exploration of both upstream and downstream industries. He called on both sides to expand cooperation on infrastructure and telecommunication, increase contacts of people, and promote exchanges in the areas of finance, agriculture, science and technology and culture, in a bid to jointly respond to the change of global economic environment. Li also said China always sees its relations from a strategic perspective with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and its six members, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait. China is willing to further high level visits, enhance political mutual trust, broaden substantial cooperation and promote peace and stability in the Gulf region, Li said. Nasser said Kuwait and China have witnessed a strong growth of bilateral trade volume this year, and taken a big step in energy cooperation. Citing the current global financial crisis, he pledged that Kuwait is ready to further enhance cooperation with China in various fields, adding that Kuwait welcomes Chinese products and enterprises to enter the Kuwaiti market to realize common development. The Chinese vice premier also visited oil facilities in Kuwait and met with major figures of the oil industry to get a better knowledge of the Gulf Arab state's oil industry and the progress of China-Kuwait energy cooperation. China and Kuwait renewed their record of bilateral trade volume in 2007 with 3.6 billion U.S. dollars, according to official statistics, a 30-percent growth compared with that of 2006. China imported 2.3 billion dollars worth of goods from Kuwait in 2007, with 90 percent of oil products, while only exporting 1.3billion dollars of goods to Kuwait. Li and Nasser also hailed the sound state-to-state relations between China and Kuwait. Li said relations between China and Kuwait, the first Gulf state to establish diplomatic ties with China, feature "deep friendship between the two peoples, all-along mutual political trust and equal respect." Expressing his appreciation of Kuwait's support in the issues concerning China's major interests, he said China supports Kuwait's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. Nasser acknowledged that China was also the first big power to recognize the independence of Kuwait. Nasser said the Kuwaiti people have been always cherishing a friendly affection towards the Chinese people, and will never forget the firm support and help from the Chinese people. Kuwait is the final leg of Li's 11-day overseas visit, his first foreign visit since he took office as vice premier in March, which has also taken him to Indonesia and Egypt.
BEIJING, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- In the space of a year, Yang Chanjuan's career plan has changed direction. A soon-to-graduate college student in economics, Yang is feeling her fortunes being buffeted by the financial crisis. Yang was recently told by her schoolmates already working in the financial sector that their companies would cut staff, or there would no bonus this year. Amid the turmoil and full of uncertainty, a job in banking or securities company was no longer desirable to her. As a result, she decided to apply for a government job. Yang's change in career plan came as the financial crisis is spreading around the world. As it is now beginning to hit the real economy, more and more people, not only those in banks, have lost their jobs. International Labor Organization (ILO) estimated earlier that the financial crisis would cost 20 million jobs globally by the end of 2009. The ILO said the new projections could prove to be underestimates if the effects of the current economic turmoil are not quickly confronted and plans laid for the looming recession. Migrant workers fill in application forms at a job fair in Chongqing, southwest China on Jan. 1, 2008. International Labor Organization (ILO) estimated earlier that the financial crisis would cost 20 million jobs globally by the end of 2009. In the birthplace of the crisis, the United States, big companies from Goldman Sachs to Coca Cola, Motorola to Alcoa, have all announced their job cut plans. Economists believed the jobless total could increase by 200,000. Back to China, unemployment now becomes a concern too. Although with 2-trillion U.S. dollars of foreign reserves, a budget surplus and a controlled capital market, China would suffer limited direct impact from the crisis. However, weakening demand from its major markets, North America and Europe, is now leading China's real economy in the export sectors into a tough situation. In China's coastal areas, export enterprises are now struggling with soaring labor cost and fewer orders from foreign customers. Many toy factories in South China's Guangdong Province were shut from January to July this year. Earlier last month, two big factories of a Hong Kong listed toy-maker were shut. As a result, 7,000 workers lost their jobs. Affected by the global financial crisis, the company was suspended from trading thus it faced severe shortage of current funds. Statistics from the Ministry of Commerce showed that China's export suffered a growth slowdown in the first three quarters compared with the same period last year -- from 27.1 percent to 22.3 percent. The government said the gross domestic product (GDP)growth rate in the first three quarters this year slowed to 9.9 percent - a 2.3 percentage points fall compared with the same period last year. "The greatest impact is on these labor-intensive, small and medium-sized export enterprises," said Wang Dewen, a labor economist from China Academy of Social Sciences. These export-oriented enterprises that make China the world's workshop, are mainly small and medium-sized and vulnerable to market changes. These are China's major employers, absorbing 70 percent of the aggregate 20-million new jobs every year. Wang said that the lower-end labor market, especially the migrant workers who are the biggest source of employees in the export enterprises, would suffer from unemployment. As the crisis is now just beginning to hit the real economy, the whole situation could be worse if there is no countermeasure. The fear of unemployment is also hovering over other places. College students and white-collar workers are now worried about their future in the open market.
BEIJING, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- China's government on Friday pledged to make every effort to ensure the safe release of the crew of a Chinese fishing boat seized by Somali pirates off east Africa. The Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying it was still assessing the situation and trying to obtain more information on the vessel, which was overrun late on Thursday. The ministry would work with organizations abroad to ensure the safe release of the crew, according to the statement. The vessel, owned by Tianjin Ocean Fishing Company, was hijacked by pirates armed with grenade launchers and automatic weapons off the coast of Kenya and was being held off the southern Somali port city of Kismanyu, according to reports on Friday. The 24 crew comprised 16 Chinese, one Japanese, three Filipinos and four Vietnamese, according to China's Ministry of Transport. A Somali pirate leader reportedly said all the crew members were "fine".
WASHINGTON, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on Sunday pledged joint efforts to expand bilateral cooperation at their meeting here. The two leaders met on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G20) summit on financial markets and the world economy. Hu said China and Australia are witnessing healthy and rapid development of bilateral ties, with ever deepening mutual understanding and trust. Marked achievements have been secured in the mutually beneficial cooperation in trade, energy, environmental protection, technology, education, culture, law enforcement and tourism, he said. Chinese President Hu Jintao (R) shakes hands with Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd during their meeting in Washington Nov. 16, 2008Bilateral trade is growing rapidly and negotiations on a free trade agreement are making steady progress, the Chinese president said. Hu said both sides are maintaining coordination on major global issues like climate change and the current financial crisis, and have seen increasing consensus and cooperation. He pointed out that China and Australia face unprecedented opportunities for deepening all-round bilateral cooperation in the face of many global challenges to the international community. China is ready to work with Australia to keep high-level contacts, enhance exchanges and dialogue and deepen mutual trust and cooperation on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, Hu said. Rudd said Australia hopes to elevate bilateral relations to the level of a strategic partnership. Australia is willing to open its doors to Chinese investment in the energy and raw material sectors and expects China to provide more opportunities for Australian products and services to enter the Chinese market, he said. Australia hopes to enhance high-level political dialogue with China in international organizations and international affairs, and strengthen bilateral and multilateral consultations and cooperation, Rudd said. The Chinese president described the G20 summit in Washington asa success and urged all sides involved to make joint efforts to implement the agreements reached at the meeting. He also called for strong measures to stop the financial crisis from spreading further and to restore confidence and market stability. All sides involved should adjust their macroeconomic policy and make full use of monetary and fiscal measures to promote growth and avoid a global recession, he said. There is a need to steadily push forward reforms of the international financial system to make it conducive to the stability of financial markets and economic growth, he said. China has adopted a series of measures to promote growth and boost domestic demand, Hu said, adding that these measures, while promoting China's economic growth, will also help stabilize the world economy. Hu also said the measures will provide new opportunities for Australian businesses and called on both sides to seize the opportunities to promote bilateral trade and economic ties. Rudd praised China's contributions to the positive outcome of the G20 summit and said China's recently-announced economic stimulus package is good news for both the Chinese and the world economy. He said China's policies during the Asian financial crisis in 1997 contributed to the economic recovery and growth of the region, and Australia sees favorably China's similar actions this time. Rudd expressed confidence that the current difficulties in the world economy will be overcome, and he said Australia hopes both sides will strengthen cooperation to jointly contribute to global economic growth. The United States is the first leg of President Hu's five-nation tour, which will also take him to Costa Rica, Cuba, Peru and Greece. During his stay in Peru, he will attend the Economic Leaders' Informal Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Lima.
BEIJING, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao urged the promotion of stable agricultural and rural economic development and said issues concerning agriculture, countryside and farmers should continue to be the top priority of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Hu, also General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks during a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on Friday. Attendees at the meeting studied the means to promote agricultural modernization with Chinese characteristics. Maintaining stable agricultural and rural economic development was more important under current circumstance, Hu said. Agricultural production was the basic support to stimulate economic growth; rural areas had the potential to boost domestic demand; and to improve farmers' living standards was a major task and also a difficult job, he said. He called for more efforts on three major tasks of agricultural work. First, greater importance should be laid on ensuring the country's grain security and supplies of major agricultural products. The country should stick to the most strict system to protect and save farming land as well as stabilize the grain sowing area, Hu said. He said the government should increase subsidies for agricultural production and continue to raise the minimum state purchasing prices for grain. In the latest move to protect farmers' interests and boost grain output, the National Development and Reform Commission said Saturday it would raise the minimum state purchasing prices for rice in major rice-producing areas by as much as 16.9 percent this year. Hu also stressed the quality supervision and monitoring of agricultural products to ensure food safety. Second, more importance should be attached to promote rural infrastructure construction as well as improve social welfare and living standard of farmers, he said. He urged increasing capital input in infrastructure construction and rural social welfare and said greater efforts should be made to improve rural education, medical services and poverty alleviation. Third, an array of measures should be taken to promote the growth of farmers' income and expand the rural market, Hu said. He urged more efforts to discover new measures and channels to boost farmers' income and improve the commodity circulation network in rural areas. The program of subsidized home appliance, autos and motorcycles should be promoted, he said. He also urged quality authorities to make best efforts to protect farmers' interests and avoid fake and shabby products flowing in to rural markets. Speaking of rural workers employment, Hu said governments should encourage enterprises to be more responsible and employ more rural workers. The governments could also provide more job opportunities for rural workers by letting them work on the infrastructure projects amid the country's efforts to boost domestic demand, he said. More support should be given to migrant workers who returned because of employment difficulty in cities and encourage them to start their own businesses, Hu said. He also suggested Party leaders and governments at all levels should apply the scientific outlook on development to their work to deal with the emerging problems and challenges facing agricultural and rural economic development, and contribute more to promoting rural reform, development and stability.
SHANGHAI, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said Friday he hoped the United States and China would deepen mutually beneficial financial interdependence. Carter said the financial crisis enabled closer ties between the United States and China and he hoped China would continue to buy U.S. government debt. Carter, in China to attend events to mark the 30th anniversary of Sino-U.S. diplomatic ties, conveyed President-elect Barack Obama's message of his resolve to maintain sound bilateral relations. Although China and the U.S. had different cultures, histories and political systems, they had much more in common, said Carter at a symposium marking the anniversary. The United States attached great importance to U.S.-China relations, especially in coping with the challenge of global climate change and the financial crisis, he said. He believed bilateral relations would continue to develop and improve in the next 30 years. In Shanghai, Carter also attended the opening of a photo exhibition which showcased the 30-year course of China-U.S. relations. The former president also voiced his confidence in the strong U.S. participation in the Shanghai World Expo to be held in 2010.
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BEIJING, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao sent a congratulatory message to a UN meeting in observance of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People to be held Tuesday at the UN headquarters in New York. Wen extended warm congratulations to the opening of the meeting in observance of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People on behalf of the Chinese government. The Palestinian issue is the core of the Mideast problem. China staunchly supports the restoration of the legal rights of the Palestinian people as well as the Mideast peace process, the message said. China hopes that Palestine and Israel would stick to the path of peaceful negotiations on the basis of related UN resolutions and the "Land for Peace" principle to establish an independent Palestinian state at an early date, so as to realize peaceful coexistence between the Israeli and Palestinian states, it said. To resolve the Palestinian issue at an early date is the aspiration of the people in the Mideast as well as the common expectation of the international community, it said. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China will continue to support the United Nations in playing an important role in solving the Mideast problem and pushing forward the settlement of the Palestinian issue, said the message. The Chinese government will also work with the international community to make unremitting contributions to peace, stability and development in the Mideast, it added.
BEIJING, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- A senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official on Monday hailed China's achievements in promoting cultural and ethical progress in 2008 after some major events, including the May 12 earthquake and the Beijing Olympic Games. In both events, China displayed its "national spirit and the spirit of the times", Li Changchun, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau, told a plenary conference of the Central Commission for Guiding Ethic and Cultural Progress. Li, who presided over the conference as the head of the commission, attributed the achievements to the staunch leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Hu Jintao as general secretary. Li called for efforts to build up the system of socialist core values and strengthen cultural and ethical progress so as to create a sound environment for "continuing ideological emancipation, persisting in the reform and opening up, promoting scientific development, and making new victories over building a well-off society in an all-round way." In 2009, the development of ethical and cultural progress would focus on the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, he said. He called for efforts to deal with moral, cultural and Internet-related problems and try to help youth to grow in a healthy way. Li said the important role of boosting cultural and ethical progress was a common responsibility for the whole society. Present at the conference were Liu Yunshan, member of both of the Political Bureau and Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, and Liu Yandong, a Political Bureau member and state councilor. Both are deputy chairpersons of the central commission.
BEIJING, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- The State Grid Corp. of China (SGCC), the country's biggest power supplier, said Sunday that its 2008 net profit fell almost 80 percent year on year due to natural disasters and higher power prices. Net profit was 9.66 billion yuan (1.4 billion U.S. dollars), compared with 47.1 billion yuan in 2007. Revenue rose 13.8 percent to 1.156 trillion yuan from a year earlier, the state-owned company noted. The power distributor suffered more than 22 billion yuan (3.2 billion U.S. dollars) of direct economic loss in the worst winter weather in at least 50 years in southern China and the May 12 earthquake. China raised the on-grid power price by 0.017 yuan per kwh in June and 0.02 yuan kwh in August to around 0.3 yuan per kwh on average to offset rising costs in power plants. But retail household power prices were capped amid concerns of a higher inflation. The company said it planned to invest 83 billion yuan (12 billion U.S. dollars) in ultra-high voltage (UHV) power lines in 2009 and 2010 to make long-distance transmission more efficient. China's power demand and installed power generating capacity would likely double to 7.4 trillion kwh and 1.47 billion kw respectively in 2020, it forecasted.