SHUIFU, Yunnan, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Jinsha River in south China was blocked on Sunday to make way for construction of a new hydropower project on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. At a cost of 43.4 billion yuan (about 6.3 billion U.S. dollars), the Xiangjiaba Hydropower Project is expected to be completed by 2015. It will be able to generate 30.7 billion kw hours of electricity a year. "Electricity generated by hydropower stations will mainly be sold to China's eastern, southern and central regions," said Li Yong'an, general manager of the China Yangtze River Three Gorges Project Development Corporation. "Sichuan and Yunnan provinces will also benefit from it." Workers cheer for the damming of the Jinsha River in the construction of the Xiangjiaba Hydropower Station which is the third largest of its kind in China. In addition to providing power, the project will play a role in flood control and farmland irrigation. About 125,100 people from three counties of Yunnan Province and three counties of Sichuan Province have been resettled to make way for the project. The Xiangjiaba project is one of a series of hydropower plants China plans to build on the Jinsha River to supply electricity to its economically more developed coastal regions. The 2,290-kilometer-long Jinsha River, a tributary of Yangtze River, originates in Tanggula Range and flows through Qinghai, Tibet, Yunnan, and Sichuan. Water is mostly stored in the river's middle and lower reaches where China plans to build 12 hydropower stations to share a 59.08- million-kilowatts installed capacity. Photo taken on Dec. 28, 2008 shows the last phase of damming the Jinsha River in the construction of the Xiangjiaba Hydropower Station which is the third largest of its kind in China.
BEIJING, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- China's economy was on sound track but prospects were complicated by the world economic slowdown, said Zhou Xiaochuan, governor of China's central bank, on Sunday. In a report Zhou made to the fifth session of the Standing Committee of the 11th National People's Congress (NPC), he said the country's economy was developing as expected, but the world economic slowdown added uncertainties to its prospect. "Our economy is highly reliant on overseas demand. Slacking exports resulted from the global economic slowdown would have a negative impact on the economy," he said. He suggested the country need to be cautious in adjusting policies because there are both possibilities of cost-driven price rises and possibilities of continuous price falls in the future. "Currently, inflation pressure mainly comes from rising cost," he said. He said in the world, more and more economies began to shift their policies from curbing inflation to boosting economic developments amid a world economic recession. The international commodity price is expected to enter a new round of rise. According to him, the PBOC will adopt flexible and prudent macro-control policies to strive for the stability of the country's financial sectors and promote sound and rapid economic growth. Zhou said efforts would go to other specific fields, including establishing financial risk monitoring mechanism, enhancing cooperation among domestic and overseas financial organs, and ensuring liquidity in the banking system. He also urged strengthening foreign exchange management through enhancing cross-border capital flow management and supervision, in a bid to avoid losses and risk caused by speculation activities. The central bank would keep a close look over the real estate sector and improve financial services in this sector, he added. Zhou said that the impact of the world financial crisis on China's economy cannot be underestimated. However, the country's economic situation is sound as a whole, and is capable to effectively resist the external impact. China's financial sectors have grown stronger after years of development. The profit-earning and risk-resistance abilities have been greatly improved, market liquidity is sufficient, and the financial system is sound and safe, he explained. The fifth session of the Standing Committee of the 11th National People's Congress (NPC) opened its second plenary meeting Sunday morning. Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of the NPC, attended the meeting.
LONDON, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao arrived here on Saturday for an official visit aimed at enhancing bilateral financial cooperation. "Recent years have seen enhanced China-Britain comprehensive strategic partnership and fruitful cooperation in all areas." Wen said in a statement upon arrival. "China successfully hosted the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and Britain will host the 2012 London Olympic Games. This offers us a new platform to deepen mutual understanding, enhance friendship and expand cooperation," said Wen. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (R) shakes hands with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown during the dinner Brown hosts for him at the British prime minister's official residence on the outskirts of London Jan. 31, 2009. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao arrived in London on Jan. 31 for a three-day visit to Britain "In the context of the current complex and volatile international situation, China and Britain, two countries with major influence in the world, have broad common interests and a noble common mission in maintaining world peace, promoting common development, tackling global financial crisis and other fields," Wen said. The premier said that he looked forward to having in-depth exchange of views with British leaders on regional and international issues of mutual interest, and extensive contact with the British people from all walks of life to explore ways to strengthen friendship and enhance mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (L) shakes hands with John Prescott, special representative of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and former British deputy prime minister, at an airport in London Jan. 31, 2009. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao arrived in London on Jan. 31 for a three-day visit to Britain"I am confident that with the joint efforts of both side, China-Britain comprehensive strategic partnership will continue to grow from strength to strength, bringing benefits to our peoples and contributing to world peace and development," said Wen. During his three-day visit, Wen will have broad contacts with people from political, business and financial circles of Britain. He will also deliver a speech at the University of Cambridge, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry. The trip is a return visit for British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's China tour early last year. It is also aimed at implementing the annual meeting mechanism of the two leaders. Britain is the last leg of Wen's week-long European tour, which began Tuesday and has already taken him to Switzerland, Germany, the European Union (EU) headquarters in Brussels and Spain.
KUWAIT CITY, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- China vowed here on Sunday to further its pragmatic cooperation with Kuwait in the various fields in a bid to step up the bilateral relations to a higher level. In his meeting with Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, visiting Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang called on the two sides to promote high-level exchange based on equality and mutual benefit, political mutual trust as well as cooperation on trade. China highly values its ties with Kuwait and the two nations have offered mutual understanding and support on issues with the irrespective key concern, Li said. Li also said that China is ready to strengthen cooperation with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) which plays a very important role in the Gulf region. The dialogue mechanism with GCC would launch next year and the negotiation on a free trade area has entered into a critical phase, Li said, expressing his belief that Kuwait would continue to play a significant role to boost China-GCC relationship. Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang(R,front) visits the operation center of Kuwait's third mobile telephony network contracted to build by China's Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. in Kuwait City, Dec. 28, 2008. Echoing Li's views, Emir Al-Sabah highlighted the growth of cooperation between the two nations such as economics and trade, promising that the country would continue to push forward the bilateral relations. Emir Al-Sabah also expressed his appreciation to China's efforts on the Middle East issue and willingness to, as a GCC member, work with China to safeguard the regional peace and stability. Li pays the visit to Kuwait at the invitation of Kuwaiti First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Sheikh Jaber MubarakAl-Hamad Al-Sabah. 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 already taken him to Indonesia and Egypt. Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang(R) visits the operation center of Kuwait's third mobile telephony network contracted to build by China's Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. in Kuwait City, Dec. 28, 2008. According to official statistics, China and Kuwait renewed their record of bilateral trade volume in 2007 with 3.6 billion U.S. dollars, 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.
BEIJING, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- Vice President Xi Jinping expressed the hope to further boost exchanges between the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the French Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) here Friday. "As ruling parties of respective countries, the CPC and UMP both face the challenges from domestic reform and economic globalization," Xi told Patrick Devedjian, UMP general secretary, during their meeting here. Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping (R) shakes hands with Patrick Devedjian, general secretary of French Union for a Popular Movement (UMP), in Beijing, capital of China, on Oct. 17, 2008."We would like to further enhance exchanges and mutual trust to push forward the healthy and stable development of Sino-French ties," Xi noted. He said both China and France are influential countries and maintaining a good relationship complied with the fundamental interest of the two and was conducive to peace, stability and prosperity of the world. China valued the traditional friendship with France, and has always handled bilateral ties from a strategic height and a long-term perspective. Xi also expressed appreciation for France's support to improving the Sino-EU relations. Devedjian said China's development would benefit the world, and the UMP would strengthen relations with the CPC and the Chinese government to contribute to the development of China-France relations.
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BEIJING, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- China was strongly opposed to the accusation of the European Union and Austria over its execution of Wo Weihan, a man spying for Taiwan. "Chinese judicial organs made the verdict and this was completely a matter within the Chinese judicial sovereignty," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in a statement. He made the statement in response to a reporter's questions: The EU and Austria expressed strong dissatisfaction over Wo's execution in their statement. China's action undermined the mutual trust and mutual respect of human rights talks and would lead to severe effects on human rights talks. The U.S. has also expressed concerns over Wo's case. Qin said: "The trial procedure was just and fair and the rights of the accused were well protected." "China is a rule-of-law country and Wo is a Chinese citizen," Qin said, "the evidence of his crime has been verified." "The accusation against the Chinese judicial authorities intervened brutally into Chinese judicial sovereignty, trampled the spirit of the rule of law, and undermine the basis of the healthy development of the bilateral talks on human rights." "We were strongly dissatisfied with and opposed to (the accusation) and urged all concerned parties to immediately correct the mistake and stop the words and actions concerning interventions of other country's judicature," Qin added.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Pentagon said Monday that five detainees at U.S. Naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, want to confess to conspiracy charges for planning the 9/11 attacks. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the "architect" of the attacks, and four co-conspirators asked a military judge if they could withdraw all pending motions and plead guilty, Pentagon spokesman Gail Crawford told reporters. The judge accepted the request but ruled that "competency hearings" are first needed for two of the five, Mustafa al Hawsawi and Ramzi bin al Shibh, because "questions exist as to their competency to stand trial," he said. Meanwhile, Denis McDonough, a senior adviser to President-elect Barack Obama, told media that no decisions have been made by Obama about what to do with the 255 inmates presently held at Guantanamo. "There is no process in place to make that decision until Obama's national security and legal teams are assembled," he said. Sources close to Obama team said the incoming administration is considering putting some of the inmates on trial in existing federal courts, setting up a special national security court to deal with cases involving sensitive intelligence, and releasing other inmates.
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.
GUANGZHOU, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- What China can do for the world is not to sell out its massive dollar reserve, but slightly increase its hold of the currency to give reasonable support to the U.S. effort to save its economy, said a senior economist here on Saturday. It is indeed difficult for China to handle its huge forex reserve, as the U.S. currency has already depreciated 20 percent against the Chinese yuan, said Cheng Siwei, well-known economist at a financial forum held in Guangdong. "China would suffer from losses if it sells off the dollar, so our strategy should be not to sell, but to slightly increase dollar reserve," said Cheng, also former vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC). Cheng made the remarks amid increasing concern that China might use its forex reserve to finance its 4-trillion-yuan stimulus plan. China held 1.9 trillion dollars worth of forex reserve by September this year. China "can only afford to do what is corresponding to its level of development and national power amid a global crisis," said Cheng. "We should be prudent as to how to deal with our forex reserve," said Cheng, noting that China, despite its large size of economy, has its gross domestic product (GDP) accounting for only 6 percent of the world's total, and its per capita GDP ranking falling out of the top one hundred list.