BRUSSELS, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- The European Union's permanent President Herman Van Rompuy on Monday sent a message of congratulations to the Chinese people on the occasion of the Chinese Lunar New Year."Happy Chinese New Year!" Van Rompuy said. This year marks the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the EU and China."We Europeans are happy that we have good relations," he said. "We are ready to develop them in a broad direction."Van Rompuy, who has been to China twice, said he admires China' s culture, history and cuisine while the speed of China's development also impressed him.As president of the European Council, Van Rompuy said he is looking forward to receiving the Chinese leaders in Brussels.The relations between China and Europe not only consist of official contacts, but two peoples also have close ties while ever more students go from European universities to those in China, and vice versa, said the president."No doubt many Europeans will visit the Shanghai Expo 2010, where the European Union is present," he said."I hope that the year of the tiger will bring all of you harmony, prosperity and family happiness," the president added.
BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhua) -- President Hu Jintao on Sunday urged the Chinese women to contribute more to the country's development and modernization on the eve of the 100th anniversary of the International Women's Day.Addressing a gathering marking at the event the Great Hall of the People, Hu said Party committees and governments at all levels should resolutely carry out the basic state policy of equality between men and women, eliminate discrimination against women, and crack down on violations of women's rights in light with law.Hu stressed that women's equal rights of political participation, equal participation in economic and social development, and equal access to benefits brought by economic development must be protected. Chinese President Hu Jintao, who is also General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, shakes hands with female representatives before a meeting which marks the 100th anniversary of the International Women's Day at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, March 7, 2010Noting that the Chinese women have made great contributions in process of building the New China and realizing the Chinese nation's rejuvenation, Hu also called on the women to play a bigger role in carrying forward the country's modernization drive.Hu expressed his festival greetings to the women and extended thanks to international organizations and friends for their support to the development of the Chinese women's undertakings.Other Chinese leaders including top legislator Wu Bangguo and Premier Wen Jiabao also attended the gathering.
BEIJING, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese lawmakers from across the country have gathered in Beijing for the upcoming Third Session of the 11th National People's Congress (NPC).NPC deputies from central China's Henan Province arrived in Beijing by train at about 6 p.m. Tuesday, becoming the last group to reach the country's capital city for the annual parliament session, which is scheduled to begin Friday.Aside from reviewing the government's work report for last year, voting on the central and local governments' draft budgets for 2010, discussing an amendment to the Electoral Law and mapping out this year's development blueprint, the lawmakers will also take part in three rounds of online dialogues with the public.The three online dialogues would be held on March 5, March 11, and March 12, respectively.The lawmakers would be joined by officials from the Ministry of Health, the Supreme People's Court, and the Supreme People's Procuratorate during the online dialogues.The NPC session's press center has begun soliciting questions for the three dialogues on the NPC's website, as well as from a dozen of popular news portals, including Xinhuanet, on Tuesday.
BEIJING, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- The outlook of China's steel industry will be better this year than 2009 as the impact of the stimulus package continues, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said Saturday.A strong increase in new investment plans would help boost domestic demand for steel while improving external demand following world economic recovery would encourage steel exports, the MIIT said.The implementation of a proactive fiscal policy and moderately easy monetary policy injected ample liquidity into the market and provided the steel enterprises with easy access for fund, it said.However, excess capacity, still weak external demand and rising production costs would all impose pressure on the development of the industry, the ministry said.China's crude steel production capacity was forecast at 700 million tonnes at the end of 2009, compared with 660 million tonnes at the end of 2008.In 2009, China's steel output rose 13.5 percent to 567.84 million tonnes. Its 68 large and medium sized iron and steel companies reaped 55.39 billion yuan (8.12 billion U.S. dollars) in profit in 2009, down 31.43 percent from a year earlier.
BEIJING, March 11 (Xinhua) -- China's February consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, is still within normal range, although the figure surged higher than expected last month.CPI rose 2.7 percent year on year in February, 1.2 percentage points higher than January, driven by a 6.2 percent rise in food prices, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said Thursday.Yang Ziqiang, head of the People's Bank of China's Jinan bureau, said the hefty rise is because the Lunar New Year holiday fell in February this year, but in January last year.The Lunar New Year holiday, or Spring Festival, is the most important traditional festival in China for family reunion. People usually spend a lot on food, alcohol, cigarettes and gifts during the period.Yang, also a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, made the sidelines of the ongoing NPC session.China targets a rise of consumer price of around three percent this year, says a government work report delivered by Premier Wen Jiabao at the parliament's annual session on March 5.Yang said severe inflation is unlikely to emerge this year, as market supply still outweighs demand, and government regulation on the real estate industry will help stabilize prices.But he cautioned against the consistent commodity price increases, as the international crude oil prices rebounded to above 80 U.S. dollars a barrel.Li Daokui, a financial professor with the Tsinghua University, said CPI rise exceeds the current one-year deposit interest rate, or 2.25 percent, which will enhance the expectation of interest rate rise.China's CPI ended nine months of decline in November last year, when it rose 0.6 percent, as the economy picked up thanks to the government's stimulus package.However, the unprecedented bank loans last year together with runaway housing prices pushed up fears for inflation and asset bubbles, posing a policy dilemma for the government to balance between sufficient economic growth and containing potential overheating.
BEIJING, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- The 11th Panchen Lama Bainqen Erdini Qoigyijabu was among 13 people who on Sunday became new members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country's top advisory body.Their memberships were approved by a meeting of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee, which closed on Sunday.The three-day meeting also appointed Qian Yunlu as secretary-general for the third session of the 11th CPPCC National Committee and 21 others as vice secretary-generals. The 11th Panchen Lama Bainqen Erdini Qoigyijabu (front R) attends the 8th National Congress of the China Buddhism Association in Beijing, capital of China, on Feb. 1, 2010.The annual session will begin on March 3.
乌市整容手术
WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- China remains the largest foreign holder of U.S. Treasury securities as at the end of December, the U.S. media reported on Saturday.The report quoted the new government data as saying that China held 894.8 billion dollars in Treasury securities at the end of December, more than 755 billion dollars that had been previously estimated.But the new report also showed China trimmed its holdings of U. S. debt by 34.2 billion U.S. dollars in December.The U.S. Treasury reported on Feb. 16 that Japan surpassed China as the largest holder of U.S. Treasury securities in December. But the new estimate said Japan, now back in second place, held 765.7 billion dollars in December.Japan had been the largest holder of U.S. Treasury securities until China gained that distinction in 2008."Purchase of Treasuries by China would reflect only purchases by an entity in China from an entity based in the U.S.," Stone & McCarthy Research Associates said in a recent client note."The Data would not pick up purchases done on behalf of Chinese investors by dealers in the U.K or Hong Kong, for example, nor would it pick up purchases of Treasuries by investors in China from investors based outside of the U.S.," it added.China defended its move to reduce its holdings of U.S. Treasury securities, saying the United States should take steps to promote confidence in U.S. dollar .Last week, when responding to questions on China's sale of U.S. Treasury securities in December, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said the issue should be viewed from two perspectives.He said on the one hand, China always followed the principle of "ensuring safety, liquidity and good value" in managing its foreign exchange reserve. And when it came to how much and when China buys the bonds, the decision should be made taking into account the market and China's need, so as to realize rational deployment of China's foreign exchange property, he said.And on the other hand, the United States should take concrete steps to beef up the international market's confidence in the U.S. dollar, Qin said.The way to view the issue was similar to doing business, he said.
CHONGQING, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Chongqing Higher People's court on Monday upheld the convictions of 54 members of two mafia-like gangs, amid a massive crackdown on organized crime in the southwestern Chinese city.In the second trial at the court, Wang Tianlun, leader of a 23-member gang, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for organizing and instigating gang-related crimes, forcing others to trade and assault.Wang had controlled a local market since 1995, using violence and other criminal means to force vendors to sell meat injected with water, the court said.Tang Youbin, a gang member, was also sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve on similar charges. Another 21 members received life imprisonment and jail terms ranging from one to 20 years.In a separate case, Li Qiang, a former municipal lawmaker, was sentenced to 20 years in jail for seven crimes including organizing a 31-member criminal gang, disturbing public order, disturbing traffic order, illegal business, bribery and hiding accounting documents.Li Qiang based his gang around the company he founded in 1996, Chongqing Yuqiang Group Co. Ltd. To boost his company's share of the Chongqing transportation market, Li organized gang members to disturb the traffic order and cause traffic jams. More than 55 buses were illegally put into use in the city, with the illegal business generating an estimated 18.4 million yuan (2.7 million U.S. dollars).Of the other 30 members of the gang, 25 received sentences ranging from one to 18 years.The members of the two gangs were put on trial in December last year at the Chongqing No. 5 Intermediate People's Court.
BEIJING, March 3 (Xinhua) -- China faces potential challenges in maintaining food security despite years of good harvest, a legislator said here Wednesday.In some areas, farmland is often used illegally for non-agricultural purposes or abandoned by farmers who move to work in cities, posing the most serious threat to grain production, said Liu Hui, who is also deputy director of the administration of grain in the eastern Anhui Province.Other challenges include natural disasters, low scienctific and technical level in grain production, backward infrastructure, and low grain prices that dampen the enthusiasm of both farmers and local governments.The deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC), or the top legislature, made the remarks two days before the NPC annual session starts.Liu suggested that the government should clear the obstacles in the grain production and circulation and increase financial input in major grain producing areas to prevent possible decline in output.China's grain output reached 530.8 million tonnes in 2009, exceeding 500 million tonnes for the third consecutive year, data from the National Bureau of Statistics revealed.
BEIJING, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao on Saturday sent a message of condolence to his Chilean counterpart Michelle Bachelet over the casualties and property losses caused by the powerful earthquake that struck Chile earlier in the day.Hu, on behalf of the Chinese government as well as in his own name, extended sincere condolences to Bachelet, the Chilean people and government as well as deep sympathies to the earthquake victims.Hu said China was ready to offer emergency relief assistant to Chile to help those affected by the earthquake through their difficulties.Hu said he was confident that under the leadership of the government, Chile would be able to overcome the catastrophe and reconstruct its homeland.A massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake rocked southern Chile early Saturday, killing at least 122 people, and Bachelet has declared a "state of catastrophe" in the country.