Chinese leaders watch Beijing Opera performance

Chinese top leaders Hu Jintao, Wu Bangguo,Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinglin, Li Changchun, Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, He Guoqiang and Zhou Yongkang pose with performers of a Beijing Opera show celebrating the New Year, in Beijing, capital city of China, on Dec. 30, 2008.(Chinese media/Yao Dawei)
Photo Gallery

BEIJING, Dec. 30 (Chinese media) -- Senior Chinese leaders

and nearly 1,000 local people watched a Beijing Opera performance held here on

Tuesday evening to welcome the new year.

Hu Jintao, Wu Bangguo, Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinglin, Li

Changchun, Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, He Guoqiang and Zhou Yongkang watched the

performance staged in the National Center for the Performing Arts.

After the conclusion of the performance, the senior

leaders walked onto the stage to shake hands with the performers and express

congratulations on the success of the performance.

China inspects melamine tableware after dangerous ingredients reported

BEIJING, Dec. 30 (Chinese media) -- China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, the top quality regulator, told Chinese media on Tuesday it was organizing tests of melamine tableware, following reports that some products contained poisonous ingredients.

"The administration has always put great stress on food and tableware product safety. We are keeping a close eye on this issue and conducting product safety testing," it said.

There have been media reports in the past week that some melamine tableware sold in domestic supermarkets and wholesale markets had ingredients that were poisonous when heated.

Deadly winter storms unlikely in 2009: CMA official

BEIJING, Dec. 30 (Chinese media) -- Snow and sleet storms that wreaked havoc in southern China earlier this year are unlikely to occur again this winter, said Zhai Panmao, spokesman for the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) on Tuesday.

"We forecast a relatively warm winter this yea

Winter storms, which hit the country's central, south and southwest in January and February, were the worst in half a century for China. They led to 129 deaths as well as power outages, traffic jams and damaged homes.

Zhai said the average temperature in the first ten days of January 2009 will be 1 centigrade higher than usual for most northern areas, while that for southern China will stay around previous levels.

Weather experts will closely monitor the weather condition and make timely warnings once changes occur, said Zhai.

From Tuesday to Wednesday, flurries or sleet will fall on some parts of south and southwestern China, according to the CMA forecast.

Mainland commemorates major policy change on Taiwan 30 years ago

Photo taken on Dec. 31, 2008 shows a

ceremony commemorating the 30th anniversary of the announcement of Message

to Compatriots in Taiwan held in Beijing, capital of China. The Chinese

mainland commemorated the 30th anniversary of the announcement of Message

to Compatriots in Taiwan here Wednesday with a ceremony attended by three

top leaders including President Hu Jintao. (Chinese media

Photo)
Photo

Gallery

BEIJING, Dec. 31 (Chinese media) -- The Chinese mainland

commemorated the 30th anniversary of the announcement of Message to Compatriots

in Taiwan here Wednesday with a ceremony attended by three top leaders including

President Hu Jintao.

The Standing Committee of National People's Congress

(NPC), China's top legislature, issued the Message to Compatriots in Taiwan on

Jan. 1, 1979.

In this statement, the mainland first proposed to end

the military confrontation across the Taiwan Strait through dialog and welcomed

exchanges between the two sides.

Wu Bangguo, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee,

presided over the ceremony with Jia Qinglin, chairman of the Chinese People's

Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, also at present.

"The landmark statement elaborated our new policy on

Taiwan issue and has brought the cross-Strait relations into a new stage," said

Li Jianguo, deputy chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, in a speech at the

ceremony.

Chinese mainland announces ten

measures for co-op with Taiwan

SHANGHAI, Dec. 21 (Chinese media) -- The Chinese mainland

announced here on Sunday 10 measures of economic cooperation with Taiwan aimed

at jointly coping with the global financial crisis.

The measures include the support for the development of

Taiwanese-funded companies in the mainland, promotion of two-way investment and

so on, said Wang Yi, director of the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party

of China Central Committee, at the conclusion of the 4th Cross-Straits Economic,

Trade and Cultural Forum. Full story

Chinese mainland, Taiwan start direct

links after 59 years

Passengers from southeast China's Taiwan

gesture before boarding the plane at the airport in Shenzhen, south

China's Guangdong Province, Dec. 15, 2008. A Shenzhen Airlines flight took

off from the Shenzhen Airport for Taiwan at 7:20 Beijing Time (2320 GMT

Dec. 14), the first when the Chinese mainland and Taiwan started direct

air and sea transport and postal services Monday morning. (Chinese media

Photo)
Photo

Gallery

BEIJING, Dec. 15 (Chinese media) -- The Chinese mainland and

Taiwan started direct air and sea transport and postal services on Monday amid

warming ties, ending a 59-year ban on such links.

Formerly, air and sea movements -- including mail -- had

to go by way of a third place.

The direct daily transport started as a mainland-based

Shenzhen Airlines flight took off from the Shenzhen Airport for Taipei at 7:20

a.m.(2320 GMT Sunday), which was followed by a Taiwan-based TransAsia Airways

jetliner from Taipei to Shanghai. Full story

Mainland panda pair leave for

Taiwan

Photo taken on Dec. 11, 2008 shows the

giant Pandas Tuan Tuan (L) and Yuan Yuan, who will be sent to Taiwan, eat

bamboos in a breeding base in Ya'an, southwest China's Sichuan Province.

This pair of giant pandas is scheduled to travel to the Taiwan island on

Dec. 23. They are expected to meet the public at the Spring Festival, the

Chinese lunar new year, but that will depend on how they adapt to the new

environment.
(Chinese media Photo)
Photo

Gallery

YA'AN, Sichuan, Dec. 23 (Chinese media) -- A pair of giant pandas

offered by the Chinese mainland to Taiwan left here Tuesday for the island.

The pandas left Ya'an, Sichuan, at around 8:20 a.m. in an

enclosed truck. They would first be transported to Sichuan's provincial capital

of Chengdu, about 120 km from Ya'an, and then be flown to Taiwan on Tuesday

afternoon. Full story

Mainland, Taiwan hold economic,

cultural forum

The 4th Cross-Straits Economic, Trade

and Cultural Forum between the Chinese mainland and southeast China's

Taiwan begins in Shanghai, east China, Dec. 20, 2008. (Chinese media

Photo)
Photo

Gallery

SHANGHAI, Dec. 20 (Chinese media) -- The 4th Cross-Straits

Economic, Trade and Cultural Forum between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan began

here Saturday morning.

Jia Qinglin, member of the Standing Committee of the

Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Political Bureau, and

Kuomintang (KMT) Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung and Honorary Chairman Lien Chan

attended. Full story

Mainland to commemorate major policy change on Taiwan 30 years ago

BEIJING, Dec. 31 (Chinese media) -- The Chinese mainland will hold a ceremony to

commemorate the 30th anniversary of the announcement of Message to Compatriots

in Taiwan here Wednesday morning.

Chinese leaders watch Beijing Opera performance

Chinese top leaders Hu Jintao, Wu Bangguo,Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinglin, Li Changchun, Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, He Guoqiang and Zhou Yongkang pose with performers of a Beijing Opera show celebrating the New Year, in Beijing, capital city of China, on Dec. 30, 2008.(Chinese media/Yao Dawei)
Photo Gallery

BEIJING, Dec. 30 (Chinese media) -- Senior Chinese leaders

and nearly 1,000 local people watched a Beijing Opera performance held here on

Tuesday evening to welcome the new year.

Hu Jintao, Wu Bangguo, Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinglin, Li

Changchun, Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, He Guoqiang and Zhou Yongkang watched the

performance staged in the National Center for the Performing Arts.

After the conclusion of the performance, the senior

leaders walked onto the stage to shake hands with the performers and express

congratulations on the success of the performance.

Hong Kong stocks open 0.99% higher

Special Report:Global Financial Crisis

HONG KONG, Dec. 31 (Chinese media) -- Hong Kong

Chinese shares open slightly higher on last trading day of 2008

Special Report:Global Financial Crisis

BEIJING, Dec. 31 (Chinese media) -- Chinese shares open a

bit higher on Wednesday, the last trading day of 2008. The benchmark Shanghai

Composite Index, which covers both A and B shares, gained 0.11 percent, or 2.04

points, to 1,834.95 at the opening.

The smaller Shenzhen index was down 0.18 percent, or

12.08 points, to open at 6,546.08 points.

Amended Chinese highway, waterway transport, shipping route regulations to go into force

BEIJING, Dec. 30 (Chinese media) -- Three amended regulations, on highway management, waterway transport and shipping route management, will come into force on Jan. 1, 2009, according to a State Council decree signed by Premier Wen Jiabao.

The amended regulation on highway management stipulates that funds for highway construction may come from channels including the central and local government budget, sino-foreign joint venture, and loans.

China strengthens land management in boosting domestic demand

BEIJING, Dec. 30 (Chinese media) -- China's Ministry of Land

and Resources(MLR) said on Tuesday that it has issued a circular with 10 other

authorities to step up land use planning and management after the country

unveiled measures to stimulate domestic demand.

Local authorities should protect the arable land and

farmers' legitimate interests in handling land use applications of new projects,

according to the circular.

Xu Shaoshi, head of the MLR, said the economic crisis

has added difficulty to the country's land management work, as the central and

local governments' investment programs have demand for more land.

The MLR shouldered a mounting responsibility of

combating malpractice in land use, Xu said.

Chinese government unveiled a 4 trillion yuan (584

billion U.S. dollars) economic stimulus package last month to stimulate economic

growth and domestic demand.

The fund is to be spent over the next two years to

finance programs in 10 major areas, such as low-income housing, rural

infrastructure, water, electricity, transport, the environment and technological

innovation.

China's Tianjin Port container throughput up almost 20% in 2008

TIANJIN, Dec. 30 (Chinese media) -- Tianjin Port, the

largest in north China, handled 354 million tons of cargo by Tuesday evening,

said an official of Tianjin Port Group.

The port handled 8.5 million twenty-foot equivalent

(TEU) units of containers in the past year, up 19.7 percent year-on-year.

When Tianjin Port opened in 1952, it was a small,

shallow-water harbor capable of handling less than 700,000 tons of cargo a year.

It has since become a deep-water port with many specialized berths.

In 2007, it handled 300 million tons of cargo and 7.1

million TEUs of container cargo, which put it in the sixth and 20th places in

the world, respectively.

There are more than 400 ship movements at the port

each month to all points of the globe.

Media: Nearly one-third top news of Cambodia in 2008 related to China

PHNOM PENH, Dec. 31 (Chinese media) -- Almost one-third of the top political, economic and social news of Cambodia in 2008 were related to China, according to the year-ending news charts published on Wednesday by the kingdom's longest-running Chinese-language daily newspaper the Commercial News.

The official goodwill visit to Cambodia by China's top political advisor Jia Qinglin from Dec. 2 to 6, the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic ties between China and Cambodia, as well as the maiden visit by Chinese military vessel on Nov. 4, were seen among the "Top 10 Political News of Cambodia in 2008" recommended by the paper.

Its "Top 10 Economic News of Cambodia in 2008" highlighted the 257 million U.S. dollars of donation that the Chinese government had promised to give the kingdom in 2009, the June 27 Exhibition of Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Cambodia, as well as the completion of the renovation work of Cambodian National Road No. 7 under the financial aid of China.

The Commercial News on Wednesday also published the "Top 10 Social News of Cambodia in 2008," which included the 1.3 million U.S. dollars of donation by all sectors of the Cambodian society for the earthquake-affected areas of China, and the Dec. 11 inauguration of the Phnom Penh China-Cambodia Friendship Radio to provide trilingual broadcast services in Khmer, Chinese and English for the audience of the kingdom.

According to the Cambodian Investment Committee, China topped the list of foreign investing countries in Cambodia in the past 14years, with its total amount reaching 5.707 billion U.S. dollars, among 24.768 billion U.S. dollars in all.

Chinese soldiers nearly done with landmine sweeping on Sino-Vietnam border

By Li Huizi, Li Yun

BEIJING, Dec. 31 (Chinese media) -- A team of Chinese soldiers is about to complete its third landmine sweeping mission on the Sino-Vietnam border, aiming to meet the 2008 deadline for border demarcation agreed upon by both countr

When the People's Liberation Army (PLA) undertook its first de-mining campaign in the early 1990s, Fu was a PLA squad leader. Now he is deputy regiment commander of the Yunnan Provincial Military Command on the country's southwestern border with Vietnam.

"Landmine sweeping makes me a real army man," he said.

Led by Fu, a mine-sweeping team is conducting the country's third large-scale mission on the Sino-Vietnamese border, clearing landmines and explosives left over from confrontations during 1979 to 1989.

In that period, at least 10,000 landmines were laid within a 3km radius of the Friendship Pass on the border, according to the provincial military area command.

Vietnam and China normalized relations in 1990. In November 2005, they agreed to settle demarcation of the border by 2008. Chinese troops have been ordered by PLA headquarters to step up mine clearing.

The first two campaigns were conducted from 1992 to 1994 and 1997 to 1999. The third campaign, which began in 2005, was aimed at areas around prospective boundary markers to pave the way for a complete boundary settlement before the end of 2008, said Sun Shijun, an instructor of a de-mining team of the frontier defense regiment under the Yunnan Provincial Military Command.

Thanks to the efforts of de-mining soldiers, the two countries are about to celebrate the finale of their border demarcation. Last week, Vietnam marked the establishment of the 1,116th boundary monument on the Sino-Vietnam border. China has set up 1,117 boundary marks "of large size and national emblems of the two countries," the Vietnam News Agency has reported.

"No one really knows how many mines are buried on the border," said Fu, although the number has been estimated to be as high as 2million.

In a joint statement in 2005, China and Vietnam pledged to make the border a "peaceful and friendly" one with long-term stability. But that goal has been threatened by landmines and explosives.

Since 1979, almost 6,000 Chinese in Wenshan Prefecture along the border died or were injured by landmines, according to the local government. No figures were available on Vietnamese casualties.

According to the headquarters of the PLA Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Regional Military Area Command, China cleared 130,000 sq km with more than 6,800 landmines along the Friendship Pass. That eliminated threats to the local civilians, many of whom lost limbs or even lives when they crossed the border to trade with the Vietnamese.

Sharen Village in the prefecture's Funing County is internationally known as a landmine-ridden village. Most of the 87villagers have lost one or both legs to landmines.

Farmland has also been endangered, with thousands of hectares off limits because of mines underneath.

"During the first mission, our task was mainly to remove mines along the border pass and roads where frontier defense soldiers usually patrolled," Fu recalled. Experts came all the way from Beijing to offer expertise and equipment such as metal detectors.

"Each time we completed de-mining, we always stomped and walked along the area before we turned it over to local governments," he said.

The first mission, between 1992 and 1994, removed mines in 102.8 sq km and closed off mined areas of 159.46 sq km to prevent injuries. Fu said, from then on, the number of human mine-related accidents fell, although livestock were often killed.

The second campaign, which the PLA said was the largest in world military history, was conducted between 1997 and 1999 on the border in two southwestern autonomous regions of Yunnan and Guangxi.

With experience and an unspecified increase in spending, better results were obtained, the local military area command said.

More than 500,000 landmines and 180,000 explosives were unearthed. At the Sino-Vietnam War's main battlefield, the smell of thousands of hectares of tea plants grown after 1999 replaced the previous choking smoke caused by exploded mines.

Mine removal has paved the way for prosperous border trade. China has been Vietnam's largest trade partner for more than two years, with trade hitting 16.6 billion U.S. dollars in the first 10 months of this year, surpassing the total 2007 figure, according to the Chinese government. Leaders of the two countries have set a target of 25 billion U.S. dollars by 2010, it said.

They also pledged to speed the creation of sub-regional economic areas, including a China-ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) free trade zone and trade corridors along the Mekong River, which originates in China, runs through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam and empties into the South China Sea.

"A peaceful border is part of any promising relationship between two armies and two countries and provides opportunities for increasing mutual respect and trust," said Jiang Yi, research fellow with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

However, the danger of landmines has not been completely eliminated. It was estimated there were about 40 sq km of mined fields after two previous de-mining missions, with more than 500,000 mines and explosives remaining.

Better Sino-U.S. ties in both nations' interest

By Tao Wenzhao

BEIJING, Dec. 31 -- Bilateral ties between China and the United States have developed over the past 30 years along a generally tortuous but "forward moving" road.

Since diplomatic relations were established on Jan 1,1979, the two countries maintained a smooth relationship until May 1989. Both sides reached a new agreement on the long-controversial U.S. arms sales to Taiwan during this period, clearing away one of the largest obstacles to development of the bilateral ties. It is by no means fortuitous to U.S. that diplomatic normalization between the two countries coincided with China's adoption of the reform and opening-up initiative. A normalized relationship with the White House formed an important component in China's development strategy mapped out by late leader Deng Xiaoping, the chief architect of China's reform and opening-up program. The move turned out to be a big step in helping open a new page in Sino-U.S. relations.

In the summer of 1989, bilateral ties plunged into a low point owing to the U.S. intervention in China's move to crack down on a political turbulence. Afterwards, the two countries had to look upon each other's status in their own international strategic maps and tried to overcome the hurdles. Relations have gradually come back on the track of a smooth development.

In mid-November 1999, representatives from the two countries reached an accord on China's entry into the World Trade Organization. A bill on ratifying the Permanent Normal Trade relations (PNTR) with Beijing was passed by the U.S. Senate and House of Representative respectively in May and September the following year. The milestone event has greatly boosted the development of bilateral relations.

Since the beginning of the new century, a constructive relationship of cooperation has been fostered in an all-round manner, with leaders of the two countries frequently meeting each other on a variety of occasions. The top-level meeting mechanism, along with many other regular dialogue and cooperation channels, has unceasingly injected a new vitality into bilateral ties. Economic interdependence between the two countries has been deepening and none of them can now do without the other. Ever-expanding exchanges and links among their society and people have further consolidated the foundation for a strengthened relationship.

As the world's largest developing and developed countries, China and the U.S. should value the hard-won fruits in bilateral ties and do their utmost to press ahead with the momentum of their healthy development.

The two nations should first have enough respect for each other's concerns, especially concerns over their core interests. The Taiwan question has long involved China's pivotal national interests and the U.S. should deal with it in a cautious manner. The one-China principle contained in the three joint communiques has constituted a solid political foundation for the development of bilateral ties and it cannot be weakened at any time. The joint efforts made by Beijing and Washington in maintaining stability across the Taiwan Straits have created a good model for boosting bilateral ties. However, we should not understate their policy and strategic difference in the long term. The continued U.S.-Taiwan military cooperation and arms sales to the island will forever hang like Damocles' Sword over a final settlement of the vexed Taiwan question. A rare opportunity now emerges across the Straits for a better mainland-island relationship, which will also contribute to a stable Sino-U.S. relationship. At the same time, the U.S. should also handle the Tibet issue in a cautious manner, as it is also one that relates to China's core national interest.

For a smooth bilateral relationship, the two countries should shelve their divergences and seek common grounds and learn how to skillfully handle their differences, those emergency issues in particular. It is normal that differences exist between the two countries on a series of issues, ranging from Taiwan and human rights to trade. What is important is that they should not let these issues hinder further development of their ties. Thus, both countries should treat their disputes in the spirit of mutual respect and consultations. In case of emergencies, they should keep the exchange and dialogue channels unblocked and try not to take any impulsive decisions that might compromise bilateral ties. Beijing and Washington should have accumulated by now some experiences in crisis management.

To push forward bilateral development, the two countries should continue to enhance mutual trust. As a fast-growing economy and the world's sole superpower respectively, China and the U.S. should make greater efforts for mutual political and strategic accommodation. While using the current exchange and cooperation channels, it is necessary for them to continue to create more channels in an effort to strengthen mutual understanding and dispel misgivings.

Also, the two countries should strengthen mutual coordination on major international and regional issues. In the context of globalization, an enhanced cooperation between Beijing and Washington in these areas appears inevitable as the former continues to develop further. It is now particularly important for the two powers to strengthen mutual communication, coordination and cooperation on such issues as countering terrorism, prevention of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, fighting cross-border crimes, and in particular, the current global efforts to battle the ongoing financial crisis. At the same time, these issues also offer new opportunities for further development of their ties.

After three decades of their development, the ties between China and the U.S. are now at a new starting point. "Sino-U.S. relations should turn better. This is a need for the world's peace and stability," as late leader Deng Xiaoping put it when bilateral ties suffered a serious setback in December 1989. It is believed that bilateral ties will move toward a higher plateau with efforts from both sides.

The author is a researcher with the Institute of American Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

U.S. expert: China well-placed to help build stable, prosperous world

by Chinese media writers Wang Xiangjiang, Gu Zhenqiu

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 30 (Chinese media) -- As both a permanent member of the UN Security Council and the most prominent developing country in the world, China is well placed to help build a stable, prosperous and peaceful world, a U.S. expert on international politics has said.

"More than any country except the United States, China will determine the success or failure of the United Nations as a force for peace and security during the 21st century," said Stewart M. Patrick, senior fellow and director of the Washington-based Program on International Institutions and Global Governance, in an exclusive written interview with Chinese media.

"But to discharge this role, it will need to become more active and less passive in offering solutions to global problems, including issues of proliferation and violent conflict," he added.

As a founding member of the United Nations in 1945 and as one of the five permanent members of the Security Council, China has made unremitting efforts to strengthen the UN's role in safeguarding international peace and promoting development across the world.

"Inherent in the idea of China's 'peaceful rise' is the obligation to take on greater responsibilities in keeping with its status as one of the world's most powerful countries," said Patrick, a former U.S. State Department policy planning staff member.

"The United Nations, and particularly the Security Council, provides a critical forum to develop a constructive working relationship between Washington and Beijing to ensure the collective management of global issues," he said.

The United Nations "is also a useful instrument at times for U.S. national and broader global interests," he said. "There is no alternative but to engage it and to help it live up to its founding ideals."

As the most universal and the largest inter-governmental organization in the world, the United Nations plays an irreplaceable role in international cooperation to ensure global security and development.

"It is also critical for the United States to seek common ground in particular with other permanent members of the Security Council, particularly China and Russia, whose support will be essential to achieve peaceful and effective resolution of the most important threats to international peace and security," said Patrick.

"The Bush administration has aspired to see China emerge as a 'responsible stakeholder' in international affairs," he said. "This means a China that is not only more powerful but also willing to use its weight to support international norms and to shoulder some of the burdens of global leadership. The incoming Obama administration very much shares this view."

On China's future role in other international organizations, Patrick commented: "The membership of the G8 (the Group of Eight major industrialized countries) is hopelessly out of date, in not including China, India, Brazil and other major emerging market economies."

Author of "The Best Laid Plans" published in November 2008, Patrick currently focuses his studies on U.S. policy toward global governance.

China donates $300,000 to help Colombia after flooding

BEIJING, Dec. 30 (Chinese media) -- China on Tuesday announced a donation of 300,OOO U.S. dollars to help rain-ravaged Colombia.

"To help the Colombian government with relief work, China decided to donate 300,OOO U.S. dollars," Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in a statement.

Colombia was hit by heavy downpours during the country's second rainy season, which began in September. At least 67 people were killed and 94 others were injured. Almost 1 million people were affected.

China's Red Cross donated 50,000 U.S. dollars to Colombia.

4 executives of China milk scandal company stand trial

SHIJIAZHUANG, Dec. 31 (Chinese media) -- Four executives of the Sanlu Group, the major dairy at the center of China's tainted milk scandal, went on trial Wednesday at a court in Shijiazhuang, capital of northern Hebei Province.

The Shijiazhuang Intermediate People's Court accused Tian Wenhua, Sanlu's former board chairwoman and general manager and three other executives of producing and selling fake or sub-standard products.

The court opened at 8 a.m. The three other executives are former deputy general managers Wang Yuliang and Hang Zhiqi, and Wu Jusheng, a former executive in charge of the firm's milk division.

Wang was in a wheelchair after losing the use of his legs in a suicide attempt, according to court sources.

The four defendants were arrested on Sept. 26.

Tian told the court that she learned about the tainted milk complaints from consumers in mid-May, and then the company set up a working team led by her to handle the case.

Sanlu Group submitted a written report about the problematic milk powder to the Shijiazhuang city government on August 2, she said.

If convicted of producing and selling fake or substandard products, defendants can be imprisoned for terms up to life.

Prior to the trial of these four, 17 people have gone on trial on charges of producing, adding melamine-laced "protein powder" to milk or selling the tainted milk to Sanlu or other dairies.

The Ministry of Health has said it was likely the contamination killed at least six babies. Another 294,000 infants suffered from urinary problems such as kidney stones.

Sanlu Group stopped production on Sept. 12. A bankruptcy petition for Sanlu has been filed in the face of an 1.1 billion yuan debt.

Shanghai reports on care for its 2.8 mln older residents

SHANGHAI, Dec. 30 (Chinese media) -- Shanghai spent about 659.32 million yuan (about 96.96 million U.S. dollars) to care for the aged this year, said a local government official on Tuesday.

Municipal government spokesman Chen Qiwei said homes for the aged added 10,030 beds at a cost of 524.8 million yuan, bringing total beds to 80,000.

The city also built 100 new day-care centers for the aged at a cost of 134.52 million yuan. There are now 228 such centers serving more than 8,000 senior citizens.

Also, 214 canteens for the aged were opened in the city's communities, most of which were in downtown areas. About 18,800 senior citizens eat at these facilities.

The government also subsidized services for 103,000 low-income senior citizens who have difficulties living on their own, said Chen.

There are 2.8 million people above the age of 60 in Shanghai.

Chinese village official gets death penalty for hired killing of rival

HANGZHOU, Dec. 30 (Chinese media) -- A village official in east China's Zhejiang Province has been sentenced to death for hiring five men to murder an election rival, a local court said on Tuesday.

Wang Bentie, head of the villagers' committee of Xiawan Villagein Yongjia County, committed the crime to retain his post, said the Intermediate People's Court of Wenzhou City.

Wang spent 8,000 yuan (1,170 U.S. dollars) to hire five men, who attacked candidate Wang Tianhou on June 29 with knives.

Wang Tianhou died from his injuries three days later in the hospital.

One of the hired men was also sentenced to death on Monday, while the other four got six to 15 years in prison.

Meanwhile, another villager in northeast China's Liaoning Province went on trial for killing five people in an election dispute, the Intermediate People's Court of Jinzhou City said on Tuesday.

Li Hui was elected head of the villagers' committee of Zhaoyingzi Village in Beizhen City in April last year.

But he was unable to take office as Ye Xiang, the husband of his cousin, informed authorities that Li was involved in vote-buying.

Li killed Ye's family of five with a knife on Aug. 25.

The court has not yet reached a verdict in Li's case.

China's engineering academicians "need high ethical standards"

BEIJING, Dec. 29 (Chinese media) -- China's future engineering academicians should display good personal and professional conduct, a top official of the Chinese Academy of Engineering said on Monday.

All candidates for 2009 should have high ethical standards, Xu Rigan, deputy head of the academy said, citing a new regulation.

Xu stressed that all candidates should be honest and their personal information should be available for public scrutiny.

The academy plans to select 60 new members for 2009 starting on Jan. 1.

Experts: Shandong dinosaur fossil field "world's largest"

JINAN, Dec. 29 (Chinese media) -- A dinosaur fossil field discovered this year in eastern China appears to be the largest in the world, a paleontologist told Chinese media on Monday.

More than 7,600 fossils have been discovered so far in Zhucheng City in eastern Shandong Province and the number is climbing, said Zhao Xijin, the paleontologist in charge of the project.

Zhao is from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

"The discoveries are expected to contribute to research on the mystery of dinosaur extinction," Zhao said. He added that the fossils dated mainly from the Late Cretaceous of the Mesozoic Period, when dinosaurs became extinct.

The city has a major field of large hadrosaurus fossils, discovered in the 1960s by a Chinese oil expedition. More than 50 tons of fossils have been discovered since then.

The world's largest hadrosaurus fossil was found here in the 1980s and exhibited in the local museum.

A new fossil site was found during another mining expedition in March in Longdu, Shunwang, Jiayue and Zhigou Towns. One field in Longdu is 300meters long by 10m wide and 5m deep. More than 3,000 fossils have been found at that site, among which new genera or species might be found, Zhao said.

A 2m skull of a large ceratopsian was found here, the first such discovery outside of North America, said Xu Xing, researcher of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology.

In the 15 sub-fields, other new genera of ankylosaurus, tyrannosaurus and ceolurus were also found, Xu said.

Zhao said the fossils had only the slimmest chance to have survived all these years. According to current research, the region might have been a watery area with abundant grass. That would have made it an ideal habitat for duck-billed dinosaurs, Zhao said.

The geologists said there might have been a volcanic eruption that was fatal to the dinosaurs and later a flood that brought the fossils to their resting place.

Mining had been suspended because of weather but would resume in the spring, Zhao said.

Research on the findings would be published at the end of next year, he said. A fossil park will be built in the region, local authorities said.

Copycat "Shanzhai" culture takes on life of its own in China

BEIJING, Dec. 30 (Chinese media) -- The Chinese word "Shanzhai" literally means small mountain village, but it's now used to describe products that have names similar to famous brands or people who imitate celebrities.

It became an accepted name for fake goods after "Shanzhai Cellphones" produced by small individual workshops in southern China became popular in the mainland market over the past two years.

Besides Shanzhai electronic products, of which there are many, there are "Shanzhai" movies, "Shanzhai" stars and even a "Shanzhai" Spring Festival Gala, a copy of the 25-year-old traditional show presented by CCTV on Chinese Lunar New Year's eve.

"Shanzhai" has become a culture of its own, symbolizing anything that imitates something famous, the Beijing-based Guangming Daily reported on Tuesday.

The phenomenon has sparked a public controversy over "whether it is healthy or sick being a copycat," according to the newspaper.

In southwestern China's Chongqing Municipality, a "Shanzhai"-version "Bird's Nest" woven by farmers with bamboo attracts wide attention and the "Shanzhai"-version "Water Cube" is popular with tourists, the newspaper said. Both are merely copies of the famous Olympics venues in Beijing.

Shanzhai "represents non-mainstream ideas and innovations, and it's also a new way for common people to express what they want," said Li Zonggui, a professor at Sun Yat-Sen University in south China's Guangdong Province.

Xie Xizhang, a literature critic, said that taking the "Shanzhai" Gala as an example, when the traditional CCTV program became less and less appealing to the audience, the "Shanzhai" version sprang up naturally to attract people for variety.

"Despite its coarse techniques and operation, 'Shanzhai' culture meets the psychological demands of common people and could be a comfort to their minds," Xie said.

Tian Huiqun, a professor at the College of Art and Communication of Beijing Normal University, said the concept of "Shanzhai" started in the business world and thus the "Shanzhai" culture has a commercial aspect.

She said that the "Shanzhai" culture never copies classic things, only trendy products. In that sense, she said, it's like a computer virus, multiplying without meaning.

"If we were too tolerant of such 'culture' ... the culture of [true] innovation would be even harder to develop," she said.

Though controversial, "Shanzhai" culture is becoming a widely accepted phenomenon.

To mainstream culture, the rise of "Shanzhai" culture was a challenge as well as a stimulus, said Xie, according to the newspaper.

Tian said various cultures developing together was an ideal situation and it was for the public to choose, the newspaper said.

Famed Silk Road grottoes in China get fewer visitors amid financial crisis

Special Report:Global Financial Crisis　

LANZHOU, Dec. 29 (Chinese media) -- The global financial crisis has slashed the number of tourists to Dunhuang, a Silk Road city and home to historic Buddhist grottoes, city tourism bureau chief Gong Ying said on Monday.

Gong said domestic tourist arrivals were likely to decline 30 percent this year, with those of foreigners down 40 percent.

Dunhuang, in northwest China's Gansu Province, had 1.4 million tourists last year, including 100,000 from overseas.

Gong said major natural disasters, such as prolonged snow early in the year and the devastating earthquake in May, had also affected tourism.

"We are not optimistic about the market next year, as the financial crisis is worsening," he said.

The Mogao Grottoes, a UN-listed World Heritage site known as the Cave of a Thousand Buddhas, received fewer than 100 tourists daily, compared with an average of 1,500 per day last year, the official added.

Gong said the bureau will tap the Taiwan market next year, to take advantage of cross-Strait direct air and sea services that began earlier this month amid warming ties.

A 261 million yuan (about 38 million U.S. dollars) rehabilitation project began on Monday to protect the fragile ancient paintings and sculptures.

HK to issue special stamps for Year of the Ox

HONG KONG, Dec. 29 (Chinese media) -- Hongkong Post Monday announced that a set of special stamps on the theme of Year of the Ox will be issued on Jan. 17.

The set of four special stamps on Year of the Ox adopts five- color printing to accentuate the three-dimensional effect, and to enhance the image detail of the cattle against a background of hillside and pasture in silver color.

In addition, a stamp sheetlet with two stamps featuring the Ratand the Ox embossed and hot-foiled with genuine gold and 99.9 percent pure silver, will come with a certificate of authenticity, making the sheetlet a precious gift for the Lunar New Year.

Official First Day Covers for the special stamps, and Official Souvenir Covers for the stamp sheetlet will be on sale at all local post offices as from Jan. 3.

China to issue 1st human rights action plan early next year

BEIJING, Dec. 30 (Chinese media) -- China will release its first national action plan on human rights early next year, a senior government official said here Tuesday.

"The document has concrete measures, including efforts in poverty reduction, protec

The action plan is being drafted by a panel from the office and Foreign Ministry, joined by more than 50 departments, public associations and non-governmental organizations, he said.

The Chinese government issued the first white paper describing the country's human rights situation in 1991, officially adopting the concept of "human rights" in its political strategy.

Since then, the country has issued 40 such documents on human rights protection but never a state action plan on what it is going to do in this field.

Wang said the action plan is written to commemorate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted at the UN General Assembly in 1948. "It will also serve as a strong propeller to push forward China's human rights cause," he said.

Chinese vice premier back home after three-nation-visit

BEIJING, Dec. 30 (Chinese media) -- Chinese Vice Premier Li

Keqiang arrived in Beijing Tuesday morning after concluding official visits to

Indonesia, Egypt and Kuwait.

Li, as invited by Indonesian Vice President Yusuf

Kalla, Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Mahmoud Mohamed Nazef and Kuwaiti First

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad

Al-Sabah, paid the visits from Dec. 20 to 30.

China pledges to further cooperation,

friendship with Kuwait

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. (Chinese media/Rao Aimin)
Photo

Gallery

KUWAIT CITY, Dec. 28 (Chinese media) -- 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. Full story

Chinese vice premier arrives in Kuwait

on official visit

KUWAIT CITY, Dec. 27 (Chinese media) -- At the invitation of

Kuwaiti First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Sheikh Jaber Mubarak

Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang arrived here Saturday evening

on a four-day official visit.

Li said in a statement delivered at the airport that he is

delighted to pay an official visit to Kuwait, noting that the relationship

between China and Kuwait, especially in the fields of trade, energy, finance and

culture, has witnessed remarkable growth since the two forged diplomatic

relations in 1971. Full story

Chinese vice premier proposes on

China-Egypt trade balance

Visiting Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang

(L) addresses the openning ceremony of the Sino-Egyptian Joint Business

Council business forum in Cairo, Egypt, Dec. 25, 2008. (Chinese media/Rao

Aimin)
Photo

Gallery

CAIRO, Dec. 27 (Chinese media) -- Visiting Chinese Vice Premier

Li Keqiang has proposed steps to realize trade balance between China and Egypt,

sources with the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.

China attaches great importance to the issue of trade

imbalance between the two countries, and China wants to develop "comprehensive,

balanced and sustainable" trade ties with Egypt, Li said in his speech at a

business forum Thursday in the Egyptian capital. Full story

Chinese Vice Premier meets Indonesian

President

Visiting Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang

(L) meets with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (R) in

Jakarta, Indonesia, Dec. 22, 2008. (Chinese media Photo)
Photo

Gallery

JAKARTA, Dec. 23 (Chinese media) -- Visiting Chinese Vice Premier

Li Keqiang met with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono Monday

afternoon, calling on the two countries to step up partnership and tackle the

international financial crisis.

Li said that the development of cooperation between China

and Indonesia, both as important developing countries in the region, serves to

the significant purpose to promote peace and stability in the region and the

world. Full story

Chinese vice premier meets acting

governor of Jawa Timur, visits Suramadu bridge project

SURABAYA, Indonesia, Dec. 21 (Chinese media) -- Visiting Chinese

Vice Premier Li Keqiang met here with the acting governor of Jawa Timur Setia

Purwaka and visited the construction site of Suramadu bridge in Indonesia.

src="http://news.Chinese medianet.com/english/2008-12/21/xin_0921205212011343104336.jpg"

border=0>

Visiting Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang

(C front) applauds as he visits the construction site of the Suramadu (

Surabaya-Madura) bridge, which will be the longest of its kind, in

Indonesia, Dec. 21, 2008. (Chinese media Photo)
Photo Gallery

During his meeting with Purwaka on Saturday evening,

Li voiced his hope that Jawa Timur could play an increasingly important role to

help step up relations between China and Indonesia. Full story

Chinese Vice Premier arrives in

Indonesia for official visit

alt="Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang (L. front) arrives in Surabaya, Indonesia, Dec. 20, 2008. At the invitation of Indonesian Vice President Yusuf Kalla, Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang arrived here for an official visit on Saturday. (Chinese media/Rao Aimin)"

hspace=0

src="http://news.Chinese medianet.com/english/2008-12/21/xin_40212052020391403202140.jpg"

border=0>

Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang (L.

front) arrives in Surabaya, Indonesia, Dec. 20, 2008. At the invitation of

Indonesian Vice President Yusuf Kalla, Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang

arrived here for an official visit on Saturday. (Chinese media/Rao

Aimin)
Photo

Gallery

SURABAYA,

Indonesia, Dec. 20 (Chinese media) -- At the invitation of Indonesian Vice President

Yusuf Kalla, Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang arrived here for an official visit

on Saturday afternoon.

Li said in a written statement delivered at the

airport that he was delighted to visit Indonesia, noting that the development of

friendship between China and Indonesia, both as important developing nations in

Asia, serves to the fundamental interests of the two nations and the two

peoples. Full story

Former Taiwan leader Chen back in jail on corruption charge

TAIPEI, Dec. 30 (Chinese media) -- Former Taiwan leader Chen

Shui-bian was back in prison on corruption charges following a verdict by the

Taipei District Court.

The court delivered its verdict Tuesday morning after a

12-hour hearing.

Chen was taken back to jail at 3:50 a.m. Tuesday but

the court verdict allowed him to meet his lawyer and family.

The court said it feared that if Chen were free he

could commit serious crimes and could tamper with witnesses and evidence or even

abscond.

Chen and his wife were charged with embezzling 104

million New Taiwan dollars (3.15 million U.S. dollars) in public funds and

accepting bribes of about 9 million U.S. dollars in a land purchase deal.

At the beginning of the Monday hearing, Chen's lawyer

requested the withdrawal of the judge to prevent the trial from being carried

out. But the request was overruled.

The district court had earlier agreed twice to

release Chen without bail. Prosecutors successfully challenged the verdicts

twice in a higher court.

Chen was first indicted by prosecutors on Dec. 12 for

money laundering and taking bribes during his eight years in office, which ended

in May. Chen had been in custody for investigation since Nov. 12.

The district court decided to release him without

bail on Dec 13, but banned him from leaving the island. Prosecutors appealed his

release on Dec. 16, and the high court's first overruling followed on Dec. 17.

The second appeal was made last Thursday after the

district court again released Chen without bail on Dec. 18.

The district court appointed Tsai Shou-hsum to the

case. He is also presiding judge of corruption case against Chen's wife.

Senior Chinese leader urges applying scientific outlook on development

BEIJING, Dec. 29 (Chinese media) -- Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping on Monday urged all localities and departments to apply the scientific outlook on development in their work.

Xi, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Political Bureau, also asked party members and government officials to take the lead and be role models in work to deal with the international financial crisis and maintain steady and relatively fast economic growth.

Xi said this at a conference on studying and applying the scientific outlook on development, an important concept endorsed by the CPC that emphasizes caring about the well-being of people and promoting comprehensive, coordinated and sustainable development.

He called for efforts to solve several major issues hindering scientific development and launch several projects to bring actual benefits to people so that they can feel the changes brought about by the campaign to study and apply the scientific outlook on development.

He also urged establishing mechanisms that guarantee and promote scientific development.

China to step up audits of gov't spending, stimulus projects

BEIJING, Dec. 29 (Chinese media) -- China will step up audits of new projects, state-owned enterprises and financial institutions next year to make its macro-control measures more effective in fighting the financial crisis, the country's chief auditor said here on Monday.

"Our focus next year is to oversee the implementation of macro-control measures ... and guarantee their timeliness and effectiveness," Liu Jiayi, head of the National Audit Office (NAO),told an agency conference.

Auditors will focus on potential risks in government finance and "watch for possibilities that economic woes might lead to social unrest or even political problems," said Liu.

Money newly allocated to be spent late this year, part of a 4 trillion yuan (580 billion U.S. dollars) stimulus plan, will get special attention in 2009, he said.

The government added 100 billion yuan of investment to fourth-quarter spending to spur domestic economic growth.

Audit agencies will ensure investment in the new projects is properly used and focus on revealing extravagance, corruption and use in smokestack projects, said Liu.

He said more than 104,000 enterprises and agencies were audited from January to November.

He said 290 people, including 64 officials, had their cases referred to judicial or disciplinary agencies.

Another focus in 2009 would be to overseas investment by state-owned companies to make sure such investment is safe, while misjudgment and managerial problems that lead to state-owned asset losses will be revealed, Liu told the conference.

The NAO examined the impact of the global financial crisis on Chinese lenders and the economy in the second half of this year, said Liu, without disclosing the results.

He pledged to continue checking the asset quality and performance of financial institutions and helping them improve risk control.

Senior leader visits art show commemorating China's reform drive

Li Changchun (2nd R), member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, visits an art exhibition marking the 30th anniversary of China's implementing the reform and opening-up policies, in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 29, 2008. (Chinese media/Gao Jie)
Photo Gallery

BEIJING, Dec. 29 (Chinese media) -- Senior Chinese official

Li Changchun on Monday visited an art exhibition marking the country's 30 years

of reform and opening-up.

The show, organized by the China Artists Association,

includes 110 paintings and sculptures from all over the country.

Li, a member of the Standing Committee of the

Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said arts

development had been fruitful over the past three decades.

He urged artists to produce more good work.

Taiwan court in session to decide whether to detain ex-leader Chen

TAIPEI, Dec. 29 (Chinese media) -- The Taipei District Court was deliberating Monday if the island's former leader Chen Shui-bian should be returned to custody.

Chen appeared in court at 2:00 p.m. He could be detained, released on bail or released without bail after the hearing.

Taiwan's High Court on Sunday overruled the Taipei District Court ruling releasing Chen for a second time, and the district court decided to re-examine its decision Monday afternoon.

The high court feared Chen could be run away, or tamper with witnesses and evidence if he was free.

The district court had released him without bail on Dec 13, but banned him from leaving the island. Prosecutors appealed his release on Dec. 16, and the high court's first overruling followed on Dec. 17.

The second appeal was made last Thursday after the district court again released Chen without bail on Dec. 18.

The district court appointed Tsai Shou-hsum to the case. He is also presiding judge of corruption case against Chen's wife.

Chen was first indicted by prosecutors on Dec. 12 for money laundering and taking bribes during his eight years in office, which ended in May.

Chen had been in custody for investigation since Nov. 12.

Chen and his wife were alleged to have embezzled 104 million New Taiwan dollars (3.15 million U.S. dollars) in public funds and accepted bribes of about 9 million U.S. dollars in a land purchase deal.

His wife was also alleged to have taken a kickback of 2.7 million U.S. dollars from a construction project, according to prosecutors.

Their son, daughter-in-law and 10 others were also said to have assisted in concealing the crimes and remitting the money to overseas bank accounts.

Taiwan prosecutors said earlier that they were seeking "the severest punishment" for Chen, and also recommended a heavy sentence for his wife for "using her status to interfere in politics and rake in money and undermining the system."

FM press conference on Dec. 30

China

calls for immediate cease-fire in Gaza

BEIJING, Dec. 30 (Chinese media) -- China is deeply concerned at

the current situation in Gaza,and hopes parties involved could immediately halt

the armed conflict, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said here on

Tuesday.

China stresses one-China principle on

Taiwan-related issues

BEIJING, Dec. 30 (Chinese media) -- China stressed its adherence to the one-China

principle in dealing with Taiwan-related issues, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin

Gang said here on Tuesday.

China to focus on international

environment to ensure economic

growth

BEIJING, Dec. 30 (Chinese media) -- The main task of China's

diplomacy in the year to come will be to make a favorable international

situation for the country's economic development, said Qin Gang, spokesman of

the Foreign Ministry, on Tuesday.

China donates $300,000 to help Colombia

after flooding

BEIJING, Dec. 30 (Chinese media) -- China on Tuesday announced a donation of 300,OOO

U.S. dollars to help rain-ravaged Colombia.

China

appoints female diplomat as first ASEAN ambassador

BEIJING, Dec. 30 (Chinese media) -- China has appointed Xue Hanqin as its first ambassador to the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).

China stresses one-China principle on Taiwan-related issues

BEIJING, Dec. 30 (Chinese media) -- China stressed its adherence to the one-China principle in dealing with Taiwan-related issues, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said here on Tuesday.

Responding to a question concerning Taiwan's intention to become an observer of the World Health Assembly in 2009, Qin said whether dealing with the relationship across the Taiwan Strait or issues of Taiwan's attempts to participate in international organizations, China consistently adheres to the basic one-China principle.

"We hope Taiwan and the mainland can make concerted efforts and create conditions for properly solving Taiwan-related issues through negotiations," he said.

China appoints female diplomat as first ASEAN ambassador

BEIJING, Dec. 30 (Chinese media) -- China has appointed Xue Hanqin as its first ambassador to the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).

"To promote China-ASEAN strategic partnership and strengthen their communications and consultation, the Chinese government appointed Xue to be the first ASEAN ambassador," Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told a regular briefing on Tuesday.

As non-resident ambassador, Xue will play an important part in boosting China-ASEAN exchanges and cooperation, Qin said.

Xue represents a new face among the special-mission envoys China has appointed in recent years. Earlier, China named special ambassadors on the European Union, African affairs, Korean peninsula issues and others.

Qin called Xue "an experienced diplomat and an expert on international law."

Her previous job was ambassador to the Netherlands and representative to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. She has also been head of the department of treaty and law in the Foreign Ministry.

China to focus on international environment to ensure economic growth

BEIJING, Dec. 30 (Chinese media) -- The main task of China's diplomacy in the year to come will be to make a favorable international situation for the country's economic development, said Qin Gang, spokesman of the Foreign Ministry, on Tuesday.

"In the context of international financial turmoil, China's diplomacy will be about trying to ensure a sound international environment to serve steady and rapid development of our economy," Qin said at the last press conference of 2008.

China would further its all-round diplomacy as well as enhance relations with all major powers and developing countries, he said.

Qin also said China would continue its constructive role in multilateral framework to better serve the sovereignty, territorial integrity and interest of the nation.

China would continuously play a responsible role in resolving international and regional issues, and work with the international community to safeguard peace, stability and development of the world, he said.

The spokesman said profound and complex changes would take place throughout the international situation and the negative impact of the financial crisis would be more apparent in 2009. Conflicts and security challenges in traditional and non-traditional areas would also pose new threats to all countries of the world.

Qin also said China's diplomacy was fruitful in 2008.

China calls for immediate cease-fire in Gaza

BEIJING, Dec. 30 (Chinese media) -- China is deeply concerned at the current situation in Gaza,and hopes parties involved could immediately halt the armed conflict, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said here on Tuesday.

China is deeply concerned over the ongoing armed conflict in Gaza, Qin said at a regular press conference.

China hopes parties involved could respond to appeals of the international community and cease fire at once, so as to prevent an even higher death toll, Qin said when responding to journalists.

Over 300 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched airstrikes on the Gaza Strip last Saturday in retaliation for increased rocket and mortar fire from Gaza on southern Israel, reports said.

Cross-strait direct mail starts in Lhasa

Special Report: Focus on Tibet

BEIJING, Dec. 30 -- Tibetans could enjoy the postal business services such as mail packages by air, land, sea or EMS directly from Tibet to Taiwan since Dec. 29.

Chen Kexin, deputy manager of TAR Post operation department said: "In the past, it always cost long time to mail a letter to Taiwan. Because all the letters need to stop at Hong Kong then to Taiwan. Now the direct mail can not only save time, but also provide the direct inquiry services for senders."

Besides, the charges of all the types of postal service will follow the national standard.

(Source: China Tibet Information Center)

Xinhua's top ten news events of 2008

Special Report:Yearender 2008

BEIJING, Dec. 30 (Chinese media) -- Chinese media top ten domestic

news events of 2008, in chronological order, are:

-- Winter

storms in south China. From late January until

early February, the worst

winter storms in decades hit large parts of southern and central China. They

caused damage and paralyzed transport. The cost was 150 billion yuan (about 19

billion U.S. dollars).

-- China's two sessions . The annual sessions of the National

People's Congress, the top legislature, and the National Committee of the

Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC),the top advisory

body, were held in March in Beijing. Leaders of the state and CPPCC were

selected and ministry restructuring decided upon.

-- March 14 riots in Lhasa . At least

18 innocent civilians were killed in the riots and rioters in the Tibetan

capital caused much damage to property. The unrest was organized by the

supporters of the Dalai Lama and Tibetan "independence" forces.

-- Wenchuan earthquake . A

magnitude-8.0 earthquake hit Wenchuan County in southwest Sichuan Province on

May 12. The quake, the most destructive natural disaster to hit China for

decades, left more than 87,000 people dead or missing and millions homeless. The

cost was put at more than 845 billion yuan. The country was mobilized for

disaster relieve reconstruction which is still ongoing.

-- The successful hosting of the 2008 Beijing

Olympics and of the Paralympics . Beijing

successfully hosted the Games of the 29th Olympiad from August 8 to August 24.

More than 10,000 athletes from 204 countries and regions took part in 302 events

in 28 sports. Athletes from a record 87 National Olympic Committees - the most

yet - won medals. The Games saw 43 world records and 132 Olympic records set.

From September 6 to September 17, over 4,000 athletes from more than 140

countries took part in the Summer Paralympic Games.

-- Tainted milk scandal. China's tainted dairy

scandal was exposed in September after babies who were fed milk powder, produced

by the Hebei Province-based Sanlu Group, developed kidney stones. Other top

dairy firms were also involved, including Meng Niu. The contamination of baby

milk formula killed six babies and more than 290,000 infants suffered from

urinary problems such as kidney stones after drinking the tainted milk formula.

The scandal led to the resignation of China's chief quality supervisor Li

Changjiang. Several officials were sacked, arrests were made and the government

is working on overhauling the country's dairy industry.

-- China's first space walk . On

September 27, Chinese taikonaut Zhai Zhigang, wearing a Chinese-made Feitian

space suit, conducted a 20-minute space walk. China is only the third nation to

successfully send a man on a spacewalk, behind Russia and the United States.

-- The Chinese government sets forward plans to

increase domestic demand and maintain economic growth rate. In the face of the

global financial crisis, The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China

(CPC) and the State Council announced 10 measures in November, including a 4-trillion-yuan stimulus package , to boost domestic demand

and maintain economic growth.

The three-day annual tone-setting Central Economic Work Conference convened at beginning of

December decided to focus on maintaining a stable and relatively fast economic

growth in 2009'seconomic work.

-- Direct air and sea transport and postal services across the Taiwan

Strait.

Between Nov. 3 to 7, Chen Yunlin, president of the

mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS), headed a

delegation visit to Taiwan, the first ARATS leader to visit the island. During

their first meeting in Taipei, Chen and Chiang Pin-kung, chairman of the

Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation, signed agreements on direct shipping

and flights, as well as postal services.

Since Dec. 15, the two sides have launched direct air

and sea transport as well as postal services between several mainland cities,

including Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Fuzhou and Shenzhen, and Taiwan cities,

such as Taipei, Kaohsiung and Keelung.

-- Grand gathering to celebrate

the 30th anniversary of China's launch of reform and opening

up

.

A grand gathering was held on Dec. 18 to celebrate

the decision made at the third plenary session of the 11th Central Committee of

the CPC in 1978 to open up the once isolated country and reform its moribund

economy.

The landmark policy adopted 30 years ago turned China

from a poverty-stricken country into the world's fourth largest economy in terms

of gross domestic product.

During the gathering, President Hu Jintao addressed

the nation and called to further advance the great cause of reform and opening

up while holding tight the banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Three killed, five injured in construction site accident

CHANGSHA, Dec. 30 (Chinese media) -- At least three people were killed and five

others injured after a crane collapsed at a construction site and fell on an

adjacent hotel car park in central China's Hunan Province Monday.

The accident took place at about 5:30 p.m. at the Jinsenianhua (Golden Age)

real estate project being built in Lingling District of Yongzhou City, the

district's government said Tuesday.

A high-rise crane collapsed and fell on vehicles parked in the yard of

Hongtaiyang (Red Sun) Hotel and some people, an unnamed witness said.

The injured were taken to the hospital.

The local government held an emergency conference Monday night, ordering an

immediate overhaul of construction safety across the district and suspension of

the use of all cranes.

The cause of the accident was under investigation.

On Saturday, 17 workers were killed and another was badly injured after a

construction lift plunged, apparently because of overloading in Changsha,

capital of Hunan.

The lift was carrying 18 workers to the 30th floor of a residential complex

being built in the city's downtown area. The lift only has a designed capacity

for carrying 12 people.

Two killed in NW China warehouse blast

XI'AN, Dec. 30 (Chinese media) -- Two people were killed in a blast that ripped

through a warehouse in Shaanxi Province Monday, an official said Tuesday.

The blast went off at about 7:30 p.m., tearing apart the 200-square-meter

roof of a private house storing sodium chloride in Gaolou village, Baqiao

District in the eastern suburb of Xi'an, the provincial capital.

A truck parked beside the depository was gutted by fire.

An initial investigation indicated that the truck driver might have

triggered the blast by accident while repairing the vehicle, according to Nie

Zhongqiu, head of Baqiao District.

The driver might be among the two victims killed at the site, Nie said.

The police were investigating the blast and identifying the victims. No

more information was available.

Taiwan ships "can ask for mainland escorts" off Somalia

BEIJING, Dec. 29 (Chinese media) -- Taiwan ships could ask the mainland's naval task force for escorts against pirates, sources said here on Monday.

Taiwan ships could make the request through the Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) to the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), the sources said.

The ARATS would then send the request to the sea rescue center under the Ministry of Transport.

The ARATS said it had notified SEF of the situation.

The convoy, which includes two of the nation's most sophisticated naval destroyers, set sail last Friday for the Gulf of Aden, where pirates have become increasingly active.

The primary mission of the two destroyers, DDG-169 Wuhan and DDG-171 Haikou, and a supply vessel Weishanhu, is to join the multi-national efforts endorsed by four United Nations Security Council resolutions to patrol one of the world's busiest marine routes, where surging piracy endangers inter-continental shipping.

Official: Over 20,000 Macao residents register as voters

MACAO, Dec. 29 (Chinese media) -- As the new election laws took effect in October, over 20,000 Macao permanent residents who are eligible but have yet to register have completed their voter registrations so far, said Florinda da Rosa Silva Chan, secretary for administration and justice of the Special Administrative Region (SAR), on Monday.

The SAR's newly-enacted Voter Registration Law, Chief Executive Election Law and Legislative Assembly Election Law took effect on Oct. 15. Under the new laws, permanent residents aged at least 18 have the right to vote, irrespective of nationality or place of birth, and those aged at least 21 have the right to stand for election.

Chan said over 1,000 eligible residents registered as voters merely on Monday, and she also urged those residents who are eligible and yet to register to complete the registration at the end of this year, when the registration period ends.

The elections for the SAR's legislative assembly and the chief executive will took place next year.

Tolerance, ethics pondered as school delays hiring teacher who fled China quake

Special report:Reconstruction After Earthquake

BEIJING, Dec. 29 (Chinese media) -- Fan Meizhong paid once more for his argument that there was nothing wrong with his flight from a classroom in the Sichuan quake, as a Beijing school which had decided to hire him was forced to delay hiring him.

Keyfind Education School, a private training institution, announced Sunday it had decided to indefinitely postpone hiring Fan as a researcher and lecturer. The school had signed a two-year contract with Fan.

"The situation is indeed beyond our expectation," school spokesman Zhang Wenbin told Chinese media Monday. "We are forced to do this by the media."

Fan's resurfacing became a new subject of debate as many people held that he was no longer suitable to continue work in the educational sector and that the school had just used the teacher for publicity.

A former Chinese language teacher at a private high school in quake-hit Dujiangyan City, Sichuan Province, he was nicknamed "running Fan" by netizens after he left his students behind and escaped the classroom as the 8.0-magnitude quake struck.

None of Fan's students were hurt during the quake. But about ten days after the May 12 quake, Fan became a target as he explained in his online post that "only for the sake of his daughter can he consider sacrificing himself at the life and death moment."

Some appreciated his courage in speaking the truth while others accused him of being selfish and breaking the moral ethics of a teacher. He was later fired by the private high school.

"Fan, as a person, also needs to live," Zhang said. "We hope the media will be tolerant about Fan and give him some living space.

"Whether he was wrong or right in his quake behavior, we only want to make use of his talent," Zhang added.

However, an online survey on Monday on major web portal Sohu.com showed about 1,800 people among the 4,300 netizens supported Fan in continuing his educational career, while 2,400 others opposed.

"He can take to other jobs, but he is indeed no longer qualified to be a teacher," read a netizen's message.

In contrast, another netizen supported Fan: "A mature society should be a magnanimous one. An opportunity should be given to him as a mistake does not mean a life mistake."

Fan is now still in his Sichuan home. He still insisted Sunday he had done nothing wrong.

"The school's hiring of Fan should not be a target for criticism and Fan also has the right to work," said Zhao Shilin, a professor at Minzu University of China in Beijing.

"But man should have a base line of ethics," said Zhao. "Self-reflection is important for Fan to win the public's tolerance for him."

Over 370,000 visitors come to Macao in Christmas holidays

MACAO, Dec. 29 (Chinese media) -- A total of 378,521 tourists visited Macao during the four-day Christmas holiday, which was an increase of 8.1 percent over the same period of last year, according to the statistics released on Monday by the Public Security Police (PSP) of the Special Administrative Region (SAR).

The PSP figures showed that the number of border crossings in Macao's seven immigration checkpoints, comprising visitors and locals, amounted to 1.42 million, which was more than twice the local population that stood at over 550,000, the PSP said. The Christmas holiday in Macao lasted from Dec. 25 to 28.

The total number of arrivals stood at 719,282, with the Border Gate, the land port that connects the island city to the Chinese mainland, recording most of the arrivals at 508,048. Meanwhile, the number of departures during the period reached 698,900. 　

Three executives of China copper group sentenced on bribery charges

KUNMING, Dec. 29 (Chinese media) -- Three executives of the state-owned Yunnan Copper Group, China's third-largest copper producer, were sentenced in a bribery case on Monday, with one receiving the death penalty.

Yu Weiping, who was group vice board chairman and executive of various subsidiaries between 2000 and 2007, took bribes of about 4.26 million U.S. dollars and embezzled 41.25 million yuan (about 6 million U.S. dollars) in payment for goods, said the Intermediate People's Court of Kunming, southwestern Yunnan Province.

Yu also misappropriated 26.6 million yuan and lent the money to others, the court said. The money has been recovered.

The court imposed a death sentence on Yu after the first trial.

Yu's boss Zou Shaolu, formerly board chairman and general manager of the group, took 18 bribes amounting to more than 19 million yuan (including an attempted bribe of 8 million yuan) between 2003 and 2007.

The court jailed Zou for life but said he received leniency because he turned himself in, disgorged ill-gotten gains and confessed his crimes.

Wang Jianwei, the former general manager of a real estate company affiliated to the group, took bribes of 4.39 million yuan and 14,000 U.S. dollars between 2003 and 2007. He also embezzled 1billion yuan from a real estate project in 2005.

Wang was given 20 years in prison.

It was not known whether the three planned to appeal.

Yunnan Copper Group employs about 20,000 people. Sales reached 39.2 billion yuan last year.

4.9-magnitude earthquake jolts southwest China

Special report:Reconstruction After Earthquake

CHENGDU, Dec. 29 (Chinese media) -- An earthquake measuring

4.9 on the Richter scale jolted southwest China's Sichuan Province at 2:18 p.m.

Monday, according to the provincial earthquake administration.

The earthquake occurred in the bordering area between

Qingchuan County and Jiangyou City. It was clearly felt in the provincial

capital of Chengdu more than 200 km away.

There were not reports of casualties, but the quake caused power cut in a town in Qingchuan.

Chinese official sacked from post for irresponsible remark, lavish lifestyle

NANJING, Dec. 29 (Chinese media) -- A government official in east China's Jiangsu Province was fired for his irresponsible remark about the real estate market and his lavish lifestyle that had caused uproar among Internet users.

Zhou Jiugeng, 48, was the former director of the real estate management bureau in Jiangning District, in the provincial capital Nanjing. He was removed from the post on suspicion of embezzling public funds to pursue a luxurious personal lifestyle, said a source from the district people's congress.

Zhou has been under fire since he told the media on Dec. 10 that real estate developers should be punished for selling apartments below cost.

The remark sparked heated debate among the public as they had been complaining about soaring house prices.

Internet users uploaded pictures showing his luxurious lifestyle last week.

In those photos, Zhou wore a Vacheron Constantin watch, which costs at least 100,000 yuan (14,600 U.S. dollars) in China. There was also a pack of Nanjing 95 Imperial cigarettes sitting in frontof him. The cigarettes cost about 150 yuan per pack. Zhou was also found to be driving a Cadillac to work.

The district government said no real estate developer had been punished and the municipal commission for discipline inspection has been probing Zhou's alleged corruption.

Charity group donates 410 mln yuan for reconstruction in quake zone

Special report:Reconstruction After Earthquake

BEIJING, Dec. 29 (Chinese media) -- The China Charity Federation (CCF) on Monday donated 410 million yuan (59.87 million U.S. dollars) to quake-hit Sichuan Province for construction of housing projects, schools, hospitals and other reconstruction projects.

CCF President Fan Baojun said at a donation ceremony that the fund would be used to build residence for more than 8,000 quake-affected households, 28 schools, four hospitals, 28 welfare facilities, and a preservation facility for the ethnic Qiang culture.

The money will also help more than 1,000 villages and towns to build a network on sharing disaster relief information.

"To commemorate and show gratitude to donors, all the projects under donation will each have a board or a plate inscribing the donors' names and the amount of money donated," he said.

By last Thursday, the CCF, one of the largest nationwide charity organization in China, had received donations worth of over 1.08 billion yuan in both cash and goods for earthquake relief.

All the goods which worth of 156 million yuan had been forwarded to the worst-hit Sichuan Province, and nearly 180 million yuan were used to purchase relief supplies including movable houses, tents, quilts and food for quake-affected people in Sichuan.

After the 8-magnitude earthquake in China's southwest on May 12that killed about 69,000 people, Chinese and foreign donors contributed about 76.2 billion yuan for relief and rehabilitation, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Mainland panda pair regaining weight after first week in Taiwan

TAIPEI, Dec. 29 (Chinese media) -- The panda pair from the mainland are gradually

regaining the weight they lost in their first week in Taiwan, said the Taipei

zoo Monday.

"Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan (the pandas' names) are in a very good condition.

They are doing quite well to adapt to the new environment," said zoo spokesman

Jason S.C. Chin.

The panda pair lost some weight due to the adjustment of a new home and

diet, but the weight loss was within an "acceptable" range, he said.

Since their arrival on Tuesday, Tuan Tuan's weight dropped from112 kg to

108.4 kg, but now back to 110.2 kg. His mate Yuan Yuan lost 3.8 kg from 114 kg,

but has regained 1.2 kg now.

"At the beginning they refused Taiwan bamboo. Now they are getting used to

it. About 90 percent of the bamboo they eat is local," he said. "I think they

will have a completely local diet in next three to five days."

The panda pair are also developing a very good friendship with Taiwan

feeders. "They respond to the feeders when their names are called and follow

instructions when the feeders record their weight," he said.

The Taipei zoo has built a new house for the pandas. They are living in two

rooms, measuring 254 and 210 square meters respectively. The inside wall is

painted with pictures of snow-capped mountains, dense forest and rivers,

resembling the southwestern Sichuan Province of their origin.

They also have a 765-square-meter garden and playground enclosed by

4-cm-thick, noise-proof glass.

"Our next task is to well serve a large number of visitors when the pandas

meets the public," Chin said.

The zoo will improve security measures by stationing police at the panda

house and adding more security staff to maintain order, he added.

Pandas losing weight as they adjust to new home

BEIJING, Dec. 29 -- The giant pandas sent by the Chinese mainland to Taiwan have each lost nearly four kilograms since their arrival last Tuesday.

Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan, whose names said together mean "reunion" in Chinese, are taking their time in adjusting to their new home and the food prepared by the Taipei Zoo, Yangcheng Evening News reported yesterday.

They only ate a total of 15.56 kilograms on Saturday. Their average daily consumption was nearly 40kg when they were in their homeland in Sichuan Province, the newspaper said.

The weight of the male bear, Tuan Tuan, dropped to 108.4kg from his previous 112 while Yuan Yuan weighed in at 110.2kg, down from 114, the report said.

The pair, both four years old, are expected to adjust to their new environment in two weeks at most, a zoo spokesman told the newspaper.

The pair are now tasting some bits of Taiwan-grown bamboo, an encouraging sign given that they wouldn't even touch it when they first arrived, he said.

The zoo stopped feeding Sichuan bamboo to the bears on Saturday and gave them various kinds grown in different parts of Taiwan, hoping to find their favorite.

The zoo has spent NT$300 million (9.24 million U.S. dollars) on the panda enclosure and a four-story panda theme exhibition next door, and plans to spend about NT$10 million a year on the animals' upkeep. The pair will be attended by some 35 zoo staff, as well as a number of volunteers.

To keep the pandas calm while giving as many people as possible a chance to see them, the zoo will ask visitors to pause by the cage for no more than a few seconds and not to use cameras with flash.

Zookeepers traveled to the Wolong panda breeding base in Sichuan to learn how to make the bread which is a staple for one of the world's most endangered mammals.

About 20 experts and two keepers went to Taipei with the pandas, bringing a week's worth of food, including more than 400kg of bamboo.

The pandas are expected to be introduced to the public during the Spring Festival in January, depending on how they adapt to their new home.

(Source: Shanghai Daily)

China proposes measures for strengthening energy cooperation with Indonesia

JARKATA, Dec. 22 (Chinese media) -- Visiting Chinese Vice-Premier Li Keqiang proposed a package of measures aimed at boosting energy cooperation with Indonesia in an address to the 3rd China-Indonesia energy forum here on Monday.

　　STRENGTHENING STRATEGIC DIALOGUE

China and Indonesia should treat and strive to deepen their energy cooperation from a strategic height with a view to promoting the two countries' common and long-term development and maintaining regional and global development in line with the principles of mutual trust, mutual support, reciprocity and mutual benefit, Li said.

He called for closer consultations between relevant government departments of the two countries and said that China is ready to conduct joint research and dialogue with Indonesia on their energy strategies, make efforts to coordinate their energy policies and improve energy cooperation mechanisms so as to create a better environment for further developing bilateral energy cooperation.

　　EXPANDING INVESTMENT AND TRADE

Deepening bilateral cooperation on energy investment is an effective way to promote the combination of investment and trade and that of production and marketing, and therefore can yield more tangible results, Li said.

The Chinese government encourages capable Chinese enterprises to invest in energy projects in Indonesia, supports their efforts to create new forms of cooperation, encourages conclusion of long-term supply contacts and backs efforts to expand energy trade, he said, adding that China is ready to offer some preferential terms where necessary.

China also welcomes Indonesian energy companies to China to carry out business operations, Li said.

　　EXPANDING THE SCOPE OF COOPERATION

China and Indonesia, while continuing to strengthen their existing cooperation, should also explore new areas of cooperation, Li said, adding that the two sides should expand cooperation in exploration and development of resources, including better exploitation of renewable energies such as wind, biomass energy and promoting clean utilization of energies, Li said.

The two sides should step up technical exchanges and training in the field, he said.

The two sides could also join hands in exploring energy in third countries and jointly tap oil and gas in the South China Sea, he said.

Problems concerning energy security are global ones which can not be solved by any one country alone without international cooperation, Li said.

The international community should strengthen coordination and continue to adopt practical measures to stabilize financial markets, maintain economic growth and promote healthy development of energy markets, he said.

In this regard, dialogue and cooperation on energy should be deepened, he said.

Developed countries should increase their technical support and financial aid to developing nations and should honor their commitments to reduce their greenhouse emissions in accordance with the Kyoto Protocol and the "Bali Roadmap," Li said.

China, as a responsible developing nation, is ready to make further efforts to strengthen international energy cooperation and maintain international energy security and stability, Li added.

Chinese engineer wounded in firing in northwestern Pakistan

Soldiers guard outside the emergency room where the injured Chinese engineer is getting medical treatment in Islamabad, capital of Pakistan, Dec. 24, 2008. A Chinese engineer was attacked on Wednesday in Malakand, southwest of Pakistan, by unknown militants and got badly injured. (Chinese media Photo)
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ISLAMABAD, Dec. 24 (Chinese media) -- A Chinese engineer was

wounded in an attack by unidentified gunmen in northwestern Pakistan on

Wednesday morning, said a company representative.

The Chinese engineer, surnamed Yang, came under

attack in Malakand area of North West Frontier Province (NWFP), said Hu Yimin,

chief representative of China's Harbin Power Engineering Company.

Soldiers guard outside the emergency room where the injured Chinese engineer is getting medical treatment in Islamabad, capital of Pakistan, Dec. 24, 2008. A Chinese engineer was attacked on Wednesday in Malakand, southwest of Pakistan, by unknown militants and got badly injured. (Chinese media Photo)
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Several unidentified gunmen opened fire on Yang when

he was on his way back from a bazaar together with a driver and a guard, Hu

said.

Hu said Yang, working on a hydro-electric project in

Malakand area, is now in hospital for treatment.

No group claimed responsibility for the

attack.