News » China » China's top legislator kicks off visit to Luxembourg

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• China's top legislator kicks off visit to Luxembourg
• Defense Ministry cancels Japan trip
• Defense Ministry cancels Japan trip
• Free admission draws visitors to museums
• Approval of infrastructure projects to accelerate
• 'Good prospects' for China-Japan ties
• Official pledges to lift 5 million out of poverty
• China opposes Philippines' attempt to draw third party
• Consular aid contributes to fishermen's release
• Instant noodles for a better life
• Forest fire raging in NE China
• Bizarre twists of school punishment photo
• China given access to buy US debt from Treasury
• Beijing to provide online booking for parking
• Bizarre twists of school punishment photo
• House collapse kills 3 in S China
• Seven trapped in SW China mine accident
• Beijingers could drink seawater within 3 years
• Russian cellist sacked for abusing woman
• Russian cellist fired for insulting train passenger

China's top legislator kicks off visit to Luxembourg Posted: 22 May 2012 06:50 AM PDT China's top legislator Wu Bangguo arrived here Tuesday, starting an official goodwill visit to Luxenbourg as the two countries mark the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties.

Defense Ministry cancels Japan trip Posted: 22 May 2012 05:59 AM PDT The Defense Ministry on May 22 confirmed a trip to Japan by Guo Boxiong, the vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, was canceled because of "work arrangements".

Defense Ministry cancels Japan trip Posted: 22 May 2012 06:00 AM PDT Updated: 2012-05-22 20:18 By Wang Chenyan ( chinadaily.com.cn) The Defense Ministry on May 22 confirmed a trip to Japan by Guo Boxiong, the vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, was canceled because of "work arrangements". The Information Office of the National Defense Ministry told China Daily that China attaches great importance to its friendship and cooperation with Japan, and Beijing has had working-level discussions with Japan about Guo's visit. Guo's trip was originally planned to start on May 24 and would have also included a meeting with Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and visits to the base of Japan's Self-defense Forces. Japan's Kyodo News agency on May 19 cited a diplomatic source saying the issue of the Diaoyu Islands and the meeting of the World Uyghur Youth Congress held in Japan were reasons for the postponement.

Free admission draws visitors to museums Posted: 22 May 2012 06:00 AM PDT Updated: 2012-05-22 20:17 By Liu Xiangrui ( chinadaily.com.cn) Chinese museums have attracted more visitors since they began to offer free admission in 2008. "Museums are shifting to serving the people best and want to play a role in the public's cultural life," said Li Xiaojie, director of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage. About 1,800 public museums and memorial halls supervised by the Ministry of Culture have free admission. The central government has spent more than 8 billion yuan ($1.26 billion) to finance the practice, Li said at a seminar in Nanning, the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, which brought together dozens of museum managers. Ten museums were recognized at the seminar for providing good services to visitors. China has more than 3,500 museums, and each year about 100 new museums are established in the country, according to the administration. Since free access was initiated, visitor numbers have increased from 742,000 a year to 1.2 million a year, on average, for each of the major museums, Li said.

Approval of infrastructure projects to accelerate Posted: 22 May 2012 06:00 AM PDT Updated: 2012-05-22 20:17 By Zheng Yangpeng ( chinadaily.com.cn) China is speeding up the approval of major infrastructure projects in a major effort to offset its economic slowdown. Citing an anonymous source, the China Securities Journal reported on Monday that the authorities have called for all investment plans for this year to be submitted before the end of next month. And budget funds related to these projects are expected to be in place earlier than planned. Analysts said they are signs that the central government is resorting to proactive fiscal measure to counter the negative impact of the slowdown in new projects and property development. China's Producer Price Index fell 0.7 percent in April from a year earlier, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, indicating slowing industrial activity. Zhang Hanya, director of the Investment Research Institution with the National Development and Reform Commission, said compared to the past two years, the delivery of central government funding has significantly improved. Some projects approved by the NDRC, construction of which was scheduled to start in the second half of this year, have been brought forward to the first half of this year, he said. Zhang said it is necessary to loosen the monetary policy as the current tight policy has strained local governments' ability to launch new investment.

'Good prospects' for China-Japan ties Posted: 22 May 2012 06:00 AM PDT Updated: 2012-05-22 20:15 By Cui Haipei ( chinadaily.com.cn) Overall relations between China and Japan will advance despite some problems, said a leading member of Japan's ruling Democratic Party. "There are only a few Japanese" who don't want to see friendship between the two neighbors, said Satsuki Eda, a member of Diet, Japan's legislature. "The general public supports improved relations between Japan and China, therefore I am confident about the prospects for the development of bilateral relations," Eda said. Last month, Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara said that his prefecture was negotiating with the "owner" of the Diaoyu Islands in the hope of "buying them by the end of this year". Media reports said his emotional remarks and moves have overshadowed bilateral ties. "This is a very unwise move, and does not represent the position of the Japanese government. I think he (Ishihara) simply intended to make a sensational impact by doing that, which does not benefit the final settlement of the issue," Eda said. Regarding complicated issues between Japan and China that cannot be solved in the short term, Eda said the best way is to shelve them, because any dispute that keeps simmering would probably hamper bilateral ties. "Currently, the most important task for the two countries is to build a new strategic relationship, and quarrels are not conducive to resolving any problems," he said. Eda is on his four-day visit to China for the 2012 Understanding and Cooperation Dialogue held by the China Association for International Understanding.

Official pledges to lift 5 million out of poverty Posted: 22 May 2012 06:00 AM PDT Updated: 2012-05-22 20:15 By He Dan ( chinadaily.com.cn) A senior official in Southwest China's Guizhou province pledged on May 22 to lift 5 million people out of poverty by the end of 2015. Lu Zhiming, the deputy governor, announced the ambitious plan in Beijing during a ceremony when he signed a cooperation contract with the director of the State Council's Poverty Alleviation Leading Group Office, Fan Xiaojian. Fan promised to offer more financial support and favorable policies to Guizhou. There are 11.49 million people living with an annual income of less than 2,300 yuan ($360) in the province, accounting for 9.4 percent of the nation's total population under the poverty line, Lu said. He also stressed that the provincial government will prioritize improving public services and creating more jobs as its poverty reduction strategy.

China opposes Philippines' attempt to draw third party Posted: 22 May 2012 03:57 AM PDT China on Tuesday voiced "firm opposition" to the Philippines' decision to draw a third party into the incident over Huangyan Island.

Consular aid contributes to fishermen's release Posted: 22 May 2012 02:27 AM PDT China's consular assistance contributed to the release of Chinese fishermen and their vessels detained by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), according to the Foreign Ministry's spokesman.

Instant noodles for a better life Posted: 22 May 2012 02:27 AM PDT After a series of events including forums and interviews with Koki Ando and Wei Ing-Chou, the instant noodles summit came to a close on May 20, 2012.

Forest fire raging in NE China Posted: 22 May 2012 02:00 AM PDT A forest fire broke out at 9:35 a.m. in northeast China's Heilongjiang province Tuesday, local authorities said.

Bizarre twists of school punishment photo Posted: 21 May 2012 11:57 PM PDT An image of a group of school children being forced to kneel before a national flag as a form of punishment has sparked a wave of interest online and forced a bizarre flurry of differing explanations of the incident, cntv.cn reports.

China given access to buy US debt from Treasury Posted: 21 May 2012 11:53 PM PDT China can now bypass Wall Street when buying U.S. government debt and go straight to the U.S. Treasury, Reuters reported Monday, according to documents that it viewed.

Beijing to provide online booking for parking Posted: 21 May 2012 11:25 PM PDT More than 50,000 lay-by parking spaces will be put into service in Beijing this year, and residents can book these parking spaces online, according to the transport operation control center (TOCC) of Beijing.

Bizarre twists of school punishment photo Posted: 21 May 2012 11:29 PM PDT Updated: 2012-05-22 13:47 ( chinadaily.com.cn) An online photo shows students kneeling in front of a national flag. [Internet photo] An image of a group of school children being forced to kneel before a national flag as a form of punishment has sparked a wave of interest online and forced a bizarre flurry of differing explanations of the incident, cntv.cn reports. Micro blogger Qinyashen posted the photo online on May 20 displaying the forced punishment at Gongyi No 4 Middle School in Henan province. The post prompted the school to issue three different explanations within one day. First, an officer with the school told local media the incident was fabricated and the photo was manipulated in Photoshop on May 21. He Xianwei, a director with the school then told CNTV the children were actually cleaning floors. Gongyi municipal press department then offered a third explanation saying that more than 20 students forgot to bring earphones when joining a listening test and they were told to do push-ups on the playground before resuming the test. Zhao Qiuzhen, the school master then defended the previous two explanations saying they were given by teachers who were not familiar with the incident and the third one was given after investigation.

House collapse kills 3 in S China Posted: 21 May 2012 11:29 PM PDT Updated: 2012-05-22 13:16 ( Xinhua) GUIYANG - Three people died in a house collapse that occurred in Southwest China's Guizhou province Tuesday morning, local authorities said. The house collapsed at 2:30 am in Chengguan township, located in Qianxi county in the city of Bijie, trapping dozens of people in the rubble of the home. Rescuers managed to pull 11 people out of the debris, three of whom died from their injuries while being treated at a local hospital, according to the local civil affairs department. Rescue operations are still under way and the cause of the accident is under investigation.

Seven trapped in SW China mine accident Posted: 21 May 2012 11:29 PM PDT Updated: 2012-05-22 13:10 ( Xinhua) KUNMING - Seven people remain trapped underground following a coal mine accident in Southwest China's Yunnan province, local authorities said Tuesday. A total of 10 people, including the coal mine's manager, a safety inspector and eight workers, became trapped after a coal mine shaft caved in Monday afternoon at a coal mine in Luxi County, a government spokesman said. Three people were rescued as of 9 am Tuesday, the spokesman said. The 10 people were inspecting the mine's ventilation facilities when the accident occurred, he said. The mine is owned by Yunnan Dongyuan Luxi Coal Mine Industry Co, Ltd., he said. Rescuers are struggling to reach the trapped people, he said.

Beijingers could drink seawater within 3 years Posted: 21 May 2012 11:29 PM PDT Updated: 2012-05-22 13:05 ( chinadaily.com.cn) The shortage of drinking water has long been a threat to the development and future of country's capital, but a recent report suggests turning seawater into fresh water could turn the tide to an old problem in Beijing. The cost of desalinating sea water - to make it safe to drink - is expensive, Guangzhou Daily reported Tuesday, and along with the construction of the required pipeline the investment would equate to a minimum price of seven to eight yuan, roughly one US dollar, per ton. Ruan Guoling, an expert of the National Bureau of Oceanography, suggests the government should give price subsidies to introduce desalinated water to residents in Beijing. He said desalinated water tastes no different to normal purified water. A desalination seawater plant was put into operation in the seaside city of Tangshan, about 260 km southeast of Beijing. Others exist elsewhere in the world. The plant is able to put out 50,000 tons of desalinated seawater each day, but a plant this size could not meet the need for drinking water in Beijing. "It takes three to four such water projects to form a desalinated seawater supply network," Ruan said, "Beijingers may have to wait two or three years to get access to it." An unnamed official from the National Development and Reform Commission told the paper the outcome of the research still cannot be directly transformed to industrial output in China now. It still needs time to study the research-output process.

Russian cellist sacked for abusing woman Posted: 21 May 2012 11:29 PM PDT Updated: 2012-05-22 11:44 By Tang Shi ( chinadaily.com.cn) Beijing Symphony Orchestra on Tuesday announced it had sacked Oleg Vedernikov, the Russian cellist who was this month filmed verbally abusing a woman on a Chinese high-speed train. The musician had damaged the reputation of the company so the decision was made to terminate his contract in line with orchestra regulations, read a statement on its website. Tan Lihua, head of the orchestra, said in the statement that musicians, including foreign performers, should observe the laws and moral standards of the nation and the regulations of the orchestra. They should behave with courtesy, keep the "artist style" and maintain the orchestra's honor and fame, he said. He said the orchestra will strive to ensure such incidents do not happen again. In footage posted online, Vedernikov was seen getting involved in an argument with a woman on a train heading from Shenyang, Liaoning province, to Beijing. The four-minute video shows the Russian with his feet on the back of the chair in front of him touching the head of the woman sitting in front and ignoring the woman's request to put his feet down, responding with a string of Chinese curse words. The video was posted on Sina Weibo, the popular micro-blogging website, on May 15 and sparked outrage among Web users. Vedernikov apologized to the public through a video clip on May 17, the same day the orchestra announced he had been suspended pending an investigation. Related Stories Famous cellist fired for symphony of abuse 2012-05-22 10:57 Russian cellist under fire for insulting passenger 2012-05-18 22:37

Russian cellist fired for insulting train passenger Posted: 21 May 2012 10:43 PM PDT A Russian cellist has been fired by the Beijing Symphony Orchestra after verbally harassing a female passenger on a high-speed train last week.