Videos » China » China welcomes appointment of Philippine ambassador

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• China welcomes appointment of Philippine ambassador
• China urges investigation on Syrian massacre
• Walk again: Technology to help stroke survivors
• UN Security Council condemns Syria massacre
• China's skyscraper boom
• Stray dog 'Xiaosa' winds her way up to Lhasa
• Magnitude 4.8 quake hits Tangshan city
• Crackdown on illegal immigrants runs until end of August in Beijing
• New draft regulation drawn up to protect workers from heat
• Chemical factory explosion in east China under control
• Man arrested for killing 11 in SW China
• China's top legislator meets with Spanish regional leader

China welcomes appointment of Philippine ambassador Posted: 28 May 2012 05:40 AM PDT China has welcomed the appointment of a Philippine Ambassador to China. Chinese Foreign Ministry says it will help strengthen communications between both sides through diplomatic channels.

China urges investigation on Syrian massacre Posted: 28 May 2012 05:28 AM PDT China has condemned the killing in Syria. The Foreign Ministry's spokesman said in a regular press conference, that the country demanded an investigation and called on relevant parties in Syria to implement the ceasefire agreement.

Walk again: Technology to help stroke survivors Posted: 28 May 2012 03:00 AM PDT Scientists in the UK and Germany say they have developed new treatments for millions around the world, living with the debilitating effects of a stroke.

UN Security Council condemns Syria massacre Posted: 27 May 2012 07:44 PM PDT 视频播放位置 下载安装Flash播放器   The UN Security Council has condemned in strongest terms the massacre in Syria, and said those responsible should be held accountable. The condemnation came in a press statement issued by the 15-nation council at the end of an emergency meeting. The statement condemned the killing of civilians by shooting at close range and by severe physical abuse. The council blames the Syrian government forces for the shelling. But Russian Deputy UN Ambassador Alexander Pankin says Moscow is sceptical about that claim as it appears most of the victims were killed with knives or shot at point-blank range. Meanwhile, Bashar Ja'afari, the Syrian permanent representative to the UN, called the massacre "appalling and unjustifiable." He said that those responsible for the crime will be brought to justice by the Syrian government according to the Syrian law.

China's skyscraper boom Posted: 27 May 2012 08:12 PM PDT 视频播放位置 下载安装Flash播放器   With countless new, modern skyscrapers popping up all over the country, China is becoming the place where wild architectural dreams come true. But is China's architecture industry going in the right direction? In this edition of "Designing the Future" series, our reporter Li Qiuyuan digs deeper to find out what the real costs behind the skyscraper building boom are. Nothing can stop China's skyscrapers from getting higher. As the iconic Shanghai Tower is being constructed in the city's Manhattan-like district of Pudong, Shanghai is having another "race to the sky". Li Qiuyuan, Shanghai, said, "China's construction boom is continuing. The country now accounts for 53% of the world's skyscrapers that are under construction. These super high rise buildings are not only increasing in numbers, their height is also constantly breaking records." As the iconic Shanghai Tower is being constructed in the city's Manhattan-like district of Pudong, Shanghai is having another "race to the sky." But is height a barometer of boom? Skyscrapers might be a symbol of prosperity and modernization for some, but for economists, the high-rise building boom carries exactly the opposite message. Economist Andrew Lawrence's Skyscraper Index has shown that the world's tallest buildings have risen on the eve of economic downturns. If so, will China fulfill this prophecy once again? Gu Jianping, Director of Shanghai Tower Construction Co.,said, "Timing is everything. You have probably heard of the 'Lawrence curse'. It says skyscrapers could destabilize the economy. But when we chose to start the Shanghai Tower project, it was in 2008 when the global economic crisis struck. We started on the rock bottom of the business cycle. It takes times for the economy to recover. And, because building the Shanghai Tower will take 6 years, there's reason to believe when the project is completed, the economy will get better. And what's more, the timing has helped us reduce construction costs dramatically." While the director keeps an optimistic outlook, the land-saving skyscrapers have also long been criticized for harming the environment, especially the building process. Li Qiuyuan, Shanghai, said, "Behind me is the construction site of the Shanghai Tower. Upon its completion in 2014, it'll be the tallest building in China, and the 2nd tallest in the world." The ambitious project embraces some green technology, aiming to bring a sustainable spirit to the country's construction industry. The tower's unique spiral form design and its "intelligent skin" will help the site overcome a number of major challenges. Gao Zhenfeng, Chief Engineer of Shanghai Center Building Project, said, "We want to reduce the impact on surrounding areas as much as possible. The spiral form reduces wind loads and captures rainwater, which is then used in the building's air conditioning and central heating. The building's facade is completely transparent and bio-climatic. It consists of a double skin glass form, with the space between the internal and external walls creating additional insulation and solar gain control." While the construction sector gets greener, China's skyscrapers are also more multi-functional than American ones. Instead of creating a single office building, Chinese high-rises like this Jinmao Tower have shopping malls on the lower floors, office rooms in the middle section and luxury hotel rooms at the top. It's not just the building of such a complex that is expensive, the maintainance is also money-consuming. But the designer of the tower says developers and city planners are not worried about getting money back. Zhang Jiezheng, Chief Architect of Shang Hai Inst. Architectural Design, said, "They believe the high land prices will generate high returns, because the height is a major attraction. The demand for space in Shanghai is big, and foreign companies are especially eager to move into such skyscrapers as the Chinese economy keeps expanding. You see, people have a natural tendency to want to be higher for better sights." And while the debate on the pros and cons of skyscrapers continues to carry on, we can only hope the good wishes for these high-rises do not turn into a manic obsession that will exhaust economic growth.

Stray dog 'Xiaosa' winds her way up to Lhasa Posted: 27 May 2012 07:30 PM PDT 视频播放位置 下载安装Flash播放器 A stray dog nicknamed "Xiaosa" has been following a team of cyclists for 20 days along Sichuan-Tibet Highway. The cyclists said she has given them encouragement all the way to Tibet, and are planning to bring her to their hometown in Central China's Hubei Province. It's more than 1,800 kilometers from Sichuan to Tibet. Xiaosa and her new masters made their way all by themselves. During the 20-day trip, Xiaosa ran 50 to 60 kilometers every day and never fell behind. Xiao Yong, a cyclist, said, "At present it runs 60 km by the farthest, just uphill." On May 4th, Xiao Yong with his cyclist friends came across the stray dog basking in the sun. They threw her a drumstick. To their surprise, the homeless dog latched on to them and would not let go. Xiao Yong, a cyclist, said, "At first we didn't consider keeping her and thought she just wanted to follow us for a while. But she showed a very strong willpower and followed us all the way here." Throughout the journey, the dog climbed over 12 mountains higher than 4,000 meters and experienced a variety of inclement weather. A stray dog nicknamed "Xiaosa" has been following a team of cyclists for 20 days along Sichuan-Tibet Highway.  There were about 300 cyclists on the highway, but most of them could not complete the trip. Many of them hitchhiked or took buses along the way. Only Xiaosa and another three cyclists made it. Lu Bo, a cyclist, said, "The dog was very important to us. She brought us a lot of fun and also gave us a lot of encouragement. For example, when some of us fell behind, it would run down the mountain and bark encouragement to follow. It really gave us great strength." Xiao Yong decided to pick the dog up. He started a blog to broadcast Xiaosa's journey, drawing about 40,000 fans.

Magnitude 4.8 quake hits Tangshan city Posted: 28 May 2012 12:04 AM PDT An earthqauke with a preliminary magnitude of 4.8 has struck Luanxian county in TangShan city of north China's Hebei Province.

Crackdown on illegal immigrants runs until end of August in Beijing Posted: 27 May 2012 11:49 PM PDT Beijing is considering a new policy to allow 72-hour non-visa entry. The proposed visa waiver comes almost two weeks after the city launched a 100-day crackdown on illegal immigrants.

New draft regulation drawn up to protect workers from heat Posted: 27 May 2012 11:09 PM PDT Chinese workers will have a shorter workday if the temperature hits 37 degrees Celsius. That's according to a new draft regulation that's been drawn up by China's health ministry, human resources and social security ministry and the country's top trade unions.

Chemical factory explosion in east China under control Posted: 27 May 2012 06:58 PM PDT A chemical container of a factory in Bengbu, east China's Anhui province exploded and caused fire late Sunday night. By 3 o'clock early Monday, the fire is under control.

Man arrested for killing 11 in SW China Posted: 27 May 2012 05:35 PM PDT Police in southwest China's Yunnan province say a man has been arrested for allegedly killing 11 men in the province.

China's top legislator meets with Spanish regional leader Posted: 27 May 2012 04:26 PM PDT China's top legislator Wu Bangguo has met with Andalusian regional president Antonio Grinan in Spain.

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