Lawmakers support setting up independent IPR courts

Lawmakers support setting up independent IPR courts
China says Egypt's new constitution a "major step"
Aquarium explosion caused by drop in temperature
Former transport official gets life for taking bribes
Suntech debt pressure mounts
17 countries named as trade risks
Beijing plans to carry out more afforestation in 2013
Guangxi Zhuang county named 'Home of Chinese Yews'
Legislators support setting up independent IPR courts
Chief Justice demands independent trials
China Exclusive: Coal ash consumption offers environmental benefits
China hopes Russia-India ties conducive to Asian stability
Component failure blamed for fatal iron spill in Shanghai
China seeks more non-governmental support to help needy
Women, children's health rights well protected in China: white paper
Taiwan should amend discriminatory regulations: mainland spokeswoman
Commentary: World expects new starting point on China-Japan ties
China has 260 mln chronic disease patients: white paper
TCM available in more than 160 countries, regions: white paper
Web China: China's comedy box-office hit stirs debate

Lawmakers support setting up independent IPR courts

Posted: 26 Dec 2012 08:00 AM PST

Chinese legislators on Wednesday voiced overwhelming support to a separate court system dedicated to cases involving intellectual property rights (IPR).

China says Egypt's new constitution a "major step"

Posted: 26 Dec 2012 03:49 AM PST

China is positive about the approval of Egypt's new constitution and wishes the country a smooth political transition, a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

Aquarium explosion caused by drop in temperature

Posted: 26 Dec 2012 04:57 AM PST

An explosion at the Orient Shopping Center's aquarium on Dec 18 that injured 16 people was caused by a sudden drop in temperature, the Shanghai Administration of Work Safety said on Wednesday.

The blast at the aquarium in downtown Shanghai's East Nanjing Pedestrian Road left one person with a fractured leg.

The upper part of the aquarium, which faces the road and holds no water, can rupture in low temperatures, experts said. Ultraviolet rays and alternating temperatures have also damaged of the aquarium.

Regulations from Shanghai Municipal People's Government on the investigation and control of hidden dangers in production safety accidents will take effect on Jan 1. The regulations urge producers to establish their own rules on production safety.

Shanghai Municipal People's Government has investigated 137,472 enterprises this year, revealing 153,063 hidden dangers. Of those, 150,710 hidden dangers have been corrected. In 2011, the local government inspected 332,861 enterprises, finding 318,646 hidden dangers and correcting 309,683.

The local government has inspected about 1.03 million enterprises in the last six years, handling 1.28 million hidden safety production dangers. The government has also invested more than 3 billion yuan ($480 million) to promote production safety in all industries and areas.

Former transport official gets life for taking bribes

Posted: 26 Dec 2012 04:57 AM PST

The former head of the transportation bureau in Lanzhou, Gansu province, was sentenced to life imprisonment for taking more than 10 million yuan ($1.6 million) of bribes, Xinhua News Agency reported on Wednesday.

The Lanzhou Intermediate People's Court handed down the ruling of first instance on Tuesday. According to the report, Yan Chenglu launched a taxi company in 2009 and controlled a 51 percent stake in the firm when he was still in office. He quit the company in 2011 and received 7.2 million yuan, part of which he lent to a real estate company for high interest. The money he received by abusing his power amounted to 10.34 million yuan.

Yan said on Tuesday he would appeal the ruling.

Suntech debt pressure mounts

Posted: 26 Dec 2012 04:57 AM PST

Shi Zhengrong, chairman and chief executive officer of Suntech Power Holdings Co Ltd, the world's largest solar panel maker by production capacity, is facing the dilemma of either having to quit the company he founded, or pay $575 million in convertible loans before they become due next March.

In 2008, Shi was named as the wealthiest man in China with a personal net worth of $2.9 billion, according to Forbes Magazine.

But the Wuxi-based company was hit hard by the shrinking demand for solar panels overseas, and turned to commercial banks for help to deal with the maturing debt.

The $575 million convertible debt due in March next year is Suntech's biggest financial pressure, but analysts say there is no way the company can pay the loans under its current capital constraints.

Commercial lenders have asked Suntech to either raise its borrowings, or use Shi's personal assets as collateral, said Feng Jie, head of a State-owned commercial bank in Jiangsu province, quoted on 163.com.

According to Suntech's 2011 annual report, Shi owns a 30.2 percent stake in the company, and his family trust holds another 29.4 percent.

As the deadline is approaching, more and more lenders are pushing Shi to reduce his holdings in Suntech.

Apart from the $575 million debt due in March, the solar panel maker is burdened with a further 200 million yuan ($32 million) in overdue loans, and there will be another 1.4 billion yuan in debts needing paid within the next six months, according to 163.com.

17 countries named as trade risks

Posted: 26 Dec 2012 04:57 AM PST

Chinese exporters are facing growing trading risks in 17 countries as the sovereign debt crisis in the EU deepens and the global economy slows down, the country's only export credit insurer said on Wednesday.

According to the China Export & Credit Insurance Corp, Sinosure, these 17 countries are mainly in Western Europe, Latin America and Asia.

Sinosure's risk-analysis report looked at 192 countries, excluding China. Of those, 17 countries, or 8.9 percent, were downgraded because of growing trading risks, while 45 countries, or 23.4 percent, were upgraded.

It was the company's eighth risk report, aimed at helping Chinese companies to better minimize the risks of doing business overseas.

Beijing plans to carry out more afforestation in 2013

Posted: 26 Dec 2012 04:57 AM PST

The capital plans to cover more of the outskirts of Beijing with greenery in 2013, to form a stronger barricade against pollution.

The Beijing Landscape and Forestry Bureau said the city plans to turn another 23,300 hectares of barren and uncultivated land into green fields in the coming year. The city has converted 16,667 hectares for its green- belt program so far this year, finishing ahead of schedule.

The city also plans to convert a total of 66,670 hectares of wasteland into green belt by the end of 2016.

"The project, once implemented, will greatly reduce the concentration of PM 2.5, or particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrograms, in the capital's air and make the city a more pleasant place to live," said Xia Zhanyi, deputy mayor of the capital, during the plenary session of the capital's afforestation project on Wednesday.

The city also vows to further cover a total of 50,000 hectares of barren fields with greenbelts in the long run.

The capital plans to accomplish more than 90 percent of the 2013 afforestation project by the end of March.

The forest coverage on the plain area will be raised to 10.32 percent and reach more than 25 percent by the end of 2016, said Cai Baojun, inspector of the Beijing Landscape and Forestry Bureau.

More than 1.1 million yuan ($176,330) will be invested in the 2013 afforestation project and the criteria for investment also differs based on different kinds of land, including waste sand pits, returned land for construction purposes, wetland and others, said the bureau.

According to Shi Guisheng, deputy director of the bureau, private capital is welcome to fund the afforestation project, to ease the government's capital pressure.

Shi said the government would make every effort to strengthen the audit and supervision of the funds.

He also emphasized the importance of protecting the legitimate rights and interests of farmers' land, and conducting the afforestation work based on the free will of the farmers when it comes to demolition and evacuation.

"We should attach more importance to the meditation of disputes during the project," he said. "And it's also necessary to employ the farmers for green jobs, including pruning, pest control and forest resources and management tending.

According to Cai, the afforestation project in the city has learned some lessons from past experiences.

"Some greening projects in the past have seen poor supervision and monitoring, as well as unqualified technical measures and unclear duties," he said.

Cai said the capital has learned about forest maintenance and market management from other cities, including Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hangzhou.

According to the bureau, the area of selective examination after the trees are planted should be more than half of the total area, and the survival rate of the forests should also be more than 90 percent.

In addition, new technologies and material will be applied during the project to save water and help fight drought, and further ensure the engineering quality, he said.

The abundant varieties of trees and healthy forest ecosystems will greatly improve the city's ecological capacity and development sustainability, said Shi.

The 14 districts and counties will greatly benefit from the project in the long run, he said.

Guangxi Zhuang county named 'Home of Chinese Yews'

Posted: 26 Dec 2012 04:57 AM PST

A county in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region on Wednesday was named "Home of Chinese Yews" for protecting the largest number of the endangered wild plants.

Guanyang county was honored by the China Wild Plant Conservation Association in Beijing.

Under national protection measures, the Chinese yew, which has existed for two and a half million years, is an endangered plant.

Guanyang county, 159 km east of Nanning, the regional capital, has more than 120,000 Chinese yews, the largest number nationwide.

Yu Guilan, deputy governor of the county, said the local government has shifted its focus from an industrial economy to a green economy.

"Protection measures include a GPS labeling system on each plant, and setting up protection zones. By doing this, we can ensure the safety of each protected plant to prevent illegal logging and selling," Yu said.

Legislators support setting up independent IPR courts

Posted: 26 Dec 2012 04:33 AM PST

Chinese legislators on Wednesday voiced overwhelming support to a separate court system dedicated to cases involving intellectual property rights (IPR).

Chief Justice demands independent trials

Posted: 26 Dec 2012 04:36 AM PST

China's Chief Justice Wang Shengjun has pledged to find a solution and put an end to external meddling in court trials and ensure judicial independence.

China Exclusive: Coal ash consumption offers environmental benefits

Posted: 26 Dec 2012 01:54 AM PST

Recycling coal ash into environmentally-friendly building materials is one way China's largest coal-producing province of Shanxi is trying to cope with the 120 million tonnes of toxic dump.??

China hopes Russia-India ties conducive to Asian stability

Posted: 26 Dec 2012 01:54 AM PST

A spokeswoman for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed hope that the development of relations between Russia and India is conducive to the peace and stability of Asia and the world.

Component failure blamed for fatal iron spill in Shanghai

Posted: 26 Dec 2012 03:20 AM PST

A malfunctioning part was confirmed to have caused a molten iron spill accident that occurred in a Baosteel workshop in Shanghai last week, killing two and injuring 13, authorities said Wednesday.

China seeks more non-governmental support to help needy

Posted: 26 Dec 2012 01:42 AM PST

China's Ministry of Civil Affairs is looking for more non-governmental support to aid the homeless and beggars, as it looks to adopt a more pro-active and efficient approach to help the needy.

Women, children's health rights well protected in China: white paper