News » China » Chinese courts handle over 56m cases in 5 years

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• Chinese courts handle over 56m cases in 5 years
• Officer loses life in resue attempt
• Activities honor Lei Feng spirit
• Abducted boy reunited with family
• Actress' death at 27 raises cancer concerns
• Police search for 2-month-old baby left in stolen car
• Xinhua Insight: Man behind completion of China's law system to hand over duties
• China pledges to fight against ivory trade
• China extends more loans to support agriculture
• People's Daily editorial hails opening of China's legislative session
• Chinese helicopter patrols South China Sea
• Chinese helicopter patrols South China Sea
• Breach-of-duty crimes on the rise in China: official
• Regional efforts may not fix air pollution
• Chinese appeal for improved environmental transparency
• Shanghai to pilot PM2.5 forecast mechanism
• Reduce financial burden for green firms, political adviser suggests
• Senior CPC official calls for more support for non-public sector
• Chinese vice premier calls for long-term development focus
• Chinese vice premier urges closer cross-strait relations

Chinese courts handle over 56m cases in 5 years Posted: 04 Mar 2013 12:55 PM PST BEIJING - China's Supreme People's Court (SPC) and local courts at various levels handled more than 50,000 cases and 56 million cases over the last five years, respectively, up 174 percent and 29.3 percent compared to the previous five-year period, the SPC said Monday. The courts at all levels completed 4.14 million criminal cases over the last five years, including a number of major cases that seriously harmed security and public safety, the SPC said in a statement. The courts also handled multiple cases concerning food and drug safety, it said. The SPC also sought judicial openness and the completion of judicial practices during the period. It established a court audit system, convened a total of 57 press conferences and listened to public comments and suggestions. The SPC also instructed courts at all levels to improve the people's juror system. The number of people's jurors increased from 57,000 to 85,000 over the last five years, taking part in over 3.68 million cases. The SPC has also looked inward to fight corruption, with its former vice president Huang Songyou removed from office in October 2008 due to serious violations of laws and discipline. The SPC said it has published a series of systems and regulations to fight corruption. With guidance from the SPC, purity and honesty have become major parts of China's court system, the SPC added.

Officer loses life in resue attempt Posted: 04 Mar 2013 12:55 PM PST Residents from every corner of the Guangdong provincial capital arrived on the northern bank of the Pearl River on Monday, flowers in hand, to pray for a miracle for an armed police officer who was washed away while rescuing a drowning man. The body of Zheng Yilong, the heroic armed police officer, was discovered at around 8 pm on Monday and was being retrieved by press time, according to Nanfang Daily. People gather on the banks of the Pearl River in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, on Monday, to pay tribute to Zheng Yilong, who was swept away by currents after rescuing a drowning man on Friday. [Zou Zhongpin/China Daily] Zheng, deputy political instructor of the Haizhu district detachment of the Guangzhou Armed Police Force, was driving his father-in-law to the doctor at about 2 pm on Friday when he saw that Chen Yongbiao, 33, had fallen into the Pearl River. Zheng quickly took off his police uniform and jumped into the river to rescue Chen. With the help of people on the riverbank, Chen was rescued, but the hero was washed away by the torrent. Zheng's car is still parked at the hospital. An Xiaoping, a Guangzhou retiree, brought Zheng's portrait in a photo frame to the scene and prayed for him. An said she clipped the portrait from a newspaper. "Please swim back, hero! I want to sing with you!" she shouted to the Pearl River. He Jingxun, a local laid-off worker, also repeatedly called Zheng's name at the scene on Monday. "Zheng is a hero and a model for our society, whereas many young people have lost some of the Chinese virtues as they seek too much in the material life," he said. "Young people should learn from Zheng, because his spirit of selflessness deserves to be honored." "Society has become increasingly commercialized. It needs more people like Zheng to help raise people's awareness of their duty to help others," he added. Two teachers and more than 10 students from the Guangdong Commercial School also brought flowers to the scene on Monday. Zheng's wife, Pang Hongyu, a schoolteacher, told local media "Zheng was an honest man who was always ready to help others, and I am proud of him". Zheng, was born in January 1979 in Chaoyang, Guangdong province and joined the police force in 1997. He married Pang two years ago, and they have a 10-month-old son. Liang Yang, a colleague of Zheng's for more than four years, said Zheng is hardworking and always treats co-workers like brothers. "When I fell ill and had to stay in the hospital in 2010, Zheng always cooked soup and brought it to the hospital for me," Liang recalled. "Through Zheng's efforts, our group has been selected as an excellent detachment for several years," Liang said. Guo Qiang, another colleague of Zheng's, said he always makes himself an example when mentoring new officers. "Zheng is like an older brother who always looks after us," Guo said. Xie Xiaodan, director of the Guangzhou Bureau of Public Security, visited Zheng's parents over the weekend, on behalf of Guangzhou Party chief Wan Qingliang and Mayor Chen Jianhua. Xie praised Zheng's heroism. "We are proud of his heroic act, which is a model for all citizens. His spirit of trying to save others at the cost of his own life will not be forgotten by residents of Guangzhou," Xie said.

Activities honor Lei Feng spirit Posted: 04 Mar 2013 12:55 PM PST Residents will be taking part in a range of activities this month to commemorate the 50th anniversary of chairman Mao Zedong's call to learn from Lei Feng. On Monday, an exhibition opened to show Lei Feng's biography and the stories of the "most beautiful people" in Beijing rewarded by the government for their volunteer work inspired by Lei. Organized by the capital's spiritual civilization construction commission, the exhibition included photos as well as audio materials about Lei. Lei was a People's Liberation Army soldier known for his "selfless service for the people". He died in 1962 at the age of 22. In 1963, Chairman Mao initiated a nationwide campaign to follow the soldier's example for his selflessness, dedication and other moral values. Visitors can also register as a volunteer for Beijing Volunteer Federation at Beijing World Art Museum, which is showing the exhibition. After visiting the exhibition on Lei Feng, Yao Ping, 40, a post office worker in Dongcheng district, said people should focus on their dedication to their job and on helping others through volunteering. Yao was named one of the "most beautiful people" in Beijing this year for her innovation in postal work and dedication over the past six years to helping the elderly in her community. "The learning of Lei Feng spirit should be practical. You could make your efforts to help other people, but it should not exceed your abilities," said Zhang Xizhong, a veteran from Henan province and head of a cleaning company that drains water and sewage systems. Zhang's company provides 24-hour voluntary services for elderly people as well as disadvantaged groups. On Feb 25, the Lei Feng Museum was established in Lei Feng Primary School, the only one in Beijing that is named after the soldier. The museum will be open to public later this month. The museum has a collection of diaries written by teachers and students inspired by Lei Feng, a tradition the school has kept since 1963. Students of the school will work as volunteer tour guides for visitors to the museum, said Liu Shuyin, principal of Lei Feng Primary School. Meng Wei, who graduated from the school and is now a teacher of moral education at the school, said the studies on Lei Feng should keep pace with the times. The school has launched a course on public welfare for students from grades 1 to 6, she said. More important, students should first focus on their studies, and then gradually learn to participate in volunteer activities in honor of Lei Feng, she added.

Abducted boy reunited with family Posted: 04 Mar 2013 12:55 PM PST An abducted 2-year-old boy was found in a city 300 km from where he disappeared the day before, alarming parents with traffickers' rapid transport of abducted children far from their homes. Cheng Fen, the boy's mother, left her home in Hubei province after arguing with her husband on Feb 26. She went with the boy to Zhengzhou, Henan province, but he disappeared on a busy street at 2 pm. "I went and bought snacks for my son, who didn't want to stay in my arms but sat on the stairs nearby. He was gone in a minute," she said. Unable to find the child, the family reported him missing to police. They spread leaflets with his photograph and posted information online. The boy was found crying alone at a bus station in Wu'an, Handan, in Hebei province, more than 300 km from Zhengzhou. A vendor working at the station called police after he noticed the boy and suspected he was lost. The boy was reunited with his family three days later, when a family acquaintance named Liang who read about the case on the Internet recognized the boy on television and called the mother. No traffickers have been found. The case remains under investigation. "The boy was probably abducted and then abandoned," said Qin Xiaogang, a publicity official with the police bureau in Wu'an, who added that the boy had pneumonia and a bad cough when he was found. "The trafficking gangs usually build smooth channels to take abducted children out of their cities and provinces quickly, within hours in many cases. So parents need to take action within the first hours," said Zhang Zhiwei, a Beijing lawyer specializing in child trafficking cases. The first 24 hours is the best time to find missing children, and success requires full cooperation between the parents and police, he said. The most effective way to reduce human trafficking is for parents and guardians to pay close attention to their children, he said. "In many cases, abducted children are found far away, and it often takes years," said Zhang Baoyan, founder of a website that posts information about missing children. Zhang Baoyan said a girl who was abducted from her home in a small village in Shaanxi province was sold to a family in neighboring Henan province, at least 100 km away, within three hours. "I think it was the wide spread of information that quickened the reunion in this case," she said, adding that on average, a new piece of information will show up on her website every day. According to the Ministry of Public Security, from January 2012 to October, about 1,240 trafficking gangs were broken up and 17,871 suspects detained. Police rescued 14,971 kidnapped children and 9,156 abducted women.

Actress' death at 27 raises cancer concerns Posted: 04 Mar 2013 12:55 PM PST The death of a 27-year-old actress from uterine cancer has aroused public awareness of the disease, as research shows the rate of some kinds of that cancer is on the rise. Song Wenfei died on Sunday morning at home in Guangzhou. Zhang Lingzhi, Song's close friend and co-star in the TV series Dancer, first reported the death on her micro blog. Zhang told a program on Shanghai TV on Monday that Song was first diagnosed with uterine cancer in 2011 but kept working on her TV series until May. Zhang said in the interview that doctors suggested Song immediately have surgery, but she refused and returned to work after receiving treatment. Zheng Hong, a gynecologist at Beijing Cancer Hospital, said cervical cancer and cancer of the uterus are the two most common types of uterine cancer. "Uterine cancer (cancer of the uterus) mostly occurs in women aged 50 to 60, and cervical cancer mostly in those aged 40 to 50," she said. "A woman should check her uterus annually. Those who have had sex should do a gynecological test. Those who haven't should get an ultrasound scan." Chen Wanqing, deputy director of the National Central Cancer Registry, said the incidence of uterine cancer, especially cervical cancer, is on the rise in China. According to Chen, a main cause of cervical cancer is the infection of the human papillomavirus. Research in the 1970s and the 1990s showed that the rate of cervical cancer in China was lowered during that time because improved hygiene decreased the chance of infection. "Yet the past decade saw an increase in the disease, especially in urban areas, probably because people are exposed to sex earlier and tend to have more sexual partners," he said. "Sex became a main route for infecting HPV." The latest official report on the health of Beijing residents backed up his remarks. Issued by the city's government, the report shows the rate of cervical cancer has risen over the past decade, increasing from 3.92 per 100,000 women in 2001 to 8.96 per 100,000 in 2010, with an annual increase of 10.1 percent. On the other hand, the occurrence of uterine cancer has as much to do with lifestyle as it does with sex, including obesity and a lack of exercise, experts said. One's mental state also plays a role in causing tumors, because long-term unrelieved mental stress weakens the immune system and increases the odds of getting cancer, Chen said. In March 2012, Song said on her micro blog that she went to a hospital in Beijing because she was "increasingly worried" about her body due to "high pressure from work and life". Cancerous uterine diseases have taken a toll on other public figures as well. Anita Mui Yim-fong, a famous singer and actress in Hong Kong, died from cervical cancer in 2003 at age 40, raising the public's awareness of the importance of early treatment of the disease.

Police search for 2-month-old baby left in stolen car Posted: 04 Mar 2013 12:55 PM PST Police in Changchun are searching for a 2-month-old baby who was in a SUV that was stolen on Monday morning. More than 3,500 police officers have been mobilized for the search, according to the traffic police department of Changchun, capital of Jilin province. The provincial public security department said in a statement that it had ordered police from across the province to find the baby as soon as possible, and requested assistance from neighboring provinces. "We are all on duty to deal with the case, and some police have been sent to neighboring cities and counties to search," a traffic policeman from the city said on Monday afternoon. "But no progress has been made yet." He said investigations into the case are under way. The silver gray Toyota RAV 4, with plate number JI AMM102, was stolen at about 7:20 am near a road crossing in Changchun. The baby was wrapped in a pink blanket, according to the city's traffic police department. The baby's father, surnamed Xu, said he parked the car beside his grocery store in the morning and left the baby without locking the car. The car was driven away soon after he entered the store, he told Jilin Radio Station. The baby's mother pleaded with the driver not to hurt her baby. "I beg you, please just give back my baby," she cried. "I don't want anything else and will not seek a lawsuit." The Changchun traffic police department has asked the public for help in the search for the baby. Thousands of taxi or private car owners in Changchun and nearby cities have also joined. The incident also sparked heated debate on Sina Weibo, and thousands of suggestions and clues had been posted on Monday. "I hope the baby can be found soon and be sent back home, as he is the entire hope of his family," said Laura, a netizen. "I hope the suspect can have a somber mind and not do anything extreme." Contact the writers at wangxiaodong@chinadaily.com.cn and liumingtai@chinadaily.com.cn Han Junhong in Changchun contributed to this story.

Xinhua Insight: Man behind completion of China's law system to hand over duties Posted: 04 Mar 2013 09:29 AM PST In the Great Hall of the People, Wu Bangguo, China's top legislator, relived a scene that he had been a part of a decade ago, albeit in a reversed role.

China pledges to fight against ivory trade Posted: 04 Mar 2013 09:28 AM PST China is determined to work with the international community to curb ivory trade and protect wild elephants, officials said here on Monday.

China extends more loans to support agriculture Posted: 04 Mar 2013 09:27 AM PST China's central bank said Monday that it granted more loans in 2012 to financial institutions in rural areas in order to support agriculture.

People's Daily editorial hails opening of China's legislative session Posted: 04 Mar 2013 09:22 AM PST People's Daily, the flagship newspaper of the Communist Party of China (CPC), will run an editorial on Tuesday to hail the opening of the annual session of the country's top legislature.

Chinese helicopter patrols South China Sea Posted: 04 Mar 2013 09:19 AM PST A Chinese maritime helicopter carried out a patrol mission in the South China Sea on Monday afternoon, the Guangdong Maritime Safety Administration said.

Chinese helicopter patrols South China Sea Posted: 04 Mar 2013 08:27 AM PST GUANGZHOU  -- A Chinese maritime helicopter carried out a patrol mission in the South China Sea on Monday afternoon, the Guangdong Maritime Safety Administration said. The helicopter took off from the Haixun 31, a marine surveillance ship, to monitor maritime traffic in waters near Dongmen Reef of the Nansha Islands. The administration said it was the first time for a Chinese maritime helicopter to be dispatched to patrol the South China Sea. The Haixun 31 is one of three Chinese marine surveillance ships that departed last Thursday from Sanya Port in south China's Hainan Province to carry out patrol missions in the South China Sea. The fleet has since covered 800 nautical miles, monitored the navigation environment in waters near the Xisha, Zhongsha and Nansha Islands and conducted safety inspections for more than 40 Chinese and foreign vessels. The patrol missions are aimed at strengthening the country's maritime law enforcement capacity and testing the patrol team's rapid response abilities in the South China Sea.

Breach-of-duty crimes on the rise in China: official Posted: 04 Mar 2013 08:27 AM PST BEIJING -- China's procuratorates filed 34,326 cases regarding investigations of crimes involving the abuse of power in 2012, a 5.4-percent rise year on year, the deputy procurator-general of the Supreme People's Procuratorate said Monday. Qiu Xueqiang said 47,338 people were investigated in 2012, 6.4 percent more than in 2011, adding that almost 8.8 billion yuan ($1.4 billion ) in economic losses caused by their crimes has been retrieved. 2,569 officials above the county level were investigated in 2012, including 179 bureau-level and 5 ministerial-level officials, said Qiu, adding that the investigation of former Chongqing Communist Party of China (CPC) chief Bo Xilai, former railway minister Liu Zhijun, former Chongqing vice mayor Wang Lijun and other high-level officials have demonstrated China's resolution to fight corruption. Qiu said last year witnessed a 9.8-percent rise in crimes involving breach of duty compared to 2011. The Supreme People's Procuratorate has coordinated with the Supreme People's Court and other departments to improve related investigations, he said. In the meantime, procuratorates have strictly implemented the newly -amended Criminal Procedure Law that was put into effect on January 1, paying more attention to suspects' litigation rights and lawyers' legal practice rights and videotaping interrogation procedures, Qiu said. Qiu said the procuratorates will focus on investigating major cases that could harm the public's interests.

Regional efforts may not fix air pollution Posted: 04 Mar 2013 08:27 AM PST With the public counting on regional joint prevention and control to solve the problem of airborne pollution, an environmental expert says the system is still in the early stages and may not cure the problem. At the annual two sessions, Bao Jingling, a deputy to the National People's Congress for Tianjin, and chief engineer of the municipality's environmental protection bureau, said media and the public should distinguish between the prevention and control of fine particles from the prevention and control of smog and haze. "A regional joint prevention and control system serves the purpose of curbing regular emissions from pollution sources in cities and provinces within the region, thus lowering the yearly average level of the region's fine particles," Bao said. But he said such a system cannot help prevent smog and haze. Dense smog and haze covered large areas of China five times in January, affecting an area of more than 1.4 million square kilometers. Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province was one of the most severely suffered areas, and also one of the 13 key regions ordered by the Environmental Protection Ministry in September to break with administrative boundaries in the fight against PM 2.5. PM 2.5 is particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns that can enter people's lungs and bloodstreams, poisoning them. In a list of the 10 most heavily polluted cities in January released by the ministry, cities from this region took eight places. Bao said smog and haze should be viewed as a type of meteorological disaster, because it only occurs under temperature inversion, when the bottom of a layer of air is cooler than the upper layer, preventing the air from natural interchanging, thus blocking pollutants from dispersing. "The air in that condition is so stable that it's like covering a city with a lid," said Bao. "Pollutants can neither go out, nor come in — that's why smog and haze cannot be prevented by regional joint prevention and control. "What we can do is to gradually cut the pollutants' concentration in smog and haze by taking care of each region's problems, including pollution from automobiles for Beijing, construction sites for Tianjin and burning coal for Hebei province," he said. At a national environmental conference in late January, Environment Minister Zhou Shengxian said the government is striving to control all cities' PM2.5 levels within the national standard by 2030. Though the public appears unsatisfied with the timetable, experts say the target may already be hard to reach. "We can't prevent smog and haze even by 2050, because the weather conditions are not within control," said Bao. "But we may reduce the pollution level during smoggy days from 'heavily polluted' to 'medium' or even 'slight' after 10 years' efforts. Meeting the daily standard of 75 micrograms per cubic meter by 2030 may not be realistic, but we have a good chance of reaching the annual standard of 35 micrograms per cubic meter." Bao also said the ministry may set up a special fund to control airborne pollution before 2014. The amount of money invested is expected to be similar to that in a special fund for water pollution several few years ago — more than 1 billion yuan ($160.6 million) — and a considerable proportion will be spent on scientific research. "Before implementing regional joint prevention and control, we have to find out exactly how much pollution cities and provinces are contributing to their neighbors, which is still not clear," Bao said, adding that the investigation and monitoring of PM2.5 in China is still at an early stage.

Chinese appeal for improved environmental transparency Posted: 04 Mar 2013 08:27 AM PST BEIJING  -- Located south of Jinling Township in east China's Shandong Province, the Qilu Chemical Industry Park is home to a number of major chemical plants. Although the plants have brought significant tax revenues for government authorities, they have also sowed pollution worries among local residents. "There are irritating smells in the air," said a resident surnamed Ma. The poor disclosure of vital information remains a source of local complaints, as the local government is struggling to balance efforts to develop the economy and control pollution. "The government has never made it clear just how much pollution is here or how harmful it is," Ma said. Pollution has become a particularly thorny issue in China in recent years. Concerns about new industrial projects sparked three public protests in Sichuan, Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces last year. China's annual parliamentary sessions began on Sunday. Online polls done by media outlets for the sessions indicate that upgraded counter-pollution efforts and the protection of citizens' environmental rights are among the public's top concerns. Many people have expressed hope that the parliamentary sessions will bring improvement regarding the government's disclosure of environmental information. According to official documents effective from May 2008, environmental protection agencies and polluting enterprises should make key environmental information known to the public and thus offer the public a way to contribute to the country's pollution control efforts. However, the reality is that for many Chinese, obtaining access to that information is not easy. Beijing lawyer Dong Zhengwei wrote the Ministry of Environmental Protection in January to apply for the results of a national soil pollution survey to be released. Last month, the ministry turned down Dong's request, saying the survey results were a "state secret." "The figures have never been categorized by authorities as a state secret before," Dong said, hinting that the ministry's refusal had no legal grounding. Some non-governmental organizations have experienced the same difficulties when seeking environmental information disclosures from government agencies. The Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs is a Beijing-based NGO that has developed water and air pollution databases to monitor corporate environmental performance in China. Wang Jingjing, deputy director of the institute, said the institute once asked some city authorities to release lists of local companies that have been punished for polluting. "Such information actually falls under what the governments should be releasing regularly, but some city authorities just refused to provide it," he said. Zhan Zhongle, a law professor at Peking University, said every citizen has the right to have such information, adding that the timely disclosure of information can help prevent rumors from spreading. "It's wrong to sacrifice the environment and people's health simply for economic development," Zhan said, adding that that some local governments have failed to release relevant information or take effective measures to monitor corporate pollution control efforts. Notable progress has been made by Chinese authorities to boost environmental transparency over the years, including the releasing of real-time air quality information in 74 cities from January this year. However, much more needs to be done in this regard, according to analysts. "We are striving to promote ecological civilization and build a beautiful China -- a goal that can only be achieved through progress in all relevant sectors and aspects," Dong said.

Shanghai to pilot PM2.5 forecast mechanism Posted: 04 Mar 2013 08:27 AM PST Shanghai is likely to become the first city nationwide to pilot PM2.5 forecasts in 2013, as national legislators submitted proposals to address thorny environmental issues. "We will try to report PM2.5 data one day in advance by the end of this year. The date will eventually be lengthened to two days," said Zhang Quan, an NPC deputy and director of the Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau. He suggested that "ecological civilization" be written into the Constitution so environmental issues will be legally defined as a national priority. PM2.5, or hazardous particulate matter of 2.5 micrometers in diameter or less that can penetrate the lungs, are closely linked to a number of significant health effects. Environmental agencies currently report the air pollution figure in the latter half of the day. But delayed reports fail to send an early warning to alert sensitive populations, including people with heart or lung disease, children and older adults, said Zhang. As a result, Shanghai is committed to revamping the monitoring system so that pollutants can be announced before people leave their houses, he said. Zhang revealed that part of the efforts include introducing measurement equipment for PM1.0, which is an even stricter gauge to track air quality. But such facilities would gather information only for scientific research at this stage, rather than for public release. On March 1, the city's air quality index reporting system was upgraded to provide real-time information to the public. Under the new system, should a sudden air quality change occur, an immediate and specific description will be provided to the public via the website of the Shanghai Environmental Monitoring Center, the micro blog of the Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau as well as applications installed on mobile devices. The new round of the environment protection plan in Shanghai emphasizes the promotion of a circular economy and a low-carbon economy, with automobile emission control being the first priority, he added. Apart from such endeavors, Zhang also called for the amendment to the Law on the Prevention and Control of Atmospheric Pollution, which lacks guidance on regional efforts to combat air pollution. He proposed setting up a regional coordination mechanism to tackle the issue under the leadership of the State Council. A management committee would be co-established by the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, as well as provincial and municipal governments. Zhang suggests the committee map out the macro policies while cross-regional organs draft specific plans to address emergency air pollution issues. "For instance, even if each single plant has met the anti-pollution standard, overall pollution may still be shocking if 100 similar plants are set up in the same region at the same time," he said. Zhu Zhiwen, Party chief of Fudan University and a lawmaker from Shanghai, also believed the amendment will be a reasonable and necessary step to consolidate environmental protection measures on a national scale. "The law was last updated in 2000. Major pollution events in recent years have severely compounded the situation, which propelled us to seek stricter standards to monitor the pollutants," he said. A region can never enjoy superior air quality if there is lack of coordination nationwide, said Feng Jun, another deputy and general manager of Shanghai Municipal Electric Power Co.

Reduce financial burden for green firms, political adviser suggests Posted: 04 Mar 2013 08:27 AM PST China should accelerate environmental taxation reform and cut income tax for environmental protection companies to 15 percent, to ease the country's pollution problems and realize sustainable development, a political adviser has suggested. Jia Kang, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and head of the Ministry of Finance's Research Institute for Fiscal Science, submitted a proposal to the committee to reduce the tax burden for environmental protection companies, which are usually medium or small-scale enterprises. "Preferential tax treatment is the most direct and effective way to boost the environmental protection industry, which can help those companies with operational capital shortage and encourage private investors' enthusiasm for the industry," Jia said. The main tax for companies is income tax, with a rate of 25 percent, and Jia suggested this should be reduced to 15 percent. "During China's environmental taxation reform during the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15), carbon tax is the key," he said. China should impose the carbon tax, based on a company's annual total carbon emissions, through comprehensive information collected on its business and operations. The rate could start at about 5 yuan (79 cents) to 10 yuan a metric ton, he added. In recent months, China's air, water and soil pollution problems have attracted increasing public attention, triggering heated debate in the environmental industry on the contribution companies can make to create a better environment. On the opening day of the CPPCC National Committee session on Sunday, the China Environment Service Industry Association under the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce said the nation's environmental protection companies have the ability to solve its pollution problem in 10 to 20 years. In the next 10 years, the country should ensure the investment of 2 to 3 percent of its gross domestic product in the environmental protection sector, with about 10 trillion yuan in total, said Wen Yibo, head of the association and president of Sound Group, an environmental protection company in Beijing. "We have to deal with the environmental pollution we have caused in the past 30 years and at the same time we need to solve the new pollution we are creating," he said. "We owe the environment too much. Investment of 2 percent of GDP is a minimum, and even so, China cannot currently reach the standard." In recent years, the nation's environmental protection companies have seen fast growth. According to the association, up to half of the country's sewage treatment, 65 percent of waste incineration and 13 percent of desulfurization in power plants is invested and operated by professional environmental protection companies. "The industry has made progress," said Wen. "However, when we develop to a certain level, we will face more technological challenges, which will also bring great potential for the industry." The association also suggests that China accelerate the amendment of environmental protection laws and complete regulations on emission limits. "To increase public participation and transparency as well as protect the public interest with laws is important to the development of the environmental protection industry," said Wen. Wang Yi, a deputy to the National People's Congress and deputy director of the Institute of Policy and Management at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said: "At present, the amendment of laws concerning environmental protection supervision is far from satisfactory." He said the target of solving the pollution problem in 10 to 20 years can be reached if the government shows strong determination to increase investment. He added that he will submit a motion to the NPC about the safety of drinking water.

Senior CPC official calls for more support for non-public sector Posted: 04 Mar 2013 05:53 AM PST Zhang Gaoli, a senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC), has called for more support for the country's non-public sector and urged private enterprises to make new achievements.

Chinese vice premier calls for long-term development focus Posted: 04 Mar 2013 05:50 AM PST Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang called on the country to boldly respond to the current economic situation and focus on long-term development at a panel discussion held with political advisors on Monday.

Chinese vice premier urges closer cross-strait relations Posted: 04 Mar 2013 05:36 AM PST Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang on Monday said the political foundation for the peaceful development of mainland-Taiwan relations should be strengthened.

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