News » China » China rainstorms leave 8 dead, affect millions

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• China rainstorms leave 8 dead, affect millions
• China's 3G subscribers on rapid rise
• Caterpillar's R&D center completes major expansion
• New poverty line poses new challenges
• Regulations loosened to for more bonds to be issued
• China's healthcare reform tasks completed: report
• Hu congratulates Morsi on election as Egyptian president
• China's oceanic environment healthy in 2011: gov't report
• China hopes Turkey, Syria handle jet incident with restraint
• China urges Philippines not to exacerbate South China Sea situation
• China, Brazil issue joint statement on strengthening partnership
• Official: Rio+20 document 'positive and balanced'
• Beijing to implement TCM education
• Fijian youths urged to give enough attention to sexual transmitted infections
• Diving queen devotes life to family and charity
• Monk sows seeds of wisdom online
• Torrential rains to soak South China
• SW China quake kills 4, injures over 100
• Beijing to implement TCM education
• Alert of decent wearing arouse feminist dispute

China rainstorms leave 8 dead, affect millions Posted: 25 Jun 2012 08:55 AM PDT NANNING - Eight people in southern China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region have been killed by rainstorms that have wrought havoc in many parts of the country over the last few days, authorities said on Monday. As of Monday evening, over 843,500 people and 35,530 hectares of farmland in Guangxi have been affected by downpours since Thursday, according to the regional civil affairs bureau. Over 2,300 houses collapsed due to the heavy rain. And direct economic losses are estimated to stand at about 310 million yuan (48.7 million U.S. dollars). Local governments have relocated 23,300 people. Rainstorms and gales have hit the southern coastal city of Beihai in the region over the past few days. The local meteorological observatory in Beihai gave a blue-color-coded warning signal at 4 p.m. on Monday, predicting gales will rage over Beihai and the Beibu Gulf in the following 24 hours. Shipping routes from Beihai to Weizhou Island and from Beihai to Haikou, capital of the southern Hainan province, have been suspended as of 8 a.m. on Sunday, according to the local maritime department. Torrential rain also swept east China's Jiangxi province during the recent three-day Dragon Boat Festival holidays. A total of 93,366 people have been affected in the province, which was evacuated of over 32,400 people and saw 2,364 houses toppled by floods, as of Sunday evening, according the provincial flood prevention and control headquarters. Direct economic losses of about 1.28 billion yuan (201 million U.S. dollars) have been incurred. Persistent storms have swollen three major Jiangxi rivers -- Ganjiang, Fuhe and Xinjiang, the water levels of which have risen above warning levels as of Monday morning. In neighboring Zhejiang province, heavy rain has forced 17,000 people to relocate and affected the lives of more than 350,000 others since June 22, according to the Zhejiang flood control headquarters. A 12-year-old girl was killed when her house was buried in a landslide that occurred at 6:40 p.m. on Saturday in Zhejiang's Songyang county, the headquarters said. Rain has also battered central China's Hunan province since June 21, killing one person, leaving another missing and affecting the lives of 138,000 others, according to the Hunan flood control headquarters. A landslide was triggered in Hunan's city of Chenzhou, blocking roads and rivers and stranding 130 tourists, it announced. More rain and storms are expected to hit Zhejiang, Fujian and Anhui provinces in south China, as well as Yunnan, Sichuan and Guizhou provinces in the southwest, over the next three days. Precipitation in some areas may total as much as 160 mm, according to the National Meteorological Center.

China's 3G subscribers on rapid rise Posted: 25 Jun 2012 08:55 AM PDT Updated: 2012-06-25 23:29 ( Xinhua) BEIJING - The number of people subscribing to third-generation (3G) mobile phone services in China leapt 38.25 million in the first five months of 2012, according to new figures. A statement posted on the website of the Ministry of Industry (MIIT) and Information Technology on Monday showed that China added 54.47 million mobile phone users from January to May. Main business revenues for China's telecommunication industry jumped 9.7 percent year on year January-May to reach 428.07 billion yuan (67.95 billion U.S. dollars), the MIIT said. Revenues for mobile communications saw an increase of 12.3 percent year on year to 311.35 billion yuan, accounting for 72.73 percent of the telecommunication industry's main business revenues, it added.

Caterpillar's R&D center completes major expansion Posted: 25 Jun 2012 08:55 AM PDT Updated: 2012-06-25 21:54 By Li Fangfang ( chinadaily.com.cn) Caterpillar Inc, the world's largest construction and mining machinery manufacturer, has expanded its multifunctional research and development center by more than 50 percent in Wuxi, Jiangsu province. Sun Xiaobo, director of Caterpillar's Product Development & Global Technology Division, told China Daily that during the global economic downturn in 2009, Caterpillar decided to continue investment in the Wuxi R&D Center, one of the few projects the US company maintained globally against the serious cost cuts. Caterpillar signed the investment agreement for the Wuxi R&D Center in August 2008, started construction in January 2009, and opened the facility in 11 months. It completed Phase II of the project in May 2011, and finished Phase III this month. Tana Utley, Caterpillar's vice-president and chief technology officer, said the R&D facility in China has become Caterpillar's biggest comprehensive R&D center outside the United States. Caterpillar's R&D center in Wuxi now has 600 engineers and supporting staff, with test groups able to develop engines from several dozen to more than 3,000 horsepower.

New poverty line poses new challenges Posted: 25 Jun 2012 08:55 AM PDT Updated: 2012-06-25 21:54 ( chinadaily.com.cn) China raised its poverty line to $1 per person per day in 2011, which is 92 percent higher than the threshold set in 2009. Under the new standard, China's poverty-stricken population increased from 26.88 million to 128 million, 13.4 percent of its overall rural population. Raising the poverty line with the development of the economy and society is an international practice. Despite the increase in the size of the poor population, China's absolute poverty population is shrinking by a large margin. But new poverty line marks the beginning of a new stage for China's fight against poverty. Food is no longer the biggest challenge. What China's poor people need most is equal access to improve their livelihoods and participate in China's development. It is better to teach people how to fish than giving them fish. Fighting against poverty in China, which used to be a special task, should be integrated into the larger project of China's economic and social development. To some extent, poverty alleviation provides a good opportunity for China to construct a fair and harmonious society, which cannot be realized with a widening income gap. Besides the special funds for poverty alleviation, authorities at all levels should design well-targeted plans for different poor regions according to local conditions, paying special attention to the protection of the environment for sustainable development. Translated from China Business News by Li Yang

Regulations loosened to for more bonds to be issued Posted: 25 Jun 2012 08:55 AM PDT Updated: 2012-06-25 21:51 By Gao Changxin in Shanghai ( chinadaily.com.cn) Regulators have increased the amount of bonds institutions allowed to issue on the inter-bank market, as bond issuance growth slumped this year amid a slowing economy. Previously, only issuers rated above AA, which accounts for around 75 percent of the inter-bank market, were able to issue bonds totaling no more than 40 percent of their net assets. The National Association of Financial Market Institutional Investors said during the weekend that short-term financing bills, bonds with a maturity of less than one year, will not be taken into account when calculating the 40-percent limit. And the balance of the bill alone can reach 40 percent of the net assets. The move effectively allows institutions to issue up to 40 percent more bonds, which could rapidly enlarge the size of the country's bond market. Bond market growth slowed this year. In the January to May period, the balance of short-term financing bills grew 5.21 percent, compared with 47 percent in the same period last year, while the rate for medium-term notes, bonds with a maturity of five to 10 years, was 9.78 percent, compared with 65 percent between January and May last year.

China's healthcare reform tasks completed: report Posted: 25 Jun 2012 06:06 AM PDT Missions set in a three-year plan for China's healthcare reform program in the 2009-2011 period have been completed on schedule, according to a new official report.

Hu congratulates Morsi on election as Egyptian president Posted: 25 Jun 2012 06:04 AM PDT Chinese President Hu Jintao on Monday congratulated Mohamed Morsi for his victory in Egypt's first presidential election since former President Hosni Mubarak resigned early last year.

China's oceanic environment healthy in 2011: gov't report Posted: 25 Jun 2012 05:41 AM PDT China's oceanic environment was "basically healthy" in 2011, with 95 percent of the country's territorial waters reaching the highest quality specified by national standards, according to a government report issued on Monday.

China hopes Turkey, Syria handle jet incident with restraint Posted: 25 Jun 2012 03:26 AM PDT A spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry on Monday voiced the hope that Turkey and Syria will maintain calm and exercise restraint in settling a dispute over a jet incident.

China urges Philippines not to exacerbate South China Sea situation Posted: 25 Jun 2012 03:23 AM PDT China on Monday urged the Philippines not to exacerbate the current situation in the South China Sea.

China, Brazil issue joint statement on strengthening partnership Posted: 25 Jun 2012 03:04 AM PDT China and Brazil issued a joint statement here Thursday, pledging to upgrade their bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership and enhance bilateral cooperation in various areas.

Official: Rio+20 document 'positive and balanced' Posted: 25 Jun 2012 02:48 AM PDT Du Ying, head of the Chinese preparatory committee at the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development described the conference's final document as "comprehensive positive and balanced", hours before the conference concluded on June 22.

Beijing to implement TCM education Posted: 25 Jun 2012 01:14 AM PDT Primary schools in Beijing will open Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) classes during the following semester in order to spread knowledge regarding basic TCM among students.

Fijian youths urged to give enough attention to sexual transmitted infections Posted: 24 Jun 2012 11:32 PM PDT Fiji's Health Ministry is concerned that people are not giving enough attention to some serious diseases such as gonorrhoea after as many as 800 new cases are recorded in the island nation annually.

Diving queen devotes life to family and charity Posted: 25 Jun 2012 01:51 AM PDT Olympics and world diving champion Fu Mingxia, right, attends the 100th anniversary ceremony of Hong Kong University with her family in Hong Kong, in this Jan 2011 file photo. Fu, a four-time Olympic gold medalist and multiple world champions, is married to Antony Leung, the former financial secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and became a full-time homemaker after marriage. "All I need to do is to get on with my life, taking care of my family and helping people in need," Fu said. [Photo/Xinhua]

Monk sows seeds of wisdom online Posted: 25 Jun 2012 01:51 AM PDT BEIJING - Like all Buddhist monks, Yancan spends most of his day seeking enlightenment. A screen grab of the Weibo account page of Yancan, abbot of the Shuiyue Monastery in East China's Hefei province. But unlike most monks, Yancan sometimes stays up until midnight using Sina Weibo, a popular Chinese micro blogging site, to spread the word of Buddhism among his million-plus followers. Yancan is the abbot of the Shuiyue Monastery in East China's Hebei province. For over 20 years, the Zen monk has passed his knowledge on through sermons and lectures. But now, the power of the Internet has given Yancan a new avenue through which to spread his wisdom. Yancan first rose to online prominence last week, when a video of him being harassed by monkeys near E'Mei Mountain, a sacred Buddhist site, was uploaded to the Internet. Yancan quickly amassed a large following on Sina Weibo, with his posts forwarded thousands of times over since the video's debut, helping him to bring his thoughts on Buddhism to a much larger audience. "I only hope to shore up positive energy on the web, where people vent too much anger and frustration," Yancan said. Yancan has written more than 11,000 posts since opening his Sina Weibo account two years ago. Most of his posts reflect a Buddhist interpretation of common life issues, ranging from the pains of growing up to dealing with the national college entrance exams. "Life inspires me, and then I write what comes to my mind," the monk said. Yancan's positive approach stands out among the extreme displays of anger and verbal abuse that are common to Sina Weibo and other social messaging sites. His humorous demeanor and laid-back approach have charmed the public as well, as his attitude is not like that of most monks. "Life itself is too serious, so I try my best not to be," Yancan said. Yancan recently conducted an online interview on Sina Weibo, inviting netizens to ask him questions about his life and work. He received about 30,000 queries, responding to many in typically witty fashion. Liu Xiaoying, a professor at the Communication University of China, attributed Yancan's rise in popularity to the fact that the freedom of the Internet has allowed more people to discuss life openly, including religious disciples. According to Hengzhuang, a disciple of Yancan, the master has received numerous interview requests, as well as book offers from about 40 publishers, since the video was uploaded. Yancan has not been spared from doubt or criticism. Some have described him as being "ignorant of his proper duties" and even accused him of lacking "Buddhist purity." The criticism has confused the monk. "Isn't it a good thing? Everybody laughs and no one gets hurt," he said. "I am duty-bound to propagate Buddhism. The new age needs us to change." Yancan said he hopes his popularity will give a boost to his temple's charitable work. "But I have set no goals. I follow karma," he said.

Torrential rains to soak South China Posted: 25 Jun 2012 01:51 AM PDT Updated: 2012-06-25 15:32 ( Xinhua) BEIJING - China's meteorological authority said Monday that torrential rains will hit the country's southern regions over the coming three days. Heavy rains and storms are expected in some parts of China's southern provinces of Zhejiang, Fujian and Anhui, as well as Yunnan, Sichuan, and Guizhou provinces in the southwest. Precipitation in some areas may total as much as 160mm, according to the National Meteorological Center (NMC). Some areas in these southern provinces will also see strong gales and thunder, the NMC said. Meanwhile, the NMC forecast moderate to heavy rains in most parts of the north and the eastern part of Northwest China, including Qinghai and Gansu provinces, over the next three days. The rainy weather will help ease high temperatures in the north, according to the NMC. It also said torrential rains hit most of Beijing on Sunday night, and the country's capital city will see mostly cloudy weather over the next three days. Related Stories Torrential rains leave 16 dead in China 2012-06-25 03:45 Heavy rains cause 2 missing in C China's scenic spot 2012-06-24 15:49 Rains persist in South China, heat in North 2012-06-23 13:43 Heavy rains soak E China city 2012-06-19 07:19

SW China quake kills 4, injures over 100 Posted: 25 Jun 2012 01:51 AM PDT Updated: 2012-06-25 14:40 ( Xinhua)   A sniffer dog lies on the ground as rescuers take break from rescue efforts in Ninglang county, Southwest China's Yunnan province, June 25, 2012. [Photo/Asianewsphoto]  KUNMING - At least four people have been killed and over 100 others injured after an earthquake hit a mountainous area in southwest China on Sunday, local authorities said on Monday. The magnitude-5.7 quake, which struck the border of Yunnan and Sichuan provinces at 3:59 p.m., killed three people in Ninglang county of Yunnan and another one in Sichuan's Yanyuan county. On Sunday, the earthquake was followed by 53 aftershocks and the strongest one was measured at magnitude 3.8, said Chen Qin, deputy head of the Yunnan provincial seismology bureau. As of 2 a.m., 106 people, including seven tourists, have been found injured in Ninglang, where the quake was strongly felt and many Yi ethnic minority live. Twenty of them suffered severe wounds, said He Lianghui, mayor of Lijiang city, which administers Ninglang. The quake toppled over 4,280 houses and cut roads and water supplies in the county, disrupting the lives of more than 21,800 people, said He. It also killed more than 1,200 domestic animals, He said. A quake relief headquarters has been set up and a team of 1,300 rescuers have been dispatched to the quake-hit region, according to the city government. Provincial and city authorities had sent relief supplies, including tents, coats, quilts, bottled water and food to Ninglang.   Rescuers clear the rubble among destroyed homes after earthquake in Ninglang county, Southwest China's Yunnan province, June 25, 2012. [Photo/Asianewsphoto]

Beijing to implement TCM education Posted: 25 Jun 2012 01:23 AM PDT Primary schools in Beijing will open Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) classes during the following semester in order to spread knowledge regarding basic TCM among students.

Alert of decent wearing arouse feminist dispute Posted: 25 Jun 2012 12:32 AM PDT Some women in Shanghai were outraged over the weekend about the Shanghai Metro asking them on a micro blog to wear more clothing in public.

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