News » China » Hu sets out vision for US ties

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• Hu sets out vision for US ties
• Green priority for rare earths
• Dialogue reinforces cultural diversity
• Suit wants Proview in bankruptcy
• Suicide ruling meets with suspicion
• Chinese FM says China plays unique, important role at G20 summit
• China reaffirms its consistent position on IPR protection
• China urges mutual trust with Japan as survey shows negative attitudes
• China honors model college students, teachers
• China issues emergency response to Hubei drought
• Israeli president meets senior Chinese political advisor
• No drill with Russia, Syria, Iran
• China issues emergency response to Hubei drought
• China's plastic bag ban saves 4.8 mln tonnes of oil
• Xi urges bigger Party role in higher education
• China refutes 'IPR enforcement deteriorating'
• CSRC received 704 IPO applications
• Syphilis sufferers double in Guangzhou
• 17 rural bank branches open in Yunnan
• China mulls harsher punishments on traffic violations

Hu sets out vision for US ties Posted: 20 Jun 2012 12:10 PM PDT By Wu Jiao in Los Cabos, Tan Yingzi in Washington and Cheng Guangjinin Beijing ( China Daily) President Hu Jintao and his US counterpart Barack Obama share a light moment during the G20 Summit in Los Cabos, Mexico, on Tuesday.  [Lan Hongguang / Xinhua]  President outlines model of relations between world's major powers Differences with China must be properly handled by the United States as both countries strive to forge a new type of advantageous relationship between big powers, President Hu Jintao said on Tuesday. Analysts said that Hu is addressing the key to a stable and beneficial relationship, especially ahead of November's US presidential election. Hu put forward a proposal outlining a new model of great-power relations, a concept he initiated in a speech during the China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue held in May in Beijing. Hu said on Tuesday that both countries should maintain high-level strategic communication, manage differences and keep any potential interference at bay. He said he hoped that the US will adopt a positive and pragmatic approach, respect China's interests and prevent domestic politics from disturbing ties. US President Barack Obama agreed with Hu on developing the next phase of the relationship. The US is ready to work with China to cultivate a new model of great-power relations to effectively tackle global challenges, Obama said. A prosperous and stable China is in the interests of the US and the world, just as a prosperous and growing US benefits China and the world, he said. The leaders met during the G20 Summit in Los Cabos, Mexico, their second meeting this year and the 12th in three years. Both leaders commented positively on ties, analysts said, but emphasized that more needs to be done to enhance trust. The meeting set a positive tone, Jia Xiudong, a senior researcher on international affairs at the China Institute of International Studies, said. "The US is unwilling to see any major setback in ties ahead of the presidential election, but the possibility remains that Obama will take trade measures as he faces domestic pressure," Jia said. The Asia-Pacific region, more than any other area, is where China and the US have the most converging interests, and "benign interaction between the countries is the key", he said. Philip Levy, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, told China Daily that the G20 provides a regular opportunity for US and Chinese leaders to work through mutual concerns. "It does so with somewhat less pressure than a state visit and it reminds the leaders that US and Chinese actions often have repercussions for the rest of the world. Such meetings always result in claims of success, but sometimes those claims can be merited, thereby justifying the work that goes into preparing summits," Levy said. Bilateral trade Hu said on Tuesday that as China and the US are the world's two largest economies, maintaining robust trade relations is of great significance. Trade between China and the US, each the second-largest trade partner of the other, reached $446.6 billion last year. Official figures from China also show that US companies invested more than $67.6 billion in China by the end of 2011, while Chinese companies invested $6 billion in non-finance sectors in the US. China is boosting domestic demand and has full confidence in sustaining the strong momentum of its economic growth, Hu said. Both countries should boost economic cooperation and increase trade, Hu said. Contact the writer at wujiao@chinadaily.com.cn Xinhua contributed to this story.

Green priority for rare earths Posted: 20 Jun 2012 12:10 PM PDT China denied on Wednesday that it had sought political benefit or increased returns by manipulating the prices of rare earths. Rare earths cover a group of 17 elements used to make high-tech products. Su Bo, vice-minister of industry and information technology, said China will continue to provide rare earths to the international market, but not at the expense of the environment. As the world's largest producer of rare earths, China provides more than 90 percent of supplies with only 23 percent of global reserves. Domestic reserves totaled 18.59 million metric tons in 2009. The United States, the European Union and Japan lodged a complaint in March claiming that production limits put in place by China violated World Trade Organization rules. "However, the quota was not fully used in 2011, which means that China successfully met international demand," Su told a news conference organized by the Information Office of the State Council. China planned to export 30,200 tons of rare earths in 2011. But actual exports were only 18,600 tons, equal to 61 percent of planned exports. Su introduced a white paper entitled Situation and Policies of China's Rare Earth Industry, published by the office on Wednesday. The WTO case brought by the US, the EU and Japan has more to do with politics than trade, Chen Zhanheng, director of the academic department at the Chinese Society of Rare Earths, said. The claim by other countries that China is restricting exports is meaningless since the quota for the last year was not used up, he said. Su said the sluggish global economy led to less demand. However, rising prices are in line with other raw materials, Su said. The price of iron ore in 2010 was nearly five times as much as in 2000 and prices of other raw materials, such as gold and copper, were also more than three times higher than a decade ago. The price of rare earths in 2010 was only 2.54 times what it was in 2000. Some foreign industrial analysts questioned why China's exports of rare earths were sold for higher prices than in the domestic market. Tariffs contribute to higher prices, Su said as did demand by foreign firms for higher quality. "It's like an article of clothing. It could cost 10,000 yuan ($1,570) or 1,000 yuan, depending on product quality," Su said, citing industry experts. Gao Yunhu, deputy director of the rare earths office under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said China is actively cooperating with the WTO on the lodged complaint and will protect the interests of Chinese companies under WTO rules. "The government is strengthening the management of the industry to protect the environment and resources, which is beneficial for the sustainable development of the industry and totally conforms to WTO regulations," he said. Su stressed that China is not using environmental protection as an excuse for raising prices. "No government in any country would tolerate such severe pollution," he said. Local government officials in Ganzhou, Jiangxi province, which is rich in rare earths resources, said it will cost 38 billion yuan to deal with pollution caused by exploitation, according to Su. Data show that to extract 1 ton of oxide will consume 7 tons of ammonium sulphate, which could possibly lead to long-term groundwater pollution. The US, Canada, Australia and other countries, which also have deposits of rare earths, closed their mining projects in the 1990s because of severe environmental damage. Chen, from the Chinese Society of Rare Earths, said that the US has 13 million tons or 13 percent of the global reserves, but due to high environmental and mining costs, it is reluctant to exploit them. "Up to 80 to 90 percent of rare earths in Japan and the EU are imported from China and it won't change much in the long term," he said. China is willing to strengthen communication and cooperation with countries around the world on alternatives. According to the white paper, up to 38 companies from the US, Germany, France, Canada and Japan have invested 6.1 billion yuan in China's rare earths industry. Contact the writer at dujuan@chinadaily.com.cn Reuters contributed to this story.

Dialogue reinforces cultural diversity Posted: 20 Jun 2012 12:10 PM PDT Dialogue between Chinese and African civilizations is instrumental in safeguarding world cultural diversity and gaining a stronger say for developing countries in the international cultural arena, Chinese Minister of Culture Cai Wu said. "China and Africa, with their long historical traditions and diversified cultures, have both contributed to world cultural progress. And now we are both in a new era of reform and development," he said. "We have similar goals and visions in terms of economic, social and cultural development. Our history and current status have opened a broad perspective for our future cooperation in cultural sectors." Talking about the recent Cultural Ministers' Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, Cai said that it provided new guidance for China-Africa cultural exchange and cooperation in the new era. The forum, which was held in Beijing on Monday and Tuesday, attracted culture ministers and representatives from 45 African countries. All attendees reviewed the achievements of China-Africa cultural relations since the forum's Beijing summit in 2006 and discussed how to further deepen China-Africa cultural exchanges and cooperation. Representatives of the forum also signed the Beijing Statement, announcing that China and African countries will take a number of actions to further develop cultural exchange and cooperation between the two sides. They include maintaining the exchanges of visits and consultations by high-ranking government officials in charge of cultural affairs from China and Africa, encouraging the establishment of long-term partner-on-partner cooperative relations between the two sides, and actively conducting exchanges and cooperation between cultural industries from China and Africa. During the forum, China signed plans for cultural cooperation with Senegal, Liberia, Eritrea and Niger. According to the Ministry of Culture, since 2006, China and Africa have seen nearly 70 performances by visiting art groups and more than 30 visiting exhibitions. China has also provided cultural materials assistance worth about 7.2 million yuan ($1.13 million) to 36 African countries. Contact the writer at muqian@chinadaily.com.cn

Suit wants Proview in bankruptcy Posted: 20 Jun 2012 12:10 PM PDT Updated: 2012-06-21 00:00 By Zheng Caixiong in Guangzhou ( China Daily) The Guangdong High People's Court began to hear a case on Wednesday asking financially troubled Proview Technology to be put into bankruptcy. The case was filed by Taiwan Fubon Insurance in April. Fubon claims Shenzhen-based Proview owes it 60 million yuan ($9.52 million). "According to Chinese bankruptcy law, we have the right to ask Proview to declare bankruptcy because it has failed to repay its heavy debts," said the attorney representing Fubon Insurance during the hearing. "Proview has been unable to pay its heavy debts with all its assets, and the company has now stopped production while all the workers have left the company," the attorney said. She added that Proview's bankruptcy would have little effect on Proview's iPad trademark case with United States tech giant Apple. But Xiao Caiyuan, the attorney for Proview, refused to admit that Proview has been unable to pay its debts. Xie Xianghui, another lawyer for Proview, said Proview's bankruptcy would affect the legal interests of Proview's creditors and create negative factors in the iPad trademark dispute. According to Xie, Proview has about 200 creditors, and Fubon is just a small creditor. In February, the Guangdong High People's Court began a public hearing on the iPad trademark dispute case between Proview and Apple, but has not yet delivered a verdict. Proview claims it has registered and used the iPad trademark for more than a decade on the Chinese mainland. But Apple claims it purchased the iPad trademark from Taiwan-based Proview Electronics in December 2009. Xie said the court is now trying to mediate the trademark dispute case between Proview and Apple. Contact the writer at zhengcaixiong@chinadaily.com.cn Lin Jinbiao contributed to this story.

Suicide ruling meets with suspicion Posted: 20 Jun 2012 12:10 PM PDT Police in Henan province are going to review the death of a college student whose autopsy report said she committed suicide by slashing herself 13 times. Tian Shuhan, 21, a sophomore majoring in tourism management at the Xinlian College of Henan Normal University in the provincial capital Zhengzhou, was found lying dead in the corridor of a teachers' dormitory on the morning of June 10. The police found 13 knife wounds in her body including six wounds in the neck and five in the legs. The autopsy report said that she died of suicide, which the family does not believe. The police are going to review the autopsy report and re-examine the body, a police officer from the publicity office of Zhongmu county public security bureau, told China Daily on Wednesday. "Her body has not been cremated yet," the officer said on condition of anonymity. A police officer of the county public security bureau said that Tian was severely depressed because of academic pressure and killed herself for fear of failing in the exam at the end of the semester, according to a Henan Television Station report. The police officer did not say how authorities know Tian was depressed. He was adamant that her death was a suicide. The police could not convince Tian's family members. Zhang Jianguo, Tian's uncle, told China Daily on Wednesday that Tian was the head of the psychological aid department of the students' union in the college. "Her psychological and mental status was always healthy and stable," Zhang said. "I am curious why her body was found in the teachers' dormitory building in the morning?" Both of Tian's parents also said that she was unlikely to kill herself by slashing her body, Zhang said. A staff member from the publicity office of the college said that the investigation was carried out by the police, and he declined to comment over the issue. News of Tian's death and the autopsy report met with widespread suspicion on micro blogs, with netizens expressing disbelief at the findings. Many students in the college also expressed concern, while mourning Tian's death. Zhang, Tian's uncle, said that the family wants the police to recheck the autopsy report. "It has been 10 days since my niece's death, and we are still waiting for the truth," he said. Contact the writers at anbaijie@chinadaily.com.cn and xiangmingchao@chinadaily.com.cn

Chinese FM says China plays unique, important role at G20 summit Posted: 20 Jun 2012 09:06 AM PDT Chinese President Hu Jintao had played a unique and important role at the G20 summit held in this coastal resort city, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said here.

China reaffirms its consistent position on IPR protection Posted: 20 Jun 2012 06:03 AM PDT China's State Councilor Liu Yandong on Wednesday reaffirmed the government's consistent position on the protection of intellectual property rights (IPR) as she addressed a diplomatic conference on the protection of audiovisual performances.

China urges mutual trust with Japan as survey shows negative attitudes Posted: 20 Jun 2012 06:03 AM PDT A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman on Wednesday urged China and Japan to enhance mutual trust as a recent survey reveals negative attitudes between the people of the two countries.

China honors model college students, teachers Posted: 20 Jun 2012 06:03 AM PDT Ten model college students and 10 model teachers were received by Li Changchun, senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC), here Wednesday.

China issues emergency response to Hubei drought Posted: 20 Jun 2012 06:02 AM PDT The Chinese government initiated a level IV emergency response plan on Wednesday in response to a severe drought in central China's Hubei province.

Israeli president meets senior Chinese political advisor Posted: 20 Jun 2012 06:01 AM PDT Israeli President Shimon Peres (R) shakes hands with Chen Zongxing, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, in Jerusalem, on June 20, 2012.

No drill with Russia, Syria, Iran Posted: 20 Jun 2012 06:01 AM PDT China on Wednesday said there was no truth to an Iranian media report about a joint military drill involving China, Russia, Syria and Iran.

China issues emergency response to Hubei drought Posted: 20 Jun 2012 06:00 AM PDT The Chinese government initiated a level IV emergency response plan on Wednesday in response to a severe drought in central China's Hubei province.

China's plastic bag ban saves 4.8 mln tonnes of oil Posted: 20 Jun 2012 06:00 AM PDT A government official with the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said Wednesday a plastic bag ban launched four years ago has helped the nation save 4.8 million tonnes of oil, or the equivalent of 6.8 million tonnes of standard coal, to date.

Xi urges bigger Party role in higher education Posted: 20 Jun 2012 05:14 AM PDT Updated: 2012-06-20 19:31 ( Xinhua) BEIJING - Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping has urged the country's higher education institutions to give Communist Party of China (CPC) branches a bigger role in the education and management of faculties and students. Xi, also president of the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks while inspecting Peking University, Renmin University and Tsinghua University on Tuesday and Wednesday. "A Party branch is a basic unit for college education and the management of Party members... Grassroots Party organizations should be assured of playing a vigorous part in more aspects of higher education," Xi said while visiting the College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering and the School of Archaeology and Museology under Peking University. At Renmin University, Xi visited the education and research center for Karl Marx's Das Kapital and attended a seminar where new student Party members discussed Marxist classics. Xi called upon higher education institutions to guide faculties and students to grasp the Marxist worldview and methodology and build up confidence for socialism with Chinese characteristics. "College teachers, especially young teachers whose ideological, political and moral values have profound influences on students, should set an example to guide them on a path of healthy development by passing on both knowledge and belief," Xi said at Tsinghua. Xi also called on college students to integrate innovative thoughts with social practices as they seek all-around development as well as characteristic pursuits. On Wednesday, Xi presided over a symposium at Tsinghua University where he heard reports from an official with the Ministry of Education as well as Party committee secretaries from five higher education institutions concerning Party construction. Xi urged Party committees at all levels to stick to the path of operating socialist universities and boosting ideological and political education.

China refutes 'IPR enforcement deteriorating' Posted: 20 Jun 2012 05:14 AM PDT Updated: 2012-06-20 19:30 ( Xinhua) BEIJING - China's Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) enforcement is not deteriorating and China is making greater efforts on IPR, said Liu Binjie, director of the General Administration of Press and Publication, Wednesday. 2010 China Business Climate Survey Report released in April by the American Chamber of Commerce in China said 66 percent of respondents of the survey found China's enforcement of IPR had stayed the same or deteriorated, and even after the Special IPR Campaign there had been no improvement in China's administration of IPR. Liu, also the director of the National Copyright Administration, said at the Diplomatic Conference on the Protection of Audiovisual Performances that China had noticed the report and exchanged ideas with the American Chamber of Commerce. "The statement in the report is apparently not true," he said. "China launched a special campaign to combat IPR infringements in the latter half of 2010 and then developed it into a regular mechanism. China has made great progress in legalizing the use of software and reduced software piracy." Liu also pointed out that software infringements in downloading audio and video from the Internet was the major problem and Chinese government was making efforts with its policies, laws and technologies to solve the problem. Francis Gurry, Director General of World Intellectual Property Organization, presented at the conference. "What is at stake generally, with respect to creative works and the Internet, is a question of how we are going to finance cultural production in a digital environment," he said. There needs to be a balance between encouraging investment in cultural production and sharing works and the benefit of the works, he added.

CSRC received 704 IPO applications Posted: 20 Jun 2012 05:14 AM PDT Updated: 2012-06-20 19:29 By Gao Changxin ( chinadaily.com.cn) The China Securities Regulatory Commission said that it has received IPO applications from 704 companies so far this year. 112 of the initial public offering applications have been approved and are now pending flotation in China's A-share market. Last year, funds raised in China through 349 IPOs dropped 41 percent to 286.1 billion yuan ($45 billion) after hitting a record figure in 2010. The number of IPOs slowed down this year, as China's economic growth hit a three-year low in the first quarter. A surge in the number of IPOs could trigger a sell-out in existing shares and put pressure on stock market prices. The Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.34 percent on June 20 to 2,292.88 points, down 6.6 percent from this year's high, which was set on March 2.

Syphilis sufferers double in Guangzhou Posted: 20 Jun 2012 05:14 AM PDT Updated: 2012-06-20 19:29 ( chinadaily.com.cn) The number of people suffering from syphilis has doubled in the past 10 years in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong province, the Information Times reported on Wednesday. The number of syphilis cases has been increasing by 10 percent every year, said Ye Xingdong, deputy head of the Guangzhou Institute of Dermatology, at the launch of a program to prevent and treat syphilis. The program aims to equip health service centers in communities and neighborhoods for free syphilis tests. People with positive results will be transferred to hospitals for further treatment. A doctor surnamed Xie in a local health service center, which has been chosen to carry out the pilot program, told the Information Times that people can get free tests after showing their ID cards.

17 rural bank branches open in Yunnan Posted: 20 Jun 2012 05:14 AM PDT Updated: 2012-06-20 19:28 ( chinadaily.com.cn) Seventeen rural bank branches opened in Yunnan province over the weekend, as Chinese lenders accelerate their expansion into rural areas. Among the 17 new branches, 10 were launched by Shanghai Rural Commercial Bank, which is partly owned by Australian lender Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. Shanghai Pudong Development Bank also added new branches in the province. The move comes amid a central government push to support the country's rural markets, where financial services are largely at a preliminary stage, in hopes that easier financial access would help to raise productivity. At the end of March, a total of 740 rural bank branches had been launched in China.

China mulls harsher punishments on traffic violations Posted: 20 Jun 2012 04:04 AM PDT The Chinese traffic authority is considering doubling penalty points imposed on those caught running red lights and plate related traffic violations, according to a Wednesday report of a local newspaper in Beijing.

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