News » China » Members of drug gang change pleas

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• Members of drug gang change pleas
• KFC supplier used excessive additives in chicken feed
• Weekend mercury set to plummet
• Laws urged to cover theft of online data
• Li builds case for urbanization
• China and US agree on major trade measures
• No changes to HK, Macao policies: Xi
• China to increase income control in monopolized sectors
• Xi Jinping meets Macao Chief Executive
• Macao SAR celebrates 13th anniversary
• China sees more private social work institutions
• China to further promote ties with ROK: FM
• Xi Jinping meets HKSAR Chief Executive CY Leung
• Xi Jinping meets HKSAR Chief Executive CY Leung
• Sino-US trade talks end with positive results
• University student axed to death in library
• Tickets on sale for world's longest high-speed rail
• 'Instant chicken' farms shut down
• 'Instant chicken' farms shut down
• Beijing detains 17 over doomsday rumor cult

Members of drug gang change pleas Posted: 20 Dec 2012 11:51 AM PST Law experts say convicted killers are trying to delay their executions Six members of a notorious Myanmar drug gang convicted last year of murdering 13 Chinese sailors on the Mekong River withdrew their earlier guilty pleas and denied plotting the murders at an appeal hearing in the Yunnan Provincial Higher People's Court on Thursday. Last month, they had pleaded guilty at the Intermediate People's Court of Kunming, Yunnan province, and four of them were sentenced to death. Of the other two, Zha Bo received the death sentence with a reprieve, and Zha Tuobo was sentenced to eight years in prison. All are now appealing their sentences to a higher court and revoking their guilty pleas, which experts suggest is a legal ploy to delay their executions. The court's decision on the appeal will be handed down at a later date. Naw Kham, head of the drug gang, said on Thursday he "neither plotted nor ordered the murder" of Chinese sailors in October 2011. "I have done nothing wrong. I didn't order them to commit murder, and I only heard about it afterward," he told the court. The other five defendants, all foreigners or stateless, also denied the crimes. They said they considered the intermediate court's sentences too harsh and appealed for leniency. The Yunnan Provincial People's Procuratorate said the convictions are fair and the sentences are appropriate, considering the crime. "We suggest the higher court reject their appeal for lenient sentences and uphold the previous verdict," the Yunnan provincial prosecuting department said at the hearing on Thursday. In November, during the trial in Kunming, Naw Kham and the other gang members initially denied plotting the sailors' murders, but changed their pleas to guilty near the end of the trial and asked for lenient sentences. They were charged with intentional homicide, kidnapping, transporting drugs and hijacking cargo ships, or a combination of those offenses. The court ordered them to compensate the victims' families 6 million yuan ($963,000). Because of his guilty plea, Naw Kham did not expect to receive the death sentence, said Lin Li, his lawyer. "He is willing to sell his private property for 6 million yuan to compensate the victims' families, and I think it's better to combine punishment with education, and give a lenient sentence," Lin said. Yang Duoxu, the wife of Wang Guichao, one of the murdered sailors, said she hopes more arrests will be made. "I really hope Chinese authorities will soon arrest the nine Thai soldiers who were involved," Yang said. "I feel like the sky is falling, and I am caught in a living death," she said. "My husband and I had been working on the cargo ship for more than 10 years. He earned 5,000 yuan a month, and I was a cook earning 3,000 yuan a month. Now I don't have the money to support my three children." Nie Tao, director of the legal department under the Yunnan Public Security Bureau, said they are working to bring the Thai soldiers to justice. "Thai police and prosecuting departments are stepping up efforts to speed up the legal processing of the nine Thai soldiers who colluded with Naw Kham's gang to plot the murder," Nie said. "We are intensifying judicial operations with Thai police, and providing them with the evidence of the Thai soldiers' crimes," he said. The gang's denial of the murders is aimed at delaying their execution, according to Hong Daode, law professor at China University of Political Science and Law. "If sentenced to death, the local courts will refer the sentence to the Supreme People's Court for review, and after approval, it will be carried out," Hong said. "There is no question the court should sentence them to death," he said. "The six criminals, headed by Naw Kham, used cruel means to illegally deprive other people's lives, and the consequences were serious." Contact the writers at Zhangyan1@chinadaily.com.cn and guoanfei@chinadaily.com.cn

KFC supplier used excessive additives in chicken feed Posted: 20 Dec 2012 11:51 AM PST Firm defends actions after watchdog report Excessive amounts of antibiotics were found in eight batches of raw chicken samples taken from KFC supplier Shandong Liuhe Group from 2010 to 2011, the Shanghai Food Safety Office said in a statement on Thursday. In 2005, the Shanghai Institute for Food and Drug Control signed a contract with the China division of Yum Brands in Shanghai, which owns KFC, to provide third-party testing services for its raw materials and semi-finished products, the statement said. From 2010 to 2011, a total of 19 batches of raw chicken samples from the Liuhe Group were tested, and eight of them were found to contain excessive amounts of antibiotics. All the testing reports were sent to Yum Brands. In an e-mail reply to China Daily, KFC said it strictly implements the country's regulations regarding raw material purchases, and has evaluated the qualification of suppliers, and sent samples to qualified third-party bodies for testing. KFC's e-mail added that in 2010, excessive amounts of antibiotics were found in raw chicken supplied by the Liuhe Group and Yingtai Co, and that KFC sent back the raw chicken to the suppliers and required them to rectify the situation. In 2011, KFC withdrew the qualification of Liuhe's Linyi factory to supply raw chicken. In 2012, considering the safety risk, KFC also terminated the supply contract with the Liuhe Group, it said. The statement of the Shanghai Food Safety Office comes after China Central Television reported earlier this week that some chicken farms in Shandong province feed the birds with excessive amounts of antibiotics to reduce their death rate and shorten their growing period. Animal nutrition experts said that chemical compound medicines, most antibiotics and hormones, are banned from being fed to stock and poultry. The experts added that some chickens are fed large doses of antibiotics because many Chinese farmers don't have the money or want to spend the money to raise the birds in larger and cleaner pens. The CCTV report said that the chickens — which had inferior health conditions and reached full growth within about 40 days — were sold to the Liuhe Group and Yingtai Co, both KFC suppliers. After the CCTV report triggered public concern over the safety of the birds supplied to KFC, the Shanghai Food and Drug Administration carried out tests on Tuesday after taking 32 samples of raw chicken products from a logistics center belonging to Yum Brands in Shanghai. The results of the tests are not known yet. Severe punishments will be handed out if any violation of food safety laws is found, the Shanghai Food Safety Office said. This year, Yum Brands sent a total of 283 batches of samples for test, which didn't include the products from Liuhe, according to the Xinhua News Agency. The administration's probe revealed that the logistics center's purchase records suggest that no purchases were made from Liuhe after May. "We will investigate whether Yum Brands took measures according to the food safety laws when they received the report on unqualified chicken," said Gu Zhenhua, deputy director of the Shanghai Food Safety Office. "Further investigations will also be made on the tests body (Shanghai Institute for Food and Drug Control), and we will implement the most strict accountability procedures on it," he said. Toxicologist Lu Dun said that the incident exposed some flaws in the system. "For the testing body, it's hard to find out how the clients will deal with the chickens after the test results are unveiled," Lu said. Contact the writer at wanghongyi@chinadaily.com.cn

Weekend mercury set to plummet Posted: 20 Dec 2012 11:51 AM PST Both snow and the temperature are expected to fall over the weekend, threatening to keep air and road travel in the disorderly state they have been in during the current cold snap in North China. The mercury is predicted to drop by up to 14 C in central and northern parts of the country, the China Meteorological Administration said on Thursday. The National Meteorological Center has issued a blue alert, the lowest level in a four-tier warning system. Some places may see their coldest December in years. The temperature in Beijing is expected to hit a 10-year low of -15 C on Saturday night. In the past three decades, the lowest December temperature recorded in the capital came in 1985, when thermometers registered -15.2 C. "The cold snap will ease off in the capital on Monday, although another spell is expected on Dec 27 and 28," Song Jisong, chief forecaster of the Beijing Meteorological Bureau, said on Thursday. Elderly people and infants should avoid spending a lot of time outdoors over the weekend, he said. Lu Zining, 3, was dressed in five layers of clothes and was eating steamed glutinous rice with his mother to keep warm on his way to kindergarten on Thursday. "I don't know what else he could put on to stay warm in the extreme cold that's coming," said his mother, Liu Yi. Cold fronts have been moving across the country this winter, bringing disorder to travel by land, air and sea. Snow and ice led to the closure of some airports in the Xinjiang Uygur and Inner Mongolia autonomous regions and Shanxi province on Thursday, as well as sections of expressways in Shanxi, the World Civil Aviation Resource Net reported. According to satellite images from the National Satellite Meteorological Center, the area occupied by sea ice in Liaodong Bay, off the coast of Liaoning province, increased to 4,715 square kilometers on Monday. Zhang Fanghua, chief forecaster at the National Meteorological Center, said it is normal to see cold air movements in the winter and the cold spell has nothing to do with doomsday prophecies related to the Mayan calendar. She said the current movements, although frequent, will not cause the kind of severe damage that arose from a series of winter storms in 2008, which claimed more than 100 lives. Authorities, though, are preparing for blizzards. The Beijing city government held a conference with energy companies on Wednesday to get ready for a likely peak in energy consumption. Nearly 7 billion cubic meters of natural gas is expected to be burned for central heating this winter, about 800 million cu m more than in the previous heating season. A 1-degree drop in temperature normally results in an additional 2 million cubic meters of gas being used in central-heating systems. To conserve natural gas, authorities have asked hotels, shopping malls and office buildings to keep temperatures below 22 C during the hours when they are open. Authorities in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region and Gansu province issued warnings on Wednesday afternoon about the coming snowstorms and temperature drop. Contact the writer at wangqian@chinadaily.com.cn

Laws urged to cover theft of online data Posted: 20 Dec 2012 11:51 AM PST Specific laws are needed to combat the theft of personal data, according to experts, after seven men were charged in Changsha, Hunan province, with selling more than 100 million bits of personal information online over the past five years. Information included names and addresses of cell phone users, car owners, company bosses and bank customers, Legal Daily reported on Thursday. The data were sold on the Internet and used to spam cell phones and illegal GPS devices, authorities said. Prosecutors said Zeng Zhizhong and Yi Zhijiang spent 4,000 yuan ($640) buying the databases of cell phone users, for instance, in Jiangxi and Hunan provinces over the Internet. Experts said the illegal use of personal data has worsened in recent years, partly because of improvements in the technology used to find it. In a survey by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released in April, 60 percent of respondents said their private information had been stolen, and the same number had received junk messages. To see just how easy it is to find personal information over the Internet, a China Daily reporter searched "car owners' data" on the Baidu search engine and was offered numerous links providing data. An operator on one website, chezhuziliao.com, said it charges 1 yuan for 10 car owners' information. To prove the authenticity, the operator e-mailed a list of 100 car owners in Beijing, dating from May to June 2011. The list included car owners' names and addresses, license plate details, cell phone numbers, car brands and models, and even the serial numbers on car frames. China Daily called one of the owners on the list, who said he received many unexpected calls from insurance salesmen — but he was surprised and concerned to hear his own information was actually being sold. "A thief calling you and standing in front of your home may break in at any time. That's more dangerous than receiving harassing promotion calls," he said. Many laws and regulations cover the issue of private information — including about 40 enacted by the national legislature, 30 by the State Council and 200 by ministries, and banking and insurance regulatory commissions. However, Yang Lixin, a law professor at Renmin University of China, said the legal framework lacks a clear definition for private-information protection. "Courts pay less attention to the offense because there is no detailed explanation or definition on the subject," said Yang. Ruan Qilin, a professor at China University of Political Science and Law, said many suspects arrested in a police crackdown of the crime last year were released, after the evidence collected failed to be strong enough to prosecute, because of the weak definitions. Ruan added that China needs specific laws on private-information protection that would properly regulate who can handle and manage personal information. Citizen awareness in protecting privacy should also be enhanced through further public education, Ruan said. Contact the writer at wanghuazhong@chinadaily.com.cn

Li builds case for urbanization Posted: 20 Dec 2012 11:51 AM PST Vice-Premier Li Keqiang arrives at a meeting to address reform measures in Beijing on Wednesday. [Feng Yongbin / China Daily]   Economic growth must focus on quality and efficiency: vice-premier Urbanization will be the main driver of economic growth for the future, Vice-Premier Li Keqiang said on Wednesday. Growth will be more focused, with the onus on quality and efficiency, not just speed, Li said. "Economic growth must be real," he said at a meeting discussing reform. Growth will have to ensure more job opportunities, higher incomes, better performances by enterprises and more effective use of energy and resources, he said. Domestic demand, especially from unprecedented urbanization, will overtake exports to become the main driver of the economy, Li said. The vice-premier also said it is an urgent task to reform investment and fundraising systems to boost domestic consumption. He urged officials to clear the hurdles for the reform. Large-scale urbanization and related development projects are likely to drive GDP growth to 8.4 percent in 2013, the World Bank said on Wednesday. The global organization predicted that due to weak exports and the government's efforts to cool the real estate sector, GDP will grow about 7.9 percent in 2012, the slowest pace since 1999. The annual session of the National People's Congress, the top legislature, scheduled for March, will set economic targets while deciding the line-up of the new cabinet. Many economists forecast that the government would set the GDP target at around 7.5 percent for 2013, the same as 2012. A higher target might give the impression that growth, rather than its quality, was the priority, they said. Setting a lower target also reflects government confidence in pushing for reforms while maintaining still-robust growth, said Xu Hongcai, economist with the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, a government think tank. Other analysts from financial institutions, including JPMorgan, Bank of China and Nomura Securities, also forecast growth above 7.5 percent next year. In the meantime, "larger investment, both private and public, will be welcomed by the government in the development of urban infrastructure and the social security system", Xu said. "Improvements in the financial system will also help cut down the downside risks in 2013." The government will offer tax cuts and help small enterprises and companies in the service sector, according to Xu. Xu said he is also looking forward to massive investment in urban rail systems, telecom and subsidized housing projects for low-income households. But the investment blitz should be tempered to avoid excessive production, as inflation may rebound in the coming months, he added. Some economists predict that the 2013 consumer price index, a main gauge of inflation, will be around 3.5 percent. Xu said he will not rule out the possibility of a 4 percent inflation rate. "The CPI may rise faster in the second half of next year," he warned, saying an easy credit supply from the US Federal Reserve will probably drive up global commodity prices and cause capital inflow into emerging-market countries. A recent report from the Fitch ratings agency said it is inevitable that more reform measures will be launched in China in 2013 to facilitate the economic "rebalancing". Contact the writer at chenjia1@chinadaily.com.cn

China and US agree on major trade measures Posted: 20 Dec 2012 11:51 AM PST Washington talks highlight 'importance of relationship' Chinese and US officials agreed on a number of measures, including export controls and investment, during trade talks in Washington. The US pledged to address concerns over fair treatment for Chinese investment in the US, and China vowed to strengthen protection of intellectual property rights, at a meeting of the China-US Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade in the US capital on Wednesday. The US also agreed to further relax technology export controls. China vowed to pursue a more open government procurement process and not require foreign companies to transfer technology as a precondition for market access. Wang Qishan, the vice-premier who headed the Chinese delegation, said the economies of China and the US have become "interdependent and inseparable". Wang described the two economies as "highly complementary and neither can thrive without the other''. Global economic recovery will be sluggish over the next five years, Wang said, and this means that ties will be of greater significance. China has made tangible progress in addressing US concerns over IPR protection, technology transfer, government procurement and market access, he said. Washington has started to address Chinese concerns on FDI in the US, export controls and visa issues. Wang described the talks as "effective and fruitful''. The world's two largest economies are now each other's second-largest trading partners. In 1983, when the talks were launched, bilateral trade was less than $5 billion. It is now approaching $500 billion. Acting US Secretary of Commerce Rebecca Blank agreed that relations have never been more important, especially after November's leadership transition. "We are entering a unique moment in which we can work together to ensure the long-term and short-term goals of our relationship," she said. US Trade Representative Ron Kirk, who is expected to leave the Obama administration in January, praised Wang for his leadership and devotion to better trade relations. "Our presence demonstrates that our two countries can work hard to resolve trade and investment issues through engagement and dialogue at the highest level," he said. But real success will be achieved by delivering tangible results, he said. Minister of Commerce Chen Deming described the talks as "achieving positive results". He pledged China will step up the IPR law enforcement, including the software used by State-owned enterprises, banks and government entities. He said both countries have pledged to fight protectionism. He expressed concern at the US Department of Commerce announcing on Tuesday it would levy high tariffs on wind towers imported from China. According to Chen, more than 20 topics were discussed at the meetings on Wednesday. The US hopes to increase beef exports to China while China wants to boost poultry exports to the US. "American companies continue to see progress as a result of this high-level engagement," John Frisbie, president of the US-China Business Council, said. The council represents some 240 leading US companies that do business with China. He Weiwen, co-director at the China-US-EU Study Center of the China Association of International Trade, said China and the US have made progress in protection of intellectual property rights. "However, it's not easy to remove divergence on some key points. Therefore, seeking common ground is the way to tackle the problem," he said. Mei Xinyu, a researcher at the International Trade and Economic Cooperation Institute of the Ministry of Commerce, urged Washington to widen access to Chinese investment as "it generates job opportunities". Contact the writers at chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com and baochang@chinadaily.com.cn AP contributed to this story.

No changes to HK, Macao policies: Xi Posted: 20 Dec 2012 08:56 AM PST Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday stressed that the central authorities' policies on Hong Kong and Macao will not change after the transition of power.

China to increase income control in monopolized sectors Posted: 20 Dec 2012 04:28 AM PST China will increase control on high earnings in monopolized sectors next year amid efforts to address income disparities, Finance Minister Xie Xuren said Thursday.

Xi Jinping meets Macao Chief Executive Posted: 20 Dec 2012 01:18 AM PST Xi Jinping, new leader of the Communist Party of China, on Thursday afternoon met with Chui Sai On, chief executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region.

Macao SAR celebrates 13th anniversary Posted: 20 Dec 2012 03:36 AM PST More than 300 guests attended a flag raising ceremony in Macao Thursday morning, opening a series of activities and events to mark the 13th anniversary of the establishment of the Macao Special Administrative Region.

China sees more private social work institutions Posted: 20 Dec 2012 02:22 AM PST China had more than 1,000 private social work institutions as of November, up from the 600-plus reported in May, according to the China Association of Social Workers.

China to further promote ties with ROK: FM Posted: 20 Dec 2012 01:15 AM PST China is ready to work with the Republic of Korea (ROK) to further promote bilateral relations in light of the election of ROK President Park Geun-hye, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Thursday.

Xi Jinping meets HKSAR Chief Executive CY Leung Posted: 20 Dec 2012 01:13 AM PST Xi Jinping, new leader of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Thursday afternoon met with Chief Executive of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) CY Leung.

Xi Jinping meets HKSAR Chief Executive CY Leung Posted: 20 Dec 2012 12:22 AM PST Xi Jinping, new leader of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Thursday afternoon met with Chief Executive of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) CY Leung.

Sino-US trade talks end with positive results Posted: 19 Dec 2012 08:33 PM PST China and the United States concluded here Wednesday their latest round of high-level trade talks with both agreeing to inject new vitality to bilateral trade and economic relations.

University student axed to death in library Posted: 20 Dec 2012 12:31 AM PST A student in east China's Anhui Province was axed to death in a university library on Thursday morning, local authorities said.

Tickets on sale for world's longest high-speed rail Posted: 19 Dec 2012 09:25 PM PST Tickets for the Beijing-Guangzhou high-speed rail line, the world's longest of the kind, went on sale at 10 a.m. Thursday.

'Instant chicken' farms shut down Posted: 19 Dec 2012 10:45 PM PST Food safety authorities in Qingdao City have closed two farms where workers were said to have fed chickens illegal drugs and 18 kinds of antibiotics to boost their growth.

'Instant chicken' farms shut down Posted: 19 Dec 2012 10:45 PM PST Food safety authorities in Qingdao City have closed two farms where workers were said to have fed chickens illegal drugs and 18 kinds of antibiotics to boost their growth.

Beijing detains 17 over doomsday rumor cult Posted: 19 Dec 2012 09:35 PM PST Police in Beijing said Thursday they have detained 17 members of the "Almighty God" cult for spreading rumors of an impending apocalypse on Dec. 21.

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