News » China » Plan to tackle Internet addiction

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• Plan to tackle Internet addiction
• Guideline uses market approach to curb pollution
• Lien Chan to visit mainland on Sunday
• Provinces urged to buy insurance
• Motives behind charges queried
• Xi's visit to boost Sino-Russian ties
• Japan PM's statement needs clarification: FM spokesman
• China mulls hygiene standards for public restrooms
• Mainland, Hong Kong called on to enhance mutual respect, trust
• Standards formulated amid energy-saving drive
• 98% rural population covered by medical insurance
• 56 houses damaged during fighting in Yunnan
• Compulsory insurance to cover more high-risk industries
• Children deaths lead to calls for better guardianship
• CPC official meets Portuguese Communist Party leader
• Compulsory environmental insurance to cover more high-risk industries
• 98 pct rural population covered by medical insurance
• 1 Chinese sailor among 3 killed after cargo sinks near Niigata, Japan
• Huawei, ZTE hold most patents in 2012
• 1 Chinese sailor among 3 killed after cargo sinks near Niigata, Japan

Plan to tackle Internet addiction Posted: 21 Feb 2013 01:52 PM PST China is to develop its own criteria for diagnosing Internet addiction in young people this year, in the hope of reducing the growing trend. Fifteen authorities, including the Ministry of Culture and the State Internet Information Office, announced a basic framework on Sunday. In the plan, the country will define what makes an addict, and spend about three years developing effective methods to intervene in minor online gaming addictions. Meanwhile, regulations on Internet cafes and online game companies will become stricter, and a stronger supervision system will be implemented. "Internet addiction has become a serious problem in China," said Li Jianwei, an official with the Culture Ministry. "Although some rules restricting students from playing online games have been introduced, the problem has not been solved completely." In Ziyang, Sichuan province, police recently detained a 14-year-old boy suspected of poisoning his family after he was banned from playing video games. The boy is accused of pouring farm chemicals into edible oil on Feb 2. It is alleged his actions caused his parents, elder brother and sister-in-law to suffer stomach problems, vomiting and other adverse effects. The boy confessed he poisoned his family because his mother banned him from playing computer games, police said. "The case is under investigation. The boy's family has been discharged from a hospital," said Yin Shijun, a police officer in Ziyang's Yanjiang district. Gu Jun, sociology professor from Shanghai University, said the case is extreme. Experts say thousands of teenagers in China are addicted to the Internet. Zhang Zhen, a native of Heilongjiang province and a junior at Beijing Union University, was an online game addict. He spent more than 4,000 hours playing World of Warcraft, a popular online game. "My second year in high school was my crazy days with online games. I spent more than 12 hours a day playing the game for six months," Zhang said, adding that more than half of his male friends in high school play online games. "During my high school years, I was forbidden from playing online games at home, so I spent days and nights in Internet cafes," he said. The 22 year old still loves computer games. When he does not have classes, he wakes up, washes briefly and heads straight for his laptop. "But my enthusiasm for online games is waning as I get older, I have more things to do, such as looking for internships," he added. He said the long hours he dedicated to gaming when he was addicted affected his health. Wang Ping, managing director of the Chinese Society for Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Research, an NGO specializing in helping young offenders, said the time is ripe to draw up a plan to deal with Internet addiction. "The unhealthy content online, such as violence and obscenity, has damaged young people, physically and mentally," Wang said. "But what symptoms define Internet addiction? How to diagnose young addicts, and at what level of addiction, is still vague," he said. The plan is timely and will set out a clear direction on how to cope with Internet addiction, Wang said. However, he added it will take a long time to enforce the plan because the issue covers many departments and needs each of them to carry out research and cooperate. Contact the writers at caoyin@chinadaily.com.cn and luowangshu@chinadaily.com.cn

Guideline uses market approach to curb pollution Posted: 21 Feb 2013 01:52 PM PST The Environmental Protection Ministry issued a guidance on Thursday making it mandatory for enterprises with high environmental risk to join an environmental liability insurance system. The ministry, together with the China Insurance Regulatory Commission, introduced the insurance system in 2007 in an attempt to use a market-oriented approach to tackle pollution damage and compensate victims for their losses. The new guideline is to make petrochemical and heavy metal industries join the system, which until now enterprises have joined on a voluntary basis. The system has already been applied in more than 10 provinces and regions, insuring more than 2,000 enterprises by almost 20 billion yuan ($3.17 billion). According to the guidance, enterprises that are included in the targeted industries but do not join the insurance system will encounter restrictions and difficulty in the approval of their projects' environmental impact assessments before and after construction, application of environmental protection related funds and their credit ratings in the banking system. This is the second move by the ministry in as many days to control the environmental risks posed by hazardous chemicals during industrial development. Fifty-eight types of hazardous chemicals out of a total of more than 3,000 are labeled as key chemicals to prevent and control in the Five-Year-Plan (2011-15) of the Management of Chemicals' Environmental Risks, released by the ministry late on Wednesday. By 2015, a basic management system will be formed to control the environmental risk of hazardous chemicals. More than half of the 568 environmental emergencies reported to the ministry between 2008 to 2011 are related to toxic chemicals, the plan said. China receives thousands of production and import requests for new chemicals every year, the plan states. But the impact they have on people's health and the environment is still unclear. Chemical industrial output value in China topped the world in 2010, with more than 25,000 large-scale chemical enterprises. The output of pesticides, dyestuff, methanol and chemical fertilizer are all the highest in the world. "The environment is under great pressure caused by the rapid development of chemical industries," said Li Lei, deputy director of the ministry's pollution prevention control department. "Chemicals, hazardous waste and heavy metal will be the three main targets in pollution control," she said in an environmental meeting in December. The plan says that some of the toxic and hazardous chemicals produced or being used in China have already been prohibited or restricted in developed countries. These chemicals do not easily break down by natural processes. They can accumulate in animals and people's organs, distorting chromosome structure and affecting their growth, the plan says. They have caused a drinking water crisis in many parts of the country — some regions have even been labeled as "cancer villages". Studies show that in recent years, a large number of toxic organic pollutants have been discovered in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. More than 170 types of persistent organic pollutants have been detected in the waters near the Three Gorges Dam, including 18 species covered by the United States Environmental Protection Agency's priority pollutants.

Lien Chan to visit mainland on Sunday Posted: 21 Feb 2013 01:52 PM PST Honorary Kuomintang chairman Lien Chan will visit the Chinese mainland from Sunday, a move analysts said is expected to boost cross-Straits ties. Lien will lead a delegation of more than 30 politicians and businesspeople on the trip from Sunday to Wednesday, KMT Mainland Affairs Committee director Kao Hui confirmed on Thursday, according to the Taipei-based Central News Agency. Lien is expected to meet China's top political leaders, Kuo Su-chun, a spokeswoman for Lien, was quoted by AFP as saying on Thursday. Lien's detailed agenda for the trip has not yet been disclosed, and China Daily phone calls to the publicity department of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council went unanswered on Thursday. Lien met China's top political leader Xi Jinping in October 2006 when he visited Zhejiang province. Xi was the province's Party chief at the time. Zhejiang had become more attractive to Taiwan businessmen, and the two regions had a "wide landscape" in business cooperation, Xi said during the meeting. Lien's visit is expected to boost mutual trust between the CPC and the KMT, which will be beneficial to cross-Straits economic cooperation, said Chen Xiancai, a professor with the Taiwan Research Institute at Xiamen University. "Lots of people in Taiwan are much concerned about the mainland's cross-Straits policy since Xi became the new top leader," he said. "The expected meetings between Lien and the top leaders will be a signal showing that the cross-Straits relationship will be harmonious in the coming years." Xi used to be governor of Fujian province, and his cross-Straits policies in both Fujian and Zhejiang were welcomed by local Taiwan businessmen, Chen said. Xi worked 17 years in Fujian, which gave him a deep understanding of Taiwan and enterprises from Taiwan. The first Taiwan chamber of commerce on the mainland was established in Xiamen when he worked in Fujian. He solved many problems for Taiwan compatriots and has been seen as a good friend by many of them, Xinhua reported. Jin Yong, an associate professor of Taiwan research at the Communication University of China, said the KMT has been a channel for the Communist Party of China to communicate with the Taiwan people and leaders. Cross-Straits ties have seen rapid growth in recent years, with the number of Chinese mainland tourists to Taiwan reaching nearly 69,000 during the Spring Festival holiday this month, about 30 percent more than last year, China News Service reported. Yu Zhengsheng, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, said on Tuesday that the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations is of long-term guiding significance. Efforts should be made to adhere to the guidelines on affairs concerning Taiwan, Yu said during an annual work conference on Taiwan affairs.

Provinces urged to buy insurance Posted: 21 Feb 2013 01:52 PM PST The Ministry of Health urged provinces to buy commercial insurance for rural residents to lower the financial burden caused by medical treatment. The New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme — a public insurance program for rural residents, which is run independently by each province — will spend about 15 yuan ($2.38) per person annually to buy commercial insurance for farmers in some provinces, thus they will spend less in treating severe chronic diseases. Announced by Health Minister Chen Zhu on Thursday, this is the latest measure to help rural residents cope with some severe chronic diseases. The move comes after the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Health and four other State-level government agencies issued a statement in August asking provinces to introduce commercial insurance. According to the statement, provinces across the country should provide commercial insurance for farmers if existing health insurance programs do not cover all of their medical expenses. If the amount they have to pay on their own exceeds the average net annual income for local rural residents, they will be offered reimbursement of no less than half of their out-of-pocket expenditure by the insurance companies. Funds to buy commercial insurance will come from the provincial rural health insurance funds, so members of the program won't have to pay extra premiums for it, said Zhu Hongming, head of the office of cooperative medical services of the Ministry of Health's department of rural health management. The government set 15 yuan as the national average as a result of a nationwide estimate, meaning that the expenditure for commercial insurance is unlikely to put pressure on rural insurance funds, said Zhu. "The surplus of rural health insurance funds nationwide in 2012 reached almost 25 percent of the total fund. Regulations stipulate that the surplus should not exceed 25 percent, otherwise people are not benefiting from the insurance programs," he said, suggesting that the surplus would be enough to pay for commercial insurance. According to Chen, in 2012, the average rural resident had about 55 percent of their hospitalization fees reimbursed by the program. To better use the funds, Chen said the ministry hopes the reimbursement will reach 60 percent, and that provinces should "strictly control" the surplus of their rural health insurance funds and lower them from the figure seen in 2012. The ministry is also asking provinces to reimburse at least 70 percent of the medical fees incurred by rural residents with 20 severe chronic diseases. Once a province has signed contracts with insurance companies, the insurance program will pay for at least another 15 percent of the medical fees for treating the 20 diseases. With other government subsidies, a rural patient will pay only about 10 percent of the total fees. Taicang county, Jiangsu province, was one of the inspirations for the program, which combines commercial insurance with public insurance. In Taicang county, companies reimburse up to 82 percent of any out-of-pocket medical fees above 10,000 yuan for each resident. In January, Shandong province adopted a similar program, providing commercial insurance to people with any of the 20 chronic diseases and paying more than 8,000 yuan for medical services on their own. Several provinces such as Anhui, Qinghai and Shaanxi have also come up with plans to use their funds to buy commercial insurance, but it may take two to three years for the new pattern to be implemented nationwide, because it will take time for different provinces to invite and review bids from insurance companies, said Zhu. However, rather than collecting commercial insurance premiums for severe chronic diseases, the rural health insurance program should focus on universal healthcare, Zhu added. "Commercial insurance takes up only a small part of the fund. It has a limited effect in reducing financial burdens for the public, because only a few of them have such severe diseases," he said.

Motives behind charges queried Posted: 21 Feb 2013 01:52 PM PST The recent spate of false allegations made by the United States against China and Russia bolsters interest groups that aim to maintain Washington's military dominance and block the Obama administration's planned defense cuts, said observers. Washington recently talked up threats from cyberspace and singled out China as its target. A report released by Internet security company Mandiant on Tuesday claimed that the Chinese military controls some of the most prolific hackers in the world and linked it to sophisticated cyberattacks on US companies. Earlier, the US air force said two F-15 fighter jets, from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, intercepted Russian TU-95 bombers, which circled the US island territory. The Chinese and Russian defense ministries rejected these "groundless" accusations. The Russian Defense Ministry said the Russian air force had no bombers on missions in the Pacific Ocean, and added that its bomber pilot training is carried out in Russia's Far East, not in the Pacific Ocean. The Chinese Ministry of National Defense said on Tuesday and Wednesday that Chinese military has never supported hackings and the report is false as it only relies on the IP addresses that shows they originated in China. Cyberattacks are global, anonymous and deceptive, and their true sources are not easy to identify, he said. IP addresses alone do not provide proof of hackers' origins, or whether the government is behind them, according to Chinese information specialists. Rather than attacking other countries, China, as official statistics show, is one of the major victims of cyberattacks. And hackings traced to the US ranked the first. Zhai Dequan, deputy secretary-general of the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association, said that the US, in order to continue to impose its containment strategy worldwide, has singled out China, as the rising economic power, and Russia, a strong military power, as its targets. Such moves will not help the US build good bilateral ties with other countries, said Jia Xiudong, a senior researcher at the China Institutes of International Studies. This case once again reflected the poor mutual strategic trust between the Chinese and US militaries, as the US side always links the rumor with China every time it appears, he said. According to documents obtained by USA Today, the US Army estimates that automatic budget cuts, scheduled to take effect on March 1, will force $15 billion in wage and spending reductions and prompt layoffs for 300,000 people nationwide. The cuts will affect every army installation, and US states with large bases and military contractors are taking the biggest hits, according to the documents. US President Barack Obama urged Congress on Tuesday to pass a measure to delay the automatic cuts to the defense budget for the rest of the year, which he said would do great damage to the economy. By playing up "security threats", interest groups can make political and economic gains, said Niu Jun, a professor of US studies at Peking University. It is unlikely that the Obama administration will maintain such a high defense budget due to the domestic economic situation, Zhai said. "But playing up the threat is good for those weapon manufacturers in the short term, and also for the country to maintain its military presence around the world in the long run," he said. To deal with these cyberattack allegations, there should be more dialogue, cooperation and regulation, rather than focusing on an imaginary enemy and demonizing it, said Yuan Peng, an expert on US studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations. "But the question is whether there will be a worldwide framework and an Internet regulation that is recognized by all parties, which will be an important subject for future US-China ties," he said. Contact the writers at zhaoshengnan@chinadaily.com.cn and qinzhongwei@chinadaily.com.cn Xinhua contributed to this story.

Xi's visit to boost Sino-Russian ties Posted: 21 Feb 2013 01:52 PM PST The upcoming visit to Russia by China's top leader will inject a new impetus into the two countries' relationship, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Wednesday. Putin said Xi Jinping's visit will be "a major event" in bilateral ties and expects it to yield substantial achievements. Analysts said Yang's visit to Russia is paving the way for Xi's visit, which will promote the China-Russia relationship. No date of the visit was mentioned. Yang said the China-Russia relationship has entered a new stage, thanks to joint efforts made by leaders of the two countries. The two strategic partners have become each other's opportunity for development, he said. China is willing to work with Russia in facilitating major multilateral events within the frameworks of the BRICS, Shanghai Cooperation Organization and G-20 summits so as to deliver a message of solidarity, cooperation and win-win ends, Yang said. According to Yang, strengthening China-Russia cooperation will not only benefit the two peoples, but also enhance world peace and development in general. The Russia-China strategic partnership of coordination maintains good momentum, with multilayer bilateral cooperation continuously yielding fruit, Putin said. "Russia-China relations have a huge impact on world peace and development. Russia is willing to make joint efforts with China in further promoting bilateral relations to a new level," Putin said. Feng Yujun, director of the Institute of Russian Studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said the visit will mark another important moment in the bilateral relationship. "The two countries' cooperation was further enhanced after the world financial crisis. Their political mutual trust has been strengthened, too," Feng said. During the visit, a number of cooperation agreements are expected to be signed, and breakthroughs are likely to be made in sectors including innovation and high-tech, Feng said. The two leaders are also expected to exchange views on world and regional issues, Feng said. "China and Russia's enhanced coordination is very significant for maintaining regional stability and world peace, especially during a time when the world order is restructuring." Alexander Larin, a researcher on Chinese politics at the Institute of Far Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said Xi's upcoming visit to Russia will prove that the two countries' leaders attach great importance to the China-Russia relationship. China and Russia view each other as a priority in their foreign policy. Xi said promoting relations with Russia is a priority for Chinese diplomacy when meeting visiting Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev in January. China was one of Putin's first state visits abroad after returning to the Kremlin for a third term as Russian president last year. The two sides are also expected to promote their cooperation in building up oil pipelines and joint oil refinery plants, Larin said. Russia's state-owned oil producer, Rosneft, agreed in principle to boost oil deliveries to China during Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin's visit to China earlier this week, Reuters reported. During Sechin's meeting with Chinese Vice-Premier Wang Qishan on Tuesday, the two sides pledged to boost energy cooperation between the two countries. In 2012, China-Russia trade reached $88.16 billion, a year-on-year increase of 11.2 percent, according to China Customs. The two neighbors aim to achieve $100 billion in bilateral trade by 2015 and $200 billion by 2020. Pu Zhendong and Xinhua contributed to this story.

Japan PM's statement needs clarification: FM spokesman Posted: 21 Feb 2013 08:08 AM PST A Foreign Ministry spokesman on Thursday said Japan must clarify and explain recent comments made by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe concerning China.

China mulls hygiene standards for public restrooms Posted: 21 Feb 2013 07:59 AM PST Health authorities have issued a draft regulation that sets standards for public toilets, including limits for odor intensity and the number of flies and maggots.

Mainland, Hong Kong called on to enhance mutual respect, trust Posted: 21 Feb 2013 08:01 AM PST Zhang Xiaoming, director of the Liaison Office of the Chinese Central People's Government in Hong Kong, on Thursday urged the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong to make concerted efforts to boost mutual respect and trust and deepen exchange and cooperation between the two regions.

Standards formulated amid energy-saving drive Posted: 21 Feb 2013 06:43 AM PST BEIJING - China has drawn up 54 national standards regarding energy efficiency since 2012 as part of the country's efforts to reduce carbon emissions and push forward industrial restructuring. Those energy-saving standards have stipulated usage restrictions on sectors such as cement, coal, rare earths and chemicals, and imposed basic standards in related management systems, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said in an online statement Thursday. The formulation of such standards came under a program initiated in 2012, in which the planner said it wanted to formulate or revise 100 major energy-saving standards within two years amid the government's efforts to build a greener economy. By the end of 2015, China aims to lower its energy consumption per unit of GDP by 16 percent from 2010 and lower its carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by 17 percent, according to the government's 12th Five-year Plan (2011-2015).

98% rural population covered by medical insurance Posted: 21 Feb 2013 06:43 AM PST BEIJING - A total of 805 million people -- 98 percent of the rural population -- were covered by the rural medical insurance system by the end of 2012, Minister of Health Chen Zhu announced Thursday. Under the new rural cooperative medical program, health funding for each countryside resident reached 300 yuan ($48) last year, Chen said at a health work conference held in Beijing. According to ministry statistics, 1.5 billion people received medical fee reimbursement through the program in 2012. Hospital expenses added up to 24 percent of the annual per capita income of rural residents in 2012, while the figure was 28 percent in 2011, the ministry said. More than 80 percent of rural areas have promoted payment method reforms. Also, measures have been taken to guarantee treatment for critical illnesses, with 990,000 patients receiving reimbursement for the treatment of serious diseases, the ministry said. Chen said supervision over rural medical funds was strengthened in 2012, with criminal sanctions given to 22 people who committed crimes involving the medical insurance system. According to Chen, the program is aiming to raise per capita health funding to 340 yuan in 2013. The medical insurance system should also be enhanced to fully guarantee treatment for 20 serious diseases, such as child leukemia, Chen said. Commercial insurance institutions are being encouraged to collaborate with the new rural cooperative medical program, with 15 yuan paid by each person to purchase insurance for critical illnesses, Chen added. "Many problems exist in the medical insurance system, including poor services provided by local medical institutions and a lack of subsidies for rural doctors in some areas," Chen said. Chen urged improving training for local health workers, making greater efforts to support village doctors and strengthening medical institution examinations.

56 houses damaged during fighting in Yunnan Posted: 21 Feb 2013 06:43 AM PST Fifty-six houses were damaged during a conflict between railway workers and villagers in Yunnan province, authorities said on Thursday. The clothes of several residents of Funing county's Yancun village were spotted on Feb 12 when two workers of China Railway Tunnel Group rode a motorcycle passing alongside them. The residents asked for 600 yuan ($96) in compensation and beat the workers, Chen Yujiang, deputy head of the county's publicity department, told China News Service. The next day, more than 100 workers from the group who are constructing a rail line in the county came to the village, wrecking 56 houses, he said. The county government has intervened in this incident, and the two sides are negotiating about compensation, Chen said.

Compulsory insurance to cover more high-risk industries Posted: 21 Feb 2013 06:43 AM PST BEIJING - The Chinese government has released a guideline promoting a compulsory insurance pilot program in heavy industries and other enterprises posing high environmental risks. According to the guideline jointly released by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the China Insurance Regulatory Commission, the insurance scheme aims to help heavy industries better prevent pollution and provide compensation for damage caused by polluting accidents. The pilot insurance program currently covers more than 2,000 enterprises that pose serious environmental risks, with some 20 billion yuan ($3.2 billion) underwritten, according to the ministry. The guideline has specified the category of enterprises that must participate in the insurance policy, which include mining and smelting industries, lead storage battery manufacturers, leather goods companies and chemical factories. Meanwhile, petrochemical companies and those involved in businesses related to hazardous chemical products and hazardous waste are encouraged to be insured. According to the guideline, special environmental protection funds will be allocated in favor of participating companies, which will also enjoy priority in bank lending. Those failing to apply for insurance may face negative environmental impact assessments and credit downgrading, which would hamper the future development of those companies, the ministry said. China has faced intensifying pollution pressure recently. In January, a chemical spill from a coal chemical company in North China's Shanxi province polluted nearby Hebei and Henan provinces, leaving thousands of people without tap water for days.

Children deaths lead to calls for better guardianship Posted: 21 Feb 2013 06:43 AM PST GUIYANG - A string of recent children deaths in China have raised questions about minors' protection and guardianship,especially in rural and poor areas. Five unsupervised boys aged between four and six suffocated to death in a deserted tobacco barn in Majiang county in Southwest China's Guizhou province, police confirmed on Wednesday. Each of the five families have been given 22,000 yuan and 100 kilograms of rice by the local government as consolation. About three months ago in the same province, five abandoned children were found dead in a dumpster where they lit a fire to keep warm on a cold night in the city of Bijie. According to Zhou Xiaozheng, a sociology professor with Beijing-based Renmin University of China, these tragedies have revealed that the children's parents were lacking the awareness of good guardianship and were not fulfilling their duties. Parents or guardians, who are usually busy with farm work or working in cities, leave their children with the grandparents. The children are often left to play by themselves or with others, which is quite common in China's rural areas, especially during holidays. Children go out to play after waking up and return home when they feel hungry or tired. "Just like little birds, the kids learn almost everything by themselves," said one villager in Majiang. Chen Changhai, a chief psychiatrist working in the Psychological Counseling Center of Guiyang city, said besides offering basic living conditions, parents should also educate children on how to protect themselves. "To help the children raise their awareness of self-protection and keeping away from dangers is the responsibility of guardians," said Chen. Experts also suggest better guardianship should be guaranteed by better understanding of laws. Chinese laws on the protection of minors outline guardians' responsibilities and obligations. However, there are no specific details on how the guardians should fulfill them, said Qin Qianhong, a law professor with Wuhan University. "Detailed rules and regulations will help guardians be aware of their duties and effectively prevent children from accidents or injuries," Qin added. Wu Dahua, president of the Guizhou Academy of Social Sciences and a law professor, believed those who fail to perform their responsibilities in protecting minors should be punished by law. "People usually think parents are also victims themselves because they have lost children in accidents. However, the parents should be held accountable for their dereliction of duty," said Wu. For example, some state laws in the United States rule that parents could face jail if their children die after being locked in a car. "Children should be treated as individuals, rather than the private property of their parents," added Wu.

CPC official meets Portuguese Communist Party leader Posted: 21 Feb 2013 06:43 AM PST BEIJING - A senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) met with visiting General Secretary of the Portuguese Communist Party Jeronimo de Sousa on Wednesday. Liu Qibao, head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, hailed the development of bilateral relations over the past 34 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, especially since 2005, when a comprehensive strategic bilateral partnership was forged. The CPC attaches importance to its relations with the Portuguese Communist Party and is willing to boost exchanges and cooperation with the party in order to advance bilateral ties between the two countries. During the meeting, de Sousa said the Portuguese Communist Party admires the achievements the CPC has made and appreciates China's important role in international affairs. The Portuguese Communist Party is ready to further cement its friendship with the CPC in order to boost the development of Sino-Portugal relations, de Sousa said.

Compulsory environmental insurance to cover more high-risk industries Posted: 21 Feb 2013 05:50 AM PST The Chinese government has released a guideline promoting a compulsory insurance pilot program in heavy industries and other enterprises posing high environmental risks.

98 pct rural population covered by medical insurance Posted: 21 Feb 2013 05:48 AM PST BEIJING, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- A total of 805 million people -- 98 percent of the rural population -- were covered by the rural medical insurance system by the end of 2012, Minister of Health Chen Zhu announced Thursday. Under the new rural cooperative medical program, health funding for each countryside resident reached 300 yuan (48 U.S. dollars) last year, Chen said at a health work conference held in Beijing. According to ministry statistics, 1.5 billion people received medical fee reimbursement through the program in 2012. Hospital expenses added up to 24 percent of the annual per capita income of rural residents in 2012, while the figure was 28 percent in 2011, the ministry said. More than 80 percent of rural areas have promoted payment method reforms. Also, measures have been taken to guarantee treatment for critical illnesses, with 990,000 patients receiving reimbursement for the treatment of serious diseases, the ministry said. Chen said supervision over rural medical funds was strengthened in 2012, with criminal sanctions given to 22 people who committed crimes involving the medical insurance system. According to Chen, the program is aiming to raise per capita health funding to 340 yuan in 2013. The medical insurance system should also be enhanced to fully guarantee treatment for 20 serious diseases, such as child leukemia, Chen said. Commercial insurance institutions are being encouraged to collaborate with the new rural cooperative medical program, with 15 yuan paid by each person to purchase insurance for critical illnesses, Chen added. "Many problems exist in the medical insurance system, including poor services provided by local medical institutions and a lack of subsidies for rural doctors in some areas," Chen said. Chen urged improving training for local health workers, making greater efforts to support village doctors and strengthening medical institution examinations.

1 Chinese sailor among 3 killed after cargo sinks near Niigata, Japan Posted: 21 Feb 2013 03:31 AM PST The Chinese Consulate General in Niigata confirmed Thursday that three sailors were killed after a Cambodia-registered vessel sank off Sado Island in Japan's Niigata Prefecture in the day.

Huawei, ZTE hold most patents in 2012 Posted: 21 Feb 2013 03:59 AM PST Huawei Technologies Co. and ZTE Corp. were granted the most invention patents on the Chinese mainland in 2012, the intellectual property authority said Thursday.

1 Chinese sailor among 3 killed after cargo sinks near Niigata, Japan Posted: 21 Feb 2013 03:39 AM PST The Chinese Consulate General in Niigata confirmed Thursday that three sailors were killed after a Cambodia-registered vessel sank off Sado Island in Japan's Niigata Prefecture in the day.

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