The State Council has approved working rules for the anti-monopoly committee under the Chinese Cabinet, sources with the committee said on Saturday.
The anti-monopoly law, which took effect on Aug. 1, will focus not only on protecting and facilitating competition, but also on encouraging concentration, acquisitions and mergers to improve efficiency in markets. It will encourage enterprises to become more powerful and competitive, and at the same time, prevent inappropriate mergers which lead to monopoly.
Enforcement of the law will safeguard legitimate interests of all investors, including foreign ones, and prevent malicious mergers of local enterprises by foreign companies at the same time, so as to ensure economic security of the nation, according to the meeting.
Functions of the State Council anti-monopoly committee are as follows:
-- organizing investigations and assessments on the overall situation of market competition, and making reports,
-- making anti-monopoly guidelines,
-- carrying out the law.
Government departments have been ordered to formulate supporting rules for the law and establish databanks on market concentration for different trades.
Source: Xinhua
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Chinese political advisors celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival
The National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference , the country's top advisory body, celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival on Saturday night.
Jia Qinglin, chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, attended the gathering for the festival, which falls on Sunday, together with more than 400 political advisors and people from all walks of life.
Wang Gang, vice-chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, extended festival greetings to political advisors across China, and expressed the wish that the country could realize reunification at an early date.
The Mid-Autumn Festival, along with the Spring Festival, or the Chinese Lunar New Year, are traditional Chinese festivals for family reunions.
Source: Xinhua
Jia Qinglin, chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, attended the gathering for the festival, which falls on Sunday, together with more than 400 political advisors and people from all walks of life.
Wang Gang, vice-chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, extended festival greetings to political advisors across China, and expressed the wish that the country could realize reunification at an early date.
The Mid-Autumn Festival, along with the Spring Festival, or the Chinese Lunar New Year, are traditional Chinese festivals for family reunions.
Source: Xinhua
Senior Russian, Chinese officials meet on bilateral ties
Vladislav Surkov, first Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office of Russia, Friday met with Wang Jiarui, a senior official of the Communist Party of China , to discuss bilateral ties.
Surkov spoke highly of the Russia-China ties and welcomed the exchange between parties of the two countries.
The exchange is an important component of bilateral relations of the two countries, and enriches the content of the Russia-China strategic partnership, he said, adding that the two sides should further the exchange and cooperation between parties.
Surkov also congratulated China on its remarkable achievements in recent years and the success of the Beijing Olympics.
Wang, head of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, said both the CPC and the Chinese government attach great importance to the Sino-Russian strategic partnership, and hope to make concerted efforts with the Russian side to promote bilateral cooperation.
The CPC will enhance its cooperation with major Russian parties, in a bid to boost the development of bilateral ties, which is beneficial to the peoples of the two countries, Wang said.
Wang, head of a CPC delegation, arrived here Wednesday for a visit at the invitation of the United Russia party.
Source: Xinhua
Surkov spoke highly of the Russia-China ties and welcomed the exchange between parties of the two countries.
The exchange is an important component of bilateral relations of the two countries, and enriches the content of the Russia-China strategic partnership, he said, adding that the two sides should further the exchange and cooperation between parties.
Surkov also congratulated China on its remarkable achievements in recent years and the success of the Beijing Olympics.
Wang, head of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, said both the CPC and the Chinese government attach great importance to the Sino-Russian strategic partnership, and hope to make concerted efforts with the Russian side to promote bilateral cooperation.
The CPC will enhance its cooperation with major Russian parties, in a bid to boost the development of bilateral ties, which is beneficial to the peoples of the two countries, Wang said.
Wang, head of a CPC delegation, arrived here Wednesday for a visit at the invitation of the United Russia party.
Source: Xinhua
President of Guinea Bissau, King of Jordan to visit China
Joao Bernardo Vieira, president of Guinea Bissau and Jordan King Abdullah II Bin Al-Hussein will visit China from Sept. 16 to 19 and from Sept. 17 to 18 respectively, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu announced here on Saturday.
The two heads of the state will also attend the closing ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, Jiang added.
Source: Xinhua
The two heads of the state will also attend the closing ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, Jiang added.
Source: Xinhua
PMs of Bangladesh, Nigeria, Samoa to visit China
Fakhruddin Ahmed, Chief Advisor of Bangladeshi Caretaker Government, Nigerian Prime Minister Seyni Oumarou and Samoa's Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi will visit China from Sept. 15 to 18, Sept. 16 to 21 and Sept. 16 to 18 respectively, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu announced here on Saturday.
Ahmed, Oumarou and Malielegaoi will also attend the closing ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, Jiang added.
Source: Xinhua
Ahmed, Oumarou and Malielegaoi will also attend the closing ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, Jiang added.
Source: Xinhua
Deputy PMs of Turkmenistan, Tonga to visit China
Deriyageldi Orazov and Maysa Yazmuhamedova, deputy prime ministers of Turkmenistan, and Tongan Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health Viliami Tau Tangi will visit China from Sept. 16 to 20 and Sept. 16 to 18 respectively, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said here on Saturday.
Orazov, Yazmuhamedova and Tangi will also attend the closing ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, Jiang added.
Source: Xinhua
Orazov, Yazmuhamedova and Tangi will also attend the closing ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, Jiang added.
Source: Xinhua
CPC official leaves for Japan
Liu Hongcai, deputy head of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China , left here on Sunday for a working visit to Japan.
Liu, heading a CPC delegation, will attend the 4th Annual Tokyo-Beijing Forum.
Source: Xinhua
Liu, heading a CPC delegation, will attend the 4th Annual Tokyo-Beijing Forum.
Source: Xinhua
EU not to impose provisional duties on Chinese steel products
The European Union has decided not to impose provisional anti-dumping duties on Chinese steel products, the European Commission said Saturday.
But the EU will continue its investigation on whether to impose definitive anti-dumping duties.
The EU's decision came after nine months of investigation on hot-dipped metallic coated iron or steel flat-rolled products from China.
"We have decided not to impose provisional duties. We can continue the investigation with another six months. At the end of the six months, we can decide to impose definitive duties or not," said Peter Power, spokesman of EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson.
The European Commission is also investigating whether to impose provisional duties on two other Chinese steel products -- stainless steel cold-rolled flat products and wire rods.
Source:Xinhua
But the EU will continue its investigation on whether to impose definitive anti-dumping duties.
The EU's decision came after nine months of investigation on hot-dipped metallic coated iron or steel flat-rolled products from China.
"We have decided not to impose provisional duties. We can continue the investigation with another six months. At the end of the six months, we can decide to impose definitive duties or not," said Peter Power, spokesman of EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson.
The European Commission is also investigating whether to impose provisional duties on two other Chinese steel products -- stainless steel cold-rolled flat products and wire rods.
Source:Xinhua
China reports 432 infants with kidney stones, production of Sanlu halted
North China's Hebei provincial government has ordered a halt of production of the Sanlu Group, the producer of the contaminated milk powder that initial investigation shows caused kidney stones of at least 432 babies.
Relevant authorities of the Central Government have ordered stopping sales of all Sanlu brand baby milk powder on the market and tightening checks on feedstuff, raw milk, and the processing, wholesale and sale links, Gao Qiang, a senior official of China's health ministry, said at a press conference here on Saturday.
"It is a severe food safety incident," said Gao Qiang, referring to the baby milk powder contamination case involving the Sanlu Group.
A preliminary investigation has confirmed the baby milk powder contaminated by melamine was the cause of kidney stones in infants, said Gao, who is heading an emergency response group to deal with the Sanlu case.
Melamine is a raw chemical strictly forbidden by China to be used in food processing, he said, noting that the melamine substance found in some of the Sanlu products was deliberately added by lawless people to increase the protein percentage in raw milk or milk powder.
The health ministry has notified the World Health Organization, Hong Kong and Macao's health departments, the New Zealand Embassy in China and the press about the development, Gao said.
The State Council's Taiwan affairs office has also notified Taiwan's relevant department about the situation, urging the public to immediately stop consuming the Sanlu formula and seek medical assistance if they find babies who have drunk the formula have any trouble urinating.
According to Gao, Sanlu Group had got complaints about its baby milk powder in March and then confirmed the problems through an internal company investigation. It also took actions to recall some of these products. However, for a long time after that the group didn't report it to the government nor did it reveal the information to the public.
"Sanlu Group should take a large part of responsibility in the case," said Gao.
The country reported 432 sick babies suffering from kidney stones as of Friday, he said.
The State Council, or the Cabinet, has decided to launch a nationwide checkup on all the country's baby milk powder producers and the results will be announced to the public, according to Gao.
"Substandard milk powder will be recalled and banned for sale," Gao said, citing the orders given by the Cabinet.
The State Council also pledged to give "free medical treatment" to the infant patients and urged the health departments to organize experts to fan out to remote rural areas to find out sick babies and send them into hospitals in time, the official said.
Gao promised an extensive quality probe into the products of all the 175 infant formulas produced throughout the country.
"The inspection will not only probe into the processing, but also trace back to the raw milk," he noted.
He also stressed that a few days would be needed because of the substantial workload. "We will present the inspection result as it is."
Gao said the Chinese government had adopted effective measures to address the food quality concerns over the past years and to strengthen the dairy product quality supervision. "Within a long period of time, the quality of China's dairy products was guaranteed."
The official called the accident a "reminder", which revealed the importance of ceaseless efforts that should be made to strengthen the effective food quality supervision.
The Ministry of Health, along with other ministries and the Hebei Provincial Government will make in-depth and serious investigation into the reasons and responsibilities of this food safety accident, according to Gao.
"For those people who proved to be responsible for the accident, they will be seriously dealt with," he added.
"We will sum up experiences and lessons learned from this accident and find loopholes in the country's food quality supervision."
Gao said they are now investigating how the melamine was added into the raw milk.
So far, a total of 19 people related have been detained.
The central government vowed to release relevant information in time, including the investigation result of the incident, the treatment of the infant patients and the quality of other brands of milk powder.
The contaminated Sanlu baby milk powder was only sold on the Chinese mainland and Taiwan. And "Only a fraction of the milk powder" was sold to Taiwan for food processing, said Gao.
Source: Xinhua
Relevant authorities of the Central Government have ordered stopping sales of all Sanlu brand baby milk powder on the market and tightening checks on feedstuff, raw milk, and the processing, wholesale and sale links, Gao Qiang, a senior official of China's health ministry, said at a press conference here on Saturday.
"It is a severe food safety incident," said Gao Qiang, referring to the baby milk powder contamination case involving the Sanlu Group.
A preliminary investigation has confirmed the baby milk powder contaminated by melamine was the cause of kidney stones in infants, said Gao, who is heading an emergency response group to deal with the Sanlu case.
Melamine is a raw chemical strictly forbidden by China to be used in food processing, he said, noting that the melamine substance found in some of the Sanlu products was deliberately added by lawless people to increase the protein percentage in raw milk or milk powder.
The health ministry has notified the World Health Organization, Hong Kong and Macao's health departments, the New Zealand Embassy in China and the press about the development, Gao said.
The State Council's Taiwan affairs office has also notified Taiwan's relevant department about the situation, urging the public to immediately stop consuming the Sanlu formula and seek medical assistance if they find babies who have drunk the formula have any trouble urinating.
According to Gao, Sanlu Group had got complaints about its baby milk powder in March and then confirmed the problems through an internal company investigation. It also took actions to recall some of these products. However, for a long time after that the group didn't report it to the government nor did it reveal the information to the public.
"Sanlu Group should take a large part of responsibility in the case," said Gao.
The country reported 432 sick babies suffering from kidney stones as of Friday, he said.
The State Council, or the Cabinet, has decided to launch a nationwide checkup on all the country's baby milk powder producers and the results will be announced to the public, according to Gao.
"Substandard milk powder will be recalled and banned for sale," Gao said, citing the orders given by the Cabinet.
The State Council also pledged to give "free medical treatment" to the infant patients and urged the health departments to organize experts to fan out to remote rural areas to find out sick babies and send them into hospitals in time, the official said.
Gao promised an extensive quality probe into the products of all the 175 infant formulas produced throughout the country.
"The inspection will not only probe into the processing, but also trace back to the raw milk," he noted.
He also stressed that a few days would be needed because of the substantial workload. "We will present the inspection result as it is."
Gao said the Chinese government had adopted effective measures to address the food quality concerns over the past years and to strengthen the dairy product quality supervision. "Within a long period of time, the quality of China's dairy products was guaranteed."
The official called the accident a "reminder", which revealed the importance of ceaseless efforts that should be made to strengthen the effective food quality supervision.
The Ministry of Health, along with other ministries and the Hebei Provincial Government will make in-depth and serious investigation into the reasons and responsibilities of this food safety accident, according to Gao.
"For those people who proved to be responsible for the accident, they will be seriously dealt with," he added.
"We will sum up experiences and lessons learned from this accident and find loopholes in the country's food quality supervision."
Gao said they are now investigating how the melamine was added into the raw milk.
So far, a total of 19 people related have been detained.
The central government vowed to release relevant information in time, including the investigation result of the incident, the treatment of the infant patients and the quality of other brands of milk powder.
The contaminated Sanlu baby milk powder was only sold on the Chinese mainland and Taiwan. And "Only a fraction of the milk powder" was sold to Taiwan for food processing, said Gao.
Source: Xinhua
Health ministry: Tainted milk powder not sold abroad
The contaminated Sanlu baby milk powder in connection with the country's hundreds of infant kidney stone cases was only sold on the Chinese mainland and Taiwan, health ministry official Gao Qiang said on Saturday.
"None of the milk powder was exported to other countries or regions," Gao said at a press conference.
"Only a fraction of the milk powder was sold to Taiwan for food processing," he added.
Source: Xinhua
"None of the milk powder was exported to other countries or regions," Gao said at a press conference.
"Only a fraction of the milk powder was sold to Taiwan for food processing," he added.
Source: Xinhua
China to improve food supervision after tainted milk powder sickens babies
China is to look at improving its food quality supervision, in the wake of the contaminated milk powder case which has left one baby dead and 432 sick with kidney stones.
Health ministry official Gao Qiang vowed on Saturday that an efficient system should be set up to combine efforts from ministries and bring both the food safety supervision and food quality to "a new level".
The Sanlu Group, a leading Chinese dairy producer, admitted Friday night that it had found some of its baby milk powder products were contaminated with melamine, a chemical raw material. It issued an immediate recall of milk formula made before Aug. 6, saying an expected 700 tonnes of contaminated milk powder was still in circulation.
The local Shijiazhuang government claimed melamine was added to raw milk, which Sanlu bought from dairy farms to produce its powder. The chemical would make the milk look good even though it had been diluted with water.
Chinese Police have detained 19 suspects and questioned 78 people in the investigation of the baby milk powder contamination case, Gao said.
"In routine inspections, neither an enterprise nor a quality supervisor will test the amount of an unpredictable medical substance", said Pu Changcheng, deputy director of the Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine .
Pu vowed the authorities would seriously tackle the Sanlu case and study the hidden factors which might lead to serious quality incidents.
Source: Xinhua
Health ministry official Gao Qiang vowed on Saturday that an efficient system should be set up to combine efforts from ministries and bring both the food safety supervision and food quality to "a new level".
The Sanlu Group, a leading Chinese dairy producer, admitted Friday night that it had found some of its baby milk powder products were contaminated with melamine, a chemical raw material. It issued an immediate recall of milk formula made before Aug. 6, saying an expected 700 tonnes of contaminated milk powder was still in circulation.
The local Shijiazhuang government claimed melamine was added to raw milk, which Sanlu bought from dairy farms to produce its powder. The chemical would make the milk look good even though it had been diluted with water.
Chinese Police have detained 19 suspects and questioned 78 people in the investigation of the baby milk powder contamination case, Gao said.
"In routine inspections, neither an enterprise nor a quality supervisor will test the amount of an unpredictable medical substance", said Pu Changcheng, deputy director of the Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine .
Pu vowed the authorities would seriously tackle the Sanlu case and study the hidden factors which might lead to serious quality incidents.
Source: Xinhua
Experts: Three Gorges Project's water level rise plan won't pose flood control harm
Chinese experts said Friday that although the Yangtze River was still at flood season, the plan to raise the water level of the Three Gorges Project water to 175 meters in mid-September would not pose any flood control harm.
No exact date was given for starting to do so, which is still awaiting approval from the State Council, the country's Cabinet. This broader timetable, however, is about half a month earlier than the original plan.
Yuan Jie, chief of Three Gorges Project Tiered Control Center, said the rescheduled plan for water level rise would help the project realize its full potential.
He said there was no need to worry about flood control safety as historical data prove it is unlikely to have major flood peaks on the upper reaches of the Yangtze after mid-September.
Dams built on the Yangtze's upper reaches in recent years mean that water flow in the flood season is now less than before.
Yuan's opinion favoring the rescheduled plan was echoed by Chen Lei, deputy chief engineer with the Three Gorges Project Representative Bureau of the Yangtze River Water Resources Committee.
"The exact date and ways for raising the level will be decided by conditions on the upper reaches of the river and flood control conditions on the lower reaches. In addition, we have to get approval from the State Council," said Chen.
"To raise the water level from 145 meters at present to 175 meters, we need an extra 22.1 billion cubic meters of water, more than double the volume of water needed to drive up the water level from 135 meters to 156 meters in 2006 which was done in 37 days," said Chen.
The monitored water level was 145.84 meters as of 10 a.m. Wednesday, said a source with China Three Gorges Project Corporation .
Cao Guangjing, deputy general manager of CTGPC, said the plan to raise the water level of the Three Gorges reservoir to 175 meters wouldn't cause massive silting, or lead to serious natural disasters in nearby areas.
Silt into the Three Gorges Reservoir has been on decline in recent years thanks to factors including construction of some 100 hydropower stations and the efforts to grow trees on farmland.
Statistics show that 210 million tonnes of silt has been washed down into the Three Gorges Reservoir each year since 2003 when the water level was raised to 135 meters, far below the expected 530 million tonnes a year. Less than 100 million tonnes of silt has been swept into the reservoir this year ending mid-August.
"We have taken measures such as relocating residents living on dangerous grounds and improving monitoring to get information first over the past years, so we are confident that occurrence of major geological disasters causing heavy fatalities will be reduced enormously," said Cao.
There have been cases of landslides and minor earthquakes around the Three Gorges Reservoir Area after the water level was raised to 135 meters in 2003 for the first time. It is not clear whether Cao was referring to this.
Cao admitted water bloom made a frequent presence in the Three Gorges Reservoir since 2003 when the water level was raised to 135meters high.
He promised to cooperate more with Chinese scientists and get experience in harnessing the environmental problem on the massive reservoir by carrying out an experiment on Xiangxi Creek, a minor tributary of the Yangtze.
The Three Gorges Project, launched in 1993 with a budget equivalent to 22.5 billion U.S. dollars, is a multi-functional water control system built at the upper middle reaches of the country's longest river.
Its main works are a dam, a five-tier ship lock, as well as the installation of 26 hydropower turbo-generators. Its key functions include flood control and power generation.
The project has been constructed in three phases and storing water at the 175 meter level is a requirement for the last phase of construction.
Altogether 1.24 million residents in Chongqing and Hubei Province were relocated to make way for construction of the project as of June.
The Three Gorges called for the 26 generators, 14 on the left bank and 12 on the right, to produce 84.7 billion kwh of electricity annually upon its completion.
It will expand further to include six more turbines by 2012.
The 26 planned power generation turbines will be completed in November as the installation of the last one nears the end, the project developers said on Monday.
Source: Xinhua
No exact date was given for starting to do so, which is still awaiting approval from the State Council, the country's Cabinet. This broader timetable, however, is about half a month earlier than the original plan.
Yuan Jie, chief of Three Gorges Project Tiered Control Center, said the rescheduled plan for water level rise would help the project realize its full potential.
He said there was no need to worry about flood control safety as historical data prove it is unlikely to have major flood peaks on the upper reaches of the Yangtze after mid-September.
Dams built on the Yangtze's upper reaches in recent years mean that water flow in the flood season is now less than before.
Yuan's opinion favoring the rescheduled plan was echoed by Chen Lei, deputy chief engineer with the Three Gorges Project Representative Bureau of the Yangtze River Water Resources Committee.
"The exact date and ways for raising the level will be decided by conditions on the upper reaches of the river and flood control conditions on the lower reaches. In addition, we have to get approval from the State Council," said Chen.
"To raise the water level from 145 meters at present to 175 meters, we need an extra 22.1 billion cubic meters of water, more than double the volume of water needed to drive up the water level from 135 meters to 156 meters in 2006 which was done in 37 days," said Chen.
The monitored water level was 145.84 meters as of 10 a.m. Wednesday, said a source with China Three Gorges Project Corporation .
Cao Guangjing, deputy general manager of CTGPC, said the plan to raise the water level of the Three Gorges reservoir to 175 meters wouldn't cause massive silting, or lead to serious natural disasters in nearby areas.
Silt into the Three Gorges Reservoir has been on decline in recent years thanks to factors including construction of some 100 hydropower stations and the efforts to grow trees on farmland.
Statistics show that 210 million tonnes of silt has been washed down into the Three Gorges Reservoir each year since 2003 when the water level was raised to 135 meters, far below the expected 530 million tonnes a year. Less than 100 million tonnes of silt has been swept into the reservoir this year ending mid-August.
"We have taken measures such as relocating residents living on dangerous grounds and improving monitoring to get information first over the past years, so we are confident that occurrence of major geological disasters causing heavy fatalities will be reduced enormously," said Cao.
There have been cases of landslides and minor earthquakes around the Three Gorges Reservoir Area after the water level was raised to 135 meters in 2003 for the first time. It is not clear whether Cao was referring to this.
Cao admitted water bloom made a frequent presence in the Three Gorges Reservoir since 2003 when the water level was raised to 135meters high.
He promised to cooperate more with Chinese scientists and get experience in harnessing the environmental problem on the massive reservoir by carrying out an experiment on Xiangxi Creek, a minor tributary of the Yangtze.
The Three Gorges Project, launched in 1993 with a budget equivalent to 22.5 billion U.S. dollars, is a multi-functional water control system built at the upper middle reaches of the country's longest river.
Its main works are a dam, a five-tier ship lock, as well as the installation of 26 hydropower turbo-generators. Its key functions include flood control and power generation.
The project has been constructed in three phases and storing water at the 175 meter level is a requirement for the last phase of construction.
Altogether 1.24 million residents in Chongqing and Hubei Province were relocated to make way for construction of the project as of June.
The Three Gorges called for the 26 generators, 14 on the left bank and 12 on the right, to produce 84.7 billion kwh of electricity annually upon its completion.
It will expand further to include six more turbines by 2012.
The 26 planned power generation turbines will be completed in November as the installation of the last one nears the end, the project developers said on Monday.
Source: Xinhua
51 people killed after bus plunges into valley in SW China
A bus plunged into a valley in southwest China's Sichuan Province Saturday afternoon, killing 51 people, local authorities confirmed Saturday night.
The bus, going from Bazhong City of Sichuan to Ningbo City in the eastern Zhejiang Province, dived into a 100-meter-deep valley around 1:40 p.m. in the mountainous Nanjiang County, according to an unnamed local county official.
He said there were altogether 51 people aboard when the bus departed from Bazhong and chances were slim for survivals.
Local witnesses said they had heard an explosion and seen thick smoke after the accident occurred.
No survivals have been found so far.
Jiang Jufeng, governor of Sichuan, is en route to the site to supervise the rescue operation.
No other details are immediately available.
Source: Xinhua
The bus, going from Bazhong City of Sichuan to Ningbo City in the eastern Zhejiang Province, dived into a 100-meter-deep valley around 1:40 p.m. in the mountainous Nanjiang County, according to an unnamed local county official.
He said there were altogether 51 people aboard when the bus departed from Bazhong and chances were slim for survivals.
Local witnesses said they had heard an explosion and seen thick smoke after the accident occurred.
No survivals have been found so far.
Jiang Jufeng, governor of Sichuan, is en route to the site to supervise the rescue operation.
No other details are immediately available.
Source: Xinhua
North China mud-rock flow death toll rises to 254
The death toll of a mud-rock flow in north China's Shanxi Province rose to 254 as of 8p.m. Saturday, local authorities said on Saturday night.
Kang Haiyin, Communist Party committee chief of Xiangfen County, and Li Xuejun, the county head, have been suspended from duty.
The identities of 128 dead have been confirmed. A total of 1,047 have been displaced by the mud-rock flow.
The unlicensed mine is in Xiangfen County, Linfen City. The mud-rock flow around 8 a.m. Monday was triggered when the retaining wall of a mining reservoir containing tons of liquid iron-ore waste collapsed, inundating downstream villages and an outdoor market crowded with customers.
According to initial calculation, direct economic losses of the accident would hit 9.18 million yuan .
More than 1,000 rescuers hunting for bodies have covered more than 90 percent of the inundated area, and it could take several more days to cover two channels where villagers believed more bodies were buried.
Rescuers have begun a new round of search along and inside a 300-meter long ditch by removing the fill of silt in it.
"This is the toughest phase of the ongoing rescue," said Lian Zhendong, chief of the rescue headquarters. "But we will do our utmost to finish the search in three to five days."
Power supply and telecommunications service at the site have been restored.
Source: Xinhua
Kang Haiyin, Communist Party committee chief of Xiangfen County, and Li Xuejun, the county head, have been suspended from duty.
The identities of 128 dead have been confirmed. A total of 1,047 have been displaced by the mud-rock flow.
The unlicensed mine is in Xiangfen County, Linfen City. The mud-rock flow around 8 a.m. Monday was triggered when the retaining wall of a mining reservoir containing tons of liquid iron-ore waste collapsed, inundating downstream villages and an outdoor market crowded with customers.
According to initial calculation, direct economic losses of the accident would hit 9.18 million yuan .
More than 1,000 rescuers hunting for bodies have covered more than 90 percent of the inundated area, and it could take several more days to cover two channels where villagers believed more bodies were buried.
Rescuers have begun a new round of search along and inside a 300-meter long ditch by removing the fill of silt in it.
"This is the toughest phase of the ongoing rescue," said Lian Zhendong, chief of the rescue headquarters. "But we will do our utmost to finish the search in three to five days."
Power supply and telecommunications service at the site have been restored.
Source: Xinhua
Chemical plant blasts in NE China, casualties unknown
An explosion occurred in a petrochemical plant in northeast China's Liaoning Province at 5:46 a.m. on Sunday, the provincial general fire brigade confirmed, but there was no immediate report on casualties.
The blast in Jianshanzi Village, Luodatai Town of Dengta City could even be heard in a county 40 kilometers away. Dengta City is under the administration of Liaoyang City.
The blaze was basically brought under control at around 7:30 after more than 30 fire engines rushed to the scene, the fire brigade said.
The Dengta Jinhang Petrochemical Co. Ltd. is a privately owned company, which manufactures lubricant addictives, such as antioxidants, petroleum cleaner and antidetonant.
The plant is about 2 hours' ride from Shenyang, capital of Liaoning. It covers about 60,000 square meters and is adjacent to big state-owned petrochemical enterprises like Liaoyang Chemical Group and Liaohe Oilfield.
Source: Xinhua
The blast in Jianshanzi Village, Luodatai Town of Dengta City could even be heard in a county 40 kilometers away. Dengta City is under the administration of Liaoyang City.
The blaze was basically brought under control at around 7:30 after more than 30 fire engines rushed to the scene, the fire brigade said.
The Dengta Jinhang Petrochemical Co. Ltd. is a privately owned company, which manufactures lubricant addictives, such as antioxidants, petroleum cleaner and antidetonant.
The plant is about 2 hours' ride from Shenyang, capital of Liaoning. It covers about 60,000 square meters and is adjacent to big state-owned petrochemical enterprises like Liaoyang Chemical Group and Liaohe Oilfield.
Source: Xinhua
China's coastal provinces displace thousands in precaution against Sinlaku
Fujian and Zhejiang provinces in east China have evacuated over 170,000 people from low-lying coastal regions, as the typhoon Sinlaku suggested a move towards them, after it pounded Taiwan early Sunday morning.
The Fujian provincial meteorological observatory monitored the eye of the storm was in Yilan County, Taiwan, at 5:00 a.m., packing up winds at 45 meters per second.
Its power started to affect Fujian, as the observatory gave yellow alert, or the second-degree disaster weather warning, to the storm on Sunday, forecasting winds close to hurricane force and heavy rains in the sea area of the Taiwan Straits from Sunday to Monday.
Sinlaku is the 13th tropical storm so far this year. The flood control department in Zhejiang warned that Sinlaku could cause serious geological disasters on its possible course through Ningbo, Taizhou and Wenzhou cities as well as the Zhoushan Islands.
The provincial fisheries bureau has called 29,899 fishing boats to shore, and evacuated 147,181 people to safe places.
Local authorities have urged all coastal scenic spots to shut down business, and persuade tourists to stay in safe places or return home.
In Fujian, more than 30,000 fishermen have returned to harbor on Saturday.
Source: Xinhua
The Fujian provincial meteorological observatory monitored the eye of the storm was in Yilan County, Taiwan, at 5:00 a.m., packing up winds at 45 meters per second.
Its power started to affect Fujian, as the observatory gave yellow alert, or the second-degree disaster weather warning, to the storm on Sunday, forecasting winds close to hurricane force and heavy rains in the sea area of the Taiwan Straits from Sunday to Monday.
Sinlaku is the 13th tropical storm so far this year. The flood control department in Zhejiang warned that Sinlaku could cause serious geological disasters on its possible course through Ningbo, Taizhou and Wenzhou cities as well as the Zhoushan Islands.
The provincial fisheries bureau has called 29,899 fishing boats to shore, and evacuated 147,181 people to safe places.
Local authorities have urged all coastal scenic spots to shut down business, and persuade tourists to stay in safe places or return home.
In Fujian, more than 30,000 fishermen have returned to harbor on Saturday.
Source: Xinhua
Senior Chinese political advisors leave for three-nation visits
A delegation of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, China's top political advisory body, left here Sunday afternoon for good-will visits to Finland, Spain and Portugal.
The delegation, invited by the Finnish parliament, the Spanish senate and the Portuguese parliament, is led by CPPCC National Committee Vice Chairman Wang Gang.
Source: Xinhua
The delegation, invited by the Finnish parliament, the Spanish senate and the Portuguese parliament, is led by CPPCC National Committee Vice Chairman Wang Gang.
Source: Xinhua
Stronger domestic demand slows China makeshift home exports in H1
Growth slowed down in China's foreign sales of prefabricated housing in the first half of this year, due largely to the severe winter weather at the year's beginning and disaster relief upon the major earthquake that claimed more than 87,000 lives on May 12 in southwestern province of Sichuan.
The General Administration of Customs said on Saturday that between January and June, China exported 690 million U.S. dollars worth of makeshift homes, a growth of 43.8 percent on the same period of last year. The growth rate was 33.7 percentage points lower than the year-earlier level.
Halted by the severe winter weather, prefabricated housing exports only increased by 9.8 percent in February. In May and June, the growth rates for the exports were 1.2 percentage points and 7.9 percentage points, respectively, lower than the year-earlier level, according to the customs data.
The European Union, Russia and the United States were the top three target markets of China's makeshift homes.
From January and June, China exported 230 million U.S. dollars worth of prefabricated housing to the European Union, up 30.2 percent, 67.43 million dollars worth to Russia, up 60.5 percent, and 45.96 million dollars worth to the United States, down 7.5 percent.
Source:Xinhua
The General Administration of Customs said on Saturday that between January and June, China exported 690 million U.S. dollars worth of makeshift homes, a growth of 43.8 percent on the same period of last year. The growth rate was 33.7 percentage points lower than the year-earlier level.
Halted by the severe winter weather, prefabricated housing exports only increased by 9.8 percent in February. In May and June, the growth rates for the exports were 1.2 percentage points and 7.9 percentage points, respectively, lower than the year-earlier level, according to the customs data.
The European Union, Russia and the United States were the top three target markets of China's makeshift homes.
From January and June, China exported 230 million U.S. dollars worth of prefabricated housing to the European Union, up 30.2 percent, 67.43 million dollars worth to Russia, up 60.5 percent, and 45.96 million dollars worth to the United States, down 7.5 percent.
Source:Xinhua
Myanmar pushes projects for agricultural development
Myanmar is pushing some projects for agricultural development and planning to set up a special agricultural zone in Dagon Myothit, one of the several satellite towns in Yangon division.
Private companies are being encouraged by the government to take part in the regional project, according to Sunday's newspaper New Light of Myanmar.
At a coordinating meeting here on Saturday, Prime Minister General Thein Sein said that "Despite a lot of arable land and manpower , the yield of paddy is not as good as it should be because of farmlands with different type of soil, growing of conventional paddy strains and lesser use of fertilizer." There are 20 million acres of monsoon and summer paddy in the country, according to the report.
"If systematic measures are to be taken by using high yield strains and modern farm machinery, the paddy yield will increase thereby contributing to the development of agricultural sector," Thein Sein said.
The prime minister stressed the need for cooperation between local farmers and private entrepreneurs to set up such cultivation areas as a special agricultural zone in the satellite town.
Meanwhile, Myanmar is making arrangements to introduce a contract farming project in the division, and so far, 10 private entrepreneurs have joined the project, the Biweekly Eleven quoted the Rice Producers Association as saying.
Foreign technical know how relating agricultural production will be obtained through the farming system, the rice producers said.
Under the plan, the country's biggest business organization -- the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry has taken some steps to ensure sufficient rice supply at home by initiating inter-agreements with rice traders.
The rice traders, who signed the agreements with the UMFCCI on the normal rice supply within the country, were from Yangon, Mandalay and Magway divisions and Kachin state.
The agreement would also help block smuggling of rice to border areas, merchants said.
According to official statistics, in the fiscal year of 2007-08which ended in March, Myanmar grew 8.1 million hectares of paddy, producing 30.02 million tons of rice.
Myanmar has planned to expand cultivation of paddy in the present fiscal year of 2008-09, projecting to grow 8.26 million hectares in the year to yield 31.59 million tons of rice to meet the demand of a population of 56.5 million.
The country's per capita rice consumption stands 510 kilograms per year which are for rural people, while 408 kg for urban people. The annual consumption of rice by the entire country people reached over 17 million tons.
Its agricultural exports amounted to 1.14 billion U.S. dollars in 2007-08, rising by 22.5 percent from 2006-07.
The country's foreign trade volume in the 2007-08 totaled 8.851billion dollars, of which the exports took 6.043 billion dollars with agricultural produces contributing 18.8 percent of the total.
In 2006-07, Myanmar exported over 930 million dollars of agricultural produces mostly to neighboring China and India.
Myanmar's principal crops are paddy, beans and pulses, oil crops, cotton, sugarcane and culinary crops.
With over 70 percent of Myanmar's population being engaged in agricultural undertakings, the sector represents the mainstay of the country's economy, contributing 50.1 percent to the national economy and achieving an average annual growth rate of 9.8 percent during the past five years, statistics reveal.
Source: Xinhua
Private companies are being encouraged by the government to take part in the regional project, according to Sunday's newspaper New Light of Myanmar.
At a coordinating meeting here on Saturday, Prime Minister General Thein Sein said that "Despite a lot of arable land and manpower , the yield of paddy is not as good as it should be because of farmlands with different type of soil, growing of conventional paddy strains and lesser use of fertilizer." There are 20 million acres of monsoon and summer paddy in the country, according to the report.
"If systematic measures are to be taken by using high yield strains and modern farm machinery, the paddy yield will increase thereby contributing to the development of agricultural sector," Thein Sein said.
The prime minister stressed the need for cooperation between local farmers and private entrepreneurs to set up such cultivation areas as a special agricultural zone in the satellite town.
Meanwhile, Myanmar is making arrangements to introduce a contract farming project in the division, and so far, 10 private entrepreneurs have joined the project, the Biweekly Eleven quoted the Rice Producers Association as saying.
Foreign technical know how relating agricultural production will be obtained through the farming system, the rice producers said.
Under the plan, the country's biggest business organization -- the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry has taken some steps to ensure sufficient rice supply at home by initiating inter-agreements with rice traders.
The rice traders, who signed the agreements with the UMFCCI on the normal rice supply within the country, were from Yangon, Mandalay and Magway divisions and Kachin state.
The agreement would also help block smuggling of rice to border areas, merchants said.
According to official statistics, in the fiscal year of 2007-08which ended in March, Myanmar grew 8.1 million hectares of paddy, producing 30.02 million tons of rice.
Myanmar has planned to expand cultivation of paddy in the present fiscal year of 2008-09, projecting to grow 8.26 million hectares in the year to yield 31.59 million tons of rice to meet the demand of a population of 56.5 million.
The country's per capita rice consumption stands 510 kilograms per year which are for rural people, while 408 kg for urban people. The annual consumption of rice by the entire country people reached over 17 million tons.
Its agricultural exports amounted to 1.14 billion U.S. dollars in 2007-08, rising by 22.5 percent from 2006-07.
The country's foreign trade volume in the 2007-08 totaled 8.851billion dollars, of which the exports took 6.043 billion dollars with agricultural produces contributing 18.8 percent of the total.
In 2006-07, Myanmar exported over 930 million dollars of agricultural produces mostly to neighboring China and India.
Myanmar's principal crops are paddy, beans and pulses, oil crops, cotton, sugarcane and culinary crops.
With over 70 percent of Myanmar's population being engaged in agricultural undertakings, the sector represents the mainstay of the country's economy, contributing 50.1 percent to the national economy and achieving an average annual growth rate of 9.8 percent during the past five years, statistics reveal.
Source: Xinhua
No report of Chinese casualties in Hurricane Ike
There has been no report of causalities of American Chinese and Chinese students in Hurricane Ike, which hit Texas and Louisiana states in the U.S. Saturday, a Chinese official said.
Zhou Ding, China's deputy consul-general in Houston, Texas, told Xinhua via telephone that his consulate had not received any such report since Ike landed on southeast Texas at 3:10 a.m. local time .
He said the damage of the hurricane, now downgraded to a tropical storm, is "less than expected."
The American Chinese living in hurricane-prone areas of southern United States are very experienced in taking precautions against hurricane and they generally followed local government's order of evacuation and preparation before Ike's landing, Zhou said.
The consulate has set up two hotlines and an email address so that any American Chinese or Chinese student can reach it for help.
It also reached out to the organizations of Chinese students in Texas and Louisiana to remind them of the hurricane.
Zhou said it was unclear how much damage the hurricane has inflicted on Houston's Chinatown but most of the people had left there before Ike's landing.
The storm has left 2.6 million people out of power, including Zhou and his colleagues.
"But we stored food and water, and it didn't make too much trouble for us," he said.
Meanwhile, U.S. President George W. Bush issued a major disaster declaration for Texas and Louisiana Saturday, freeing up millions of U.S. dollars of federal aid to areas hit by Hurricane Ike.
There were reports of hurricane casualties, but none has been confirmed.
Source: Xinhua
Zhou Ding, China's deputy consul-general in Houston, Texas, told Xinhua via telephone that his consulate had not received any such report since Ike landed on southeast Texas at 3:10 a.m. local time .
He said the damage of the hurricane, now downgraded to a tropical storm, is "less than expected."
The American Chinese living in hurricane-prone areas of southern United States are very experienced in taking precautions against hurricane and they generally followed local government's order of evacuation and preparation before Ike's landing, Zhou said.
The consulate has set up two hotlines and an email address so that any American Chinese or Chinese student can reach it for help.
It also reached out to the organizations of Chinese students in Texas and Louisiana to remind them of the hurricane.
Zhou said it was unclear how much damage the hurricane has inflicted on Houston's Chinatown but most of the people had left there before Ike's landing.
The storm has left 2.6 million people out of power, including Zhou and his colleagues.
"But we stored food and water, and it didn't make too much trouble for us," he said.
Meanwhile, U.S. President George W. Bush issued a major disaster declaration for Texas and Louisiana Saturday, freeing up millions of U.S. dollars of federal aid to areas hit by Hurricane Ike.
There were reports of hurricane casualties, but none has been confirmed.
Source: Xinhua
Powerful quake hits Timor-Leste, no casualties
An earthquake with the magnitude of 6.5 rocked Timor-Leste on Sunday, but with no report of damage or casualties, the Indonesian meteorology agency said here.
The intensity of the quake was so low that its shake was not felt on land, an official of the agency named only Nurpujianto told Xinhua.
The quake struck at 07:00 Jakarta time with the epicenter at 159 kilometers southeast of Dili, the capital of the province and at 10 kilometers in depth, an official of the agency said.
Earlier the Hong Kong Observatory reported an earthquake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale that hit Timor-Leste with the epicenter initially determined to be 8.8 degrees south latitude and 126.9 degrees east longitude, about 580 south-southwest of Ambon, Indonesia.
Timor-Leste sits at a vulnerable zone so called "the Pacific Ring of Fire" where two continental plates, stretching from the Western Hemisphere through Japan and Southeast Asia, meet that cause frequent volcanic movements.
Source: Xinhua
The intensity of the quake was so low that its shake was not felt on land, an official of the agency named only Nurpujianto told Xinhua.
The quake struck at 07:00 Jakarta time with the epicenter at 159 kilometers southeast of Dili, the capital of the province and at 10 kilometers in depth, an official of the agency said.
Earlier the Hong Kong Observatory reported an earthquake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale that hit Timor-Leste with the epicenter initially determined to be 8.8 degrees south latitude and 126.9 degrees east longitude, about 580 south-southwest of Ambon, Indonesia.
Timor-Leste sits at a vulnerable zone so called "the Pacific Ring of Fire" where two continental plates, stretching from the Western Hemisphere through Japan and Southeast Asia, meet that cause frequent volcanic movements.
Source: Xinhua
Serbia pledges to strengthen military ties with China
Serbia is keen to strengthen traditional friendship with China and enhance bilateral military ties, said Serbian Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac on Saturday.
Sutanovac made the remarks when meeting with Chen Bingde, chief of the General Staff of the People's Liberation Army of China.
Sutanovac spoke highly of the relationship between the armies of Serbia and China, which, he said, is witnessing a good momentum of development.
The two armies enjoy political mutual trust and also engage themselves in mutually beneficial economic cooperation, he added.
Sutanovac said Serbia highly values its relations with China and is ready to make joint efforts with China to strengthen their time-honored friendship and lift the relations between the two armies to a new level.
Chen conveyed to Sutanovac Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie's greetings and good wishes. Chen left Beijing on Wednesday afternoon for an official visit to Serbia and Norway.
He said that bilateral relations between the two countries have grown steadily in recent years and remarkable achievements have been made in the political and economic exchanges and cooperation between the two sides.
China appreciates Serbia's valuable support on many issues such as Taiwan, said Chen.
He added that China respects Serbia's internal and external policies as well as its chosen path of development.
Chen said he hoped the two armies would continue to strengthen their exchanges.
Source: Xinhua
Sutanovac made the remarks when meeting with Chen Bingde, chief of the General Staff of the People's Liberation Army of China.
Sutanovac spoke highly of the relationship between the armies of Serbia and China, which, he said, is witnessing a good momentum of development.
The two armies enjoy political mutual trust and also engage themselves in mutually beneficial economic cooperation, he added.
Sutanovac said Serbia highly values its relations with China and is ready to make joint efforts with China to strengthen their time-honored friendship and lift the relations between the two armies to a new level.
Chen conveyed to Sutanovac Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie's greetings and good wishes. Chen left Beijing on Wednesday afternoon for an official visit to Serbia and Norway.
He said that bilateral relations between the two countries have grown steadily in recent years and remarkable achievements have been made in the political and economic exchanges and cooperation between the two sides.
China appreciates Serbia's valuable support on many issues such as Taiwan, said Chen.
He added that China respects Serbia's internal and external policies as well as its chosen path of development.
Chen said he hoped the two armies would continue to strengthen their exchanges.
Source: Xinhua
China starts emergency response over tainted milk powder incident
China's State Council, the Cabinet, has started the first-class national food safety emergency response to deal with the tainted Sanlu milk powder incident that has caused kidney stones in at least 432 babies.
The State Council has set up a national leading group comprising officials from the Health Ministry, the quality watchdog and local governments for the incident.
A preliminary investigation has confirmed the Sanlu baby milk powder contaminated by melamine was the cause of kidney stones in infants, said an official statement released here Saturday evening.
The melamine substance found in some of the Sanlu products was deliberately added to increase the protein percentage in raw milk or milk powder, it said.
The statement said the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council attached high importance to the issue, urging all-out efforts in treating the affected babies. The patients will be given free medical treatment and the cost will be shouldered by the government.
Meanwhile, the State Council urged a thorough overhaul of the milk powder market, directing the Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine to join other departments to check all the brands of baby formulas circulating in the market, and immediately pull those disqualified products off shelves.
The reason why the Sanlu baby formula was contaminated must be found out as soon as possible, the State Council said, directing the local government and relevant departments to overhaul all the links including the milk powder production, cow raising, raw milk collection and dairy processing.
Based on the findings, the criminals and all those responsible would be severely punished, it said.
Relevant local government and departments should draw lessons from the incident and improve the food safety and quality supervision mechanism to ensure the food safety of the public, it added.
The State Council has directed the provincial government of Hebei, where the Sanlu group is based, to halt production of the group. An investigation team set up by the health ministry and other departments is also in the province to probe into the cause, and the quality watchdog AQSIQ is conducting an all-round overhaul of baby milk powder producers across the country.
Source: Xinhua
The State Council has set up a national leading group comprising officials from the Health Ministry, the quality watchdog and local governments for the incident.
A preliminary investigation has confirmed the Sanlu baby milk powder contaminated by melamine was the cause of kidney stones in infants, said an official statement released here Saturday evening.
The melamine substance found in some of the Sanlu products was deliberately added to increase the protein percentage in raw milk or milk powder, it said.
The statement said the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council attached high importance to the issue, urging all-out efforts in treating the affected babies. The patients will be given free medical treatment and the cost will be shouldered by the government.
Meanwhile, the State Council urged a thorough overhaul of the milk powder market, directing the Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine to join other departments to check all the brands of baby formulas circulating in the market, and immediately pull those disqualified products off shelves.
The reason why the Sanlu baby formula was contaminated must be found out as soon as possible, the State Council said, directing the local government and relevant departments to overhaul all the links including the milk powder production, cow raising, raw milk collection and dairy processing.
Based on the findings, the criminals and all those responsible would be severely punished, it said.
Relevant local government and departments should draw lessons from the incident and improve the food safety and quality supervision mechanism to ensure the food safety of the public, it added.
The State Council has directed the provincial government of Hebei, where the Sanlu group is based, to halt production of the group. An investigation team set up by the health ministry and other departments is also in the province to probe into the cause, and the quality watchdog AQSIQ is conducting an all-round overhaul of baby milk powder producers across the country.
Source: Xinhua
Feng Xiaogang's "The Assembly" wins biennial Chinese audience film awards
"The Assembly," a warfare film by Chinese director Feng Xiaogang became the biggest winner at the 29th Full Blossom biennial awards given by the audiences in China's northeast seaport of Dalian on Saturday evening.
The movie won the Best Feature Film after beating the strongest opponent "The Knot," and helped Feng, Zhang Hanyu and Deng Chao got the Best Director, Best Leading Actor and Best Supporting Actor awards respectively.
"The Assembly" star Zhang Hanyu and "The Knot" actress Li Bingbing pose with their awards for Best Leading Actor and Best Leading Actress at the 29th Full Blossom biennial awards in Dalian on Sept. 13, 2008.
The awards were voted by a 101-member jury representing 2.6 million audiences who decided the nomination list at the closing ceremony of the 17th China Golden Rooster and Full Blossom Festival.
"The Assembly" features a Chinese military company commander who devoted his entire life during the civil war in the 1940s to redeeming the honor of fellow soldiers, who are declared missing in action.
The film has raked in 270 million yuan of box office, becoming the third bankable Chinese film, following John Woo's "Red Cliff" and Zhang Yimou's "Curse of the Golden Flower."
In a survey published by the China Film Association last December, 86 percent of Chinese audiences gave a high rating to "The Assembly".
In the most suspensive competition of the Best Director award, Feng Xiaogang defeated Ning Hao and Yin Li, becoming the Best Director winner with "The Assembly."
Zhang Hanyu, a rising cinematic tough guy, picked up Best Leading Actor for his role in the film, defeating strong opponents including kung fu star Jet Li and rising star Chen Kun.
Zhang, who had played only minor supporting roles in Feng's previous films, was obscure in China until "The Assembly."
"The Knot," a movie about love separated by the Taiwan Strait but lasted 60 years, won the Best Feature Film at the 12th Huabiao Awards, the governmental film prize in 2007, the Best Feature Filmat the 26th Golden Rooster awards given by scholars in 2007, but failed to fulfill a myth undertake the three main domestic film awards.
The movie and "Invisible Wings" got the Outstanding Feature Films, inferior to the Best Feature Film award.
Taiwan heart-throb singer Jay Chou got a cold shoulder after the organizer China Film Association announced that the producer of Zhang Yimou's "Curse of the Golden Flower" decided to quit the competition of the outstanding movies but keep the right of Jay to vie for the Best Supporting Actor, the only nomination the movie landed, on Wednesday when the film festival opened, which became the first-ever embarrassment of 64-year-old Full Blossom awards encountered.
Li Bingbing was awarded the Best Leading Actress with "The Knots" after defeating Hsu Vivian with the same movie, which also gave Taiwan film veteran Ah Lei Gua the Best Supporting Actress award.
The Best New Artist award was given to armless girl Lei Qingyao with her outstanding performance in "Invisible Wings."
Ninety-year-old Chen Qiang, a veteran supporting actor and 89-year-old Yuan Naichen, a veteran director of dubbed films, won the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Source: Xinhua
The movie won the Best Feature Film after beating the strongest opponent "The Knot," and helped Feng, Zhang Hanyu and Deng Chao got the Best Director, Best Leading Actor and Best Supporting Actor awards respectively.
"The Assembly" star Zhang Hanyu and "The Knot" actress Li Bingbing pose with their awards for Best Leading Actor and Best Leading Actress at the 29th Full Blossom biennial awards in Dalian on Sept. 13, 2008.
The awards were voted by a 101-member jury representing 2.6 million audiences who decided the nomination list at the closing ceremony of the 17th China Golden Rooster and Full Blossom Festival.
"The Assembly" features a Chinese military company commander who devoted his entire life during the civil war in the 1940s to redeeming the honor of fellow soldiers, who are declared missing in action.
The film has raked in 270 million yuan of box office, becoming the third bankable Chinese film, following John Woo's "Red Cliff" and Zhang Yimou's "Curse of the Golden Flower."
In a survey published by the China Film Association last December, 86 percent of Chinese audiences gave a high rating to "The Assembly".
In the most suspensive competition of the Best Director award, Feng Xiaogang defeated Ning Hao and Yin Li, becoming the Best Director winner with "The Assembly."
Zhang Hanyu, a rising cinematic tough guy, picked up Best Leading Actor for his role in the film, defeating strong opponents including kung fu star Jet Li and rising star Chen Kun.
Zhang, who had played only minor supporting roles in Feng's previous films, was obscure in China until "The Assembly."
"The Knot," a movie about love separated by the Taiwan Strait but lasted 60 years, won the Best Feature Film at the 12th Huabiao Awards, the governmental film prize in 2007, the Best Feature Filmat the 26th Golden Rooster awards given by scholars in 2007, but failed to fulfill a myth undertake the three main domestic film awards.
The movie and "Invisible Wings" got the Outstanding Feature Films, inferior to the Best Feature Film award.
Taiwan heart-throb singer Jay Chou got a cold shoulder after the organizer China Film Association announced that the producer of Zhang Yimou's "Curse of the Golden Flower" decided to quit the competition of the outstanding movies but keep the right of Jay to vie for the Best Supporting Actor, the only nomination the movie landed, on Wednesday when the film festival opened, which became the first-ever embarrassment of 64-year-old Full Blossom awards encountered.
Li Bingbing was awarded the Best Leading Actress with "The Knots" after defeating Hsu Vivian with the same movie, which also gave Taiwan film veteran Ah Lei Gua the Best Supporting Actress award.
The Best New Artist award was given to armless girl Lei Qingyao with her outstanding performance in "Invisible Wings."
Ninety-year-old Chen Qiang, a veteran supporting actor and 89-year-old Yuan Naichen, a veteran director of dubbed films, won the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Source: Xinhua
HK's creativity makes its architectural sector top in Asia
Hong Kong Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Rita Lau said that Hong Kong people's creativity has driven the city's architectural sector to become one of the foremost in Asia and one of its top creative industries, a government press release said on Saturday.
According to the press release from the Information Services Department of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government, Lau applauded the creativity of Hong Kong exhibitors while opening the Hong Kong exhibition at the 11th Venice Biennale International Architecture Exhibition in Venice on Sept. 12.
Praising Hong Kong architects' presentation of creative ideas to improve quality of living, she said the pursuit of quality living has propelled people's creativity to develop new ideas and designs.
To facilitate exchange and discussion between Hong Kong's creative talent and their overseas counterparts, Lau hosted a gala dinner for guests including representatives from overseas creative organizations, leading architects and designers of participating countries of the Architecture Biennale.
The HKSAR government has allocated more than 1.8 million HK dollars in sponsorship to support the Hong Kong exhibition in Venice as well as a response exhibition.
The Hong Kong exhibition features the creativity of Hong Kong in six categories including objects, buildings, landscapes, city, media and text. Nine groups of local exhibitors, comprising architects, designers, photographers, performers, and writers and critics, will showcase their interpretations of architecture at this international platform.
Source: Xinhua
According to the press release from the Information Services Department of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government, Lau applauded the creativity of Hong Kong exhibitors while opening the Hong Kong exhibition at the 11th Venice Biennale International Architecture Exhibition in Venice on Sept. 12.
Praising Hong Kong architects' presentation of creative ideas to improve quality of living, she said the pursuit of quality living has propelled people's creativity to develop new ideas and designs.
To facilitate exchange and discussion between Hong Kong's creative talent and their overseas counterparts, Lau hosted a gala dinner for guests including representatives from overseas creative organizations, leading architects and designers of participating countries of the Architecture Biennale.
The HKSAR government has allocated more than 1.8 million HK dollars in sponsorship to support the Hong Kong exhibition in Venice as well as a response exhibition.
The Hong Kong exhibition features the creativity of Hong Kong in six categories including objects, buildings, landscapes, city, media and text. Nine groups of local exhibitors, comprising architects, designers, photographers, performers, and writers and critics, will showcase their interpretations of architecture at this international platform.
Source: Xinhua
China orders market inspections after baby milk powder contamination
The Chinese market watchdog has ordered "timely" and "thorough" inspections in the wake of a baby milk powder contamination case which has left one infant dead.
Once spotted, all the Sanlu brand baby milk powder manufactured before Aug. 6 should be immediately taken off shelf, said the State Administration for Industry and Commerce in an urgent notice issued Saturday night.
The Sanlu Group, a leading Chinese dairy producer based in northern Hebei Province, admitted Friday that it had found some of its baby milk powder products were contaminated with melamine, a chemical raw material. It issued an immediate recall of milk formula made before Aug. 6.
The provincial government has ordered a halt of production of the Sanlu Group. The contamination has caused kidney stones of at least 432 babies, according to initial investigation.
Source: Xinhua
Once spotted, all the Sanlu brand baby milk powder manufactured before Aug. 6 should be immediately taken off shelf, said the State Administration for Industry and Commerce in an urgent notice issued Saturday night.
The Sanlu Group, a leading Chinese dairy producer based in northern Hebei Province, admitted Friday that it had found some of its baby milk powder products were contaminated with melamine, a chemical raw material. It issued an immediate recall of milk formula made before Aug. 6.
The provincial government has ordered a halt of production of the Sanlu Group. The contamination has caused kidney stones of at least 432 babies, according to initial investigation.
Source: Xinhua
Road cycling: Britain takes two more road cycling golds
Britain added two more golds to its haul at Saturday's road cycling competition of Beijing Paralympic Games when Daivd Stone became the first double gold medallist in the event and Darren Kenny won his fourth gold here.
Taking the lead from the start of the mixed road race of CP1/CP2 category, Stone led all the way coming home over three minutes clear of his nearest opponent, Riaan Nel of South Africa and Italian Giorgio Farroni with just a second separating the silver and bronze medallist.
"I am very happy. I want to thank my coach Gary Brickley," said Stone. "It's a beautiful course and it has really nice roads. It's probably the best course.
"I approach my race in the best form I can possibly be in on the day. In regards to today's race, I approached it when we climbed the first hill and rode as hard as I could. Whoever was with me I would have ridden against, but no one was with me and it all went as planned. I just kept on riding, and I finished first."
"It's mainly because of Stone's hard work. He trained more than 20 hours a week. He trained very hard and recovered very fast," said coach Brickley. "He's an incredibly flexible cyclist. He can put relaxation into his race. He's also a great person to be around. His hard work makes him get around at all the races."
After winning Friday's silver in men's CP3 individual time trial, Darren Kenny won his fourth Beijing Paralympics gold in men's road race of LC3/LC4/CP3 category with a time of one hour 37 minutes and 0.74 seconds, two seconds ahead of silver medallist Javier Ochoa of Spain, who defeated Kenny on Friday.
Kenny took three golds in track cycling and this fourth gold made him to win medals in all five competitions he took part in.
"It's the best feeling I've ever had in my life. That was amazing. I put so much work into that. I feel like I'm going to explode," said Kenny.
"I wasn't so sure to win yesterday, when I finished second in the time trial. I just felt awful and very disappointed yesterday because I did a dew things wrong. I tried to come back today and my teammate did a fantastic job. We decided to keep on working all the time and it worked.
"It's an honor to race with Ochoa. It makes winning even more special," said Kenny.
German Andrea Eskau grabbed gold in women's road race . Eskau slip-streamed Monique van Der Vorst of Holland for much of the 36.3km course, overtaking her on the line and snatching gold by just a wheel's length, 0.13 seconds ahead of the Dutch rider. Eskau's teammate Dorothee Vieth came home in the third place 26 seconds behind the winner.
The victory for Eskau brings Germany level with Spain and the United States on three golds, two behind Britain on five, and brings her the satisfaction of proving her domination in women's handcycling as she took gold at the event at the 2007 world championships.
Italian Fabio Triboli won Italy's first road cycling gold as he finished first in men's LC1/LC2/CP4 road race with an advantage of 0.31 seconds ahead of silver medallist David Mercier of France.
Source:Xinhua
Taking the lead from the start of the mixed road race of CP1/CP2 category, Stone led all the way coming home over three minutes clear of his nearest opponent, Riaan Nel of South Africa and Italian Giorgio Farroni with just a second separating the silver and bronze medallist.
"I am very happy. I want to thank my coach Gary Brickley," said Stone. "It's a beautiful course and it has really nice roads. It's probably the best course.
"I approach my race in the best form I can possibly be in on the day. In regards to today's race, I approached it when we climbed the first hill and rode as hard as I could. Whoever was with me I would have ridden against, but no one was with me and it all went as planned. I just kept on riding, and I finished first."
"It's mainly because of Stone's hard work. He trained more than 20 hours a week. He trained very hard and recovered very fast," said coach Brickley. "He's an incredibly flexible cyclist. He can put relaxation into his race. He's also a great person to be around. His hard work makes him get around at all the races."
After winning Friday's silver in men's CP3 individual time trial, Darren Kenny won his fourth Beijing Paralympics gold in men's road race of LC3/LC4/CP3 category with a time of one hour 37 minutes and 0.74 seconds, two seconds ahead of silver medallist Javier Ochoa of Spain, who defeated Kenny on Friday.
Kenny took three golds in track cycling and this fourth gold made him to win medals in all five competitions he took part in.
"It's the best feeling I've ever had in my life. That was amazing. I put so much work into that. I feel like I'm going to explode," said Kenny.
"I wasn't so sure to win yesterday, when I finished second in the time trial. I just felt awful and very disappointed yesterday because I did a dew things wrong. I tried to come back today and my teammate did a fantastic job. We decided to keep on working all the time and it worked.
"It's an honor to race with Ochoa. It makes winning even more special," said Kenny.
German Andrea Eskau grabbed gold in women's road race . Eskau slip-streamed Monique van Der Vorst of Holland for much of the 36.3km course, overtaking her on the line and snatching gold by just a wheel's length, 0.13 seconds ahead of the Dutch rider. Eskau's teammate Dorothee Vieth came home in the third place 26 seconds behind the winner.
The victory for Eskau brings Germany level with Spain and the United States on three golds, two behind Britain on five, and brings her the satisfaction of proving her domination in women's handcycling as she took gold at the event at the 2007 world championships.
Italian Fabio Triboli won Italy's first road cycling gold as he finished first in men's LC1/LC2/CP4 road race with an advantage of 0.31 seconds ahead of silver medallist David Mercier of France.
Source:Xinhua
"Blade runner" wins 200m T44 gold
"Blade runner" Oscar Pistorius of South Africa crosses the finish line during men's 200m T44 final at the National Stadium，also known as the Bird's Nest，during the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, Sept. 13, 2008. Pistorius won the gold medal with 21.67 seconds.
"Blade runner" Oscar Pistorius of South Africa competes during men's 200m T44 final at the National Stadium，also known as the Bird's Nest，during the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, Sept. 13, 2008. Pistorius won the gold medal with 21.67 seconds.
"Blade runner" Oscar Pistorius of South Africa competes during men's 200m T44 final at the National Stadium，also known as the Bird's Nest，during the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, Sept. 13, 2008. Pistorius won the gold medal with 21.67 seconds.
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