Broadcasting Time: 20:00-21:00, GMT+08:00, 2009-07-02
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Chinese Diplomat: G8, Emerging Economies to Boost Cooperation
A senior Chinese diplomat has said China will promote dialogue between industrialized and developing countries at the upcoming G8+5 meeting in L'Aquila, Italy.
Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei made the remarks Thursday at a briefing on President Hu Jintao's schedule during the G8 summit.
He said leaders at the meeting will discuss global challenges such as the financial crisis, climate change, energy and food security, global trade and development issues.
"We should send a strong signal for further cooperation on promoting an early recovery of the world economy, carrying forward and continuing the agreements reached during the previous G20 summits. We should also promote dialogue and cooperation between G8 countries and the developing world, and push for a new partnership between countries in the northern and southern hemispheres in order to promote equality and mutual benefit."
President Hu Jintao is scheduled to attend the G8+5 dialogue from July 8 to 10, following a four-day state visit to Italy. He will then go to Portugal for a two-day state visit.
The dialogue will be held between G8 countries and five emerging economies, namely China, India, Brazil, South Africa and Mexico.
Italian Trade Official: President Hu Jintao's Visit to Italy to Boost Sino-Italian Economic and Trade Cooperation
Anchor: Chinese President Hu Jintao will pay a state visit to Italy from July 5th to 8th at the invitation of Italian President Giorgio Napolitano.
Chinese and Italian officials say the visit will improve the all-around relationship between the two countries.
CRI's Zheng Chenguang has more.
Chinese Government Supports Financial Aid for Zimbabwe
China has voiced its support to grant loans to Zimbabwe through its financial institutions, in a bid to help the southern African country develop its economy.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang made the remarks at a press conference on Thursday.
"The Chinese government supports the efforts of Zimbabwe's unity government to revive and develop its economy. China has given Zimbabwe all the help it can. China's financial institutions are currently negotiating with Zimbabwe on project finance. If negotiations go well, China will give the country a certain amount of loans."
Qin Gang also announced that China's Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei left Beijing Thursday for Russia, the United States, Japan and South Korea.
He said the purpose of the visit is to exchange views with relevant parties on nuclear issues in the Korean peninsula and the general situation in northeast Asia.
Turkish President: China Relationship Enters New Phase
Turkish President, Abdullah Gul, says the achievements of his recent China visit will raise the Sino-Turkish relationship to a new level.
Gul made the remark in an interview with CRI on Thursday.
"I have held fruitful talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao. We made certain important decisions to push forward our bilateral cooperation. Further agreements will be signed by Primer Wen Jiabao during his visit to Turkey. A Sino-Turkish Joint Economic and Trade Committee will convene on September 15th, 2009. Entrepreneurs along with me during this trip have also made abundant achievements on bilateral cooperation covering investment, trade, economy and technology."
The president also expressed hopes for increased cooperation with China.
"Today's China is an economic giant. Although China has made much investment abroad, the level of investment in Turkey is relatively low. The potential of bilateral cooperation has not been fully exploited. So, my counterpart and I came to an agreement on making more investments on Turkey, enlarging bilateral trade and expanding tourism on both sides. I am sure that we can make a number of important breakthroughs with efforts from both countries."
Abdullah Gul concluded his six-day visit to China earlier this week.
Iraq Approves BP's Offer on Rumaila Oil Field
The Iraqi government has approved a BP-led consortium's offer to develop the Rumaila oil field in the south, moving forward with the only deal struck during an oil auction.
Ali al-Dabbagh is spokesman for the Iraqi government.
"Iraqi government decided to approve the offer being submitted by British Petroleum and CNPC, a Chinese oil company, which they had offered to increase the production to its peak, which is 2.85 million barrels per day, from the current production which is 950,000 barrel per day, with remuneration fees of two US dollars per barrel, for the increment in the production."
BP and CNPC had bid 3.99 US dollars per barrel, but slashed their offer to the two US dollars per barrel payment sought by the oil ministry.
Their only rivals, a consortium led by US giant Exxon Mobil, refused to amend its offer of 4.8 US dollars per barrel on a target production of 3.1 million barrels per day.
Iraq put six oil and two gas fields on offer on Tuesday to foreign firms in the country's first international oil licensing round in over three decades.
Iranian Nuclear Official: Iran Set to Expand Nuclear Cooperation with Russia
An Iranian nuclear official says Iran is conducting primary tests on the process of fuel injection in the Bushehr power plant and is set to expand nuclear cooperation with Russia.
Mohammad Saeedi, Deputy Head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, made the remarks after returning from a trip to Russia.
"There are tests which need to be conducted in the power plant, especially tests on reactors and hypothetical fuels to prepare the reactor for the injection of real fuel. This process is going on properly. There were some proposals offered from the Iranian side in order to expand nuclear cooperation between Iran and Russia. Those proposals were welcomed by Russia."
Saeedi did not elaborate on the proposals. But he said top nuclear officials from the two countries will soon finalize the proposals and reach an agreement.
Iran's Bushehr plant dates backs to 1974, when Iran signed an agreement to build the reactor with the German company Siemens. But Siemens withdrew from the project after the 1979 Islamic revolution. Iran signed an agreement with Russia in 1992 to complete the project.
The one thousand-megawatt light-water reactor was supposed to be completed by 1999. But the process has been plagued by delays.
Palestinian Prime Minister held talks with US Secretary of State
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad held talks with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington on Wednesday.
It was his first meeting with a member of US President Barack Obama's administration.
Clinton said she was looking forward to the talks with the Palestinian Prime Minister.
"Prime Minister Fayyad is someone who has worked very hard on behalf of the Palestinian people. I'm looking forward to our meeting and discussing ways forward on economic and security and political progress and I thank him very much for being here."
For his part, Fayyad is expected to ask the US to speed up promised donations of 900 million US dollars to President Mahmoud Abbas' Palestinian Authority.
According to an aide who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the authority has a reported monthly deficit of 25 to 30 million US dollars.
Light News
Japanese PM Appoints Two New Cabinet Ministers
Japanese prime minister Taro Aso has appointed two ruling party legislators to Cabinet posts on Wednesday.
The move is widely believed to be part of Aso's effort to relieve the burden on over-worked ministers and boost his ratings among voters.
Yoshimasa Hayashi, a Harvard-educated former Defence Minister, was appointed Minister in charge of Economic and Fiscal Policy.
Motoo Hayashi became Minister in charge of National Public Safety, a post that he has served in before.
Yoshimasa Hayashi, the Newly-appointed Japanese Finance Minister.
"Prime Minister Taro Aso has given me the task of setting a roadmap with a mid- to long-term perspective to help steer this country out of the current severe economic situation."
The appointments will become effective on Thursday.
Beijing School Closed after Seven Students Diagnosed with A/H1N1 Flu
A Beijing primary school has been closed after seven students were confirmed as A/H1N1 flu cases.
The municipal health bureau confirmed on Wednesday that sixteen students at the Nanhu Zhongyuan Primary School in Beijing's eastern Chaoyang District were reported to have fever, and seven of them have been diagnosed with A/H1N1 flu.
Fang Laiying, director of the municipal health bureau, said that health authorities are tracking where the students contracted the A/H1N1 virus.
"We just find one case of such collective fever in Beijing, so it's too early to judge that the flu has developed into a large-scale outbreak in the city. We can say responsibly that our controling strategy is still working now, and we don't have to change it."
The official introduced that a total of 154 students, teachers and parents who had close contact with the seven students are under observation.
The flu outbreak forced the school to start the summer vacation a week ahead of schedule.
Beijing reported 21 confirmed A/H1N1 cases on Wednesday, the largest in a day, bringing the total number in the Chinese capital to 155 as of 10 p.m. Wednesday.
China's Second Home-Made ARJ21-700 Makes Successful Maiden Flight
Anchor:
China's second domestically produced ARJ21-700 jet has completed a successful maiden flight in Shanghai, marking another step in the country's quest to become a world-class airplane manufacturer.
With more than 200 orders, the economical regional aircraft is now getting attention from aircraft buyers at home and abroad.
XYee takes a closer look.
Smoking Ban Takes Effect in Greece
A smoking ban has taken effect throughout Greece, prohibiting smoking in all enclosed spaces and public services.
The ban is in line with a law by the Health and Social Solidarity Ministry aimed at promoting the health of Greeks.
Health Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos.
"What is the top objective is public health and the creation of a Greece clean of smoke and cigarettes."
The official introduced that smoking remains the biggest contributor to the mortality rate in Greece, causing 20,000 deaths annually, while passive smoking is responsible for the loss of 700 lives each year."
The law also prohibits the sale of tobacco to and by minors, the use of tobacco products in all enclosed public spaces.
Violations of the prohibition on selling tobacco products to minors carry fines of up to more than 1,400 U.S. dollars.
Violation of the smoking ban carries a first-time fine of up to about 700 U.S. dollars, depending on the severity of the transgression.
Henan Province Goes on Charm Offensive in Berlin
An event designed to introduce Germans to the wonders of China's Henan province was held in the German capital of Berlin on Tuesday.
Representatives from Henan introduced a number of cultural activities at the event, which they hope will further tap the potentially lucrative German market.
Su Fugong is the director of tourism administration in Henan.
"It's an important strategy for us to attract more tourists from abroad. Germany is the No.5 source of foreign visits to our province. An increasing number of Germans are visiting Henan in recent years."
During the event, Hennan's unique culture and landscape was exhibited in a short film which included Shaolin Kung Fu and the Yellow River.
Brunhilde Irber, Vice Chairman of the German Travel Association, says she is fascinated with landscapes and temples.
"I think Henan province can cater for many different tastes. We will have a great future in this partnership."
Media Digest
Reports on Latest Accidents Call for Intensified Government Administration and Supervision
A series of domestic accidents have been reported by Chinese media in recent days. Last Saturday, a 13-storey apartment building under construction in Shanghai toppled over, killing a worker at the construction site. Two days later, a train collision in Hunan killed three people and injured 63. Almost at the same time, a road bridge collapsed in northeast China where the death toll has risen to four.
An article on Xinhua News says the accidents, which took place in sequence, reflect problems in both administration and supervision.
In the case of the collapsed building in Shanghai, the responsible developer was originally the collectively-run corporation of the local county. According to the article, the legal person representing the developer is head of local land requisition authority. As a consequence, it is difficult for government officials to enforce supervision and inspection.
In the case of the collapsed road bridge, the article goes on to say, the accident investigation was handed over to the local government, which blamed a presumed overloaded vehicle as the cause of the accident. The writer cited a comment from a local resident, saying it is a ridiculous excuse to avoid responsibility.
Drawing lessons from the latest accidents, the writer noted it is important to improve the public awareness on work safety; meanwhile it urged related authorities to fulfill responsibilities of administration and supervision.
More Severe Penalties Should Be Given to Drunk Drivers
A drunk driver lost control of his vehicle and caused an accident that killed five people, including a pregnant woman in east China's Nanjing city on Tuesday night.
A commentary in Xinhua severely condemns the driver and calls for a tougher crackdown on drink driving.
According to Chinese law, drunk drivers face fines of up to 2,000 yuan, or 300 US dollars, as well as up to 15 days in prison. DWI offenders face up to three years imprisonment if the crash involves death, personal injury or serious loss of property. However, the writer argues the punishment should be more severe in a bid to stop drink driving, which causes more than ten thousand car accidents each year in China.
At the same time, the article suggests related authorities should be tougher on the enforcement of drink driving laws. The traffic administration monitors drink driving; however, it should tighten its grip with intensive, routine road checks. Cautions should also be given to those who provide alcohol to drivers, according to the article.
In conclusion, the article calls for joint efforts from the government, media and communities to strangle the dangerous act of drink driving.
