Commemorating The Past

2010-09-12

Beijing Review 2010年22期

CFP

People from all walks of life gather in Shenyang, capital of northeast China’s Liaoning Province, to attend a ceremony commemorating the 81st anniversary of the September 18 Incident.

On that day in 1931, Japanese troops blew up a section of the railway it controlled near Shenyang and then accused Chinese troops of having caused the explosion as a pretext for war. The incident was followed by Japan’s full-scale invasion of China and the 14-year War of Chinese People’s Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. The invasion spread to half of China’s territory and took the lives of more than 35 million Chinese soldiers and civilians.

“The attempt to remove hukou, a permanent residence permit, restrictions in the college entrance exam, or gaokao, is complicated, especially in large cities where there are more educational resources. ”

Tan Songhua, one of the key architects of the gaokao system, commenting on a recent notice of the State Council urging local authorities to release plans as soon as possible to enable children of migrant workers to take the exam in the city where they live

“The sinking share price in China is not simply an economic problem but has become a social and even a political problem.”

Li Daokui, professor of economics with Tsinghua University, on the lack of restrictions in China’s stock market at this year’s World Economic Forum held in Tianjin on September 12

“Many people could not assimilate in smaller cities because social connections, rather than abilities, usually determine one’s promotions or social status in such places.”

Liu Xingyang, a senior consultant at ChinaHR.com, a human resources service provider, in response to a survey which showed 63 percent of this year’s university graduates hope to stay in frst-tier cities for at least one year after graduation, on September 17

“Boys need educational methods that are suitable for them, but further research is needed to determine whether it’s necessary to send them to single-sex schools.”

Wen Jun, Director of the Institute of Sociology of East China Normal University, in response to the establishment of a boys-only campus in Shanghai on September 17

POST TREMOR Offcials distribute safety information in a settlement for quake-affected residents in Luozehe Town in Yiliang County, southwest China’s Yunnan Province, on September 16, after earthquakes in the region killed 81 people and injured more than 800

Ozone Layer Protection

The Ozone Secretariat of the United Nations Environment Program honored the Chinese Government for its contribution to ozone layer protection in an event marking this year’s International Ozone Layer Protection Day on September 16.

Zhang Lijun, Chinese Vice Minister of Environmental Protection, said at the event that China has phased out more than 100,000 tons of ozone depleting substances (ODS) since 1991, an amount that accounted for around half the total disposed of by developing countries.

Since signing the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer in 1991, China has continued to improve its management over ODS and phase out ODS production and consumption, contributing greatly to global efforts in ozone layer protection, Zhang said.

He admitted that China will face an “extremely arduous” task in meeting the goal of the next phase of ODS elimination set by the protocol.

Ozone shields the Earth from harmful solar ultraviolet radiation.

Broadband Development

Troubled Skater Returns

The Chinese short-track speed skater Wang Meng will finally return to the track after the lifting of a 13-month ban for a notorious brawl with a national short track team manager.

Wang was suspended from the national team and banned from domestic and international competitions last August for punching team leader Wang Chunlu during a scuffle after breaking the team curfew and coming back to the team base drunk. After being expelled, Wang returned to her hometown to practice with the provincial team, self-reflect and accept her punishment.

Wang became a household name in China after claiming four gold medals in the past two Winter Olympics. Her outspoken manner has caused trouble for the national team’s management. Last year’s debacle was not the first time she’s been penalized. She was also kicked off the team in 2007 after a public conflict with head coach Li Yan.

China will accelerate the development of broadband Web access in a bid to shore up the country’s economic and social development, according to a government statement released on September 18.

EXQUISITE EXHIBIT A piece of lacquerwork is on display during Hangzhou Design Week in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province, which kicked off on September 16

In the statement issued on the website of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), Vice Minister Liu Lihua said that China aims to have more than 250 million broadband users by the end of 2015, with Internet access speeds in urban and rural areas reaching 20 megabits and 4 megabits, respectively.

Broadband service coverage in China’s rural areas is expected to hit 95 percent by 2015.

The MIIT will formulate more regulations to ensure fair competition in, and the smooth development of, the broadband industry, Liu said.

China had about 505 million Internet users by the end of 2011, and about 150 million of them are broadband users, according to data from the Internet Society of China.

Educational Inspections

The Chinese Government published the Regulation on Educational Inspections onSeptember 17, aiming to improve quality and fairness in education.

GIFTED VIOLINIST Wang Xiao from Chinaholds a plaque after jointly receiving frst prize in the 2012 Jozsef Szigeti International Violin and Viola Competition in Budapest, Hungary, on September 15

The regulation, which is scheduled to go into effect on October 1, dictates procedures to be used during such inspections, as well as specifes qualifcations and disciplinary measures for inspectors.

Inspections will focus on the management of faculty, safety and hygienic conditions, compulsory education and the fair distribution of education resources, the regulation states.

It also gives inspectors authorization to review the fnancial records of schools within their jurisdiction, as well as calls for additional access to other related documents.

Any failure to assist inspectors may result in disciplinary punishment for the heads of schools, says the regulation, adding that inspection reports should be made public.

An inter-ministry committee for education inspection has been established under the State Council, China’s cabinet, to coordinate the initiative across the country.

Medical Support

A total of 509 babies suffering from a congenital metabolic disorder have received free medical help and formula powder under China’s frst program to help infants with the disease.

The infants suffering from phenylketonuria (PKU) are from less developed central and western regions.

According to statistics, as of June this year, 94 percent of grant-aided PKU infants have been kept in treatment and more than 90 percent are developing normally both physically and mentally.

PKU is a metabolic genetic disorder that can cause an excessive amount of phenylalanine in the body. Phenylalanine is an essential amino acid and can be detected in urine.

If left untreated, heightened levels of phenylalanine can affect brain development, causing mental retardation, brain damage and seizures. However, the disorder can be treated with a diet low in the amino acid.

Satellite Launch

China successfully launched two more satellites into space for its domestic global navigation and positioning network at 3:10 a.m. Beijing time on September 19, the launch center said.

They were the 14th and 15th satellites of the Beidou system. The satellites, launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwestern Sichuan Province, were boosted by a Long March-3B carrier rocket.

China started to build up its own satellite navigation system to break its dependence on the U.S. Global Positioning System in 2000.

Between October 2000 and May 2003, the country set up a regional satellite navigation system after launching three Beidou geostationary satellites.

From April 2007 to April this year, China launched another 13 orbiters to form its Beidou-2 system, which will eventually consist of 35 satellites.

The network will provide satellite navigation, time and short message services for the Asia-Pacifc region within 2012 and the world by 2020.

Overseas Studies

Some 339,700 Chinese went overseas for further study in 2011, leading the world in terms of students sent overseas with a proportion of 14 percent.

The Report on the Development of China’s Overseas Study, issued on September 17 by the Social Sciences Academy Press, cites growing incomes, inadequate domestic education resources and favorable policies as the source of Chinese students’ enthusiasm for studying abroad.

The report notes that a growing number of students from renowned high schools are choosing to skip China’s college entrance exams to begin higher education overseas.

Figures show that 76,800 senior high school students began overseas studies in 2011.

Several countries, including Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and France, have tightened immigration standards, which has encouraged more Chinese studying abroad to return to their home country, the report said.

MATHEMATICAL MIND A robot writes numbers during the maths contest of the 12th RoboGame at the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, east China’s Anhui Province, on September 15

PERFECT MATCH The two parts of a roadrail bridge are seen joined together over the Yangtze River in Huanggang, central China’s Hubei Province, on September 16

Home Prices Fluctuations

Fewer Chinese cities saw home price increases in August as the country continued efforts to curb rising property prices and speculation.

In August, 36 cities, down from 50 in July, recorded higher new home prices than a month earlier, said the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on September 18.

Compared with July, new home prices in 20 cities declined in August, up from nine in July, while 14 cities saw their new home prices unchanged, showed the NBS data from a pool of 70 cities.

However, on a year-on-year basis, 14 out of the 70 cities witnessed new home price increases of up to 1.3 percent in August.

Recent government policies to bolster a slowing economy, including interest rate cuts in June and July, helped boost the pent-up demand for housing and fuel expectations of price rises.

Dispute Filed to WTO

On September 17, China fled a case against the United States to the Dispute Settlement Body of the WTO on its amendment to the Tariff Act of 1930 (GPX bill).

China claimed the bill is inconsistent with WTO rules on transparency and procedural justice and requested consultations with United States.

Shen Danyang, a spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), said the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled on December 19, 2011, in a dispute that the U.S. Department of Commerce did not have legal authority to launch countervailing investigations against non-market economy countries.

U.S. President Barack Obama signed the bill in March. It is believed to clear legal obstacles for the United States to impose punitive tariffs over “non-market economy countries.”

Numbers

$785 billion

Outstanding external debt of China reached $785 billion by the end of June this year, said the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on September 17.

12.8 %

Profts at state-owned enterprises declined 12.8 percent year on year to 1.38 trillion yuan ($218.3 billion) in the frst eight months of 2012, said the Ministry of Finance on September 17.

The United States rapidly passed the GPX bill in less than three months with a retroac-tive period dating back to November 20, 2006, instead of correcting its wrongdoing in accordance with the verdict of the court, said Shen. The dispute involves 24 types of products worth about $7.23 billion, he said.

ADMIRING NEW TECH Visitors observe a model of a hydropower station at the Fourth China International Energy Industry Expo 2012 held in Taiyuan, capital of north China’s Shanxi Province on September 16-18

Financial Reform Plan

The People’s Bank of China, the central bank, released a fnancial reform plan for the 2011-15 period on September 17.

The plan includes reforms regarding the marketization of exchange and interest rates and the convertibility of the yuan under the capital account, as well as plans to encourage more private capital to enter the fnancial sector.

Government intervention regarding smallscale fnancial activities will be reduced and the government’s role will be further clarifed during the reform process.

Authorities will encourage private capital to participate in the reform of banks, securities frms and insurance companies, as well as guide private capital to expand investment in fnancial organizations.

The government will also support private capital in setting up rural banks, credit companies and capital cooperatives.

By 2015, the value-added output of the country’s fnancial industry will account for 5 percent of its GDP, while the value of direct fnancing by non-fnancial organizations will account for at least 15 percent of the total social fnancing value.

Wind Power Prosperity

China’s wind power capacity will see a growth of 15 to 18 gigawatts (GW) this year after the country became the world’s leading wind power producer in 2011, according to a report released on September 18.

The report on China’s wind power outlook, jointly released by the Chinese Renewable Energy Industries Association, the Global Wind Energy Council and Greenpeace, forecast that China’s wind power sector will maintain this steady growth momentum.

China installed 17.63 GW of new wind power capacity in 2011, accounting for 43 percent of the world’s total. The country remained the world’s largest wind power producer with an accumulated capacity of 62.36 GW in 2011, representing 26.2 percent of the world’s total wind power capacity, according to the report.

China hopes to have an accumulated ongrid wind power capacity of more than 100 GW by 2015 and 200 GW by 2020, said the National Energy Administration.

Newly Elected President

Zhang Xinsheng, initiator and Secretary General of the Eco-Forum Global—an unofficial, international high-end platform—was inaugurated as the president of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Jeju, South Korea, on September 15. He is the first East Asian chairman in the 64-year history of the organization.

This year’s IUCN World Conservation Congress was held in Jeju from September 6 to 15. More than 10,000 people from over 180 countries attended the conference to discuss 176 proposals.

Founded in 1948, the Gland, Switzerland-based IUCN is an organization aimed at protecting the natural environment. Currently it has more than 1,200 members, including over 200 government organizations and 900 nongovernmental organizations from over 160 countries.

Zhang stated in his inauguration speech that he would work together with the members of the IUCN to make contributions to global environmental protection, the safety of the Earth and the development of humankind.

67.4 billion euro

EU trade defcit with China decreased to 67.4 billion euro ($87.39 billion) in the frst half of 2012 from 75 billion euro ($97.82 billion) in the same period of last year, said the Eurostat on September 18.

A total of 24 animated movies earned a record-high box ofce revenue of 320 million yuan ($50.62 million) last year, according to the Report on the Development of China’s Animation Industry released on September 18.

MALAYSIA

A woman pulls a truck with her hair in Selangor on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia on September 16. The 19-year-old set a national record by moving the 1.3-ton truck 96.4 meters

XINHUA

SOUTH KOREA

Staff members at the South Korean prime minister’s offce pack up supplies ahead of a move to Sejong from Seoul on September 14. The nation’s new administrative city will house 36 government ministries and agencies by 2014

ISRAEL

Coatis enjoy honey—a traditional treat—given to them by a zookeeper at the Ramat Gan Zoo north of Tel Aviv on September 13 ahead of the Jewish New Year

LEBANON

U.S. movie star and UN special envoy Angelina Jolie (right) meets with Syrian refugees in the eastern Bekaa Valley near the border of confict-ridden Syria on September 12