China News 2009.09.19_English

XinhuaTV- China News (Sept. 19, 2009)

Editors: Li Yuan, Yang Mu, Liang Wenchao, Zhao Fangyuan, Yuan Hedi, Mu Xuyao Chief editors: Zhang Hao, Ming Dajun

Stories: 1 CPC to Expand Intra-Party Democracy 2 Hu to back Greater UN Role 3 Highway Collision Kills 16 4 Crackdown on Fake A/H1N1 Drugs 5 A/H1N1 in Hong Kong and Macao 6 Ship Capsizes, Kills Two 7 Mainland Tourism Rebounds 8 HK Attracts Record Investment 9 Power Station Fire 10 Gulf of Aden-China, Russia hold joint naval exercise 11 Pakistan, China to Develop Satellite 12 Ex-banker Gets 7 Years 13 Liu Xiang to Return 14 Teng Haibin Wins All-round 15 Cold Front to Sweep N China 16 Beijing Air Quality 17 Koppu Relieves Drought 18 SOE Revenues Down 3.5 pct 19 S Korea Business Pavilion 20 Indonesia Pavilion at Shanghai Expo 21 60th Anniversary Photo exhibition 22 Guizhou Landform 23 Last Rehearsal 24 Yellow River Cantata 25 China's 8th Int'l Motorcycle Expo Held in Chongqing 26 Pingyao　Photography　Festival 27 Pingyao International Photography Festival 28 Sirens Mark Anniversary of Japanese Attack

Coming up…China's Ministry of Public Security vows to crack down on false claims and fake drugs for A/H1N1.

China's Olympic champion Liu Xiang will run his first race since withdrawing from the Beijing Olympics this weekend.

And,the 2009 Pingyao International Photography Festival is underway in north China's Shanxi Province. Hello and welcome to China News. I'm Xie E in Beijing.

1 CPC to Expand Intra-Party Democracy PIC: The Communist Party of China Central Committee approved a decision Friday on major issues at the close of a four-day plenary session.

The Fourth Plenary Session of the 17th CPC Central Committee was held from Sept. 15 to 18 in Beijing.

A total of 194 full members and 163 alternate members of the CPC Central Committee attended the plenum.

2 Hu to back Greater UN Role CAM: A Chinese UN envoy says President Hu Jintao will show China's support for the greater role of the United Nations in handling international affairs. From Sept. 21 to Sept. 25, Hu will attend a series of summits in New York. They include the UN Climate Change Summit and the G20 financial summit in Pittsburgh. It is the first time for a Chinese head of state to attend so many summits in a single stay. The overseas visit is seen as "a major diplomatic move" as the People's Republic of China prepares to celebrate its 60th anniversary.

3 Highway Collision Kills 16 CAM: Local authorities say at least 16 people are dead following a highway collision that occurred today in east China's Jiangxi Province.

A road maintenance vehicle carrying 25 people was hit by a truck from behind at about 9 a.m. in Suichuan County, causing the vehicle to fall off a bridge.

The maintenance vehicle belonged to the highway administration of the Jiangxi Communications Department, while the truck was from Henan Province. The injured are being treated in hospital 4 Crackdown on Fake A/H1N1 Drugs VO:

China's Ministry of Public Security has vowed to crack down on false claims and fake drugs for A/H1N1, saying that social order must be ensured.

The ministry said Friday on its website that police would strike hard against the production and selling of counterfeit drugs and medical supplies. It also said it would punish those who drive up drug prices.

All 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities in the Chinese mainland have reported A/H1N1 flu cases. So far no deaths have been reported.

5 A/H1N1 in Hong Kong and Macao VO: Hong Kong reported 702 newly confirmed cases of A/H1N1 by 2:30pm Friday, bringing its cumulative number to 20,848.

The Hong Kong health department says the new cases involved 351 males and 351 females, aged between one month to 81 years.

Macao reported 60 newly confirmed cases Friday, bringing the city's number to 2,247 so far.

6 Ship　Capsizes,　Kills　Two

CAM:

Local maritime authorities say two people are dead after a fishing boat capsized Friday off the coast of east China's Shandong Province.

The Lulongyu 4716 overturned in the sea area near Longkou City at 5:28am. Six sailors onboard fell into the water. Two were saved by nearby fishing boats while four had gone missing.

6 hours later, rescuers managed to drill a hole into the bottom of the ship and drag two trapped sailors to safety. They also found two bodies underwater.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.

7 Mainland Tourism Rebounds VO:

The National Tourism Administration says inbound tourism on the mainland rebounded in August. This after falling for 15 consecutive months since May last year.

The mainland reported more than 11.09 million inbound tourist arrivals in August, up 3.06 percent year on year.

Data shows that foreign currency income from inbound tourism is estimated to be 3.46 billion U.S. dollars for August, up 5.38 percent from a year earlier.

Meanwhile, Chinese mainland tourists made about 4.65 million outbound trips in August. That's an increase of 11.69 percent from a year ago. The top three destinations were Hong Kong, Macao and the Republic of Korea.

China's inbound tourism suffered heavy blows when the global economic downturn forced overseas tourists to cut travel spending.

8 HK Attracts Record Investment

VO: Foreign direct investment in Hong Kong in 2008 increased by 15.9 percent year on year, despite the global downturn. This is according to a report released Friday by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.

Hong Kong attracted 63 billion US dollars of inward investment last year. That made it Asia's second largest and the world's seventh largest recipient of foreign direct investment.

Hong Kong also continued to have the highest FDI stock in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Chinese mainland still ranked first in the Asia-Pacific region in FDI inflow. It moved up four places to become the world's third largest FDI recipient, attracting 108.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2008.

9 Power　Station　Fire CAM:

Zambia's major power station, the Kariba North Bank Power Station, caught fire Friday afternoon, trapping workers in the underground tunnels of the station. China's Sinohydro Corporation is currently working at the station to expand its generation capacity. However, according to Chinese Ambassador Li Qiangmin, there are no reports of any Chinese workers trapped or injured in the incident. 10 China-Russia　Joint　Naval　Exercise

INTRO:

China and Russia held a joint naval military exercise Friday morning in the Gulf of Aden. China News takes you there.

PKG:

The military exercise began at 7:30 a.m local time. It involved six vessels, including the Zhoushan and Xuzhou vessels from China, and a Russian anti-submarine ship.

Chinese and Russian commanders, communicating with marine flag language, led the exercises. The two sides collaborated in searching for suspected ships, the firing of their warship guns and a joint navy parade.

Major General Wang Zhiguo said this is first Sino-Russia joint naval military exercise held in an overseas area since Chinese naval forces were sent to the Gulf of Aden.

Tag: Wang says the military exercise is seen as a new starting point for the two countries.

11 Pakistan, China to Develop Satellite PIC: Pakistan and China signed an agreement Friday to develop a new satellite over approximately a three year period. This is according to Pakistan's Economic Affairs Division.

According to the framework agreement, China will fund the satellite project with a soft loan of 1.35 billion RMB (about 200 million U.S. dollars).

12 Ex-banker　Gets　7　Years　 CAM: Former Morgan Stanley Asia Managing Director Du Jun was sentenced to seven years in jail for insider dealing at a district court in Hong Kong on Friday. He must also pay a fine of 23.3 million HK dollars (or 3 million U.S.).

Judge Andrew Chan banned Du from being a director or manager of any listed company, or dealing in securities or futures contracts for five years.

Du was found guilty of nine counts of insider dealing.

13 Liu　Xiang　to　Return

INTRO:

China's Olympic champion Liu Xiang will run his first race since withdrawing from the Beijing Olympics at the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix this weekend. China News has more.

PKG:

Liu Xiang said Friday he has been ready for his first race.

Soundbite: Liu Xiang, Olympic champion "This is my first race this year, and I just want to get back into the competitive zone. This race is at home, so I do not need to travel abroad, which is quite convenient. The organizing committee gave me this opportunity, and I just want to run."

Today is exactly 13 months since Liu quit the Beijing Olympics last year due to an injury. The runner says his condition has improved.

Soundbite: Liu Xiang, Olympic champion "(How is your current state? Can you estimate your result in this Sunday’s race?) My current condition is OK, but I can’t tell you my result in the race, because competition and training are different. I think my training needs to be proven by competition."

Liu said he is very happy to return, and is excited about the competition.

Sound bite: Liu Xiang, Olympic champion “There is always risk in the field. But I think I'm ready for competition now. I want to get back into competition shape. I didn't put much thought on anything else."

26-year-old Liu is the 2007 world champion in men's 110 meter hurdles. He returned to training in July after surgery on his right Achilles tendon last December.

TAG:

Initiated in 2005, the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix is hosted annually by Shanghai. This year’s match will be held Sept. 20.

14 Teng　Haibin　Wins　All-round　

Intro:

Teng Haibin successfully claimed the coveted men's all-around national gymnastics title Friday in Jinan, capital city of Shandong Province. China News takes you to the scene.

PKG:

Beijing's Teng Haibin took the crown at China's 11th National Games.

He edged pass Feng Zhe of Sichuan. Former national champion Lu Bo took bronze.

In three previous rounds, Teng’s total score was not competitive, although he came in highest with 15.05 in hand rings in the second round. But it was his perfect performance in the horizontal bar in the last round that propelled him to the top.

SOUNDBITE: Teng Haibin, gymnastics champion “At the beginning, I was a little nervous, but I never gave up and held out until the last minute so I could take the lead.”

Teng Haibin is a two time World Champion, as well as an Olympic gold medalist on the pommel horse. He cost his team a medal at the 2004 Olympics with multiple falls on every apparatus.

Tag:

The gymnastics events of the 11th National Games commenced September 14 and will end September 21, with 183 gymnasts from all over China competing for 14 gold medals.

15 Cold Front to Sweep N China VO:

The China Meteorological Administration says a cold front will bring strong winds and lower temperatures to most of northern China over the coming three days.

Temperatures in some regions could experience a sharp plunge of 12 to 16 degrees Celsius.

Heavy rains are also forecast in northeastern parts of Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi and Chongqing, as well as parts of Guizhou and Yunnan provinces.

16 Beijing　Air　Quality　 VO:

The city's environment authority says air quality in Beijing this year has been at its best level in a decade.

The statement was made Friday by Chen Tian, deputy head of the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau.

As of Thursday, the capital had reported 214 grade 1 and grade 2 days. The city needs only 46 more to achieve its goal of 260 full-compliance days this year.

Beijing uses a five-grade classification for air quality, with Grade 1 being the best and Grade 5 the worst. Days with Grade 1 and 2 air quality are regarded as "blue sky" days.

Chen said it is still hard to predict the air quality for Oct. 1, the 60th anniversary of China.

Beijing has halted or relocated more than 140 polluting factories in the downtown area over the past years. As of Sept. 11, it has upgraded or banned more than 92 thousand vehicles which did not meet emission standards. 17 Koppu Relieves Drought

INTRO:

After weakening to a tropical depression, Typhoon Koppu has gradually disappeared since entering the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. As China News shows you, the storm brought heavy rains and eased the drought in the region.

PKG:

The typhoon brought heavy rains to the province, and partly relieved the lingering drought in central, southern and southeast Guangxi. 11 counties and 90 towns experienced flooding.

However, about 284,000 hectares of cropland and nearly 500,000 people were still short of water as of late last week.

TAG:

According to the weather forecast of Guangxi Meteorological Department, most parts of Guangxi will be sunny to partly cloud for the next 3 days.

18 SOE　Revenues　Down　3.5 pct VO: The Ministry of Finance says business revenues of China's state-owned enterprises dropped 3.5 percent in the first eight months from the same period last year.

The revenue stood at 13.68 trillion yuan (or 2 trillion U.S. dollars) for the period. Profits came in at 813.51 billion yuan, down 19.6 percent year on year.

The rate of decline in profits was 3.2 percentage points lower than the January-July figure.

The firms include SOEs directly controlled by the central government or supervised by local governments, but exclude state-owned financial enterprises.

19 S　Korea　Business　Pavilion　

INTRO:

Construction is underway of South Korea's business pavilion at the Shanghai Expo site. China News takes you there.

PKG:

The pavilion, covering an area of 3,000 square meters, will give enterprises a chance to showcase their latest developments in eco-friendly technologies. The construction project began Friday.

Green City, Green Life is the theme of the pavilion. 12 enterprises, including Sumsung electronics, Hyundai Motors and Kumho Asiana, are jointly involved.

The pavilion, whose architecture draws its design inspiration from Korean traditional dance, will showcase automated housing technology and cutting-edge transportation systems of the future.

TAG:

The pavilion, which will have its own snow maker, is due to be completed in March 2010. It is expected to receive 6 million visitors.

20 Indonesia Pavilion at Shanghai Expo

Intro: Indonesia started construction of its pavilion for the 2010 Shanghai World Expo Friday. China news takes you there.

PKG:

With the theme of harmony and diversity, the 4,000- square-meter pavilion in the B zone of Shanghai Expo Site is using bamboo as its main construction material. This is said to symbolize the harmonious interactions of Indonesian traditional culture and modern life.

Soundbite: Mari Elka Pangestu, Minister of Trade "Through this multi-media exhibition, we put visitors in keen touch with Indonesia’s natural scenery and diversified culture."

Tag:

Indonesia also confirmed participation in the Expo on June 1, 2006. Its pavilion is expected to reveal Indonesia’s potential in natural and human resources, tourism and trade.

21 60th　Anniversary　Photo　exhibition

Intro:

A photo exhibition is taking place at the UN Headquarters in New York to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. China News has more.

Pkg:

The two-week exhibition named "A glimpse of China" opened Friday. It is co-sponsored by the Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations and the Xinhua News Agency.

Soundbite: Zhang Yesui, Permanent Representative of China to the UN "October 1st this year marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Over the past 6 decades, remarkable achievements have been made in China’s political, economical, cultural and social endeavors. The photos displayed tonight vividly showcase what China is like today."

More than 30 news photos are on display, featuring the daily lives of Chinese people and the accomplishments achieved since Oct. 1, 1949.

Soundbite: Kiyotaka Akasaka, UN "This exhibition shows the dramatic changes the country and its people have seen in the past 30 years."

Zeng Hu, chief of the Xinhua News Agency's North American Bureau, spoke of the displayed photos to Peng Keyu, the Chinese consul general in New York.

Soundbite: Zenghu, North American Bureau of Xinhua News Agency "The 35 photos cover China's scientific and economic development, as well as construction of its cities and people's lives. We are here to show the world China's present and past."

Tag:

Some 100 officials, diplomats and journalists from the United Nations attended the opening ceremony.

22 Guizhou　Landform　 VO: Experts from the International Union for Conservation of Nature will begin reviewing a danxia landform Sunday in southwest China's Guizhou Province. The landform will be considered for next year's World Natural Heritage list.

Danxia, which means "rosy cloud", is a special landform of red sandstone. It has eroded over time into a series of mountains surrounded by cliffs with many unusual rock formations.

The IUCN will finish an assessment report for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organizations. They will vote on new sites to be added to the next year's list.

Danxia landforms are found in several provinces in China. Six provinces have jointly applied for the heritage, including Chishui City in Guizhou, Danxia Mountain in Guangdong and Langshan Mountain in Hunan.

23 Last　Rehearsal　 CAM: The last rehearsal for the National Day celebration in Tian'anmen Square concluded early this morning. Starting late Friday evening, the rehearsal featured a grand military parade, a pageant involving about 100,000 citizens, 60 simulated floats and much more. A spokesperson says a planned rehearsal for Sept. 26 has been canceled to avoid further inconvenience to the public. The 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China will be held Oct. 1.

24 Yellow　River　Cantata

INTRO:

More than 20,000 musicians and music lovers from China and abroad are in Shanghai to perform the famous "Yellow River Cantata" at the Shanghai Jiangwan Stadium. China News takes you there.

PKG:

The singing gala commemorates the 70th anniversary of the cantata written by famous Chinese composer Xian Xinghai. The performance has attracted many talents from abroad.

Members of the Scholar Cantorum Chorus from Vienna have come to sing with musicians from China and the world.

Sound bite: Quendler Margit, Scholar Cantorum Chorus "We are very happy that we could celebrate with you, and come to China. It is my first time for me and most of us. 14 people came here, the oldest is 81 and the youngest is 21."

Some 400 professional and amateur choral groups are gathered at event.

The People's Liberation Army Choir, the Model Workers' Choir and the Dujiangyan Student Choir are participating.

In addition, the show includes choral groups from 9 provinces and autonomous regions along the Yellow River.

Tag:

The 5,460-kilometer-long Yellow River is known as China's "mother river". The "Yellow River Cantata" , famous for its emotional force, was a rallying cry during the War of Resistance against Japan.

25 China's 8th Int'l Motorcycle Expo Held in Chongqing Intro:

The 8th International Motorcycle Expo of China is ongoing in China's southwestern municipality of Chongqing Saturday. China News takes you there.

Pkg: According to the organizers, 333 motorcycle and auto-parts manufacturers are attending the expo this year. More than 6,000 dealers from more than 30 countries and districts are gathered there.

The theme of this year's expo is to help domestic motorcycle companies cope with the global economic crisis.

Statistics show that China has been the largest motorcycle production and sales country in the world for 16 consecutive years. It accounts for 50 percent of the entire world's production.

Chongqing is the largest motorcycle manufacture base of China, accounting for 38 percent of China's finished motorcycle production.

Tag: Delegates from 31 countries and districts including Japan, Russia and Canada are participating. The event will conclude Sunday.

26 Pingyao　Photography　Festival PKG:

Chinese photographers are showing their perspective of Africa at the Pingyao International Photography Festival in northern Shanxi Province.

The festival began Friday.

SOUNDBITE: Wang Hanjie, Bureau for External Cultural Relations "We collected works from nine countries to join the Pingyao International Photography Festival. People in China can learn more about Africa through these pictures and we can have more presentations at exhibition. I believe the exhibition can deepen our mutual friendship."

The Africa-themed photos were taken by Chinese photographers in nine African countries, and have been exhibited in five cities in China.

27 Pingyao　International　Photography　Festival

INTRO:

With the theme of "life and dreams", the 2009 Pingyao International Photography Festival is underway in north China's Shanxi Province. China News takes you to the ancient city.

PKG:

Tens of thousands of photographic works by more than a thousand photographers from across the world are being showcased at the festival, which opened Saturday.

In addition to a variety of other exhibitions, Pingyao will also hold the first national mobile phone photography festival.

The Festival has been held for eight years. It was awarded "One of the Ten Most Internationally Influential Festivals and Events in China" in 2005.

Enjoying a history of over 2,700 years, Pingyao is now regarded as one of the best historically and culturally preserved cities in China.

UNESCO designated it as a World Heritage Site on December 3 , 1997, along with the Shuanglin Temple and Zhenguo Temple outside the city.

TAG:

The festival will conclude September 25.

28 Sirens　Mark　Anniversary　of　Japanese　Attack

Intro:

Sirens wailed in a number of Chinese cities Friday to remind people of the Sept. 18 invasion and occupation by Japan. China News takes you to Shenyang.

PKG:

The alarm sounded across the city at 9:18pm. Representatives rang the bell on the square in front of the historical museum, and vehicles stopped to honk their horns.

Soundbite: Li Lin, Shenyang university student "I'm quite excited to hear the alarm. Thanks to the martyrs, we can enjoy a happy life now. Although the Sept. 18 incident was 78 years ago, we should always remember the incident, and make great efforts to revive our country."

Tag:

On Sept. 18, 1931, Japanese forces attacked the barracks of Chinese troops in Shenyang. The move marked the beginning of a Japanese occupation that lasted 14 years.

That's all for today's China News. Thank you for staying with us. Good bye.

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