CRI 中国国际广播电台 2010-01-08

Hello and Welcome to News and Reports on China Radio International.

In This Edition

Officials from China and ASEAN member countries make lucrative 1 suggestions to the further development of this world's largest free trade area of developing countries.

Visiting Chinese Commerce Minister Chen Deming says China hopes pursing trade balance with Turkey through the work of both sides.

Japan's newly appointed Finance Minister Naoto Kan has expressed his determination to speed up the nation's economic recovery.

And severe winter weather continues to wreak 2 havoc 3 across Europe.

Hot Issue Reports

China - ASEAN Free Trade Area Forum 4 Opens in Nanning

Opportunities and challenges of the newly-established China-ASEAN Free Trade Area are to be discussed during a forum that has started in China's Nanning city.

Experts say that the new regional trade initiative, which is the world's largest free trade area of developing countries, will further enhance regional economic integration 5.

China Warns US of Arms Sales to Taiwan

China has raised solemn representations to the United States government and urged it to cancel and cease arms sales to Taiwan.

Chinese Foreign Ministry 6 spokesperson Jiang Yu made the remarks at a regular press conference in Beijing on Thursday.

"China firmly opposes arms sales to Taiwan by the United States. Our stance is consistent and clear. We also urge the US to clearly recognize the severe consequences and adhere to the three Sino-US joint 7 Communiques, especially the principles established in the Joint Communique on Aug. 17, 1982."

Jiang Yu added that the US should cancel its arms-selling plan to avoid undermining China-US relations.

The US Defense 8 Department had announced a contract for an unspecified number of advanced Patriot 10 missiles to be sold to Taiwan late Wednesday.

According to the "August 17 Communique", the US would not seek to carry out a long-term policy of arms sales to Taiwan, and intended to gradually reduce such trade.

China Seeks Trade Balance with Turkey through Enterprises

Visiting China's Commerce Minister Chen Deming has said China hopes pursing trade balance with Turkey through the work of both sides, especially the efforts of enterprises.

Chen made the statement during a news briefing after meeting Zafer Caglayan, the Turkish State Minister for Foreign Trade.

"China has no intention of expanding the trade surplus with Turkey … We will further encourage Turkish companies to sell products to China and Chinese enterprises to invest in Turkey to reduce the imbalance."

Caglayan said Chinese enterprises had advantages in Turkey. He hoped the two counties could achieve trade balance by mutual 11 investment.

China and Turkey saw their trade surge from about 1 billion U.S. dollars in 2000 to about 12.6 billion U.S. dollars in 2008.

Chen Deming will also visit Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Mozambique and Tanzania after leaving Istanbul on Saturday.

Senator McCain: al-Qaida Involved in CIA Casualties

United States Senator John McCain has told media in Kabul, Afghan capital city, that the deaths of seven CIA employees in the country "grieves all of us."

McCain said it seemed apparent al-Qaida was involved in the incident.

"Apparently 12 there's been some al-Qaida involvement in it, but I'm sure that more information will be coming out in the future. I can't say that definitively 13 - but initial information indicates that - but I cannot reach that conclusion yet."

The attack came as a severe blow to the expertise 14 and talent pool of the CIA in Afghanistan, where its agents are now most at risk.

Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi is suspected of detonating the suicide bomb on December 30 after allegedly gaining entry to the CIA base by leading agents to think he would help track down al-Qaida's No. 2 leader, Ayman al-Zawahri.

There are no immediate 16 plans to close the once-secret military base where the blast took place. The CIA is expected to quickly rebuild its operations there.

McCain also said it was essential not to pull out troops too early.

"We cannot send a message to al-Qaida and the Taliban that they can lie low for a period of time while, and wait for us to depart. The other concern that we have is the issue of sufficient number of trained Afghan troops."

He said four hundred thousand trained Afghan troops are needed to take over the security responsibilities in the country.

Christmas Airplane Attacker May Contacted with Radical 17 Cleric

Yemen's deputy prime minister has said Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who is accused of trying to blow up an U.S. airplane on Christmas day, may have met with a radical American-Yemeni cleric.

Rashad al-Alimi said the 23-year-old Nigerian met with al-Qaida members in the remote Yemeni province of Shabwa before the attack, a place he believed was connected to the radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki.

"Perhaps he met with Anwar al-Awlaki and perhaps with Omair who was killed in a raid conducted by the Yemeni security in Shabwa province."

Al-Awlaki, born in the United States and now in Yemen, is an influential 18 cleric among al-Qaida sympathizers.

He is also thought to have links to U.S. Major Nidal Malik Hasan, the alleged 15 gunman in the mass shooting at the Fort Hood 19, Texas Army post November 5 last year. Thirteen people were killed in the incident.

Iran and Iraq Seek Diplomatic Resolving Border Dispute

Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki has visited Iraq to try to resolve a border dispute that began last month when Iranian soldiers seized an oil well at the southern al-Fakkah oil field.

Although the standoff was resolved peacefully on December 20 with Iraqi soldiers taking back control of the well, officials in Baghdad and Tehran said diplomatic talks about the disputed border would continue.

Iraq's Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said during a joint news conference that the two countries would begin three weeks of bilateral 20 meetings.

"The Iraqi government has taken a frank and clear-cut stance that this matter could be solved and tackled through diplomatic channels."

Mottaki said Iranian troops will return to their previous positions, following a similar move by Iraqi forces.

"The Iraqi troops have returned to their first and original position. Orders and instructions have been issued to the Iranian forces to return to their original position."

The al-Fakkah well sits about 50 meters from the Iran-Iraq border and has an estimated 1.5 billion barrels in reserves.

The two countries share 1,400-kilometer-long border.

Japan's New Finance Minister Vows 21 to Speed up Economic Recovery

Japan's newly appointed Finance Minister Naoto Kan has expressed his determination to speed the nation's economic recovery in his first press conference.

He said at the event in Tokyo that the Cabinet will work on a financial framework for the next several years,

"The cabinet will need to set up a mid-term financial framework. Last year, we decided 22 to present it together with the budget proposal for multiple fiscal 23 years around May or June this year."

Kan also called for a weaker yen 24 and vowed 25 to work closely with the central bank to bring the currency toward an "appropriate" level around 95 yen to the dollar.

Naoto Kan took over from Hirohisa Fujii as the top finance official in the world's No. 2 economy.

The role of the finance minister will be crucial to boosting the government's popularity ratings.

Japan's economy has been hobbling toward a weak recovery since the 2008 financial crisis.

Light News

Emergency Heating Supply Plan Adopted Nationwide

In order to survive the cold winter weather, many local governments across China have put into effect an emergency heating supply plan.

Shopping centers, theaters and some industry plants in cities like Beijing and Wuhan will feel colder in order to guarantee local residents' daily usage of gas.

Big Freeze Still Biting Most of Europe

Severe winter weather continues to wreak havoc across Europe on Wednesday, as a cold snap affecting many parts of the continent showed no sign of abating 26.

The foul 27 weather hit airports, trains and road networks across Europe, creating slippery road conditions and disrupting some rail services and air traffic.

Many Europeans found themselves dealing 28 with unusually extreme weather conditions:

"I've lived here 30 years, and it's probably been one of the worst periods I've ever known."

"The situation is very bad. A large part of the village is under water. Even for us to get to the place where we've been stationed, we have to cross icy water...sometimes 50 centimeters deep."

With the worst-hit areas seeing up to 40 centimeters of snow, local officials and road crews are struggling to keep up.

Several local governments are running out of sand and salt - with some reportedly emptying department stores of supplies.

The unusually cold weather is expected to continue for the next two weeks.

Cold Weather Continues to Grip U.S

Meanwhile, snow and freezing temperatures continued to grip central and eastern parts of the United States on Wednesday as far south as Florida, where farmers worked to salvage 29 millions of dollars' worth of strawberries and other crops.

In central and southern Florida, farmers were trying to salvage citrus and vegetable crops by spraying them in protective layers of ice and covering them in plastic.

"It damages the fruit. It can damage the plant but it will come back on. But you just miss that whole crop right there. You know, you'll be out for three, four weeks."

"We did hit some low temperatures, but from all reports at this point, it wasn't for a sustained period of time, and that's a good thing."

Weather in the south at this time of year is typically chilly 30 for just a day or two before temperatures rebound 31 to around 50 degrees Fahrenheit 32.

Many homes weren't built to handle such cold, with uninsulated pipes and heat pumps that must run continuously to keep things barely comfortable.

Animals at the Palm Beach Zoo in Florida were also suffering from the cold weather. Zoo spokesman Keith Lovett said some animals have been given heaters to help them cope with the cold.

"Some of the animals that don't do as well in small or confined spaces, we'll give them heat sources in their habitats or in their environment, and that can be everywhere from a heat lamp to a space heater."

Arctic air was expected to hover 33 in the region until the weekend. In a rare turn for the south, forecasters warned that snow and ice were possible on Thursday from South Carolina to Louisiana.

Australia and Japan Blame Each Other for Clash over Whaling

Conservationists have launched a helicopter to search for a key Japanese whaling ship a day after one of their boats was wrecked 34 in a collision that each side blamed on the other.

The helicopter from Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's main ship was trying to find the Japanese fleet's whale processing ship and resume attempts to harass 35 the whalers into giving up their hunt.

However, each side blamed the other for Wednesday's collision and showed no signs of backing down.

Julia Gillard, Australian Deputy Prime Minister, demonstrated his country's opposition 36 to whaling.

"We are strenuously 37 opposed to whaling... On the issue of commercial whaling, the government's position is this: we continue to forcefully put our position to the Japanese government and we continue to forcefully put that in a proper and legal way."

However, Deputy Spokesperson from the Japanese Foreign Ministry, Yasuhisa Kawamura, described the clash as sabotage 38.

"The sabotage taken by the Sea Shepherd was very dangerous and risked the lives and safety of the Japanese crew members. These acts should be strongly condemned 39."

Wednesday's clash was the most serious in about a decade of altercations 40 between activists 41 and Japanese whalers in Antarctica.

An international moratorium 42 on commercial whaling was imposed in 1986, however, Japan kills hundreds each year using a loophole that allows "lethal 43 research" on the animal.

Media Digest

Southcn.com: Dilute 44 Elitism 45 among Civil Servants

A top Chinese human resources official has announced that China will recruit outstanding farmers and blue-collar workers in an effort to improve its civil servant selection system.

Currently, civil service candidates must sit for the national exam, but only those with three years of college are eligible 47 to take the test. The new selection process will allow farmers and blue-collar workers who haven't been to college to apply.

Civil service jobs have become some of the most desired positions in China due to their stability, good welfare benefits and high social status. But it's hard for most college graduates, especially those from rural villages, to get these jobs if they don't have connections with government officials.

An article on southcn.com says the new recruitment strategy will, to some extent, help make the civil service selection process fairer. But building a better civil service team requires more emphasis on diluting 48 the presence of elitism and blueblood culture among current civil servants by limiting their power.

Meanwhile, an opinion piece in the Shanghai-based Dongfang Daily says to ensure the fairness of the civil servant system, recruitment standards should not be relaxed when recruiting farmers and blue-collar workers for civil service jobs.

The writer also suggests that a public electoral system be applied 49 when selecting higher-level civil servants so as to avoid cheating and corruption 50.

Chinadaily: The Power of People's Congresses Should be Guaranteed

Starting the New Year, the Guangzhou municipal government stipulates 51 that decisions on such issues as education, health care and other matters that affect the livelihood 52 of locals must receive approval from the standing 46 committee of the municipal People's Congress before implementation 53.

It also says the People's Congress has the power to revoke 54 unsuitable decisions by the local government.

An editorial in China Daily says the power of local People's Congresses is already part of the Constitution.

However, most People's Congresses at the local level have failed to effectively apply that right to their practical work.

In most cases, the administrative 55 power of local governments has far outweighed 56 the supervisory right of the People's Congresses at the same level. This fact also leads to the corruption of government leaders and public grievances 57 against local governments.

The author says that though the city's act of Guangzhou is simply a reiteration 58 of the right of People's Congresses, it has specified 9 exactly what issues need to be approved by the Congress. The specifications 59 make it possible and easy for the city People's Congress to employ its right.

The editorial says Guangzhou has been a pioneer in the country's economic reform. It has also set out to promote the development of democracy and rule of law. The author hopes the new act can be implemented 60 and thus leaves no room for arbitrary decisions from the city government.