News & Reports 2010-11-28

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In This Edition

China closes the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou with officials hailing the event as the best ever in history.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi calls on North and South Korea to exercise calmness and restraint and not to take actions that would escalate 1 tension.

North Korea warns that the U.S.-South Korean planned military maneuvers 2 are pushing the peninsula to the brink 3 of war.

Brazil says it will put pressure on other nations to forge an agreement at the Cancun climate summit.

Hot Issue Reports

The 16th Asian Games Conclude in Guangzhou

The Asian Games' flame goes out tonight in Guangzhou, China, after two weeks of exciting competitions. It has been the biggest Asiad both in size and scale in the event's 59-year history. Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah, President of the Olympic Council of Asia, says the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou will go down in history as "one of the best ever." Our reporter He Fei has the details.

Reporter: After two weeks of exciting games, the Asian Games' flame has finally been extinguished. With the opening ceremony and fireworks performance still lingering in people's minds, Guangzhou has concluded the 16th Asiad on Haixinsha Island with an equally splendid closing ceremony.

The 16th Asian Games have been unprecedented 4 in both size and scale in the 59-year history of the quadrennial event. Some 10,000 athletes from 45 countries and regions have participated in a record 42 sports ranging from archery to chess.

China has won 199 gold, 119 silver and 98 bronze medals to finish first in the gold-medal ranking for the eighth consecutive 5 time at the 16th Asiad. China's medal count broke the previous record it set at the Beijing Asiad in 1990 when the country won a total of 183 gold medals.

Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, president of the Olympic Council of Asia, who hailed the Guangzhou games "the best ever Asian Games" in history, declared the games close in front of nearly 30,000 spectators on the island.

"I now have the honor to officially declare the 16th Asian Games close."

Sheikh Ahmad has called the Guangzhou Games the largest and most expensive one in the history of the event as well as one of the best ever.

"We can announce it officially. The Games have been a success, and it is one of our best games ever in the history of the Asian movement."

Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee, who attended the opening ceremony of the Asian Games on November 12th, said he believed that Guangzhou even had the skills to host the Summer Olympics in the future.

But Cai Jiadong, secretary-general of the Chinese delegation 6 for the Guangzhou Asiad, who is also deputy secretary-general of the Chinese Olympic Committee, says the city is not planning to submit a bid to host the event.

"Guangzhou successfully won the bid and then hosted the 16th Asian Games. In terms of whether Guangzhou is going to bid for the Olympic Games after the Asian Games or not, I think that will be considered by the provincial 8 government and people in Guangdong Province. In the meantime, China's Olympic Committee will have discussions with the government and people in Guangdong about their desires and needs. At the moment, we don't have any information or plans."

The next Asian Games will be held in Incheon, South Korea, in 2014.

For CRI, I'm He Fei.

South Korea and U.S. to Begin Military Drill Despite North Korean Threats

South Korea's defense 9 ministry 10 says the United States and South Korea are set to begin a large-scale military drill on Sunday in the West Sea despite North Korean opposition 11.

Lee Bung-woo, Spokesman of the Joint 12 Chiefs of Staff, explained the purpose of the military exercise at a briefing in seoul on Saturday.

"The purpose of this drill is to strengthen our deterrence 14 power against North Korea, improve our security in our territory, improve U.S.-South Korean cooperation, and show the decisiveness of the U.S.-South Korean alliance."

Tension on the Korean peninsula has been rising since North Korea's attack on a South Korean island on Tuesday.

North Korean artillery 15 shells rained down on the small island of Yeonpyeong, killing 16 four people and destroying dozens of homes.

South Korean troops fired back 13 minutes later, causing unknown damage.

The U.S. military said the exercises, planned long before Tuesday's attack, are designed to deter 13 North Korea.

North Korea Slams US for Sending Aircraft Carrier

North Korea has warned that U.S.-South Korean plans for military maneuvers are pushing the peninsula to the brink of war, and appeared to launch its own artillery drills within sight of the island it showered with deadly artillery fire in the past week.

Tensions have soared between the Koreas since the North's strike Tuesday destroyed large parts of the island, killing two civilians 17 and two marines in a major escalation 18 of their sporadic 19 skirmishes along the sea border.

The U.S. prepared to send a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to South Korean waters for joint military drills in the Yellow Sea starting Sunday.

The North, which sees the drills as a major military provocation 20, unleashed 21 its anger over the planned exercises in a dispatch earlier on Friday.

The North's official Korean Central News Agency says the peninsula is inching closer to the brink of war.

"The army and people of the DPRK are now greatly enraged 22 at the provocation of the puppet group while getting fully 7 ready to give a shower of dreadful fire and blow up the bulwark 23 of the enemies if they dare to encroach again upon the DPRK's dignity and sovereignty even in the least."

Meanwhile Japan has officially condemned 24 North Korea's attack on the South.

The Japanese Upper and Lower Houses of parliament both unanimously passed a bill branding the attack on civilians as "intolerable" and a "reckless deed".

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said he would consider raising the matter with the United Nations Security Council.

"Upon the passage of this bill, we will do our best to collect information and firmly deal with the situation, coordinating 25 with the related nations such as the US and South Korea, as well as the possibility of handling the matter at the United Nations Security Council."

On Thursday, the South's president ordered reinforcements for the 4,000 troops on Yeonpyeong and four other Yellow Sea islands, as well as top-level weaponry and upgraded rules of engagement.

He also sacked Defence Minister Kim Tae-young amid intense criticism that Yeonpyeong was unprepared for the attack and that return fire came too slowly.

Lee then named former Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Kim Kwan-jin to the post.

Chinese FM Discusses Korean Peninsula Issue with Russian, Japanese Counterparts

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi has discussed the latest situation on the Korean Peninsula in phone calls with Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov and Japanese foreign minister Seiji Maehara.

During the conversations, Yang said safeguarding peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula served the common interests of concerned parties. Those parties should call on the DPRK and South Korea to exercise calmness and restraint and hold dialogue and make contacts, and not to take actions that would escalate the conflict.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Foreign Minister expressed the hope that concerned parties would take a reasonable and pragmatic approach to actively 27 create favorable conditions for resuming the six-party talks.

Russia and Japan both agreed to work together with China to help defuse the tensions and create conditions for a restart of the six-party talks.

After the artillery exchange between the two sides which killed two civilians and two marines in the South, residents have been evacuated 28 from the island and brought to the emergency shelter in Incheon.

Some staying at the shelter said they would rather return to the island, and their homes because living conditions at the shelter were uncomfortable.

Eighty-five-year-old, Hong Sun-ae fled her home after North Korean artillery shells hit the island.

"It's better to go back to the island where I have a home, rather than living like this."

But others said they would prefer to stay on the mainland until it was safe to return.

Brazil, Pointing to Its Own Emissions 29 Cuts, Calls on Others to Do More

Brazil's Environment Minister Izabella Teixeira says her country will put pressure on other nations to forge an agreement at the Cancun climate summit next week, setting an example with its positive results.

At a news conference ahead of the global environmental talks in Mexico, Teixeira said Brazil had reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 34 percent over the past five years and had virtually met its 2020 target.

Amid fading hopes for a pact 30 at the United Nations summit in Mexico's resort city of Cancun, Brazil wants to showcase its efforts and pressure others to do more.

One of the most controversial topics in Brazil's environment agenda is a proposed overhaul 31 of its forest policy, which is being considered in Congress. The new bill is raising concern that the world's largest forest could be left more vulnerable than in decades to razing 32 by farmers despite recent progress in protecting it.

Teixeira said the environment ministry was against voting for the new bill before thorough discussions took place.

"We, of the environment ministry, are absolutely against the voting of a matter that has not been thoroughly 33 discussed. Society has raised this issue and we understand that the new forest policy bill may and should take into consideration not only environmental regulation of certain sectors 34, but must also take into consideration the challenges of low carbon agriculture. So we understand that the debate around the forestry 35 bill may and should be perfected. At this time this is the environment ministry's position."

Latin America's largest country has taken a more active role in global climate talks in recent years as its diplomatic clout 36 grew in line with its booming economy.

Teixeira said Brazil's delegation will push for a deal and show that it managed to cut its greenhouse gas emissions without jeopardizing 37 economic growth.

Violence Casts Shadow as Rio Prepares to Host Olympics, World Cup

Brazilian sports authorities have promised that the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games will take place in Rio de Janeiro despite the violence between police and drug gangs in the past week.

Violence has flared 38 in Rio's streets after drug traffickers launched a wave of attacks on last Sunday, burning vehicles and shooting police stations.

At least 31 people have been killed in clashes as police raid gang-infested slums and authorities strive to end the upsurge in violence.

Rio will be a key venue 39 when Brazil stages the 2014 World Cup. Two years later, it will become the first South American city to host the Olympics.

Spiraling violence has raised doubts over the city's ability to host both events.

President of the Brazilian Soccer Confederation Ricardo Teixeira said he backed Rio's police efforts.

"FIFA and obviously the (World Cup) organizing committee fully support all these measures which I am absolutely sure will at least ease (the violent situation)."

Brazilian Olympic Committee President Carlos Arthur Nuzman, who is also in charge of Rio's Olympics Organizing Committee, expressed his faith in the city's security measures as well.

"You can be sure that the security legacy 40 after the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be for real and will be applauded by all who live here in the city of Rio de Janeiro."

Rio's committee released a statement on Thursday promising 41 a trouble-free games.

Blizzard 42 Hits Inner Mongolia, Disrupts Transportation across Northeastern Provinces

One of the worst snowstorms in 30 years has hit China's northern Inner Mongolia, blanketing roads with thick snow and disrupting transportation across the northeastern region.

Four towns in Hinggan Prefecture, a rural region in the northeastern part of Inner Mongolia, have experienced extreme weather conditions in the past week.

Inner Mongolian herdsman Meng He talks about how the extreme weather has affected 43 livestock 44.

"The goats are so thin and cold that they'll soon die. It's hard for them to climb mountains. There's nothing to eat. Snow has started falling again."

Arriving 40 days earlier than usual, the cold front has already killed more than 700 livestock, affected 50,000 inhabitants and damaged well over 6,000 hectares of grassland 45.

Overnight snow has also brought down temperatures in northeastern China, forcing airports and highways to close.

Temperatures are expected to continue to drop for the next few days in Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces, reaching as low as minus 20 degrees Celsius 46 on Monday.

Nadal, Djokovic Through to Semifinals at ATP Final Showdown

World No. 1 Rafael Nadal of Spain and Novak Djokovic have made it through to the semifinals of the ATP World Tour Finals in London. He achieved a straight set victory over sixth-ranked Czech Tomas Berdych, who's in the Final Showdown for the first time. CRI London correspondent Tu Yun has more.

Reporter: Nadal was in London for the season-ending tournament last year. Back then he lost all three round-robin matches. But this time, things are entirely 47 different.

"For me, finishing the season winning all the matches in the group, three victories against top eight players in probably the most difficult surface for me is unbelievable now."

He beat Berdych 7-6, 6-1 after conquering eighth-seeded American Andy Roddick and third seed Serbian Novak Djokovic in the first two rounds.

But for a moment during the first set against Berdych, the Spaniard lost his cool and argued fiercely with the chair umpire over a point which he thought should be replayed but instead awarded to the Czech.

Berdych reflected on that point.

"The rules are quite correct. I mean, it's not the mistake of Rafa. It's the mistake of the referee 48. He just need to show him that it's not like he can do whatever he wants on the court, just let him play."

The Czech is out of the tournament, but it's been a good season for him. Berdych leaped from twentieth to sixth place in the ATP rankings after such achievements as entering the finals at Wimbledon, where he also lost to Nadal, and the Masters in Miami, where he was defeated by local favorite Andy Roddick.

In another match, third-ranked Serbian Novak Djokovic crushed Roddick 6-2, 6-3 and made it to the semis. The Serb, who encountered a contact lens issue in the last match and lost to Nadal, will face World No. 2 Roger Federer in the knockout phase.

"It's going to be a great atmosphere. It's the last tournament of the year, except the Davis Cup final that I'm playing next week. It's a great achievement that I already reached the semi-final. I will try to give my best tomorrow night."

Nadal will play local favorite Andy Murray in the semifinals.

For CRI, I'm Tu Yun reporting from London.

Supervision 49 is Key to Reforming Use of Government Cars

The Chinese central government is planning further reform of the use of cars that belong to central government departments and organs of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.

In March, the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang, one of the country's eight democratic parties, submitted a proposal on reforming the use of government cars.

The proposal suggested doing away with government cars for officials under mid 26 ranking administrative 50 levels and formulating 51 a mechanism 52 for recording 53 and supervising the use of government cars.

China has a long-lasting tradition of dispatching cars to government officials for business use, originating from an era when the country's transportation system was underdeveloped.

Reliable statistics show that a single government car can cost up to 60,000 yuan, or about 9,000 U.S. dollars a year, to run, amounting to more than 100,000 yuan a year in some cases.

About 2 million cars are used by government officials in China at a cost of 150 to 200 billion yuan each year.

Those figures didn't include cars used by officials in the military departments.

The reform has aroused hot debate in society. Some say the reform is deadlocked 54 by the beneficiaries of government cars on one hand and the decision-makers on the other.

An editorial in the Shanghai Business Daily says the key of the reform is its transparency and strict supervision.

The article says there have been unsuccessful efforts to reform use of government cars before. Existing regulations on the management and use of government cars have amounted to nothing but scraps 55 of paper. Therefore, the key to the reform is accountability. The article points out that opening government affairs and finances to the public is crucial as well.

The editorial further points out that in China's privilege culture, government cars are now also a symbol of the rider's social status, not a mere 56 transportation tool. The commentator 57 believes this is one of the reasons most of the reform efforts are ineffective.

The article believes the aim of the reform should be building up an effective supervision system, not simply canceling government cars.

Green Life, Green Growth

The 2010 China International Green Industry Expo that opened earlier this week in Beijing speaks volumes about the country's ambitions of making the green economy a new growth engine for its sustainable development.

Chinese enterprises' drive to go green will be crucial to the ongoing 58 global efforts to tackle climate change.

However, an editorial in the China Daily says efforts to cut pollution and save energy will not be enough to ensure a fundamental change in the country's growth model if 1.3 billion Chinese consumers cannot be fully mobilized to embrace a greener lifestyle.

The central government set environmental and energy efficiency targets for local governments and domestic enterprises. But the article points out that some local governments' attempts to meet their green goals do not augur 59 well for the future. After failing to work hard enough during most of the past five years to increase their energy efficiency, some local governments just cut energy supplies to households and enterprises as the deadline approached.

The editorial says these power blackouts caused ordinary people huge difficulties, which were not justified 60 by these local officials' last-minute endeavors to meet their energy conservation targets at any cost. If consumers have to sacrifice their basic daily needs to help achieve some short-term green goals, how can they be expected to embrace a green lifestyle enthusiastically?

According to the editorial, the central government has ordered local governments to correct their malpractice and ensure normal power supplies to residents, but policymakers must do more to ensure public support for green growth is not undermined by officials who fail to do their jobs.