CRI 中国国际广播电台 2010-01-21

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

In This Edition:

Chinese bid farewell to eight peacekeeping police officers killed in Haiti earthquake.

Head of IMF says the growing Asian economies should bear more responsibilities.

And the work safety watchdog says that China's production safety is improving, with a significant decrease in the number of incidents last year.

Hot Issue Reports

Chinese Bid Farewell to Peacekeepers

The Chinese have paid their respects and bid farewell to eight peacekeeping police officers who were killed in the 7.3-magnitude earthquake last week in Haiti.

Top leaders including Chinese president Hu Jintao and premier 1 Wen Jiabao attended the farewell ceremony this morning in Beijing.

Chen Zhe filed the report from the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery 2.

Reporter:

It's a cold winter morning in Beijing. The sky is grey. Chinese police officers wearing uniforms with white paper flowers attached come here to bid farewell to their colleagues.

Zhao Xiaohong is a peacekeeper who used to work with the deceased.

"We may feel differently from the public because we lost our best friends and comrades. We couldn't believe this really happened. As a peacekeeper, I think we will carry on their will to continue to work for the world's peacekeeping cause."

Thousands of Beijing citizens also come to Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery hours earlier before the farewell ceremony begins at 9 o'clock. Some are holding flowers and banners, reading "Rest in peace, Heroes". Some come afar from other cities of China.

"I'm from Tangshan in Hebei Province. I got the news from TV and came here to bid farewell. I'm so sad. After all, they were still so young."

"I'm from Tianjin. One of the deceased is a friend of my wife. It's so sad."

"We're proud of them. They are heroes of our generation."

Of the victims, four were officers of China's peacekeeping force in Haiti and the rest were in a team sent by the Ministry 3 of Public Security of China to Port-au-Prince for peacekeeping consultations 4.

The eight were meeting UN officials in the headquarters of the UN Stabilization 5 Mission in Port-au-Prince when the quake struck on Tuesday, a day which also marked a decade of China's peacekeeping mission.

As a peace loving country, China had fulfilled its international obligations and shouldered its responsibilities as a major power in the world by sending out peacekeeping police to other countries and regions in support of UN missions. More than 1,500 Chinese peacekeeping police officers had been dispatched in seven countries and regions since 2000.

Chen Zhe, CRI news.

China's ZTE Responds to Haiti

One of China's telecommunication 6 giants, ZTE Corporation, has been actively 7 involved in disaster-relief work for Haitian people, as saying it would deliver more equipment to locals and peacekeepers for communicating needs.

Liu Jian, Deputy President of ZTE, said the company has prepared five portable base stations and hundreds of handsets to restore communication in Haiti.

"One single base station can cover three to five kilometers, if it was set on higher point. We also provided a batch 8 of 300 terminals as part of the disaster relief program. This equipment can basically provide emergency telecommunication for the government."

He said the equipment, which has already been produced in China's Shenzhen city, has been delivered to Haiti in recent days.

In addition, the first batch of 1500 ZTE's solar mobile phones have been dispatched to Haiti from Jamaica.

ZTE said it would provide more equipment and engineers to the Caribbean island country to assist with relief effort for the victims of the earthquake.

New, Powerful Tremor 9 Shakes Haiti

Eight days after Haiti's devastating 10 earthquake, a new, powerful tremor shook the island nation, shaking buildings and terrifying survivors 11.

Wails 12 of terror rose from frightened survivors as the earth shuddered 13 early Wednesday morning.

It was not immediately clear if it caused additional injuries or damage to weakened buildings.

Footage taken minutes after the magnitude-6.1 quake, the largest aftershock yet to the January 12 quake, showed distressed 14 and fearful survivors in shelters in an improvised 15 tent city in the capital, Port-au-Prince.

"I heard like a big ringing around but I didn't understand whether it was for real, understand? And afterwards people were trying to tell me that it was again."

US soldiers and tent city refugees alike raced for open ground, and clouds of dust rose in the capital.

The US Geological Survey said the quake was centered about 56 kilometres northwest of Port-au-Prince.

According to the European Union Commission, last week's quake killed an estimated 200-thousand people in Haiti, left 250-thousand injured and made 1.5 million homeless.

A Young Woman Saved Seven Days After Earthquake in Haiti

A young woman has been pulled alive from the rubble 16 of a collapsed 17 supermarket in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince, a week after the deadly 7.0-magnitude earthquake.

The 25-year-old woman, who was trapped in the rubble for seven days, was saved by three rescue teams from Turkey, France and Haiti.

A member of the Turkish search and rescue team says he considers it a miracle.

"It is a great feeling. We just did this job for ages, and this is something like a miracle after these days. She is in perfect condition, and she smiles and she talks, and that is all that matters. We are so happy that she is alive."

The rescuer says the women could be seen singing and praying as she was lowered from the crumbled 18 building.

Meanwhile, west of the capital in Fermathe, former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who is also a surgeon, is taking part in a medical mission.

He arrived in Port-au-Prince and is now stationed at a hospital. Frist is also working with the international relief agency.

Frist says the global health organization he sponsors, Hope Through Healing Hands, has launched a Haiti Disaster Relief Fund and raised more than 12,000 U.S. dollars.

AP-APTN-0730: ++Haiti Rescue 2

WEF to Highlight Solutions to Assist Haiti

This year's World Economic Forum 19 will highlight finding solutions to assist Haiti after the earthquake devastated 20 the Caribbean nation and steering 21 the world out of the recession.

Two-and-a-half thousand of the world's leading figures in business and politics will gather in the Swiss Alps on January 27 for the five day meeting in Davos.

World Economic Forum Chief Klaus Schwab warned that the financial world should not be so quick to look at gains on the stock market along with positive growth forecasts and presume the global economy was returning to the good old days.

He added a late addition to the agenda concerns Haiti - following last week's deadly earthquake.

"Let's not forget Haiti, much to the contrary, Haiti will be very much in the forefront of the discussions, we will launch a major initiative to engage business into the reconstruction 22 of Haiti."

He said participants will also discuss how to avoid a new social crisis marked by high unemployment.

IMF:Developing Asian Economies Shoulder More Responsibility

The head of the International Monetary 23 Fund or IMF has said that developing Asian economies were leading a global recovery that was faster and stronger than expected, but warned that money rushing into emerging markets could lead to asset bubbles.

Speaking to Chinese bankers in Hong Kong, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the IMF's managing director, said as the Asian economy grew and became "a bigger player" the responsibility grew with it too.

"As the Asian economy have grown in stature 24, the responsibility have grown also. And the voice and representation of Asia, not only in the IMF, but already in the G20 where you have six Asian countries, and in the global debate, this responsibility is bigger than before."

Meanwhile, a top Chinese regulator echoed as saying that China would slow its massive lending and step up monitoring of banks.

China tried to prevent speculative 25 bubbles in real estate and other assets, while keeping the country's economic recovery on track.

Liu Mingkang, chairman of the Chinese Banking 26 Regulatory Commission, made the remarks at the same financial forum in Hong Kong.

"By such a doing, we broaden our toolbox and get focused on risk base supervision 27 with a clear road map and the banks will be better to absorb both the expected and unexpected losses. We think we are balanced in the two stories. Limiting systemic risk, by a brand new framework, and the building a banking system that fulfils its role in the Chinese economy."

He said China's banking system was healthy, despite last year's explosive growth in credit and regulators could manage the risks.

The official added that banks in China were expected to scale back lending to roughly 7.5 trillion or more than 1 trillion US dollars in 2010.

Statistics show that China handed out some 9.5 trillion yuan, or over 1.3 trillion US dollars, in loans last year.

China's Production safety Improves

The work safety watchdog says that China's production safety is improving, with a significant decrease in the number of incidents last year.

However, supervision efforts need to be strengthened amid the rapid economic development.

Chen Xi has more.

Reporter:

The conference highlighted the country's production safety situation last year, and set the goals for next year.

Luo Lin, Director of China's State Administration of Work Safety, pointed 28 out production safety, in all sections, had made great step last year.

"We saw a huge decrease in the number of significant safety incidents, as well as casualties, compared with the previous numbers. Safety in the mining industry continues to improve. The security work in the transportation and firefighting industries was also effective."

Luo Lin said the country's work safety watchdog investigated a large number of illegal businesses and punished around 30-thousand people involved, contributing to the safety production improvement in the country.

Zhao Tiechui is the deputy director of the State Administration of Work Safety and director of the State Administration of Coal Mine Safety.

He detailed 29 the safety record of China's coal mining industry in 2009.

"Last year, the country's death rate in coal mining dropped to nearly 0.9, down by 24.5 percent year-on-year. It plunged 30 to a record low. The casualties in China's major coal mines have reached the level of developed countries."

However, the official admitted that major coal mining incidents are not yet under sufficient control, claiming the administration should strengthen safety supervision and rigorously punish the deeds of illegal coal mining this year.

In addition, the country's work safety watchdog vowed 31 to shut down small coal mines which do not meet safety requirements and industry policies, keeping the country's total number of coal mines under 10-thousand.

Luo Lin warned that safety work this year is still facing new challenges.

"As the economic activities are burgeoning 32, it is much more difficult for law enforcement and governance. The increasing demand for energy material and transportation, as well as the expansion of coal mines, will add more burden. What's more, the workload 33 of safety inspectors 34 and supervisors 35 is heavy, because lots of new projects are under construction."

He also stressed the country should further focus on prevention and supervision this year, in an effort to avoid incidents and reduce the number of casualties.

Chen Xi, CRI News

China's Railway to Face Travel Peak

China's railway authorities say that the passenger number for the peak travel period of the upcoming Spring Festival is expected to hit a record high.

Gao Xiaobing, Vice 36 Director of the Political Department with the Chinese Ministry of Transportation, briefed the media in Beijing.

"It is estimated that 210 million passengers will travel by Chinese rail during the Spring Festival in 2010. This is a year-on-year increase of 18.2 million passengers equaling 9.5% with the average daily passenger volume reaching 5.25 million per day."

The official said although China's railway links have risen rapidly in size and speed, they still may not meet the huge demands placed on them during the approaching Spring Festival travel period.

Some passengers have expressed their worries about the upcoming peak period.

Long Hongfen, a student, will travel home to Wuhan in central China.

"Well, I was worried that I might not be able to get tickets because so many people travel home for Spring Festival - so I decided 37 to travel in January this year."

However, railway authorities in China have prepared several plans for the huge passenger flow.

Sun Yuling, Deputy Director of Box Office at Zhengzhou Railway Station, explained the solutions to meet the increasing demands.

"We will open more windows during the peak period for short distance travelers, migrant workers and students, according to ticket sales and train schedule. We will also be adjusting our opening hours according to travel volume, including expanding the time in box offices and telephone booking."

The annual peak season, or "chun yun" in Chinese, will span from January 30 to March 10, during which the Lunar New Year, China's most important traditional festival, will fall on February 14.

SKorea Defense 38 Chief Vows 39 Preemptive Attack Against NKorea in Case of Nuclear Provocation 40

South Korea's Defence Minister Kim Tae-young has called for a pre-emptive strike on North Korea if there is a clear indication the country is preparing a nuclear attack.

"When North Korea carries out the nuclear attack, it is already too much damage for us to take measures after we've been hit. So we have to find as soon as we can where the threat is located by putting intelligence effort in, and on that identification, we should immediately launch a strike if there is a clear intention of attack from the enemy."

He said there have been some debates over justification 41 of preemptive attacks, but some argue such attacks can be legitimized in case of nuclear threats.

His remark came after Pyongyang last week issued a threat against Seoul over its reported contingency 42 plan which assumes a sudden instability in North Korea, in what seemed to be an abrupt 43 about-face of Pyongyang amid budding prospects 44 for further inter-Korean dialogues.

The minister expressed the same view on a preemptive attack in 2008 in a parliamentary hearing, which enraged 45 the North.

U.S.hails India's contribution in Afghanistan

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has hailed India's contribution to Afghan aid.

He made the remarks at a press conference on Wednesday.

"The President's strategy represents a long term commitment to the Afghan people and the people of all south Asia. I express my appreciation 46 for India's contributions to the mission and I believe India's ongoing 47 economic development support in Afghanistan is vital. The scale of what we are trying to do requires many nations working in concert. Going forward, India can be an anchor for regional and global security,"

Gates' three-day trip to New Delhi comes as the United States deploys 48 an additional 30,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan.

Washington has been trying to get allies do more for the Afghan effort.

Gates also raised the importance of defence trade with India.

The US official, in an editorial of a leading Indian national daily, noted 49 the need to finalize 50 bilateral 51 agreements, including on technology transfer, to deepen trade relations with the country.

Officials Tackle Problems to Ensure Winter Olympics

With less than a month to go, two of the venues 53 for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver have been temporarily opened to the media.

However, heavy rain and unseasonably warm temperatures have caused event organisers some headaches in recent weeks.

Officials say that the rain can affect everything from the snow on the nearby Cypress 54 mountains, to the ice inside the Richmond Oval, home to speed skating that will hold approximately 7,600 spectators.

Magnus Enfeldt, a former speed skater, is the Sport and Venue 52 Planning Manager for the 2010 Games.

"We need to have the humidity levels in this building as low as possible for the sake of the ice, so the main goal is to keep the same conditions from the first skater to the last skater of every event, that's utmost importance."

Organizers also say they are taking steps to prevent any problems for competitors, such as using dehumidifiers that pull out moisture from the air and prevent frost.

Travelers headed to the city are also advised to have extra patience while at the busy airport.

The competition venues will officially open early next month for athletes to begin training, with the games beginning on 12 February.

Media Digest/Stock/Weather

Chinadaily: Medical Reform Hailed in China

Starting July 1st, China's migrant workers will be able to transfer their medical insurance across China. Small as the initiative is, such efforts are sorely needed to facilitate reform of the country's healthcare system, which is a long and complicated process.

An editorial in the China Daily says though the country has developed fast economically, medical costs remain a top financial threat to low-income residents. The difficulty for migrant workers to transfer their health insurance upon finding new jobs in other cities is one of the problems that hinders labor 55 mobility 56.

It says with China's urbanization, more farmers will leave their rural homes for urban jobs. It simply does not make sense to keep a fragmented medical insurance system that discriminates 57 against the country's mobile labor force.

The author adds that dismantling 58 such barriers is just the first step in providing people with affordable 59 and accessible medical services. It's a good thing that the strong recovery of the national economy has not weakened the sense of urgency among Chinese policymakers to build a sounder healthcare system.

Global Times: Rising China still loses talents, mothers

After Zhang Hanyu, an award-winning actor from the Chinese mainland, recently applied 60 for Hong Kong citizenship 61, the island's celebrity 62 club has more and more successful applicants 63 from the mainland, including actresses Zhang Ziyi, Zhou Xun, Tang Wei and actor Ge You.

In 2008, over 20,000 children with mainland parents were born in Hong Kong, and the number is still growing. The mothers usually paid about 10,000 U.S. dollars to underground agencies in each case.

An editorial in Global Times argues the phenomenon is a reminder 64 that at the daily level, being Chinese does not equal privilege or even convenience.

The article admits babies born in Hong Kong get many benefits indeed, including free bilingual education and visa-free travel to 136 countries and regions. Also, their parents can have another baby without paying fines, which is mostly impossible in the mainland due to the one-child policy.

But the editorial says there is a more fundamental issue at its heart. It argues China's rise should not only be reflected in economic growth, but also in its ability to serve ordinary people's interests.

The article concludes by saying there is still a long way to go before China's rise can become something tangible 65 for ordinary people.