IN BRIEF (Page 2)

Xi stands guard with soldiers in the cold

President Xi Jinping visited soldiers at a border frontier base in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Jan 26, expressing his gratitude for their service to the nation.

Soldiers in the region deserve the respect and gratitude of both the state and the people for braving the cold winter weather and protecting the nation, Xi said.

Temperatures were indeed frosty at the army base at Mount Sanjiao in Hinggan League, hovering around -30 C when Xi was there.

"Today, I will stand guard together with you," Xi told the soldiers.

He had lunch in the military cafeteria with the soldiers. Xi urged the company commanders to prepare for the Spring Festival to make sure the soldiers could enjoy a peaceful and happy holiday period.

Xi inspected a shantytown renovation project in Arshaan and urged the local government to improve living conditions for the local people.

EU eyes horsepower in ties with China

China and the European Union pledged on Jan 27 to strengthen political trust and work more closely together, with both sides aiming to deepen reforms and increase growth.

State Councilor Yang Jiechi and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton announced this after their two-hour strategic dialogue meeting in Brussels.

Yang's visit to the Belgian capital is the third high-level exchange between the two sides in recent months, following the China-EU economic and trade dialogue in October and the China-EU summit in November.

Theresa Fallon, senior associate at the European Institute for Asian Studies in Brussels, said: "It seems that the Year of the Horse will see a galloping start to EU-China relations. I think both sides are ready to work toward that."

Fallon said European economies are expected to improve further this year, and this should be good news for China, too.

She also said that implementation of the reforms outlined by top Chinese policymakers in November will create more investment opportunities in China, particularly for European investors.

Premier calls for action to relieve poverty

Premier Li Keqiang pledged greater efforts to break the intergeneration poverty curse, during a meeting on poverty alleviation with other senior officials over the weekend of Jan 25-26.

It was time to adjust the strategy for reducing poverty, Li said at the meeting, which took place on a train traveling from Xi'an to Zhen'an county in Shaanxi province.

Li told the officials, including central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan, that though China has lifted more than 600 million people out of poverty since the launch of reform and opening-up, chronic poverty remains in areas with harsh environmental conditions.

The government should encourage urbanization, especially the development of small cities and towns, to relocate poor populations, he said.

He also urged local governments to guarantee equal access to public services to those who relocate.

Experts call for detailed H7N9 rules

Public health experts called for more detailed guidelines to implement a new border inspection policy by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine for the prevention and control of the human H7N9 bird flu.

The administration has issued an emergency notice requiring strengthened border control to help curb the virus.

Those from epidemic-hit areas who run a fever higher than 38 C and have had close contact with birds in the previous week will be advised to delay their trips abroad. Travelers found with or declaring themselves to have flu-like symptoms such as fever, coughing and breathing difficulty have to undergo a screening.

On Jan 26, Vice-Premier Liu Yandong called for coordinated efforts to prevent and control H7N9 avian flu, particularly while so many people travel during the Spring Festival holiday.

In response, the administration issued a notice for potential cross-border spreading of the virus and protect the health of those who enter or leave the country.

Goldfish buyer left high and dry

A customer who bought two expensive goldfish and was having them delivered was left fishless after the courier company decided it could offer them a better home.

A courier alerted the goldfish seller in Shenzhen, Guandong province, that the two fish, costing 1,450 yuan ($240; 175 euros) which were being sent to Fuzhou, Fujian province, were in the delivery company's pond.

After negotiations, the courier company agreed to pay the seller 1,450 to keep the fish.

Statue moved after controversy

A statue depicting a story from Water Margin, one of China's four classic novels, was moved from a shopping mall after it caused controversy.

The statue was supposed to depict an anecdote about Wu Song trying to kill his sister-in-law Pan Jinlian, but it showed Pan half-naked and standing cheek to cheek with Wu. People criticized this as pornographic and violent, and totally different from the original work.

China Daily

(China Daily European Weekly 01/31/2014 page2)