What's news

PLA chief tours US carrier

Fang Fenghui, chief of the general staff of China's People's Liberation Army, visited US military facilities on May 13 and was expected to meet with Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on May 15, as part of the push to strengthen military-to-military ties between the two countries, according to the American Forces Press Service under the US Department of Defense.

Fang, who took office in 2012, arrived in Los Angeles on May 12, and toured the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and littoral combat ship USS Coronado in San Diego on May 13.

In California, Fang also met with US Pacific Command commander Navy Admiral Samuel Locklear III, who also escorted Fang in touring the aircraft carrier.

On May 14, Fang was scheduled to tour the Marine Corps Recruit Depot before boarding a plane to Washington, where he was expected to visit the National Defense University in Washington in the later afternoon.

Fang is paying a five-day visit to the US at the invitation of Dempsey, who went to China in April last year at the invitation of Fang.

On the morning of May 15, Dempsey will host Fang at the Pentagon, where the Chinese general will receive a full-military-honors arrival ceremony. Then the two will meet for about two to three hours before meeting the press in a joint news conference.

On May 16, Fang will travel to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, before wrapping up his travel with meetings in New York.

Turkmen relations given horsepower

President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov of Turkmenistan presented a precious Akhal-Teke horse to China during his four-day state visit that started on May 11.

The presidents of the two countries, which are each other's biggest gas trade partners, said they would work more closely on gas.

"Akhal-Teke horses have become messengers and witnesses to the friendship of the two countries," President Xi Jinping said as he addressed a session of the International Akhal-Teke Horse Association Special Conference, which opened in Beijing on May 12.

The horse knelt in front of Xi after being led to him at the opening ceremony of the conference. It was the first time that the conference has been held outside Turkmenistan.

Legendary army sets foot in Indiana

Terracotta Warriors from Xi'an have arrived at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis in Indiana ready for their only exhibition in the United States this year.

They are poised to attract visitors with not only the story of the tomb complex of China's first emperor, but also with their original vibrant colors.

The exhibition forms part of the "Take me there: China" program staged by the world's largest children's museum.

The display, "China's Terracotta Warriors - the Emperor's Painted Army", showcases 265 rare cultural relics, including life-sized warriors unearthed from pits next to the Mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shihuang, first emperor of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC). The exhibition runs from May 10 until Nov 2.

"One of the key exhibits is the colorful head of a soldier made from pottery," said Cao Wei, director of the Emperor Qin Shihuang Mausoleum Site Museum.

Early warning system for earthquakes

An earthquake early warning system developed by a private research organization has been installed in Beijing and surrounding areas, and testing of the system has begun.

Installation was carried out in schools, communities and township government buildings in cities after the Wenchuan earthquake in Sichuan province in 2008, said Wang Dun, director of the Institute of Care-Life, a nongovernmental organization that conducts research on quakes.

The organization, in the Sichuan provincial capital, Chengdu, provided the technology for the system. It covers 130,000 square kilometers in Beijing and Tianjin municipalities as well as neighboring Hebei province and other provinces nearby, Wang said.

Web firms join fight to stamp out porn

Chinese network and technology giants have joined the fight against online pornography.

To remove violent and sexual images, Internet companies, especially search engines, must strengthen their supervision, said Wang Yi, manager of the public affairs department at Baidu, China's leading Internet search provider.

Baidu has established a system to monitor websites around the clock and will block those suspected of disseminating illegal material, she said. Baidu, the Chinese equivalent of Google, established a websites verification list in March.

"The list aims to clean out unhealthy online information from its roots," Wang said. "We tell netizens whether a website is risky using a tag when they search online. We will also cut a website's rating or cancel its verification certificate if it is reported by netizens to have problems."

World Cup date offers Xi new goals

A possible appearance by President Xi Jinping at the World Cup soccer final in Brazil in July has been tipped to boost grassroots enthusiasm for the game while helping him to strengthen ties with the public.

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has invited Xi to watch the final on July 13 before he attends the 2014 BRICS summit in the Brazilian city of Fortaleza, according to Valdemar Carneiro Leao, the Brazilian ambassador to China, in an interview with Chinese news website ifeng.com.

The summit will be attended by leaders from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

"The year 2014 marks the 40th anniversary of the diplomatic relationship between Brazil and China. President Xi's stay in Brazil this year will be a wonderful coincidence," Leao was quoted as saying in the report.

Yuan fall dictated by market, official says

Recent falls in the yuan exchange rate against the US dollar are based entirely on market forces, a senior official said on May 13 after Premier Li Keqiang met with visiting US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew.

Zhu Guangyao, vice-minister of finance, said China would not bow to United States pressure over the yuan's recent depreciation.

The Chinese currency has fallen by 2.9 percent against the US dollar since January, after appreciating by about 35 percent since 2005.

Zhu said a "two-way movement" had been the consensus of China and the US, as it reflected market forces and could avoid speculation.

Zhu said Lew had exchanged views on economic issues, including the yuan exchange rate, with top officials in China, including Premier Li.

Li promised in an annual policy speech in March that the market would be allowed to play a decisive role in allocating credit and other resources.

Air tracking boost on way

The aviation industry will begin to voluntarily improve aircraft tracking while mandatory standards are developed following the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, the UN aviation agency said on May 13.

The International Civil Aviation Organization gave no time frame for the binding standards on flight tracking to take effect.

This reflected the challenge of reaching an agreement with industry and governments globally on a longstanding problem, Reuters reported on May 13.

Nancy Graham, director of the ICAO's Air Navigation Bureau, said at a news conference: "A standard takes longer, it takes time. The process of cooperation is long, but it's important."

China helps to cut debris in space

China has made remarkable progress in controlling and reducing the impact of space debris on exploration and will work more closely with other countries, says Xu Dazhe, head of the China National Space Administration.

"China has allocated a considerable amount of resources in research and development for the detection, protection and mitigation of space debris," Xu said.

"A surveillance and early warning system has taken shape, beginning to provide technical support to our manned space exploration and satellite operation."

Addressing the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee Plenary Meeting in Beijing, Xu said cutting-edge technologies were adopted to prevent Long March rocket parts from exploding in space after they sent satellites or spacecraft into orbit, thus avoiding generating new debris.

The committee is an international governmental forum founded in 1993 for the worldwide coordination of activities related to man-made and natural debris in space.

Li's African trip ends with Kenyan visit

As Premier Li Keqiang finished a four-day visit to Africa, China and Kenya pledged to work more closely together.

Li and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta hailed expanding trade, economic and development ties between the countries and agreed to work more closely in trade, investment, infrastructure development and other areas.

China will continue to provide support to Kenya, particularly in implementing projects under Kenya's Vision 2030 development blueprint and encourage Chinese financial institutions and businesses to invest in Kenya, and facilitate greater access for Kenyan products to China, a joint statement said.

Official's grim lament over animal smuggling

Smuggling of endangered animals and plants from abroad has been increasing, posing serious challenges to Chinese authorities.

In 2012 and 2013, customs investigated 299 cases involving smuggling of endangered species, about 20 percent higher than in the previous two years. A total of 384 suspects were arrested, the General Administration of Customs said.

"Due to the temptation of huge benefits and strong market demand, we are facing a grim task in combating such crime," said Xu Wenrong, deputy director of the anti-smuggling bureau at the administration.

The seizures included ivory, rhinoceros horns, pangolins, and precious wood, mainly smuggled from Africa and Southeast Asia, he said.

Donor plan helps overseas patients

One hundred and forty-four people from outside China have received matching stem cells for lifesaving bone marrow transplants from the Red Cross of China's marrow donor program, a program director says.

About 1.83 million people, mostly Chinese, were enlisted as stem cell donor volunteers and placed in a data bank by the end of last year, making it the largest program in Asia, said the program's 2013 annual report issued on May 9.

Last year, 133 donations were made to overseas patients, and 11 this year.

"Requests from foreign countries to detect a match have continued to rise, particularly after the Chinese program joined the world's marrow donor program in 2012," said Gao Dongying, the program director. "Now we receive nearly 200 requests from overseas each year."

TV show spurs taste for hidden delicacies

One of the least popular products offered by an online shop owner in Lhasa, capital of the Tibet autonomous region, is being snapped up by thousands, thanks to a popular food documentary.

Zhang Xiaowei's shop at online retail platform Tmall sells a variety of products from the depths of Tibetan forests, including saffron and Chinese caterpillar fungus.

But honey from Nyingchi in Tibet had gone almost unrecognized, to Zhang's disappointment.

Each year, Tibetan beekeepers trek from low to high altitudes in the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon, seeking blossoms free from pollution and pesticides to allow their bees to produce honey of rare quality.

But because beekeeping is still a niche business in Tibet and the blossom season there is comparatively short, Nyingchi honey often costs more than other varieties.

In an episode of the popular China Central Television documentary A Bite of China II shown on April 18, Nyingchi honey featured in the story of a Tibetan family searching the forests for raw food and natural happiness. Just after the program was shown, Zhang's honey sales began to increase, and in about three weeks he sold 3,500 bottles.

Pollution casts pall over cities' livability

Beijing was 41st on a list of Chinese cities ranked for their livability, while Shanghai fared better at 10th, according to a research report.

"Beijing lost points because of poor air quality and high housing prices," said Ni Pengfeng, director of the Urban and Property Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

The report was based on evaluations of 294 cities. Nine factors were taken into account, including living conditions, city harmony and cultural competitiveness.

Air pollution has been a major problem for big cities in China. Last year more than 100 cities had an average of 29.9 smoggy days, a 52-year high.

Of the 10 worst cities for monthly air pollution, ranked by the Ministry of Environmental Protection last year, many were in Hebei province, which surrounds Beijing.

Li's taste choice takes the cake

One hundred million boxes of coconut chips and coconut milk cake that Premier Li Keqiang bought on April 11 have sold in the last month, bringing in 19 million yuan ($3 million), people.com.cn reported.

Li bought the coconut products from Wenchang Chunguang Foodstuff Company, a local business, during the Boao Forum in Haikou, Hainan province. The company said its production of the "Premier package" can now only meet four-fifths of total orders.

China Daily-Xinhua

(China Daily European Weekly 05/16/2014 page2)