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China Daily | Updated: 2008-09-04 07:34

September 2, 1983

Yangtze diversion debated

China will accelerate research on the project for diverting water from the Yangtze River to North China, according to the State Science and Technology Commission.

Plans for the diversion project have been underway and in March, the State Council had approved a plan about the "east route," which goes along the ancient Grand Canal from Yangzhou on the lower reaches of the Yangtze to Beijing, considering that there are many lakes along the route to be used for storing water.

It is estimated that the area north of the Yellow River is short of about 20 thousand million cubic meters of water annually in relatively dry years.

Light industry progresses

In the first six months of this year, production value of light industry enjoyed an increase of 5.2 percent over the same period last year with more than 2,500 new products invented and half of them now being produced.

But the overall status of the industry is still backward as most of its machinery and equipment are at least 30 years old, and even in industry leader Shanghai, modern machinery accounts for only 10 percent of the total, said minister of light industry Yang Bo.

Meanwhile, as new light items went popular through the country, Yang suggested sending relevant officials at local governments to rural and urban markets for thorough surveys of what farmers and urban residents need.

First consulting firm

Accounting and consulting giant, Arthur Andersen & Company, had its representative office celebrate its opening in the Great Hall of the People on September 1, 1983.

"The company has extensive experience in accounting and economic management, which are very useful to us and call for our sincere studies," vice-minister of Finance Chi Haibing said.

As a first step of co-operation with China, the company will finance studies for Chinese accountants in the company, present books on accounting to the Accounting Society of China, and help the China Association for Enterprise Management train management personnel.