Around China

Beijing

Security checked ahead of congress

China's top security chief on Monday stressed the efforts being taken to ensure stability in Beijing ahead of the opening of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. Zhou Yongkang, secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Political and Legal Affairs, made the remarks while inspecting a security "moat" project created in areas encircling Beijing to ensure the event goes smoothly.

Cooperation urged on satellite

A top official called for more international cooperation on satellite navigation technology at the opening ceremony in Beijing on Monday of a meeting of the International Committee on Global Navigation Satellite Systems. China will work with the international community to develop space resources and share progress in satellite navigation, State Councilor Liu Yandong said in a speech at the ceremony.

Basic medical insurance for all

China will raise the level of medical insurance to further protect the sick from falling into poverty, Minister of Health Chen Zhu said. Chen made the remarks while explaining the key elements of the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15) for healthcare development. Published on Oct 19, the plan states that a national medical and healthcare system will be formed by 2015, allowing all Chinese to have access to basic public healthcare services.

Working in foreign companies popular

The majority of Chinese employees prefer to work for foreign companies, but employment at State-owned firms is growing in popularity, a survey has found. China's Most Desirable Employer Survey, conducted by Antal International, a global employment service provider, polled more than 3,600 employees in China and found that 66 percent prefer to work for foreign companies.

Blockbuster to open busy season

Chinese director Feng Xiaogang's blockbuster Back to 1942, starring US actor Tim Robbins, will debut on Nov 29, officials with Huayi Brothers Media Group, the film's investor, said on Monday. The epic is expected to raise the curtain on the upcoming prime pre-Chinese New Year film season. Costing 210 million yuan ($33.6 million), the blockbuster depicts a tragic drought that claimed about 3 million lives in Henan province in 1942.

Book translated into Chinese

A Chinese version of The Castle in the Pyrenees, a new book by Sophie's World author Jostein Gaarder, will make its debut this month. Introduced to China by the Jieli Publishing House, the novel tells the tale of two former lovers who find they have differing interpretations of their shared history.

Xinjiang

Salt lake shrinking at a rapid pace

A salt lake in China's far west Gobi region has been shrinking by 40 square km a year as desertification worsens, despite local government efforts to restore the area's ecosystem, local officials said. The dried-up lake bed will border and become part of the Mutetar Desert in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region within four years if effective measures are not applied soon, said Gao Xiang, head of the Aibi Lake Wetland National Nature Reserve Administration.

Taiwan

Inflation continues to ease in October

Taiwan's consumer inflation continued to ease in October, as fruit and vegetable prices declined amid adequate supplies. According to figures released on Monday by Taiwan's statistics authorities, the island's Consumer Price Index, a major gauge of inflation, stood at 110.34 in October, registering a year-on-year increase of 2.36 percent, lower than the 2.96 percent recorded in September.

Tibet

Social insurance program created

A general urban and rural social endowment insurance system has been set up in the Tibet autonomous region, according to the area's social security authority. Cai Yitian, vice-director of the region's human resources and social security department, said at a news conference that 89 percent of rural residents, 27 percent of urban residents and 80 percent of monks and nuns had joined the social endowment insurance plan by the end of September.

Hebei

Regulation to protect info safety

Hebei province has passed its first regulation that seeks to halt public disclosure of personal information. Organizations found leaking personal data can be fined up to 500,000 yuan ($80,000), China National Radio reported on Sunday. The regulation will take effect on Jan 1.

Guangdong

Icebreaker sets sail for Antarctica

The Xuelong, a Chinese icebreaker, embarked on the country's 29th Antarctic expedition on Monday from Guangzhou in South China's Guangdong province. The expedition is expected to last 162 days, involving a voyage of nearly 50,856 km with 39 scientific research projects arranged. The Xuelong is scheduled to arrive in Shanghai in early April.

Gansu

Statue design has 1m yuan prize

Tianshui city in Gansu province is offering a prize of 1 million yuan ($160,000) to whoever submits the winning design for a 99-meter-tall statue of Fu Xi . Fu Xi, who was believed to be born in the city about 8,000 years ago, was the first of the three primogenitors of Huaxia civilization in Chinese mythology. The locals have held related memorial ceremonies for about 2,000 years.

Fujian

Internet summit to be held in Fuzhou

The eighth World Summit on Internet and Multimedia will be held in Fuzhou, Fujian province, on Nov 27. The summit will attract about 300 experts and specialists from around the world in the multimedia industry to discuss the industry's development trends.

China Daily - Xinhua

(China Daily 11/06/2012 page2)