Around China

Beijing

Diaoyu Islands patrols continue

Chinese marine surveillance ships continued regular patrols in territorial waters surrounding the Diaoyu Islands on Tuesday, the State Oceanic Administration said. Having spotted Japanese ships sailing in the waters, the fleet monitored the movements and took photos of the vessels, the SOA said. The fleet solemnly declared that the Diaoyu Islands have been Chinese territory since ancient times, and urged Japanese ships to immediately leave the Chinese waters.

Beijing to plant more trees

Beijing plans to cover another 23,333 hectares of barren fields with trees in 2013, according to the forestry authority. The project, which will be carried out mainly in the capital's suburbs, will provide a "green shield" to guard against dust. It will begin in mid-March and be completed in late April.

Campaign to ease students' burden

A new national campaign will be launched to alleviate the heavy workloads of students in the compulsory education system, the Ministry of Education said on Tuesday. The reform of the curriculum planning and examination system should be sped up to reduce students' burdens and improve the quality of education, said Liu Limin, vice-minister of education.

Mapping system ready by 2020

China will build up an integrated mapping system to cover the ground, underground, sea, air and outer space by 2020, said a senior official from the national surveying and mapping authority. The system will facilitate the country's economic development, national defense and government decision-making, Li Pengde, deputy director of the National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geoinformation, said on Monday.

Surrogacy talks with experts

The Ministry of Health is consulting experts on the issue of surrogacy, which is still illegal in China, the Beijing Times reported on Tuesday. Qiao Jie, an expert in reproductive medicine and the president of the Third Hospital of Peking University, revealed the move, but added that it will take at least five to 10 years to legalize surrogacy. The regulations need to be revised, he said, including how to guarantee the safety of surrogate mothers and how to adopt the babies they give birth to.

Beijing heating off on Saturday

Heating in Beijing will be switched off on Saturday, as weather forecasters predict rising temperatures, the Beijing Times reported. In most years, the heating is on from Nov 15 to March 15, but the dates can be adjusted depending on the weather. The city will enjoy warmer weather on Thursday and Friday before a cold front over the weekend, which is unlikely to cause a major drop in temperatures, according to forecasts.

20% nuclear growth targeted

Nuclear power totaling 3.24 gigawatts will be added in 2013, according to the National Development and Reform Commission. The plan to raise installed nuclear power capacity by 20 percent this year indicated the country is developing nuclear power in a safe and efficient way, said He Yu, chairman of the China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group.

Shanghai

Office workers calling suicide line

White-collar workers accounted for the majority of callers to Shanghai's first 24-hour suicide hotline since it was launched in December. In the past three months, the hotline has received 1,312 calls, with 41 percent from people aged between 23 and 35, mostly employed in office jobs, according to the Life Education and Crisis Intervention Center, which runs the hotline.

Taiwan

Magnitude-3.7 quake hits Taiwan

A magnitude-3.7 earthquake jolted Ilan county, Taiwan, at 5:03 pm on Tuesday, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center. The epicenter, with a depth of 43 km, was monitored at about 24.4 degrees north latitude and 121.7 degrees east longitude, the center said. Taiwan's meteorological authority put the quake at magnitude 5 and monitored the epicenter with a depth of 47.4 km.

Heilongjiang

7 miners rescued in colliery flood

Seven miners have been rescued and 18 others remain trapped in a mud-rock flow accident on Monday in Heilongjiang province, the provincial work safety authority said on Tuesday. The accident occurred at 2:30 pm in a shaft of the Zhenxing Coal Mine in Hegang city. The seven miners were on a tunneling team and the 18 others worked on coal excavation.

Zhejiang

Chemical tanker springs toxic leak

A tanker truck carrying 30 metric tons of toxic chemicals sprang a potentially dangerous leak late on Monday as it crossed Hangzhou Bay Bridge in Zhejiang province, Chinanews.com reported. The cause of the leak has not been determined, but no injuries were reported. The truck was carrying hydrobromic acid, which can cause severe burns. A rescue team spent about five hours diluting the acid, stopping the leak and removing the truck.

Hubei

14 die after bus plunges off bridge

At least 14 people were killed and eight injured when a bus plunged off the Jingzhou Yangtze River Bridge into marshland below at about 7 pm on Tuesday, according to Jingzhounews.com.cn. The bus was carrying 22 people from Hankou to Enshi, both in Hubei province. Most victims were 20 to 40 years old. The accident might have been caused by a tire blowout, according to Xinhua News Agency.

Xinhua-China Daily

(China Daily 03/13/2013 page2)