Beijing

Xi returns from Vietnam, Thailand visits

Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping returned to Beijing on Saturday after concluding official visits to Vietnam and Thailand.

Xi, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Political Bureau, visited Vietnam from Dec 20 to 22, and Thailand from Dec 22 to 24.

He was invited by the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, Vietnamese Vice-President Nguyen Thi Doan and the government of the Kingdom of Thailand.

Continuing education targeted

China will further develop continuing education in a bid to strengthen the country's human resources skills, a senior official said on Saturday.

Liu Yandong, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks at a meeting on continuing education.

In China, continuing education includes self-study examinations, Open University, correspondence education, colleges' network education and evening university courses.

Sichuan

Wenchuan quake captured on big screen

China will shoot a film based on a true story on survival in the devastating Wenchuan earthquake in February, according to the film production crew.

The movie is based on the true story of a miner who was rescued from 30-meter-deep mine shaft a week after the 8-magnitude earthquake jolted Southwest China's Sichuan province in May 2008, leaving more than 80,000 people dead or missing.

Peng Guohua survived by drinking urine and rainwater and eating paper. The film costs an estimated 5 million yuan ($790,000) with most actors being local residents. It is expected to be released next July.

Tibet

Tourist arrivals increase for Tibet

Tibet received 8.43 million tourists in the first 11 months of the year, an annual increase of 27.7 percent, the autonomous regional statistics bureau said on Saturday.

In all, domestic tourists totaled 8.18 million, up 28.1 percent year on year, and overseas tourists numbered about 250,000, the bureau said in a news release. Meanwhile, the region earned tourism revenue of 9.3 billion yuan ($1.5 billion), up 39.4 percent year on year.

Xinjiang

Tax exemption to attract investment

Taxation authorities in China's far western Xinjiang unveiled a new rule on Saturday which exempts enterprises income tax to attract investment to the border cities of Kashgar and Horgos.

New businesses are exempt from income tax for five years, the regional taxation bureau said a statement, citing a notice from the Ministry of Finance and State Administration of Taxation. The tax-free period lasts from 2010 to 2020, according to the statement.

Shanxi

China launches remote-sensing satellite

China successfully launched Ziyuan I-02C on Thursday, a high-resolution remote-sensing satellite, from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern Shanxi province.

Launched at 11:26 am aboard a Long March 4B rocket, the satellite reached an orbit of 770 km above Earth about 13 minutes later, according to the launch center.

News watch

The 4th Art Festival of Ethnic Groups of China is slated to kick off in June in Beijing. The festival, held every five years, will feature 36 performances including dance, opera and musical drama.

It is jointly organized by the State Ethnic Affairs Commission, Ministry of Culture, State Administration of Radio, Film and Television and the Beijing municipal government.

China Daily - Xinhua

(China Daily 12/25/2011 page2)