Beijing

New maps highlight China's islands

China has inked for the first time the South China Sea islands on its new official maps in equal scale to that of the Chinese mainland. The new vertical-format maps of China, published by Sinomaps Press, include more than 130 islands and islets in the South China Sea, most of which have not been featured on previous maps of China, the National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geoinformation announced on Friday. The old maps, which were in horizontal format, only featured bigger islands such as the Xisha, Zhongsha and Nansha islands. The new maps have been published by Sinomaps Press but will not be available to the public until the end of January.

Leaders mark 30 years of Sino-Angolan ties

Chinese President Hu Jintao exchanged congratulatory messages with Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos on Saturday to mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries. Hu said China and Angola made rapid progress in mutual political trust, achieved fruitful exchanges and cooperation in such fields as the economy, trade, culture, education and healthcare. In addition the two sides maintained close coordination in international and regional affairs and important issues of common concern, Hu added.

Guizhou

Freeze affects more than half-million

More than 570,000 people have been gripped by continuing freezing weather in Guizhou province, local authorities said on Friday. A new round of freezing rain and snow has fallen on most parts of Guizhou. Local governments have relocated over 5,000 people in 24 counties to avoid possible risks, said provincial civil affairs authorities. Direct economic losses are estimated at over 77.76 million yuan ($12.51 million), mostly coming from agricultural fields. Local governments have restored the tap-water supply and set up 68 rescue stations to offer relief goods including food and clothes to people in need.

Changsha

Victim's mother sues for compensation

The mother of an underage rape victim in Hunan province said on Saturday that she will lodge an administrative lawsuit after authorities rejected her demand for State compensation for the time she spent in a labor camp. Tang Hui was sent to a re-education through labor center in the city of Yongzhou last summer to serve an 18-month sentence after campaigning for harsher punishments for those found guilty of raping and prostituting her then 11-year-old daughter. The city's re-education through labor committee gave her the sentence, saying, "Tang seriously disturbed social order and exerted a negative impact on society" by petitioning for justice in front of local government buildings. The news of her detainment set off a firestorm of public criticism and Tang was released eight days later.

News watch

Carmaker reports 28 percent sales jump

Great Wall Motors, a private Chinese carmaker, said on Saturday it outperformed the average growth of the whole industry last year with a 28 percent increase in the number of vehicles sold. The carmaker sold 620,000 SUVs, sedans and pickup trucks last year, 20,000 more than its target for 2012, the company said. The automaker, headquartered in Baoding, Hebei province, sold 96,000 vehicles overseas, an annual increase of 16.1 percent.

Xinhua

(China Daily 01/13/2013 page2)