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China to make effort on elephant conservation

A Chinese official says China will make more effort in the fields of management, law enforcement, education and capacity building to help African countries battle elephant poaching.

Meng Xianlin, executive director-general of the Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora Import and Export Management Office of China, made the remarks on March 23 after the African Elephant Summit in Kasane, northern Botswana.

China has also strengthened law enforcement, Meng said after the meeting, adding that in 2014, China worked together with 28 international organizations and countries where illegal wildlife was traded and criminals were captured.

China has made a commitment of $10 million for wildlife conservation to African countries and now is pushing forward related issues, Meng said.

China's commitment of $10 million to support conservation of African elephants is also very valuable, he said, but adds he would like to better understand how projects using the money are developed and see the actual results.

To further strengthen its efforts, China can do a great deal to show leadership by further tightening enforcement and prosecution of criminals, finding those in China and elsewhere who are driving the trade and also in educating and changing behavior of its own consumers so they understand the impacts of consumption on the elephants in Africa, said Meng.

He added that China also can do great deal in working fully with the international community, as it does in Kasane and in London, to demonstrate that it is a full partner in all aspects of tackling the trade.

Chinese-supported schools in Africa

China built 150 primary and secondary schools in Africa and trained a total of 47,000 people in various professions from 2010 to 2012, statistics show.

Irina Bokova, director-general of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, hailed the Chinese government's support, and said she believes it set another record for access to quality education for African children.

"Chinese is an international language and the country's influence in Kenya is growing fast, as the two nations enhance cooperation. So it is very necessary for our students to learn the Chinese language," said John Gichengo, principal of Beijing MCEDO School, which has 627 students at the primary and secondary levels. Beside standard courses, students also learn Chinese language.

Since 2005, China has built 42 Confucius Institutes in 29 African countries to spread its language and culture.

China is also helping African countries on higher education. During his visit to Africa last year, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said China will provide African countries with 18,000 government scholarships and help train 30,000 professionals as scheduled.

Xi's trade route plan spurs new scholarship

China plans to set up a scholarship designed exclusively for students from nations involved in Beijing's initiatives to build the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

An official from the Ministry of Education confirmed the "One Belt, One Road" scholarship plan on March 24. It will be used to support students studying in China.

"We are negotiating with the Ministry of Finance on establishing scholarship programs under the plan to provide more support to students from those countries," said Tian Lulu, an official with the Education Ministry's Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges, at an international education forum in Beijing.

The forum, organized by the China Education Association for International Exchanges, discussed issues such as policies, problems and solutions in recruiting and managing international students.

Conservation blueprint backed by leaders

China's top leadership backed a policy philosophy based on conservation on March 24 and adopted the concept of what it called "greenization" for the first time.

The decision was made at a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

So-called conservation culture will now be considered in all aspects of government work - economic, political, social and cultural - in pursuit of "industrialization, urbanization, informationization, agricultural modernization and greenization".

The meeting, presided over by CPC Central Committee General Secretary Xi Jinping, approved a policy guideline that calls for lowering the consumption of resources, boosting green industries and promoting low-carbon, thrifty lifestyles.

IOC 'impressed' with Beijing's Olympics bid

Beijing's bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics has reportedly impressed a visiting International Olympic Committee team.

On March 24, the IOC Evaluation Commission began a five-day inspection tour of Beijing and Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, to inspect proposed venues and assess their ability to jointly host the winter showpiece.

The commission is chaired by Russian IOC member Alexander Zhukov. He said the commission was impressed by Beijing's bid.

"We are glad to note that (China has) already incorporated some of the Olympic Agenda 2020 reforms into (its) Games concept," he said. "China has maximized the use of existing world-class sports venues, taken advantage of its experience in hosting major international events and identified clear legacy goals," he said.

According to Beijing's candidacy application, submitted in January to the IOC, the city will use 11 existing venues in its downtown areas for most of the ice events and will upgrade the skiing resorts in Zhangjiakou's Chongli county for the snow events if the bid is successful.

Beijing mayor: Games bid centers on frugality

The bid by Beijing and Zhangjiakou to host the 2022 Olympic Winter Games is based on ideas of sustainability and frugality, said Beijing's mayor.

"Holding the games in a frugal way is not a slogan, it's a reality," said Mayor Wang Anshun. "We will make full use of our current sports facilities and strictly control construction costs."

This week, the International Olympic Committee's Evaluation Commission will inspect the proposed venues and assess the country's ability to host the Games. The visit concludes on March 28.

The bid features six existing venues and six new ones spread across the capital's downtown areas and Yanqing district as well as Zhangjiakou, Hebei province.

"The bid inherited the legacy of the 2008 Beijing Olympics to the largest possible extent and has made the best use of existing venues to reduce financial pressures and demonstrate the spirit of sustainable development," said Wang, a National People's Congress deputy.

Modi seeks to expand cooperation with China

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi placed his upcoming visit to China in a global context, seeking to send a positive message to the world on the countries' mutual commitment to strengthening cooperation.

Modi spoke of his visit during a meeting on March 24 with State Councilor Yang Jiechi, who wrapped up the 18th round of boundary talks between China and India in New Delhi, the first since Modi swept to power in May.

The two-day talks about the decades long dispute saw the governments of both countries stress their common desire to press ahead with further negotiations.

Modi told Yang that he would like to discuss with Chinese leaders how to further develop the relationship to send a positive message to the international community.

Relations are moving on a fast track, and in the correct direction, which will not only benefit the two countries and their people, but also exert a positive influence on Asia and the world, he said.

Yang said China is willing to work with India to deepen mutual trust and expand fields of cooperation.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 03/27/2015 page2)