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| Paper sculptures based on A Song of Ice and Fire, a series of novels written by George R.R. Martin, attract attention from passers-by on Wangfujing Street in downtown Beijing on April 14. The sculptures were provided by Kindle to promote electronic reading. Wang Jing / China Daily |
China-S. Africa relations at their best in history
China-South Africa relations are at their best in history, visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on April 14, after holding talks with his South African counterpart Maite Nkoana-Mashabane.
Speaking at a press briefing in Pretoria, Wang said the partnership between China and South Africa has reached new heights with exchange visits by presidents of the two countries in the past two years.
Wang said China is willing to further boost bilateral ties and strengthen their coordination in regional and international affairs.
He said the two sides have agreed that bilateral ties are at their best in history and they will create more mutually beneficial results out of this high level of political trust.
Mashabane said South Africa sees China as a trustworthy and reliable partner and also one that can cooperate in achieving its national development strategy.
She said South Africa expects continued support from China in its industrialization and economic transformation, especially the investment in its electrical energy and infrastructure.
PLA to buy missiles from Russia
The deployment of the Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile system will substantially improve China's air defense capability, military experts said after Russian media reports of China's weapons purchase.
"The S-400 is one of the top anti-aircraft weapons in the world. It will greatly supplement the People's Liberation Army's air defense system, which now has some incapacity in long-range, high-altitude defense of airplanes or ballistic missiles," said Wang Ya'nan, deputy editor-in-chief of Aerospace Knowledge magazine.
China signed the deal in September at a cost of more than $3 billion for the delivery of at least six S-400 battalions, Moscow Times reported.
"China still lacks experience in the development of long-range air defense systems, especially those that can intercept ballistic missiles. There is no shortcut because the development of such sophisticated weapons requires a great number of experiments and tests. It is a matter of time and resource input," he added.
Novel of minister published in China
Equatorial Guinean Cultural and Tourism Minister Guillermina Mekuy said she is very happy her third novel, Three Souls for One Heart, has been published in China.
Guillermina said she hopes Chinese readers will like her book and through her book learn about life in Equatorial Guinea.
The novel is about polygamy in Equatorial Guinea, and how three wives fighting to win the heart of their common husband.
Her next novel will be about the life of a model.
Guillermina wrote two novels before she came back to Equatorial Guinea, but all her work reveals her love of Africa.
"I am African, so I love Africa. But what I write is about the positive side of Africa and how people enjoy happiness through hard work," she said.
With regards to the cooperation between Equatorial Guinea and China in the fields of culture and tourism, Guillermina said the two countries have good cooperation in these fields. "China sent cultural troupes to Equatorial Guinea last year and Equatorial Guinea sent artists to participate in the Shanghai Expo of 2010," she said.
China-Africa aviation cooperation deepens
China has signed air transport agreements with 23 African nations by 2014, according to Chinese civil aviation authorities. Eight African airlines started services to China, with 52 flights scheduled every week.
The number of passengers flying between China and Africa increases about 15 percent every year, hitting 1.5 million in 2014.
At least 17 sub-Saharan African countries have or will have Chinese-built airports.
China will provide African countries with 100 scholarships on aviation study, Wang Zhiqing, deputy chief of the Civil Aviation Administration of China said when addressing the African Civil Aviation Commission in Senegal two months after Premier Li's speech. He also promised to further cooperate with Africa on infrastructure, training and security.
On April 9, the Aviation Industry Corporation of China delivered two of China's domestic-made Xinzhou-60 aircraft to Cameroon, the second batch after 2012, and South Africa has signed a deal to purchase 10 Xiaoying-500s.
Flag carrier Air China plans to start flights between Beijing and Johannesburg in June, three times a week. Flights linking Beijing and Addis Ababa will begin in October. Guangzhou-based China Southern Airlines started flights to Mauritius last year.
Hybrid rice varieties under fresh scrutiny
China's agricultural authority is set to conduct more comprehensive assessments of hybrid rice varieties following a massive crop failure in Anhui province caused by abnormal weather conditions and rice disease.
The evaluations will focus on high yields and also the adaptability of varieties to different growing environments, including resilience to disease and insects, according to Zhang Taolin, vice-minister of agriculture.
"There will also be evaluations of the efficiency of fertilizers and the grain quality of hybrid rice," he said at a news conference at the State Council Information Office on April 14.
Hybrid rice seed provider Yuan Longping High-Tech Agriculture Co said on April 13 that it will stop selling its Liangyou 0293 variety following widespread low yields or crop failure.
Five-year plan targets rural pollution
The excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides is worsening agricultural pollution in China, a senior official said on April 14 as the country's agricultural authority launched a five-year action plan to curb rural pollution.
Zhang Taolin, vice-minister of agriculture, said on April 14 that the pollution caused by excessive use of fertilizers is increasing in the country's central and eastern areas.
"The problem is more severe in areas cultivating fruits and vegetables as those areas have expanded in recent years," he said.
China has emerged as the world's largest producer of fruits and vegetables. It provides 20 percent of the world's fruits and 50 percent of its vegetables, according to the 2013 Statistical Yearbook of the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization.
In the five-year program, made public on April 13, the Ministry of Agriculture said it is targeting more than 90 percent of China's farmland that use formulated fertilizers. It will implement soil tests to determine how much and what type of fertilizers are needed.
(China Daily Africa Weekly 04/17/2015 page2)
