IN BRIEF (Page 2)

S. Africa imitates China on 're-industrialization'

South Africa will follow the Chinese model in its "re-industrialization", says Ronnie Mamoepa, a spokesman for the country's Vice-President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Ramaphosa was visiting China from July 13 to 17, focusing on economic and trade issues, particularly on how state-owned enterprises can be used to promote economic growth and tackle poverty and unemployment, Mamoepa said.

During Ramaphosa's visit he was to meet President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang. He was also to hold talks with his Chinese counterpart Li Yuanchao to discuss a number of issues in the context of a Five-to-Ten Year Strategic Program signed during President Jacob Zuma's visit to China last year, Mamoepa said.

The two sides would discuss collaboration in trade and investment, the BRICS Development Bank, infrastructure development, energy, vocational training and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation to be held this year, he said.

Rail project delivers

windfall to local firms

China Road and Bridge Corporation has bought $235 million worth of goods and services from Kenya manufacturers to be used in building the standard gauge railway between Mombasa and Nairobi, a Kenyan official said.

Adan Mohamed, cabinet secretary in the Ministry of Industrialization and Enterprise Development, said the locally sourced goods are part of the 40 percent minimum requirement reserved for Kenyan firms.

"Construction of the 487-kilometer railway has roped in 36 local subcontractors and 300 suppliers who are playing a key role in ensuring the project is completed by the end of 2017," Mohamed said during a meeting with representatives of Kenyan manufacturers.

The project will be instrumental in increasing the quality of goods made locally, he said.

He added that when construction of the railway started, Kenya lacked the technology to produce the quality of cement required for the project, so China Road and Bridge Corporation was forced to import 6,000 metric tons of cement.

"However, as a result of skills transfer, the local cement industry is now able to supply (the company) with the cement."

The company has employed 15,000 people in the $3.8 billion railway project.

Premier Li: Economy regaining strength

The Chinese economy is regaining its strength and demonstrating great resilience, potential and flexibility, Premier Li Keqiang has said.

"The fundamentals of the economy are on course to improve," he said at an economic seminar on July 10, according to an official statement. "The potential growth rate of the economy can support growth of mid-to-high speed."

Li said in France this month that China can achieve its annual growth target of about 7 percent. On July 6, the National Bureau of Statistics said indicators in recent months suggested the economy had passed the worst point.

Economists who attended the seminar agreed that "in the first half of this year, with national policies taking effect, the Chinese economy has started to pick up steadily and positive factors are increasing", the statement said.

Beijing to focus on capital role

Beijing is to transfer industries and activities not related to its role as the nation's capital to its suburbs, neighboring Hebei province and Tianjin, the city's legislative body has announced. In addition, extensive measures will be taken to cap population growth in downtown areas.

The authority said there will be a greater focus on southeastern Tongzhou district as it emerges as the city's "subsidiary administrative center", and construction is expected to make "remarkable progress" by 2017.

The announcement was made on July 11 at the conclusion of a plenary session of the city's Party committee, at which leaders approved a road map to promote the regional integration of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei.

High-ranking judge in graft probe

A Supreme People's Court judge is under investigation for suspected disciplinary and law violations, the top disciplinary watchdog said on July 12.

Xi Xiaoming, vice-president of the court, faces allegations of severe breaches of law and Party discipline, according to the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. The accusations are common terms for graft, and the authority did not disclose further details.

The 61-year-old judge is the first official of one of the top judicial authorities - the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate - to be investigated since the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China was elected in 2012.

Cancer registry to shed light on disease

China has set up the world's largest cancer registry, covering 308 top hospitals and more than 300 million people, registry director Chen Wanqing said.

At least 3 million people develop cancer each year in China, and the registry is expected to expand to include 40 percent of the nation's population of 1.36 billion by 2020.

"The more people the registry covers, the more precisely we will understand the rising epidemic," he said. "That will help experts and health authorities come up with evidence-based and more-targeted intervention programs."

In general, the registry collects information such as new cancer cases, deaths and courses of treatment to build up an overall national picture. Medical costs are not included.

(China Daily 07/17/2015 page2)