IN BRIEF (Page 2)

Ambassador: Goal to expand ties with Nigeria

The Chinese government will expand economic cooperation with Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria Gu Xiaojie said in a statement after holding "wonderful and fruitful" talks with Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo in the capital Abuja.

"We discussed the specific areas of cooperation between the two countries, like infrastructure construction, agriculture and some of the specific issues of cooperation between China and Nigeria," he said.

He said the vice-president gave him assurances that Nigeria's new administration will maintain the two nations' strong ties, and that they reached agreements to further develop relations.

Call for more economic cooperation with Ghana

Chinese Ambassador to Ghana Sun Baohong said her country is ready to deepen economic cooperation with Ghana to create more mutual benefits. She made the statement during a speech at the final round of the 2015 Enactus (previously the Students In Free Enterprise) Ghana national competitions.

"China has become an important destination of tourism, overseas study and business for Ghanaian people," she said.

Ghana and China established diplomatic ties 55 years ago, and bilateral trade hit $5.6 billion last year, with Ghana's exports to China reaching $1.4 billion.

Sun said the Chinese approach to industrial development can help Ghana with its economic transformation toward industrialization and increased exports, and called for more cooperation in manufacturing between the two nations.

Botswanan officials learn Mandarin

Forty-eight officials from the Botswana Police Service, Ministry of Trade and Industry, and Ministry of Labor and Home Affairs attended the inaugural class of a basic Chinese training course in the capital, Gaborone, co-sponsored by the Chinese embassy and the Confucius Institute at the University of Botswana.

The class aims to aid communication and overcome language barriers between Botswana officials and Chinese nationals.

Charge d'affaires of the Chinese embassy in Botswana, Li Nan, said the embassy held a similar program in 2010, which turned out to be a great success.

Kenyan's yuan clearing center to spur trade

A Kenyan bank has opened a branch that will host a clearing house for Chinese renminbi, which will allow the settlement of trade deals to help boost economic growth.

The National Bank of Kenya said the premium branch in the Yaya Centre, an upscale shopping mall in Nairobi, will benefit traders because it will cut the costs they incur when converting Kenyan shillings to yuan.

NBK Managing Director Munir Mohamed said the clearing center will accelerate trade between the two nations and ensure efficient service, adding that bilateral trade between Kenya and China, which has expanded enormously, requires a flawless payment system that does not have to go through another intermediary currency.

"Africa should make sure that the RMB is internationally accepted for conversion, from RMB and vice versa, to balance trade between Africa and China," Mohamed said.

UN official hails China's peacekeeping efforts

China's contribution to the United Nation's peacekeeping operations shows its commitment to peace, security and stability around the world, said Edmond Mulet, assistant secretary-general for UN peacekeeping operations.

China began to participate in UN peacekeeping operations in 1990 and has since contributed more than 3,000 military and police personnel in missions worldwide.

This year, China concluded the deployment of its infantry battalion, the first-ever combat troops sent out by China, to the UN Mission in South Sudan.

Science 'critical' to economic upgrade

Premier Li Keqiang highlighted the "critical role" of technological innovation in driving China's economic transformation during a scientific seminar on July 27.

Only by giving full play to scientific and technological progress can the nation's economy break through existing bottlenecks, he said.

"Chinese people cannot depend only on hard work," he told hundreds of top scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences at the Great Hall of the People.

"We should also depend on intelligence, which comes from science and technology."

The seminar was held to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the academic division of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Central bank steps up money laundering fight

China's central bank and other government agencies have vowed to increase efforts to combat money laundering, following recent high-profile cases.

A statement on the People's Bank of China website on July 27 said that an inter-ministerial meeting led by the bank to discuss combating illegal money transfers was held in Beijing on July 24.

Guo Qingping, a vice-governor of the bank, delivered a report on China's anti-money-laundering efforts and outlined further plans.

To improve the effectiveness of such work, delegates attending the meeting from more than 20 departments, including the Ministry of Public Security and the Supreme People's Court, agreed to strengthen inter-ministerial coordination.

Free app to aid overseas Chinese

Chinese who are out of the country now have easy access to emergency services and can keep themselves updated with Overseas Chinese Call, a mobile app released by the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese.

"Our overriding goal is to build a platform that better connects with Chinese working and living abroad and to serve them to the best of our ability," federation President Lin Jun said at the launch ceremony on July 28.

Registered app users can get emergency messages from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and make inquiries or report their concerns directly to consulates.

Step-by-step guidelines are provided on common problems, such as what to do if your passport is lost or stolen, and whom Chinese government officials should contact in the country being visited if relatives in China lose touch with the user.

Oil giants sued over Bohai spill

A landmark lawsuit has been filed against two oil giants in a maritime court over the oil spill in 2011 that polluted a huge area of Bohai Bay in Northeast China.

The suit, filed against ConocoPhillips and China National Offshore Oil Corp, is the first public interest litigation brought by a nonprofit organization over marine environmental pollution to be accepted by a court.

Such a move was not possible until a new environmental protection law took effect on Jan 1.

The China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation said on July 26 it had been told by the maritime court in Qingdao, Shandong province, that the suit had been filed.

The law allows any environmental organization registered with a civil affairs bureau at city level or above and that has been operating for at least five years to bring public interest litigation.

Demand for English fluency on rise at work

The use of English is expanding in workplaces across China.

According to the Chinese recruiting website 51job.com, multinational companies still top the workplaces at which English is needed. Nearly 79 percent of employees who work for such companies said they use English on the job.

But the recruiter also found growing use of English in unexpected places. More than 47 percent of employees at state-owned enterprises, for example, said they use English at work.

The online survey, which polled 2,034 workers, also found that more job seekers would like to apply for positions requiring English-language skills at work. This was especially true for those with bachelor's and master's degrees.

Nearly 62 percent of respondents said they would like to choose jobs that need English skills. However, language skills do not necessarily guarantee the promotions and high salaries they once did.

Beijing reassures Olympics on snowfall

As the selection of the 2022 Winter Olympics' host city approached, Beijing eased concerns about transportation as well as the lack of natural snowfall at its proposed venues, promising successful Games.

After Beijing proposed hosting the 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in three areas, including in Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, some media raised concerns about the potential inconvenience of the commute. However, the Beijing bid committee assured Olympics officials that a high-speed railway would address the problem.

"The proposed high-speed railway will not only serve as a transportation tool during the Games but also a mobile workplace for all accredited media, with necessary equipment and services on board," said Wang Hui, deputy secretary-general and spokeswoman for the Beijing 2022 bid committee, on July 28. Wang made her comments in Kuala Lumpur, where the International Olympic Committee is meeting.

Draft law focuses on first aid in capital

Drivers of private cars in Beijing will face penalties if they do not pull aside to make a path for ambulances, the city's top legislature said in a draft regulation dealing with emergency services.

The draft, which was submitted to the Standing Committee of the Beijing People's Congress for discussion, also covers emergency first aid for injured people before professional help arrives.

It is the first time that proposals for first aid education were included in legislation.

Penalties for drivers who do not make way for ambulances were not outlined in the draft, but were to include fines.

The draft aims to streamline the capital's emergency medical treatment system, which has some bottlenecks, and provide more information to the public about emergencies, Liu Zhengang, director of the Beijing Legal Affairs Office, said on July 24.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 07/31/2015 page2)