Archive of Older Stories:Games of the XXIX Olympiad underway in Beijing
China solicits advice for post-quake reconstruction framework
China reports decline in relative CPI for July
Ahead of Olympics, China tightens controls, finalizes preparations
China, Russia complete border survey, determination
China ensures media freedoms for Olympics
Chinese Presidentattends outreach session of G8 summit
Chinese inflation projected to increase 7.2% in 2008
Chinese lawyers arrested before meeting with U.S. Congressmen
China holds talks with Dalai Lama envoys
Qingdao mobilizes thousands to combat algae
China reveals earthquake reconstruction finance plan
Tibet reopens to foreigners
China and Qatar in refinery agreement
China and U.S. conclude fourth SED
First fruits of China-Taiwan bilateral talks
Chinese parents increasingly name children 'Olympic Games'
Wang Yi appointed as director of Taiwan Affairs Office
Premier Wen Jiabao 6th most popular politician on Facebook
China and Taiwan meet during historic summit
New challenges confront earthquake-devastated region
China & U.S. resume human rights discussion
China begins 3-day mourning period over earthquake
Massive 7.9 Magnitude Earthquake Devastates SW China
Chinese Inflation Jumps 8.5% in April
Olympic flame lit atop Mt. Everest
Chinese Orchestra performs for the Pope
China and Japan Sign Historic Agreement
China Issues Nationwide Health Alert as Virus Spreads
Chinese Government Officials Meet with Dalai Lama’s Envoys
Oreo Becomes China's Most Popular Cookie
Hu Jintao, Jia Qinglin meet with KMT Honorary Chairman in Beijing
Dozens Die in Shandong Train Crash
Olympic Torch Relay: China Supporters Full Force in Australia
China and U.S. Vie for Most Internet Users
Eastern Taiwan Shaken by Earthquake
Tax Cut Boosts Chinese Market
Other Topics in the News:
China Earthquake Relief: Information & Links
The Tibetan Conflict
Beijing 2008 Olympics Coverage
Photo Images of Recent Events:
Photo Gallery
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August 12: The 29th summer Olympic Games opened in Beijing on Friday August 8th, 2008, 112 years after the Games' modern revival. Chinese President Hu Jintao officially announced the start of the Games after a nearly-one-hour art performance highlighting China's 5,000-year civilization and modern achievements, and a 2.5-hour march-in of more than 10,000 athletes from 204 countries and regions. An audience of 91,000 watched the opening of the Games from within the newly constructed National Stadium, or Bird's Nest. The games will be held in Beijing, from August 8 to August 24, 2008 and will be followed by the 2008 Summer Paralympics from September 6 to September 17. Over 10,500 athletes are expected to compete in 302 events in 28 sports.
More than 80 foreign leaders and international dignitaries, including U.S. President George W. Bush, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and IOC Honorary President Juan Antonio Samaranch, were seated in the VIP stand along with top Chinese leaders. U.S. President George W. Bush, who committed to attend the opening ceremony despite objections from several members of Congress, was the first U.S. president to attend an Olympics on foreign soil. Although he did take part in several discussions with foreign leaders, including Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Hu Jintao, Bush stressed that he was in attendance to support U.S. athletes and watch some sporting events, which begin Saturday morning.Various polls on Monday have estimated that about one billion people, or 15 percent of the world's population, watched the opening ceremony which marked the start of the Beijing Olympics. The four-and-a-half-hour spectacular drew a record audience for an Olympics opening, particularly due to the estimated 842 million Chinese (about 69% of the country’s 1.3 billion people) who watched the ceremony. An additional 34.2 million viewers tuned in to watch from the U.S. "The Olympic Opening Ceremony captivated the American public in unprecedented numbers for a non-U.S. Olympics," said Dick Ebersol, chairman of NBC Universal Sports & Olympics, in a statement. "It was a magical and memorable spectacle and a great way to start the Beijing Olympics." Estimates of total viewership have estimated that Beijing's viewer figures will far surpass those from the 2004 Athens Games which attracted 3.9 billion viewers in total and Sydney in 2000 with 3.6 billion.
In pursuit of their goal to host a “high level” Olympic Games and to highlight China's emergence on the world stage, the Chinese government undertaken a series of ambitious and costly preparations. Between 2002 and 2006, China invested nearly $40 billion in infrastructure projects alone; the City of Beijing planned to invest more than $23 billion in preparation for the Olympic Games in 2008.The majority of investments will concentrate on construction projects in the following areas: Olympics facilities, transportation, telecommunications, and environmental improvements. Some of the projects are continuations of city improvements that have been planned for years. Others are entirely new projects undertaken in preparation for the games. A total of 37 venues will be used to host the events, twelve of which are new constructions. The most notable of these are the Beijing National Stadium, also called the Bird’s Nest, and the Beijing National Aquatics Center, also known as the Water Cube. Although the games served as the impetus for many of these projects, their positive impacts will undoubtedly be in evidence long after the final medal is awarded. (View images)
August 12: According to a report by Chinese state media service Xinhua, China has asked both domestic and international sources for advice on how to improve the general framework of post-quake restoration and reconstruction work. Points included within the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) outline included the rebuilding of homes, public facilities, and industries, as well as more broad concerns such as the eco-environment in the quake zone and issues about the reconstruction funds.According to the outline, the reconstruction work would cover an area of 132,596 square kilometers, which according to Xinhua reports had a total population of more than 19.8 million by the end of 2007. A previous NDRC evaluation of projected restoration and reconstruction costs estimated that they would total of 1 trillion yuan (145.8 billion U.S. dollars). The Chinese version of the outline is currently available on the NDRC website (www.sdpc.gov.cn) and governmental website (www.gov.cn); the English version will soon be available on www.gov.cn as well as through Xinhua’s Web site.
The death toll from the May 12 earthquake in Sichuan Province and its neighboring region rose to 69,225 as of Monday noon. The number of people listed as missing and injured reached 17,939 and 374,640 respectively.
August 12: China's consumer price index (CPI), a measure of inflation, was up 6.3 percent in July, the National Bureau of Statistics announced on Tuesday. The figure, compared with 7.1 percent in June and 7.7 percent in May, was broadly in line with most forecasts. "The continuous decline of the CPI is a positive sign as it shows the government's measures to ease inflationary pressures were effective," said Zhang Xiaojing, an analyst with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Zhang attributed the decline to falling food prices and shrinking demand due to the economic slowdown.Xinhua reported that Chinese food prices, which account for more than a third of the CPI calculation, rose 14.4 percent in July, 2.9 percentage points lower than June and 6 percentage points lower than the growth for the first half. The price of meat increased 16 percent, while that of pork rose12.1 percent. Cooking oil went up 30.8 percent, vegetables up 8.4 percent, aquatic products up 18.3 percent and grains up 8.6 percent. In the first seven months of this year, the inflation indicator rose 7.7 percent from the same period last year: 7.4 percent for urban areas and 8.3 percent for the countryside. The PPI for industrial products was up 10 percent in July over the same period last year, the highest since 1996, the bureau said on Monday.
In an interview with Xinhua News Agency, Xu Lianzhong, an analyst from the National Development and Reform Commission, predicted that the PPI rise in August would be moderate and that he expected the CPI to continue to fall in coming months. Xu recommended that the Chinese government should raise subsidies and personal income tax thresholds for low-income families, and remove taxes on bank savings interest in order to stimulate domestic demand.
July 21- With three weeks remaining before the start of the 2008 Olympic Games, Chinese officials are making final efforts to complete the country’s ambitious program of preparations and reforms. Although the broad series of measures designed to ensure a safe and smooth Olympics is making life more difficult for ordinary Beijing residents, residents appear willing to put up with short-term problems for the country's long-term gains
One of the most inconvenient measures for Beijing residents, introduced to help tackle the capital's air pollution, took effect on July 21. Private cars will be banned on alternate days (determined by whether the car’s license plate ends with an odd or even number) forcing drivers to find other ways of getting to work.Furthermore, migrant workers from elsewhere in China have faced dramatically increased pressure from authorities. Under the Chinese system of household registration (hukou system), migrant workers do not have the right to live permanently in Beijing, and in theory have always had to register with the Beijing police department. In practice, many did not bother, but now the authorities are cracking down, making sure everyone is properly registered. Some migrants are even being ordered to leave the city during the games. They are being told that, as outsiders, they do not have the right to stay.
Outside Beijing, Chinese President Hu Jintao visited east China's port city of Qingdao on Sunday, July 20 to inspect preparatory work for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games' sailing event and local enterprises. According to a report by Chinese state media agency, Xinhua, Hu was pleased at the efforts Qingdao had made to clean seawater to comply with venue standards for the Olympic sailing event. He urged continued vigilance from all in order to ensure a smooth execution of the event. Starting in mid-June, the coast of Qingdao was coated with a vast algae coming from the Yellow Sea. Until very recently, a dense covering of blue-green algae smothered beaches and extended out several hundred meters and threatened the ability for the stretch to properly host the sailing regatta; at one point the algae covered over 30 percent of the sailing venue.
July 21: China and Russia signed an additional agreement on the eastern part of the borders they share, completing the 4,300 km border survey and determination, and marking the end of a controversy which has been ongoing for 40 years. The protocol was signed on Monday in Beijing by Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and visiting Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov. Correspondents say the deal is the latest sign of warmer ties developing between Russia - a big energy exporter - and China, a big energy consumer.
Yang said at a press briefing after his talks with Lavrov the two sides had reached a wide-ranging consensus and their talks were "positive and fruitful." He said the two sides exchanged wide-ranging and in-depth views on how to further promote the Sino-Russian strategic partnership of cooperation and enhance bilateral cooperation on the international and regional issues. Yang said to further upgrade the strategic and cooperative partnership was in line with the interest of the two countries and was helpful to maintain the international strategic balance and stability. He said China was ready to make a concerted effort with Russia to carry out a series of important consensus reached by the top leaders of the two countries, and to increase political mutual trust, deepen practical cooperation and strengthen strategic coordination in a bid to comprehensively advance the level of the strategic and cooperative partnership.
The two sides agreed to accelerate consultation on the 2009-2012 plan of the implementation guideline of the Sino-Russian Good-Neighborly Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation. The two countries will enhance cooperation in such fields as economy and trade, energy, disaster prevention and reduction, localities, cross-border infrastructure construction, protection and reasonable use of the cross-border water resources. They also agreed to further facilitate the exchanges of the two peoples. They also exchanged views on the Korean peninsula nuclear issues, the Iran nuclear issues and the cooperation in the frameworks of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. He also told reporters that Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin would attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games next month and meet with Chinese leaders. This meeting is in addition to several other high-level visits which are set to take place later this year.
President Hu Jintao said on Monday that the relationship with Russia has been China's diplomatic priority. He made the comment while meeting with Russia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergei Lavrov. "We will work with Russia to deepen strategic coordination and upgrade the partnership to new heights," said Hu. Describing current Sino-Russian relations as stable and healthy, Hu mentioned his two meetings with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev and comprehensive cooperation and consultation in international affairs. Hu particularly expressed thanks for the support of Russia on the Taiwan, Tibetan and Olympics issues, as well as its assistance after the May 12 earthquake in Sichuan Province.
"All these demonstrate the friendship between the two states and peoples," Hu said, calling the two countries good neighbors, friends and partners. Lavrov said China and Russia had enjoyed an advanced relationship as the two countries maintained consultations in international and regional issues. He said Russia hoped to promote security consultation and energy resource negotiation mechanisms with China, and to realize the good-neighborly treaty of friendship and cooperation. He said Russia would give a warm reception to children from China's earthquake zone who have been recuperating in Russia. (View image)
July 10: While visiting the newly opened Beijing International Media Center (BIMC) on Thursday, senior Chinese official Li Changchun informed reporters that “foreign journalists should complain formally if they have any problems in doing their jobs during the Beijing Olympic Games.” Li said Chinese officials would effectively implement regulations to ensure foreign journalists would be allowed the freedom to report.
"If you are dissatisfied, you can file your complaint directly to Liu Qi, president of Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of XXIX Olympiad," he told reporters. Liu accompanied Li around the media center, one of the three major news centers of the Beijing Games. Li, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, welcomed all foreign journalists to the country for the Olympics, saying, "I hope you could truly and fully cover the event and tell the world (about) a true China."
The BIMC is a newly-decorated hotel that covers an area of 60,000 square meters. It has three working areas, two press conference halls, an exhibition area and a catering area. Above the fourth floor are guest rooms that are only open to journalists during the Games. The opening of the BIMC, together with the Main Press Center (MPC) and International Broadcasting Center (IBC) of the Olympic Games on Tuesday, kicked off the media service for the event. More than 20,000 reporters will cover the Games.
On January 1, 2007, regulations on foreign journalists' reporting activities in China during the Beijing Olympics took effect. Under the new rule, foreign journalists no longer have to be accompanied or assisted by a Chinese official when they report in the country. Reporters also no longer need to apply to provincial foreign affairs offices for permission to report in all of the country's provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities. (View image)
July 10: President Hu, who arrived in Sapporo, capital of Hokkaido, late Monday, took part in over 20 activities during the past two days of the G8 summit in Japan, according to a statement by China’s foreign minister Yang Jiechi. President Hu carried out high-level diplomacy during his visit to Japan, which helped boost a healthy and stable development of China's ties with other countries, Yang said. During his stay, Hu met with over 10 foreign leaders, and reached a broad consensus with them on promoting bilateral ties and strengthening cooperation in various fields.
Specifically, at a meeting of five major developing countries' leaders from China, India, Brazil, South Africa and Mexico, President Hu proposed priorities for further cooperation among the five countries, including working to strengthen solidarity and coordination, promote common development, increase economic exchanges and coordination, and carry out mutually beneficial cooperation. He encouraged the countries to step up coordination and advance South-South cooperation, and push forward reforms in global systems of economy, finance, trade and development. In addition, he called for a long-term view and the promotion of North-South dialogue, adding that the five nations should work together to shoulder responsibilities, and wield a positive influence on global affairs.
Chinese foreign minister Yang Jiechi reported that Hu's proposals won support and approval from the leaders of the other four countries, and were written into the declaration issued after the meeting of the five nations. Hu and his U.S. counterpart George W. Bush also met and agreed that the two countries will boost dialogue, exchanges and cooperation to ensure bilateral ties to develop in a healthy and stable way.
President Hu also thanked the governments and people of other countries for their relief assistance and sympathies offered after the quake. Hu proposed international cooperation in natural disaster prevention and reduction, and share of experience in fighting natural disasters. (View images)
July 10: China's consumer price index (CPI), the main gauge of inflation, is expected to rise 7.2 percent year on year in 2008, according to a Bank of China (BOC) report on Wednesday. The report, released by the lender's global financial market department, suggested the central government adopt more tightening monetary policies to further tame inflation, drain liquidity and curb excessive investment.
The BOC predicted in an earlier report CPI in 2008 would increase 6.8 percent year on year. However, the report said "Rising prices of gasoline, coal oil and electricity will push up the previously estimated figure." The report advised the government raise interest rates and rein in appreciation of the yuan, the country's currency. China was very likely to raise interest rates in the fourth quarter, it said.The central parity rate of the yuan, or renminbi (RMB), was set at 6.8489 yuan on Thursday against the U.S. dollar, since the country un-pegged its currency from the greenback in July 2005. The yuan has risen more than 6.65 percent against the U.S. dollar so far this year, in comparison with the 6.9 percent gain last year, and has broken its own record value 52 times. "A slower appreciation in the currency will help to make full use of the domestic labor force, which is China's most sufficient resource," the report explained
July 1: Several Chinese human rights lawyers were detained and placed under house arrest by Chinese government security officers to prevent them from attending a dinner Sunday hosted by two members of the U.S. Congress in Beijing. The incident has been seen by some as the most recent example in a series of moves by Chinese officials to clamp down on dissent in the few weeks prior to the start of the Olympic Games, which open August 8 in Beijing.
U.S. Rep. Christopher H. Smith (R-N.J.), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and U.S. Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.) had invited several dissident lawyers to meet with them Sunday evening, but learned that police blocked at least nine individuals from attending. Reports by the advocacy group, Chinese Human Rights Defenders indicate that police took two lawyers from their homes that afternoon, drove them to a Beijing suburb and barred them from returning to the city. Officers blocked another lawyer from leaving his apartment complex and either warned or barred at least six other lawyers from attending the gathering.
Rep. Smith has strongly criticized the detention, saying that "the actions show an unhealthy brazenness in regards to human rights." Rep. Wolf also condemned the actions, saying that "China has regressed… There has been absolutely, positively no progress [on human rights.]”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao criticized the congressmen for not respecting China's laws and regulations, but declined to detail the stipulations of the law which would prevent foreign officials from meeting with Chinese citizens. In a regularly scheduled news conference, Liu explained to the media that "The two U.S. congressmen came to China as guests of the United States Embassy to engage in internal communications and consultations….They should not engage in activities incompatible with the objective of their visit and with their status."
On the same evening that the dinner gathering was to take place, visiting US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice hailed May 26 renewal of the U.S.-China human rights dialogue as a step forward in improving China's human rights record. China’s Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi indicated that China also regarded resumption of the human rights dialogue as a sign of progress and expressed willingness to continue human rights discussions with the United States and other nations "on a basis of mutual respect."
July 1: Chinese government officials have agreed to formal talks in Beijing with senior representatives of the Dalai Lama this week, aiming to ease tensions following violent anti-China protests in March in Tibet. The two envoys, Lodi Gyari and Kelsang Gyaltsen, arrived in Beijing on Monday ahead of the two-day talks. This meeting had been delayed by several weeks following the earthquake that devastated China’s Sichuan province on May 12.
The Dalai Lama urged the envoys to achieve "tangible progress" in the two-day talks. "His Holiness the Dalai Lama has instructed the envoys to make every effort to bring about tangible progress to alleviate the difficult situation for Tibetans in their homeland," a statement from the government-in-exile said.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called on China to engage sincerely with the Dalai Lama. "We think he's a very positive figure in dealing with the very difficult issue of Tibet," she said during a visit to Beijing.
China has remained quiet on the talks, which come only weeks before the Olympic Games are due to open in Beijing, refusing to confirm details regarding the time, venue or the agenda of the meetings. China and Tibet held informal talks in May, in what was seen as a concession by Beijing to international pressure in the wake of the violence.
July 1: The Chinese coastal city of Qingdao has mobilized thousands of people and fleet of boats to clean up a blue-green algae bloom that is choking large stretches of the coastline and threatening to impede the Olympic competition. The algae complication has arisen with less than six weeks before the city plays host to the Olympic sailing regatta.
Local officials have initiated a comprehensive cleanup effort, with the goal of eliminating the red tide by mid-July. Chinese state media reports estimate that as many as 20,000 people have either volunteered or been ordered to participate in the operation, while 1,000 boats are scooping algae out of the Yellow Sea. The official news agency, Xinhua, reported that algae currently covered a third of the coastal waters designated for the Olympic races.
Although Qingdao officials have assured the media that pollution and poor water quality did not have a "substantial link" to the current outbreak, water quality has been a concern for the sailing events. Many coastal Chinese cities dump untreated sewage into the sea; rivers and tributaries that empty into coastal waters are also often contaminated with high levels of nitrates from agricultural and industrial runoff. These nitrates contribute to the red tides of algae that often bloom along sections of China's coastline. In this instance, however, Chinese scientists have blamed the growth on increased rainfall and warmer waters in the Yellow Sea. Xinhua has reported that algae are now blooming over more than 12,900 square kilometers, or 5,000 square miles, of the sea.
A Qingdao official assured the media that all efforts are being made to resolve this issue, saying that "forces from the entire province have become involved." He reported that ships and boats had been sent from two other coastal cities, Rizhao and Yantai, to help haul away the algae. Yuan Zhiping, an official with the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Committee, said Sunday that the government would attempt to block algae from floating into the Olympic sailing area by installing a fenced perimeter in the sea that is more than 50 kilometers, or 30 miles, long.
The massive algae outbreak comes as some sailing teams are already in Qingdao preparing for the Olympics. (View image)
June 30: China's State Council on Monday unveiled a series of fiscal measures to support reconstruction after the May 12 earthquake, including the exemption of corporate income taxes this year for companies that suffered heavy losses. Also included in the plan are a range of relief measures, including policies on taxation, credit and employment policies, and a six-month extension on all loan repayments in arrears due to the quake. Furthermore, affected companies would be given priority in applications for initial public offerings on the stock market or refinancing plans if already listed.
For those individuals affected by the quake, the State Council also announced that new homes for survivors would be exempted from land use and other land-related taxes. In addition to subsidies averaging 10,000 yuan for each homeless household, interest on home loans to quake survivors would be lowered by 40 percent, as compared with the benchmark interest rate. The minimum down-payment would also be cut to 10 percent of the loan, compared with 20 to 50 percent in other parts of the country.
Finally, the government has pledged to find employment for at least one member of each jobless family, and to subsidize the required social security insurance for companies that employed such people.
June 25: Xinhua state news agency has reported that Tibet has reopened to foreign tourists, saying that the region was "safe" and overseas visitors were welcome. China closed Tibet to foreign tourists after riots erupted in mid-March, forbidding them access to Tibet “for their own safety.” The decision to allow foreign entry comes just days after the Olympic torch's short, tightly-controlled visit Lhasa.
Mr. Tanor, deputy director of the Tibet Autonomous Regional Bureau of Tourism, was quoted by Xinhua as saying, "The success of the Olympic torch relay held three days ago in Lhasa demonstrated that the foundation for the social stability has been further consolidated,"
The unrest in Tibet began on March 10th, the 9th anniversary of a Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule.
Buddhist monks led anti-Beijing rallies in Lhasa which grew into widespread unrest among Tibetans, Tibet and the surrounding provinces. China says rioters killed at least 19 people, but Tibetan exiles say the number of protesters killed by security forces is significantly higher.Early in May, in what was seen as a concession to international pressure, Chinese officials held talks with two envoys of the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader. A second round of talks between the two sides was postponed following the devastating earthquake in Sichuan province.
June 25: PetroChina Co, the country’s largest oil company, has signed a letter of intent with Qatar Petroleum International (QPI) and Shell (China) Ltd to assess the viability of creating a refinery and petrochemical complex in China.
According to the Chinese state news agency, the integrated refinery and petrochemical complex will have world-class capabilities to produce refined fuel and petrochemical products. PetroChina will take a 51 percent stake in the project, while QPI and Shell will each take a 24.5 percent stake.
The letter of intent was signed in Doha, the capital of Qatar, during Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping’s official visit. Both PetroChina and Shell yesterday declined to disclose further details on the deal. Previous media reports said the complex might be located in Hainan province.
June 19: Concluding two days of high-level economic talks, China and the U.S. announced Wednesday that they would step up their cooperation on energy and the environment and also try to negotiate a new treaty to ban discriminatory practices that block foreign investments in both countries.
U.S. Treasury secretary, Henry M. Paulson Jr., hailed the session as positive. Paulson said he expected to hold the fifth in a series of these meetings, which he started at the end of 2006, in December in China. The Chinese also gave the session in Annapolis a positive evaluation. Wang Qishan, the vice premier who is China’s chief envoy in the economic talks, described the talks as a “complete success.”
One measure of the dialogue’s success for the U.S. has been China’s agreement in allowing its currency, the yuan, to appreciate more than 20 percent since mid-2005. The undervalued yuan has increasingly been criticized by members of Congress who charge that the low value has artificially made Chinese exports cheaper.
Continuing to build upon agreements made during past dialogues, “working groups” to pursue the elimination of trade barriers to environmental goods, cooperating in sudden energy emergencies and cracking down on forest management and illegal logging were set up this week. In Beijing in December, the two sides vowed to develop a 10-year framework for cooperation on energy and the environment.
In the investment area, besides the talks for a treaty, the two sides agreed to modest steps aimed at making it easier for the United States to operate financial services companies or invest in China. China also agreed to invest its own government-held reserves without regard to political objectives.
Further pledges were made to make Chinese rules more clear and to allow American credit rating agencies to operate more freely in China.China and U.S. officials also renewed a previously made commitment to come to an agreement at a future date regarding the request by Washington to station U.S. personnel in China to inspect the safety of food, animal feed and other products.
June 12th: China and Taiwan have agreed to establish offices in each other's territory to facilitate travel amid warming bilateral ties. The agreement came as delegations from both sides met in Beijing for the first formal talks for almost a decade, which take place in Beijing's Diaoyutai guesthouse until 14 June. , The Taiwanese body involved in the talks, the Straits Exchange Foundation, reported that the offices will help facilitate travel between China and Taiwan, assisting in such tasks as handling visa applications, but their role could expand in future. "The two associations should push forward for the full normalization of trade and culture exchanges of the two sides," the foundation said in a statement.
In another apparent gesture of goodwill, China's chief negotiator Chen Yunlin accepted an invitation to visit Taipei on an unspecified date later this year. "As long as we have mutual trust and understanding... these talks are going to become an important communication mechanism for cross-strait development," said Chen.
Bilateral relations between Taiwan and China have thawed since the election in March of Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou, who favors the development of closer ties with China. The two sides hope that the negotiations will pave the way for regular meetings, helping to improve cross-strait relations after decades of tensions and mistrust. (View image)
June 11th: Chinese state officials in charge of issuing identity cards have reported that 4,104 children in China have been given the name “Aoyun,” meaning Olympic Games, in the past 15 years. The rise in popularity of the name is seen as a sign of support for the Games being staged in August in Beijing. The first surge in “Aoyuns” came in 1992, when China applied to host to the 2000 Olympics, with a resurgence in popularity in 2002, after China was chosen to host the 2008 Games.
It is not uncommon for Chinese children to be given names of common events and popular slogans - such as “Defend China,” “Build the Nation” and “Space Travel.” In recent weeks babies have also been given names such as “Hope for Sichuan,” to show solidarity with earthquake victims.
June 3: Officials said Tuesday that Wang Yi had been appointed as director of theTaiwan Affairs Office of China's Cabinet, replacing Chen Yunlin. Wang is concurrently head of the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee. The cabinet also ended Wang's post as vice foreign minister and Chen's post as director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council. Chen Yunlin was elected on Tuesday as president of the mainland-based Association for Relations across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS).
In a speech at an executive meeting of the ARATS, Wang said, "I feel great responsibility in assuming the post." He also vowed to exert great efforts in promoting peaceful development of relations between the mainland and Taiwan, and the process of peaceful reunification. Wang also called for efforts to push forward cross-Strait personnel, economic and cultural exchanges and advance the realization of cross-Strait direct links for mail, trade and transport services.
Wang, a Beijing native, formerly held government posts including director of the Asian affairs department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, assistant foreign minister, vice foreign minister, ambassador to Japan and after that vice foreign minister. Wang headed China's delegation to the six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue in 2007. (View image)
June 3rd: Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has become the sixth most popular politician on the U.S.-based Facebook, a popular social networking site. Wen now claims more than 44,000 "supporters," with overseas Chinese accounting for the vast majority worldwide. Wen is the only Asian listed among the ten most-supported politicians and is well ahead of such notables as George W. Bush and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela. Barack Obama of the United States ranks first with more than 874,000 supporters.
Wen's page was set up two days after the May 12 earthquake in southwest China, which killed more than 69,000 people and left more than 18,000 missing. The premier’s page features photographs of Wen, 66, visiting towns that were devastated by the earthquake; many supportive posts have been added to the page since its appearance.
It is not known who set up Wen's page on Facebook, as anyone with an e-mail account can set up a profile. However, the appearance of the Chinese premier on Facebook is indicative of an increasingly open and approachable image of the Chinese government that officials are looking to foster within the international sector. (View image)
- China and Taiwan meet during historic summit
May 28th: KMT party Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung and Chinese President Hu Jintao have met in China for the highest-level encounter since 1949. The head of Taiwan's ruling party is in mainland China for a landmark six-day visit to discuss cross-strait transport links. The trip is being seen as another sign of warming ties between the two sides. Taiwan's new president, Ma Ying-jeou, has called for a new "chapter of peace" to be opened.
Chairman Wu met Chinese President Hu Jintao at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Hu expressed his gratitude for aid from Taiwan following the devastating earthquake in China's Sichuan province and expressed hope for improved cross-Strait relations under Taiwan's new leadership. "The love for compatriots shown by the whole Chinese people in time of disaster will become the power to drive cooperation between the compatriots across the strait and create the future together," he said. Correspondingly, Wu took the opportunity to say that Taiwan and China should ensure they never take up arms against each other again, saying "We cannot guarantee there won't be any natural disasters... but through our mutual efforts, we can ensure there is no war.”
Although sources have reported that Chairman Wu is not authorized to sign any documents with Chinese officials, Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou reportedly welcomes this latest visit, saying that contacts between the two sides' ruling parties could serve as a "second track" in helping to improve and promote friendlier relations between Taiwan and China.
May 27th- Two fresh aftershocks struck earthquake-hit areas in China Tuesday afternoon, as the nationwide death toll from a massive quake two weeks ago has risen to 67,183. A 5.4-magnitude aftershock hit Qingchuan County in Sichuan Province at about 4:03 p.m. and another 5.7-magnitude aftershock hit the neighboring Ningqiang County in Shaanxi Province, according to the China National Seismological Network.
China's Ministry of Finance said Wednesday that the government allocated 200 million yuan (28.6 million U.S. dollars) from the central budget for Sichuan Province to deal with the swelling lakes formed by this month's devastating earthquake. Rescuers are preparing to dynamite the barrier of a swelling quake lake, which has posed a new threat to survivors. Helicopters airdropped professionals and materials for the operation onto the dam of the barrier lake at Tangjiashan in Beichuan County, which was formed by landslides that blocked a local river known as Jianhe following the May 12th earthquake.
According to official Chinese reports, approximately 158,000 people will have flee their homes if Tangjiashan Lake bursts its banks; more than 100,000 people in Mianyang City have already been relocated. Two other plans require the relocation of 1.2 million people if half of the lake volume is released, or 1.3 million if the barrier of the quake lake fully opens. (View image)
May 28th: China and the United States have restarted the human rights dialogue after a several-year suspension. The Chinese Foreign Ministry reports that fourteenth China-U.S. human rights dialogue was held in Beijing from May 24 to 28, the first such discussion between the two countries since 2002. During the five-day dialogue, the two sides briefed each other on the progress in the human rights field, and exchanged extensive and in-depth views on such issues as freedom of speech, religious freedom, anti-racial discrimination and United Nations human rights cooperation.
Chinese official reports said that the two nations agreed that the candid and frank dialogue was constructive and helped enhance mutual understanding and reduce divergence. They also agreed the dialogue was conducive to the sustained and sound development of bilateral ties. The dialogue was presided over by Director-General of the Department for International Organizations and Conferences of Chinese Foreign Ministry Wu Hailong and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor David Kramer.
China suspended the human rights dialogue in 2004 when the United States decided to introduce a human rights motion related to China at the 60th session of the UN Commission on Human Rights. China and the U.S. agreed to resume the dialogue earlier this year after the visit of U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to China.
May 19th: China has begun three days of mourning for the victims of the devastating earthquake in Sichuan province. Flags are flying at half-mast and a nationwide silence has been observed to mark the moment that the country was hit by the quake. The mourning comes as hopes fade of finding many more earthquake survivors. The total number of confirmed dead rose to 34,073, the Chinese government said.
Aid efforts have been stymied by strong aftershocks, flooding and mudslides in the region. On Sunday, a tremor with a magnitude of 6.0 killed three people and injured 1,000 more in Jiangyou city, in Sichuan province's Mianyang County. Mudslides have buried 200 relief workers in the last three days. A local official said there had been some fatalities, but the numbers of additional dead and injured were not known.
Premier Wen Jiabao on Monday ordered troops to expand the coverage of their quake rescue work and reach all affected villages within 24 hours. He also ordered stepped-up epidemic prevention work. Troops must "overcome all difficulties and make sure to go into all villages within 24 hours," Wen said, presiding over a meeting of the general headquarters of quake.
Within the next five days, 500 more health and epidemic prevention workers would be sent each day to the quake areas, and 1,000 health supervisors would be deployed, the headquarters said. (View image)
May 13th: A massive 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck south-western China on Monday morning, completely devastating many areas the Sichuan province. Frantic efforts are currently being made to reach thousands of people under the rubble; Chinese officials have estimated that the death toll is now more than 35,000 and looks to rise as the situation develops. Tremors from the quake were felt as far away as Beijing and the Thai capital, Bangkok.
Beijing has deployed 50,000 troops to help with relief efforts, but they have not yet all arrived and heavy rain is hampering rescue operations. In one nearby city, Mianyang, more than 18,000 people are said to be buried under the rubble and 3,629 have been confirmed dead, state news agency Xinhua reports. In Beichuan county, some 80% of buildings were reported to have been destroyed. More than 150 people were killed in the provinces of Gansu and Shaanxi, and in Chongqing municipality, Xinhua said.
Premier Wen Jiabao was quick to reach the scene and urged rescuers to clear roads into the worst-hit areas as fast as possible. "As long as there is even a little hope, we will redouble our efforts 100 times and will never relax our efforts," he reassured locals while in the badly hit Dujiangyan city, south-east of the epicenter.The health ministry has made an urgent appeal for people to give blood to help the injured. China said it would accept international help to cope with the quake - the worst since 1976 when 242,000 people were killed in Tangshan - and offered its thanks.
May 13th: Chinese consumer inflation in April reached the highest level in 11 years, prompting an immediate announcement of a hike in the bank reserve ratio by 0.5 percentage point.
Surging food prices continued to be the biggest driver in consumer inflation, rising 22.1% from a year earlier, while non-food items saw an increase of only 1.8% as compared to last year. However, analysts fear the inflation may gradually spread to non-food sectors, as the Producer Price Index (PPI), a measure of price levels as finished goods leave the factory gate, skyrocketed to 8.1% year-on-year last month, the highest level in four years. The jump in wholesale prices was largely fuelled by crude oil, coal and other raw materials. Analysts say it usually takes about six months for price hikes at factory gates to finally be felt by consumers.
Yao Jingyuan, chief economist of the National Bureau of Statistics, observed on Sunday that Premier Wen Jiabao’s goal of keeping China’s inflation under 4.8% this year will be difficult to realize. The priority of China's monetary policy will be fighting inflation, central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan said during the weekend at a financial forum in Shanghai. His remarks reignited worries of further monetary tightening, including interest rate hikes, prompting equity investors to continue selling.The Shanghai Composite Index ended the morning session down 0.55% at 3,593.71 points on Monday. However, a series of aggressive interest rate cuts in the United States has limited the room for Zhou to do the opposite, as a bigger interest rate gap between the two countries will draw more hot money into China, which in turn will add to the price pressure. In face of the hovering inflation, another interest rate hike was possible, Zhou said last week. But he stressed that he has other tools at his disposal.
China's trade surplus in April fell about 1% to a still-substantial $16.8 billion amid weaker global demand. The U.S. dollar has fallen against the yuan, making Chinese goods more expensive for American consumers at a time when uncertainty about the US economy has hurt retail spending.
May 9th: A team of climbers- made up of both Tibetans and Han Chinese - bearing the Olympic flame have reached the summit of Everest, the world's highest mountain. Chinese television broadcast footage of the team, carrying special high-altitude torches, reaching the summit at about 9:20am local time.
Huddled in the snow they unfurled flags and cheered for the cameras. Holding up Chinese and Olympic flags, they cheered "Beijing welcomes you!" and "One World, One Dream", the official slogan of the Beijing Olympics. The first and last of the torch-bearers were Tibetan women.Many in China hope that the dramatic feat will counter some of the damaging publicity from the protests during the torch's international relay. Security was tight for the event, with other climbers being banned from the top of Mount Everest. Both China and Nepal sealed off their sides of the mountain and those organizing the climb kept the exact plans a secret because of fears it might draw protests from pro-Tibet activists. The main Olympic torch, which is running separately, is continuing its relay through China. It was carried through the southern city of Guangzhou on Wednesday past cheering crowds with no reports of disruptions. The torch is scheduled to visit every province in China before arriving in Beijing several days before the Olympics begin on 8 August.
May 7th: The China Philharmonic Orchestra has given a performance of Mozart's Requiem Mass for the Pope inside the Vatican. Analysts believe the landmark concert could be a sign of growing rapprochement between the Roman Catholic Church and China. Beijing broke diplomatic relations with Rome more than half a century ago and relations have remained strained since. The orchestra's conductor, Yu Long, said he hoped the performance would spread a message of peace and love.
May 7th: Completing days of historic summit talks in Tokyo, China's President Hu Jintao and Yasuo Fukuda of Japan agreed to a blueprint for future ties - including a yearly summit between the nations' leaders. The deal comes after years of strained relations, caused by rows over wartime history and offshore resources. "The two nations agreed that Japan and China both share larger responsibilities for the world's peace and development in the 21st Century," a joint statement issued after the summit read.
Leaders of the two states will develop ways for regular exchanges, with one leader visiting the other in principle every year." President Hu also commented on the positive results that emerged from the talks, saying "We both believe relations between China and Japan are at a new starting point," he said.His visit is the first by a Chinese leader since 1998, when incumbent Jiang Zemin caused controversy by lecturing Japan's politicians on their country's wartime past. China suspended high-level contact with Japan from 2001 to 2006 during the premiership of Junichiro Koizumi, who made repeated visits to the Yasukuni war shrine, a place most Chinese believe glorifies militarism. Fukuda has promised not to visit the shrine while he is in power.
China has now overtaken the US as Japan's top trading partner, with bilateral trade increasing 12% last year to $236.6 billion. And analysts say this increasingly important economic relationship has played a vital role in warming the ties between the two nations.
May 5th: China has issued a nationwide health alert in an effort to control the outbreak of a virus which has killed 22 children in the east of the country. A statement from the health ministry said it was taking urgent measures to prevent the spread of the infection, known as Enterovirus 71 (EV71). The highly contagious intestinal virus can cause fever, blisters in the mouth and a rash on the hands and feet. Officials fear the virus has spread from eastern provinces to the south.
More than 3,000 children in the eastern provinces of Anhui and Zhejiang are reported to have been infected by the virus. In extreme cases, the virus can cause brain, heart and lung damage. Most of the victims have been children under the age of six. Almost 1,000 children are currently receiving hospital treatment, 58 of whom are in a critical or serious condition, the health ministry said.
An official investigation into the cause of the outbreak has been launched, and a prevention and control team has been set up to contain infected areas in the province, local health officials said.
May 4th: Chinese central government officials and representatives of the 14th Dalai Lama met for another round of talks in the southern city of Shenzhen on Sunday. The meeting, arranged at the repeated requests made by the Dalai side for resuming talks, was held between central government officials Zhu Weiqun and Sitar (who uses only one name) and two representatives from the Dalai Lama-led government, Lodi Gyari and Kelsang Gyaltsen.
Sources of the Chinese Xinhua News Agency reported that the two representatives, who arrived in this southern China city on Saturday, expressed their views on relevant matters and said they would report truthfully what had been discussed at the meeting to the Dalai Lama, sources told Xinhua. Earlier on Sunday, President Hu Jintao said in Beijing he hoped the Shenzhen meeting between central government officials and the Dalai Lama's private representatives could yield "positive results…Our policy toward the Dalai Lama is clear and consistent, and the door for dialogue remains open," Hu told journalists from sixteen Japanese media organizations during an interview.Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu had expressed the hope that the Dalai Lama and his followers could "cherish" this opportunity for contact and consultation, but the Chinese have been unwavering in their policies regarding the region. Jiang said at a regular press conference on April 29 that Tibet is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory and Tibet affairs are completely internal affairs of China. Any contact and consultation between the central government and the Dalai side were China's internal affairs, she said, adding, "On the issue of safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity, the Chinese government and people will never yield to any pressure from outside."
According to the Chinese, the central government expressed the hope that the Dalai side will work to create conditions for the next round of contact and consultation by taking credible moves to stop activities aimed at splitting China, stop plotting and inciting violence and stop disrupting and sabotaging the Beijing Olympic Games.
Since the year 2000, the officials said, the central government had managed to hold six meetings with the Dalai Lama's private representatives in spite of a number of obstacles.
The Oreo, long the top-selling cookie in the U.S. market, has become the most popular biscuit in China. However to appeal to the Chinese consumers, U.S. food company Kraft Foods, Inc had to undertake an extensive redesign of the familiar chocolate sandwich cookie. While Chinese Oreo sales represent only a fraction of Kraft's $37.2 billion in annual revenue, Chief Executive Irene Rosenfeld has explained that the cookie's journey in China exemplifies the kind of entrepreneurial transformation that she is trying to spread throughout the corporation.
Oreos were first introduced in 1912 in the U.S., but it wasn't until 1996 that Kraft introduced the classic version of Oreos to Chinese consumers. Nine years later, a makeover campaign was begun in an attempt to boost flat sales in China.
Through a series of research projects it was discovered that traditional Oreos were too sweet for Chinese tastes. Furthermore, the packages of 14 Oreos priced at 72 cents were too expensive for the average Chinese consumer. Kraft proceeded to test cheaper, reduced-sugar Oreos, finally ending up with a completely new product. The new Chinese Oreo, introduced in 2006, consists of four layers of crispy wafer filled with vanilla and chocolate cream, coated in chocolate.Over the past two years, Kraft has doubled its Oreo revenue in China, and with the help of those sales, that revenue topped $1 billion world-wide for the first time last year.
April 29th: General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Hu Jintao held a meeting with Lien Chan, Honorary Chairman of the Chinese Nationalist Party, or Kuomintang (KMT), on Tuesday afternoon in Beijing. Lien arrived in Beijing on Monday in advance of an Olympics-related ceremony on Tuesday, bringing works of a Taiwan sculptor donated to the Beijing Olympic Sports Center
On Monday, Lien met with Jia Qinglin, member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Political Bureau and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). Jia spoke highly of Lien's outstanding contribution to promoting the relationship between the CPC and the KMT and the cross-strait relations, as well as his role in fighting secessionist activities. He expressed his hope that the compatriots of the two banks will unite more closely and work together to open up a new chapter for the peaceful development of the cross-strait relations.
April 28th: According to Chinese state media, at least 70 people have been killed and over 400 injured after two trains collided Monday at dawn in eastern China. A train travelling from Beijing to the summer resort of Qingdao derailed and hit the other, which was going from Yantai to Xuzhou. The wreck happened in the city of Zibo in Shandong Province at 4:43 a.m., the report said. Xinhua quoted government officials saying they suspect human error- most likely overspeeding- in the mishap and have ruled out terrorism as a cause.The crash is the second major railway incident in Shandong this year and is the worst in China since 1997, when 126 people were killed when two trains collided in central Hunan province.
April 24th: Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe completed a relatively uneventful run during the Australian leg of the Olympic torch relay Thursday. Although the torch relay was more orderly than those in other countries, the streets were still crowded with people demonstrating both for and against China. Police described most of the day's skirmishes as minor, reporting that law enforcement officers were able to break up disturbances before they became violent; at least five people were arrested during the event as a result of scuffles or violation of protest laws.
April 24th: China's fast-growing population of Internet users has hit the 221 million mark, tying the United States for the largest number of people online, according to Chinese government data reported Thursday. These new figures indicate a 61 percent increase over the 137 million Internet users reported by the Chinese government at the start of 2007. The boom has produced Chinese success stories including the popular games site Tencent.com and search engine Baidu.com, which are competing with foreign rivals for market share. The emergence of E-commerce, video-sharing and other businesses has already raised millions of dollars in investment and promises to grow. The United States had 221 million users in March, according to Nielsen/NetRatings, a leading industry measurement service. The U.S. growth rate is lower, suggesting that when March figures for China are released they may show that the country has already overtaken the United States.
April 24th: A 6.1-magnitude earthquake hit eastern Taiwan at 2:28 a.m. on Thursday (Beijing Time), according to Chinese Seismological Network. The epicenter was located at 23 degrees north latitude and 121.7 degrees east longitude. No casualties were reported yet.
April 23rd: On Wednesday the Chinese government announced plans to cut the share trading stamp tax from 0.3 percent to 0.1 percent beginning April 24 in an effort to boost the equities market, which has fallen 46 percent from its record high on October 16, 2007.
Experts expected the long-expected concrete support measure to give a strong boost to weak investor sentiment, following heavy sell-offs this year.
Other Topics in the News:
2008 protests by pro-Tibet activists sparked a flurry of media coverage on the Tibet-China relationship. The links below provide general information about the issue and include portray the differing views of each side.
Follow media links below for more coverage:
Tibet: Its Past and Present- Xinhua News (English)
Tension in Tibet- BBC News
Tibet- the New York Times
News and Videos about Tibet- CNN News
For complete coverage of Olympic-related events, preparation and venues, please visit the sites listed below.
The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games
United States Olympic Committee
International Olympics Committee
China in the News is compiled on a weekly basis by the USCPF staff using a wide variety of both domestic and international news publications. If you have questions about content appearing on this page, please email Meghan Crossin.
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