Tag Archives: China

Chinese President Xi Jinping (R, front), who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, shakes hands with delegates to the 12th Party congress of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, during an inspection of the PLA Navy headquarters, in Beijing, capital of China, May 24, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

 

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday called for efforts to build the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy into a strong and modern force to lend support for the realization of the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation and the dream of a strong army.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), made the remarks during an inspection of the PLA Navy headquarters.

Xi expressed congratulations on the 12th Party congress of the PLA Navy, met delegates to the congress and conveyed greetings to all navy members.

Noting that the navy is a strategic military service concerning national security and overall development, Xi asked naval authorities to build a world-class force by promoting political awareness, reforms and rule of law.

Xi visited the navy’s operational command center, where he greeted via video navy officers who were performing duties at sea.

He first talked with members of flotilla 150, which was in an overseas journey of good-will visit. The members told Xi that they had visited five countries in more than one month and were warmly welcomed by the host countries. Xi asked them to pass on friendship and contribute to world peace.

Xi also talked with staff who were carrying out a patrol mission aboard ship 538.

“You continuously fight wind and waves. Thanks for your hard work!” Xi said. “I hope all you comrades perform duties loyally and merit the trust of the Party and the people.”

After hearing a report on naval work, Xi said a strong navy is a symbol of a world-class army and is a pivot for building the nation into a great maritime power.

He asked navy authorities to advance the transformation of the PLA Navy and focus on combat capabilities.

He said the navy should improve overall fighting capacity by combining the “mechanization and informationization,” promoting both offshore and high sea forces and balancing operations on the water surface, below the sea and in the air.

Innovation is key to improving and transforming the navy, according to Xi. He noted the transformation must be carried out in accordance with the law. The navy must resolutely safeguard the CPC Central Committee’s authority and unwaveringly stick to the Party’s absolute leadership, Xi stressed.

He called for efforts to thoroughly purge the pernicious influence of Guo Boxiong and Xu Caihou, former corrupt senior CMC officials, and promote the anti-corruption drive.

He asked naval authorities to improve their own abilities while training a large number of capable military staff.

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A recent employment survey has revealed 33.5 percent of new graduates from colleges and universities this year have signed contracts with employers in the country’s first-tier cities: including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. The survey was… read more

North China’s Shanxi Province Wednesday reported its second human infection of the H7N9 bird flu virus. Duan, 57, a farmer from Xinzhou, showed symptoms including a fever and cough in early May. He has been receiving treatment at the No. 4 People’s Ho… read more

An emcee displays pieces of Longquan celadon at a press conference held in Beijing on May 23. [Photo by Li Kang/China.org.cn]

Under the theme of “Chinese celadon rekindles world attention” a press conference on the celadon items used at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation earlier in the month was held in Beijing on May 23, attracting more than 100 attendees.

The organizing committee of the China Green Industry Exposition took the opportunity to sign an agreement with Quzhou Kiln Research Institute on the selection of Longquan celadon as exhibits for a fine artworks hall.

Another agreement was signed between Green China Internet TV (GCITV) center and Longquan Banxian Hall Cultural Development Corporation to designate it as the online trading platform for celadon.

Emcees display pieces of Longquan celadon at a press conference held in Beijing on May 23. [Photo by Li Kang/China.org.cn]

Longquan celadon is a kind of green-glazed Chinese ceramic produced in kilns largely located in Lishui City in Zhejiang Province in the southeast of China. The firing techniques of Longquan celadon joined the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage in 2009.

Longquan celadon has a history spanning more than 1,000 years, being shipped to the outside world through the ancient overland and maritime “silk roads.” The ceramics epitomize Chinese culture and bring the spirit of the ancient Silk Road to modern life.

Longquan celadon was used as designated wares at the APEC summit in 2014, the G20 Hangzhou summit in 2016 and the Belt and Road Forum in 2017, becoming a “living fossil” for multicultural exchanges along the Belt and Road.

An emcee displays pieces of Longquan celadon at a press conference held in Beijing on May 23. [Photo by Li Kang/China.org.cn]

Tang Wei, the founder of Quzhou Kiln Research Institute, said the craftsmen in Banxian Hall made topnotch porcelain utensils in the spirit of craftsmanship to ensure Longquan celadon was well qualified as wares to be used at the Belt and Road Forum.

“Longquan celadon is a product embodying the wisdom of Chinese people,” said Zhang Shouzhi, a professor of the Academy of Arts & Design of Tsinghua University.

The conference also exhibited a host of original celadon pieces to demonstrate the concept of the Belt and Road Initiative through unique charm of traditional Chinese culture.

An emcee displays pieces of Longquan celadon at a press conference held in Beijing on May 23. [Photo by Li Kang/China.org.cn]

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Border patrol officers handle parcels of used clothes that were smuggled from Hong Kong to the Chinese mainland in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, in June last year. [File Photo/China Daily]

Legislators have vowed to increase supervision of government departments in charge of handling imported solid waste, aiming to protect the environment and ensure public health.

The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress will conduct inspections to ensure that the law on the prevention of solid waste pollution is being enforced.

The inspections, led by Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, will be conducted in 10 areas, including Tianjin, Jiangsu Province and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The inspections will last until the end of July, the committee said.

It is the first enforcement inspection since 2005, when the revised law took effect.

“Our aim is to protect the environment by rule of law, hoping supervision and inspections can be effective in ensuring residents’ health and improving ecological safety,” Zhang said on Monday.

“We’ll urge government departments to enforce the law, and find areas where the law needs to be improved.”

The country has drawn up a list of 66 kinds of solid waste that can be imported, including paper and plastics, to satisfy the nation’s need for raw materials for economic development, “but problems brought by illegal imports are still serious”, said Chen Jining, minister of environmental protection.

Since 2013, more than 400 cases relating to smuggling of imported solid waste have been filed at Chinese customs and nearly 800 suspects have been detained, a statement from the legislature said.

In April, for example, Shenzhen Customs in Guangdong province seized more than 1,000 metric tons of imported industrial waste in 38 containers. The goods from the Middle East were prohibited from import under the law, and smugglers attempted to transport the waste into the country as synthetic graphite.

“Some imported solid waste doesn’t meet our environmental standards, while some enterprises import banned waste by hiding it or making false reports to governments,” Chen said.

He confirmed that a few areas for recycling and reusing waste become “trafficking destinations” for imported solid waste. A campaign led by the ministry against illegally imported waste began in March.

“In addition, we’re trying to reduce the quantities and categories of imported solid waste, further reforming management in the industry,” he added.

Liu Jianguo, a professor at Tsinghua University’s School of Environment, said the utilization of solid waste comes with a higher cost to the economy and environmental protection than natural resources, warning that some recycling projects harm human health and pollute the environment.

Solid waste can have high levels of pollutants, while the reusable resources are of low quality, he was quoted as saying by Xinhua News Agency. He said there should be clear and stricter controls on the recycling of solid waste.

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