Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji has urged countries bordering the Mekong River to enhance their economic cooperation, so as to bring out their respective advantages and accelerate their economic growth.
In a key note speech delivered at the First Greater Mekong Subregion Economic Cooperation Summit held in Phnom Penh, Zhu Rongji said all countries in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) are developing countries with a relatively underdeveloped economy.
The Chinese premier indicated that enhanced cooperation can help them participate in global economic cooperation and competition, and strengthen their status as well as that of the whole subregion in global politics and economies.
He also expressed the belief that the GMS economic cooperation will gradually expand and achieve great success with the concerted efforts of all parties to the first GMS summit.
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The first-ever Greater Mekong Subregion, or GMS, Summit has concluded in Cambodia’s capital city of Phnom Penh with a plenty of substantive moves, which are expected to boost closer regional economic cooperation.
The GMS Summit, held to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the GMS Economic Cooperation Program, issued a joint declaration signed by the six countries along the Mekong River.
In the declaration, the leaders of the six countries reaffirmed their commitment to subregional economic cooperation and a shared vision of equal partnership in the pursuit of economic growth and greater prosperity.
During the summit, an inter-governmental agreement on regional power and trade was signed to promote and facilitate electricity trade in the subregion.
The GMS leaders also pledged to build effective partnerships with bilateral and multilateral development agencies, non-government organizations, the private sector and civil society.
The six GMS countries are Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.
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The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, or MOFTEC, has announced that beginning today (Monday) China will start imposing temporary anti-dumping measures against imports of the chemical catechol made in the European Union.
The decision comes on the heels of a recently concluded preliminary anti-dumping investigation which determined that the dumping of catechol has caused substantial damage to industries in China.
The new anti-dumping measure requires importers of catechol to pay cash deposits to the customs of China in accordance with a temporary judgment that resulted from the investigation.
MOFTEC and the State Economic and Trade Commission are to make further investigations on the case before a final judgment is reached.
Catechol, a toxic substance, is used as a starting material in the synthesis of polymerization, inhibitors, antioxidants, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and in photography.
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Former Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres predicts that early elections will be held following the failure of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s bid to form a narrow government.
Peres says he refused an offer by Sharon to continue serving as foreign minister because of his membership with the Labor Party. He added that he didn’t foresee any major diplomatic breakthrough with a new government.
Peres resigned Wednesday with Labor party chief Binyamin Ben Eliezer, who served as defense minister in Sharon’s cabinet.
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The Palestinian National Authority, or PNA, has called for both Arab and Islamic summits to discuss the Mideast situation.
The PNA said in an official statement the summits should be held to alleviate the Palestinian people's suffering and help end Israeli aggression and occupation.
The PNA statement said the Quartet Committee, made up of the US, Russia, the UN and the EU, should start its work to stop the serious deterioration and the daily Israeli crimes against the Palestinians.
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Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov says the reduction of Russian troops in Chechnya has been suspended.
Ivanov announced that while visiting the city of Khabarovsk in the Russian Far East, saying Chechen rebels were preparing to commit new terrorist acts in the region.
He did not give details on how many troops are currently stationed in Chechnya and how many have been withdrawn.
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A North Korean economic delegation has concluded a nine-day visit to South Korea.
In accordance with agreements reached by the two sides, the delegation, led by Chairman of the State Planning Commission Pak Nam-ki, visited industrial parks and enterprises in South Korea.
Before leaving the country, the delegation issued an official statement saying the visit was indicative of the strong willingness on both sides to seek peace and security for the Korean peninsula.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences is launching a project named the "International Dust Storm Program" to help the global fight against dust storms.
The program will explain the reasons why dust storms occur, the area they cover, how they travel and their effect on human environment. It plans to provide a scientific platform for international research.
It will use methods including information and laboratory analysis, and field observation combined with digital model research to study the storm's adverse influence on climate, environment and ecology.
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More than 13 million Chinese have benefited from social charities between January and September.
Statistics released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs show that during the period, donations including 94 million US dollars in cash, 200 million items of clothing and quilts and other articles worth over 20 million US dollars have been collected from all walks of life.
China started setting up permanent donation stations in 1996. To date, the country has more than 18,000 such stations, scattered across its land area of 9.6 million square kilometers.
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Two of the most famous fast-food restaurants in the world, KFC and McDonald’s are competing for an outlet at Beijing Capital Airport.
The airport plans to invite bids to select the best candidate.
The entry of fast-food restaurants is expected to break the existing high-price system of the airport.
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A new study shows that elderly women who drank relatively large amounts of coffee over their lifetimes appear to out-perform less frequent coffee drinkers in tests of memory, calculation and category.
These findings are supported by previous research, which suggests caffeine, the main ingredient of coffee, has the effect of improving memory and repairing memory impairments.
The researchers note people tend to experience a mental function decline from age 60, and coffee may counteract that process in women.
However, coffee drinking was not linked with mental functions in men.
1--Do you want black or white coffee?
2--White, please.
1--Look! There's a folk concert tomorrow evening.
Do you want to go?
2--I don't like folk music very much.
1--What kind of music do you like?
2--I like classical music. Do you?
1--Not very much. Classical music sends me to sleep.
2--I don't believe you.
1--It's true.
2--You are funny!
1--So are you! How about another coffee?
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注解：
1）black or white coffee：加糖或加牛奶的称作white
coffee.什么也不加的称作black coffee.
2）folk concert：民间音乐会。folk作“民间的”、
“具有民族传说的”解。如folk dance，folk music,
folk songs, folk tale等。
3）classical：经典的。如classical music, classical
literature等。
4）How about...?（你以为）...怎么样？征询对方的意见时
常用的句型。如，征询关于时间安排的意见时，可以说How
about tomorrow？征询活动内容时可以说How about playing
tennis now?征询人选意见可以说How about Jane?等
Meet the female action hero from the Touch and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
Graceful Michelle Yeoh glows with beauty and confidence wherever she goes. But watch out! This movie star has more than just good looks and a charming personality.
If you said she was just another big-screen beauty queen, Yeoh might knock you out. Today, Yeoh has more action roles under her belt than any other Asian film actress. She's the only woman Jackie Chan has ever allowed to do her own stunts. And to think that Yeoh was once a simple Malaysian girl who just wanted to be a ballet dancer.
Michelle Yeoh was born in Ipoh, Malaysia, on August 6, 1962. Always an athletic person, young Michelle enjoyed swimming, diving and many other sports. But dance was her main passion.
When Yeoh turned 15, her parents sent her to study in London, England. Later she entered the London Royal Academy of Dance as a ballet major. She received her degree in 1982.
Yeoh was in for a surprise when she returned to Malaysia in the summer of 1983. Her mom had secretly entered her in the Miss Malaysia beauty contest!
Questions for Discussion:
If your mom entered you in a beauty contest (or any other contest) without telling you, what would you do?
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