A senior government official says China’s western development strategy has progressed smoothly, achieving considerable results over the past three years.
Li Zibin, deputy director of the Office of the Leading Group under the State Council for the Development of the Western Regions made this comment at a press conference held at the media centre for the ongoing CPC National Congress.
Li Zibin says the GDP of the western regions maintained a growth rate of 9.6 percent in the first three quarters of this year, higher than the national average.
He says that over the past three years a total of 72 billion USD has been channeled into the region, greatly enhancing the investment inflow to the region. Thanks to correct guidelines and effective measures adopted by the central government, the western regions have enjoyed rapid economic growth.
A wide range of major infrastructure projects, including the mammoth Qinghai-Tibet Railway project and the west-east natural gas pipeline project, have been launched, mainly funded by the central government.
Li Zibin also reveals that in the future, western development will focus the on protection and construction of the ecological environment, and the enhancement of science, technology and education.
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Iraq's parliament have unanimously recommended rejection of a tough U.N. resolution on arms inspections, but said the final decision would be left to Saddam Hussein.
During a reopened emergency session, the Iraqi parliament unanimously agreed on the recommendation to reject the U.N. resolution 1441, saying this is to answer the aspirations of the people.
It also authorizes President Saddam Hussein to take whatever action he views as appropriate to defend the Iraqi people and Iraq's independence and dignity. The parliament meanwhile pledged its full support for whatever decision Saddam Hussein makes.
An emergency session had been called a day earlier by Saddam, to discuss how to respond to the UN resolutions. The parliament's foreign relations committee had recommended to reject the U.N. resolution but no consensus was reached during that session.
Since the U.N. Security Council passed the resolution 1441, the U.S. and Britain have been urging Iraq to accept and strictly carry out the resolution, saying that this is Iraq’s last chance, and a refusal would be tantamount to suicide. The Arab world as well as the international community also urge Iraq to accept the resolution before the deadline, and continue to cooperate with UN on weapons inspection.
***
Israeli Foreign Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says if elected next Israeli Prime Minister, his first action will be the expulsion of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
Netanyahu told a Likud convention in Tel Aviv that removing Arafat is “an essential condition for wiping out terror” and only then, will there be a possibility of peace.
In response to Netanyahu's remarks, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has warned the international community will oppose the Israeli move.
Netanyahu and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon are the major rivals for the upcoming Likud leadership election later this month.
The Israeli general elections will be held early next year.
***
Pyongyang is accusing South Korea of committing military provocation on North Korean waters and in areas close to the Military Demarcation Line.
The official Korean Central News Agency says eleven South Korean warships infiltrated the north's territorial waters and threatened fishing boats. It says South Korean forces also sent armored vehicles into the Demilitarized Zone.
South Korea has rejected the accusations, saying it would be unreasonable for South Korea to take such actions, since the two sides are working together to clear landmines in the Demilitarized Zone for the inter-Korean railways and roads.
***
China's top three State-owned commercial banks, with combined deposits of more than 660 billion US dollars, are considering plans to go public by 2005.
The presidents of the Industrial & Commercial Bank of China, Bank of China and China Construction Bank say they are creating conditions for being listed in the stock market. In doing so, the banks must comply with a central bank directive requiring them to hold in reserve sufficient funds to cover non-performing loans.
But analysts say clearing the legacy of decades of lending to unprofitable state-owned companies under the traditional State planning system may prove difficult.
***
Volkswagen says it plans to start production of its subcompact Gol for the Chinese market in February, ending speculation about which vehicle model the German automaker would introduce here.
The company says the Gol's sticker price will be more than 12,000 US dollars.
In October, Volkswagen said it had decided to introduce one of its exisiting subcompacts in China and hoped to sell 50,000 of them to
maintain its market-leading position in the country.
Though Volkswagen still accounts for four of ten new car sales in China, its long-standing lead in the Chinese market has come under threat following China's accession to the WTO, which is expected to open up the market to a host of other foreign car manufacturers.
The Volkswagen Jetta was the best-selling model in the first half of the year,capturing 12 per cent of the Chinese market share.
China says it remains strongly opposed to the proliferation of any form of weapons of mass destruction despite its refusal to sign the International Code of Conduct against ballistic missile proliferation.
A foreign ministry spokesman says China supports the principles enshrined in the Code, adding that China had participated fully in consultations on the Code and made rational proposals for its text.
The official says the exclusion of China's proposals from the final text of the Code had rendered it impossible for China to sign it.
*****
China's top banker says the central government will loosen controls on interest rates by widening the band on lending rates and experimenting with floating deposit rates in rural areas.
The People's Bank of China chief told the China Securities Journal that China will steadily promote the market-oriented reform of interest rates.
Currently, the central bank sets both deposit and lending rates for commercial banks. The banks are allowed to adjust rates on loans within a certain range, but those on deposits are fixed.
He added a pilot program to float interest rates on deposits will be launched in rural areas, where credit cooperatives play a larger role than state banks.
*****
In Shanghai, guarantee funds for housing accumulated loans have exceeded 1.2 billion US dollars, reaching some 100,000 local households. The funds, introduced September last year, have been on a steady increase of 108 million dollars per month.
The total housing accumulated loans in Shanghai has reached nearly 7 billion US dollars, and distributed guarantee funds housing accumulated loans have reached nearly 5 billion US dollars.
*****
China's medical institutions have been organizing free medical consultation and distributing leaflets containing information on diabetes in preparation for Thursday's World Diabetes Day.
The day aims to increase awareness about the disease, its symptoms and its consequences.
Experts say diabetes often leads to glaucoma and heart disease. This years World Diabetes Day is called “Diabetes and Your Eyes”
Currently more than 170 million people worldwide suffer from the disease, 2.5 million of them have lost their sight after contracting glaucoma. China has 40 million diabetes patients.
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?
===================================
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
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