China, Russia work on building energy cooperation partnership

MOSCOW, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- China will exert consistent and unswerving efforts to establish a strategic partnership of energy cooperation with Russia as agreed by the heads of state of the two countries, Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli said here Saturday.

Zhang made the remarks as he co-chaired the 11th meeting of the China-Russia Energy Cooperation Committee with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich in Moscow.

During the meeting, the two sides had an in-depth exchange of views on cooperation in the fields of natural gas, oil, coal, electricity, nuclear energy and renewable energy.

Zhang said the successful meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Shanghai in May this year helped make breakthroughs on the eastern route of the China-Russia natural gas pipelines and other large-scale joint projects of strategic significance.

He said the breakthroughs has propelled the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination into a new era of development.

Zhang said the meeting of the China-Russia Energy Cooperation Committee is aimed to further implement the important consensus reached by the presidents of the two countries and carry out all-round, in-depth discussions on strengthening bilateral energy cooperation. He said the committee meeting will also make preparations for the October meeting between the heads of government of the two countries.

China and Russia have achieved rich fruits of energy cooperation in the fields of oil, natural gas, nuclear energy, coal and electricity, Zhang noted.

He said the fruitful energy cooperation has helped lift the whole level of practical cooperation between the two countries.

In 2013, China imported 24.35 million tons of crude oil, 27.28 million tons of coal and 3.5 billion kwh of power from Russia, according to official statistics.

The first two reactors of the Tianwan nuclear power plant in east China's Jiangsu Province, a major joint project between the two countries, have been put into test operation and the other two are under construction.

• During President Putin's visit to China in May, the two sides signed a series of agreements on such major projects as a 400-billion-U.S.-dollar contract on gas supplies and an annual supply of 3 million tons of liquified natural gas.

Zhang said the start-of-construction ceremony of the Russian section of the eastern route of the China-Russia natural gas pipelines will be held in two days.

He said China attaches great importance to expanding and deepening energy cooperation with Russia and will abide by the consensus reached by the heads of state of the two countries to devote consistent and unswerving efforts to establishing a strategic partnership of energy cooperation with Russia.

China is ready to work with Russia to push for substantial progress on major joint projects and promote in-depth growth of China-Russia relations with concrete results of bilateral energy cooperation, Zhang said.

Dvorkovich said mutually beneficial cooperation between Russia and China has grown rapidly in the field of energy as relevant projects made progress continuously.

The Russian side is working on further deepening energy cooperation with China and will cooperate closely with China to continuously advance the construction of the natural gas pipelines and other large-scale cooperative projects so as to make active contribution to common development of both countries, Dvorkovich said.

After the meeting, Zhang and Dvorkovich signed the protocol of the meeting.

Zhang flew in Moscow from Prague on Friday evening. During his visit to Russia, Zhang will fly to Yakutsk in eastern Siberia to attend the start-of-construction ceremony of the Russian section of the eastern route of the China-Russia natural gas pipelines.

Russia is the final leg of Zhang's weeklong three-nation tour that also took him to Turkmenistan and the Czech Republic.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2014-08/30/c_133608136.htm
30/8/14
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Related:

• Gazprom to receive $25 billion prepayment for gas supplies to China

• Putin praises Gazprom, CNPC deal on Russian gas for China

Tibet's intangible heritage well-protected, says official

LHASA, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese government's efforts to preserve intangible heritage in Tibet and other ethnic regions have proven effective, said sources at the first Tibet development forum Wednesday.

"Of the 386 million yuan (62.7 million U.S. dollars) for cultural heritage preservation allocated by the central treasury between 2002 and 2009, about a quarter was spent in ethnic regions including Tibet," said Li Jianhui, a culture promotion official with the State Ethnic Affairs Commission.


Over the past eight years , the central treasury allocated a total of 97.2 million yuan to intangible heritage in Tibet Autonomous Region, said Li.

The plateau region is home to more than 1,000 intangible heritage items, including the famous Tibetan opera and the Epic of King Gesar, which have been listed as World Intangible Cultural Heritage items by UNESCO.

Preservation of cultural essence is aimed at passing on the heritage to future generations, said Li.

"A total of 4 million copies of the Tibetan language edition of King Gesar have been published, averaging one copy for each Tibetan adult," he said.

Other forms of intangible cultural heritage in Tibet include traditional music, dancing, craftsmanship and traditional herbal medicine and folkways.

More than 100,000 articles, nearly 2,000 audio and video clips and 45,000 pictures have been collected since Tibet started a census on intangible cultural heritage in 2006, according to figures provided by Tibet's regional government.
http://english.cntv.cn/2014/08/14/ARTI1407974763302590.shtml
14/8/14
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Related:

• China to upgrade transport infrastructures in Tibet (will also build more airports in Tibet)

  • UN expresses concern of China’s detention of Tibetan singers and musicians

Reusable moon lander

China is preparing for the launch of an experimental recoverable moon orbiter, said the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense on Sunday.

The orbiter arrived in Xichang in Southwest China's Sichuan Province via air on Sunday and was transported to the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, according to a statement from the administration.

The launch will take place before the end of this year. 

The plan is for the orbiter to be launched into lunar orbit and return to Earth. 

It is one of the test models for China's new lunar probe Chang'e-5, which will be tasked with landing on the moon, collecting samples and returning to Earth.

China launched the Chang'e-3 lunar probe with its moon rover, Yutu, in late 2013. Chang'e-3 successfully landed on the moon and Yutu operated well until its control mechanism failed in January.
Sources: Xinhua - globaltimes.cn
11/8/14
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Related:

• China releases photos taken by Chang'e-3

• Lander and rover ready to perform exploration tasks.

• Full video: Journey to the moon: Yutu separates from lander (3 video)

• China launches probe and rover to moon (video cctvnews)

• China to launch Chang'e-3 lunar probe early Monday (video cctvnews)

WTO Appellate Body rules against Chinese restrictions on access to rare earths and other raw materials (E.C.)

European Commission, Press release, Brussels, 7 August 2014:

The Appellate Body of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) today ruled in the EU’s favour. It confirmed the findings made by a Panel in March 2014 that China’s export restrictions on rare earth, as well as tungsten and molybdenum, are in breach of WTO rules. Backing the claims of the EU and its co-complainants, the US and Japan, the WTO found that China’s export duties and quotas were not justified for reasons of environmental protection or conservation policy.

EU Trade Commissioner Karel de Gucht qualified the ruling as “another milestone in the EU’s efforts to ensure fair access to much-needed raw materials for its industries”. “This ruling sends a clear signal that export restrictions cannot be used to protect or promote domestic industries at the expense of foreign competitors. I now look forward to China swiftly bringing its export regime in line with international rules, as it did with other raw materials under the previous WTO ruling,” Commissioner said. 

In 2012, China lost another WTO case, brought jointly by the EU, US and Mexico, on export restrictions on raw materials. It subsequently lifted those restrictions. However, it did not lift similar measures, export quotas and duties, applying to other raw materials, such as tungsten, molybdenum and rare earths. The EU and its co-complainants were therefore left with no option but to use the WTO’s dispute settlement mechanism again. 

China has argued that its export restrictions on rare earths are part of its conservation policy. But the WTO’s position today is clear: export restrictions cannot be imposed to conserve exhaustible natural resources if the domestic production or consumption of the same raw materials is not restricted at the same time for the same purpose.

Neither the complainants nor the panel contest China’s right to put in place conservation policies. However, as the WTO clarified, the sovereign right of a country over its natural resources does not allow it to control international markets or the global distribution of raw materials. A WTO Member may decide on the level or pace at which it uses its resources but once raw materials have been extracted, they are subject to WTO trade rules. The extracting country cannot impose restrictions only on foreign users. 

Background

The raw materials involved in this case are several rare earths, as well as tungsten and molybdenum. They have a wide range of uses in hi-tech and green goods, automotive and machinery manufacturing, chemicals, steel and non-ferrous metal industries.

Chinese export restrictions have been mainly export duties or export quotas, as well as additional requirements and procedures for exporters. They create serious disadvantages for foreign industries by artificially increasing China’s export prices and driving up world prices. Such restrictions also artificially lower China’s domestic prices for raw materials. As they increase domestic supplies. This gives China’s local industries a competitive advantage and puts pressure on foreign producers to move their operations and technologies to China.

The EU, together with the US and Japan, launched a WTO dispute settlement case in March 2012. Initial consultations with China did not bring an amicable solution. As a result, the WTO set up a panel in June 2012. The Panel report was issued on 26 March 2014 and was full victory for the EU and its co-complainants. China appealed the report on 25 April 2014. The reports will be adopted by the WTO Dispute Settlement Body within 30 days and China will have to comply with the ruling immediately or within a reasonable period of time that it can request for implementation..................http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-14-912_en.htm?locale=en

7/8/14

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Related:

• WTO confirms China’s export restrictions on rare earths and other raw materials incompatible with WTO rules. -European Commission(26/3/14)

  ---------

• China verlängert Produktionsstopp für Seltene Erden 

• Μάχη ΕΕ-Κίνας για τα ορυκτά της Γροιλανδίας

• Ο ορυκτός πλούτος δεν «ανεξαρτητοποιεί» τη Γροιλανδία, λένε επιστήμονες

• ΚΙΝΑ: Το γεωπολιτικό παιχνίδι με τις «σπάνιες γαίες»

• Σπάνιες Γαίες και εφαρμογές

• Οι σπάνιες γαίες και ο ρόλος της Κίνας

Chinese-built bridge in Serbia to open this year

The Bridge over the Danube in Serbian capital, Belgrade, built by Chinese company CRBC would be open in December this year, Serbian Minister of Infrastructure Zorana Mihajlovic announced after inspecting the work progress with the Chinese ambassador to Serbia Li Manchang on Wednesday.

Li Manchang and Zorana Mihajlovic toured the building site on Wednesday to determine that works at the popularly called Chinese bridge that ought to connect Belgrade's municipalities of Zemun and Borca are going just as planned.

Construction progresses as planed and Serbian government expects that the bridge will be open by the end of December,? Mihajlovic said, adding that the subcontractors announced possibility of even finishing before deadline.

Once finished, the bridge will significantly influence reducing jams in Serbian capital by redirecting cargo transport from the city's centre, on a detour towards the main highway. She said that the connections of the future bridge with local roads will be finished during next year in a total length of 21 kilometers.

• The bridge over the Danube presents the second bridge over the European Union's longest river on its flow through the Serbian capital.

• Once finished, the new six-lane bridge will be 1.5 kilometers long, 30-meter wide and will overarch the Danube at an altitude of 23 meters.

Li said that the bridge over the Danube, popularly called Chinese bridge is just one of the many large infrastructural projects between Serbia and China, and expressed his confidence that the construction will meet the deadlines.

He added that that he hopes that many more large projects will be realized by Chinese companies in Serbia.
Sources: Xinhua - globaltimes.cn
7/8/14

White House: US ready to help China in quake relief

The White House on Sunday offered condolences over loss of lives in China's southwestern province of Yunnan, where a strong earthquake befell earlier in the day, saying the United States was ready to help.

"The United States offers sincere condolences to all those who lost loved ones in the Aug. 3 earthquake in southwestern China," National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan said in a statement.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those that lost their lives, those injured or displaced, and all the people of China on this difficult day," she added.

She said US disaster response officials were in contact with their Chinese counterparts and the US "stands ready to assist."

A massive relief effort is underway in Yunnan, as the death toll has risen to at least 367, with 1,881 others injured in the 6. 5-magnitude earthquake.
 Sources:Xinhua - globaltimes.cn
4/8/14
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Related:

• White House says U.S. ready to help China in quake relief

• M6.1 deadly quake rattles southwest China 

  •  China has sent 2,500 soldiers to the southwest province of Yunnan after an earthquake killed hundreds of people....

M6.1 deadly quake rattles southwest China

Earthquake kills at least 175 and injures more than 1,400 others in Yunnan province.

An earthquake has struck southwestern China, killing at least 175 people in a remote mountainous area of Yunnan province, and causing some buildings, including a school, to collapse.

Some 1,400 people were injured and 181 missing, Xinhua and state broadcaster CCTV said, citing the authorities.
The official Xinhua news agency said that the epicentre of Sunday's quake was in Longtoushan town in Yunnan's Ludian county.
Communications have been seriously affected and rescuers are rushing to the scene, the report said.

Al Jazeera's Adrian Brown, reporting from Kunshan, China, said: "This quake has happened in a very very remote area of southwest China.

"The difficulty for rescuers is going to be the time it takes to reach this area."
Pictures posted online by state media showed troops stretchering people away, and bricks which had fallen off buildings damaging cars, Reuters news agency reported. 

'Not quake proof'
Many people rushed out of buildings onto the street after the quake hit, electricity supplies were cut and at least one school collapsed, Xinhua added.

"The problem is a lot of the structures in this area are simply not quake proof. This is a very impoversihed region and very remote", Brown reported.

The US Geological Survey said the quake registered at shallow depth of less than 1 mile (1.6 km). Chinese state media said was felt most strongly Yunnan, as well as in the neighbouring provinces of Guizhou and Sichuan.
The government is sending 2,000 tents, 3,000 folding beds, 3,000 quilts and 3,000 coats to the disaster zone, the report said.
Ludian is home to some 265,900 people, Xinhua added. China is frequently struck by quakes in this part of the country. A quake in Sichuan in 2008 killed almost 70,000 people.
A quake in the same region in 2012 kiled 80 people.
Earlier in the day a less severe quake struck Tibet, causing no casualties.
 http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2014/08/deadly-quake-rattles-southwest-china-20148313030154246.html
3/8/14
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• M 6.1 - SICHUAN-YUNNAN-GUIZHOU RG, CHINA - 2014-08-03 08:30:14 UTC....local time: 16:30.....

Magnitude	Mw 6.1
Region	SICHUAN-YUNNAN-GUIZHOU RG, CHINA
Date time	2014-08-03 08:30:14.1 UTC
Location	27.26 N ; 103.50 E
Depth	10 km
Distances	258 km N of Kunming, China / pop: 1,023,674 / local time: 16:30:14.1 2014-08-03 22 km W of Zhaotong, China / pop: 109,400 / local time: 16:30:14.1 2014-08-03

 -------------------------------------

• M6.1 - 11km WNW of Wenping, China

• Event Time

1. 2014-08-03 08:30:13 UTC
2. 2014-08-03 16:30:13 UTC+08:00 at epicenter
3. 2014-08-03 11:30:13 UTC+03:00 system time

• Location

27.245°N 103.427°E depth=10.0km (6.2mi)

• Nearby Cities

1. 11km (7mi) WNW of Wenping, China
2. 29km (18mi) WSW of Zhaotong, China
3. 91km (57mi) WNW of Weining, China
4. 135km (84mi) ESE of Xichang, China
5. 731km (454mi) NNW of Ha Noi, Vietnam

China to upgrade transport infrastructures in Tibet (will also build more airports in Tibet)

China has vowed to further promote the development of transport infrastructures in Tibet to make travels on "the roof of the world" much easier.

The Ministry of Transport (MOT) said in a guideline that China aims to expand highways in the autonomous region to 110,000 kilometers by 2020.

China plans to complete a primary network of railways by then with 1,300 kilometers of rails in operation. The country will also build more airports in Tibet.

Building roads connecting rural areas has become the policy focus. The authorities plans to make sure that by 2020, every village in Tibet has at least one road connecting with the outside.

To that end, the MOT will beef up support to the construction of transport infrastructures in Tibet and make specific plans to ensure the accomplishment of these targets.

Tibet has received about 83 billion yuan ($13 billion) in transport investment during the last 20 years.

In ancient times, it usually took months even years for people living in the country's middle and eastern regions to get to Tibet.

Although airlines, railways and expressways have made travels to Tibet much more convenient, the transport infrastructures in the autonomous region are still outdated.

"The development of transport in Tibet is crucial to China's national security and lasting prosperity in the autonomous region, " said the MOT guideline.
Source:Xinhua - globaltimes.cn
27/7/14
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Typhoon Rammasun strikes South China

Super typhoon Rammasun, the strongest to hit South China since 1973, made landfall in Wenchang, South China's Hainan Province on Friday afternoon, and continued to ravage Guangdong Province on Friday evening.

According to the National Meteorological Center, the typhoon landed in Wenchang packing rainstorms and winds of up to 60 meters per second and the lowest central atmospheric pressure dropped to 910 hectopascals.

The meteorological center forecast that some of the coastal areas in Hainan, Guangdong and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region would have to sustain gales and heavy rainstorms until Sunday. The rainfall is expected to surpass 600 millimeters in some of the regions.

The center is warning against possible geological disasters including landslides and mudslides in Yunnan Province and Hainan, and water logging in farmland as well as in-city surface water logging in Hainan, southwestern Guangdong and southern Guangxi.

Although more than 198,000 fishermen and residents in areas in possible danger in Hainan had been evacuated by 8 am Friday, around 1,300 people were trapped in rural Wenchang soon after the typhoon landed, according to the Hainan provincial command center for flood prevention, drought control and typhoon response. At least one person died in Wenchang, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

The Hainan provincial tourism authority issued an urgent circular on Friday and Guangdong provincial authorities put their emergency response system at the highest level.

Typhoon Rammasun is expected to land in Guangxi early on Saturday morning. "This is possibly the strongest typhoon to make landfall in Guangxi since 1949," said Zhang Ling, chief forecaster at the Typhoon and Marine Forecast Center of the China Meteorological Administration.

The typhoon had killed 64 and injured another 100-plus in the Philippines by Friday since it made landfall there Tuesday night.
 By Ni Dandan Source:Global Times 
19/7/14
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Related:

• Rammasun strengthens to super typhoon

• Beijing prepares for more wild weather...

• Central and Southwest China: Concern for ancient buildings after floods 

• Typhoon Rammasun leaves at least 27 dead in Philippines

• Typhoon shuts down Philippine capital, triggers mass evacuations 

Rammasun strengthens to super typhoon

HAIKOU, July 18 (Xinhua) -- Rammasun has strengthened to a super typhoon and is expected to make landfall in south China's island province of Hainan or coastal area of Guangdong Province on Friday afternoon, Hainan provincial meteorological station said on Friday.

Rammasun packing rainstorms and winds of up to 180 km per hour, is moving northwest at a speed of 20 to 25 km per hour and will probably land in Qionghai City of Hainan or Dianbai District, Maoming City of Guangdong, according to the station's forecast.

The super typhoon is expected to be the strongest that Hainan Province has witnessed in 40 years. 

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2014-07/18/c_133493184.htm

18/7/14

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Related:

• Central and Southwest China: Concern for ancient buildings after floods 

• Typhoon Rammasun leaves at least 27 dead in Philippines

• Typhoon shuts down Philippine capital, triggers mass evacuations 

Central and Southwest China: Concern for ancient buildings after floods

Concerns have been raised over the protection of historic towns as persistent downpours in Central and Southwest China have flooded Fenghuang, a renowned tourism destination in Hunan Province.

More than 120,000 people were relocated amid power cuts in Fenghuang on Wednesday.

The rain, however, has begun to slacken and water levels in Fenghuang have dropped, with many people returning to their homes on Thursday.

Electricity along the Tuojiang River, which runs through Fenghuang, has not been restored, although water supplies to parts of the town have been brought back online, a staff member of Fenghuang's flood prevention office surnamed Gao told the Global Times.

Reconstruction work formally started on Thursday, Gao said. No casualties had been reported as of press time.

Pictures of Fenghuang submerged by floodwaters have aroused worries among netizens and experts on ancient architecture.

Yang Zhi, owner of a traditional inn alongside the Tuojiang River, told the Global Times that everything in his inn had been washed away by floods and estimated his losses at more than 200,000 yuan ($32,234).

He blamed the government for inaccurate warning by saying that the water level of the Tuojiang River would only hit 1.5 meters above normal. The river eventually crested at 3 meters over its normal level, "So people were not prepared."

Many traditional buildings, some dating back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), were made of wood and stone and could be severely damaged by floods, Zhu Qiuli, an expert with the National Architecture Institute of China, told the Global Times.

Old towns have drainage problems and the Fenghuang  government obviously did not realize that the buildings need protection from water in such a rainy region, Zhu said.

It is also a warning for other old town governments, he added.

Wu Rucheng, director of the flood prevention office, admitted that excessive development along the river bank has changed the river's profile, making it more prone to serious flooding.

Fenghuang is currently being considered for UNESCO World Heritage Status.

Other parts of Hunan Province were also hit by severe rains. According to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, more than 8 million people across seven provinces including Hunan were affected by the rainstorms which started on July 10.

A total of 34 people died in the flooding, while 21 remain missing. Some 400,000 people were relocated and 9,300 houses collapsed, while 384,300 hectares of crops were damaged, incurring a direct economic loss of more than 5.2 billion yuan.

• Rainstorms are also expected in Hainan Province as Typhoon Rammasun makes landfall in South China on Friday. 

By Liu Sha Source:Global Times Published: 2014-7-18  
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Related:

• Ancient town under water as downpours hit central China

Ancient town under water as downpours hit central China

One of China's renowned ancient towns was under water Wednesday as heavy rain hit the centre of the country, with tens of thousands of people evacuated from the area.

The old town district of Fenghuang nestles on the banks of a winding river in a picturesque, mountainous part of Hunan province, and boasts stunning Qing and Ming dynasty architecture dating back hundreds of years.
It can attract 30,000 visitors a day and has applied for world heritage status recognition from UNESCO, but pictures showed it inundated, with the central span of a bridge poking up through the waters.

Reports said electricity had been cut off and 50,000 tourists and locals had been evacuated from Fenghuang and the surrounding county.

"Torrential downpours have led to Fenghuang old town becoming a water town," said a posting on a discussion page on the topic set up on Sina Weibo, China's version of Twitter.[Agence France-Presse/hurriyetdailynews.com]
16/7/14 

Marine experts urge Australians to eat more sea urchins to save environment (is said to contain euphoria-causing chemicals similar to that found in cannabis)

Marine experts are urging Australians to eat more sea urchins and help the environment at the same time, local media reported on Monday.

Australian sea urchin fishermen are doing great business with the Chinese market, but researchers hope Australians can develop a taste for the seafood in order to create more demand, the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) reported.

If there was more demand, more sea urchins would be removed from sensitive reef areas where they are devouring kelp and in turn depleting lobster and abalone stocks.

In Australia, the sea urchin is yet to find favor with locals, but researcher Philip Hayward said they are a tasty treat.

"When they're fresh it almost deliquesces in your mouth, you feel it kind of fizzing and dissolving," he said.

"A Japanese colleague, one of his turn of phrases was 'eating a raw sea urchin was like sharing an intimate kiss with the ocean'."

• The sea creature is a staple in Pacific islanders' diets, high in omega three, low in calories, an aphrodisiac and is said to contain euphoria-causing chemicals similar to that found in cannabis.

He said given the havoc they cause to reefs, commercial harvesting might prove a far more effective control strategy than the millions of dollars being poured into smashing, baiting and relocation programs.

"The funding that comes for them is for short-term initiatives, but as soon as leave them then they'll start re-growing there," he said.

"You really need an approach which sees people regularly going to actually remove these."
 Sources: Xinhua - globaltimes.cn
14/7/14
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Related:

• La FAO recomienda desarrollar alimentos a base de medusas....

• ΟΗΕ: Φάτε μέδουσες, να σώσουμε τα ψάρια!

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• Οι πολικές αρκούδες αλλάζουν διατροφή για να επιβιώσουν

UNESCO adds Grand Canal, Silk Road route to World Heritage List

China gained two more UNESCO World Heritage sites Sunday, bringing the nation's total to 47.

The decision was announced by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Qatar.

The Silk Road, which served as a corridor for trade and cultural exchanges between Asia and Europe dating back 2,000 years ago, was inscribed on the World Heritage List along with the Grand Canal, which runs 1,794 kilometers from Beijing to Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province.

China's application for the Silk Road was jointly submitted with Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, the first transnational application for China.

"We hope the experience gained in the application process will lay the foundation for future transnational projects," said Tong Mingkang, deputy director of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage.

Du Yue, secretary general of the Chinese delegation at the 38th session of the World Heritage Committee, said the approval of the application would strengthen cultural exchanges between the three countries.

A total of 33 heritage sites are included along the historic trade route, 22 of which are located in the provinces of Henan, Shaanxi, Gansu and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan have eight and three sites respectively. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping mooted the idea of a Silk Road Economic Belt during his visit to Central Asia in 2013, which was then supported by many neighboring countries.

"Different from the Silk Road, China's Grand Canal is a living heritage, which makes its preservation more challenging. Many projects have increased awareness of preservation and improved protective measures during the application process. They should be further enhanced with more investments and higher standards," Chen Tongbin, director of China Architecture Design and Research Group, was quoted by the Xinhua News Agency as saying.

• The Grand Canal, the longest artificial waterway in the world, dates back more than 2,400 years, still plays a dynamic role in transportation, irrigation and flood control.

• Other canal systems are listed as World Heritage sites, including the Canal du Midi in France and the Amsterdam Canal District of the Netherlands.

"Those canals, built after the industrial revolution, date back some 300 years. The Grand Canal has significant historical and technological value," said An Jiayao, a research fellow with the Institute of Archaeology at Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. 
Source: Global Times
22- 23/6/14
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Related:

• Silk Road inscription into World Heritage list "hopeful" 

  

  Maritime Silk Road

   

China, Greece ink $4.6 billion in deals. "Greece can become China's gateway in Europe and the start of a European trade corridor"

Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang visited  port of Piraeus in Greece on Friday, after a series of trade and investment deals worth $4.6 billion were signed between the two sides during Li 's three-day visit to Greece.

The deals included multi-billion-dollar Chinese bank loans to build at least 10 Greek-owned ships in Chinese shipyards. There were also agreements on the construction of solar energy parks in Greece, AFP reported.

"Cooperation between Greece and China is always mutually beneficial. China is fully confident about the prospect of Greece's development," Li said at a Thursday joint conference with Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, adding that China would continue to be a "long-term and responsible" investor.

Li also called for more investment in the Piraeus Container Terminal project at Greece's largest port, which is jointly run by Chinese shipping giant COSCO and the Greek port authority.

Another $1.9 billion worth of deals are expected to be signed, mostly in infrastructure, transport and energy, according to local media.

• Greek is willing to deepen cooperation and cultural exchanges and will actively take part in the construction of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, according to Samaras. "Greece can become China's gateway in Europe and the start of a European trade corridor," he said.

• China provided timely support during the Greek debt crisis, which brought confidence and strength, Samaras said. Li also expressed appreciation for Greek assistance during the evacuation of Chinese nationals from Libya in 2011.

Li and Samaras also inaugurated a rail link that will transport goods from Piraeus to central Europe, Associated Press reported Friday.
Source:Agencies  - globaltimes.cn
21/6/14
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Related:

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• Υπόσχεση ενίσχυσης του ελληνικού τουρισμού από την Κίνα

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Silk Road inscription into World Heritage list "hopeful" 

FAO hails China's success in achieving anti-hunger goal

Proper agricultural policies and reforms, and impressive increases in domestic food production helped China meet the first Millennium Development Goal (MDG), the chief of the UN's food agency says.

"China has already made outstanding progress to this goal, in part due to policies that support targeted investments in agriculture, reforms in the agricultural system, and impressive increases in domestic food production," Jose Graziano da Silva, director general of the Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), told Xinhua in a recent interview.

On Monday, FAO awarded a prize to China, along with Chile and Morocco, for having met the MDG-1 target of halving the proportion of people who suffer from hunger by 2015, as compared with 1990-91 figures, in a special ceremony at the agency's headquarters.

According to the FAO, China reduced the prevalence of undernourishment from 22.9 percent in 1990-92 to 11.4 percent in 2011-13, bringing the estimated number of chronically hungry people down from 272.1 million to 158 million.

Graziano da Silva highlighted FAO's appreciation toward China for its steps of putting policies in place to address a potential contradiction between farmland and growing urbanization.

He highly praised China's policies of maintaining the current size of farmland for agriculture, setting a "bottom line" to contain urban erosion of land for agricultural production.

FAO was willing to work with China to further intensify agricultural production in areas of high potential and improve efficiency in sustainable ways, he said.

"Through FAO-supported training and knowledge-sharing programs, for example, farmers in developing countries are conserving and restoring nutrients to the soil, and making greater use of natural or low-chemical methods for processes like pest and weed control," Graziano da Silva said.

• "Early trials show growers can lower crop water needs by 30 percent and energy costs of production by up to 60 percent," he said.

Meanwhile, the FAO chief also voiced hope China would continue to make efforts to achieve greater success under the framework of the Zero Hunger Challenge, an anti-hunger blueprint launched by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in 2012.

He praised a plan unveiled by the Chinese government in January 2014 for rural reforms, further modernization of agriculture, and improvement of farmers' incomes.

"The government has outlined a number of measures to accomplish these objectives. These include speeding up the transfer of rural land, offering more subsidies to family farms and farmers' cooperatives, and supporting further research," he said. "The government has also listed ensuring the security of grain supplies and those of other major farm products as one of its priorities."

Graziano da Silva called for all efforts to realize goals set in the Zero Hunger Challenge, which will lead to a food secure and sustainable future.

"Reaching and maintaining such standards will require the involvement of every facet of society, including the government, businesses, researchers and scientists, local communities and families," he said. 
Sources: Xinhua - china.org.cn - globaltimes.cn
17/6/14

Emergency measures initiate as Typhoon Hagibis approaches China

China initiated emergency response measures on Sunday as Hagibis, the first typhoon this year, is expected to make landfall on the country’s east coast within a few hours.

The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters asked local authorities in Fujian, Guangdong, Zhejiang and Hainan provinces to step up their monitoring efforts, and call ships and offshore workers to return to port.

The country’s meteorological authorities forecast the typhon will hit south and east China’s Guangdong and Fujian provinces between Sunday afternoon and Sunday evening. 


Torrential rain and storms are expected to inundate a wide area over the next three days, with precipitation up to 170 milimeters.
http://english.cntv.cn/2014/06/15/VIDE1402832765713751.shtml
15/6/14
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• Hagibis Makes Landfall in Southeast China

By Courtney Spamer, Meteorologist 

Tropical Storm Hagibis, that has been churning in northern parts of the South China Sea, made landfall near Shantou, China on Sunday evening, local time.

Heavy rain fell mainly over far eastern Guangdong province, with over 2 inches in Shantou as of Sunday night. Another 1-3 inches is likely in the area as the storm moves slowly inland, with total rainfall storm amounts of 3-6 inches likely.

Some sporadic power outages are possible where the strongest wind gusts reach up to 60 mph near the coast, but winds will likely diminish rapidly inland.

Flooding will also be a concern, particularly along fast-responding waterways and in areas of poor drainage. Thunderstorms in outer bands may also lead to an isolated tornado across Fujian.

Hagibis will continue to weaken as it heads further inland Monday, but heavy rain and potential flooding problems will still accompany it across Fujian province into Monday night.
http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/tropical-hagibis-china-storm-t/28652857
15/6/14

 

Russia, China inch toward another gas contract

Russia and China could soon sign another major contract on gas pipeline construction project after they signed a landmark 30-year gas deal in Shanghai during Russian President Vladimir Putin's state visit in May, a senior Russian official said Wednesday.

"Given the pace of Chinese economic growth ... with an agreement upon the compromise (gas) price formulas having been achieved, it is very likely that a contract could also be signed in the very near future for the construction of a western route ( gas pipeline) that will fully cross the Siberian Federal District, " Russian presidential administration chief Sergei Ivanov told reporters in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk.
He said the contract on the western route, also called the Altai natural gas pipeline, might be "less capital-intensive" than that of the eastern one, but "it's no doubt going to cost us tens of billions of U.S. dollars," Itar-Tass news agency reported.

The official said the project, like the eastern one, would create jobs and stimulate many economic industries, which will have "a cumulative effect."

The long-awaited gas deal in Shanghai ended a decade of natural gas supply talks between the two neighbors.

According to the 400-billion-dollar deal, Russia will deliver up to 38 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually to China from 2018 via the eastern route. The gas will come from Russia's Kovyktin and Chayandin gas fields in eastern Siberia and will be piped to China's northeast, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei metropolitan area in the north and the Yangtze river delta in the east.
June 4 (Xinhua)
[cntv.cn]
5/6/14
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