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Hello and Welcome to News and Reports on China Radio International.
In This Edition
China and Russia renew their calls for restraint from all parties concerned to avoid escalation1 of tension on the Korean Peninsula.
China and Pakistan ink 10 billion U.S. dollars trade deal during Premier2 Wen Jiabao's visit to the South Asian nation.
Iraqi parliament lifts a ban on Sunni Muslim politicians, bringing the country closer to a unity3 government and an end to months of political turmoil4.
China's Banking5 Regulatory Commission Chairman, Liu Mingkang, says the country's can keep a grip on inflation next year, but will have a harder time coping with hot money inflows fanned by loose monetary6 polices in some developed economies.
Hot Issue Reports
Chinese, Russian FMs Call for Restraint on Korean Peninsula
Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov have called for restraint from all parties concerned to avoid escalation of tension on the Korean Peninsula.
During a phone conversation with Lavrov on Saturday night, Yang, said the situation on the peninsula has become tense recently and may further deteriorate7.
Yang Jiechi stressed that China firmly opposes any actions to cause tension and worsen the situation, and demands both sides on the peninsula show calmness and restraint, carry out dialogue and contact, and completely avoid any actions that would fuel the tension.
Lavrov, for his part, said Russia attaches high importance to the developments on the peninsula, adding his country has expressed great concern to relevant countries and demanded utmost calmness and restraint from all parties concerned.
Russia is willing to work with China to make active efforts to reduce the tension on the peninsula.
Earlier,China's Vice8 Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun warned that the situation on the Korean peninsula was "extremely precarious9, highly complicated and sensitive."
"China is deeply concerned about the situation. China has pointed10 out many times to the relevant parties that people on both sides of the peninsula would suffer directly if a bloody11 conflict occurred and that it would create a national tragedy of compatriots from the south and the north fighting against each other. What's more, if a conflict happened, inevitably12 regional stability and peace would be destroyed, and neighbouring countries would also suffer."
South Korea has declared plans for a live shell artillery13 drill in the tense waters southwest of Yeonpyeong Island on a selected date in the next few days depending on weather conditions.
The North has urged Seoul to immediately stop its plans for the shelling exercise, warning it would deliver a second and third "unpredicted self-defense counterattack" that would be bigger and more powerful than the previous one.
North and South Korea exchanged artillery fires near the Yeonpyeong Island last month during which four South Koreans were killed.
Chinese Premier Offers Aid to Pakistan
China and Pakistan have signed trade deals worth some 10 billion U.S. dollars during Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's current visit.
Addressing the China-Pakistan Business Cooperation Summit in Islamabad on Saturday, Wen Jiabao said the deals, covering projects in the sectors14 of new energy, agriculture, and non-ferrous metal imports, reflect the huge potential for expanding bilateral15 economic and trade cooperation.
Earlier, the premier announced a package for post-flood reconstruction16 in Pakistan, including a 10 million U.S. dollar grant for flood victim compensation and a 400 million dollar concession17 loan.
"We will help Pakistan repair infrastructure18 facilities that have been destroyed in the severe floods, including roads and electricity-generation facilities. The Chinese government has decided19 to set aside 10 million US dollars in cash to support affected20 Pakistani citizens. And we have decided to provide 400 million US dollars in loans and credits for projects that will meet the urgent needs of Pakistan."
On the cultural sphere, Wen Jiabao proposed to designate 2011 as the Year of China-Pakistan Friendship, and further broaden people-to-people exchanges.
In order to further enhance relations, Wen Jiabao says Beijing is ready to establish an annual conference mechanism21 between the two countries' leaders and a regular dialogue framework between their foreign ministers.
For his part, Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said China is Pakistan's "best" and "most-trusted" friend, and that he was proud of the growth of their bilateral "all-weather" friendship.
He added that Pakistan is willing to join hands with China to beef up top-level contacts and strategic cooperation.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao is on a two-nation overseas trip, which has already taken him to India.
EU Leaders Agree to Permanent Rescue Plan
EU leaders have agreed to work for closer economic cooperation amid market turmoil over towering debts in countries across the continent.
The leaders made progress at a summit in Brussels on a new rescue system for future debt crises.
They have decided to set up a long-term European Stability Mechanism to bail22 out member states that get buried in debt beyond 2013.
That's when the current 750 billion euro bailout fund expires.
The mechanism will provide rescue loans to countries that face a crisis of liquidity23 - that is, if they can't access money quickly enough to pay off their debts.
Crucially, it will also be able to force private creditors24 to assume some losses when a country is deemed insolvent25.
Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council, stresses that the stability of the Eurozone is a priority of the EU.
"Euro area leaders underlined that we have a joint26 economic strategy and a political will to do whatever is required to ensure the Eurozone's stability. Our joint economic strategy is part of the conclusions. Fiscal27 consolidation28, structural29 growth and firm crisis management are the three pillars."
The EU is wrapping up a punishing year that has rocked the world's confidence in its ambitious experiment to share a currency.
The union has bailed30 out two debt-saddled members - Greece and Ireland, and held countless31 meetings to stabilize32 the euro.
Iraqi Parliament Lifts Political Ban on 3 Sunnis
Iraq's parliament has lifted a ban on three Sunni Muslim politicians barred from running in national elections over allegations of having ties to Saddam Hussein's ousted33 regime.
The former lawmaker Saleh al-Mutlaq and two other Sunnis are now allowed to return to political jobs.
The vote brings Iraq closer to a unity government and an end to months of political turmoil that began when the March 7th election failed to produce a clear winner.
It paves the way for broader Sunni participation34 in the emerging government, headed by Shiite incumbent35 Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
Al Iraqiya bloc36 spokesman Haidar al-Mullah said the decision marked a major step toward national reconciliation37.
"As the matter is concerned with the issue of the Parliament session today voting to lift the political ban on Dr al-Mutlaq, Dr al Ani and Dr al Karbuli, we would like to clarify that al Iraqiya is moving forward to achieve national reconciliation and what happened today is a starting point for more reconciliation."
Al-Mutlaq is a critic of the incumbent Prime Minister and member of the Sunni-backed Iraqiya political coalition38.
Al-Mutlaq was the most prominent of hundreds of candidates who were barred from the elections after a Shiite-led panel said they were loyalists to Saddam's outlawed39 Baath Party.
Their blacklisting was seen as a thinly veiled attempt to prevent Sunnis from returning to power.
Iraq's Shiites and Sunnis have fought bitterly for power after the majority Shiites took control of the government that Sunnis ruled under Saddam.
South American Leaders Step up Regional Cooperation
South American leaders have agreed to step up efforts to integrate the region as they conclude a summit of Mercosur countries, a regional trading bloc.
Mercosur includes Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.
Presidents of Bolivia and Chile have joined the bloc's leaders in southern Brazil's city of Foz do Iguacu.
The bloc has agreed on a plan to adopt common trade, investment and immigration policies to strengthen economic growth in the region.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Mercosur members have forged close ties in recent years, despite internal divergences40.
"You can be certain that Mercosur is much more united and comprehensive, and we have many more needs."
Chilean President Sebastian Pinera said the continent has developed a lot in the past decades.
"We no longer speak of a lost time like the 80s, when the world advanced while Latin America only kept track. And when one analyzes41 the way our continent faced this financial crisis, one realizes that Latin Americans know how to learn a lesson and realize that we have a huge mission ahead of us."
The economies of Mercosur are on track to grow between 7.5 percent and 9.5 percent this year.
Internal trade, including that with prospective42 member Venezuela, has jumped to nearly 40 billion US dollars from a fraction of that a few years ago.
China Can Cap Inflation Next Year: Regulators
China can keep a grip on inflation next year, but will have a harder time coping with hot money inflows fanned by loose monetary polices in some developed economies. China's chief banking regulators also told a financial forum43 in Beijing that the country will gradually make interest rates more market-oriented.
Property Tax Could be Complicated
If you thought buying property in China was expensive enough, there's a possibility prices could rise even higher if the government decides to go ahead a much talked about plan of introducing a residential44 property tax. Long term, the hope is that the new tax will cool China's ever heating property market. But implementing45 such a huge change is easier said than done, as CRI's Dominic Swire reports.
Indian Farm Minister Calls for Support of Nuclear Projects in Maharashtra
India's Farm Minister, Sharad Pawar, has slammed the media for spearheading opposition46 over nuclear power projects in the western state of Maharashtra.
Pawar was speaking with media persons after attending an event in the state.
"Today, the media and street unions have decided not to allow the growth of Maharashtra. Every time a project comes up, they start opposing it. I have to take Maharashtra ahead and see the development of the new generation."
Hundreds of villagers, farmers and local fishing community have protested against a proposed nuclear plant to be built in Jaitapur port in the Ratangiri district of the state.
The 9, 900 Megawatt nuclear power plant is being constructed in collaboration47 with a company based in France.
The project was cleared by India's Ministry48 of Environment and Forests in late November.
The first unit of the plant is expected to become operational by 2018.
Media Digest
Fair Approach to Tackle Traffic Issues
Traffic congestion49 has become too serious in Beijing to be left unattended. The city already has 4.7 million vehicles registered. The local road system, which includes all the planned expansion programs, can support only 6.7 million vehicles maximum. Based on the present growth, there will be seven million vehicles on the road by 2015. The result will be a nightmare.
There has been popular anticipation50 of forceful administrative51 intervention52 to put checks on the accelerating car ownership. More specifically, there was the speculation53 that Beijing would follow Shanghai's lead in auctioning54 license55 plates. To our pleasant surprise, that has not occurred.
An editorial from China Daily notes the municipal authorities in Beijing have refrained from adopting apparently56 effective, yet morally problematic, measures to control traffic congestion. Instead, we have fairness.
The article goes on to explain raising the threshold of ownership might be the most efficient way to discourage potential automobile57 owners from buying a car of their own. But the municipal decision-makers looked beyond efficiency and took fairness into consideration.
It is reassuring58 to know that the local transport administration is determined59 to "never" resort to auctioning license plates to control automobile ownership. It is unfair to those who do not have a car in their possession, whether or not they may choose to buy one someday. Nor is it fair when the potential buyers' financial resources are considered.
The paper says, in a culture like ours, public offices and their employees have all the means and resources necessary for imposing60 arbitrary decisions. In fact, they are notorious for justifying61 disregard of fairness with ideals. That the authorities in Beijing have to this point resisted that temptation and displayed respect for the legitimacy62 of means is indeed something precious. The ideas, to further improve public transport and restrict the growth in automobile ownership by public offices, demonstrated more sophisticated thinking in composing a sensible local transport framework.
The editorial concludes given Beijing's role as the national capital, vehicles owned and used by public offices are a considerable source of pressure on the local transport network. Yet they have been absent from most local congestion-control programs, which is unfair. The latest move is a step forward in taking into account those vehicles owned by the authorities.
Property Tax Has Limited Role to Play in Containing Surging Houses Prices
Property taxes will be piloted early next year in some Chinese cities, such as Chongqing and Shanghai. This upcoming tax is designed to curb63 the overheated real estate market.
Ordinary people are concerned the financial burden of another tax while they are still painfully paying back their mortgages.
Ji Jianmin, commentator64 at Guangming Website, points out that property taxes will just rub salt into the wound, worsening the already high house prices. He says the fact that prices are staying high is fueled by profit-seeking real estate developers and local governments who treat real estate deals as a source of windfall. At this point, the central government now looks to property taxes, which give the government a share in this profitable market.
Ji Jianmin further explains real estate developers will not foot the property tax bill. The consumer will bear this burden. The precondition of lowering commodity prices is to reduce the production cost first, but property taxes will instead increase the cost of property development. Therefore, the launch of property taxes will be of little help in decreasing the prices.
Yin Pingping, commentator from Xinhua News Agency, also echoes this point by adding that many factors are responsible for disorder65 in the real estate market. Excessive liquidity, ineffective policies, and insufficient66 regulations are the most obvious issues. The introduction of property taxes will add to them. Therefore, the expectation that property taxes will fight escalating67 property prices should be readjusted.
1 escalation | |
n.扩大,增加 | |
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2 premier | |
adj.首要的;n.总理,首相 | |
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3 unity | |
n.团结,联合,统一;和睦,协调 | |
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4 turmoil | |
n.骚乱,混乱,动乱 | |
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5 banking | |
n.银行业,银行学,金融业 | |
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6 monetary | |
adj.货币的,钱的;通货的;金融的;财政的 | |
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7 deteriorate | |
v.变坏;恶化;退化 | |
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8 vice | |
n.坏事;恶习;[pl.]台钳,老虎钳;adj.副的 | |
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9 precarious | |
adj.不安定的,靠不住的;根据不足的 | |
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10 pointed | |
adj.尖的,直截了当的 | |
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11 bloody | |
adj.非常的的;流血的;残忍的;adv.很;vt.血染 | |
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12 inevitably | |
adv.不可避免地;必然发生地 | |
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13 artillery | |
n.(军)火炮,大炮;炮兵(部队) | |
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14 sectors | |
n.部门( sector的名词复数 );领域;防御地区;扇形 | |
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15 bilateral | |
adj.双方的,两边的,两侧的 | |
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16 reconstruction | |
n.重建,再现,复原 | |
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17 concession | |
n.让步,妥协;特许(权) | |
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18 infrastructure | |
n.下部构造,下部组织,基础结构,基础设施 | |
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19 decided | |
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的 | |
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20 affected | |
adj.不自然的,假装的 | |
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21 mechanism | |
n.机械装置;机构,结构 | |
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22 bail | |
v.舀(水),保释;n.保证金,保释,保释人 | |
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23 liquidity | |
n.流动性,偿债能力,流动资产 | |
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24 creditors | |
n.债权人,债主( creditor的名词复数 ) | |
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25 insolvent | |
adj.破产的,无偿还能力的 | |
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26 joint | |
adj.联合的,共同的;n.关节,接合处;v.连接,贴合 | |
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27 fiscal | |
adj.财政的,会计的,国库的,国库岁入的 | |
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28 consolidation | |
n.合并,巩固 | |
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29 structural | |
adj.构造的,组织的,建筑(用)的 | |
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30 bailed | |
保释,帮助脱离困境( bail的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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31 countless | |
adj.无数的,多得不计其数的 | |
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32 stabilize | |
vt.(使)稳定,使稳固,使稳定平衡;vi.稳定 | |
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33 ousted | |
驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 ); 革职; 罢黜; 剥夺 | |
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34 participation | |
n.参与,参加,分享 | |
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35 incumbent | |
adj.成为责任的,有义务的;现任的,在职的 | |
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36 bloc | |
n.集团;联盟 | |
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37 reconciliation | |
n.和解,和谐,一致 | |
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38 coalition | |
n.结合体,同盟,结合,联合 | |
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39 outlawed | |
宣布…为不合法(outlaw的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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40 divergences | |
n.分叉( divergence的名词复数 );分歧;背离;离题 | |
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41 analyzes | |
v.分析( analyze的第三人称单数 );分解;解释;对…进行心理分析 | |
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42 prospective | |
adj.预期的,未来的,前瞻性的 | |
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43 forum | |
n.论坛,讨论会 | |
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44 residential | |
adj.提供住宿的;居住的;住宅的 | |
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45 implementing | |
v.实现( implement的现在分词 );执行;贯彻;使生效 | |
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46 opposition | |
n.反对,敌对 | |
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47 collaboration | |
n.合作,协作;勾结 | |
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48 ministry | |
n.(政府的)部;牧师 | |
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49 congestion | |
n.阻塞,消化不良 | |
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50 anticipation | |
n.预期,预料,期望 | |
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51 administrative | |
adj.行政的,管理的 | |
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52 intervention | |
n.介入,干涉,干预 | |
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53 speculation | |
n.思索,沉思;猜测;投机 | |
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54 auctioning | |
v.拍卖( auction的现在分词 ) | |
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55 license | |
n.执照,许可证,特许;v.许可,特许 | |
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56 apparently | |
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎 | |
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57 automobile | |
n.汽车,机动车 | |
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58 reassuring | |
a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的,使人放心的 | |
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59 determined | |
adj.坚定的;有决心的 | |
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60 imposing | |
adj.使人难忘的,壮丽的,堂皇的,雄伟的 | |
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61 justifying | |
证明…有理( justify的现在分词 ); 为…辩护; 对…作出解释; 为…辩解(或辩护) | |
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62 legitimacy | |
n.合法,正当 | |
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63 curb | |
n.场外证券市场,场外交易;vt.制止,抑制 | |
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64 commentator | |
n.注释者,解说者;实况广播评论员 | |
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65 disorder | |
n.紊乱,混乱;骚动,骚乱;疾病,失调 | |
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66 insufficient | |
adj.(for,of)不足的,不够的 | |
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67 escalating | |
v.(使)逐步升级( escalate的现在分词 );(使)逐步扩大;(使)更高;(使)更大 | |
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