In This Edition

 

Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi says China will continue its independent foreign policy of peace under the new leadership taking shape later this month.

China's top legislator Wu Bangguo says the country's legislation works center on major national strategies.

China's lawmakers stress the importance of implementing government contingency plans in the face of increasing environmental risks.

And China voices its support for the latest UN resolution on North Korea over its recent nuclear test.

 

Hot Issue Reports

 

Chinese FM: China to Continue Independent Foreign Policy of Peace

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi says China will continue its independent foreign policy of peace under the new leadership taking shape during the ongoing sessions of China's top legislature and top advisory body.

 

Yang made the remark at news conference Saturday morning in Beijing on the sidelines of the annual two sessions.

 

"We will continue to unswervingly follow the path of peaceful development, resolutely uphold China's sovereignty, security and development interests and foster a more favorable external environment for implementing the 12th Five-Year Plan and for moderately prosperous society in all respects."

 

The foreign minister says China will be more actively involved in international affairs and play its due role to make the international system more just and equitable.

 

Yang Jiechi also announced that China's new president will soon visit Russia and Africa, and China will host APEC leader's meeting next year.

 

China's Legislation Works Center on Major National Strategies: Top Legislator

China's top legislator Wu Bangguo has presented his work report at the ongoing annual parliamentary session.

 

CRI's Su Yi gives us an overview of some of its focal points.

 

Wu Bangguo, Chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, says the top legislature always focuses on the "overall work" of the Communist Party of China and the country.

 

He notes a lot of attention has been given by the lawmakers to the proposals designed to push forward the country's economic restructuring.

 

This includes boosting domestic demand, encouraging innovation and developing the service sector.

 

"We should put more attention on how to improve the quality and effectiveness of economic growth, which will enable us to transfer the challenging time during the global financial crisis into an opportunity to improve the sustainability of our economy."

 

In his broad-ranged report, Wu particularly touches upon China's pollution problems.

 

He says the top legislature has been tying to help promote China's green, circular and low-carbon development.

 

He also says the country's top lawmakers have adopted a resolution defining the government's basic stance on the fight against climate change, which has been expressed as "common but differentiated responsibilities".

 

At the same time, he says food safety is being taken seriously as well.

 

"We have prompted the State Council to improve the mechanism for coordinating food safety work and create a risk monitoring and assessment mechanism for food safety."

 

Regarding other issues about people's wellbeing, the top legislator says the NPC has stepped up efforts in pushing forward the reform of people's income distribution.

 

"Adjusting income distribution system is a major reform concerning our overall work as well as a must in the process of economic restructuring."

 

When it comes to China's legal and political system though, Wu Bangguo says "the system of the people's congresses is the fundamental political system reflecting the nature of China".

 

"We fully understood the essential difference between China's system of people's congresses and Western capitalist countries' systems of state power. We drew on the political achievements of other societies, but never copied the model of Western political systems."

 

The report further addresses issues such as cultural development, internet security, human rights and even labor contract.

 

For CRI, I'm Su Yi.

 

Environmental Emergencies Contingency Plan: Implementation is Key

The Ministry of Environmental Protection is calling on local authorities to set up contingency plans in the face of increasing environmental risks.

 

However, experts and lawmakers say implementation is more crucial than simply drafting new plans.

 

CRI's Zhang Shuangfeng has more.

 

A recent report released by the Ministry of Environmental Protection shows China has seen over 560 pollution accidents between 2008 and 2011, averaging one in every two and half days.

 

The Ministry urges local environmental departments to update their emergency management programs to better cope with pollution accidents.

 

However, Wang Yi, a deputy to the 12th National People's Congress and an environmental expert, says the key is not about drawing up plans.

 

"We do have emergency programs and related laws. But in practice, the programs haven't been implemented very well. It is necessary to plan ahead, but the essential part is to carry out the programs and make sure the programs can be put into use after the accidents occur."

 

Earlier this year, an aniline spill from a chemical plant in Shanxi Province threatened the supplies of drinking water in three provinces.

 

Local authorities later issued an apology for covering it up for five days.

 

Based on the National Environmental Emergencies Contingency Plan, local authorities should report a sudden pollution accident within an hour.

 

Wang Jing is an environmental law professor with Peking University Law School and has participated in the country's environmental law making projects since 1986.

 

He says the problem lies in the current accountability system.

 

"The current law and national plans are very vague when it comes to identifying individual accountability. When accidents occur, company actions will be held accountable first, instead of individuals who are related to the accident including the company owner. The same logic is also used when it comes to determine the accountability of government officials. "

 

Chen Zhenlou, a delegate to the NPC, says an up-to-date monitoring system is also critical.

 

"We didn't do very well in dealing with environmental emergencies. In some cases, the authorities were unaware of the accidents until local residents filed reports. A proper monitoring system is necessary. For example, in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, we are using an old system designed for routine surveillance, but the Yangtze River is open water which is vulnerable to environmental hazards and pollution. We need an automatic monitoring network in the case of emergencies."

 

According to the Ministry of Environmental Protection, 72 percent of chemical and oil plants were stationed along the Yangtze River, the Yellow River and other major waterways last year, while half of them did not have emergency lagoons.

 

For CRI, I'm Zhang Shuangfeng.

 

Advisors Call for More Supports for Public Hospital Reform

National advisers at the ongoing political sessions in Beijing are discussing ways to speed up the reform of the country's public hospitals.

 

Pilot reform projects have now been in place in 16 cities since the plan was rolled out in 2010.

 

Qi Zhi has more.

 

During the past three years, China has adopted different reform measures in pilot government-run hospitals throughout the country.

 

The core principle of the reform is to provide basic health care as a "public service," including improving the way of seeing doctors.

 

However, the reform still cannot be fully implemented nationwide with increasing complaints about high medical costs, especially costs for unnecessary medical tests and prescription drugs by large public hospitals.

 

Yang Jinsheng is a researcher at the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences.

 

"There's no trans-hospital network about the in-hospital information of patients. Patients go to different hospitals to see doctors, and hospitals only rely on their own treatments. So patients are asked to do many medical tests if they change hospitals."

 

However, sometimes such unnecessary costs are charged due to a pursuit of profit.

 

Public hospitals in China enjoyed full government funding before 1985. But the situation changed as they embarked on a market-oriented reform as economic reform and opening up policy was adopted in late 1978.

 

The market-oriented reform greatly improved medical service, but also resulted in soaring costs for medical services and drug prescriptions.

 

Sun Fengyuan, vice president of the Tianjin First Center Hospital, suggests the government offer a compensation mechanism to public hospitals.

 

"Hospitals should be institutions working for the public welfare, and should have some basic guarantees. Now they only rely on themselves to make profits. It's difficult to control. If they don't make money on prescription drug sales, they may have difficulties in economic turnover. But if the government offers compensation, there's no need to do so."

 

Sun also suggests an equal distribution of medical resources so that small hospitals can also provide quality treatment for patients. This will also help reduce the long waiting hours before seeing doctors in big hospitals.

 

He Wei, president of He's Medical University in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, agrees.

 

He says building a team of quality medical workers at county-level hospitals can be one of the solutions.

 

"It's a rapid way to strengthen the training of fundamental medical workers. And at the same time send quality medical resources to the grassroots. Neither of the two can be dispensed with."

 

He also suggests the government further open the medical sector to private investors, hoping that medical costs could drop through competition.

 

For CRI, I'm Qi Zhi.

 

China Says UN Resolution on N. Korea "Balanced"

The Chinese Foreign Ministry is voicing its support for the latest UN resolution on North Korea over its recent nuclear test.

 

They're describing the resolution as 'balanced' and say it's in the fundamental interests of the international community to safeguard peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and northeast Asia.

 

The Ministry's also calling on all parties to stick to negotiations and continue pressing for denuclearization under the framework of the six-party talks.

 

The UN resolution meanwhile, demands North Korea do not proceed with any further nuclear tests, give up any nuclear weapons they have and return to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

 

The United States Ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice says the resolution is going to have a strong impact.

 

"First, resolution 2094 imposes tough, new financial sanctions, when North Korea tries to move money, to pay its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, countries must now block those transfers, even if the money is being carried in suitcases full of bulk cash. "

 

Meanwhile, The Chinese Ambassador to the UN, Li Baodong, says they remain committed to peace.

 

"China is a country of principle. We're firmly committed to safeguarding peace, stability on the Korean Peninsula. We're committed firmly to safeguarding the international nuclear no-proliferation regime, promoting the denuclearization of Korean Peninsula. And also we're committed to peaceful settlement of relevant issues through negotiations and dialogue."

 

In its latest response to the UN resolution, North Korea has threatened to sever a military hotline with South Korea and nullify non-aggression agreements between the two countries.

 

While the South Korean president has warned its northern neighbour against what she calls "self-destruction".

 

S. Korea's Park Vows Resolute Response to DPRK Provocations

South Korean President Park Geun-hye has vowed to "sternly deal with" future provocations by its northern neighbour, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or DPRK, warning Pyongyang against what she called "self-destruction."

 

Park, who took office last month, had campaigned on mending ties between the two sides.

 

But speaking to military officers in Seoul on Friday, she called security situations on the Korean peninsula "grave."

 

"I will sternly deal with any future provocations by North Korea. Any country will risk self-destruction if it ignores people's needs and instead focuses on military power. But if North Korea seeks changes, South Korea is ready to make efforts to restore trust."

 

Park's remarks came after the North announced it would sever a military hotline with South Korea and nullify non-aggression agreements between the two countries, a response to newly expanded sanctions approved by the United Nations Security Council.

 

The unanimous decision by the 15-member UN body came after North Korea's underground nuclear test last month, a follow-up to the controversial December rocket launch largely seen as a disguised missile test.

 

The toughened sanctions dictate UN member states inspect North Korean ship and air cargo suspected of carrying banned materials and tighten scrutiny of the country's officials and institutions engaged in illicit activities.

 

Earlier on Friday, South Korea's unification ministry, which oversees relations with the North, expressed "deep regret" over Pyongyang's latest announcement.

 

Heads of State Gather for Chavez's Funeral

Leaders from Latin America and other countries are gathering in the Venezuelan capital Caracas for the funeral of late President Hugo Chavez.

 

It's being reported a total of 33-heads of state are present for Chavez's funeral with 54 high-level international delegations also attending.

 

The head of China's top economic planning agency, Zhang Ping, is representing President Hu Jintao at the event.

 

After the funeral, Chavez's body will be taken to a military museum to lie in state for another seven days.

 

Venezuela's acting president says Chavez's body will be embalmed and permanently displayed at the Museum of the Revolution, close to the Presidential palace where Chavez ruled for 14 years.

 

"It's been decided to prepare the body of the commander president, embalm it, so it can be left to be seen eternally, so the people can have him there in his Museum of the Revolution."

 

The Museum of the Revolution is being built in the headquarters where Chavez carried out a failed coup against the government of Carlos Andres Perez.

 

Later on today, Maduro is also due to be sworn in as acting president after which he is expected to call elections within 30 days.

 

Two Sudans Agree to Pull out Forces along Border

Sudan and South Sudan have agreed to order their forces out of a demilitarized border zone by March 14.

 

Defense ministers from both sides have met in Ethiopia for a new round of talks to set up a buffer zone along their frontier.

 

South Sudan Defense Minister General John Koang Nyoun.

 

"After signing this agreement we accept it or we agree on the fourteen mile. We will withdraw all of our forces from the fourteen mile and other areas. According to the agreement, I think there should be no obstacle again that can lead to the implementation of the other agreements not to be implemented."

 

And Sudan's Defense Minister Abdel Rahim Mohammed Hussein said his country will strictly implement the agreement step by step.

 

South Sudan shut down its oil production of 350,000 barrels per day a year ago during a dispute on payment for export through pipelines in neighboring Sudan.

 

The two countries agreed last year to set up a buffer zone. But neither side had pulled its army from the border due to the mistrust between each other.

 

South Sudan seceded from the north in 2011 after decades of war but border disputes and disagreements over oil pipeline fees have continued.

 

SHANGHAI DAILY

 

Apple promises to use new parts

 

APPLE'S five authorized service providers in Shanghai have promised to use new parts to repair iPhones and lock stolen iPhones when contacted by police, addressing two of the biggest complaints of users of the smartphone.

 

The promises came after an accusation by the China Consumers Association in 2012 calling Apple's repair clauses "unfair."

 

One clause states that customers will allow Apple to use either new or reconditioned parts in repairs, and that the replaced parts belong to Apple Inc.

 

On the other hand, the providers also say they will lock stolen iPhones in their service network once they receive information from police.

 

Apple has drawn the ire of consumers who said they tracked their stolen iPhones to outlets of Apple's authorized providers, but could not get them back.

 

An unidentified salesperson of second-hand mobile phones was quoted as saying "whitewashing" of stolen smartphones was a common practice.

 

-common to see phones stolen in China

 

-common to see people trying to sell a stolen iphone in subways...

 

- in front of the stores in Sanlitun people try to hawk fake i-phones

 

GLOBAL TIMES

 

Rural doctors struggle with low pay, few successors

 

low pay and low pensions, a common problem for rural doctors, are under discussion on the ongoing conference of China's political advisory body.

 

The fact has led young doctors to avoid working in the countryside and as a result, older doctors are overworked while potential successors elect to work elsewhere rather than replace them.

 

Li Feng, a doctor in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, says rural doctors are commonly overworked and underpaid.

 

Li himself makes just 1,000 yuan a month, and he says he can hardly earn a living when 500 grams of pork can cost over 10 yuan.

 

Liu Shaohua, director of the Duchang Health Bureau in Southeast China's Jiangxi province, says 70 percent of the county's over 1,000 rural doctors are over 40 years old, as young doctors are reluctant to stay there.

 

He says the successor dilemma will not only make it harder for villagers to see a doctor, but also compromise the rural health system.

 

NPC deputy Yao Aixing has drafted and submitted a proposal that would establish a pension insurance system for rural doctors, as well as suggested that a one-time subsidy should be given to rural doctors who plan to retire.

 

CHANNEL-NEWS-ASIA

 

Floating tsunami trash to be a decades-long headache

 

The tsunami that ravaged northeast Japan in March 2011 created the biggest single dumping of rubbish, sweeping some five million tonnes of shattered buildings, cars, household goods and other rubble into the sea.

 

According to official Japanese estimates, about three-and-a-half million tonnes sank immediately, leaving some 1.5 million tonnes of plastic, fishing nets, industrial scrap and innumerable other objects to float deeper into the ocean.

 

Marine experts poring over the disaster say the floating trash adds significantly to the Pacific's already worrying pollution problem.

 

For many years, and possibly decades, items will be a hazard for shipping, a risk for marin animals, a hitchhiking invitation for invasive species and a great threat to wildlife through plastic micro-particles.

 

Previous studies on species of North Sea mussels and fish suggest these particles are swallowed by some marine animals and remain in their digestive tracts.

 

Early last year, the first debris started to wash up on shores of Oregon, Washington and southern Alaska and the Canadian province of British Columbia.

 

-economic interests or environment?

 

-searching for cleaner and safer energy in urgent need

 

Some women style news on International Working Women's Day:

 

DAILY MAIL

 

Style begins at 40 for Women

 

Nearly half of women aged 45 or above said they are confident shoppers who can pick out clothes that work for their body shape.

 

The findings are part of a new report from shopping website VoucherCodes.co.uk into British women's 'style maturity'.

 

Like Julia Roberts, Nicole Kidman and Carla Bruni, all of whom are 45, women in their mid-40s tend to know what suits them, and as a result, look more stylish than ever before.

By contrast, one in four women under 25 say they are intimidated by clothes shopping, while a massive 40 per cent of those under 25 confessed they have 'no idea' what clothes they look good in.

 

Self-esteem is a big issue, with an overwhelming 75 per cent saying they are unhappy with the way they look, that it affects their confidence when it comes to picking clothes to suit them.

 

Meanwhile, more than a third say they're yet to actually find a style which suits them at all.

 

Senior psychology lecturer Doctor Gayle Brewer, at the University of Central Lancashire, said: 'Appearance can be a real issue for women. Physical appearance is more important for their desirability in the eyes of a romantic partner."