China has set up a leading team to rescue its icebreaker Xuelong, or Snow Dragon, which has been trapped by heavy floes since it rescued passengers on a Russian vessel stranded in Antarctica on Thursday.

The State Oceanic Administration (SOA) announced on Saturday the team will map out rescue plans and make "all-out efforts" to coordinate rescue operations, despite there is no immediate danger to personnel aboard Xuelong, which has abundant fuel and food supplies. 

The SOA also ordered its marine forecasting department and meteorological center to step up the collection and analysis of meteorological data, so that weather information will be updated and forwarded to Xuelong in a timely manner.

 

Chinese envoy urges world to stop Abe from reversing post-war order

Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai says Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to a controversial war shrine is a deliberate political act aimed at reversing the verdict of history on World War II.

In a joint interview with Washington-based Chinese-language media, Cui Tiankai says the international community should not allow Abe to disrupt the post-war order and lead Japan back to the catastrophic path of militarism. 

The Chinese envoy urged all members of the international community with the sense of righteousness to take a clear stand against Abe's wrong actions. 

Commenting on Washington's expression of disappointment with Abe's shrine visit and reiteration of its alliance with Japan, Cui Tiankai says, as a responsible power, Washington should take a responsible stand on major issues of principle.

It does not serve the United States' interests if there is someone in Japan attempting to reverse the historical verdict on World War II.

 

Chinese frigate on Syrian chemicals removal mission arrives in Cyprus

A Chinese navy frigate has arrived in the Cypriot port of Limassol at the start of its mission to provide security support to the operation for removing Syria's chemical weapons.

The Chinese Ambassador to Cyprus says Yancheng's arrival in Cyprus for the escort mission of removing Syrian chemical weapons showed the Chinese government's support to the effort of the United Nations and Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). 

Vessels from China, Russia, Denmark and Norway will escort the transportation of the chemical weapons.

 

S. Sudan direct talks delayed in absence of agenda

The direct talks set for Saturday between the warring sides of South Sudan have been delayed in absence of an agenda, according to the East African bloc IGAD. 

The rival sides met Friday, but failed to agree on an agenda for direct talks to put in place an immediate ceasefire.

The bloc involved in the organization of the talks includes Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda.

 

China to launch nationwide safety overhaul

China will launch a nationwide work safety overhaul this month to prevent the occurrence of major accidents.

The State Administration of Work Safety will send 16 teams to oversee safety checks in 31 provinces, regions and municipalities and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps., with each team in charge of two places. 

Safety measures should be enhanced in industries including coal mines, transportation, hazardous chemicals and fireworks, as well as in public places, according to the administration. 

A special safety overhaul on the country's oil and gas pipeline will begin in early March.

 

Chinese official stresses promotion of core socialist values

Senior Chinese official Liu Yunshan has stressed the need to bolster core socialist values and create upward social atmosphere.

When delivering a speech at a symposium on core socialist values, Liu Yunshan said the promotion of core socialist values will serve the need to carry forward Chinese people's common ideals and make the nation "ideologically and spiritually stronger." 

Core socialist values include national goals of prosperity, democracy, civility, and harmony; social goals of freedom, equality, justice and the rule of law; and individual values of patriotism, dedication, integrity, and friendship.

 

China detains 810 for train ticket scalping

Chinese police busted 256 groups and seized 810 people for scalping railway tickets or making and selling fake tickets as of Jan. 2.

The railway police bureau says in a statement that it began a special crackdown on ticket scalping on Dec. 10 and had since confiscated more than 49,000 railway tickets for overpriced reselling as well as over 120,000 counterfeit tickets. 

The crackdown will last for 80 days until the end of February, covering the Spring Festival holiday -- a time for family reunions that see many migrate workers struggle for a ticket home via the usually overloaded railway system.