BEIJING, Dec. 26 -- Competition between airlines and rail operators will further hot up on Saturday thanks to the launch of China's longest high-speed train link between Wuhan and Guangzhou. The line stretches more than 1,000 km and will slash the travel time from Wuhan, Hubei province, to Guangzhou in Guangdong from 10 hours to just three. Tickets for the service - which also stops at Changsha, capital of Hunan - went on sale at new stations in the three cities last weekend, with prices ranging from 780 yuan (0) for first class to 490 yuan for second class, said a joint document released by the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Railways. A bullet train runs on the Wuhan-Guangzhou high-speed railway on Thursday The link, on which trains will reach a top speed of 350 km/h, is expected to pose a real threat to airlines running flights linking the cities. "High-speed rail has three advantages over air travel: it is more convenient, more punctual and has a better safety record. This could help erode the airlines' market shares," said Si Xianmin, chairman of China Southern Airlines, the largest domestic airline by fleet size. From today's launch, 38 out of China Southern Airlines' 160-plus domestic flights will compete with high-speed train links, he said. A similar service opened on April 1 between Wuhan and Hefei, Anhui province, had already grabbed half of the passengers traveling from Wuhan to Shanghai, said Si. The Shijiazhuang to Taiyuan link, also opened on April 1, caused sales for China Eastern Airlines' Beijing to Taiyuan flight to slump 36 percent the following day, while private Spring Airlines reduced its Shanghai to Zhengzhou flights due to competition from the Shanghai bullet trains, Beijing News reported. To deal with this threat, China Southern Airlines last week unveiled several counter measures, including cutting ticket prices from Wuhan to Guangzhou by almost half for advanced purchases. The company also signed a deal with airports in Wuhan and Changsha to give priority to flights to Guangzhou to ensure punctuality. If railway chiefs over-cut the number of low-cost tickets on slower trains, as they did when the country's first high-speed link opened between Beijing and Tianjin last year, the airlines could win more passengers with cheap offers, said Zhao Jian, professor with Beijing Jiaotong University. "But whichever side wins, passengers will be the ultimate winner," he said. Wu Wenhua, a researcher with the National Development and Reform Commission's comprehensive transport institute, said developing high-speed rail networks is in line with the demand for high-efficiency, low-emissions transport. China plans to have high-speed rail services running between 70 percent of key cities by 2020, which would cover more than 80 percent of the airline network. About 16,000 km of railway for 350-km/h trains will be built on the mainland in the next 10 years, according to a blueprint by the Ministry of Railways. By 2012, work will be completed on 42 high-speed links covering 13,000 km, the blueprint showed.
BEIJING, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Saturday called for tightened prevention measures against A/H1N1 influenza as the country recorded an increasing number of people catching seasonal influenza upon the arrival of winter. In a visit to a children's hospital in the Chinese capital, Wen said the country faces severe challenges in the prevention and control of A/H1N1 and some areas are likely to have a sharp increase in the number of patients infected by the epidemic. He said the country is fully confident and capable of doing well the prevention and control work of the A/H1N1 flu and would spare no effort in helping patients, especially those with severe symptoms, to recover. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (R2) talks with patients at the Beijing Children's Hospital in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 31, 2009. Premier Wen visited A/H1N1 patients and medical staff at the Beijing Children's Hospital in Beijing on Saturday Doctors would reassure patients that A/H1N1 flu can be prevented, controlled, and cured, he said. Wen required intensified efforts to spread the knowledge concerning prevention and control of A/H1N1 flu and asked medical authorities to beef up prevention measures in schools and urban communities. He also urged to mobilize residents to inoculate A/H1N1 flu vaccines on a volunteer basis and called on vaccine producers to speed up their production. Medical staff should be careful and avoid infection when treating patients, he said.
BEIJING, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang on Friday urged geologists to make full use of the country's rich resources and explore new energy in innovative ways. "Geological work makes the basic and pioneer industry for economic and social development and it affects the country's overall modernization... We should mainly depend on our own power to increase energy supply," said Li at the ceremony for the country's top geological science awards. A total of 14 geologists from the geological exploration, research and education fields received the 11th Li Siguang Geological Science Award. Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang (R) meets with winners of the Li Siguang Geological Science Award in Beijing, capital of China, on Oct. 23, 2009The award is named after China's leading geologist Li Siguang, founder of China's geomechanics. Oct. 26 marks the 120th anniversary of Li Siguang, whose research led to the discovery of China's major natural gas and oilfields. Li Keqiang said geologists, especially those doing fieldwork, shoulder arduous missions and suffer tough outdoor conditions. He urged related organizations to take care of their life and work and create favorable environment for the innovation in geological science and technology.
BEIJING, Jan. 7 -- China's central bank Wednesday said it will manage inflation expectations and keep a close watch on the property market through its credit and money supply policies. In a statement on its website, the People's Bank of China (PBOC) said it would try to maintain ample liquidity in the financial system, and ask banks to lend more evenly, while strictly implementing credit policies in the property sector. The nation will also take steps to rein in fast-rising property prices and strengthen credit controls for the sector, according to Housing and Urban-Rural Development Minister Jiang Weixin. A customer checking out a model of a real estate project in Shenzhen, Guangdong province. Property prices in China's 70 major cities rose at the fastest pace in 16 months in November "We should scrap or adjust local property policies launched last year that no longer comply with the current macroeconomic goals," Jiang said. According to Dong Chen, director of the research institute of Southwest Securities, the government moves on real estate policies indicate that while policymakers are striving to cement the economic rebound, they are also serious in curbing the excessive liquidity in the financial system to allay fears of asset bubbles and inflation. Property prices in China's 70 major cities rose at the fastest pace in 16 months in November, fueling concern that record lending and inflows of capital from abroad are building up asset bubbles. "Credit policy is the key to curb the rising property prices, as it would have a direct impact on transaction volumes," said Su Xuejing, an analyst with Changjiang Securities. "We anticipate more policy tightening in the future like increasing the down payment and mortgage rates for second-home buyers," he said. Shanghai Securities News said on Tuesday that the government plans to expand trials of a real estate tax, citing an unidentified person close to the State Administration of Taxation. The anticipated policy changes have also affected the capital market performance of leading realtors. Shares of China Vanke Co, the country's largest listed property developer, have fallen more than 12 percent in the past month on concerns that the measures to cool the property market would impact earnings. Poly Real Estate Group Co, the second largest real estate firm, also saw its shares fall to a four-month low. Meanwhile, a report from UK real estate service provider Savills said that the tighter credit policies and soaring realty prices have spurred property sales by international investors. Many of the investors had acquired the properties several years back and have been able to get handsome returns now, it said. "Sales by foreign investors increased from 7 percent in 2008 to 20 percent in 2009," said the report.
BEIJING, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- China's National Audit Office (NAO)announced on Saturday that, in 2009, no serious violations were found in the management of reconstruction funds for regions hit by the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. Auditors, however, did find some problems in the implementation of post-quake rebuilding plans, distribution of relief funds and management of reconstruction projects, said the NAO. The NAO has transfered one violation case to the procuratorial organ in 2009. Two people responsible for the violation were arrested and another 11 people were in custody. The NAO said it and its local offices have already released the auditing results to the public. Liu Jiayi, chief auditor of the NAO said earlier that they would, in 2010, continue to keep a close eye on the whole process of post-quake rebuilding.
HOHHOT, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Police said Tuesday they had shot and killed an escaped prisoner and apprehended three others in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The four escaped on Saturday from the No. 2 Prison in Hohhot, capital of Inner Mongolia, after killing a prison guard, said a spokesman from the regional public security department. Acting on information from local residents, police surrounded the men in Helin County early Tuesday, after they had hijacked a motor tricycle and taken the woman driver hostage. Police shot dead Gao Bo, who resisted arrest and injured a police officer with knife, said the spokesman. Policemen escort an escaped prisoner in Hohhot, capital of north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Oct. 20, 2009. Police said Tuesday they had shot and killed one escaped prisoner and apprehended three others in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Another man, Qiao Hai, was shot and injured. He had tried to kill himself by cutting his throat with knife and jumping off a building before being captured, the spokesman said. The hostage suffered minor injuries, he said. Police began to hunt for the four, aged from 21 to 28, soon after their escape and the prison management issued an appeal through a local television station for information leading to their arrest. Two of the men were serving suspended death sentences and two were serving life prison terms, said the spokesman without giving details of their convictions. The public security department of Inner Mongolia said 12,300 police and armed police officers had been deployed to search for the escapees, who were regarded as dangerous. Police searched thousands of hotels, nightclubs and Internet bars, questioned 47,500 people and stopped 24,600 vehicles. The four prisoners were on the run for only 66 hours before they were apprehended. "We appreciate the local residents' help in hunting the prisoners," said Zhao Liping, head of the public security department of the region." It's a successful people's war against the criminals."
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BEIJING, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- More than 45 million people from both home and abroad have visited Tian'anmen Rostrum, a landmark structure in the heart of Chinese capital, in the past 21 years after it was opened to the public. "In 2009 alone, the rostrum received more than 2.16 million visitors," said Lin Bingkui, of the rostrum administration department. The rostrum, or the Gate of Heavenly Peace built in 1417, stands to the north of Tian'anmen Square and south of the renowned Forbidden City, the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) to the end of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912). It was on the Tian'anmen Rostrum where Chairman Mao Zedong formally proclaimed the founding of the People's Republic of China on Oct. 1, 1949. The rostrum was opened to the public for the first time on Jan.1, 1988. Thousands of tourists use the rostrum as a background while taking photos every day.
BRASILIA, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- China's top political advisor Jia Qinglin on Thursday called for closer cooperation between China and Latin American countries to bring more benefits to both sides. Addressing the Brazilian National Congress, Jia, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), said it is a firm and steady foreign policy of the Chinese government to strengthen solidarity and cooperation with Latin American countries. Jia Qinglin, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, delivers a speech at the Brazilian National Congress in Brasilia on Nov. 26, 2009.Jia put forward a four-point proposal aimed at elevating the China-Latin America relations. Firstly, he said the two sides should deepen political ties on the basis of equality and mutual trust. Secondly, Jia said China and Latin American countries should expand pragmatic cooperation to achieve mutual benefit and a win-win situation. Thirdly, China and Latin America should expand cultural and personnel exchanges so as to enhance friendship between their peoples. Jia Qinglin, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, delivers a speech at the Brazilian National Congress in Brasilia on Nov. 26, 2009. Fourthly, he said the two sides should strengthen cooperation and coordination on multilateral occasions in the spirit of seeking common ground while reserving differences. In his speech, Jia also expressed China's standpoint on the issue of climate changes, a theme he considered as a great challenge to the survival and development of the entire humanity. China, a developing country with sense of responsibility, calls for international community's common efforts to tackle climate changes through practical and effective cooperation, he said. The Chinese government has recently unveiled its reduction target of greenhouse gases emissions, an evidence of the maximum effort China is able to make, and the most sincere will of the 1.3 billion Chinese people in hopes that positive results may come to reality at the Copenhagen conference, said Jia. Aloizio Mercadante, representative of Brazilian Senate President Jose Sarney, said in his speech that to strengthen the bilateral cooperation will be conducive to the development of two countries, the recovery of the world economy as well as the world peace. Brazil is the last leg of Jia's four-nation visit, which has taken him to the Philippines, Peru and Ecuador.
TAIPEI, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chiang Pin-kung, chairman of Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), has called for calm response to the upcoming cross-Strait talks. The SEF and the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) plan to hold new round of talks in Taiwan's Taichung city on Dec. 22. Chiang said issues to be discussed during the talks included labor cooperation in the fishing industry, cooperation in inspection and quarantine of agricultural products and standard measurement authentication and avoidance of double taxation. Those issues were closely related to the health and benefits of people across the Strait, he said, adding that he hoped agreements could be reached to improve the foundation of cross-Strait relations. It is the fourth round of talks since the SEF and the ARATS resumed negotiations in June last year following a 10-year suspension.
BEIJING, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao met here with visiting U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday. Both leaders agreed to start cooperation in new fields of space exploration and high-speed railway construction. Hu said both leaders agreed to deepen cooperation between China and the United States on the basis of mutual benefits in areas such as anti-terrorism, law enforcement, science and technology, agriculture, health care and civil aviation. The two leaders also initiated to start cooperation in new areas like space exploration and high-speed railway infrastructure construction, and keep promoting greater development in military relations. Obama and Hu also discussed to expand cultural exchanges between the two nations, especially youth exchanges, and supported both sides to set up a cultural exchange mechanism and to strengthen cooperation on dispatching more students to each other countries. Obama is paying a four-day visit to China, his maiden trip to China since taking office in January.