News & Reports 2010-09-18

（单词翻译）

Hello and Welcome to News and Reports on China Radio International.

In This Edition

A senior official of the People's Liberation Army of China says the ongoing¹ Shanghai Cooperation Organization military exercise in south Kazakhstan is purely² a strategic action against terrorism and has so far been a success.

China's Ministry³ of Commerce said it is very concerned about investigations⁵ by the European Union into wireless⁶ modems⁸ produced in China.

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan has announced a new cabinet, three days after being re-elected as leader of the governing Democratic Party of Japan.

And the discussion of retirement⁹ age has provoked hot debate among the public in China.

Hot Issue Reports

Chinese General Says SCO Military Drill Is Advancing Smoothly¹⁰

General Ma Xiaotian, Deputy Chief of the People's Liberation Army General Staff, says the ongoing Shanghai Cooperation Organization military exercise in south Kazakhstan is purely a strategic action against terrorism and has so far been a success.

Ma Xiaotian, who is also chief commander of the 1,000 Chinese troops taking part in the drill, says the troops have staged two joint¹¹ training sessions. They will next switch to live firing and nighttime exercises once the conditions allow.

Ma says the Chinese weaponry used in the exercises is all new and represents the latest technological¹² developments.

"First, it shows how China has attached high importance to this joint exercise and defense¹³ cooperation among SCO member states. Second, it indicates Chinese troops' determination, will and capability¹⁴ to strike at terrorism. And third, it promotes military transparency."

Ma also says the exercises mark the first time that the Chinese Air Force has been assembled at home in Chinese territory to take part in the exercises by long-distance projection¹⁵.

"Peace Mission 2010," a multinational¹⁶, antiterrorism military drill, is the seventh of its kind conducted under the framework of the SCO.

It involves 5,000 troops from five of the six SCO member states -- China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan. Uzbekistan is not taking part this time.

China seriously concerned over EU's investigation⁴ of China-made modems

China's Ministry of Commerce said it is very concerned about investigations by the European Union into wireless modems produced in China.

China's Ministry of commerce believes the investigations, which include an anti-dumping allegations, will disrupt normal trade and hurt the interests of EU consumers.

The investigation is the largest trade remedy investigation case against China, involving a total value of $4.1 billion U.S. dollars in exports.

Trade analyst¹⁷ Ma Guangyuan says the trade dispute is not necessary.

"Actually, China's wireless modem⁷ ranks the top position around the world, with around 70 percent of the market share. But there's only one wireless modem producer in Europe, that's the Belgian company Option. I don't think the EU weighted its losses and gains properly to start a trade dispute."

Ma says the investigation will not weaken the competitiveness of China's modem producers, rather, the loss will be shouldered by consumers from EU.

"China's wireless modems have already set up its solid market share and status, the competitiveness of the industry is not likely to decline because of this investigation. But for consumers, they are familiar to the Chinese products, which are, so far, irreplaceable."

The Ministry has said it reserves the right to respond under World Trade Organization rules.

Japanese PM Naoto Kan announces cabinet reshuffle

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan has announced a new cabinet, three days after being re-elected as leader of the governing Democratic Party of Japan.

Analysts¹⁸ say the reshuffle is aimed at boosting public support for the government.

Former Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada will become the party secretary general and taking his place, former Transportation Minister Seiji Maehara will become foreign minister.

Government Revitalization Minister Ren Hou praised the reshuffle.

"Although as a member of the cabinet, I am not in a position to pass broad judgment¹⁹, I believe that Prime Minister Kan has managed to put the right people in the right places. While not sure about myself, I think that this cabinet is made up of those who have a high level of knowledge about their respective fields."

Kan also retained Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda, who earlier this week oversaw²⁰ Japan's first intervention²¹ in the currency markets in six years to stem a rise in the yen²² and protect the export-reliant economy.

Noda repeated that Tokyo was ready to intervene again if necessary.

Prime Minister Kan took office in June, and has said he wants to rein²³ in spending and curb²⁴ Japan's massive public debt.

However, he faces a struggle in parliament because he does not have a majority in the upper house.

S. Korean unification minister calls for regularizing family reunions

South Korea's Unification Ministry has called on North Korea to regularize reunions of families seperated by the 1950-53 Korean War, as the two Koreas are engaged in talks on the subject.

The head of Seoul's Unification Ministry said the South has decided²⁵ on unconditional²⁶ emergency flood aid for the North, and the decision was made on a solely²⁷ humanitarian²⁸ basis without political calculations.

The minister said the North should also agree to the South's suggestion of regularization of the family reunions on humanitarian grounds.

The remark coincides with the ongoing Red Cross talks between the two Koreas on reunions of separated families.

Kim Eyi-do, head of the South Korean Red Cross delegation²⁹, spoke³⁰ to reporters about their plans.

"We will propose the necessity of holding the North-South reunions on a regular basis, and try to persuade them."

North Korea reportedly proposed holding such events from Oct. 21- 27 at the Mount Kumgang resort. The reunions, if resumed, will mark the first such event in a year.

The meeting comes when the inter-Korean ties show signs of thawing³¹ after months of confrontation³² over the sinking of a South Korean warship³³ blamed on Pyongyang, which has been rejected by the North.

South Korea, through its Red Cross, recently agreed to offer rice and cement in flood aid to the North while giving a rare approval for civilian³⁴ aid.

Shenting Ban Ki-moon Believes China Can Achieve the MDGs

The annual UN General Assembly general debate kicks off next week, with the Millennium³⁵ Development Goals Summit Meeting on the agenda. It's part of a series of high-level meetings scheduled to be held in the headquarters of the 192-nation world body in New York. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has commended China's efforts in trying to realize the MDGs set by the United Nations with a deadline of 2015. CRI's correspondent Shen Ting has more.

Light News

China making significant progress in energy conservation and emissions³⁶ reduction

China's vice³⁷ minister of science and technology says the country has made significant progress in energy conservation and emissions reduction.

Zhang Laiwu says China has largely increased investment in the research and development on energy conservation, and is encouraging innovation.

"From 2006 to 2010, the government has allocated³⁸ more than 10 billion yuan for projects on energy conservation and emissions reduction, offering strong financial support for the reduction of energy intensity³⁹ and main pollutant⁴⁰ emissions."

The official says the government is actively⁴¹ pushing for the development of the new energy automobile⁴² industry, while in the meantime promoting the use of energy-saving and emissions-reducing technologies in traditional industries.

Zhang Laiwu also stressed that in order to contribute to a better environment worldwide, China is willing to exchange and share green technology with others.

"We hope to introduce green technologies from developed countries under the universally acknowledged framework. In the meantime, we are also willing to spread our advanced technologies to any country or region around the world under international rules, so that we can build a beautiful planet together."

Hot Debate on Postponing⁴³ Retirement Age

China is considering pushing back the retirement age. The topic has again provoked hot debate among the public. Experts say the country is currently researching the retirement age and as yet has no specific timetable for implementing⁴⁴ a new policy.

iPad official sale begins in China

Apple launched the official sale of its tablet computer iPad today in China. As usual, Apple fans waited in long queues to welcome their dream touch-screen computer.

Media Digest

From Shanghai Daily: Hsinchu city in Taiwan has bought the Taiwan Pavilion for nearly $14.45 million US dollars and will rebuild it there after World Expo Shanghai ends.

Hsinchu will rebuild the pavilion in an old fertilizer factory to help convert the 4,900-square-meter area into an exhibition and convention center.

The 658-square-meter pavilion, designed by C. Y. Lee, designer of the 508-meter-tall skyscraper⁴⁵ Taipei 101, received its 500,000th visitor on September 8.

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Out of the Guardian⁴⁶ from the UK: Don't be surprised if "Freedom fries" are back on the menu at the White House, after a hotly-disputed claim in a new biography of France's first lady, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy.

The authors of the new biography, Carla and the Ambitious, say that during a visit to the White House in March, Bruni-Sarkozy asked Michelle Obama what life was like as America's first lady. Bruni-Sarkozy recalled Obama telling her: "Don't ask. It's hell. I can't stand it."

It's been denied by all parties involved. It seems an unlikely tale, since the March visit of the Bruni-Sarkozys was not the first time the two first ladies have met, and it seems an unlikely question to ask at the fourth time of meeting.

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Out of National Geographic⁴⁷: Windmills—clean, quiet, simple and endlessly renewable—may be the ultimate icons⁴⁸ of green energy. But after sundown, their whirling blades have an unintended consequence that researchers are just beginning to understand: They kill bats by the thousands.
When they fly too close, the nocturnal creatures are often killed by windmill blades, which, at the tips, can reach speeds of more than 200 mph.

But there's cautious optimism, too. Proposed solutions include installing speakers that blast ultrasound to drive bats away and selectively shutting off windmills when bats are most active.