CRI中国国际广播电台 News & Reports 2012-10-20

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In This Edition

 

The Chinese navy carries out a joint¹ exercise in the East China Sea.

Diplomats² from China and the Philippines work to repair soured ties over disputes in the South China Sea.

European Union leaders agree to create a single supervisor³ for eurozone banks.

And China is expected to account for a quarter of the world's smartphone users by the end of this year.

 

Hot Issue Reports

 

China Conducts Exercises in East China Sea

The Chinese navy is carrying out a joint exercise in the East China Sea with this country's fisheries administration and marine⁴ surveillance agency.

 

11 vessels⁵ are taking part in the exercise.

 

Rear admiral Shen Hao is the commander-in-chief of the exercise.

 

"The navy is the strong support for our national marine law enforcement. The exercise is aimed at improving coordination⁶ between the navy and administrative⁷ patrol vessels and sharpening their response to emergencies in missions to safeguard territorial⁸ sovereignty and maritime⁹ interests."

 

Administrative boats are practicing patrols and testing contingency¹⁰ plans with the help of the navy.

 

Zhou Tong is a fisheries official with the Ministry¹¹ of Agriculture.

 

"It is a test for China's marine law enforcement power. It also shows our ability and determination to protect the marine interests and territorial integrity."

 

Meanwhile, the Chinese foreign ministry has issued another statement, saying the escalating¹² tensions between China and Japan are entirely¹³ the result of Japan's illegal "purchase" of part of the Diaoyu Islands.

 

The comments have been made in response to a question about the current Chinese maritime exercise.

 

The foreign ministry is also calling on Japan to return to negotiations¹⁴ to resolve the Diaoyu Islands dispute.

 

Thousands Japanese Voice against "Vicious Circle" in Sea Disputes

Thousands of people in Japan have rallied Friday, calling on the government to end what they call the "vicious circle" of territorial disputes with neighboring countries.

 

Several parliamentary members, including the head of the Social Democratic Party, have attended the rally outside the Japanese parliament in Tokyo.

 

Parliament member Ben Hashimoto with the ruling Democratic Party of Japan says the Noda government should be more cautious over the disputes with China in the East China Sea.

 

"I still believe the government's nationalization move is awful. If we see this issue from China's perspective, we will feel angry too. I think the government should have behaved more cautiously."

 

Social Democrat¹⁵ Party parliament member Ryoichi Hattori says many Japanese people want good ties with China.

 

"It could be very difficult to mend the relations. The world may think the nationalist mindset is dominating the Japanese society. Actually there are still many Japanese who want a better relationship with China."

 

Nearly two thousand Japanese citizens have already signed a statement last month, calling for cooler heads and better foreign policy with neighboring countries.

 

Fu Ying 3 Day Visit in the Philippines

Diplomats from China and the Philippines are working to repair soured ties over disputes in the South China Sea.

 

Chinese Vice¹⁷ Foreign Minster Fu Ying is now in Manila for a 3 day visit.

 

Fu Ying has already held talks with her Philippine counterpart, Albert del Rosario.

 

"Bottom line: we've agree to disagree and we will work on trying to find out how we can bring our positions closer."

 

The trip is the highest-level meeting among the two sides since the dispute over Huangyan Island escallated in April.

 

Fu Ying has also met briefly¹⁸ today with Philippine President Benigno Aquino III.

 

"There is some degree of change a little better of the situation compared to it was at the height of the tensions but there is still a long way from really making back to where it was."

 

As a good will gesture, the Philippine government has donated 200-thousand U.S. dollars to victims of the earthquakes that recently hit Yunnan and Guizhou.

 

EU Summit- Leaders Agree to Have ECB Supervise all Euro Banks

European Union leaders have agreed to create a single supervisor for eurozone banks.

 

The deal has been reached at a summit of EU leaders in Brussels.

 

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.

 

"What we have agreed today is that, we have, as a matter of priority, the work for the legislative¹⁹ proposals on the single supervisory mechanism²⁰, and the objective is agreeing on a legislative framework by January 1st 2013."

 

The deal is seen as a compromise between France and Germany, who had been disagreeing about the timing²¹ of the move.

 

France and the EU Commission had been pushing for a January launch.

 

Germany had been calling for a more cautious approach, with Chancellor²² Angela Merkel wanting to see a priority put on national budget discipline.

 

"Our goal is to have a banking²³ supervision²⁴ that deserves its name. We want to achieve something better than what we have currently. Our Ministry of Finance is working on it. We want to deliver something stronger, that is why we will implement²⁵ it during the year 2013."

 

The current agreement will now see a political framework drawn²⁶ up by the end of this year.

 

The EU Single Supervisory Mechanism will then be gradually phased in through next year.

 

Google Share Value Plummets²⁷ after Disappointing Earnings²⁸ Report

The mistaken release of Google's 3rd quarter results saw the trading of its shares suspended for two-and-a-half hours on Thursday.

 

Google is blaming financial printing firm RR Donnelley for filing the draft results before the closing bell.

 

The disappointment triggered an 8 percent drop in Google's share price on Thursday.

 

Google's quarterly profits have already fallen 20-percent from a year earlier, which is in-line with analysts³⁰ expectations.

 

Scott Kessler is an Equity³¹ Analyst²⁹ with S&P Capital.

 

"It seems like maybe people forgot about the fact that Google let us know multiple times recently that they were taking a pretty significant restructuring charge associated with Motorola, And of course that Motorola is a hardware business and it's just not as profitable as Google has historically been."

 

Meanwhile, Microsoft is reporting a 22-percent decline in its fiscal³² first-quarter revenue.

 

Microsoft sales are down as consumers wait for the release of Windows 8.

 

Q&A with Bew

New reports are suggesting the United States and the European Union are set to begin negotiating a new free-trade agreement sometime next spring.

 

The deal is said to be one of the most ambitious, given that it is said to go well beyond tariffs³³, and into areas such as IPR, services and other regulations.

 

The new deal is also said to be moving to try to eliminate barriers in the automotive sector³⁴, which makes up the largest chunk³⁵ of EU-U.S. trade.

 

Together, the EU and the United States account for about half the world's economic output, and nearly a third of world trade.

 

CRI"s Paul James earlier talked with Robin³⁶ Bew, Chief economist³⁷ with the Economist Intelligence Unit.

 

Light News

 

Zhang Yimou Receives Life Achievement Award at Mumbai Film Fest

The 14th Mumbai Film Festival kicked off Friday by honouring Chinese director Zhang Yimou with the Life Achievement Award.

 

The critically acclaimed³⁸ director is known for the films The Red Sorghum³⁹, Raise the Red Lantern and The House of Flying Daggers⁴⁰.

 

Zhang's most recent film is the wartime blockbuster The Flowers of War starring British actor Christian⁴¹ Bale.

 

The director, who's considered to be one of the best in the country, says that films are bridges that build understanding, support and love for one another.

 

Zhang went onto say that he takes the award as a beginning, not an end, and that he hopes that he continues to shoot films that everyone enjoys long into the future.

 

The Mumbai Film Festival runs for eight days and will show over 200 films.

 

China's Social Media Craze

With the rapid development of mobile technology here in China, one application in particular is becoming sweepingly⁴² popular.

 

CRI's Zhang Ru has more on Weixin.

 

China currently has over 1 billion mobile phone users and is predicted to account for a quarter of the world's smartphones by the end of this year. According to research firm IDC, International Data Corporation, with the newly introduced low-cost smartphones, China's smartphone global share will rise to 26.5% in 2012 from around 18% in 2011.

 

The most popular app among smartphone users in China is Weixin from Tencent. Apart from social networks, the company also provides online games, messaging services, web portals and e-commerce payment systems.

 

Tencent chairman Pony⁴³ Ma claimed this September that Weixin had attracted 200 million users in just 19 months. By comparison, it took Facebook five years to reach the same landmark⁴⁴. And now it's also entering the international market, known as "WeChat".

 

Andrew Wang, Business Development Manager for Tech in Asia, says it is Weixin's combination of messaging and social networking tools that has made the app so successful.

 

"In this era - the next wave of mobile - social media is becoming so apparent, so I think that WeChat is placing itself in a very good position. To put texting and social media together is just a really good idea."

 

Since most mobile phones do not have the function of voicemail, the popularity of Weixin is understandable. It allows mobile phone users to send voice and text message for free, either to individuals or a group.

 

Also, typing Chinese characters is a troublesome process because users have to type Pinyin from the Roman alphabet and then choose the Chinese character from a list of options.

 

Weixin's voice message function overcomes this obstacle. Users simply push and hold a button, and then talk into their phone. When the button is let go, the message is sent out.

 

Weixin has other functions which further fortify⁴⁵ its social network power. One of its functions, similar to the Facebook Timeline, the Weixin Circle allows users to see photos of friends.

 

While Weixin is still on the way to saturating⁴⁶ the domestic market, Tencent is already turning its attention overseas. Weixin's international version, WeChat, made inroads into India earlier this year and launched in Indonesia this autumn.

 

Adrew Wang is quite optimistic about the international prospect⁴⁷ of WeChat.

 

"I think they will go global. WeChat is already localizing in Indonesia, which makes up about 50 percent of the population of Southeast Asia."

 

Whether Weixin will be embraced by the whole world is yet to be seen, but for now, it is dominating China.

 

For CRI, this is Zhang Ru.

 

Self-enrollment⁴⁹ Gives Students more Chances

The Chinese government is pressing universities in this country to select more students based on independent criteria⁵⁰, rather than from the scores of their "gaokao," or college entrance exams.

 

CRI's Zhang Wan¹⁶ has more.

 

Currently, there are approximately 80 universities and colleges nationwide that organize independent examinations. And some of them have formed recruiting leagues, such as the Peking University League and the Tsinghua University League, which are formed to scout⁵¹ talent.

 

Through a comprehensive evaluation⁵² system, students who fail the national exam get one more opportunity at enrollment. During university interviews, students are involved in an open discussion with interviewers. Liu Zemin, professor from Central South University, explains.

 

"If specific questions were involved in the procedures, it would be more exam-oriented selection. By talking with these candidates about some open questions, we can find their special talent."

 

Many ask how fairness can be ensured through such evaluations⁵³ and enrollment systems. Fu Ganghua, head of the enrollment office of the Central South University, says their university has established a recruitment team that has more than 200 professors and experts.

 

"One night before the interview, we designate which professor or expert will do it next day to ensure that interviewers are randomly⁵⁴ selected. And, it would be very hard for students to contact their interviewers prior to the interview. In addition, we have many evaluation teams; that is to say, one or two interviewers won't greatly influence the result. Also, we will evaluate the scores that interviewers give, especially among students who get high scores in the interviews."

 

According to Central South University, 50 percent of the graduates who enter the university through its own selection process have pursued master's degrees, 10 percent students go abroad for further education and the others all got a job.

 

Professor Liu Zemin says "quality" means the ability to think about questions and find the solution. Selection process initiated⁵⁵ by individual universities pays more attention to quality they want from students.

 

Now about ten percent of China's universities have programs to enroll⁴⁸ some of the students through their own selection process apart from national entrance exam. This is still just a start. Although new problems have emerged with it, most people agree it's an improvement to the rigid⁵⁶ single standard gaokao system.

 

For CRI, I am Zhang Wan.

 

GLOBAL TIMES

 

Reward for finding a bad bus driver

 

Shanghai's bus operator says commuters in the city are being offered 50-yuan or around 8 US dollars reward for reporting their bus driver's bad driving and bad habits.

 

The Shanghai Ba-Shi Public Transportation Group say that they want to hear from commuters who have witnessed bus drivers commit traffic offenses⁵⁷ such as running a red light or straddling two lanes of traffic.

 

They also want passengers to snitch on drivers who smoke or use their mobile phone on the job.

 

Video or photographic evidence has to be submitted to the company within three working days of the alleged⁵⁸ offence.

 

Some drivers are feeling pressured by the new measure and equates⁵⁹ it to office workers being forced to work under surveillance camera.

 

If two passengers separately file the same complaint, the one who files first will receive the reward. If two commuters co-file a complaint, they will split the award.

 

CHINA DAILY

 

Survey shows Chinese workers stressed out

 

A new survey found that nearly eight out of 10 Chinese workers became more stressed in the past year.

 

Chinese workers' stress mainly comes from work, individual financial status and clients.

 

The survey says workers in Shanghai and Beijing felt the highest rise in stress in the past year.

 

Another recent survey by Insight China, a State-run magazine that looks into Chinese people's welfare, showed that nearly 70 percent of Chinese are overworked and more than 40 percent spend less than 10 hours a week on leisure.

 

WASHINGTON POST

 

Life-saving medical machinery⁶⁰ prone⁶¹ to malware

 

When viruses attack a PC, slow it to a crawl, generally it makes people's life miserable⁶².

 

It also may put one's life in danger with medical facilities all around the United States running outdated⁶³ software.

 

According to the Technology Review, 664 medical machines at a Medical Center in Boston ran outdated operating systems, which become huge targets for malware.

 

It is said by a researcher that the many manufacturers of medical equipment don't often allow the hospitals to upgrade their operating systems or patch security holes.

 

Because if they do, the device will no longer be Food and Drug Administration or FDA's complaint and a hospital can't use it.

 

But without these security updates and the latest operating systems, malware is literally⁶⁴ slowing down the machines that doctors and nurses are using to save lives.

 

ASSOCIATED PRESS

 

Experts say traveler's fear of flying is treatable

 

But psychologists who treat fear of flying said it could be overcome through effective treatment and with which upwards⁶⁵ of 80 percent of people who get the treatment can fly.

It is said by experts that fear of flying treatment consists of a "fairly standard" combination of cognitive⁶⁶ and behavioral therapy. It includes identifying the patients' "fear-provoking thoughts" and challenging them, the counseling, the imagining of flying and then doing one.

 

The core of treatment is exposure to the sensations of flying, and experts said medical treatment is a bad idea because it can actually interfere⁶⁷ with treating anxiety.

 

Market Update

 

U.S. stocks tumbled on Friday as the earnings reports from a bunch of heavyweights came in worse than expected.

 

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.52 percent to 13,344. The Standard & Poor' s 500 Index dropped 1.66 percent to 1,433. The Nasdaq Composite Index tumbled 2.19 percent to 3,006.

 

Lower figures in the European markets, too. London's FTSE 100 lost 0.35 percent to 5,896. Frankfurt's DAX dropped 0.76 percent to 7,381. CAC 40 in Paris shed 0.87 percent to 3,505.

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