China is likely to realize all the Millennium Development Goals by 2015, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei said Wednesday.
He made the remarks as he and Kemal Dervis, administrator of the UN Development Program , co-launched the 2008 edition of the Report on China's Progress Towards the Millennium Development Goals at the UN Headquarters.
With the MDGs fully integrated into its development framework of building a well-off society in an all-round way, China has realized ahead of time the goals of halving poverty and achieving universal primary education, and is likely to realize all the MDGs by 2015, he said.
China will make every effort to contribute to the implementation of the MDGs worldwide, he said.
Dervis spoke highly of China's progress in implementing the MDGs, saying that China, through its efforts to eradicate poverty, has made significant contributions to the global endeavor to combat poverty and hunger.
The United Nations stands ready to enhance its cooperation with China so as to push for the timely realization of the MDGs, Dervis said.
Source:Xinhua
Thursday, September 25, 2008
UN: Global FDI to decline 10% this year
Global foreign direct investment flows are expected to reach 1.6 trillion U.S. dollars this year, representing a 10 percent decline from the record level in 2007, a UN report said on Wednesday.
Global FDI inflows rose in 2007 by 30 percent to reach an all-time high of 1.83 trillion U.S. dollars, said the annual World Investment Report, which was released by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development .
The upward trend in 2007 was apparent in nearly all regions and subregions of the world, despite the global financial and credit crisis that began in the second half of the year, according to the report.
Developed countries continued to attract the largest share of FDI inflows, reaching 1.25 trillion U.S. dollars. The United States remained the largest recipient country, followed by Britain, France, Canada and the Netherlands.
FDI inflows to developing countries also reached a new record of 500 billion U.S. dollars. While South Asia, East Asia, South-East Asia and Oceania accounted for half of all FDI into developing countries, Latin America and the Caribbean recorded the largest increase .
Developed countries remained the biggest source of FDI, accounting for 1.69 trillion U.S. dollars in 2007. The United States was still the top FDI provider at 314 billion U.S. dollars.
Developing countries also continued to gain in importance as a source of FDI, with outflows peaking at 253 billion U.S. dollars. The biggest sources were China, Hong Kong and Russia.
The report said, however, that global FDI flows would decline in 2008 due to the slowdown and financial turmoil in the world economy.
Economic slowdown and financial turmoil have led to liquidity crisis in money and debt markets in many developed countries. As a result, merger and acquisition activity, the main driver of FDI, has begun to slow markedly.
In the first half of 2008, the value of M&A transactions was 29percent lower than in the second half of 2007, the report said.
It estimated that overall FDI flows in 2008 will be about 10 percent less than the level of last year. But FDI flows to developing countries are likely to remain fairly stable.
Source:Xinhua
Global FDI inflows rose in 2007 by 30 percent to reach an all-time high of 1.83 trillion U.S. dollars, said the annual World Investment Report, which was released by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development .
The upward trend in 2007 was apparent in nearly all regions and subregions of the world, despite the global financial and credit crisis that began in the second half of the year, according to the report.
Developed countries continued to attract the largest share of FDI inflows, reaching 1.25 trillion U.S. dollars. The United States remained the largest recipient country, followed by Britain, France, Canada and the Netherlands.
FDI inflows to developing countries also reached a new record of 500 billion U.S. dollars. While South Asia, East Asia, South-East Asia and Oceania accounted for half of all FDI into developing countries, Latin America and the Caribbean recorded the largest increase .
Developed countries remained the biggest source of FDI, accounting for 1.69 trillion U.S. dollars in 2007. The United States was still the top FDI provider at 314 billion U.S. dollars.
Developing countries also continued to gain in importance as a source of FDI, with outflows peaking at 253 billion U.S. dollars. The biggest sources were China, Hong Kong and Russia.
The report said, however, that global FDI flows would decline in 2008 due to the slowdown and financial turmoil in the world economy.
Economic slowdown and financial turmoil have led to liquidity crisis in money and debt markets in many developed countries. As a result, merger and acquisition activity, the main driver of FDI, has begun to slow markedly.
In the first half of 2008, the value of M&A transactions was 29percent lower than in the second half of 2007, the report said.
It estimated that overall FDI flows in 2008 will be about 10 percent less than the level of last year. But FDI flows to developing countries are likely to remain fairly stable.
Source:Xinhua
Facing great Millennium Development Goals
World leaders at the Millennium Summit in the year of 2000 mapped out a set of millennium Development Goals to alleviate poverty. Progress has been made globally toward attaining them to date and 2008 is the year for a mid-term review of the MDGs. At the time for the new periodic review of these goals, the High-level Event on the Millennium Development Goals that opens at the UN Headquarters Thursday, or September 25, will draw increasing global attention.
MDGs, which were agreed at the UN Millennium Summit in Sept. 2000, cover eight areas with goals set to be achieved by 2015 that respond to the world's main development challenges. In fact, they are, among others, to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, to popularize education in elementary schools, to promote sex equality and autonomy of women, to reduce child mortality and morbidity rate, to improve maternal health reinforce, to battle against HIV/AIDS, malaria and other major diseases, to ensure environmental sustainability and to advance a global partnership of development.
The eight goals, which offer a blueprint with concrete targets for development, are to halve the global population in extreme poverty by 2015, to eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education by 2005, to fulfill tasks to eliminate gender disparity at all levels of education by 2015 and to halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS by 2015. So, actions rather words are particularly crucial and imperative before these great goals.
This poses indeed a final examination on global development, whereas China's performance in this severe test is especially eye-catching because the nation is a permanent member of the UN Security Council as well as the largest developing country with a population of 1.3 billion people.
With an aggravated imbalance in global economy coupled with outstanding, thorny problems of finance, energy and food security over recent years, China has, for its part, worked in an earnest, pragmatic and down-to-earth way to overcome all kinds of difficulties and obstacles, and contributed itself in the attainment of MDGs. As a pace-setter to eliminate extreme poverty, the country has solved the problem of feeding its own 1.3 billion people by means of protecting the arable land, building or further improving farmland irrigation facilities and farming conditions, and striving to spread agro-science technologies.
Thanks to these viable and active efforts, its poor population dropped from 62.13 million in 2000 to 28.41 million in 2007, and the ratio or proportion of rural poverty fell from 6.7 percent to 3 percent during the last seven-year period; those Chinese freed from poverty during the 1990-2007 period accounted for more than 70 percent of the global population in poverty. Consequently, China has become the first country to fulfill the goal of halving its needy population set by the United Nations MDGs ahead of schedule.
While stepping up its own economic development, China has constantly helped other developing nations in their endeavors to attain their MDGs in strict compliance with the "principle of acting according to one's ability and each doing his utmost". Apart from reducing or exempting 376 debts of 49 heavily indebted poor countries and least developed countries without any conditions, it has decided to grant zero-tariff treatment to 42 least developed nations which have diplomatic ties with the country, and it has so far actually carried out the zero-tariff treatment with 39 of these LDCs.
With regard to the African countries, which have more difficulties in achieving MDGs, China has intensified its efforts to come to their aid. Its government has offered various types of aid packages to assist them, and signed bilateral aid agreements with 48 countries, and provided them with more than 800 complete sets of equipment. Meanwhile, the Chinese government has helped Africa train approximately 30,000 personnel of various professions; it also exempted 308 debts of 34 heavily indebted and least developed African nations, and signed debt exemption protocols or deals with 32 countries.
Besides, China has scored periodic progress in such aid avenues as its grant of preferable loans to Africa, in building agricultural technology demonstration centers, putting up hospitals, setting up centers for malaria prevention and treatment, and proving new combination drugs for malaria treatment for African nations.
In the present-day world, people have come to recognize "the me in you" and "the you in me", and so global ties of interests have never been so close and interwoven as they are today. So we have no option but to pull together and concert efforts to help one another in times of trouble. We not only want to be good ourselves alone but also very much want others to be good too. Its significance is not merely a good political intention, as we believe to a great extent that helping others is simply meant to help oneself.
China has striven to implement MDGs in an all-round way via its own endeavor and, with its own development, it proceeds to prompt other developing countries to attain their MDGs; this gives expression to China's diplomatic concept of keeping to the path for peaceful development, the mutual-beneficially and win-win strategy of opening to the outside world and adherence to spurring the development of a harmonious world.
Taking a broad and more farsighted view, the establishment and execution of this concept in such a big developing nation is indeed a vital contribution, which is beneficial to the Chinese nation and its people as well as the world at large.
By People's Daily Online and its author is PD desk editor Wen Xian
MDGs, which were agreed at the UN Millennium Summit in Sept. 2000, cover eight areas with goals set to be achieved by 2015 that respond to the world's main development challenges. In fact, they are, among others, to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, to popularize education in elementary schools, to promote sex equality and autonomy of women, to reduce child mortality and morbidity rate, to improve maternal health reinforce, to battle against HIV/AIDS, malaria and other major diseases, to ensure environmental sustainability and to advance a global partnership of development.
The eight goals, which offer a blueprint with concrete targets for development, are to halve the global population in extreme poverty by 2015, to eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education by 2005, to fulfill tasks to eliminate gender disparity at all levels of education by 2015 and to halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS by 2015. So, actions rather words are particularly crucial and imperative before these great goals.
This poses indeed a final examination on global development, whereas China's performance in this severe test is especially eye-catching because the nation is a permanent member of the UN Security Council as well as the largest developing country with a population of 1.3 billion people.
With an aggravated imbalance in global economy coupled with outstanding, thorny problems of finance, energy and food security over recent years, China has, for its part, worked in an earnest, pragmatic and down-to-earth way to overcome all kinds of difficulties and obstacles, and contributed itself in the attainment of MDGs. As a pace-setter to eliminate extreme poverty, the country has solved the problem of feeding its own 1.3 billion people by means of protecting the arable land, building or further improving farmland irrigation facilities and farming conditions, and striving to spread agro-science technologies.
Thanks to these viable and active efforts, its poor population dropped from 62.13 million in 2000 to 28.41 million in 2007, and the ratio or proportion of rural poverty fell from 6.7 percent to 3 percent during the last seven-year period; those Chinese freed from poverty during the 1990-2007 period accounted for more than 70 percent of the global population in poverty. Consequently, China has become the first country to fulfill the goal of halving its needy population set by the United Nations MDGs ahead of schedule.
While stepping up its own economic development, China has constantly helped other developing nations in their endeavors to attain their MDGs in strict compliance with the "principle of acting according to one's ability and each doing his utmost". Apart from reducing or exempting 376 debts of 49 heavily indebted poor countries and least developed countries without any conditions, it has decided to grant zero-tariff treatment to 42 least developed nations which have diplomatic ties with the country, and it has so far actually carried out the zero-tariff treatment with 39 of these LDCs.
With regard to the African countries, which have more difficulties in achieving MDGs, China has intensified its efforts to come to their aid. Its government has offered various types of aid packages to assist them, and signed bilateral aid agreements with 48 countries, and provided them with more than 800 complete sets of equipment. Meanwhile, the Chinese government has helped Africa train approximately 30,000 personnel of various professions; it also exempted 308 debts of 34 heavily indebted and least developed African nations, and signed debt exemption protocols or deals with 32 countries.
Besides, China has scored periodic progress in such aid avenues as its grant of preferable loans to Africa, in building agricultural technology demonstration centers, putting up hospitals, setting up centers for malaria prevention and treatment, and proving new combination drugs for malaria treatment for African nations.
In the present-day world, people have come to recognize "the me in you" and "the you in me", and so global ties of interests have never been so close and interwoven as they are today. So we have no option but to pull together and concert efforts to help one another in times of trouble. We not only want to be good ourselves alone but also very much want others to be good too. Its significance is not merely a good political intention, as we believe to a great extent that helping others is simply meant to help oneself.
China has striven to implement MDGs in an all-round way via its own endeavor and, with its own development, it proceeds to prompt other developing countries to attain their MDGs; this gives expression to China's diplomatic concept of keeping to the path for peaceful development, the mutual-beneficially and win-win strategy of opening to the outside world and adherence to spurring the development of a harmonious world.
Taking a broad and more farsighted view, the establishment and execution of this concept in such a big developing nation is indeed a vital contribution, which is beneficial to the Chinese nation and its people as well as the world at large.
By People's Daily Online and its author is PD desk editor Wen Xian
Chinese agency: Reports of tainted rice exports to Japan untrue
China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine on Thursday posted the transcript of its Monday press conference on its website, disputing reports of contaminated Chinese rice exports to Japan.
The agency was asked about reports that 799 tonnes of rice exported to Japan "between 2006 and 2007" had been found to contain methamidophos, a harmful chemical.
Some Japanese media also reported that one Japanese company had used 295 tonnes of the rice to process food products, according to AQSIQ.
Regarding those reports, the government body said it had held talks on Sept. 8 with Japan's China Embassy, which said the rice was exported to Japan from China around 2003. That was before Japan listed methamidophos as an item to be checked, and the exported rice then was qualified by Japanese standards.
The administration said when the chemical was detected in 2006 and 2007, Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries had said that the rice was inedible and directed the Osaka-based wholesaler, Mikasa Foods, to treat the problematic rice.
Source: Xinhua
The agency was asked about reports that 799 tonnes of rice exported to Japan "between 2006 and 2007" had been found to contain methamidophos, a harmful chemical.
Some Japanese media also reported that one Japanese company had used 295 tonnes of the rice to process food products, according to AQSIQ.
Regarding those reports, the government body said it had held talks on Sept. 8 with Japan's China Embassy, which said the rice was exported to Japan from China around 2003. That was before Japan listed methamidophos as an item to be checked, and the exported rice then was qualified by Japanese standards.
The administration said when the chemical was detected in 2006 and 2007, Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries had said that the rice was inedible and directed the Osaka-based wholesaler, Mikasa Foods, to treat the problematic rice.
Source: Xinhua
Life continues in quake-hit Tibetan areas
Norbu, host of a Tibetan family, lost his house and livelihood when the May 12 quake shook his hometown in Samen Village in Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture of southwest China's Sichuan Province, yet four months after the tragedy, when we step into this small village with 51 Tibetan households, we found that those quake survivors including Norbu family have devoted themselves to the reconstruction of their houses and lives.
Busy working on repairing the roof, Norbu plans to rebuild a relatively comfortable house where his family can live for the next couple of years.
"We really suffer from huge lost and at that time we live in a temporary tent not for from our damaged house," pointed to the tent, says Norbu. "Now, the government is offering a daily stipend of 10 yuan and 500 grams of food. There is no problem for our basic life. What we have problem is the cost for rebuilding our house. I have spent 200,000 yuan to build this house before the quake and it needs about 30,000 yuan to repair the roof and terrace, but we can only get a subsidy of 5,000 yuan from the prefecture government, of course the amount is not enough. But all of us obviously know that we have so many households suffering from the disaster, it is really not easy for the government to deal with."
More than 5 million people were left homeless after the earthquake in Sichuan Province. The government has given 5,000 yuan to each family who lost their home to build makeshift accommodation in remote villages. Furthermore, the government has also designated 19 provinces and municipalities to each aid a county in the worst hit quake areas. These provinces are helping to rebuild schools, hospitals and other infrastructure projects such as roads, electricity and gas supply systems.
Now the survivors themselves are also struggling to rebuild new lives as locals start repairing the damaged houses once home to so many people and some residents come back to their daily handicraft work. Peace and leisure, this is what we have seen at Zada Village of Aba Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture as a Tibetan girl is sewing at a sartorius and two Tibetan boys are mending fishing net opposing to the clear quake trail.
"We must depend on the government, but we also need the power of ourselves," said Shenzha Rgyal, a retired Tibetan soldier who becomes the host to a small restaurant in Li County. "Evacuating guests in my restaurant is my first act when the quake came and I also join in the volunteer team to give a hand to material-transport as well as establishing temporary tents for some ten households."
As a matter of fact, there are countless volunteers including those Sichuan locals and some others from all over the world giving a hand to the rescue as well as the reconstruction.
Without waiting for signals from the authoritarian government, Liu Jin, a 22-year-old student in China's richest city, Shanghai, joined tens of thousands of volunteers to offer help to the needy quake-sufferers.
"I believe people will unite even better in the future and we will have much experience if there comes another disaster," said a volunteer.
As time goes by, life continues in the quake-hit areas and tomorrow is another day.
By China Tibet Information Center
Busy working on repairing the roof, Norbu plans to rebuild a relatively comfortable house where his family can live for the next couple of years.
"We really suffer from huge lost and at that time we live in a temporary tent not for from our damaged house," pointed to the tent, says Norbu. "Now, the government is offering a daily stipend of 10 yuan and 500 grams of food. There is no problem for our basic life. What we have problem is the cost for rebuilding our house. I have spent 200,000 yuan to build this house before the quake and it needs about 30,000 yuan to repair the roof and terrace, but we can only get a subsidy of 5,000 yuan from the prefecture government, of course the amount is not enough. But all of us obviously know that we have so many households suffering from the disaster, it is really not easy for the government to deal with."
More than 5 million people were left homeless after the earthquake in Sichuan Province. The government has given 5,000 yuan to each family who lost their home to build makeshift accommodation in remote villages. Furthermore, the government has also designated 19 provinces and municipalities to each aid a county in the worst hit quake areas. These provinces are helping to rebuild schools, hospitals and other infrastructure projects such as roads, electricity and gas supply systems.
Now the survivors themselves are also struggling to rebuild new lives as locals start repairing the damaged houses once home to so many people and some residents come back to their daily handicraft work. Peace and leisure, this is what we have seen at Zada Village of Aba Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture as a Tibetan girl is sewing at a sartorius and two Tibetan boys are mending fishing net opposing to the clear quake trail.
"We must depend on the government, but we also need the power of ourselves," said Shenzha Rgyal, a retired Tibetan soldier who becomes the host to a small restaurant in Li County. "Evacuating guests in my restaurant is my first act when the quake came and I also join in the volunteer team to give a hand to material-transport as well as establishing temporary tents for some ten households."
As a matter of fact, there are countless volunteers including those Sichuan locals and some others from all over the world giving a hand to the rescue as well as the reconstruction.
Without waiting for signals from the authoritarian government, Liu Jin, a 22-year-old student in China's richest city, Shanghai, joined tens of thousands of volunteers to offer help to the needy quake-sufferers.
"I believe people will unite even better in the future and we will have much experience if there comes another disaster," said a volunteer.
As time goes by, life continues in the quake-hit areas and tomorrow is another day.
By China Tibet Information Center
Myanmar steps up control of trans-border animal diseases
Myanmar is making arrangements to establish more animal quarantine laboratories in two areas bordering Thailand as part of its bid to step up control of trans-border animal diseases under the two countries' cooperation program in the aspects, the local 7-Day News reported Thursday.
The two border areas are Myawaddy and Kawthoung in southeastern Kayin state.
The Myanmar side is to offer building and health workers, while the Thai side is to provide technical knowhow and materials, the report said, adding that a Thai delegation from the Animal Development made a study trip to Myanmar last week as a preparatory move.
Myanmar has been placing emphasis on control of trans-border animal diseases, introducing animal quarantine laboratories in border trading areas with neighboring countries.
Under an agreement between the Livestock Breeding Veterinary Department of Myanmar and the Agriculture Department of China's Yunnan Province reached in 2006, animal quarantine labs inareas such as Muse, Lashio, Kengtung and Myitkyina, where border trade activities are carried out, are being built.
These labs will help transfer information speedily and test thesafety of live animals and animal byproducts intended for export and import through border trade, experts said.
In December 2007, under an agreement signed between the LBVD and the Japan International Cooperation Agency , the latter will provide aid worth of 102 million Japanese yen to Myanmar to help the country fight five animal diseases including avian influenza by setting up laboratories, exchanging information and conducting refresher courses for the diseases control, according to an earlier report.
Source: Xinhua
The two border areas are Myawaddy and Kawthoung in southeastern Kayin state.
The Myanmar side is to offer building and health workers, while the Thai side is to provide technical knowhow and materials, the report said, adding that a Thai delegation from the Animal Development made a study trip to Myanmar last week as a preparatory move.
Myanmar has been placing emphasis on control of trans-border animal diseases, introducing animal quarantine laboratories in border trading areas with neighboring countries.
Under an agreement between the Livestock Breeding Veterinary Department of Myanmar and the Agriculture Department of China's Yunnan Province reached in 2006, animal quarantine labs inareas such as Muse, Lashio, Kengtung and Myitkyina, where border trade activities are carried out, are being built.
These labs will help transfer information speedily and test thesafety of live animals and animal byproducts intended for export and import through border trade, experts said.
In December 2007, under an agreement signed between the LBVD and the Japan International Cooperation Agency , the latter will provide aid worth of 102 million Japanese yen to Myanmar to help the country fight five animal diseases including avian influenza by setting up laboratories, exchanging information and conducting refresher courses for the diseases control, according to an earlier report.
Source: Xinhua
First Chinese tourist group to Israel leaves today
80 members of the first Chinese tourist group to Israel, organized by China Travel Service Head Office and China Youth Travel Service, will leave for Israel on Sept 25 and Sept 28, 2008 respectively.
This means the agreement between China and Israel about Chinese tourist group's travel to Israel has finally been implemented after one year's preparation.
"The agreement not only has great marketing potential, but also will promote the mutual understanding and cooperation between two countries," Barella, Israeli Tourism Minsiter, said in an interview.
She also mentioned about the safety of tourists. She said: "Safety is always the most important thing to be cared about for traveling in Israel. Israel is the most experienced country to deal with terrorism and to guarantee the safety of tourists. In addition, terrorist activities happened in Israel never aimed at foreign tourists. So, it is safe traveling in Israel."
By People's Daily Online
This means the agreement between China and Israel about Chinese tourist group's travel to Israel has finally been implemented after one year's preparation.
"The agreement not only has great marketing potential, but also will promote the mutual understanding and cooperation between two countries," Barella, Israeli Tourism Minsiter, said in an interview.
She also mentioned about the safety of tourists. She said: "Safety is always the most important thing to be cared about for traveling in Israel. Israel is the most experienced country to deal with terrorism and to guarantee the safety of tourists. In addition, terrorist activities happened in Israel never aimed at foreign tourists. So, it is safe traveling in Israel."
By People's Daily Online
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