China Working on Further National Plan to Address Climate Change: Official

A senior Chinese official told Xinhua Tuesday that the country is working on a national plan to further cope with the issue of climate change.

"We are working on a further national plan based on a longer term in a bid to strengthen the enforcement of international treaties about the issue," Xie said.

The plan is aimed to better tackle the climate change and boost economic growth in the meantime, Xie added.

The Chinese chief climate negotiator did not elaborate the plan, only saying that the country eyes on accumulating useful experiences to establish a low-carbon economy through some pilot projects.

In 2007, a national leading group on climate change, headed by Premier Wen Jiabao, was set up to oversee the issues related to climate change.

In the same year, the Chinese government issued the National Climate Change Program, the first of its kind issued by a developing country, which worked out the strategies and measures to tackle climate change.

China's "green" determination has been boosted by the country's achievements in its environmental initiatives. Figures show China's energy consumption per unit of GDP dropped 4.59 percent in 2008, and 10.08 percent from 2006 to 2008.

Source: China Radio International

Chinese culture to shine in Africa

Chinese culture will be transplanted to South Africa thanks to a $250 million theme-park-with-a-difference being built by local company Huaqiang Holdings.

Fantawild Adventure, the 770,000 sq m high-tech facility destined for Johannesburg was among major successes announced during the four-day China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair that closed yesterday with a record-high accumulative contract volume of 87.7 billion yuan.

"The park will be the first major technology-driven cultural theme park in Southern Africa," said Cassim Nakkooda, director of trade and investment promotion for the city of Johannesburg.

"It will not only give citizens of South Africa a chance to better understand Chinese culture, but also serve the interests of other African countries."

Source: China View

Russian, Italian leaders discuss G8 in Moscow

“I believe it is a very important matter that we plan to discuss today. There are very important opportunities to find answers to the current economic crisis and introduce a new global management method allowing us to supervise the financial and economic world and avoid any chance of a new crisis,” the Italian premier said.

Source: University of Toronto G8 Research Group

Govt says Dalai Lama welcome to visit SA

The Dalai Lama is welcome to visit South Africa, International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoane-Mashabane said on Thursday.

She added that South Africa's foreign policy was "underpinned by human rights, but that does not mean it can be misinterpreted in the interests of certain quarters".

Nkoane-Mashabane said South Africa hoped to strengthen ties with China and foresaw no change in policy towards the country.

"We've got very sound relations with China and that needs to be strengthened and we will do so," she said.

The name change of her department, from foreign affairs to international relations and cooperation, was a bid by government to ensure a holistic approach to foreign relations which reflected a developmental agenda.

"The name change moves from the premise that foreign policy is based upon and an advancement of domestic priorities at international level," she said.

Source: Mail & Guardian

China turns to Buddhism to calm Tibet tensions

The Beijing-backed Panchen Lama addressed an international Buddhist audience in English on Saturday, as officially atheist China turned to Buddhism as a balm for internal unrest and international tensions.

The Communist Party tried to root out Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism during the first three decades of its rule, but now recognises the potential of religion to maintain stability.

"Buddhism has proven to have two benefits, it brings a spiritual peace to society and it also helps materially, for instance in disasters and in serving the weakest segments of society," said Shih Lien Hai, president of the World-wide Buddhist Development Association based in Taiwan.

"Religion is a force for stability in society. If government could understand religion's attributes, if it could bring religion's strengths into play, it would be more effective."

Source: Mail & Guardian

Can You Stomach Investing In China?

Over the past several decades China has seen many significant improvements in its national health and quality of life, surely the result of the massive amounts of capital infused into the country since its initial embrace of controlled capitalism.

According to the World Health Organization, by 2005 the average life expectancy in the Middle Kingdom was just over 70 years old, whereas in 1952 it was closer to 30. The story among China's children is even more heartening. According to UNICEF, infant mortality rates had fallen from 1990 to 2000 from 65 to 31 infants per 1,000. These are just some of the positive signs of affluence China has experienced.

But serious problems remain. The Worldwatch Institute notes that industrial pollution accidents have played a major role in poisoning China's water supply, with 20% of it falling beneath national standards. While industrialization has brought obvious improvements in health, human rights violations remain the norm.

On Feb. 9 Human Rights Watch illustrated a lengthy list of atrocities it urges the United Nations to confront China about, including: forced confessions and torture in the justice system, child labor including in state schools and persecution of religious dissidents

Source: Forbes.com