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China, US vow to keep ties on track

Beginning a new round of high-level talks, Beijing and Washington vowed on July 9 they would not allow areas of disagreement to overshadow their relationship, which is critical to global prosperity.

Both countries expressed confidence that careful management of any differences would prevent escalating tension and that healthy competition, not confrontation, was the way forward. Observers said the dialogue would serve as a "disinfectant" to help cleanse wounds inflicted in a series of disputes.

"A China-US confrontation, for the two countries and the world, would definitely be a disaster," President Xi Jinping said at the opening ceremony of the sixth round of the Strategic and Economic Dialogue at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse.

"The vast Pacific Ocean has ample space to accommodate our two great nations," Xi said.

US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew has said he will press China to further appreciate its currency, open its financial services sector and speed up economic reforms in this round of talks.

US key to global recovery, minister says

A global economic recovery rests mainly on the United States' shoulders, Finance Minister Lou Jiwei said on July 9.

"A global recovery requires joint efforts from many countries, but the key lies with the US," Lou told reporters on the first day of the annual China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Beijing. "China is experiencing a transition from a high-growth model to a medium-high-growth model. We are now focusing more on the 'new norm' of structural reform.

"So the scenario is unlikely to recur in which China contribute to half of the world's growth in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis."

The Chinese government has repeatedly said it would not roll out an intensive stimulus program after the nation's gross domestic product growth in the first quarter dipped to 7.4 percent, an 18-month low. It is the first time a top Chinese official has explicitly said that the global economy should not count on China for it to recover.

Massacre memorial website launched

China has launched a national memorial website to honor the victims of the Nanjing Massacre.

Zhu Chengshan, curator of the Memorial Hall of the Victims in the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders, said the website - www.cngongji.cn - will provide a place for Internet users to commemorate the victims, and to express their wishes for peace.

"The site contains opinions of celebrities and experts on the Nanjing Massacre," Zhu said. "Historical materials and news reports about the massacre can also be found."

Visitors can honor victims through online functions that allow users to virtually light candles, present flowers and plant trees.

The memorial website is currently provided in Chinese, Japanese and English, and French, German, Korean and Russian versions are expected to be added by early December.

Cities shortlisted for Winter Olympics bid

Beijing and co-host city Zhangjiakou in Hebei province have made it onto a shortlist of three candidate venues to host the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Oslo in Norway and Almaty in Kazakhstan are the other cities under consideration, the executive board of International Olympic Committee announced.

Yang Shu'an, vice-chairman of the Chinese bidding committee, said: "We are going to accelerate the grassroots promotion of winter sports and the improvement of urban infrastructure and public services, as well as air quality, by preparing for the games."

Yang also stressed the importance of preparing a frugal and sustainable bid, which could be achieved by using venues built for the 2008 Beijing Olympics and existing skiing facilities in the Chongli county of Zhangjiakou, about 200 kilometers northwest of the capital.

Only two new venues will be built: an indoor stadium with a 400-meter track for distance speed skating and a resort for alpine skiing in Yanqing county's Xiaohaituo Mountain area. An intercity high-speed railway is also planned to connect Beijing and Zhangjiakou, which will reduce travel time to about 40 minutes.

However, critics said the Chinese bid's lack of a winter sports tradition, compared to Oslo and Almaty, might count against it.

'Time is ripe' for BRICS development bank

The five major emerging economies - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - have reached a broad consensus on the creation of a jointly funded $50 billion development bank, which could finance future infrastructure ventures in their own and other developing countries.

The five BRICS nations are expected to sign a treaty to launch the bank officially when they meet at a summit in the northern Brazilian city of Fortaleza on July 15.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Li Baodong said that the "time is ripe" to announce the establishment of the bank, and that "all parties are in consensus".

He added: "Of course, there are a few differences and viewpoints on technical issues, but our goal is to establish the BRICS bank as soon as possible."

Govt will boost input for healthcare, Li says

To provide better healthcare services, the Chinese government will increase its input and encourage social capital to enter the industry, Premier Li Keqiang said on July 8.

These moves would help to minimize patients' out-of-pocket expenses, effectively prevent and cure diseases, and create more quality healthcare resources, Li said.

The biggest change in China's industrial restructuring is to develop its service industry, and the healthcare sector could take the leading role to benefit all citizens and boost growth, he said.

Li made the remarks during a meeting with Jim Yong Kim, president of the World Bank, and Margaret Chan, director-general of the World Health Organization.

It is a "creative step" for China, the World Bank and the WHO to jointly push forward China's healthcare reforms, the premier said.

Kim told Li he was on a "rare joint visit" to China with Chan because they "admire so much what you have done in the first phase of healthcare reform".

China, Ethiopia pledge closer cooperation

President Xi Jinping held talks with his Ethiopian counterpart Mulatu Teshome on July 9 and both pledged to boost cooperation between the two countries.

Xi said the visiting Ethiopian president has made a great contribution to the friendship and cooperation between the two nations over the past years.

Xi said he appreciated his decision to choose China as the first country to visit since taking office last October and to attend the Eco Forum Global Annual Conference 2014. The conference was scheduled in Guiyang, capital city of Southwest China's Guizhou province, on July 10-12.

Xi said the China-Ethiopia relationship has been at the vanguard of those between China and all African countries, and serves as a good example of unity among developing countries.

China will support Ethiopia's drive for prosperity, increase exchanges on governance, and boost practical cooperation in all fields, he added.

Mulatu said Ethiopia and China trust and sympathize with each other, and that the bilateral friendship enjoys a solid foundation. He also expressed appreciation for China's enduring support and assistance.

China expects positive results from summit

China expects positive results from the upcoming summit of BRICS leaders, Vice-Foreign Minister Li Baodong said on July 7.

The sixth leaders summit of BRICS - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - will be held in Brazil from July 15 to 16.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, Russian President Vladimir Putin, South African President Jacob Zuma and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend.

Li expects the summit to focus on four areas: the experiences of BRICS cooperation; developing BRICS by strengthening coordination; cooperation in the areas of trade, investment, finance, infrastructure and people-to-people exchanges; and expanding connections between the of BRICS and South American markets.

He said that the BRICS should build on the spirit of partnership and explore new avenues of cooperation. Speaking in one voice, BRICS should put forward uniform solutions to improve global economic governance, he added.

New strategic partnership with Africa

China has promoted a New China-Africa Strategic Partnership with the continent, in a white paper released by the Information Office of the State Council on July 10.

Named China's Foreign Aid (2014) the paper said the country has actively developed its cooperation with African countries, gradually expanded assistance to the region, and effectively promoted the comprehensive development of its relations with the continent.

In agricultural cooperation, China established 14 technology demonstration centers in Africa between 2010 and 2012 and sent a large number of experts there to carry out technical cooperation.

The country also gave support to infrastructure construction, building 86 infrastructure-related projects.

China assisted in the construction of 30 hospitals and 30 malaria prevention and control centers, providing 800 million yuan's worth of medical equipment and supplies and anti-malaria drugs, and training for over 3,000 medical staff in African countries.

China also built 150 primary and secondary schools in Africa and trained a total of 47,000 people of various professions during the three years.

It added that the country has also been helping African countries improve their ability to cope with climate change and has strengthened cooperation with them in meteorological satellite monitoring and new energy development among others.

King of Tonga prizes Chinese turboprop

King Tupou VI of Tonga has given his endorsement to the Chinese-made MA-60 turboprop plane after it displayed its abilities during an airshow in the country to mark the king's birthday on July 5. Huang Huaguang, the Chinese ambassador to Tonga, was onboard the flight.

The display comes shortly after New Zealand announced punitive measures against Tonga, including the suspension of tourism aid to the county, and a travel warning pertaining to the MA-60.

The row started when the Tongan government accepted the MA-60 as a gift from China in 2012. Chathams Pacific, a privately owned New Zealand airline that monopolized air services in Tonga for five years, withdrew from the country in March 2013, citing "unfair treatment" and "operational difficulties".

Mandela biopic to be released in China

The film Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom, will be released in China on July 18 to celebrate International Nelson Mandela Day, said its producer Anant Singh.

The movie will be distributed tomore than 1,000 screens by China Film Group Corporation, the state film distribution body.

Adopted from the autobiography of the same name, which was written by South Africa's former president Mandela, the film covers his life from an early age, his prison time, his appointment as president.

"The release in China is indeed fortuitous, especially as it is on Madiba's birthday and will be the first year that the world will commemorate this special occasion after his passing," Singh said.

This is the first time that a South African film has been widely released in China on the same terms as a Hollywood blockbuster. The release will also coincide with the formalization of a two-year cultural exchange program between South Africa and China, launched in Beijing in April.

Joint concerns voiced over Japan's shift

President Xi Jinping, and Park Geun-hye, the president of South Korea, shared their nations' concerns over Japan's new military policy after Tokyo announced a landmark shift in its military stance.

They also noted their countries' common painful past under Japanese militarism.

Xi, making a two-day visit to Seoul, met his counterpart at a lunch meeting, their second meeting in two days.

China Daily-Xinhua

(China Daily Africa Weekly 07/11/2014 page2)