Najib said this in response to Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir's call in Parliament yesterday that vernacular schools be closed down to foster greater unity.

"It is important for the Chinese and Indian communities to have these schools because it is where they instill values (in their children)," said Najib.

"The Chinese community, especially, has no uniformed religion, so the presence of these schools are important to instill values. Although the issue is debatable, the rights of each race to ...]]> China Tue, 02 Dec 2008 17:16:18 +0800 /articles/08/1203/165335/MTY1MzM1XCOdmLbI.html

Investment in soccer could also boost Australia's exporting and diplomatic efforts, thanks to the surging popularity of the sport in Asia.

Researcher and economist John Wilkinson says universities could leverage Australia's membership of the Asian Football Confederation by offering training programs for Asia's new breed of football administrator.

Dr Wilkinson estimates the 2018 World Cup could contribute $5.4 billion to the local economy if Football Federation Australia is successful in its bid to host the Cup, which runs for five weeks and is considered the biggest sporting event in the world.

He also says soccer could be the avenue for deepening cultural contacts with the region.

"Encouraging more Asians to travel to Australia (given the rise in Asian overseas travel) necessitates gettin...]]> China Tue, 02 Dec 2008 17:04:44 +0800 /articles/08/1203/165334/MTY1MzM09rcfDuCH.html BEIJING, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- China attaches importance to humanitarian problems resulting from cluster bombs and supports international efforts to resolve this issue, Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told a press conference on Tuesday.

Liu said that "China would continue its effort with other parties for an early and proper solution on the humanitarian problems arising from cluster bombs."

He said a government experts' group, under the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), had been working to ban cluster bombs, and China had taken an active and constructive part in its work.

The CCW took effect in 1981. It bans or restricts the use of specific types of weapons that are considered to cause unnecessary or unjustifiable suffering to combatants or to affect civilians indiscriminately.

Cluster bombs can spread hundreds of bomblets over a target area. Many of these fail to explode immediately, posing a threa...]]> China Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:14:14 +0800 /articles/08/1203/165333/MTY1MzMztWm4Zq5v.html Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi(L) meets with Philippine President Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo in Hong Kong, China, on Dec. 2, 2008. The two sides discussed Sino-Philippine bilateral relations on the sidelines of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Asia Meeting. (Xinhua/Wong Pun Keung)
Photo Gallery>>>

HONG KONG, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi met here Tuesday with Philippine President Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo to discuss Sino-Philippine bilateral relations on the sidelines of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Asia Meeting.

Yang hailed the smooth proceeding of the Sino-Philippine relations, noting that the Chinese government attaches great importance to the development of relations between the two countries.

Yang said China is willing to make concerted efforts with the Philippines to promote high-level exchanges, deepen mutual cooperation, withstand the international financ...]]> China Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:13:58 +0800 /articles/08/1203/165332/MTY1MzMyzypT1ori.html BEIJING, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Senior officials of the communist parties of China and India on Tuesday pledged to cement party ties.

Li Changchun, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, met with a delegation of the Indian Communist Party (Marxist), headed by Sitaram Yechury.

In talks here, Li and Yechury exchanged views on bilateral ties and party-to-party relations.

Noting China and India are large developing countries, Li said it was China's established policy and strategic decision to develop a long-term, stable good-neighbor relationship with India.

Deeper bilateral cooperation brought tangible benefits to both nations, Li said.

Li said China would like to work with India to address mutual concerns.

On inter-party ties, Li said the Indian Communist Party (Marxist) has done a lot of work to promote bilateral ties.

"The CPC will step up exchange and coop...]]> China Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:13:44 +0800 /articles/08/1203/165331/MTY1MzMx3h3gF6P3.html Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi(L) meets with Singapore Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew in Hong Kong, China, on Dec. 2, 2008, during the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Asia Meeting. (Xinhua/Wong Pun Keung)
Photo Gallery>>>

HONG KONG, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi met Singapore Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew here Tuesday on the sidelines of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Asia Meeting to exchange views of China-Singapore bilateral relations.

During his talks with Lee, Yang said China and Singapore had maintained close contact and the bilateral relations between the two countries had developed rapidly in recent years with satisfying results, such as the operation of the China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park and the good beginning of Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City.

Yang said China is willing to work together with Singapore to promote the relations between the two countr...]]> China Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:13:29 +0800 /articles/08/1203/165330/MTY1MzMwFGzVGBgT.html

"At this moment, I still think China's GDP will rise 9percent in 2009. The likelihood of this scenario is more than70 percent," Wang Tongsan, a senior CASS researcher, said in anews release setting out its forecasts for next year.

But Wang attached two conditions to the scenario: that theU.S. economy touches bottom soon and that China's pro-growtheconomic policies have a clear impact.

The central bank slashed borrowing costs by 1.08 percentagepoints last week, the deepest cut in 11 years, to complement a4 trillion yuan ($586 billion) stimulus plan unveiled on Nov.9.

CASS's forecasts for 2009 include:

-- consumer prices to rise 4 percent on average;

-- fixed-asset investment to rise 20 percent;

-- the trade surplus to come out at $236.9 billion;

-- retail sales to rise 16 percent;

-- broad M2 money supply to grow 16-17 percent;

--...]]> China Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:03:01 +0800 /articles/08/1203/165329/MTY1MzI5zkVBRu82.html

U.S. President-elect Barack Obama said Clinton was hischoice for the post when he announced his national securityteam on Monday.

"We are looking forward to working with her," ChineseForeign Minister Yang Jiechi said at the 2008 Clinton GlobalInitiative meeting in Hong Kong.

Clinton has said the U.S. relationship with China will bethe most important bilateral relationship in the world thiscentury.

Noting China's support was crucial in striking amultilateral deal to disable North Korea's nuclear facilities,she has said: "We should build on this framework to establish anortheast Asian security team."

Yang was in Hong Kong for the two-day conference thatbrings together Asian political and business leaders,celebrities and humanitarians to address the region's problemsin education, energy and climate change, and public health.

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton agreed to make publicthe nam...]]> China Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:02:46 +0800 /articles/08/1203/165328/MTY1MzI463SOQMmK.html

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's top economic policy makers willconvene next week to plot how to secure growth of at least 8percent in 2009, government officials said on Tuesday.

Beijing has dramatically relaxed its policy stance inrecent weeks out of concern that the global financial crisis isbadly damaging growth and job creation in the world'sfourth-largest economy, risking social instability.

The annual central economic work conference, which willtake place from Monday until Wednesday, will discuss how toimplement the recently adopted "expansive" fiscal policy and"moderately easy" monetary settings, one of the officials said.

"The meeting will focus on making arrangements to implementthe revised policies and will set a goal of 8 percent for 2009economic growth," he said. The official declined to be named ashe is not authorised to speak to the media.

Annual GDP growth slowed to 9.0 percent in the third...]]> China Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:02:31 +0800     BEIJING, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Top official Zhou Yongkang on Tuesday urged local authorities to further boost the economy in the southern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, gateway to southeast Asia.

    Guangxi should strive to be the first among western China's provinces and autonomous regions to build an all-round, well-off society, Zhou said.

    His comments came nine days before the 50th anniversary of the region.

    Zhou, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said the region had achieved dramatic economic and social progress in the past five decades.

    He attributed the achievements to the joint efforts of the CPC central committee, the central government and people of all ethnic groups in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

    ...]]> China Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:01:17 +0800 /articles/08/1202/165325/MTY1MzI1KFUmcJyg.html
]]> China Tue, 02 Dec 2008 13:59:13 +0800 /articles/08/1202/165324/MTY1MzI0YDBY0yzz.html

Launching its inaugural guide to restaurants and hotels in Hong Kong and Macau, Michelin inspectors gave three stars to Lung King Heen, a Cantonese restaurant in the Four Seasons hotel run by Chinese chef Chan Yan-tak.

They also awarded three stars to Robuchon's Robuchon a Galera, in the Grand Lisboa casino resort in Macau, and two to L'Atelier de Joel Rubuchon in Hong Kong.

Lung King Heen, which translates to "view of the dragon", and Robuchon a Galera were the only restaurants to secure three stars in the new guide.

Jean-Luc Naret, director of the Michelin guides, said the company had been monitoring Chan's career very closely, and that the restaurant had been inspected 12 times to give it the three-star approval.

"We have followed him for a few years, ...]]> China Tue, 02 Dec 2008 13:58:04 +0800 /articles/08/1202/165323/MTY1MzIzyIwG7Lnj.html China Tue, 02 Dec 2008 13:57:51 +0800 /articles/08/1202/165320/MTY1MzIwirMT5lGP.html WASHINGTON: The outgoing US President, George Bush, says hisbiggest regret in office was US intelligence that incorrectlystated Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.

"A lot of people put their reputations on the line and said theweapons of mass destruction is a reason to remove Saddam Hussein,"Mr Bush said in an interview with the US ABC TV network.

"It wasn't just people in my Administration. A lot of members inCongress, prior to my arrival in Washington DC, during the debateon Iraq, a lot of leaders of nations around the world were alllooking at the same intelligence. I wish the intelligence had beendifferent."

Weeks before leaving office on January 20, Mr Bush would notspeculate on whether he would have ordered the invasion of Iraq in2003 had the intelligence been correct. "That is a do-over that Ican't do."

He also said he was not prepared for war when terrorists struckthe United States on September 11, 2001, eight months into ...]]> China Tue, 02 Dec 2008 13:53:31 +0800 /articles/08/1202/165313/MTY1MzEzc1kPDEeM.html China Tue, 02 Dec 2008 13:38:45 +0800 /articles/08/1202/165312/MTY1MzEy9whK2xty.html China Tue, 02 Dec 2008 13:20:51 +0800 /articles/08/1202/165308/MTY1MzA4IpfTmckS.html

South Korea-based Hynix had planned to sell a stake worth$100 million to Numonyx as the latter sought to boost its controlover the Chinese chip plant. It already sold half the stake andwas supposed to sell the rest by the end of this year.

Hynix said in a filing with the Korea Exchange the remaining$50 million deal would now be completed by the end of 2009.

Numonyx is a joint venture owned by STMicroelectronics(STM.PA: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), Intel Corp (INTC.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Francisco Partners. (Reporting by Rhee So-eui; Editing by Jonathan Hopfner)

OGP said the two firms' diesel stockpiles hit a record highof 51.6 million barrels in October, up from 46.8 million barrelsin September. Gasoline stockpiles rose to 33.1 million barrelsfrom 30.9 million in the prior month.

Guangxi's neighbour in southwestern China, Yunnan province,has said it will purchase metals and minerals to help shore upprices, an announcement that lifted international tin prices.

"This is something the central government and the regionalgovernment will consider, within the context of national policy,because metals prices are indeed falling," said Guo Shengkun,formerly an executive with a large Chinese metals firm.

He did not specify which metals would be involved. Guangxi isan important producer of alumina, aluminium, tin, indium andother minor metals.

(Reporting by Lucy Hornby, editing by Tom Miles)

By Alfred Cang and Rujun Shen

SHANGHAI, Dec 2 (Reuters) - A labour dispute at ShenzhenZhongjin Lingnan Nonfemet Co Ltd (000060.SZ: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), China'sthird-largest zinc producer, has been resolved and has notaffected output, company officials said on Tuesday.

"There was no impact on output," an executive at ShaoguanSmelter, the state-run company's only smelter and site of thedispute, told Reuters by telephone.

The executive added that the dispute, which broke out onMonday, had not occurred during working hours.

An official with the listed company's investor relationsoffice confirmed there was no impact on production.

The smelter executive, who declined to be identified due tothe sensitive nature of the topic, said some contractors hadprotested against changes in the renewal process for theiremployment contracts. The changes were subsequently dropped.

Yang Jiechi said that with genuine cooperation the world could find a replacement for the Kyoto Protocol on time and added that his country would not try to evade its part of the burden.

Beijing's climate change ambassador had warned less than two months earlier that negotiations were troubled and the outlook for a deal was grim as rich countries stalled on promises to transfer green technology.

"If we work together, we will be able to meet the target set by the Bali road map," Yang said at the 2008 Clinton Global Initiative meeting in Hong Kong.

China has pledged to reduce its energy intensity by around 20 percent from 2005 to 2010, Yang said.

"We will not shirk our responsibilities. Although we foresee continuous growth of energy consumption in China, we will try to control the pace as much as possible."

About 10,600 delegates from 186 governments, businesses and environmental groups are meeting in t...]]> China Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:14:29 +0800 /articles/08/1202/165303/MTY1MzAz092hxFZR.html

It said it was buying advertising agency W&K Communicationsfor an undisclosed sum.

Founded in 2004, the company employs nearly 100communications specialists split between offices in Beijing andGuangzhou and working in the advertising, promotions, televisionproduction and media-buying sectors.

Publicis' previous acquisitions in China include EmporioAsiain May 2008, CCG in 2007, and Betterway Marketing Solutions andEmotion in 2006.

W&K Communications, whose major clients include Air China(0753.HK: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), Mengniu Dairy (2319.HK: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), Yutong Bus (600066.SS: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) andbrewer Tsingtao (0168.HK: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), will be renamed Leo Burnett W&KBeijing Advertising Co, Publicis said.

According to ZenithOptimedia forecasts, Chinese advertisingexpenditure has more than tripled since 2...]]> China Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:14:14 +0800 /articles/08/1202/165302/MTY1MzAyoFlEaswL.html

By Lucy Hornby

BEIJING, Dec 2 (Reuters) - China's minerals-rich borderregion of Guangxi will consider purchasing metals to helpsupport prices, but has not yet decided, its party secretary GuoShengkun said on Tuesday.

Guangxi's neighbour in southwestern China, Yunnan province,said on Monday it would purchase up to 1 million tonnes of basemetals and minerals and hold them for one year to help shore upprices, an announcement that briefly lifted tin futures inLondon by over 5 percent. [ID:nHKG177952]

"This is something the central government and the regionalgovernment will consider, within the context of national policy,because metals prices are indeed falling," said Guo, whoformerly headed Aluminium Corp of China, or Chinalco, thecountry's giant state-owned aluminium and alumina producer, andits listed unit Chalco (2600.HK: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz).

The Yunnan plan, details of which are n...]]> China Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:13:59 +0800 /articles/08/1202/165301/MTY1MzAxDNxF5I6e.html

But China, which claims Taiwan as a renegade breakaway province and often censors films that do not follow the government line, denied there had been any delay.

Chinese authorities gave a surprise November go-ahead for an uncut version of "Cape No. 7" for its huge cinema audiences, director Wei Te-sheng said in October.

But on November 19, a day before the film was set to screen, a distributor in China notified its Taiwan counterpart that the film would be delayed indefinitely, said You Chen-kuo, a section chief in the Taiwan Government Information Office's film division.

"They wrote that they needed to make adjustments for some problems so the film would be put off," he said.

China's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television denied the release had been delayed while an official from the film's China distributor said it was still preparing for a release. The movie is already widely available in China on pirated ...]]> China Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:13:43 +0800 /articles/08/1202/165300/MTY1MzAwKf7l7BXn.html     XI'AN, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Eleven girl students at a secondary school in northwest China's Shaanxi Province have been confirmed dead of carbon monoxide poisoning, a provincial government official said on Tuesday.

    Another girl was still in serious condition as of Tuesday noon.

    The students were poisoned on Monday night when trying to make a fire to keep warm in their room at the Duiziliang Secondary School in Yulin City, the official said.

    Further details were not available at this moment.

    The province's vice governor Zhu Jingzhi, along with some other officials with the provincial educational and health departments, has arrived at the school to investigate the case.

    Low visibility caused a bus, with 36 passengers, to rear-end a truck. A trailing car then hit the bus.

    This all happened at 8:00 a.m. on the highway connecting Guizhou and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, police said.

    The bus driver and six passengers had been trapped in the wreckage for hours. The driver died after being pulled out by rescuers. The six others were seriously injured and were sent to a hospital, police said.

    So far, there has been no word on the conditions of the people in the truck.

    As for the driver of the car, he was hit and killed by a separate vehicle while checking on damage...]]> China Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:06:29 +0800 /articles/08/1202/165298/MTY1Mjk4gCBvZH6e.html Special Report: U.S. presidential election 2008

Profile: Hillary Clinton, next standard-bearer of U.S. diplomacy

Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton wave to the crowd during a campaign rally in Orlando, Florida October 20, 2008.(Xinhua/Reuters File Photo)Photo Gallery>>>

    Clinton invited a number of VIP guests to the beginning session of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) globalization forum, including Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and the India-based SUN Group Vice Chairman Uday Nabha Khemka. President-elect Barack Obama takes questions from reporters during a news...]]> China Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:05:35 +0800 /articles/08/1202/165297/MTY1Mjk3Bk1L6Wbt.html     BEIJING, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- China and the Republic of Korea (ROK) will hold the first high-level strategic dialogue between diplomatic departments on Dec. 11, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman announced here Tuesday.

    Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told a regular press conference here Tuesday afternoon that the dialogue will be held by Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wang Guangya and Vice Minister of ROK Foreign Affairs and Trade Kwon Jong-rak.

    This dialogue was settled by Chinese President Hu Jintao and ROK President Lee Myung bak during Hu's state visit to ROK in August, which, through discussions on major issues of common concern, aimed at strengthening the two countries' communication on foreign policies and international situation.

    Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao made the remarks at a regular press conference on Tuesday.

    "China is Thailand's friendly neighbor and we are concerned about its situation. We hope Thailand will resume social stability and economic development as early as possible, which is in the interest of the Thai people as well as the stable development of the region," Liu said.

    Thailand's anti-government People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) held mass protests and besieged the Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports in a showdown to topple the government. It led to a large number of flight cancellations which stranded tens of thousands of foreign travelers.

    The country's Constitution Court...]]> China Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:05:06 +0800 /articles/08/1202/165295/MTY1Mjk1iehAa4R4.html     PHNOM PENH, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- China's top political advisor Jia Qinglin arrived here Tuesday, starting an official goodwill visit as guest of Cambodian Senate President Chea Sim.

    In a written statement delivered upon arrival at the airport, Jia said China and Cambodia are friendly neighbors and the two peoples enjoy time-honored traditional friendship.

    Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China-Cambodia friendship has grown from strength to strength, said Jia, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

    He said the two countries have carried out effective exchanges and cooperation in the political, economic and trade, cultural and other fields and maintained good coordination and cooperation in international and regional affairs.

    "Th...]]> China Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:04:51 +0800 /articles/08/1202/165294/MTY1Mjk0TnlLJLsU.html     ZHENGZHOU, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- An investigation is in progress into an incident in which three Belgian journalists scuffled with villagers in central China's AIDS zone on Nov. 27, a provincial government spokesman said on Tuesday.

    The journalists from the Beijing branch of the Belgian Vlaamse Radio-en Televiaieomroep (Flemish Radio and Television Network) got into a conflict with villagers and officials in Shangqiu City, Henan Province, three days before World AIDS Day, said Wang Yuejin, spokesman of the foreign affairs bureau of the provincial government.

    The provincial government appointed an investigation team on Tuesday, and the team headed for Shangqiu, Wang said.

    The three journalists, all male, including a journalist named Tom Van de Weghe, a cameraman and an interpreter, arrived at Gangwang Village, Zhecheng County in Shan...]]> China Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:04:38 +0800 /articles/08/1202/165293/MTY1Mjkz4zwirEmR.html     BEIJING, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- China on Tuesday voiced hope of success for the Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED) with the United States later this week, saying that both sides will make efforts for this goal.

    "The SED is an important mechanism initiated by state leaders of both countries to promote the healthy and stable development of Sino-U.S. economic relations. It is proven to promote in-depth discussions on some strategic, comprehensive issues," foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told a regular press conference.

    The two countries have deepened understanding and pushed forward bilateral economic ties, according to Liu.

    The fifth round of the SED is to be held here from Thursday to Friday. During the meeting, Chinese and U.S. officials will discuss a wide range of issues such as macro-economic policy, the financial crisis, ene...]]> China Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:04:23 +0800 /articles/08/1202/165285/MTY1Mjg1yXEF7wdi.html     TAIPEI, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) reelected Chiang Pin-kun as its chairman here Tuesday.

    Addressing the SEF board meeting after his election, Chiang, who just led the organization through recent talks with the mainland, said: "the two sides of the Strait still have a lot to discuss so the SEF and mainland-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) have a lot of work to do," .

    The SEF and ARATS agreed at their meeting in Taipei last month to talk about establishing regular cross-Strait exchanges regarding financial business, investment, industry and fishing in their next round of talks.

    "We will follow the agenda of discussion and try to reach the agreements as soon as possible," Chiang Pin-kun said.

    A date for that meeting has not been set, h...]]> China Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:01:51 +0800 /articles/08/1202/165283/MTY1MjgzUtHamBVC.html

Alonzo Bland, 33, and brothers Walt and David Anderson, 56 and 50, have lived in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin since the middle of this year as part of an effort to break away from their unhealthy lifestyles back home.

Together, they have lost a combined 192 kilogrammes (427 pounds) and are aiming to shed over 100 more.

"The reason why I think it works here is that China is away from everything, all the stuff that I'm familiar with," said Alonzo, who has lost 103 kilogrammes from the 291 kilos he weighed when he first arrived in Tianjin.

He decided to come after winning a contest organised by China Connection, a US firm promoting traditional Chinese medicine, and was being treated free of charge for as long as it took to lose his target weig...]]> China Tue, 02 Dec 2008 09:12:47 +0800 /articles/08/1202/165278/MTY1Mjc4bNcHWcLw.html China Tue, 02 Dec 2008 09:08:30 +0800 /articles/08/1202/165273/MTY1MjczyCD4qR4H.html

The health ministry also said six babies may have died from consuming poisoned milk, up from a previous confirmed death toll of three.

The updated figures showed the problem over contaminated milk in China this year was much greater than the government had acknowledged for months, after it said in late September that just 53,000 babies had fallen ill.

Melamine is a chemical normally used to make plastics, but it emerged in September that it had been routinely mixed into watered-down Chinese milk and dairy products to give the impression of higher protein content.

Melamine can cause kidney stones if taken in excessive levels, and babies who were fed tainted milk powder suffered the worst because they consumed so much of the chemical.

The ministry said the 2...]]> China Tue, 02 Dec 2008 08:18:04 +0800 /articles/08/1202/165266/MTY1MjY2AiWOMcSW.html The accident happened around 8:30 a.m. when a coal-laden truck and a bus collided on National Highway 314. The two vehicles were damaged badly in the accident, said a witness.

From the Chinese characters painted on the truck, it belonged to the third branch of the Third Transport Company with Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps.

And the plate on the bus suggested the vehicle left Artux in southwestern Xinjiang and was heading for Urumqi, the regional capital, in the north, according to the witness. The bus had 29 seats.

As of 11 a.m., 11 injured people were rushed to the nearest hospital. One person was still stuck in the debris, and there were life signs, said rescuers.

Rescue operation is underway. Fate of both drivers were unknown.

Cause of...]]> China Tue, 02 Dec 2008 08:01:20 +0800 /articles/08/1202/165265/MTY1MjY1WC5ETrnv.html Liang, also a state councilor, made the remarks during a meeting with Singapore's Chief of Defense Force Desmond Kuek Bak Chye.

Liang said bilateral relations have made considerable progress since China and Singapore forged diplomatic ties, with frequent high-level visits and cooperation.

He said that China is willing to deepen pragmatic cooperation with Singapore. The cooperation of the two military forces accords with the fundamental interests of both sides.

He also expressed appreciation of Singapore's firm adherence to the one-China policy.

Kuek said it was his first official visit to China since he became the defense chief. His visit was aimed at promoting military ties.

He extended congratulation to China on its successful hosting of the Beij...]]> China Tue, 02 Dec 2008 08:00:37 +0800 /articles/08/1202/165264/MTY1MjY0xecb48rX.html In a telephone conversation, the two sides exchanged views on enhancing bilateral cooperation, jointly coping with the ongoing world financial crisis, pushing forward the Doha round of trade negotiations and fighting global trade protectionism.

They spoke highly of the positive results of the China-U.S. Strategic Economic Dialogue and agreed to put into action the consensus reached by leaders of the two countries, to prepare well to ensure the success of the Fifth China-U.S. Economic Dialogue and to promote the continued development of economic and trade ties and the constructive cooperation between the two countries.

ELCHK Truth Lutheran Church Reverend Wong talks to the press about a special prayer session for the family of deceased Deacon David Yik. [China Daily] 

The government on Sunday said it wouldn't arrange chartered flights due to limited capacity of the military airfield at Utap...]]> China Tue, 02 Dec 2008 08:00:05 +0800 /articles/08/1202/165262/MTY1MjYyrs6YhCvJ.html Stephen Johnson, head of the United States' Environmental Protection Agency, visited Tonji University in Shanghai on Monday, just days ahead of the 5th Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED) between China and the US.

Head of the United States' Environmental Protection Agency Stephen Johnson with Tongji University president Fei Gang in Shanghai on December 1, 2208. [Gao Erqiang] 

At a press conference he declined to comment on the recommendations his ministry will make at the two-day talks in Beijing, saying people would "just have to wait".

He did, however, offer one recommendation, expressing the need for the office to recognize the importance of US-China relations and those created by the SED, which was formed in 2006 under President Hu Jintao and outgoing US President George W. Bush.

"That relationship needs to, and should, continue to grow and develop under some forum, whether it's the Strategic Econom...]]> China Tue, 02 Dec 2008 07:59:50 +0800 /articles/08/1202/165259/MTY1MjU5298pZZsM.html
Experts with the MOH and provincial health departments had looked into 11 infant death cases since September across the country, and had ruled out connection to the tainted milk powder in five cases, the ministry said on its website.

They could not, however, rule out such possibility in the rest six cases, it said.

Four of the six cases occured in Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Guizhou and Shaanxi Provinces respectively, while the rest two cases occurred in the northwestern province of Gansu.

It did not give any further details.

Previous reports said three babies, including two in Gansu Province and one in Zhejiang Province, had already been confirmed by the ministry to have died from consuming the tainted milk from May to August.

The ministry did not make it clear whether the three confirmed cases were included in the six...]]> China Tue, 02 Dec 2008 07:25:35 +0800 /articles/08/1202/165258/MTY1MjU4xxqiavJj.html President Hu Jintao called on Monday for spreading AIDS prevention knowledge to the public and helping each AIDS patient, during his visit to a hospital in Beijin on World AIDS Day.(Xinhua Photo)

BEIJING, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- President Hu Jintao called for spreading AIDS prevention knowledge to the public and helping each AIDS patient, during his visit to a Beijing hospital on Monday, the World AIDS Day.

It was the third time in five years that Hu inspected AIDS prevention work by meeting medical staff, researchers and patients.

Hu's hand-to-hand contact with HIV/AIDS patients is intended to help remove the social stigma of AIDS in China. The widely reported, high-profile event showcased the government's resolve to tackle the growing AIDS problem in China.

Wearing a crimson ribbon, Hu shook hands with two women who have been infected by HIV and asked questions about their health and living conditions at Ditan Hospital's Red Ribbon Center.

The cente...]]> China Tue, 02 Dec 2008 07:25:20 +0800