2015年1月31日星期六

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Xi expresses sympathy to African leaders over Ebola outbreak



Xi expresses sympathy to African leaders over Ebola outbreak


















Xi expresses sympathy to African leaders over Ebola outbreak






Chinese President Xi Jinping has sent messages to presidents of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia respectively to show sympathy to the three African countries over the deaths in an outbreak of Ebola disease.In the messages sent to his Guinean counterpart Alpha Conde, Sierra Leone President Ernest Koroma and Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on Sunday, Xi expressed sympathy and solicitude for massive human and economic losses caused by the Ebola outbreak in the three countries, and appreciated the governments' efforts to fight against the epidemic.The Chinese president said that China is willing to support the three countries in containing the spread of Ebola.Xi said that, at this difficult time, the Chinese government and people will stand together with the governments and peoples of the three nations and are willing to offer anti-epidemic supplies to them.Calling China and Africa good brothers, friends and partners, Xi said the Chinese government and people will never forget that the African people will always extend timely support and assistance whenever the Chinese people encounter difficulties, Xi said.The Chinese leader also called on the international community to take action immediately and provide assistances to the nations affected by the disease, so that that they can overcome the epidemic and restore a normal life as early as possible.The Ebola virus, which spreads through bodily fluids with those infected, has killed 961 people and affected 1,779 others this year in West Africa, mostly in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.The World Health Organization warned on Friday that the disease is now a "public health emergency of international concern" and called for a coordinated international response to stop and reverse the international spread of Ebola.





Djiboutian President sends condolence to China over earthquake deaths



Djiboutian President sends condolence to China over earthquake deaths


















Djiboutian President sends condolence to China over earthquake deaths






Djiboutian President Ismail Omar Guelleh has sent a message of condolence to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, following a deadly earthquake that occurred on Sunday in southwest China's Yunnan province, leaving nearly 600 people dead.In his message, Guelleh said he was saddened by the tragedy and expressed his deepest sympathy for victims' families."At this very trying and sad moment, our thoughts are with the numerous victims, the injured persons and their families," the president wrote.





PLA chief to attend Shangri-La Dialogue



PLA chief to attend Shangri-La Dialogue


















PLA chief to attend Shangri-La Dialogue






Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Wang Guanzhong will lead the Chinese delegation to the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore from May 30 to June 2, a Defense Ministry spokesman said on Thursday.Wang will deliver a speech explaining the Asia security outlook proposed by President Xi Jinping at the fourth summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), Defense Ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng said at a monthly briefing on Thursday.Wang will also talk about Chinese military's application of the security outlook, international security cooperation, and will propose strengthening regional security cooperation.Wang will meet with military and defense leaders of related countries, exchanging views on regional security issues and bilateral military ties, Geng said.





Shanghai mulls restrictions for electric bikes

Shanghai mulls restrictions for electric bikes

Shanghai mulls restrictions for electric bikes


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The local legislature in Shanghai plans to discuss a draft regulation on restricting electric bikes as well as other non-motor vehicles in late March as they are pouring onto the city's streets and causing a slew of traffic accidents.

Whether to ban the sale and registration of overweight and over-speed e-bikes as well as how many persons a bicycle or e-bike can carry will be highlights of the hearing.

Earlier regulations introduced in 1998 required e-bikes to travel no faster than 20 km/h. But many on the road today are much faster than that.

Neither manufacturers nor retailers are willing to heed the rules. E-cyclists are equally complicit.

��You don't have to observe any traffic lights or any traffic regulations and you can ride anywhere, even on the sidewalk,�� said a salesman at an e-bike shop in a Shanghai suburb. ��You don't even need a driver's license.��

The draft regulation, however, stipulates that those non-motor vehicles without legal registration would be banned from the road, and violators could face a fine ranging from 50 to 200 yuan ($8 to $32).

It also requires cyclists or e-bike riders to carry only one juvenile under 12 years old. A fixed infant bicycle seat is a must for those who want to carry preschool children. Those aged between 12 and 16 are not allowed to carry anyone. The previous regulation forbid those under 12 years old to ride bicycles on the street.

Electric Bike Worldwide Reports said that of the roughly 29 million e-bikes sold worldwide, the United States and Europe accounted for only 80,000 and 1.02 million, respectively.

While bicycle ownership in China is much higher, at 470 million, there's no denying the popularity of e-bikes, whose numbers have been growing steadily and now total more than 120 million. Annual e-bike sales jumped from 1.5 million in 2002 to 4 million in 2003, and recently hit 26 million in 2011.



Three arrested for deadly factory blast_0



Three arrested for deadly factory blast


















Three arrested for deadly factory blast






Three senior managers of a factory rocked by a deadly explosion in East China's Jiangsu Province this month have been arrested.According to a statement from the Supreme People's Procuratorate on Wednesday, the Kunshan City Procuratorate of Jiangsu Province approved the arrest of Wu Chi-tao, chairman of the Taiwanese-invested Kunshan Zhongrong Metal Products Co., Ltd, along with the company's general manager and a manager in charge of the workplace safety.They are suspected of criminal liability for the explosion, the statement said.Under China's Criminal Law, the three may face a prison term up to seven years if they are convicted.The blast on Aug 2 gutted a wheel hub polishing workshop owned by Zhongrong in Kunshan, killing 75 people and injuring over 180.A preliminary investigation found that the explosion occurred following the ignition of excessive metal dust in the workshop. It is believed that serious dereliction of duty was behind the accident.





China launches top publication awards_0



China launches top publication awards


















China launches top publication awards






December 30, 2013 -- China launched its annual top publication awards on Tuesday, which will include new media such as Internet publications.


The State General Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television said in a statement that awards will go to 240 Chinese publications and individuals, including books, magazines, audio and video products, and electronic and Internet-based publications.


Applicants will be judged by a panel of experts, and the appraised publications and publishers must be sanctioned by the government, the statement said.


The administration will announce the results in November.







Search continues for 7 fishermen missing off Shanghai

Search continues for 7 fishermen missing off Shanghai

Search continues for 7 fishermen missing off Shanghai


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A search for 7 fishermen who disappeared after their boat sank off the coast of Shanghai was continuing on Monday, authorities said.

The city's Maritime Safety Administration lost contact with the 17-meter-long? wooden vessel the Hunanyu 400160 when it was about 6 nautical miles off Nanhui district at 6:57 pm on Sunday, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The administration said the boat was scheduled to dock before 6:30 pm, but the last time it heard from the boat was at 7:30 am when it arrived in the fishing area.

Patrol boats, aircraft and a towboat were sent to search for the sailors but failed to find anyone.

"We didn't find any remains of the boat, let alone the fishermen," said Pan Jiepei, spokeswoman for the administration, adding that three rescue boats were still searching for survivors on Monday.

Jin Zhirong, spokesman for the Donghai No 1 Air Rescue Service, told China Daily on Monday afternoon: "Visibility? is less than 3 kilometers on the sea at the moment. We're waiting for the wind to disperse the thick clouds."

The Maritime Safety Administration issued a strong-wind warning for small vessels on micro blog site Sina Weibo on Monday morning.



Chinese premier courts private investment in railways

Chinese premier courts private investment in railways

Chinese premier courts private investment in railways


Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has encouraged the China Railway Corporation (CRC) to further emancipate the mind and seek more social capital, the central government's website reported on Sunday. Photo: Xinhua

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang wants to see more private investors involved in railways, the central government's website reported on Sunday.Railways stabilize economic growth, enhance social harmony and will help urbanization, said Li during an inspection of the China Railway Corporation (CRC) on Friday. 0"But railways paid for solely by the government and managed by administrative order must become a thing of the past," said the premier, encouraging the CRC to seek innovative sources of new investment, key to railway reform.China has spent vast sums on railways in recent years. Changing the way they are financed is very high on the government's to-do list.The State Council came up with an action plan on railway financing in April, deciding to set up a fund open to private investment. The fund value is expected to reach 300 billion yuan (48.6 billion US dollars).In addition, 150 billion yuan of railway bonds will be issued this year, with overtures being made to banks to encourage them to fund railway projects. Central and western regions will be the top priority.Shortly after the State Council meeting, the CRC raised the bar on railway investment for 2014 to 800 billion yuan, hoping to bring over 6,600 kilometers of new track online."People in these (central and western) areas are eagerly looking forward to new railways, which will narrow the gap between the west and the east and bring them into the center of our nation's modernization process," said Li.According to HSBC chief China economist Qu Hongbin, China's rail freight accounts for a quarter of the world's total and passenger traffic is even busier, but, in terms of actual track, China has only six percent of the world's lines."Relatively weak railway capacity resulted in too much road traffic, which greatly increased logistical and environmental costs," said Qu.A disastrous bullet train crash in July 2011 brought an atmosphere of unprecedented caution to rail construction in China. Since then, it has become clear that the speedy development of the sector will fuel economic expansion, while benefiting the people by making it quicker and easier to get about.Railways are fundamental to China's development and their purpose cannot be achieved in any other feasible way, said Li."We should turn the great potential of railways into real productivity and make the sector a new engine of change," said the premier.

Japan's carmakers regain market share in China- Fitch

Japan's carmakers regain market share in China: Fitch

Japan's carmakers regain market share in China: Fitch


BEIJING, Aug. 6 -- Japanese automakers continue to enjoy robust volume growth in China, regaining some of the market share lost following a diplomatic dispute over the Diaoyu islands in September 2012, a report by rating agency Fitch said Tuesday.

The popularity of existing and new models is set to support solid growth in sales volumes for the top three Japanese automakers in the second half of 2014, namely Toyota, Honda and Nissan, according to Fitch.

The Japanese manufacturers, however, will have to face heightened competition from other international automakers which dominate the world's largest car market, to cope with a slowing of sales momentum in the second half of the year.

Fierce competition remains from market leaders such as Volkswagen and General Motors, as well as from Ford and Hyundai. The major European, Korean and U.S. automakers continue to expand their presence in China to capitalize on strong long-term growth prospects, Fitich said.

In the first half of this year, China's passenger car market grew to 9.6 million units, up 11.2 percent year-on-year.

According to statistics from automotive news portal auto.gasgoo.com, Japanese brands sold about 1.46 million cars in the first half, up 15.5 percent from the same period last year.

They had a combined market share of 16.5 percent in the first half of this year, a slight increase from the 16.4 percent for the same period of 2013 but still short of the over-20-percent level before the 2012 islands dispute.

Nissan, Toyota, Honda, Suzuki and Mazda all reported a year-on-year increase of more than 10 percent in the first six months.

Breaking it down, Nissan's sales volume rose 14 percent, lifting its market share to around 6 percent, while Toyota and Honda maintained their market shares of around 5 percent and 4 percent, respectively.

Fitch said it expects the double-digit growth in China's passenger car market to balance out in the second half to mid-to-high-single digits, as Chinese economic expansion slows. Regulatory factors could further temper market growth, such as more stringent environmental legislation.

Nevertheless, passenger car demand in China is set to remain solid over the medium term, it said.



2015年1月29日星期四

Report reveals danger in traditional herbs_10



Report reveals danger in traditional herbs


















Report reveals danger in traditional herbs






November 13, 2013 -- Traditional Chinese herbs are being contaminated with a toxic cocktail of pesticides that poses a threat to health and the environment, campaign group Greenpeace said yesterday.


Its tests revealed that up to 48 of 65 samples purchased from nine pharmacies tested positive for pesticide residue, including banned substances. Some residue levels were hundreds of times higher than EU food safety standards, Greenpeace East Asia reported.


The group found 51 different types of pesticide residue and 26 of the samples contained pesticides that are banned in China.


The samples included some from renowned producers such as Tongrentang, a Beijing-based pharmaceutical company founded in 1669 and the largest producer of traditional Chinese medicine, and the Yunnan Baiyao Group, famous for a medicine used to treat bleeding injuries.


"Chinese herbs are trusted and used as food ingredients for healing purposes by millions of people around the world. They are an iconic part of our heritage we must preserve. Chinese herbs should heal, not harm people and must be pesticide free," said Wang Jing, an ecological farming campaigner with Greenpeace East Asia.


Highly hazardous


"These test results expose the cracks in the current industrial agriculture system that is heavily reliant on toxic chemicals at the expense of human and environmental health," Wang said.


The tests found that 32 samples contained traces of three or more different pesticides. Dried sanqi flowers contained up to 39 kinds of pesticide, chrysanthemum up to 35 and honeysuckle flowers up to 21.


Ten pesticides classified by the World Health Organization as extremely or highly hazardous and six banned for use on Chinese herbs were found.


Pesticide residue in the sanqi flowers was 500 times over Europe's safe limit and that in honeysuckle flowers 100 times the limit.


Long-term exposure to pesticide residue in food may cause toxic chemicals to accumulate in the body. Chronic pesticide poisoning may lead to learning difficulties, hormone disruption and reproductive abnormalities.


Even leading traditional Chinese medicine makers don't set standards or carry out tests for pesticide residue, Greenpeace cliamed.


The "ugly side" of chemical-intensive agriculture is everywhere but in China in particular, said Kumi Naido, executive director of Greenpeace International.


Many farmers bought pesticides on the recommendation of local retailers rather than following professional guidelines from authorities or pesticide makers, Greenpeace said in its report.


Pesticide abuse in herb growing is only part of a much bigger problem, it said, which was the general failure of chemical-intensive agriculture to feed people safely while preventing environmental degradation. Greenpeace said the use of pesticides in Chinese agriculture was rising at about 3 percent a year.


Currently, the country uses almost 2 million tons of pesticide a year in agriculture. About 70 percent of those pesticides end up as hazardous pollution in water, soil and air.


Greenpeace is calling on companies to publicly disclose all pesticides used in the production of Chinese herbs and to provide a timeline aimed at reducing their use. It is also calling on China to impose stricter controls on pesticide use and allocate funds to support ecological farming.


None of the companies named in the Greenpeace report has commented so far.







Three Chinese officials investigated for corruption



Three Chinese officials investigated for corruption


















Three Chinese officials investigated for corruption






Prosecutors have opened investigations into two officials and transferred the case of another to prosecution for suspected abuse of power and bribery, said the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) Tuesday.Nong Xiaowen, former board chairman of the Guangxi Tourism Investment Group Co., Ltd., and Kong Xiangpeng, former deputy director of the Standing Committee of the Wuzhou Municipal People's Congress, are suspected of abusing power and taking bribes.They will undergo judicial investigation and be placed "under coercive measures," according to the SPP.Liao Xiaobo, former deputy director of the regional Development and Reform Commission, is suspected of taking bribes. His case was transferred to prosecution after the investigation was closed, the SPP said.





Chinese M&A appetite has declined, outlook remains positive, finds KPMG

Chinese M&A appetite has declined, outlook remains positive, finds KPMG

Chinese M&A appetite has declined, outlook remains positive, finds KPMG


Chinese companies indicated declining appetite for mergers and acquisitions in the first half of 2014, however the outlook remains positive, due to state reforms and changes in the macroeconomic environment, according to latest KPMG analysis.

The appetite for M&A among Chinese companies - as measured by predicted forward price-to-earnings ratios - dropped 6 percent between January and June 2014, equating to an increase of only 8 percent over 12 months. Meanwhile, global appetite for M&A grew 16 percent from a year ago, according to KPMG��s latest M&A Predictor.

Rupert Chamberlain, Head of Transaction Services, KPMG China, says: ��Sentiment in China has been hit by a combination of factors recently, impacting both local investor appetite and the market��s relative attractiveness for global fund allocators. Well documented anti-graft drive, measures to maintain property prices at affordable levels and export competitiveness have dampened broad demand and impacted profitability of enterprises evidenced by declining forward multiples. On the other hand part of the state sector reform agenda aimed at improving the competitiveness of domestic institutions and the longer term trend driven by macro issues, such as demographics, urbanization and new technology will continue to attract significant investment in specific sectors such that we still maintain a positive near term outlook for the China M&A market.��

Anticipated capacity for M&A, as measured by the net debt to EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization) ratios rose 17 percent in China year-on-year. This was higher than the global average of 13 percent for the same period. However, this is yet to translate into deal completions, which continued a downward trend.

According to KPMG analysis, deal values for Chinese outbound M&A edged down 4 percent year-on-year to USD35.6 billion in the first half of 2014, while deal volumes dropped nearly a quarter to 167. Highlights of outbound M&A include several deals completed in the natural resource sector in Australia, Canada and Peru.

In terms of inbound investment, a sharp drop in both values and volumes was noticed. A total of 204 deals were recorded through the first half of 2014, a 27 percent drop from 280 deals in the same time last year; deal value was down 24 percent to USD10.8 billion.

Consumer goods and services led all other inbound M&A sectors through the first half of 2014. Despite a slight decline in deal value versus 2013, transactions of a significant size continue to be prevalent in the diverse consumer goods and services sub-sectors. Meanwhile, the materials sector also bucked the downward trend seen in 2014.

Jeremy Fearnley, Head of M&A for Hong Kong at KPMG, adds: "China is continuing to support the outbound ambitions of its companies, having announced a relaxation in deals requiring NDRC approval from USD300 million to USD1 billion, effective from 8 May. This will allow Chinese companies to be more active in competitive bid situations. Difficulties still exist in terms of funding, however, due to the capital requirements for onshore borrowing in China and therefore we expect outbound deals to rely increasingly on debt and equity funding offshore, where lenders are generally more aggressive and the cost of finance is cheaper. In terms of sectors, we expect that the consumer space will continue to be a bright spot in the M&A arena for both inbound and outbound deals as multinationals, domestic companies and private equity firms invest to compete for a share of the growing Chinese middle classes' wallet."



Vice governor of China's Hainan province removed from post



Vice governor of China's Hainan province removed from post


















Vice governor of China's Hainan province removed from post






Tan Li, vice governor of south China's island province of Hainan, was removed from his post Wednesday, according to local government.The standing committee of the provincial people's congress voted for Tan's deposition.The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the CPC's anti-graft body, announced on July 8 that Tan was under investigation for suspected "serious law and discipline violations."Tan served for 27 years in southwest China's Sichuan Province before leaving for Hainan in 2009. He was Party chief of Mianyang City of Sichuan from 2004 to 2009.His case follows that of another disgraced vice governor of Hainan, Ji Wenlin, who was expelled from the CPC in early July for taking advantage of his posts to seek benefits for others, demanding and receiving a huge amount in bribes, and committing adultery.





Curator finds new life in China's art_1



Curator finds new life in China's art


















Curator finds new life in China's art






December 5, 2013 -- China-based art curator Tiffany Beres has recently completed the most challenging project of her career - organizing a major show at a prestigious new exhibition center in Paris.


The exhibition, L'Asie en Vogue, featured six Asian artists, including two from China, whose works depict how fashion features in modern life.


What made it particularly special was the venue: It was held in the former Paris home of legendary art and antiques dealer Loo Ching-tsai, which is built in the style of a Chinese pagoda.


The complex, in an up-market area of Paris, close to the Champs-Elysee, has been turned into a private museum that will be used for major exhibitions, and sales of Asian art, beginning with L'Asie en Vogue.


"We wanted the exhibition to build on C.T. Loo's legacy and take this tradition of art exchange into the West and present it in a really elegant way," says Beres, 29.


"They will be shown in the home where he lived, a real architectural marvel in itself."


Loo emigrated from China to Paris in the early 20th century and built up a business that obtained works for private collectors and museum curators in Europe and the United States.


Beres, who lives in Beijing and runs her own business, Lotus Art Consulting, was hired to curate the exhibition. The assignment allowed her to utilize a vast network of art and auction-world contacts built up during six years of living and working in China.


The American, whose mother is from Hong Kong, grew up in San Francisco, later attending Brown University before being awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study in China. After completing her studies in the lakeside city of Hangzhou, she moved north to Beijing, working for China Guardian auction house.


"I didn't grow up speaking much Chinese but I did start Chinese painting and calligraphy from the age of 4. It was something I was interested in and has stayed with me my whole life. When I went to university I took a course in Chinese art history which really changed my life. Song Dynasty (960-1127) painting is my special area. Having an understanding of art very much adds to your appreciation."


Learning the commercial ropes also gave Beres the confidence to launch Lotus Art Consulting, which obtains works for private collectors and museums. It made her a natural choice to help locate suitable candidates for the L'Asie en Vogue show.


"I was asked to bring something together that would bring together antique and contemporary, not just China but pan-Asia," Beres says. "We thought of this theme of textiles and costumes, which everyone understands and is familiar with. We worked with a New York collector for the antiquities."


The show attracted art connoisseurs who were lured by the pieces on display and also by the opportunity to browse around Paris Pagoda. The new owners, who are real-estate investors, want the venue to become a major center for showcasing Asian art and culture, as well as being used to host sales and auctions, cocktail receptions, luxury-brand launches, and even movie productions attracted by the striking architecture.


The international co-operation theme is a fitting legacy for an individual who acted as a conduit for such exchanges during an earlier era. Loo, who died in 1957, was famed in the Western world for his deep knowledge of art and antiques, gift for languages, and urbane manner, which allowed him to mix in all social circles.


"He was a self-made man who came from China not speaking a word of any other language, learned French and English and went all over the world and was able to set up these bridges," Beres says.







Xi's Mongolia trip to build closer neighborhood



Xi's Mongolia trip to build closer neighborhood


















Xi's Mongolia trip to build closer neighborhood






Chinese President Xi Jinping landed in Ulan Bator Thursday for a two-day state visit, the first trip of a Chinese head of state to the landlocked neighbor in 11 years.The fact that Mongolia is the only country in Xi's itinerary follows a new pattern in China's foreign policy under the new leadership, which has proposed "closeness, sincerity, sharing and inclusiveness" as key features of its neighborhood diplomacy.After the president's July trip to South Korea, the current one-country visit will mark another step forward for putting the new initiative into practice.While Mongolia's vast, largely untapped mineral reserves present great potential for cooperation with the world's second-largest economy, the landlocked country is also keen to upgrade its economy and improve trade structure to improve the livelihood of a population of nearly 3 million.Over the years, China, as a major trading partner and investor, has helped boost Mongolia's economic growth.Expectations are high that Xi's tour will raise bilateral ties to a new level, which has currently been at their best in history.Over the past 25 years, the two countries have seen their relations steadily progressing. In 2011, the two countries upgraded their ties to a strategic partnership.The high economic complementarity between the two neighbors has provided a ballast for their ties. China needs the coal, oil, minerals and livestock from Mongolia, while it can provide infrastructure, finance, technology support for its neighbor's modernization bid.During Xi's tour, the two sides are expected to discuss further cooperation in the development of mineral resources, infrastructure construction and financial cooperation. The coordinated promotion of the so-called "three-in-one" strategy serves as a cornerstone of their future cooperation.Sharing a land boundary of 4,710 kilometers, China and Mongolia have 14 border crossings for imports and exports. With Xi's visit, the two countries are highly likely to strike a deal on easier access for Mongolia to cross-border transport via China, thus providing a new growth point for the landlocked economy.To consolidate bilateral relations is a natural next step for both countries. Their mutual dependence is to ensure broad prospects for mutually-beneficial cooperation.China's exceptional attention to its neighbors, especially under the new leadership, is a further guarantee of blossoming bilateral relations.Its dedication to build an "amicable, tranquil and prosperous" neighborhood to support domestic development should eliminate any doubts China's neighbors might have about Beijing's intentions."A near neighbor is better than a distant cousin." The Chinese proverb might shed some light on Beijing's increasing emphasis on neighborhood diplomacy. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman recently compared the Mongolia tour to a "visit to relatives," which captured the intimacy between the leaders of the two countries.Xi is making the current trip at a time when the two nations are celebrating 65 years of their diplomatic ties. Hopes are high that the two countries will sustain and strengthen their friendly cooperation for the future. Xi's tour is likely to give it a push.





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Man gets 13 years over inciting self-immolation

Man gets 13 years over inciting self-immolation

Man gets 13 years over inciting self-immolation


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Phagpa, center, who is convicted of goading a monk to self-immolate and inciting split of the state, is brought into a court in Huangnan prefecture, Northwest China's Qinghai province, Feb 8, 2013. [Photo by Wang Huazhong/chinadaily.com.cn]

A man who was sentenced Friday to 13 years in prison for inciting monks to self-immolate said he repented his crime in a court in Qinghai province.

"I picked the wrong way, which is illegal," the 27-year-old man, Phagpa, said after hearing his verdict. "I was bewitched�� and I didn't watch my mouth. I will change if I have the opportunity."

The Intermediate People's Court of the Huangnan Tibetan autonomous prefecture found Phagpa, of Dowa village, Tongren county, guilty of attempted homicide and inciting the split of the State.

Phagpa, whose penname is Jangnyong, meaning wild wolf in Tibetan, wore jeans, a white jacket and neat hair to the trial.

He said he will not appeal the sentence.

Over 100 people, including Phagpa's relatives, local legislators, political advisers and religious figures, heard the trial.

The trial proceeded in both Tibetan and Mandarin.

In June and July, the defendant helped plant thoughts such as, "Self-immolators are heroes who sacrificed lives for Tibetan freedom," and "Self-immolation is good for Tibetan freedom," twice to Drolma Je, a monk at the Dowa Monastery, the court heard.

After Phagpa's urging, Drolma Je bought petrol, cotton and prepared for self-immolation as he checked into the Yongqing Hotel in the county seat on Nov 18.

Drolma Je then called his cousin. The latter learned of Drolma Je's plan and persuaded him to give up the thought the next morning, on Nov 19.

They left the hotel after pouring the petrol into the toilet.

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A camp that gives a genuine experience_4



A camp that gives a genuine experience


















A camp that gives a genuine experience






December 23, 2013 -- Italian Michela Orsi is visiting China thanks to a youth camp that focuses on giving young people an authentic taste of China.


Held by the Beijing Foreign Studies University, the summer camp, called "You and Me, in Beijing", provides an international platform combining education with entertainment.


It has attracted young people from 17 cities in 14 countries over the past five years.


"It is my first time traveling abroad and also my first time with a Chinese family," Orsi said. "Everything here is different from Italy."


The 15-year-old from Maglie in Italy studied Chinese for a year before her 10-day trip.


As a part of the trip, Orsi was invited to stay with a Chinese family in Beijing on Sunday.


"Compared with studying Chinese in foreign countries, overseas students can learn a great deal when they spend time with Chinese people," said Sun Yan, a teacher accompanying the Italian students on the program.


Sun has been working for the Confucius Institute at the University of Rome for three years. "The institute organizes Italian students to visit China every summer," she said.


"Not every family can afford to give their children financial support to travel abroad. But for a foreign student studying Chinese it would be regrettable if they could not visit China," she said.


The program also includes visiting places of interest, art appreciation and folk customs.


About 200 students from 10 countries who are registered students at Confucius Institutes or students of primary and secondary school courses of Confucius Institutes attended the summer camp this year.


The institutes cooperate closely with foreign universities and schools.


In a language class on Monday, Dimitra Kaneva said the sentence "my father is a policeman" in Chinese.


Before coming to Beijing for the summer camp, although she had been studying Chinese for two years and mastered more than 600 characters, Dimitra, a 15-year-old from Bulgaria, said she could not speak Chinese well.


Now she understands the tones better.


Feng Ruoyu, one of the language teachers in the summer camp, said they designed the syllabus in accordance with the activities that students participated in during the camp.


"For example, teachers got the overseas students to use Chinese words, phrases and sentences about prices and bargaining before they went shopping," she said.


Feng said they focused more on vocabulary rather than grammar.


"By practicing in real situation, the students learn faster," she said.


Dimitra said she had been interested in China and Chinese culture since she was a little girl.


She said she had been fascinated by Chinese buildings and had been looking forward to seeing the Forbidden City ever since she saw The Last Emperor.


"The Forbidden City is great," she said after a visit there. "Just like what I saw in the movie."


Dimitra also studied calligraphy and tai chi, a kind of traditional Chinese shadow boxing.


"Last year, I displayed my calligraphy and I took part in a tai chi competition in my school," she said.


Roger Jaurena, a 17-year-old from Barcelona, Spain, introduced a castanvela, a Spanish musical instrument to his Chinese friends.


"People in southern Spain often use it in flamenco, a traditional Spanish dance," he said.


Jaurena had been interested in China and itsculture for a long time. He is studying Chinese at the Confucius Institute in Barcelona.


Chen Hanqi, a 10-year-old primary school student in Beijing said this is the first time he played with people from other countries.


"Foreigners are hospitable, open-minded and full of energy, which I should learn from," he said.