Politics

A cluster of cities in the central China province of Hunan has been designated the country's first experimental zone for energy-saving and environment programs according to the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). The cities of Changsha, Zhuzhou, Xiangtan, and Wuhan were chosen because they are part of China's industrial heartland, and a lack of resources and environmental pollution have impeded their development.

Whatever the outcome of UN-led climate talks in Indonesia, China will stick to its energy-saving and pollution control program. Xie Zhenhua, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), said the government had commissioned a manual on ways to cut emissions and save energy as part of its efforts to transform the everyday lives of Chinese people. If every Chinese person took one hour a day to follow the suggestions of the manual, Xie said, the country would save the energy equivalent of 200 million tons of coal a year, or 450 million tons in carbon emissions.

Politics

Australia's new prime minister, Kevin Rudd, has proposed to Chinese premier Wen Jiabao that Australia act as a bridge between China and the West on the issue of climate change. Rudd, who speaks fluent Chinese, made the offer during a 20-minute telephone conversation after Wen called to congratulate him on his decision to ratify the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse-gas emissions. Wen had sought Rudd's cooperation in future climate change talks, the Australian national newspaper reported.

The Ministry of Finance and the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) on Wednesday formally released the new government procurement list covering 33 types of energy-saving products, 15 more than the previous list. Among the new products were rice cookers, washing machines, DVD players, induction cookers, water coolers, projectors, gas heaters, power switches, cooking utensils, and shower rooms. The Government Purchase Law took effect on January 1, 2003. In the nearly five years since, official statistics show, about 5.1 billion yuan (692 million US dollars) was saved in government procurement costs.

China concluded its three-day 2007 Central Economic Work Conference on Wednesday with a pledge to shift its monetary policy from "prudent," an approach it has followed for the last ten years, to "tight." The conference, an annual event initiated more than a decade ago, serves as a crucial mechanism for the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the State Council, the cabinet, to make policies to govern the Chinese economy.

Amid mounting pressure from rising domestic prices, the Chinese central authorities said Tuesday they would put both overheating hazards and inflation risks at the top of their macro control targets next year. Endeavor will be made to prevent the national economy from overheating and at the same time to avoid real inflation on the back of current price hikes, according to a conference of the Political Bureau of Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.

China's cabinet, the State Council, on Wednesday issued a circular calling for tightener supervision over new construction to curb fixed-asset investment. The circular was issued out of concern that continued surging fixed-asset growth could push the economy from rapid growth into overheating. New construction projects should pass an array of examinations, approvals, and recording procedures, the circular said. Projects should also comply with industrial policies, development plans, land-use regulations, and market entry standards, according to the circular.

Politics

China has launched a government fund that may reach a total of US$3 billion from the sale of emissions-reduction credits into environmental projects. The new fund is to receive a portion of the money paid to Chinese companies under the Clean Development Mechanism, a global system that allows industries in rich countries to offset their pollution by paying companies in developing economies to reduce their emissions. China had approved 885 emission-reduction projects by the end of October. If all of the projects are successfully completed, they will bring in US$15 billion to Chinese companies, with US$3 billion going to the environmental fund.

China will take further measures to stabilize the general level of prices to maintain market and social stability, according to an executive meeting of the State Council presided over by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. The government will adjust the nation's current tariff policies to help increase imports of some consumer products that are in short supply in domestic markets, according to the meeting.

Politics

China issued a regulation that will take effect on January 1, 2008 granting its servicemen and armed police civilian identity cards, aiming to help them handle personal affairs such as banking and car, house, and insurance purchases. The regulation signifies an ending to the lack of civilian identity cards in the Chinese army and armed police forces. According to the regulation, servicemen and armed police are going to have both civilian and military identity cards from the start of next year. The civilian identity cards are to be used in private and civilian matters that require the identification of their citizenship, while the military identity cards are to be used only when the bearers need to identify their status as police or military personnel.

China released a new guide about industries for foreign investment and foreign companies. The new guide will replace the 2004 version and will take effect from December 1, said the National Development and Reform Center (NDRC). Foreign investors are invited to join efforts to promote recycling, clean production, use of renewable energy, and ecological protection of the environment. However, China will prohibit foreign investors from exploiting "important and nonrenewable" mineral resources, and to restrict energy consumption and highly-polluting projects. Foreign companies are also restricted from entering "strategic and sensitive" industries relating to national economic security, but NDRC did not specify these industries or the restrictions placed on them.

Politics

A new provision to China's energy-saving law requires that performance reviews for local government officials include an assessment of their efforts on energy efficiency. The way in which energy-saving goals are accomplished will be made part of the performance rating of local governments and their leaders, according to the revised law. The revised law also stipulates that energy producers are not allowed to provide free energy to their employees.

The political report emerging from China's recent Party Congress said that the country needs to "build an ecological civilization." It's a remark that has attracted widespread attention. It represents an attempt by China's leaders to redefine the model of growth that China should follow, taking into account an objective analysis of severe problems the country faces in terms of resources. It also represents the state of Chinese thinking on the future of global civilization in the light of the world's shared environmental challenges.

Politics

Hu Jintao was elected as the chief of the Communist Party of China (CPC) for the second term at the first plenum of the 17th CPC Central Committee. Members of the newly elected Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the 17th CPC Central Committee are Hu Jintao, Wu Bangguo, Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinglin, Li Changchun, Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, He Guoqiang, and Zhou Yongkang. New faces in the pinnacle Political Bureau Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee are Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, He Guoqiang and Zhou Yongkang. At this plenum, Hu Jintao was also named chairman of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Military Commission.

China will hold a nationwide examination on December 9 to recruit civil servants for the central government, according to the Ministry of Personnel. The online registration system will be opened to the public from October 23 to November 2, and applicants can log on www.mop.gov.cn to complete their registration. This is one of the hottest competitions in China, and more than 530,000 applicants contested for 12,700 jobs last year, about 42 people competing for each job on average, according to the statistics of the ministry. China has been organizing civil servant recruitment examinations every year since 1994.

Politics

Delegates of the Communist Party of China (CPC) gathered in central Beijing Monday morning to attend the year's most important political event, which will chart a roadmap for the country's all-round development in the coming five years. The 17th National Congress of the CPC is set to elect the Party's 17th Central Committee, which will decide CPC's new leadership lineup for the coming few years, and elect a new Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. It will also approve a draft amendment to the Party Constitution to embody the scientific outlook on development and other new achievements in the Party's theoretical innovation and progress in practice.

Hu Jintao, general secretary of the 16th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), outlined the country's ambitious goals for economic, political and social developments, as well as the nation's position on the world stage, at the 17th CPC National Congress. China will continue to power the engine of economic growth by quadrupling the per-capita gross domestic product (GDP) of 2000 by the year 2020. China will also manage to narrow the yawning income gap, expand democracy for its 1.3 billion people, modernize its 2.3 million armed forces, enhance the soft power of its culture, and work to sign a cross-straits peace agreement on the basis of one-China principle.

China's future depends on its efforts to protect the environment, president Hu Jintao said in his keynote address to the Communist Party Congress on Monday. In his 150-minute speech to the five-yearly congress, Hu said environmental protection was vital to "the survival and development of the Chinese nation." "Our economic growth is being realized at an excessively high cost of resources and the environment," he added.