Day: July 8, 2020

(Xinhua)08:58, July 24, 2019

BEIJING, July 23 — China appreciated Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahids remarks on bilateral relations and Belt and Road cooperation, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said Tuesday.

China-Maldives relations based on equality and mutual benefit set an example of exchanges between small and big countries in the international community, Shahid said in an interview with Xinhua.

Shahid said that China has always been an important partner for the development of the Maldives, reiterating that the Maldives is a close partner and supporter of the Belt and Road Initiative.

The minister noted that Maldivian people have benefited from the initiative and the Maldives is appreciative of the key development projects including the China-Maldives Friendship Bridge and the second runway of Velana International Airport.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying expressed the appreciation at a press briefing, saying that China is willing to work with the Maldivian side to promote the development of bilateral ties.

(Xinhua)09:01, July 24, 2019

BEIJING, July 23 — China voiced appreciation of French President Emmanuel Macrons active diplomatic mediation on the Iran nuclear issue and expected the French sides efforts could help ease the current tension, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Tuesday.

Macron has recently actively carried out diplomatic mediation on the Iran nuclear issue, maintained close communication with leaders of the United States, Iran and Russia and worked to ease the Iran nuclear situation.

When asked to comment on the mediation, spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a press briefing that the French side has been actively engaged in diplomatic mediation to encourage relevant parties to resolve differences through dialogue and consultation and uphold the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal.

Noting that the United States imposing maximum pressure on Iran is the source of current Iran nuclear tensions, Hua said it is imperative that the U.S. abandon its wrong move of imposing maximum pressure on Iran, not to obstruct the implementation of the deal, respect the legitimate rights and interests of all parties and create conditions for addressing each others concerns on the basis of mutual respect and equal dialogue.

At the same time, all parties to the agreement should commit themselves to the full and effective implementation of the JCPOA to ensure the balance of rights and obligations under the framework of the agreement, Hua said.

China stands ready to work with France to settle the Iran nuclear issue through political and diplomatic means and will continue to resolutely safeguard its legitimate rights and interests, Hua added.

(Xinhua)09:58, July 24, 2019

SAN FRANCISCO, July 22 — Leaders of the Chinese community in San Francisco on Monday urged the city authorities to improve the security situation in Chinatown following recent rising waves of crimes in the community.

The Chinese community leaders invited Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who represents Chinatown in the citys Board of Supervisors, Robert Yick, captain of the Central Station of the San Francisco Police Department, and representatives of government officials, the state assembly and businesses to meet Chinatown residents to discuss how to make the community a safer place.

The meeting, held at the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (CCBA), came after two community leaders were attacked by suspected criminals at a busy district in Chinatown in broad daylight on July 15.

The horrifying violence involved robbery and beating of Zhonghua Huang, president of Huang Family Benevolent Association in San Francisco, and Hongchang Huang, assistant of the CCBA, causing panic and grave concerns among locals.

Peskin said the city officials and police authorities took the case very seriously, and the police department is actively investigating the incident.

Im working with the Department of Emergency Management to make sure that that does not happen again, he said.

Yick said at the meeting that his station will increase police presence and patrol in the Chinatown area and promised to work hard to bring the suspects to justice as soon as possible.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed said Sunday that 18 high definition security cameras will be installed along Stockton Street, where the incident occured, aiming to create a safe and inviting public realm for residents, merchants and visitors.

Nearly 100 local residents fully packed the CCBA meeting hall, asking the city authorities to take sterner measures to crack down on rising crime in the city.

(Xinhua)17:31, July 24, 2019

BEIJING/LONDON, July 24 — Though Britain is going to have Boris Johnson as the new prime minister, old problems still linger on the way of ending the long and drawn-out Brexit chaos by the deadline of Oct. 31.

Analysts say Johnson won his party but not the country. That means, to finally take Britain out of the European Union (EU), he has to unite his fellow Tories, and more importantly, rally a divided parliament.

Johnsons tough Brexit stance could lead to a string of front bench resignations. Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond has already stated publicly he will quit, saying he cannot support the possibility of a no-deal Brexit.

Given the deadlock in the British parliament where lawmakers vow to overturn any government that attempts to leave the EU without a divorce deal, if Johnsons government cannot negotiate a new deal with the bloc and force a no-deal Brexit, it might lose a no-confidence vote in parliament, thus sparking an early general election with the now-ruling Conservative party facing an unprecedented challenge.

Such concerns stem from fears. Uncertainty around Brexit has been dragging the British economy and a no-deal Brexit could plunge Britain into recession.

Britains economic growth has stalled, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR), a London-based independent economics and finance think tank, said on Monday. If a no-deal Brexit is avoided, NIESR expected British economic growth to be little above 1 percent in 2019 and 2020.

EU leaders, the other side at the negotiating table, congratulated Johnson on his victory but remains tough on the breakup.

Michel Barnier, EUs chief Brexit negotiator, tweeted that they look forward to working constructively with Johnson when he takes office, to facilitate the ratification of the Withdrawal Agreement, not a withdrawal agreement.

Differences have arisen between Britain and the EU on the Iranian issue as Britain, once an important player in the issue on EUs stance, is now stepping towards the U.S. stance because of the seizure of a British oil tanker by Iran.

There is a strong mutual interdependence between Britain and the rest of European economies. Brexit is like taking an egg out of an omelette, Pascal Lamy, a former director-general of the World Trade Organization, warned.

To finally achieve his task, Johnson has to go through tough challenges. And whether he can fulfill his promises on leaving the EU, with or without a deal, is still unknown and for all to see in the near future.

(Peoples Daily Online)16:38, July 22, 2019

Pan Xuejun shows how to prevent diseases for a walnut tree. (Photo/Hu Jingming)

Thanks to Pan Xuejun, a professor in Guizhou University, the once poverty-stricken Hezhang County in Bijie City, southwest China’s Guizhou Province, has witnessed a significant increase in its output of walnuts and a 5,000 Yuan (about $726.9) rise per capita in people’s annual incomes.

Pan was sent to Hezhang County to assist the local people with their poverty alleviation endeavors in 2006, when he found that the place has great natural conditions for walnut trees.

Although Hezhang Country was endowed with rich walnut tree resources and had a long history of growing walnut trees before Pan’s arrival, it didn’t have a dominant specie of walnut tree and had been relying purely on the nature for yield.

Believing that to develop the walnut industry in Hezhang County, the quality of the walnut tree species was the first issue to be dealt with. Pan spent two years traveling across 88 cities and counties of Guizhou to select high quality walnut tree species. Finally, he selected four premium quality walnut tree species from over 1 million, which he named the “Qian Walnut” series (Guizhou Walnut series).

Since the traditional way of growing walnut trees means it can take up to 10 years for a walnut tree to bear fruit, Pan thought of grafting, as “by grafting the premium species on other trees, we can make sure that the walnut trees will have adequate and balanced nutrition, thus being able to not only increase the output and quality of the fruit but also reduce the time it needs before the trees can produce fruits,” according to Pan.

“The grafted seedlings start to fruit four years after they are planted, and the output of the grafted walnut trees can reach 150 kilograms per mu (One mu is equal to 667 square meters) in eight years,” said Pan with pride.

Within the past 13 years, the planting area of walnut trees in Hezhang County increased from 140,000 mu (9,338 hectares) to 1.6 million mu (106,667 hectares), becoming a pillar industry of the county in the process of poverty alleviation. During this time, Pan learnt much of the local dialect and is affectionately nicknamed Walnut Pan by the local people.

Seeing significant increases in output and quality of the walnut trees and fruits, local planters began to trust Pan more and more. They followed almost every piece of Pan’s advices in growing and tending to the trees, which has yielded great outcomes for them.

Li Fugui, a local villager whose family used to be one of the impoverished families in the county, built a cutting orchard under the guidance of Pan. Now Li is a grafting management technologist, while his family has shaken off poverty and enjoys an annual income of more than 60,000 yuan.

Since 2006, Pan has been spending two thirds of his time every year in fields, showing local farmers the techniques in person. “If I just teach them the theories in classrooms, they would find it hard to understand. But if I show them in the fields, they understand it immediately,” said Pan.

Pan has cultivated more than 200 technologists in Hezhang County over the past 13 years, with the fruits of his labor shown through the money-spinning walnut industry with local orchardists.

Pan has yet more goals for the county. “A walnut is not just about the fruit. Walnuts can be used to make walnut milk, walnut oil, walnut sugar, and walnut wine, etc. I hope to develop the walnut industry of the county into an industrial chain with high added value, so that the local people can get rid of poverty faster,” said Pan.