Extracts.
China Reports Progress in Institutional Reforms
During the Ninth Five-Year Plan period (1996-2000),
China has made remarkable progress in streamlining
the central government departments and ministries
through institutional reforms.
The number of functionaries has been reduced by half
to the present 16,000, according to the State
Development Planning Commission.
The reform focused on adjusting and downsizing
specialty departments directly in charge of economic
management, while strengthening departments concerned
with macro-economic control and law-enforcement.
Now the State Council, China's cabinet, consists of
29 major organizations, down from the previous 40.
A large number of high-calibre government
functionaries with higher educational backgrounds
moved into enterprises or grassroots government
units.
While functionaries staying at their posts became
younger, the percentage of functionaries below the
age of 40 increased by 5.7 percent. Functionaries
with a postgraduate degree or Ph.D. degree grew 6.8
percent.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Great Potential for Sino-African Cooperation: Angolan
Minister
The African countries will make efforts to further
develop their friendly relations with China, since
the two sides have "great potential for the economic
cooperation" in the new millennium, Angolan Trade
Minister Victorino Domingos Hossi has said.
Hossi made the statement in an interview with Xinhua
on Friday at Luanda International Airport before
leaving here for China to attend a forum on
Sino-African cooperation to be held in Beijing on
October 10.
The minister described the fast-developing Chinese
economy as a model for many African countries, saying
that China and the African countries have great
potential for cooperation in science and technology,
agriculture, trade, and finance.
Hossi, also head of the Angolan delegation to the
forum, reminded that China has been supporting during
the past half century for the liberation and the
independence of the African countries including
Angola, adding that at this moment, he believes that
China will surely help make its economic cooperation
with the African countries dynamic and positive.
On the Sino-Angolan relations, Hossi said that the
two countries had promised to work hard for promoting
the bilateral economic cooperation, which should be
in favor of both sides.
Hossi highlighted the function of the Sino-Angolan
Mixed Commission, which is responsible for promoting
bilateral cooperation in various fields, urging the
two sides to reinforce the cooperation in the
commission.
On the issue of China's entry into the World Trade
Organization (WTO), the minister said that as an
effective member of WTO, Angola will fully support
for China's active participation in the international
trade organization, which will benefit China and most
member countries of WTO.
The Angolan delegation headed by Hossi consists of
Vice Foreign Minister Toco Serao and some other
Angolan government officials and entrepreneurs.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zambian President Arrives in Beijing
Zambian President Frederick Chiluba arrived in Beijing Sunday morning for
an eleven-day unofficial visit to China at the invitation of Chinese
President Jiang Zemin.
Chiluba will also attend the opening ceremony of the China-Africa
Cooperation Forum scheduled between October 10 to 12. This is Chiluba's
second trip to China since he assumed the presidency in 1991.
Accompanying Chiluba on the visit are Foreign Minister Kelly Walubita,
Minister in the President's Office Eric Silwamba and Minister of
Information and Broadcasting Services Newstead Zimba.
In addition to Beijing, the Zambian guests are scheduled to visit Shandong,
Hunan, Guangxi and Shanghai.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Palestinian Official Reject Israeli Threat
Palestinian Official Reject Israeli Threat of Force Palestinian officials
Saturday rejected Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak's threats to halt the
Palestinian-Israeli peace process and to stop the violence by force in the
Palestinian territories.
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's adviser Nabil Abu Rdaineh accused Barak
of putting the heat on the Palestinian leadership.
Palestinian Minister of Culture and Information Yasser Abed Rabbo also said
that Barak knows very well that the Palestinians will not yield to such
threats and if the peace process is dead, it is Barak who killed it.
In a nationally televised address Saturday afternoon, Barak asked Arafat to
stop the violence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip within 48 hours.
"If we do not see a change in the patterns of violence in the next two
days, we will see this as the cessation of the peace talks by Arafat ...
and will instruct the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and security troops to
use all means at their disposal to stop the violence," Barak said.
The latest wave of clashes between the Palestinians and Israeli forces were
triggered by Israeli opposition Likud leader Ariel Sharon's visit to a
disputed Jerusalem shrine on September 28.
The bloody confrontations, the worst in four years, have claimed 80 lives
and injured nearly 2,000 others, mostly Palestinians and Israeli Arabs.
Barak voiced the threats after three Israeli soldiers were kidnapped
Saturday by Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas on the Israeli-Lebanese border.
Abed Rabbo said that Barak and Sharon collaborated in the provocative visit
to the Jerusalem holy site revered by both Jews and Muslims. Sovereignty
dispute over the site is the chief obstacle to a Palestinian-Israeli peace
deal.
He added that through the "provocative move," Barak paved the way for
freezing the peace process and for forming a national unity government that
will include the right-wing Likud party.
He also said that Arafat has received a telephone call from U.S.President
Bill Clinton and the two leaders agreed to further consultations on the
formation of an international inquiry commission and ways of stoping the
violence.
The dispute over the makeup of the commission to investigate the violence
in the palestinian territories is the deal-breaker at the Paris summit
between Barak, Arafat and U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.
Clinton also assured Arafat that Washington will do what it can to
safeguard the peace process.
U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria
Aznar also called Arafat Saturday and exchanged views with the Palestinian
leader over the current situation.
_______________________________________________________
KOMINFORM
P.O. Box 66
00841 Helsinki - Finland
+358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081
e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.kominf.pp.fi
_______________________________________________________
Kominform list for general information.
Subscribe/unsubscribe messages to
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Anti-Imperialism list for anti-imperialist news.
Subscribe/unsubscribe messages:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
_______________________________________________________
