Extracts.
Thursday, November 02, 2000, updated at 08:05(GMT+8)
China Starts Counting World's Largest Population
The world's most populous country launched its fifth
population census Wednesday, in a move to provide a
base figure for mapping out a future development
blueprint.
"The ongoing census is of great importance for
China's economic and social development in the next
five years or even a longer time range," said Wu
Cangping, who was one of the first to study
population science in China.
At zero hour Wednesday, more than 1,000 passengers,
ID cards in hands, lined up quietly at the square of
Beijing Railway Station,waiting for the turn to
answer questions of the census takers.
The questions cover the name, age and residential
address of the interviewees.
The census takers, with red certificates hanging from
their necks, are part of the task force sent to
public places, like railway and long-distance bus
stations, to determine the floating population of
people in and out of the city as well as the
homeless.
A woman, who just stepped out a train carrying a
sleeping baby in the arms, told a census taker the
age and gender of her baby in front of media cameras.
Census information on migrants is considered the most
difficult to collect. Beijing alone dispatched some
100,000 trained census workers, including policemen
and statistics professionals, to count people with no
permanent residence in Beijing.
Gao Baojun, a 72-year-old farmer from Gaojiacun
Village of central China's Henan Province, said that
the census takers asked more questions than they did
last time.
China launched four population censuses since 1949
when New China was founded. The last one was carried
out in 1990.
Gao came to Beijing for medical treatment. He was
given a card afterwards to avoid being counted twice.
The census began to go in full swing after the
sunrise, while census takers were knocking on the
doors of over 300 million households across the
country. Census worker Liu Tao visited Liang
Jiaxiang, a farmer from Longshan Village on the
outskirts of Beijing. He paid special attention to
how many children Liang has.
As part of the census, a sample investigation is also
carried out for more detailed information. One out of
ten Chinese families will be chosen to answer 49
questions during the investigation,compared with some
20 questions for the rest families.
Some of the questions ask whether the family has
bathing equipment and running water at home, and how
much the family pays to buy or rent their residence.
These questions, listed for the first time in China's
census questionnaire, are designed to see how much
the Chinese people's living standard has improved
over the past decade.
"Things are going the same way throughout the
country," said Zhu Zhixin, deputy head of the leading
group of the fifth population census under the State
Council.
Six million census takers are supposed to visit every
family in every city and village across the country
in 10 days.
At Zhongnanhai, site of the central government, top
Chinese leaders including Jiang Zemin, Li Peng and
Zhu Rongji also received the census just like other
citizens.
President Jiang hailed the census as being of great
significance in drawing a clear picture about the
quantity and structure of China's population for
policy making.
The census is also carried out in recreation centers,
temples,churches, prisons as well as on fishing
boats. In Tibet, census takers will contact herds men
on horseback out in the wilderness,where vehicles
could not travel.
Sven Burmester, the United Nations Population Fund
Representative in China, said that the way China
conducts the census has been praised around the
world. "I'm sure this time china can do it as well as
it did 10 years ago."
China's population hit 1.1 billion a decade ago. The
Chinese government started practicing the family
planning policy in 1970s as a basic State policy,
aiming to cap its population under 1.3billion by the
end of this century.
Over the past decade China has redoubled its GDP and
witnessed great changes in its economic and social
structures, and the population as well.
The census also drew many foreign journalists who
were seen in Beijing and some other areas of the
country to observe the process.
"My audience at home pay much attention to the
population changes of China, one of the world's
largest markets," said Raymond Saint-Pierre, Beijing
bureau chief of Canadian Broadcasting Corporation,
who was about to go to Henan, the most heavily
populated Chinese province, to cover the event.
It will take China five years to finalize the
trans-century census, preparation of which started in
1998.
Photoelectronic input technology will be introduced
for the first time to avoid mistakes which may take
place during manual operation. China's population
figure will be announced early next year.
****
US, DPRK Resumes Talks on Missile Issues in Malaysia
The United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)
Wednesday resumed talks on missile issues in Kuala Lumpur.
This was a follow-up to discussions held between US Secretary of State
Madeleine Albright and DPRK leader Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang last week and
the second time Malaysia has played host to US-DPRK talks, the first being
in July this year.
"Talks this week will build on the serious discussions held last week
between Secretary Albright and Chairman Kim," US Assistant Secretary of
State for non-proliferation Robert J. Einhorn told reporters here before
the start of the talks.
"We will be focusing on all aspects of the missile issue, including North
Korea's indigenous missile programs, its missile-related exports and
Chairman Kim's idea of exchanging serious North Korea restraint in missiles
for launches of its satellites," he said.
The two sides will discuss whether the DPRK should be banned from
proceeding with its research on the development of missiles with a range of
3,500-6,000 kilometers and test-launching of long-range missiles.
He said that on the US part, it would seek solutions that promote
non-proliferation and regional and global security, and help move US-North
Korea (DPRK) relations forward.
The US official said since the July missile talks, positive developments
have taken place and this favorable trend is continuing with the second
Kuala Lumpur talks.
"The inter-Korean dialogue has intensified, including at the level of
defense ministers, and just a few days ago it was announced that working
level economic talks will be held soon and that a second round of family
reunions would take place by end of this month," he said.
He said the normalization process between the DPRK and Japan was also
continuing with another round of discussion held this week in Beijing.
"Additional countries, including most recently the United Kingdom and
Germany, are moving toward diplomatic relations with North Korea," he said.
He said although serious developments had been made, including on the
missile issues, much work remained to be done.
He hoped this positive record augurs well for the talks this week.
The outcome of the new round of missile talks was seen to have influence on
US President Bill Clinton's decision on whether to follow through with his
proposed visit to the DPRK.
****
Wednesday, November 01, 2000, updated at 21:48(GMT+8)
China, Russia to Expand All-Round Cooperation
Chinese State Councilor Wu Yi and Russian Deputy
Prime Minister Ilya Klebanov agreed Wednesday that
China and Russia will make joint efforts to further
expand bilateral cooperation in diverse sectors.
Wu and Klebanov, co-chairpersons of the Joint
Commission for the Regular Meetings of Heads of
Government of Russia and China, held in-depth and
extensive discussions on Sino-Russian relations at
the fourth session of the Joint Commission.
This session is intended to be in preparation for the
upcoming fifth regular meeting of Chinese and Russian
heads of government.
Wu said she highly appreciated the successful visit
of Russian President Vladimir Putin to China in July
this year, noting that the two countries have
intensified cooperation in trade, science and
technology, energy, transportation, banking and space
sectors.
Bilateral trade has experienced significant growth in
recent years. In the first nine months of this year,
the trade between China and Russia gained a
42.6-percent growth year on year to 5.8 billion U.S.
dollars, according to statistics provided by the
Chinese Customs.
Wu stressed that efforts should be made to continue
exploring ways to increase cooperation for the common
development and prosperity of the two countries.
Effective economic cooperation will cement the
material foundation for the strategic cooperative
partnership between China and Russia, she said.
Klebanov, who arrived here Tuesday at Wu's
invitation, said Russia-China relations have entered
into a new age of development, and that Russia is
willing to work together with China to further
strengthen bilateral ties and expand cooperation in
all sectors.
Klebanov also called for efforts to fully exploit the
role of the Joint Commission to help enterprises of
the two countries expand cooperation in power,
aviation, science and technology, especially high
technology, and banking sectors, so as to provide
good conditions for the long-term and steady
development of bilateral trade and economic
cooperation.
Both sides agreed that the two countries will make
joint efforts in establishing friendly cooperative
relations and further cement the foundation for the
strategic cooperative partnership between the two
countries.
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