Extracts. Chinese Premier Stresses Scientific Progress, Innovation ------------------------------------------------------------------------Chin ese Premier Zhu Rongji Thursday, January 11, called for faster scientific progress, more innovation, and accelerated translation of scientific and technological achievements into practical productive forces in China's strides towards modernization. During an inspection tour in Beijing, the national capital, Zhu said China must concentrate its resources on making breakthroughs in key technological fields where China is in a comparatively advantageous position and that are strategically important, in order to provide powerful technological support and an endless driving force for the country's economic restructuring and modernization drive. During the tour, Zhu visited the newly established broadband telecom company, China Netcom Co., Ltd., the Biotechnology Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the Sino-Japanese Friendship Environmental Protection Center, and called upon a number of scientists and researchers. He expressed his best wishes to those involved in scientific research and technological advancement on the eve of Spring Festival, the Chinese traditional Lunar New Year. At China Netcom, the premier said China must adhere to the strategy of invigorating the country through science and technology and pay greater attention to the role of science and technology, especially high technology. He called for efforts to quickening the pace of turning the results of scientific research into productive forces, in order to promote the upgrade of traditional industries and the development of high-tech industries. China Netcom, a State enterprise set up in August, 1999, was jointly funded by the Ministry of Information Industry, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the Ministry of Railways, the State General Administration of Radio, Film and Television, and the Municipal Government of Shanghai. Accompanied by CAS President Lu Yongxiang, the premier watched demonstration of high-definition image transmission and "family-oriented broadband network" application at the telecommunications company. Zhu expressed the hope that the company will explore ways to manage and develop a new generation of telecommunications companies and make contributions to reform of the State-owned enterprises and telecommunications system, and to knowledge-based innovation. Chinese society, as a whole, should make extensive use of information technology and efforts should be made to popularize the use of computers and networks, develop and use information resources, the premier said. He said government departments concerned should support China Netcom, and waste no time developing and improving the national high-speed broadband transmission network, building user connection networks and expanding the use of Internet, and promoting the integration of the telecommunications, television and computer networks. The national public information network should be improved and the development of the country's information industry should be accelerated, and the information service industry, especially network service, should be expanded, said Zhu. He said reform of the telecommunications industry should be deepened in accordance with the principles of separating the functions of the government from those of the enterprises, in order to promote fair competition. At the biotech institute, Premier Zhu watched a video presentation on anti-pest transgenetic cotton, and visited a plant gene engineering laboratory. He said that government departments should continue their support for research on the anti-pest transgenetic cotton and promote the use of the technology across the country. Zhu said efforts should be made to improve basic agricultural research. At the environmental protection center, he said that despite recent progress in environmental protection, worsening of the ecological environment has not yet been effectively averted, and the environmental situation is still quite serious. Zhu said China will continue with its sustainable development strategy and attach greater importance to environmental protection and pollution control. Comprehensive control on air, water, garbage and noise pollution should be improved, and industrial pollution should be curbed, Zhu said, adding that efforts should be made towards ecological and environmental protection in developing China's vast western areas. During the tour, Zhu stressed the importance of fostering and encouraging talents, and called for creating a sound social environment for the scientists and researchers. He described high- calibre personnel as the most important, most treasured resources. Among those accompanying the premier were Zhu Lilan, minister of Science and Technology, and Wu Jichuan, minister of Information Industry. **** 2.6 Million Chinese People Shed Poverty Through Relocation Meng Jun never thought two years ago that he could get rid of poverty in the barren karst mountains in Du'an Yao Ethnic Autonomous County in south China. But now his barn is full after his family and others were relocated under a government-initiated poverty elimination project. Meng and some 41,500 farmers, all Yao Minority people living in the Dashishan Mountains in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, agreed to leave their sterile homeland, when a poverty relocation project was launched at the start of 1999. They were moved out of the mountain to Huanjiang Maonan Autonomous County not too far away in the region, where they were given several acres to farm. Meng, a 29-year-old man, saw an electric lamp for the first time. More astonishing things happened during the past year as well. He had never known that the land could yield so much grain that he was even worrying that he did not have enough space to store the grain. "In my home village, grain grows up in swallets," said the hardworking farmer. He now has learned to feed hogs, chickens and rabbits with surplus harvests, and use corn to brew wine. His family pocketed 1,200 yuan per-capita last year, which was 12 times higher than before they were relocated. In Guangxi, relocation projects were introduced to help people get out of poverty in 1993. Since then, over 200,000 people have been escaped from the poverty line. Gao Hongbin, director of the Poverty Relief and Development Office with the State Council, said the relocation is a very effective way to substantially help the portion of China's population living in harsh environment. The official said that the poverty elimination method has helped 25,000 people to move to the places with better living conditions. Northwest China's Gansu Province was one of the earliest provinces in China to start systematic poverty relocation projects in 1980s. The government funding for the projects accumulated to 260 million yuan. According to Gao, Except for 26 million disabled and impoverished people living in unproductive areas, China has basically solved the food and clothing problem for most of poverty- stricken population. **** Falun Gong Blamed for 24 Deaths, Injuries in Inner Mongolia The practice of Falun Gong, a notorious cult headed by Li Hongzhi, has been blamed for the death of 17 people, the physical injuries of one person and mental illness of six people in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the latest statistics has shown. According to the statistics released by the Public Security Department of the regional government Friday, four Falun Gong followers killed themselves, and 13 others died because they refused to be hospitalized or take medicine, as advocated by the Falun Gong doctrine. One person was seriously injured while practicing Falun Gong, which has also caused mental problems for six practitioners, according to the survey conducted by the department. **** China to Spur Development of Ethnic Minorities China plans to accelerate the all-around development of its 22 ethnic minorities with small populations, a senior official in charge of ethnic affairs said Friday, January 12. Effective measures are to be taken toward this purpose, said Li Dezhu, minister in charge of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission, at a national conference on ethnic affairs, which ended Friday. The 22 minorities have a total population of merely 600,000. China has completed a comprehensive survey of the ethnic groups. _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki Phone +358-40-7177941 Fax +358-9-7591081 http://www.kominf.pp.fi General class struggle news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe mails to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geopolitical news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________
