Extracts. Chinese Leader Stresses Religious Freedom China will stick to the principles of respecting the freedom of religious belief and religious groups running religious affairs independently, senior Chinese leader Li Ruihuan said Thursday. The two principles are prescribed in China's Constitution and are fundamental, long-term guidelines drawn out according to China's actual situation and past experience, said Li, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Practice has proven that once religious affairs are handled in line with these two principles, can the human rights of religious believers be protected, national sovereignty be safeguarded and religions be adaptable to the socialist system, he said. Li, also a member of the Political Bureau Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks at a seminar of leaders of religious groups in China, held to mark the coming Chinese lunar New Year. He said that people from religious circles, as patriotic religious believers seeking unity and progress, have contributed to the maintenance of social stability. He also hailed the sincere cooperation between leaders of religious groups and the Party and government, saying that these leaders have done a lot for the achievements China has made in the past years. **** FM Spokesman on 10th Anniversary of Gulf War China hopes that through the efforts of the international community, the issues concerning the Gulf War can be resolved properly, as soon as possible, and the Gulf region can achieve long-term peace and stability, said Chinese Foreign Ministry <http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/> spokesman Zhu Bangzao. "China, as a permanent member of the security council of the United Nations, will make its efforts in this regard," he told a press conference here Thursday. Zhu said 10 years has passed since the Gulf War broke out 10 years ago, and known to all, China has advocated to resolve all international disputes through consultation and negotiation and has been opposed to using force or the threat of the use of force, which would complicate matters. For that reason, he said, 10 years ago China abstained from voting on the No. 678 resolution of the UN Security Council, which implies the use of force. The Gulf region and the international situation have changed greatly over the past 10 years, he said. However, it is a pity that the issues left from the Gulf War, including removing sanctions on Iraq <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/data/iraq.html> , have far from been settled, and the regional situation has been involved in uncertainty. He stressed that China holds that the remaining issues involving the Gulf War should have a just and reasonable settlement on the basis of the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council. China also urges that the relevant parties, proceeding from safeguarding sustaining peace, stability and development, should demonstrate good political desires, adopt flexible and pragmatic attitudes, in order to create condition for an early settlement of the issues left over from the Gulf War. **** Editorial Calls for Agro-technological Revolution China's agriculture will undergo an essential change from pursuing output to emphasizing quality and efficiency, according to an editorial to be carried in our Daily Thursday, January 18. The editorial says that the guidelines on agro-technology development that the government has put forward will facilitate China's endeavor to develop from a large agricultural country to a strong agricultural power in the world. Having resolved the problem of food shortage through rural reform over the past two decades, China is carrying out another revolution on agricultural science and technology under the leadership of President Jiang Zemin <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/leaders/jzm/jzmhome.htm> , according to the paper. The national agro-technology conference that concluded Wednesday called for all sectors of the society, especially science and technology sectors, to concentrate their efforts on pushing forward this revolution and realizing a leap forward in technology so as to guarantee a sustainable growth of agriculture and the rural economy. Noting that China feeds 22 percent of the world's population with less than ten percent of the total arable land on earth, the editorial says promotion of scientific and technological achievements in agricultural development has proved successful in the country. According to the editorial, the first national agro-technology conference held in China in 1963 played a key role in greatly increasing the output of the agricultural sector. The latest national agro-technology conference focused on quality and efficiency of agricultural production by restructuring the sector, improving the ecological environment in rural areas and securing the sustainable development of agriculture. The editorial points out that at present, China is faced with new tasks and challenges in agro-technology. The problems include limited resources, an irrational structure of agriculture and rural economy, low agricultural efficiency and slow growth in farmers' income. It says that in order to make big strides in the new century in bio-technology, efforts should be made to keep exploring new frontiers of agro-technology and pool the wisdom of agro-technicians, so as to lay a solid foundation in bio-technology for the revival of the Chinese nation. Recalling China's historical glory in agricultural development, the editorial calls on the whole nation to endeavor to lift the country's agro-technology to the most advanced level in the world in 20-30 years. **** Vice-Premier Calls for Good Care of Elderly Vice-Premier Li Lanqing <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/leaders/Lilanqing.htm> said Wednesday that veterans have made great contribution to China's development and deserve good care from the whole society. At a tea party to mark the Chinese lunar New Year, Li urged departments concerned to popularize scientific knowledge among the elderly so that they can have a clear understanding of the nature of the Falungong cult. The rights and interests of the old people must be safeguarded according to law, he told the gathering of some 2,000 veterans at the Great Hall of the People. He also called on people of the younger generation to learn from the veterans and carry forward their fine tradition in the country's endeavor to promote economic development and social progress. The tea party was jointly organized by the Organization Department of Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, the General Political Department of the People's Liberation Army and the CPC Beijing <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/province/beijing.html> municipal committee. **** Social Sciences Academy Aims at Top-level Study The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) is trying to create a better research environment to help researchers achieve high goals in 2001. The CASS will streamline its management of scientific research and institutionalizing a system on choosing and funding projects, Wang Luolin, vice president of the CASS, said at the ongoing annual work conference of the academy. Wang said the academy will set up branches offering researches that will have a lot of influence nationally and worldwide. Wang also urged a rigorous and innovative spirit in scientific research. Meanwhile, the CASS must create a mechanism of competition, encouraging young experts to contribute more to the academy, Wang said. Starting in 2001, the CASS is scheduled to carry out its internal restructuring in a bid to revitalize scientific study and development. On its priority list, the CASS plans to build a giant library and a new building for the Institute of Archaeology, as well as renovate the Institute of Economics building and the lecture hall. China to Foster Authorities in Social Sciences China's top think tank plans to foster a group of academic authorities and world-famous research institutes in the coming five years. According to the five-year (2001-2005) development plan, which is submitted to the ongoing annual work conference of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) for discussion, the academicians should come up with their own principles or theories on academic fields and make outstanding achievements which are highly valued by worldwide experts. The CASS hopes 30 to 40 of these academicians will be successful by the end of 2005. Meanwhile, the world-famous research institutes must have leaders in the field of academics, advanced research facilities and information databases. Maybe six to eight of these institutes will be able to reach this goal. During the next five years, the CASS will complete the construction of 50 national labs for social sciences and complete about 100 significant scientific projects, said Jiang Lansheng, vice president of the CASS. The CASS is expected to invite heads of the 50 key labs from both domestic and overseas. Any applicant can freely bid for the posts, with the full responsibility for scientific research in the labs. The labs will represent the highest academic level of the CASS, Jiang said. With a start-up investment of 2 million yuan (US$240,000), the labs could be equipped with teleconference facilities and computers with Internet access. In addition, those labs would get 1 million yuan worth of funds every year. Glorious Research Achievements in 2000 When its management body decided to restructure the academy in 2000, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) made glorious academic achievements. Wang said in the past year his academy chose 69 key projects for study, including those significant ones, such as economic theories in the socialist market economy, ethnic problems, economic globalization, the westward economic development in China, and the socialist legal system. Researchers at the academy have made a lot of progress in political economics, the precise dating project of the ancient three dynasties of Xia, Shang and Zhou (21 century B.C. - 221 B.C.), modern literature in China, the history of Chinese Confucianism, concise encyclopedia of Africa, the macro-control policy on China's economy, the industrial development strategy of central and west China in the 21st century, China's industries after entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the sustained development of the nation. Meanwhile, a total of 131 academic achievements received awards from the CASS. The six top-prize winners, namely Trade Balance Between China and Foreign Countries from 1895 to 1936 by Chen Zhengping, Highest Decision Maker of the Soviet Union in 70 Years by Xing Guangcheng, On Intellectual Property by Zheng Chengsi, Linguistic Boundary and No Boundary by Shen Jiaxuan, Weiyang Palace of Chang'an in the Han Dynasty by Liu Qingzhu, and Research on Philosophy and Logic by Zhang Qingyu, reflected the latest academic advancement by Chinese social scientists. By the end of 2000, the state had poured nearly 250 million yuan (US$30 million) into the academy, with an increase of 11.81 percent compared with that of the previous year, Wang said. The total investment into academic research last year exceeded 100 million yuan. Statistics show that 53 percent of the researchers in the CASS are professors or associate professors. About 60 percent of the researchers under the age of 45 have degrees of doctor or master. _________________________________________________ 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] __________________________________________________
