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China Sees Good Beginning for Tenth Five-Year Plan. The year 2001 will go down in history as a milestone for China as well as a good beginning for the country's five-year (2001-2005) plan for economic and social development. According to Zeng Peiyan, minister in charge of SDPC, Chinese economy is expected to grow by 7.4 percent, exceeding 9 trillion yuan for the first time in history. Development of agriculture, industry, western regions, etc, shows a favorable tendency. WTO Entry also will trigger more changes. The latest official information shows that the year 2001 will go down in history as a milestone for China as well as a good beginning for the country's five-year (2001-2005) plan for economic and social development. Zeng Peiyan <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/people/zengpeiyan.shtml> , minister in charge of the State Development Planning Commission, said earlier this week the Chinese economy is expected to grow by 7.4 percent, exceeding 9 trillion yuan (US$1.09 trillion) for the first time in history. Higher Efficiency, Low Inflation This year's fast economic growth, characterized by higher efficiency and low inflation, indicates "a good beginning" for the five-year plan, said the minister, describing it as a hard-won achievement as the world economy has experienced a marked slowdown in growth. Industrial Profits Up During the first 10 months of this year, the total industrial profit increased by 9.3 percent to 364.7 billion yuan (US$44 billion) over the corresponding period of last year, while fiscal revenue rose by 256.8 billion yuan (US$31 billion), Zeng said. Inflation Rate Remains Stable According to a forecast by the commission, the inflation rate for this year will remain basically stable, while the per capita disposable income for urban residents will grow by 7 percent and the net per capita income for farmers will increase by at least 4 percent. Unemployment Rate Under Control Meanwhile, the registered unemployment rate for urban China will be below 4 percent. Industrial, Agricultural Restructuring Fruitful Encouraging progress has been made in industrial and agricultural restructuring. Output of Farm Produce & Major Grain Increases In coastal areas in eastern part of the country, priority has been given to farm produce with higher added value, while in major grain producing areas in the middle and western parts, the output of quality and special-purpose farm produce has been increased. The share of such major crops as wheat reported by regions with better natural growing conditions has been increasing. Coal Mining Industry Become Profitable The country's coal mining industry, the only loss-making industry of traditional industrial sectors, is set to become profitable this year for the first time in years thanks to massive cuts in redundant jobs and higher coal prices. China Becomes Biggest Handset User In July, China overtook the United States as the world's biggest user of mobile telecommunications, with the number of mobile phone users totaling 120 million. The IT industry is expected to reap a yearly income amount to take over 7 percent of China's GDP within five years, according to a forecast by the State Development Planning Commission (SDPC). An annual average growth of more than 20 percent will be achieved by mobile telecom. Handset users in China are expected to exceed 260 million by 2005. Overseas Investment Shows New High Other highlights are new highs in recent years in fixed asset investment and investment by overseas investors in the country, and some expensive products priced at the 100,000 yuan (US$12,195) level -- such as cars -- are gaining popularity. According to the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/organs/statecouncil.shtml#mftec> , China approved 18,585 overseas-funded projects in the January-September period, 18.14 percent higher than in the same period of last year. Contractual overseas investment for the first nine months reached 49.347 billion U.S. dollars, up 30.35 percent, and actual overseas investment 32.196 billion U.S. dollars, up 20.66 percent. Hi-Tech Sector Made Achievements In addition, China has launched a number of projects to commercialize high-tech achievements, which have attracted nearly 20 billion yuan (US$2.4 billion) worth of social capital using small amount of capital collected through issuing treasury bonds. Western Development Strategy Pursued China's western development strategy has gone into full swing as several gigantic infrastructure projects were launched, such as the first railway line linking the Tibet <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/province/tibet.html> Autonomous Region and Qinghai <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/province/qinghai.html> province, and the projects designed to transmit electric power or natural gas from the resources-rich west to the rapidly-industrializing east. To facilitate the flow of human resources and urbanization, governments at all levels have eased, to varying degrees, the restriction on migration from rural areas to urban areas. WTO Entry, A Historic Event China's entry into the World Trade Organization is viewed at home and abroad as "a historic event" which will trigger more changes for China than the country has seen in the past two decades. Foreign Trade, Foreign Exchange Reserve Increase Despite the sluggish demand outside the country, China managed to achieve a 7.9 percent increase in foreign trade during the first 10 months of this year, with export up by 6.1 percent. Senior Chinese economic officials believe overseas investment in China will total US$59.4 billion this year. Foreign Exchange Reserve Set New Record Highlights of China's economic development include the new record high of its foreign exchange reserve, which had exceeded US$200 billion earlier this year. The outstanding amount of deposits by Chinese residents topped the 7 trillion yuan (US$853.6 billion), also a record high, earlier this year. Meanwhile, China has continued to deepen its reform, regulate market and economic order, improve its pricing system and maintain financial stability. Living Standard of Chinese People Improved The year 2001 also witnessed progress in China's bids to improve the standard of living for its people in terms of material goods and cultural life, and the overall concept of ethics in society. A number of high-profile sports events also helped boost the morale of the Chinese people. Solid Foundation, Uncertainty Warned Economist Liu Guoguang attributed the economic and social achievements China has made this year mainly to the country's adherence to the policy of expanding domestic demand and commitment to a positive fiscal and stable financial policies. The economist said the achievements will lay a solid foundation for the country's economic development in the coming years. But he warned that the uncertainty of the international economic environment will restrain to some degree the Chinese economy, as the better-than-expected increase in domestic demand has failed to offset the drastic slump in overseas demand. "We must remain cool-headed amid optimism," Liu said. **** China Urges Compliance With International Humanitarian Law. Sha Zukang, Chinese delegate and ambassador to the Office of the United Nations in Geneva, urged Wednesday all parties involved in the conflict in the Middle East to restrain and stop violence against civilians to prevent any further deterioration of the situation. Sha, also delegate of China to other international organizations in Switzerland, made the call at the conference of High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention which was held in Geneva on Wednesday. China Opposes Any Form of Terrorism He said, "We oppose any form of terrorism and are gravely concerned and worried about large civilian casualties caused by the Palestinian-Israeli conflict." He emphasized that "The Chinese government always believes that each and every High Contracting Party has an unshakable legal obligation to respect and comply with international humanitarian law by protecting the legitimate rights and interests of victims of war as well as civilians." Conflict Parties Should Comply with the Law "It is hoped that all parties to the conflict will effectively respect and comply with relevant provisions of the Convention as well as the basic principles of international law," said the Chinese ambassador. He said China has supported the proposal by the League of Arab States that a conference of the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention be reconvened. Efforts to Realize Peace Sha urged all sides to take effective steps to reopen negotiations and make efforts to achieve a negotiated political settlement at an early date, thus contributing to the realization of peace in the region. The conference, attended by 122 participants, issued a declaration reaffirming the applicability of the Fourth Geneva convention to the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem. **** Russia Expects Essential Changes in Ties With NATO, Putin Says. Russia expects qualitativechanges to happen in its relations with the North Atlantic TreatyOrganization (NATO), as such a tendency will lead to Russia'sactive participation in establishing the future system of Europeansecurity, Russian President Vladimir Putin said here Wednesday.It is under certain historical conditions that NATO emerged torebuff concrete threats, the president said, adding that Today,the world situation and the threats have changed, so NATO shouldrenew its priority tasks. Russia expects qualitativechanges to happen in its relations with the North Atlantic TreatyOrganization (NATO), as such a tendency will lead to Russia'sactive participation in establishing the future system of Europeansecurity, Russian President Vladimir Putin said here Wednesday.It is under certain historical conditions that NATO emerged torebuff concrete threats, the president said, adding that Today,the world situation and the threats have changed, so NATO shouldrenew its priority tasks. Otherwise, ignoring the new realities will cause morecatastrophes such as the September 11 terror attacks on the U.S.,Putin said. "Qualitative changes in the relations between Russia and NATOwhich are being discussed now might prove to be a good bridgeleading to Russia's participation in the future European securitysystem," he said. The president made the statement in an interview with Greeknews media in the Kremlin on the eve of his official visit toGreece, which is to begin on Thursday. The future of Europe lies on a united collective securitysystem capable of fending off real-life threats, he said.If Russia can take part in solving the European security issuesas a full-fledged member, there will be no need for NATO'sexpansion, Putin said. The expansion of the military bloc makes sense only to somecountries -- potential NATO members who need NATO in order toresolve their own internal political problems. "However, I do notthink that NATO has been created for this purpose," Putin said.Moscow is considering "the possibility of changing the qualityof Russia-NATO relations from the 'nineteen plus one' to the 'twenty' format," he said. **** Ford Faces Steep Loss. Ford Motor said Wednesday that its fourth-quarter losses will be larger than expected mainly because it is boosting credit loss reserves due to the weakened U.S. economy. Ford Motor said Wednesday that its fourth-quarter losses will be larger than expected mainly because it is boosting credit loss reserves due to the weakened U.S. economy. The automaker said it expected to report a loss of 50 cents a share, before one-time items, for the last three months of the year. Previously, the company said it expected an improvement from its third-quarter loss of 28 cents a share, although turning a profit would be difficult. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial/First Call had been expecting a loss of 14 cents a share for the quarter. The primary reason for the lower forecast was increased credit loss reserves reflecting weakened economic conditions, it said. In addition, Ford said marketing and product costs remained at high levels. The warning follows an announcement Monday that Ford will reduce retirement and health benefits for 45,000 white-collar workers and lay off 630 people to save about $300 million a year. Ford has been plagued by eroding sales, questions about vehicle quality and the ongoing Firestone tire crisis. Ford announced in August it would cut 4,000 to 5,000 salaried positions by the end of 2001. More cutbacks are expected when Ford details a broader restructuring plan next month. **** Cuba Emphasizes Solidarity of ACP Group Countries. Cuba's Interior Minister Ricardo Cabrisas, who left Havana Wednesday to visit Brussels, Belgium, to attend the 74th Meeting of the Council of the Asia-Caribbean-Pacific (ACP) Group, stressed the solidarity of this bloc with the Caribbean island. Cuba's Interior Minister Ricardo Cabrisas, who left Havana Wednesday to visit Brussels, Belgium, to attend the 74th Meeting of the Council of the Asia-Caribbean-Pacific (ACP) Group, stressed the solidarity of this bloc with the Caribbean island. Shortly before his departure, Cabrisas told the local press that his country appreciated the support Cuba received among ACP member nations, especially prior to its admission into this group,which dates back to last December. "This allowed us to work out common strategies in the face of global processes," the Cuban senior official said. Cabrisas affirmed the internal unity of the ACP bloc gives way to a single voice before the situation of underdeveloped countries,which is "more and more critical as a consequence of the gap that separates them from developed nations." The Brussels meeting will examine and approve the report elaborated by the ACP Council of Ministers at the previous session,early this year. A preliminary evaluation of the outcome of the 4th Ministerial Meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Doha, Qatar, on November 9-13, is also expected. ACP groups former European colonies in Asia, the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean, which obtain certain trade benefits from the 15-nation European Union (EU). **** Iraq Is Able to Defend Itself: Saddam. Iraqi President Saddam Husseinstressed on Wednesday that his country has the ability to defenditself and Iraq's position remains firm despite the threat of theU.S. military attacks. Iraqi President Saddam Husseinstressed on Wednesday that his country has the ability to defenditself and Iraq's position remains firm despite the threat of theU.S. military attacks. Saddam made the remarks during his meeting with visiting YemeniForeign Minister Abu Bakr Abdullah Al-Kurbi, the official INA newsagency reported. During the meeting, Al-Kurbi conveyed to Saddam an oral messageof Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh on bilateral relations, andpromised that Yemen will exert continued efforts to lift the U.N.sanctions on Iraq, said the agency. Yemen, which sided with Iraq in the 1991 Gulf War, has calledfor lifting the sanctions imposed on Iraq for its 1990 invasion ofneighboring Kuwait . Iraqi Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan visited Yemen in Augustthis year and signed a free trade agreement with Yemen to set up acommon market between the two Arab countries. The visit by the Yemeni foreign minister came amid latestthreats by U.S. President George W. Bush, who hinted that the U.S.might target Iraq as part of its ongoing war on terrorism."As for Mr. Saddam Hussein, he needs to let inspectors back inhis country to show us that he is not developing weapons of massdestruction," Bush said on November 26. When asked about the consequences if Saddam rejects, Bushreplied: "He will find out." The U.S. demand has been rejected by Iraq, which has barred U.N.arms inspectors from returning since the U.S. and Britain launcheda four-day air war against Baghdad in December 1998. _________________________________________________ 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] __________________________________________________
