Briefs
Phone Imports Up
Beijing has increased imports of mobile phones and related spare parts 2.17 times in the first quarter of this year, according to recent statistics from the Beijing Municipal Customs Department. The municipality imported 590,000 mobile phones and a large volume of spare parts valued at US$104.7 million in the past three months. The bulk of imports came from Nokia, Motorola and Ericsson. Imports flowing through the city's free trade zone jumped to US$20.46 million, 5.6 times greater than the same period last year. (CD News)
Compulsive Viewing
A 30-part Chinese language documentary "The History of China's Foreign Affairs" premiered in Beijing yesterday. Produced by the Institute of Foreign Affairs History of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Institute of National History and Beijing Television, the documentary records the official version of development in China's relations with other countries and historical events over the past 50 years. (CD News)
Outsiders to Leave
Beijing will reduce its semi-legal floating population from other provinces to 1.5 million by 2000, according to the Beijing Floating Population Management Division.
In 1978, Beijing had a floating population of 300,000, but today that figure has reached 2.85 million, of whom 1.8 million have found gainful employment.
The government is seeking to reduce this population to 1.5 million, as it represents a threat to laid-off workers and drives the price of wages down artificially low. More than 110,000 families now living without hukou (residency permits) are searching for permanent residency. The city claims this creates severe planning problems for schooling, traffic and housing. (Beijing Evening News)
Those Relic Stats
The Chinese Government spares no efforts in helping cultural relics retain their original appearance. Since 1992, the State Bureau of Cultural Relics has allocated more than 130 million yuan (US$15.7 million) each year to renovate relics and to keep them in good condition.
The special funds are distributed among more than 100 renovation projects across the country every year.
In 1998 alone, the bureau invested 145 million yuan (US$17.5 million) to renovate cultural relics, 70 percent of which went to relics sites under State protection, according to Jin Hongkui, deputy director of the bureau's Cultural Relics Protection Department.
China now boasts some 400,000 relic sites, 750 of which are placed under State protection. (CD News)
Seeing is Believing
A medical team has completed its first-ever mission to China's southernmost Hainan province, assisting 12,000 patients suffering from cataracts.
The Lions Clubs International's Sight First China Action (SFCA) mission aims at performing cataract surgeries and offering training to local ophthalmologists in cities and counties including Tongshi, Baoting, Tiansha, Ding'an, Chengmai, Wanning, Ledong and Sanya.
Since its launch in 1997, the SFCA has successfully completed 710,000 cataract surgeries in rural and remote regions in China.
SFCA is a five-year joint project of Lion Clubs International and the Coordination Committee on Disability, China State Council.
Its target is to perform 1.75 million cataract surgeries for poor cataract patients throughout China, improving ophthalmic facilities and techniques in the country and raising awareness of blindness prevention and treatment among the Chinese people. (BTM News)
Beijing Buys Boffins
The city has signed a cooperation agreement with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
Most of China's scientific and technological elite are members of CAS, headquartered in Beijing. The capital has also decided to work closely with Beijing University and Qinghua University, China's two top universities for engineering.
This will involve the opening of two institutes focusing on Beijing's economic and industrial development.
The municipal government will provide CAS with 2 million yuan (US$240,000) annually to support a series of research programs on how to improve the social and economic situation of the city.
A special committee, with Beijing Mayor Liu Qi and CAS President Lu Yongxiang as directors, will be formed to oversee the cooperation.Earlier this year, Beijing's leaders announced they regarded high-tech industry as a new economic powerhouse. (CD News)
Tourism Stats Up
Beijing received 217,359 overseas tourists in April, an increase of 9.33 percent over last April. Compared with the same time last year, the number of Asian tourists increased 15.57 percent, while American tourists increased 14.62 percent. European tourists remained unchanged. (Beijing Daily)
Reproduction Talk
The upcoming International Reproductive Health and Family Planning Fair in Beijing this August will offer the public simple information about sex and reproduction, encouraging them to discuss marital and family problems frankly with experts.
The State Family Planning Commission (SFPC) has initiated the fair in response to soaring demand for knowledge of reproductive health care, said SFPC Vice-Minister Yang Kuifu, in a news release recently.
Serologists and urologists have also called for government action to raise public awareness about reproductive health care.
A recent SFPC survey indicated health conditions for Chinese women are improving, but more must be done to plug the information gap.
The survey, conducted among 16,000 women aged 15 to 49, discovered 44.3 percent of the women had little knowledge about menstruation before they started to have periods.
Nine percent of women aged 15-19 reported gynecological problems. The rate climbed to 30 percent among women aged 30-34 and to 35 percent among women over 35.
Lack of reproductive knowledge has affected the health of the next generation ?about 200,000 babies are born each year with health defects, 1.3 percent of all newborns, Yang said.(CD News)
Campaign Aids Aged
A nationwide campaign to assist 10,000 impoverished elderly was launched in Beijing recently. Due to economic imbalances between regions, there are around 5 million elderly people in dire need. The campaign is part of the ongoing efforts of the Assisting the Old Project (AOP) initiated by China National Committee on Aging and China Aging Fund in late 1996. Twenty media organizations and the national AOP office issued a united written proposal in a bid to secure societal support. (CD News)
Architects Powwow
The 20th Congress of the International Union of Architects (UIA) will be held in Beijing June 23-29. It is the first time a UIA congress has been held in Asia since its founding 50 years ago.
More then 7,000 architects from more than 100 member countries of UIA will participate. The congress has "Architecture in the 21st Century" as the main theme. Six talking points include "Architecture and the Environment," "Architecture and Urbanism," "Architecture and Technology," "Architecture and Culture," "Architecture and Professionalism," "Architectural Education and Young Architects."
Science Park Online
The Ministry of Science and Technology opened a Beijing high-tech industry information website recently in both Chinese and English. The site includes the Torch Plan database promoting high-tech and new technology industries. The website offers information on the investment environment and business projects at China's 53 high-tech industrial units. Those who log on at http://www.chinatorch.gov.cn can discuss issues related to the growth of China's high-tech industry with experts.