IN BRIEF (Page 2)

Policy

China to modernize farms: Premier

Premier Li Keqiang has said China will make a new effort in agricultural modernization by promoting large-scale planting based on joint-stock ownership of land and better services to the farmers.

Li made the remarks during a trip to Heilongjiang province, China's largest crop producer, from Nov 4 to 6.

Rural reform is approaching a new turning point in the second-largest economy in the world, the Chinese premier said. It will feature innovation in the management system of farming and economies of scale based on farmers' consent, various ways of cooperation and the provision of modern farm services.

As a continuation of the rural reform started in 1978 to dismantle the regimented collective commune system, the new change will inevitably involve a reform of the present system of land administration, Li said.

Experts said the new rural reform will likely tackle the disadvantages of household-based small-plot farming that have been in practice for the last 30-some years and which may have discouraged the use of advanced technology and transfer of land rights among farmers.

Diplomacy

Global affairs to be top priority

President Xi Jinping has reiterated China's adherence to the path of peaceful development and its vow never to seek hegemony. The country will assume more international responsibilities and take part more in international affairs, he said.

Xi made the remarks in Beijing on Nov 2, when he met the foreign participants of a meeting of the 21st Century Council, a global think tank.

China is constructive in promoting world peace and development and will continue to learn from advanced development concepts and other countries' experiences to harmoniously develop with other nations, he said.

Internet

Minister seeks bigger UN role in cybersecurity

It is time to discuss international rules of conduct and to expand cooperation between countries to protect cybersecurity, a Chinese official said on Nov 5.

Cai Mingzhao, minister of the State Council Information Office, said the United Nations should play a bigger role in leading such efforts.

"We should, step by step, create a fair and transparent mechanism for the governance of cyberspace," Cai said in his keynote address at the EastWest Institute's Worldwide Cyberspace Cooperation Summit in Stanford, California.

The conference at Stanford University drew senior officials, academics and corporate leaders from more than 40 countries and regions. The summit was the fourth annual gathering sponsored in part by the EastWest Institute, a global security nonprofit organization.

Cai said cybercrime has been a major and growing problem in China, where there are more than 600 million Internet users.

Internet-based information technology businesses have become a pillar of the Chinese economy, accounting for 10 percent of gross domestic product.

Legal

Foreigners could be barred from leaving

Foreigners who fail to comply with all court rulings face being banned from leaving China, with information about them disclosed online, court officials say.

On Nov 5, the Supreme People's Court, the country's top court, published a blacklist of 31,259 people who have refused to make court-ordered payments and failed to comply with rulings.

Five of them are from overseas. The five are involved in disputes over debts in Beijing and in Jiangxi and Zhejiang provinces, the top court's implementation department said.

"If the five defaulters use their assets overseas, such as cars, houses and cash, to clear their debts in China, the restriction on them will be removed," said Liu Guixiang, the department's director.

The restriction also targets dishonest Chinese residents and foreign companies operating in the country, he said.

Trade

Tunnel offers route to Western Europe

The opening of an underwater railway tunnel in Turkey can shorten travel times between Europe and Asia and boost rail freight between the two continents, rail experts say.

"With the Marmaray tunnel opening and serving rail networks in Europe and Asia, journey times between the two continents will be shortened substantially," said Yang Hao, a professor at Beijing Jiaotong University who researches rail transport management.

The 13.6-kilometer tunnel runs under the Bosporus Strait, which connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and splits Istanbul between Asia and Europe.

Using the tunnel, it will be possible for China to open a new route to Western Europe via Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and finally Turkey, he said.

Commerce

Shanghai FTZ tribunal opens

A tribunal for the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone was established on Nov 5 to provide judicial services to investors in the zone.

The tribunal will accept civil and commercial cases in the areas of investment, trade, finance, intellectual property and real estate, and will ensure that cases are heard fairly and efficiently.

"The tribunal was founded to promote investment and maintain transaction security in the FTZ," said Guo Jian, president of the Shanghai Pudong New Area People's Court, which established the tribunal.

The tribunal will focus on resolving disputes, coordinating conflicts of interest and supporting innovation, said Sheng Yongqiang, Shanghai High People's Court vice-president.

Survey

Eastern cities still top draw for foreigners

Regional disparity in attracting foreign talent to China is highlighted by survey results released on Nov 6 showing that inland areas have a long way to go in attracting professionals from overseas.

All 10 of the cities considered the most attractive by expatriates are in eastern China, the survey shows.

The top 10 comprises Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Xiamen, Nanjing, Suzhou, Hangzhou and Qingdao, according to the survey.

It was conducted by the Beijing magazine International Talent Monthly and the China Association for International Exchange of Personnel.

Crackdown on ivory smuggling

China firmly opposes ivory smuggling and will continue to work with the international community to protect wildlife, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Nov 5.

Spokesman Hong Lei made the remarks at the ministry's daily news briefing in response to a question about three Chinese citizens apprehended in Tanzania who had a considerable amount of ivory in their residence.

China is paying close attention to the case, Hong said. The Chinese ambassador in Tanzania immediately checked the information and made a statement strongly condemning poaching and ivory smuggling and promising cooperation in fighting the crimes, Hong said.

China Daily

(China Daily Africa Weekly 11/08/2013 page2)