Beijing

Chinese VP meets former Japanese PM

Vice-President Li Yuanchao met with former Japanese prime minister Yukio Hatoyama on Saturday. Noting that bilateral relations are facing grave difficulties, Li called on the two sides to squarely face reality and properly deal with problems in their relations. He said he hopes the Japanese side will learn from the past and stick to a path of peaceful development. He also called on Japan to make joint efforts with China to promote the improvement of bilateral ties. Hatoyama underscored the importance of bilateral relations, calling on the two sides to resolve their problems through dialogue.

China urges recall of tainted milk

China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine has advised Chinese importers purchasing dairy products from New Zealand company Fonterra to immediately initiate recalls of potentially contaminated products, according to a press release on its website on Saturday. Fonterra said on Friday that some whey protein produced in May 2012 was found with clostridium botulinum, which can cause botulism. AQSIQ has demanded the New Zealand side to act immediately to prevent the tainted products from harming the health of Chinese consumers.

One-child policy relaxation mulled

China is still deliberating whether to further relax the country's one-child policy by allowing a couple in which only one party is an only child to have two children, a spokesman for the country's health and family planning authority said on Friday. Mao Qun'an, spokesman for the National Health and Family Planning Commission, made the statement in response to media attention on China's population policies. The current policy requires that to have a second child, the father and the mother must be both only children.

Shandong

600 students vie for saxophone award

The second "China Saxophone Cup" kicked off in Qingdao, East Shandong province on Saturday. The weeklong event, which includes saxophone performances, and summer camp for primary and middle school students, attracted more than 600 students around the country. Organized by China Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles and Qingdao Municipal Government, the activities aim to promote wind music among students.

Topping-out China's tallest building

A topping-out ceremony was held on Saturday for China's tallest building, which remains under construction. It is scheduled for completion in 2015. The 125-story Shanghai Tower in the Lujiazui financial and trade zone in Shanghai's Pudong district is now 580 meters high, and reported to reach a final height of 632 meters upon completion. The building includes offices, commercial space, a five-star hotel, exhibition and conference halls, and recreational facilities.

Tibet

Four missing after bridge collapse

Four people went missing after part of a bridge deck in Tibet autonomous region collapsed on Friday night, local authorities said on Saturday. The accident occurred on the Tongmai suspension bridge on the Sichuan-Tibet highway in Bomi county, disrupting traffic on the major road in the southwestern autonomous region, the county government officials said. A truck with two local villagers aboard fell into the river and went missing. Meanwhile, another two hikers, a 24-year-old woman from Jiangsu and a 25-year-old man from Anhui, were also missing, the officials told Xinhua at the site. Traffic police at the two sides of the bridge have blocked the traffic. It would take at least one month before the traffic could be resumed.

China Daily - Xinhua

(China Daily 08/04/2013 page2)