News....................................2
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Comment..............................4
China Scene..........................5
International.................... 6, 7
Life............................. 8, 9, 10
Sports.......................... 11, 12
China Business Weekly/
12 pages

China had planned to announce a $10 billion infrastructure investment fund and offer credit to neighbors at a canceled weekend summit of Asian leaders in Thailand, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said yesterday.

He did not reveal a revised timetable for the implementa- tion of the projects or release of credit.

Anti-government protes- tors forced the cancellation of the summit in Pattaya after they swarmed the venue of the summit.

China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) had planned to sign an investment deal to mark the end of free-trade-area (FTA) talks. The two plan to complete the construction of the FTA by next year, which will be the world\u2019s largest by population.

In a meeting with envoys of the 10 ASEAN countries in Beijing yesterday, Yang de- tailed measures that Premier

A $10 billion China- ASEAN investment cooperation fund to promote infrastruc- ture;\ue000 A credit of $15 billion

to ASEAN countries, including preferential loans of $1.7 billion for cooperation projects;

270 million yuan ($39.51 million) in aid to Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar to help them combat the global \ufb01 nancial crisis;

300,000 tons of rice for the emergency East Asia rice reserve; and

scholarships and 200 master\u2019s scholarships for public admin- istration students from the developing member countries over the next \ufb01 ve years.

A draft UN Security Council statement condemning Pyong- yang\u2019s rocket launch \u2014 but avoiding a fresh resolution \u2014 has \u201cto a considerable degree\u201d eased threats to regional peace and the future of the Six-Party Talks, analysts said yesterday.

The \ufb01 ve permanent council members and Japan agreed on Saturday to a presidential state- ment with tough wording as a compromise between inaction and Tokyo\u2019s demand for a le- gally-binding fresh resolution. The deal ended a week-long deadlock on the council\u2019s re- sponse to the Democratic Peo- ple\u2019s Republic of Korea (DPRK)\u2019s launch on April 5.

\u201cIf the UN Security Council had avoided a response to Pyongyang\u2019s rocket launch, Japan might have taken action

on its own, which could have been more damaging,\u201d said Jin Canrong, an international relations expert with Renmin University of China.

For such a response, China\u2019s stand has been that it should not hamper future Six-Party Talks, Jin said, adding that \u201cBeijing should be pleased with the statement\u201d.

The talks, aimed at de- nuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, involve China, the DPRK, the Republic of Korea (ROK), Japan, Russia and the United States.

Japan had been pushing for a council resolution that would declare the DPRK in violation of resolution 1718 of October 2006 which calls for \ufb01 nancial and arms sanctions against Pyongyang for its nuclear test that year. It also forbids Pyong- yang from launching ballistic missiles.

But China and Russia were opposed to a new resolution and suggested instead that the council adopt a compromise presidential statement.

\u201cThe Security Council condemns the 5 April 2009 launch by the DPRK, which is in contravention of Security Council resolution 1718,\u201d the draft statement said.

Although the statement does not explicitly declare Pyong- yang in violation of 1718, diplomats said the language in the draft that it contravened the resolution has the same legal meaning.

Instead of launching new sanctions, the draft calls for the UN Sanctions Committee to designate \u201centities and goods\u201d to face sanctions.

The impact of any UN-backed sanctions is bound to be limited because Pyongyang is already more or less isolated from

the rest of the world, Yoo Ho- yeol, an expert on the DPRK at Seoul\u2019s Korea University, told Reuters.

The draft also calls for Pyongyang to return to stalled Six-Party Talks aimed at end- ing its nuclear program and demands that it refrain from any further launches.

With the backing of the \ufb01 ve permanent members and Japan, the statement\u2019s adoption by the full council at a meeting called for this afternoon (New York time) is virtually assured.

China\u2019s UN envoy Zhang Ye- sui said on Saturday the draft was \u201ccautious and proportion- ate\u201d, which Beijing had sought.

US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice said the draft state- ment is \u201cvery strong and sends a clear message to the DPRK that their violation of interna- tional law will not be treated with impunity and, indeed,

Japanese Ambassador Yukio Takasu told reporters that his country\u2019s \u201cstrong preference was a resolution, but as I say, equally important is unity. And I think unity of the coun- cil would have been lost if we insisted on that. That\u2019s why we have accepted this very strong presidential statement\u201d.

\u201cNow we\u2019re only unsure of response from two sides \u2014 Japan\u2019s conservative groups, and Pyongyang,\u201d Jin Canrong said.

Pyongyang had warned of \u201cstrong steps\u201d if the council took any action against it.

The DPRK said it successfully launched a satellite into space on April 5 but some insist it was a disguised long-range missile test and no satellite was launched.

China plans to launch the sec- ond Beidou satellite, the Chinese version of the Global Navigation Satellite System, into orbit on Wednesday.

Premier Wen Jiabao said over the weekend that the economy was showing \u201cpositive chang- es\u201d but called for more efforts to combat the impact of the global \ufb01nancial crisis.

2 tennis player Roger Federer married longtime girlfriend Mirka Vavrinec on Saturday in a small ceremony in his hometown.

27- year-old Swiss announced the wedding on his website, saying the couple got married \u201csur- rounded by a small group of close friends and family\u201d.

was a beautiful spring day and an incredibly joyous occa- sion,\u201d he said.

Federer is set to play in next week\u2019s Monte Carlo Masters, after accepting a last-minute wild card invita- tion on Thursday. Federer is

a three-time finalist at the clay-court tournament but has never won.

After struggling with his form last year and losing his No 1 ranking to Rafael Nadal,

Federer is aiming for his sixth Wimbledon title this summer. He lost to Nadal in the Aus- tralian Open \ufb01 nal, the year\u2019s \ufb01 rst major.

minister narrowly escaped a savage attack and rioting erupted in Bangkok as protest- ers commandeered public buses and swarmed triumphantly over military vehicles in unchecked de\ufb01 ance after the government declared a state of emergency.

Bands of red-shirted anti- government protesters roamed areas of the Thai capital, with some smashing a car carrying Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and others beating up motorists who hurled insults at them.

At least 10 intersections were occupied by the protesters, who used buses to barricade several major roads, spawning massive traf\ufb01c jams.

The emergency decree bans gatherings of more than \ufb01ve people, forbids news reports considered threatening to public order and allows the government to call up military troops to quell unrest.

But there were signs that the government might not be able to contain the protesters.

Demonstrators swarmed over two of three armored personnel carriers outside a shopping mall in downtown Bangkok, waving \ufb02 ags in celebration. An elderly lady atop one of the vehicles screamed \u201cDemocracy!\u201d before the protesters directed the soldiers to drive them back to a military camp.

Outside the Interior Ministry, a furious mob attacked Abhisit\u2019s car with poles, stones and even \ufb02 ower pots as it slowly made its escape. Police in riot gear

\u201cI believe that the people have seen what happened to me. They have seen that the protesters were trying to hurt me and smash the car,\u201d Abhisit said in a television appearance.

\u201cIt\u2019s total chaos. It is scary and the military are doing nothing. Who can guarantee our safety?\u201d said Martin Liu, a 36-year-old American tourist near the armored vehicles.

Demonstrators from the Unit- ed Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship say Abhisit\u2019s four- month-old government took power illegitimately and want new elections.

\u201cWe told our people to be ready and be prepared,\u201d said Jakrapop Penkair, a key protest leader. If the military uses force, \u201cThe people will be our weapon. We are not scared. Abhisit must be ousted immediately.\u201d

Abhisit said the government imposed the state of emergency because \u201cwe want to return the country to normalcy\u201d.

\u201cThe government will try every way to prevent further damage. I ask the people to sup- port the government in order to restore order in the country,\u201d he said on national television.

Abhisit also vowed swift legal action against protesters who stormed the venue of an East Asian summit in the beach resort of Pattaya on Saturday, forcing the summit\u2019s cancellation. Thai authorities had to evacuate the Asian leaders by helicopter.

from Taiwan got their certi\ufb01 cates of legal professional quali\ufb01 cation yesterday after passing the Na- tional Judicial Examinations.

carrying four people crashed into the Yangtze River near Shanghai soon after taking off from an Antarctic expedition ship anchored in the harbor, leaving three injured and the other missing.

\u201cThe helicopter \ufb02 ew up only three or four meters \u2014 no more than a minute after taking off \u2014 when it crashed,\u201d said a worker on a nearby ship carrying mud

The helicopter was hired by the Polar Research Institute of China (PRIC) for the just-con- cluded 25th expedition to the South Pole on the Snow Dragon. The aircraft was heading home to Feilong Aircraft Company based in Harbin, when the ac- cident happened.

The helicopter fell into the Waigaoqiao area in the Yangtze River about 70 m from theSnow

crashes just a minute after
taking off from China\u2019s Antarctic
exploration ship, Snow Dragon

Seven of\ufb01cials of a county in Shanxi province were recently punished for organizing over- seas trips sponsored by local businesses last year.

From May 30 to Dec 20, the local legislature in Jiaokou, a county under the jurisdiction of the city of Luliang, sent of\ufb01cials and employees on the trips.

Shanxi Daily reported yester- day that the tours cost around 540,000 yuan ($78,000), with all monies provided by local companies.

Officials involved in this case violated the regulation that all Party officials and public servants must report to

related departments before go- ing abroad and those trips must not be sponsored or subsidized by companies.

Han Fuping, the county\u2019s Party secretary and director of the Standing Committee of the local People\u2019s Congress, has been sacked from his post.

Six other of\ufb01cials involved in the scandal have also been punished and all members of the tour groups have been asked to repay the costs, the newspaper said.

These of\ufb01cials\u2019 deeds have had a \u201cvery bad in\ufb02 uence\u201d on the public, the provincial disci- plinary department said.

The Shanxi of\ufb01cials\u2019 trip is the latest in a string of contro- versial overseas excursions or-

In August 2007, a group of 10 people from Anhui province was found to be using public funds for a trip to Finland.

Last November, three of\ufb01 cials from Jiangxi province lost their posts for organizing a sightsee- ing trip to Canada, spending nearly 330,000 yuan.

In February, a number of of- \ufb01cials in Guangdong province were discovered to have enjoyed a 14-day trip overseas at public expense.

\u201cThe current situation of such a practice (officials us- ing public money for overseas trips) is very serious in China,\u201d Qu Wanxiang, deputy director of the National Bureau of Cor-

ruption Prevention, was quoted by China News Service as say- ing during this year\u2019s session of Chinese People\u2019s Political Consultative Conference (CP- PCC) in early March.

The Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council have is- sued a document instructing governments at all levels to stop the practice and strictly follow the assessment and ap- proval procedures for overseas inspection tours.

Public administration expert Shen Ronghua warned that \u201cthe current punishment measures for those of\ufb01cials remains too light\u201d.

Traditional medicines will play a prominent role in the coun- try\u2019s new medical system.

Half of the medicines in the new essential medicines catalogue will be traditional Chinese medicines (TCM), of- \ufb01cials said.

\u201cIt will provide a good oppor- tunity for TCM\u2019s development,\u201d He Jinguo, deputy director- general of the department of planning and \ufb01 nance under the Ministry of Health, said in an online interview on Saturday.

Under the new plan, the gov- ernment will construct more TCM clinical research centers and hospitals, organize scien- ti\ufb01c research on TCM\u2019s treat- ment techniques and promote TCM\u2019s development.

\u201cWe are pleased that the cen- tral government paid attention to the TCM industry,\u201d said Wu Yichi, deputy general manager of Hebei-based Yiling Pharma- ceutical Group.

\u201cBut I hope more detailed measures will be released soon,\u201d he said.

The basic medicine system will include a catalogue of nec- essary drugs to be produced and distributed under govern- ment control by 2011.

Wang Chengde, director of Beijing-based Shuntiande TCM hospital, agreed: \u201cWe

are looking forward to the day when practical and specific measures will be issued.\u201d

He said the medical reform scheme was good but wondered how these general policies would be implemented.

Experts praised the policy but said the country\u2019s TCM medical system needs great reform.

Zhu Hengpeng, a researcher at the institute of economics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said: \u201cAlthough TCM\u2019s theory is different from that of prevailing Western medicine, there is good evidence to prove its effectiveness in disease treatment, especially for those

With TCM being affordable and convenient, it was easy to understand why government promoted it, he said.

Chen Qiguang, Zhu\u2019s col- league and the head of TCM situation research project carried out by the institute, said: \u201cIt is of great strategic significance to develop TCM for the country.\u201d

He said TCM medical insti- tutes need to improve their management systems, instead of copying those of Western medical institutes.

\u201cIt\u2019s just like asking a Chris- tian priest to administer to Bud- dhist monks,\u201d he said.

forward to a more affordable pot of Pu\u2019er, which has witnessed sharp price hikes in recent years, Kong Chuizhu, deputy governor of Yunnan province, said yesterday.

said yesterday at the opening ceremony of the fourth China Yun- nan International Pu\u2019er Tea Expo, which kicked off in Kunming, capi- tal of the southern province.

A total of 180 companies from home and abroad are taking part in the event, which

\u201cThe purpose of the expo is to help people further understand the quality and health bene\ufb01ts of Pu\u2019er tea,\u201d Kong said.

counting for 31.1 percent of the province\u2019s total tea output. The province exported 1,889 tons of Pu\u2019er last year, earning $14.69 million. Yunnan came a close second to Fujian province in tea production last year.

Although the province\u2019s overall tea output in 2008 was just 1 percent less than 2007, production of Pu\u2019er tea fell 46.7 percent last year, a decline of

Kong attribut- ed the decrease to low temperatures and a drought in winter and spring last year.

\u201cPu\u2019er tea be- came very popu- lar after 2000 as more people became aware of its beneficial qualities,\u201d said Kong.

Pu\u2019er tea, which is believed to help weight loss, grows in qual- ity and value as it matures, lead- ing some people to buy up large quantities. But some investors dropped out of the industry in the latter half of 2007, leading

China has developed some of the most advanced weapons technology in the world as a result of remarkable progress in recent years, the China Associa- tion for Science and Technology said in its annual report.

The report, which listed weapons technology for the first time, reviewed the na- tion\u2019s recent progress in nearly 30 scienti\ufb01c \ufb01 elds.

The report, which was com- piled by the China Ordnance Society, a division of the na- tion\u2019s largest scienti\ufb01c organi- zation, said that the nation had achieved leading positions in armaments, ammunition and weapons information, as well as ordnance materials and manufacturing.

China had developed its own technology and made progress in heavy armaments, such as high-power diesel engines, as well as fast-burning, high- pressurization and high-tem- perature cooling technologies, said the report.

These technologies play a key role in the design of \ufb01 ghter jets, aircraft carriers and space- ships, analysts said.

The report also said the coun- try had developed a new series of missiles and cannons which boost the weapons capacity of the army, currently armed with the equivalent of world\u2019s top weapons in the 1990s.

China had greatly improved the \ufb01 ring range, accuracy and impact of its weaponry, while also making progress in torpe- does and depth charges.

Battle automation, detection and night-vision technologies had also reached the interna- tional level, the report said, pointing to the high standard of the nation\u2019s craftsmanship in latex materials used in missile and space technologies.

\u201cThe light weaponry used by China\u2019s armed forces ranks among the best in the world, but there is still an obvious gap between China and the world\u2019s state-of-the-art naval and aerial weapon technologies,\u201d Li Daguang, a weapons expert at the National Defense University in Beijing, told China Daily.

The report said China still lags behind the major powers in heavy armaments such as tanks, as well as information- based technology and tactics \u2014 areas that are deciding fac- tors in modern combat.

The report suggested that China further upgrade the technological level of its weap- onry, while developing new materials.

The country\u2019s arms produc- ers are also encouraged to ex- pand exchanges with foreign countries.

The report accurately re\ufb02 ects the current state of China\u2019s weapons technology, military experts said.

Wang Jinling, a Beijing- based military strategist, said tactics and information tech- nology were more important to a modern army than sheer \ufb01 repower.

\u201cThese advanced technolo- gies showcase the capability of China\u2019s military industry, not the capability of China\u2019s military strength,\u201d Wang pointed out.

Four people have been ar-
rested following the murder of
two students in Beijing.
Police said a man and a wom-

murdered in Changping
district. Police from Beijing,
Liaoning province and Hebei
province cooperated in the
hunt for the suspects, and
within nine hours had arrest-
ed two in Liaoning province
and two in Hebei province.
The suspects confessed they
had robbed the two students

Five students died and 39
were injured when a bus
rolled into a ravine in east
China\u2019s Shandong province on

road into a 4-m-deep ravine
in Yishui county at 9:40 am,
Xinhua reported yesterday.
Three students died at the
scene and two others died in
hospital, according to police.

A total of 186 cities across the
country kicked off a week-long
tourism promotion on Satur-
day morning, giving away
discount coupons on tourist
attractions and packages.
Initiated by the National Tour-
ism Administration of China,

products from Taiwan can
be ordered during the 11th
cross-Straits Fair for Economy

been booked. Products from
the mainland, as well as those
from Singapore and other
foreign countries, will also be

The enthusiasm surrounding injured hurdler Liu Xiang at Tian\u2019anmen Square yesterday morning proved he is still one of the most popular sports stars in China.

Invited to attend the start- ing ceremony of 2009 Beijing International Long-distance Running Festival on Sunday morning, the reigning world champion and former Olympic men\u2019s 110m hurdlers cham- pion, appeared in front of tens of thousands of running fans, causing a crescendo of \ufb02 ashing cameras from the media and in- spiring shouts from fans.

\u201cI love you, Liu Xiang!\u201d, \u201cLiu, you\u2019re the best!\u201d and \u201cCome on, Liu. You will recover!\u201d people shouted as they ran past.

Excited fans also forced organizers to cancel Liu\u2019s 10-minute interview with the media and cut short his appear- ance in the stands to only six minutes.

Liu arrived quietly on Sat- urday night and his schedule was kept secret by organizers, but hundreds of members of the media rushed for him on Sunday morning.

Since media could only shoot photos from outside a group of volunteer guards surrounding Liu, they had to learn about the young hurdler through his coach, Sun Haiping.

\u201cAttending the World Cham- pionships in August is too rushed for him, so attending the competition in September or October is a better choice,\u201d Sun said outside the VIP room.

Coming back from surgery and undergoing rehabilitation in the US, Liu is now in training in his hometown of Shanghai preparing to return to competi- tion as soon as possible.

\u201cHe trains every day at present, but still cannot take on special training for strid- ing hurdlers. We don\u2019t want to put him at risk again.\u201d

\u201cWith the adjustment of the market last year, the price has returned to a more reason- able level, but still lower than before,\u201d Kong said. \u201cOverall, from the industry\u2019s point of view, I consider that a normal adjustment in prices.\u201d

nan to remain lower than aver- age due to the drought and cold temperatures in the \ufb01 rst half of this year.

\u201cPu\u2019er tea will increasingly turn from a product to collect to just a healthy drink,\u201d said Tang Keren, deputy general director of Yunnan province\u2019s agricultural department.

Yunnan in June last year by the Standardization Administra- tion of China. A national-level quality standard for Pu\u2019er has been applied in Yunnan since Dec 1 last year.

\u201cWe are currently working on the reconstruction of low- output tea farms, the process- ing of organic teas, and upgrad- ing the quality of processed tea products,\u201d Kong said.

It is of great strategic
signi\ufb01 cance to
develop TCM for the

increasingly turn from a product to collect to just a

Three of them, two pilots \u2014 Li Baohui and Yang Hua \u2014 and technician Tang Lijun were rescued by the mud transporta- tion ship within 20 minutes, but the fourth, a technician named Yang Yongchang was missing as of last night.

The rescued people were treated at No 7 People\u2019s Hospi- tal and reported to be in stable condition.

About 13 ships were pressed into service for the search, and by 6:30 pm, a sonar system located the helicopter at the

The PRIC has leased heli- copters from Feilong Company many times for its polar expedi- tions; and three of the four on the crashed helicopter partici- pated in the latest expedition to the South Pole, including Yang, the missing technician.

TheSnow Dragon returned to its home harbor in Shanghai on April 8 after its mission to the Antarctic, where China\u2019s \ufb01 rst inland research station, Kun- lun, was built on the highest plateau on the South Pole.