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China\’s top political advisor Jia Qinglin will wrap up his visit to Cameroon and leave for Namibia on Thursday to continue his 10-day African tour.

In Cameroon, Jia, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People\’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), held talks with Cameroonian President Paul Biya and National Assembly President Cavaye Djibril separately on Wednesday, discussing the ways to lift the two country\’s traditional relations to a new height.

"As developing countries, it is in the fundamental interests of China and Cameroon to seek bilateral friendly cooperation," Jia told Biya in their hour-long talks at the Presidential Palace.

Jia arrived here on Tuesday for a three-day official visit.

Jia and Biya reviewed the progress of bilateral relationship since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1971, particularly the significant improvement after the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in 2006.

To further China-Cameroon relationship, Jia proposed the joint efforts in cementing political foundation, widening economic cooperation, deepening people-to-people exchange and increase coordination on international issues.

On broader China-Africa relationship, Jia said China was committed to implementing the new eight measures introduced by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao last November in Egypt, which also include debt cancellation, agriculture production, infrastructure, education.

"China would like to listen to the suggestions of Cameroon and other African countries on carrying out those measures in a bid to generate more benefits for African people at an early time," Jia said.

For his part, Biya echoed Jia\’s proposal, saying his country would like to work more closely with China in those fields.

Biya said Africa-China cooperation was characterized by equity, mutual benefit and common development, which had brought substantial benefits to African nations.

The president said his country would support China\’s policy and initiative on Africa.

After their meeting, Jia and Biya witnessed the signing of a number of cooperative deals between the two countries.

Jia earlier delivered a key-note speech at the National Assembly. The speech, entitled "May the Flower of China-Africa Friendship Grow More Splendid," reaffirmed China\’s commitment to boosting the ties between the world\’s biggest developing country and the continent with the largest number of developing countries.

In the speech, Jia put forward a four-point proposal aiming at fully advancing relations with Africa. The proposal covered political trust, economy collaboration, cultural exchanges and global issues.

"Under the new circumstances, China will work with Cameroon and other African countries to enhance the traditional friendship and grow the new type of China-Africa strategic partnership," he said.

"Both sides should remain committed to deepening political mutual trust," said Jia.

"We support the efforts of African countries to uphold peace and stability and seek development through unity," he said, adding that China stood ready to make contribution to African peace, security and integration.

On the economic front, Jia pledged more cooperation with African countries in trade, investment, infrastructure, agriculture, energy, finance and telecommunications.

"We will fulfill the pledge of the Chinese government to provide 10 billion U.S. dollars of preferential loans to African countries," Jia said.

The preferential loans were part of the eight new measures introduced by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao last November in Egypt, which also include debt cancellation, agriculture production, infrastructure and education.

He encouraged well-established Chinese companies to invest in Africa and take more favorable measures to increase the continent\’ s exports to China.

"The Chinese businesses accompanying my visit to Africa will sign important agreements on importing goods from Cameroon," Jia said.

Jia called for stronger cooperation in education, public health, culture, sports and tourism.

"We will work with African countries to train 20, 000 professionals for Africa within three years," Jia said.

With the Shanghai World Expo in sight, Jia also extended a welcome to people in Africa. The 41st World Expo will open in May in China\’s economic hub.

Jia underscored the importance of China-Africa efforts to tackle global challenges, including world financial foe, climate change, food security, among others.

"We will strive to increase the representation and say of developing countries in the international system," Jia said.

On the hot-button climate change, Jia said China would not "compete with African countries for a single penny of assistance."

Instead, China will do its utmost to help African countries enhance the capacity to meet the climate challenge, Jia said.

The speech, delivered during Jia\’s three-day official visit to the central African nation, drew around 400 parliamentarians, diplomats, experts and professionals.

Source: Xinhua

Beijing has launched a campaign to increase police presence in the city center to better deal with terrorism and emergencies, police authorities said Thursday.

More armed police will be patrolling on Tiananmen Square and at main business centers along the Chang\’an Avenue, including Wangfujin and Xidan, the municipal public security bureau said in a statement.

The move will also help to clamp down on crimes at the usually hot tourism destinations, it said.

The bureau said that it will also send more police patrolling in other major areas to ensure the Chinese capital as a safe place.

Source: Xinhua

Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan pledged here Thursday to work towards improving the environment for cooperation between Chinese and British enterprises so to increase economic and trade ties.

Wang hailed the booming Chinese-British economic and trade cooperation during a meeting with visiting British Prince Andrew, who is here as a special envoy of the United Kingdom for international trade and investment.

The two sides share broad potential for cooperation in such areas as infrastructure construction, finance and energy, Wang said.

Prince Andrew, in his turn, appealed to British and Chinese companies to enhance cooperation.

Source: Xinhua

The mainland-based Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) will donate 120 million yuan ( 17.6 million U.S. dollars) to Taiwan for reconstruction work in areas hit by the typhoon disaster last August.

Hao Linna, vice president of RCSC said this Thursday during a visit to the island.

Hao said half of the donations would be used for infrastructure building work, including houses, schools and a bridge.

Up to 15 percent of the money would be used in setting up service centers in communities, and restoring forest cover. Also, money would go to establishing disaster prevention centers and disaster relief staff training program.

When the devastating earthquake hit mainland\’s southwest Sichuan Province on May 12, 2008, many Taiwan compatriots made great contributions. Last year, many mainlanders sent large donations to Taiwan when a typhoon disaster struck the island.

"Giving donations show the deep care and concern for each other by both sides of the Strait," Hao said.

Source: Xinhua

Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang met with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Thursday, hoping China and Britain could further boost cooperation and mutual trust.

During his meeting with Blair, Li said China and Britain were both influential countries in the world and should take the opportunity to increase cooperation and mutual trust, which would benefit the two countries as well as the world.

China would unswervingly follow the path of peaceful development and pursue a win-win strategy of opening-up, and actively participate in international cooperation on tackling the global financial crisis, climate change and health care, said Li.

Li appreciated Blair\’s efforts to "advance China-Britain relations," and said he hoped the former British prime minister would continue to play an active role in promoting exchange and cooperation between China and western countries.

China and Britain last week inaugurated their first higher-level strategic dialogue during British Foreign Secretary David Miliband\’s visit to China.

Blair was invited to China by the Chinese People\’s Institute of Foreign Affairs.

Source: Xinhua

China now has a diabetes "epidemic" as obesity rates rise, a study warned Thursday, with one in 10 adults in the rapidly growing country suffering from a disease already rampant in the West.

The study in the New England Journal of Medicine estimated that more than 92 million men and women are living with diabetes in China.

"Our results indicate that diabetes has reached epidemic proportions in the general adult population in China," said the study carried out by 20 Chinese researchers.

"Given its large population, China may bear a higher diabetes-related burden than any other country," it said.

The study said another 148 million people were considered to be pre-diabetic, or showing early symptoms of developing diabetes, a condition that can lead to cardiovascular disease, China\’s leading cause of death.

The report added that most cases of diabetes in China remained undiagnosed.

By comparison, according to the American Diabetes Association, the worldwide prevalence of diabetes for all age groups was estimated to be 2.8 percent in 2000.

As China\’s economic growth outpaced the rest of the world\’s, so has the increase in health problems linked to growing prosperity, said the Chinese researchers.

Since China\’s economic boom went into high gear in the 1980s, millions of people have left the countryside for jobs in cities — ditching bicycles for cars and embracing aspects of Western living such as fast-food joints.

By People\’s Daily Online

China and Namibia on Thursday pledged to work more closely to upgrade their relationship.

The pledge came after the talks between China\’s top political advisor Jia Qinglin and Chairman of the National Council of Namibia Assert Kapere on Thursday afternoon.

Jia, the chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People\’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country\’s top advisory body, arrived in Windhoek on Thursday afternoon for a four-day visit to the southwestern African nation.

Jia started the talks by congratulating Namibia on the 20th anniversary of obtaining its full independence. Namibia was one of the youngest state in Africa, which became fully independent in 1990.

China-Namibia relationship has taken a good momentum of development since the two countries forged diplomatic ties in 1990, Jia said, highlighting frequent high-level exchanges, fruitful cooperation in politics, trade, culture, education and public health between the two sides.

Jia said China-Namibia friendly and cooperative relationship is significant for China-Africa solidarity, south-south cooperation and world peace.

To consolidate bilateral relationship, Jia proposed more exchanges at different levels to build a solid political relationship.

On the economic front, Jia called for both countries to expand economic cooperation. He encouraged well-established Chinese companies to invest in Namibia and play a role in local development.

Jia also called for expanded people-to-people exchanges, more collaboration in education and public health, and interaction among media, women organizations and academic institutes between the two countries. On the international issues, Jia said China and Namibia should step up coordination and cooperation to safeguard the common interests of the developing countries.

Kapere reviewed the ties between the two countries, saying China is a sincere friend of his country.

Kapere said Namibia is ready to work with China to bring bilateral relationship to a new high.

With the joint task of promoting bilateral friendship, the CPPCC and the National Council of Namibia should expand cooperation and make efforts to advance the relationship, Jia said.

After the talks, Jia and Kapere witnessed the signing of a series of economic deals.

Namibia is the second leg of Jia\’s 10-day African tour which has already took him to Cameroon. He will visit South Africa next week.

Source: Xinhua

The ten workers trapped in a collapsed railway tunnel in north China\’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region might still be alive, rescuers said Thursday.

"The tunnel is not totally caved in. There is room inside for the workers to survive," said Wang Faling, a technician in charge of the rescue on the scene.

Drilling of a horizontal passage will be completed very soon allowing rescuers to get in. Around 60 medical workers and ten ambulances were currently waiting by the tunnel entrance, said Wang.

Rescuers has drilled through a section rubble 27-meter-long, and called through a tiny pipe, but got no response.

An estimated 2,000 cubic meters of rocks and dirt caved in when the tunnel collapsed at 2:35 p.m. on March 19 in Zhuozi County of Ulanqab City, about 150 km from the regional capital Hohhot.

The tunnel is part of a railway being built to link Ulanqab City\’s Jining District and Baotou City, Inner Mongolia.

Source: Xinhua

China believes that diplomacy and peaceful talks are the best and most effective way to solve the Iran nuclear issue, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said Thursday.

"Peacefully solving the Iranian nuclear issue through diplomacy and talks is in the interests of the parties involved and regional peace and stability," Qin said at a regular press conference when responding to a related question.

With regard to the current situation, China hoped all parties involved would proceed by safeguarding the international nuclear non-proliferation regime as well as regional peace and stability, Qin said.

He also urged the parties to continue to strengthen trust between each other, show flexibility and make efforts for a comprehensive and long-term solution to the issue.

China was ready to continue consultations with relevant parties and promote peaceful talks, Qin said.

Source: Xinhua

China\’s top political advisor Jia Qinglin visited a China-funded stadium and the Confucius Institute in Cameroon Thursday.

At the landmark stadium, the largest of its kind in central Africa, Jia watched local people play table tennis and stage a performance of Chinese kung fu.

The multifunctional stadium, located in downtown Yaounde, can hold more than 5,000 people.

Nicknamed "the Chinese stadium," it has hosted many international and regional sports and cultural events since June 2009, when it was inaugurated by Cameroonian President Paul Biya.

At the stadium, an advisor to the Cameroon Kung Fu Association told Jia that he knew about China by learning Chinese kung fu, and he found that kung fu and the Cameroonian culture share a lot in common.

"Instead of focusing on China\’s economic achievements, I think it is also necesssary to learn the Chinese culture so as to know about the country," he said.

Also on Thursday, Jia, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People\’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), visited the Confucius Institute, which is based at the International Relations Institute of Cameroon (IRIC).

In November, this institute, the first in Francophone Africa, partnered with five other teaching institutions to try to meet the demands for Cameroonians learning the Chinese language.

In total, the Cameroonian Confucius Institute has seven teaching centers, including IRIC, Yaounde University II, Yaounde Superior Institute for Commerce, Yaounde Normal Superior School, Saint-Andrew School in Douala, Maroua Normal Superior School in the extreme northern parts of the country and the Buea University in the west of the country.

According to Vice President of the Confucius Institute in Cameroon Zhang Xiaozhen, a teacher who was sent by the Zhejiang Normal University in China, the number of teachers has increased from two to 17, now including 15 from China and two from Cameroon.

"We have more than 2,000 students who are registered in our institute. We are overwhelmed. Business people, Cameroonian civil servants as well as other professionals from the private sector, are all coming to us to study Chinese," she explained.

In fact, in Yaounde, the teaching of the Chinese language started in 1996 with the opening of the first teaching center for the Chinese language and civilization at the IRIC under Yaounde University II. Initially, the classes were only offered to the students of the institution.

The classes were open to the public five years later. At first, the number of students appeared to be very low. In 2004, due to an increased demand for Chinese classes around the entire world, this center started organizing tests and competitions whose winners are given the opportunity to go to China.

In 2007, during a visit by Chinese President Hu Jintao to Cameroon, the leaders of the two countries decided to establish a Confucius Institute. On Nov. 9, 2007, this Confucius Institute was inaugurated.

Source: Xinhua