All posts by LKY - 179. page

In a recent annual academic conference held in Lanzhou City, Gansu Province, Lu Yongxiang, President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences warned that China has entered into an energy state of emergency where it had to rely on overseas sources to supply 50 percent of its oil demand in 2007. Lu said that the energy shortage will slow down the economic growth.

According to  statistics released by the National Energy Administration, China became the second largest energy producer as well as the second largest energy consumer in the world in 2007. Due to its large population, China’s energy consumption per capita level was only at 62 percent of the world’s average. China’s energy elasticity index was 0.7 in 2007 which was seven times higher than Japan who has the same compatible scale of  production volume as China.

Source: Xinhua, August 20, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2008-08/20/content_9531330.htm
China National Energy Administration, August 20, 2008
http://www.gov.cn/jrzg/2008-08/20/content_1075206.htm

On the day of the Beijing Olympics’ opening ceremony, with the help of a meteorology expert from Russia, the Chinese Meteorology department launched 1104 rain dispersal rockets at 21 operation sites in Beijing between 4:23pm to 11:39pm to stop a storm cloud that was coming from the southwest. The Chinese Meteorology experts claimed that it was the largest organized and best executed weather modification operation used in Olympic history and the first ever used in China.

The weather forecast called for a rainy weather forecast for the Olympic opening night with 90 percent humidity. Rain had been cited as the biggest threat to the Olympic opening by the chief director of the ceremony Zhang Yimou days ahead of the opening night. The weather services said that Baoding City of Hebei Province, to the southwest of Beijing received the biggest rainfall of 100 millimeters Friday night, and Beijing’s Fangshan District recorded a rainfall of 25 millimeters.

Source: Xinhua, August 9. 2008
http://www.bj.xinhua.org/bjpd_sdzx/2008-08/09/content_14075111.htm http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-08/09/content_9079637.htm

Ever since the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) switched VOA and RFA from Eutelsat W5 to Asiasat 3S on July 30, more and more audience members from mainland China have been complaining that they are unable to receive the signals from VOA and RFA.  They say that the signals were weak and frequently interfered with in July but that this has worsened and there has been no signal since early August.  Asiasat 3S is reportedly controlled by the Chinese Communist regime.

In addition to VOA and RFA programs, Eutelsat also carried signals for New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV), an independent and nonprofit television broadcaster based in New York City. The BBG’s decision to switch the satellite companies BBG has subsequently shutdown the broadcasting signals of NTDTV into China.  NTDTV is known for broadcasting uncensored information into China and can be potentially viewed by millions of audience members inside China.

Source: New Tang Dynasty Television, August 12, 2008 http://www.ntdtv.com/xtr/gb/2008/08/12/a183781.html