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Parents Want to Learn How to Offer Good Moral Guidance

A survey published by the All-China Women’s Federation reported that 49 percent of the 6,500 parents in the survey were keen to know how to offer good moral guidance to their children. Sixty percent said they wanted to learn how to help their children with psychological health issues. The study polled more than 5,000 school students aged 6 to 17, and about 6,500 parents from 28 cities and counties in 10 provinces and regions.

Most of the children surveyed said they would like to ask their parents questions about sex, but a majority of moms and dads said they were too embarrassed to answer.

Source: China Daily, February 28, 2008
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/language_tips/cdaudio/2008-02/28/content_6493070.htm

China Continues Africa Courtship

President Umaru Yar’Adua from Nigeria met with China’s Hu Jintao at People’s Hall in Beijing on the afternoon of February 28, 2008 as part of his four-day trip in China.  Both leaders attended the ceremony to sign documents on exchanges and cooperation in culture and education.

Trade between Nigeria and China reached 3.13 billion dollars in 2006, up from 1.1 billion dollars in 2001, according to the latest data from China’s commerce ministry. Aside from oil deals with Nigeria, China has helped the country build railways and hydroelectric dams, while last year it launched a telecommunications satellite for the nation. Chinese media last month also reported that state-controlled China Development Bank was in talks to buy a five-billion-dollar stake in Nigeria-based United Bank for Africa.
 
Source: Xinhua, February 28, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2008-02/28/content_7689378.htm

Tiananmen Mothers Call for Open Dialogue

The Tiananmen Mothers, a group led by Ding Zilin, a retired professor whose teenage son was killed in the crackdown, called for the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress to open a dialogue and to investigate the killings. The letter was released through Human Rights in China – a New York-based NGO.

For 19 years, the subject remains taboo and the Chinese government has repeatedly rejected Tiananmen Mothers’ calls to overturn its verdict.

Source: Human Rights in China, February 27, 2008
http://www.hrichina.org/public/contents/press?revision%5fid=47451&item%5fid=47439

China Pressed Vatican to Ditch Ties with Taiwan

Ye Xiaowen, director-general of the State Administration for Religious Affairs, met with the Vatican’s Ambassador to the United States during his visit to Washington DC. Ye Xiaowen emphasized that Beijing’s terms were for the Vatican to switch diplomatic recognition to China from Taiwan and for Rome to accept Beijing’s control over the Chinese church.

Beijing and the Vatican broke formal diplomatic relations after the Chinese Communists took power in 1949. Eight to twelve million Catholics in China are split between a state-sanctioned church, and an "underground" one. “Underground church” rejects government control and answers only to Rome.

Source: news.ifeng.com and Reuters, February 21, 2008-02-21
http://www.sara.gov.cn/GB//xwzx/xwfb/db5828f9-e047-11dc-adc6-93180af1bb1a.html
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080221/wl_nm/china_vatican_dc_1;_ylt=AsGanRTaQhiGOglueNo_KGRPzWQA

Local Authorities in Beijing list Enemies to Monitor during the Olympics

China imposed tighter control on purchasing Olympic Games tickets, especially for the opening and closing ceremonies. An official document of Beijing’s local authorities gave orders to effectively monitor "enemies" during the Olympics. The list includes international terrorists, ethnic or sectarian separatists, opponents with hostile attitude, hardliner Falun Gong practitioners, criminal offenders, people who are seriously dissatisfied with the society and petitioners who came to Beijing to appeal their cases.

Source: Voice of America, February 20, 2008
http://www.voanews.com/chinese/w2008-02-20-voa35.cfm

Massive Construction of Submarine Cable in Hainan

China’s first submarine power cable will be laid through the Qiongzhou Straits this year, connecting the provincial grids of Guangdong and the southernmost Hainan Island. A 34.7-kilometer benthal cable and a 144-kilometer trolley wire will be constructed to link the Gangcheng transformer substation in Guangdong’s Zhanjiang City and the Fushan transformer substation in Hainan’s Chengmai County with a 500-kilovolt alternating current grid. The project will cost 2.1 billion yuan ($280 million).

When completed in the first half of 2009, the submarine power cable is expected to be the longest of its kind in the world.

Source: www.chinaequip.gov.cn, February 13, 2008
http://chinaneast.xinhuanet.com/jszb/2008-02/13/content_12434553.htm

China Reported 3.2 Billion Charitable Donations in 2007

China Charitable Donation Report indicated that China’s public and corporate charitable donations reached $3 billion (22.3 billion Yuan) in 2007, an increase of 123% from 2006. The amount of the charitable donation from outside of China is about $1 billion (8.6 billion Yuan). This is the first official report on the annual charitable funds China received.

Sixty percent of the charitable donation went to education, poverty reduction and disaster relief. In 2008, China’s charity sector identified three areas for improvements. First, improving the organizational structure, especially for grass-roots communities and villages organizations; secondly, establishing evaluation criteria for monthly and annual evaluations; and finally improving the management of charitable projects.

Source: website of Ministry of Civil Affairs, January 31, 2008
http://www.mca.gov.cn/article/zwgk/gzdt/200801/20080100011358.shtml

Human Rights Defender Sentenced to 4 Years’ Imprisonment

On February 5, Hangzhou-based writer Lü Gengsong was sentenced to four years for "inciting subversion of state power" based on 19 articles that he posted online. His political rights will subsequently be deprived for one year. Lü’s hearing lasted for 15 minutes and only his immediate family and two friends were allowed to attend. Outside the courthouse, more than 20 people came to voice their support, one was detained. According to Radio Free Asia, his wife said that he plans to appeal.

Source: Radio Free Asia, February 05, 2008
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/shenrubaodao/2008/02/05/lugengsong/