Bird Flu crisis ‘severe’ in China

BEIJING—The bird flu crisis in China is “severe” and set to get worse as winter deepens, the government said as it revealed there had been 21 outbreaks in the country. Officials made the grim assessment as they announced that the State Council, had adopted tough emergency laws requiring local governments and people to respond quickly to bird flu and other animal diseases.
The 21 outbreaks occurred in nine provinces in the Chinese mainland, affecting 45 villages and causing the deaths of 144,624 birds, while a further 21.1 million have been culled, Vice Agriculture Minister Yin Chengjie said. “Although some cases in affected areas have been controlled effectively, the whole situation of avian flu control is still severe,” Yin told reporters at a briefing on Monday.
“The task ahead of us is still arduous”. China had previously announced 19 outbreaks of the deadly H5N1 virus this year, including 17 since October 19.
With the world’s biggest poultry industry — 14 billion fowls produced each year — China faces a crisis that is far from over, Yin warned. He said the danger was expected to grow as temperatures dropped across the nation throughout winter, making it easier for viruses to stay alive. “The colder the weather is, the higher the risk of epidemics breaking out,” Yin said. Controlling the outbreaks is also getting more difficult as the bird flu gets more virulent, he said.
“The virulence of bird flu can not only lead to the deaths of chickens but can also affect water fowl such as ducks and geese,” he said. “This situation was hard to find in the past”.
Yin also admitted that “backward” farming methods in China, with poultry being raised alongside livestock in family farms, also made controlling the spread of H5N1 “difficult”. The new emergency regulations, adopted on November 16, outline the obligations of every level of government, as well as people and companies, when faced with a potential bird flu outbreak.
Yin said the new laws require the reporting of outbreaks in a timely manner, dealing with them “promptly and resolutely,” and being fully prepared with adequate financial resources, medical supplies and personnel. “For any cases of false reporting or late reporting, severe punishment will be applied,” Yin said.
o combat bird flu, China also announced this month it would vaccinate all poultry in the country, a challenging task that officials defended Monday. Sixty percent of the nation’s 5.2 billion existing poultry stock have now been vaccinated, said Jia Youling, director of the agriculture ministry’s veterinary bureau.
Jia rejected criticism that vaccinating the entire poultry population would allow immunised birds to continue carrying and spreading the disease without showing symptoms of sickness. “China is a responsible country. We must contain the disease in our country and not let it spread to other countries,” Cao Kangtai, director of the State Council’s legislative affairs office, told reporters.
Bird flu has killed more than 60 people in Southeast Asia since 2003. China reported its first human fatality this month.
  (The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item)
 

China, US agree to cooperate on yuan

BEIJING—Washington and Beijing will cooperate toward making the yuan’s exchange rate more responsive to market forces of supply and demand, visiting U.S. President George W. Bush said. China revalued the yuan by 2.1 percent in July and cut it loose from the dollar so it could float within tightly managed bands. But since then, the yuan rose only a further 0.33 percent against the dollar.
Bush said he applauded the July reform. “I also reminded the leaders that we’ve seen some movement but not much in the currency valuation,” he told reporters after his meetings with Chinese officials. “And I explained to them as clearly as I could that the value of the Chinese currency is very important for manufacturers and workers in the United States”.
Earlier, at a joint news conference with Chinese President Hu Jintao, Bush said: “We’ll continue to work with China to help implement its July commitment to a flexible, market-based currency”. Without giving details, Hu said China would press ahead with the reform of the yuan and “join hands” with the United States to gradually restore balance in trade between the two countries.
“The frictions and problems that may arise in this rapid development of two-way trade may be properly addressed through consultations,” Hu said. China and the United States removed one of the thorns in the side of two-way trade ties this month when they agreed on curbs on the growth of Chinese textile exports until the end of 2008.
But China’s export prowess is rankling with many U.S. law-makers. Senators Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat, and Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, propose a 27.5 percent tariff on imports from China — the degree by which they say the yuan is undervalued — unless China acts soon. The two delayed a vote on their bill last week, citing the timing of Bush’s visit, but said it would take place by March 31.
According to U.S. figures, the United States had a trade deficit of $162 billion with China in 2005, a gap that is on course to grow to $200 billion this year. “They need to move,” said Faryar Shirzad, an economic affairs specialist with the White House National Security Council. “We understand the move to full flexibility will have to be gradual and implemented over time. But it’s really time for them to begin to move much further than they have already,” he told reporters on Saturday aboard Air Force One.

 

Beijing confirms death of all 14 miners

BEIJING—All of the 14 miners missing in a Chinese coal mine flood over the weekend were confirmed dead on Monday, the official Xinhua News Agency said. The flood in the Yuanda Coal Mine in the northern province of Hebei trapped the miners underground, and there had been hopes they might be found alive, reports said. The mine’s owners have been detained for questioning, and an investigation was under way, Xinhua said. The accident occurred in the city of Xingtai, where another disaster earlier this month at a gypsum mine killed 33 people. China’s mines are the world’s deadliest, with thousands killed each year in fires, floods and explosions. The government has repeatedly vowed to improve mine safety.—APP

 

China to purchase 60 bullet trains from Japan
From Max Lee

BEIJING—China plans to place an order for 60 Japanese high-speed Shinkansen “bullet” trains to upgrade the country’s railway system, according to China Daily report Monday.
The trains are modeled on East Japan Railway Co’s high-speed “Hayate” trains, which travel at up to 170 mph, China Daily reported, citing unidentified industry sources.
The orders will be placed with Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd., one of six companies that won contracts last year with China’s Railway Ministry to improve key railway lines, the report said. Other companies involved in this railway project include Alstom SA of France and Bombadier Inc. of Canada.
A spokesman from Kawasaki Heavy said the company was in talks with China, but could not confirm the specifics of the report.
“Our negotiations on the project are still continuing and we cannot comment on its details,” said Masahito Kodera, the spokesman.
Under the plan, China aims to double the speed of trains on five railway lines to 125 miles per hour, using Japan’s bullet train technology.
Kawasaki Heavy Industries’ successful bid was made with Chinese partner Nanche Sifang Locomotive Co.