BEIJING, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) — About 84.5 million Chinese were using their mobile phone to log onto the Internet, which accounted for nearly 30 percent of the country’s total netizens, an industry expert said here on Tuesday.

    Yang Zemin, director of the Telecom Research Institute under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said China registered 68.7 million new cell phone users in the first eight months, which brought country’s mobile phone user population to about 616 million.

    He estimated the number of Internet users had reached 275 million by the end of September and 85 percent were broadband users.

    The number of fixed-line users began to make a negative growth. Through August, the number of fixed-line users stood at 354 million, down 11 million from the 2007 figure, Yang said.

    He added the total telecom industry revenue reached 540 billion yuan (79.1 billion U.S. dollars) through August, up 8.5 percent from a year earlier.

    BEIJING, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) — China will work diligently to maintain an effective and smooth communication channel with citizens who want to submit complaints, a senior Party official said here on Tuesday.

    ”We should try to adopt every open, convenient and easy method to guarantee the public’s right to express their requests to the government,” said Zhou Yongkang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, at a video tele-conference on government officials receiving citizens and visiting grassroots people.

    In the past nine months, asked by the central government, senior officials of the city, county and district governments met with ordinary citizens in person regularly, listening to their requests and complaints and helping solve their problems. They also paid more frequent visits to grassroots people.

    ”Their work eased serious problems that were closely related to people’s interests and threatened social stability,” Zhou said. “Their visits at grassroots levels contributed to the implementation and improvement of central government policies.”

    The country will formulate the measures into a system and continue improving them, he said. Supervision will be tightened upon the implementation of the measures.

    ”Senior officials of local governments will receive serious penalty according to laws and Party disciplines if problems and conflicts worsen and linger because they ignore people’s requests, harm their rights and interests, breach their duty.”

    Officials were also urged to well inform people about expressing their requests through legal and rational ways.

    Governments at all levels should adopt a scientific and democratic way of decision making, pay more attention to public service and try to prevent new problems from emerging, Zhou said.

    They should also find out the cause and solution to existing problems, he said. “They should focus on well solving people’s legal requests timely.”

    BEIJING, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) — China on Tuesday reaffirmed its resolve to keep its economy on track amid the global financial turmoil.

    In a meeting with visiting U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel, Vice Premier Wang Qishan said the financial crisis, triggered by the U.S. credit crunch, had exerted a grave impact on the global financial market.

Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan(R) shakes hands with visiting U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 14, 2008. (Xinhua Photo)

    ”As a responsible country, China has always valued the communication and cooperation with other nations to ensure world financial and economic stability.”

    Wang said China would make great efforts to keep its economy on the right track, which would be the country’s greatest contribution to the world.

    China had implemented and would continue measures to ensure the stability of finance, economy and the capital market, he said, referring to a package of new policies to spur economic growth.

    The central bank cut interest rates on Sept. 15 for the first time in six years.

    The People’s Bank of China, the central bank, announced the deposit and lending rates would be lowered by 0.27 percentage points and the reserve-requirement ratio would be reduced 0.5 percentage points starting Oct. 15.

    ”With tools at our disposal, we are confident and capable of prevailing over the overall difficulties and challenges,” Wang told Hagel.

    He added the overall bilateral relations of the two countries had moved forward and become increasingly interdependent since forging diplomatic ties in 1979.

    To promote China-U.S. ties was in the fundamental interests of the two nations, he said.

    Wang proposed the two deepen a strategic trust and take a candid and pragmatic approach in addressing differences. They should work more closely on economy, trade, investment, energy, environment and high-tech.

    He also urged the United States to observe the three joint communiques, refrain from anything harmful to bilateral ties and the stability of the Taiwan Straits, so as to ensure the sound and steady progress of bilateral constructive cooperation.

    As all nations were becoming more connected, Hagel, a Republican senator from Nebraska, said the stronger cooperation between the United States and China would help ensure world financial and economic stability.

    DHAKA, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) — Deputy Speaker of Bangladesh Parliament Akhtar Hameed Siddiqui on Tuesday congratulated the People’s Republic of China over her 59th birthday and spoke highly of China’s achievements.

    Speaking at a discussion meeting here to celebrate the 59th founding anniversary of China, he said China which has rich heritage of civilization has become a great nation in the world under pragmatic policies and wise leadership.

    ”China today is changing fast. But all its changes are directed to the welfare of its people to the advancement of their quality of life,” he said at the meeting titled “Development of Culture and Sports in Modern China.”

    ”China’s development in the arena of sports has been unparallel,” he said, adding that he extended his country’s heartiest felicitation to China for hosting the best Olympic show so far the world has witnessed.

    Zheng Qingdian, Chinese ambassador to Bangladesh, said at the discussion meeting that China has made great achievements and it is remarkable even in history of the world.

    He said, China’s development is a peaceful development and “China devotes to building a harmonious world. China will contribute more to the world’s peace and development.”

    However, he said China remains a developing country, “China still has a long way to go to realize modernization.”

    Bangladesh-China Cultural Economic & Mass Communication Center (BCCEMCC), a local friendly organization to promote the friendship between Bangladesh and China, organized the discussion meeting.

    BCCEMCC, founded in 1984, has about 500 members. 

    BEIJING, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) — Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie on Tuesday pledged to increase military cooperation with Ecuador.

    Liang, also a State Councilor, made the remarks during his talk with Ecuador Minister of Defense Javier Ponce.

    Hailing the smooth growth of Sino-Ecuadorian relations, Liang said to enhance cooperation accorded with the fundamental interests of the two peoples.

    China valued the friendly relation with the Ecuadorian armed forces, and was ready to promote exchanges and cooperation in various areas between the two defense organs and the two militaries..

    Liang hoped the two countries would make concerted efforts to lift bilateral military relations to a new level.

    He also briefed guests on China’s stance over the Taiwan issue.

    Ponce said Ecuador would work with China to create a new situation of the development of bilateral relations, and to strengthen the defense cooperation between the two sides.

    Ecuador would continue sticking to one-China policy, Ponce reiterated.

    Zhou Tienong, vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the country’s top advisory body, also met with Ponce on Tuesday.

    He hoped the relation between the two militaries would witness further growth with the joint efforts of both sides.

   ¡¡BEIJING, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) — Chinese State Councilor Ma Kai on Tuesday met with World Petroleum Council (WPC) president Randy Gossen, who is here to attend an international energy forum.

    ”As the world’s biggest developing country, China has not only met the energy demand required by its economic development, but also endeavored to strike a balance between energy utilization and environmental protection,” Ma told the visiting Canadian.

    The two-day forum will be held in Beijing on Wednesday and Thursday, drawing representatives from the WPC, World Renewable Energy Congress and International Energy Agency.

    In their hour-long talk in the central government compound Zhongnanhai in downtown Beijing, Ma told Dr. Gossen China would make continued efforts to build an energy supply system that was stable, economical, clean and safe.

    ”We will seek a sustainable development of energy so as to support a sustained economic and social development.”

    The two also exchanged views on stepping up international energy cooperation and ensuring energy safety.