Wu Bangguo (C), chairman of the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) visits a high and new tech enterprise park in Shanghai, east China, Jan. 29, 2010. Wu visited Shanghai from Jan. 28 to Feb. 1. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)

    SHANGHAI, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) — Top Chinese legislator Wu Bangguo has urged Shanghai to take the opportunity of hosting the World Expo to pioneer the country’s transformation of economic development mode.

    Wu, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, China’s top legislature, made the remarks during his visit to the country’s economic and financial hub from Jan. 28 to Feb. 1.

    Accompanied by Yu Zhengsheng, secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, Wu visited the Expo Site as well as some high and new tech enterprises in the city.

    Shanghai must spare no effort in hosting the Expo and seize the opportunity to promote economic restructuring and industrial structural upgrading, to boost the development of modern service industry, and to speed up fostering emerging strategic industries, Wu said.

    ”Wu must make technological breakthroughs, speed up industrialization process, and develop emerging industries such as smart grid, low-carbon technology and biomedicine, so as to make sure the country can have the initiative in the new round of international economic competition,” Wu said.

    The 2010 World Expo was scheduled to be held from May 1 to Oct. 31 in Shanghai, expected to attract a record total of 70 million visitors from home and abroad.

Wu Bangguo (C), chairman of the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) visits the 2010 World Expo site in Shanghai, east China, Jan. 29, 2010. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)

Special Report:  Expo 2010 Shanghai China  

    NANJING, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) — Top Chinese legislator Wu Bangguo has urged to accelerate transformation of the mode of economic development, so as to improve sustainable development when fighting the global financial crisis.

    Wu, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, China’s top legislature, made the remarks during his visit to east China’s Jiangsu Province from Thursday to Sunday.

Wu Bangguo (2nd L, front), member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and also chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), talks with staff members as he visits COSCO (Nantong) Shipyard in Nantong of east China’s Jiangsu Province, Jan. 15, 2010. Wu Bangguo paid a visit in Jiangsu for investigation and research on Jan. 14-17. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

    He called for more efforts for the transformation of the mode of economic development, adjusting economic structure and boosting industrial upgrading.

    ”To accelerate transformation of the mode of economic development should be an important goal and strategic measure in carrying out the Scientific Outlook on Development,” Wu said.

    The economic recovery should be based on an optimized and upgraded economic structure, and the fight against global financial crisis be a process of improving sustainablity of development, he said.

Wu Bangguo (C), member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and also chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), shakes hands with a staff member as he visits WuXi AppTec company in Suzhou of east China’s Jiangsu Province, Jan. 16, 2010. Wu Bangguo paid a visit in Jiangsu for investigation and research on Jan. 14-17. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

    Wu stressed the importance of bringing in high-level human resources, advanced technologies and management expertise. He also encouraged domestic companies to acquire research and development institutions, sales networks, and famous brands, as well as to build production bases, in foreign countries.

    Advanced technologies and new economic growth points are needed for transformation of development mode, economic restructuring and industrial upgrading, and also for China to participate in international competition, he said.

    Wu also called for more efforts to develop emerging industries, including new energy, new materials, Internet of Things, low-carbon technologies and others, “to ensure China will not lose a new round of international economic competition.”

    Human recourses are the key factor of industrial upgrading and nurturing new economic growth points, Wu said.

    ”We shall bear in mind that human resources are of utmost importance,” he said.

    Wu visited industrial parks, scientific research institutions and workshops of enterprises in the cities of Nantong, Suzhou and Wuxi.

    SHANGHAI, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Hu Jintao has called for more efforts to promote independent innovation and upgrading of the industrial structure during his inspection tour to Shanghai which ended Sunday.

    Hu visited scientific research bases, industrial parks and workshops of enterprises during the four-day tour, making investigations and research on the transformation of the mode of economic growth and work to promote sound and fast economic and social development.

Hu Jintao (2nd L, front), general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, tries the TV and video communication functions of a mobile phone as he inspects Spreadtrum Communications, Inc., in Shanghai, east China, on Jan. 16, 2010. Hu Jintao made an inspection tour in Shanghai on Jan. 14-17. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

    Hu stressed promoting independent innovation and making breakthroughs in core technologies. Such breakthroughs would provide strong support for the transformation of the mode of economic growth, he said.

    During his visit to Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd., Hu said that the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee had made a strategic decision to develop large passenger aircraft. He expressed hopes that the company stick to independent innovation and succeed at an early date.

Hu Jintao (4th R), general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, inspects Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SSRF) project, in Shanghai, east China, on Jan. 16, 2010. Hu Jintao made an inspection tour in Shanghai on Jan. 14-17. (Xinhua Photo)

    At the Spreadtrum Communication, Inc., a high-tech company founded by returned overseas students, Hu said independent innovation is the lifeline of a company. He told the company staff “I hope you could make further breakthroughs in core technologies, so as to boost China’s communication industry.”

    Hu also inspected the modern service industry in Shanghai.

    When visiting the logistic park of Shanghai Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Hu said logistic industry plays a crucial part in building Shanghai into an international economic, financial, trade and shipping center.

Hu Jintao (C), general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, inspects the heavy equipment manufacturing base of Shanghai Electric Group Co., Ltd. ,in Shanghai, east China, on Jan. 15, 2010. Hu Jintao made an inspection tour in Shanghai on Jan. 14-17. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

    At China UnionPay, a joint stock financial service company that has issued more than 2.1 billion bank cards in the country, Hu urged the company to make UnionPay an international brand.

    Hu also visited the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility project, Shanghai Electric Group and a creative industrial park.

    At the end of the inspection tour, Hu heard the work report by the CPC Shanghai municipal committee and the Shanghai government. He highly appreciated the work in Shanghai in recent years.

Hu Jintao (front), general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, tries the bankcard service of China Unionpay (CUP) as he inspects CUP in Shanghai, east China, on Jan. 16, 2010. Hu Jintao made an inspection tour in Shanghai on Jan. 14-17. (Xinhua Photo)

    He called on the cadres and people in Shanghai to stage a “successful, brilliant and memorable” World Expo.

    Hu said China should take the international financial crisis as an opportunity to restructure the industry and enhance independent innovation, so as to shift the pattern of economic growth.

    Hu also urged to promote energy conservation, emission reduction and eco-protection, as well as to improve people’s livelihood, so that the shift of economic growth pattern could benefit the general public.

Hu Jintao (R front), general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, shakes hands with young members of the research and development team as he inspects Spreadtrum Communications, Inc., in Shanghai, east China, on Jan. 16, 2010. Hu Jintao made an inspection tour in Shanghai on Jan. 14-17. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

Hu Jintao (C, front), general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, inspects Shanghai Aircraft Manufacturing Co., Ltd. of Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Ltd. (COMAC) in Shanghai, east China, on Jan. 14, 2010. Hu Jintao made an inspection tour in Shanghai on Jan. 14-17. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

    BEIJING, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Hu Jintao on Sunday expressed deep condolences over the death of eight Chinese police officers who died in the Haiti quake and sent words of comfort to their family members.

    Hu, also general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and chairman of the Central Military Commission, ordered the proper handling of issues arising from the police officers’ deaths.

    Other senior Chinese leaders including Wen Jiabao, Xi Jinping and Zhou Yongkang also gave instructions on the handling the issues.

    Of the victims, four were officers of China’s peacekeeping force in Haiti and the rest were in a team sent by the Ministry of Public Security of China to Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, for peacekeeping consultations.

    The eight were meeting UN officials in the headquarters of the UN Stabilization Mission in Port-au-Prince when the quake struck at about 4:50 p.m. Tuesday local time.

    The CPC Central Committee and State Council urged an all-out rescue for the eight after the quake hit. The bodies were found after 94 hours of search.

    CHENGDU, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) — Chinese Vice Premier Hui Liangyu has called for more public resources for rural areas to boost rural and agricultural development.

    Hui made the remarks during a recent inspection tour to Chengdu, capital of southwest China’s Sichuan Province.

    Relevant departments should accelerate the building of an incentive mechanism for the transfer of production factors to the countryside, and promote the industrialization and agricultural modernization in rural regions, he said.

    The interests and rights of farmers should be safeguarded in the process to balance urban and rural development, Hui said.

    Although rural residents comprise more than 70 percent of China’s population, public resources conventionally lean to the better-developed urban areas. That leaves a widening gap between the two, a perennial matter the government has vowed to solve.

    The Central Conference on Rural Work, which was wrapped up on Dec. 28, promised more efforts to better coordinate urban and rural development, and guide more resources to the vast countryside.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, talks with local residents at a supermarket during his inspection in Beijing, Jan. 16, 2010. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)

    BEIJING, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) — Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao Saturday stressed food and heating supply as cold snap has driven up vegetable prices and strained coal and gas supplies in north China.

    Wen urged local government to pay attention to the produce, transport and storage of vegetables when visiting a produce wholesale market in the suburbs of Beijing.

    ”Only when food supply is enough and the prices are stable, will people feel at ease,” said Wen.

    Accompanied by Beijing’s Party chief Liu Qi, Wen also went to a heating plant in Fengtai District and inquired about emergency response heating plan in case of extremely cold weather.

    He asked local officials to secure the power, gas and coal supply to Beijing and said that energy supply should follow the principle of civil use first and industrial use second.

    Wen also visited several ordinary Beijing families, who just moved into new houses with government subsidy.

    Beijing municipal government has rebuilt and repaired nearly 500,000-square-meter old houses for 23,000 households.

    The municipal government planed to solve housing problems for about 280,000 low-income families in three years.