¡¡GUIYANG, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) — At least seven people were confirmed dead after a moderate earthquake jolted the juncture area of three counties in southwest China’s Guizhou Province Sunday, earthquake authorities said Monday.

    The quake, measuring 3.4 on the Richter scale struck at 5:37 p.m. Sunday, according to China Earthquake Administration.

    At least one person was missing and nine others injured, including two seriously, said the Anshun City Emergency Management Office. All the injured are receiving treatment at hospital.

    With a depth of about 7 km, the epicenter was detected at 25.6 degrees north latitude and 105.8 degrees east longitude in a juncture area between Guanling Buyi and Miao Autonomous County, Zhenning Buyi and Miao Autonomous County and Zhenfeng county, according to China Earthquake Administration.

    The quake triggered landslides at two sites, causing casualties, according to the administration.

    GUIYANG, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) — Three people were killed after a moderate earthquake measuring 4.0 on the Richter scale jolted southwest China’s Guizhou Province Sunday, local government said.

    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)

    URUMQI, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) — Text messaging services began to resume Sunday for mobile phone users in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, six months after the July 5 riot in the regional capital of Urumqi.

    The services were “gradually” restored since midnight Sunday, said an official with the information office of the regional government.

    Local residents sent text messages to their family members and friends as soon as they got the news.

    The access for Xinjiang residents to two websites, namely xinhuanet.com and people.com.cn, were restored on Dec. 28, followed by access to another two portal websites, or sina.com.cn and sohu.com, on Jan. 10.

    Other services had also been resumed, including online banking, online securities trading, online student enrollment and text messages of weather forecast, the official said.

    Internet connection and mobile phone text messaging services were cut in some areas of Xinjiang after the deadly July 5 riot, in a move to quench the riot quickly and prevent violence from happening again.

    The move proved to be effective in dealing with the riot and maintaining stability of the region. However, it also brought inconveniences to people’s lives, the official said.

    BEIJING, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) — The United States needs to face up to its own imbalances rather than engage in more China bashing over trade, said world-renowned economist Stephen Roach.

    ”The West, especially the United States, needs to take a long hard look in the mirror and face up to its own imbalances. Hypocrisy is not a recipe for global statesmanship,” wrote Roach in Singapore’s leading financial daily Business Times this week.

    As U.S. congress and the White House look toward the mid-term elections of 2010, Washington could well up the ante on China bashing — moving from a rhetorical assault to widespread trade sanctions, predicted Roach, chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia.

    He noted that the United States has already imposed trade sanctions on Chinese exports of tyres, coated paper product and steel piping and grating in recent month.

    Roach argued that the expected salvo from Washington was apparently built on hypocrisy as the United States itself should also be held accountable for the global economic imbalances.

    Meaningful progress on global rebalancing could not occur without progress by both China and the United States and that China has a more optimistic prospect of achieving rebalancing, he said.

    ”There is good reason to believe that China … is about to take dramatic steps in rebalancing its domestic economy in a fashion that would provide a sustained and meaningful reduction in its current account surplus.”

    China viewed the recent crisis and recession as an unmistakable wake-up call, which left the country with little choice other than to shift the sources of its GDP growth from external to internal markets, he said.

    However, it was hard to be sanguine about the outlook for America’s saving and current account imbalance.

    ”The United States, with its massive shortfall in domestic saving, has come to rely heavily on surplus saving from abroad to fund economic growth. And it must run massive current account deficits in order to attract that capital,” he said.

    All nations need to be accountable for the role they need to play in driving a long overdue global rebalancing, said Roach. “It would be the height of folly to try and force China into a counter-productive approach, especially since it appears to be taking its own rebalancing agenda very seriously.”