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	CPC Central Committee Plenary Session Concluded The Third Plenary Session of the 15th Central Committee of the CPC was held in Beijing from October 12 to 14 at which a central committee decision was reached on certain major issues concerning agriculture and rural work. General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Jiang Zemin spoke at the session on agricultural development and rural issues. The 185 members and 148 alternate members of the CPC Central Committee reached a consensus on the importance of agriculture, rural work, and farmers in China's reforms, opening up, and modernization. They believed that the agricultural base, development and rural economy must be strengthened to increase farmers' incomes. They praised the achievements of the past 20 years and set a goal for 2010 for economic, political, and cultural development in rural society and stressed the importance of sticking to existing economic and distribution practices. They emphasized the importance of solving key water conservation and environmental issues and advancing technology. They also reviewed the international and domestic situation and the work of the Central Committee in the past year and called for further reforms. Full Story in English
	Chinese Premier Holds Talks with Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji held talks with visiting Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn abdul Aziz Al Saud, deputy prime minister and head of the National Guard of Saudi Arabia in Beijing yesterday evening. This is the first visit to China by Abdullah Ibn abdul Aziz Al Saud. China and Saudi Arabia established diplomatic ties in 1990. Since then, Sino-Saudi Arabian cooperation and exchanges in the political, economic, cultural and judicial fields have progressed smoothly, Zhu said. Saudi Arabia is now China's most important trading partner in West Asia and Africa. The prince's visit will promote the development of economic and trade ties between the two countries, Zhu noted. The Prince said he hoped the ties between the two countries would be strengthened by his visit. China is a close friend of Saudi Arabia, he said. During the one-hour meeting, the two leaders also exchanged views on issues of common concern, such as the Middle East peace process. Photo: Premier Zhu presided over a welcoming ceremony in honor of Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn abdul Aziz Al Saud prior to their talks in the Great Hall of the People.
	CPPCC Chairman Meets US Christian Delegation Li Ruihuan, chairman of the National Committee of the CPPCC, yesterday told a visiting religious delegation from the United States that the Chinese government continues to sincerely implement the policy of freedom of religious belief. The CPPCC chairman made the remark at the Great Hall of the People during a meeting with Dr. Joan Campbell, secretary-general of the US-based National Council of the Churches of Christ (NCC), who is visiting China at the invitation of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement Committee of the Protestant Church of China and the China Christian Council. Li said religious freedom is clearly stipulated in the Chinese Constitution and various other relevant laws. He reaffirmed that the Chinese government continues to sincerely implement that policy. Dr. Campbell pointed to the brevity of the visit, but she noted that members of the delegation have personally witnessed the remarkable progress China has achieved and free expression Chinese citizens enjoy in terms of religious belief. She pledged to report her impressions of China to both President Bill Clinton and Vice-President Al Gore. She also pledged to recount her experiences in China to the American people.
	Chinese Vice-Premier Meets BIE Visitors Chinese Vice-Premier Li Lanqing met with President of the International Bureau of Expositions (BIE) Ole Philipson, BIE Secretary-General Vicente Gonzalez Loscertales, and their party in Beijing yesterday. Li expressed his satisfaction with and appreciation for the cooperation between the BIE and Chinese side in preparing for the '99 World Horticulture Exposition in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province. He said that the preparations are going on smoothly and the Chinese government will make every effort to ensure success of this exposition.

	Smuggling under Guise of "Contracted Tax" In the Economic Viewpoint Column, an essay says that in recent years, the contracted tax system has become a new stunt for smuggling. Traditionally, under the contracted tax system, an importer is to turn in taxes in the import link and pay commission to an import agent. Now an importer only pays a fixed amount of money to an agent and does not mind whether or not the agent has violated the laws and how the agent is operating as long as the imported cargo reaches the importer in safety. Consequently, the importer has saved money, the agent has made money but the State has lost money as a result of the loss of tariffs at the Customs. Concluding, the essay urges codification of the contracted tax system and strictly cracking down on smuggling under the guise of the contracted tax system.
	Fight against Smuggling The industrial and commercial administrations in China are stepping up an anti-smuggling drive and results have been yielded. Over the past two months, 547 smuggling and smuggled goods-selling cases worth 260 million yuan were seized, a record high in recent years. Yet, investigation of 31 smuggled cars is being obstructed by a certain leading member of Wanxian County, Sichuan Province.
	The tourist business is in full swing in Miyun County on the outskirts of Beijing.
	China now has over 18,400 state standards, over 25,000 standards for trades, over 8,500 local standards and over 0.35 million standards for enterprises.
	A framework of the farming macrocontrol system has been initially instituted by economic, legal and administrative means. These means involve the system of protective prices for grains, the system of special grain reserves and the grain risk fund. Farming inputs are ensured and farming resources are protected through legislation. The policies and measures for supporting and protecting agriculture have been put into laws and systems. A farming legal system with the Agriculture Law at the core has been initially shaped up.
	344 Chinese enterprises that had been engaged in forex-cheating have accounted for their cases on their own.
	A photo shows Luqiao Town In Jiangyin Municipality, Liangsu Province has encouraged establishment of private enterprises. It boasts 111 private enterprises with an annual income of 120 million yuan.
	Yellow River Delta Speeds up Opening up The complete infrastrcture facilities and better investment ambience in Dongying Municipality in Shandong Province has drawn an increasing number of foreign and Chinese investors. The municipality has approved 322 foreign-funded enterprises of which 8 transnationals have taken part in land development and oil and chemical projects. Meanwhile, it has developed products involving oil, chemicals, paper, arts and crafts, farming, animal husbandry and fishery. These products have been well received by foreign investors and brought about trade growth and trade has developed at an over 20 percent rate. Dongying is in the Yellow River Delta where alkline and barren land take up much of the area.
	The State Power Corp. will take steps to equalize power prices in the rural and urban areas in China in 5 years.
	Yue Anlin, deputy chief of the Science and Technology Committee in Xinzhou Prefecture, Shanxi Province, was sentenced to 4 years in prison for arbitrarily logging woods. Former Yue was a model worker in the province.
	Farming Production Keeps Growing Steadily in China Agricultural production keeps growing in China in spite of the devastating summer floods. Autumn crops are expected to increase over 20 billion kg, topping the this year's goal of 492.5 billion kg, reaching or surpassing last year's level. Summer crops and early rice are reduced by about 20 bilion kg from a year earlier. Summer crops totaled 113.1 billion kg, 14.6 billion kg less than the record high last year. Early rice output decreased about 5 billion kg. Autumn grain output is expected to grow over 20 billion kg due to the added acreage of 10 million mu and good weather. Economic crops grew steadily. Except a reduction of cotton output due to calamity and the planned tobacco output cutting down, the output of oil-bearing crops, sugar-yielding crops, vegetables, and fruits is expected to outstrip last year's level.
	'98 National Commodity Fair Opens in Shanghai

	The Legal System for the Cause of China's Disabled Persons Takes Initial Shape In recent years, the legal system for the protection and safeguard of the legal rights and interests of the disabled, centered on the implementation of the Law on the Protection of the Disabled, has been gradually perfected. Activities to publicize the Law on the Protection of the Disabled have been launched nationwide, the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee and the Ministry of Justice have included said law into the national plan for the publicity of laws, related laws, statutes, and other stipulations have been published one after another. According to the China Disabled Persons' Federation, up to now, methods for the implementation of the Law on the Protection of the Disabled Persons and the implementing methods for the proportional employment of disabled persons have been formulated in various provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government; and stipulations on helping the disabled have been drawn up in 93 percent of counties (county-level cities) and 72 percent townships (towns), a legal and statuary system on the disabled persons' cause has taken initial shape, law-enforcement inspections conducted by national and local people's congresses have helped promote implementation of said law. In addition, to tackle problems, such as difficulties for many disabled to engage in consultation, invite lawyers, to go to the court and to pay legal service fees, problems arising from the frequent occurrence of such incidents as encroachment on the legal rights and interests of the disabled.
	The Party's Leading Cadres Charging at the Head in the Anti-Flood Struggle According to a document issued by the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee, in this summer anti-flood fighting, our Party's leading cadres at various levels set a good example, demonstrating the true qualities of the people's public servants, the grass-roots Party organizations gave full play to their role as combat bastions, demonstrating their strong combat effectiveness.
	Gratifying Achievements Made in the Construction of the Nation's Trade Union Organizations On the eve of the convening of the 13th Congress of China's trade unions, this reporter has learned from the All-China Federation of Trade Unions that since the 12th National Congress, trade union organizations at all levels nationwide have continually strengthened their own construction and intensified reforms, as a result, trade union organizations have been further strengthened and perfected and the ranks have expanded day by day. At present, the nation has 586,000 grass-roots trade union organizations with a membership of 102.12 million people.
	Pingdingshan Military Sub-Command Area Builds Logistic Service by Combining Ordinary-Time Work With War Preparedness Work The Pingdingshan Military Sub-Command Area in Henan Province is strengthening logistic guarantee work of the reserve force front by following the road of combining ordinary-time work with war preparedness work, which provides an effective guarantee for fulfilling various urgent, difficult, dangerous and heavy tasks.
	The picture here is by Photographers Zhang Jianping and Wang Yong. The people's armed forces department and the education commission of Wuwei County of Anhui Province turn students' respect and love for the PLA into a move to concern for and support the strengthening of national defense. Picture shows the signing-up activity, entitled 'performing our duty and showing love for national defense' launched by cadres of the people's armed force department and students.
	The Dongming '148' Law Enters Households This March, Dongming County of Shandong Province led the country in opening the '148' legal service special telephone line. Since its opening, cases of visits and letters handled by the county have dropped by 31 percent from last year's same period. Dongming is an agricultural county in western Shandong. In recent years, the people's concept of the legal system has been enhanced, many farmers, however, have still failed to safeguard their legitimate rights and interests by legal means. Statistics show cases of visits and letters paid and sent in for various reasons have accounted for over 65 percent of the county's total. By the end of mid-August, the the '148' legal service special line had received more than 1,500 phone calls which concerned things in more than 20 aspects, such as marriage, family, disputes over homestead, construction contracting and reduction of burden on farmers. Each phone call has been given satisfactory answer and cases have been handled in time.
	Notes on Li Juan Having Her Leg Treated in Tianjin This report by Our Staff Reporter Ao Teng says that on March 16, Li Zengling, a farmer of Xianxian County in Hebei Province, carried her little daughter Li Juan with trouble on her right leg to a Tianjin hospital for treatment. Diagnosis showed that the girl was contracted with inborn kneecap dislocation. The girl was prepared to receive an operation. However, 10 days after she was hospitalized, there was no sign of arrangements made by the hospital for the operation. Although repeatedly urged by the patient's family, arrangements for the operation was delayed. Later the girl learned from her fellow patients that if she wanted to have an early operation, she must send red paper bags containing money as a gift to the doctors and medical workers. So Li Zengling asked her acquaintance to send paper bags to concerned personnel, and this move proved effective, the following day the hospital arranged operation for Li Juan In March when she came to the hospital, Li Juan still could run, jump and cycle, but when she left the hospital on July 2, she had to sit on a wheelchair. Li Zengling reported to a newspaper about the matter that the hospital insisted on taking red paper bags and yet did not properly treat her daughter. The newspaper published the matter. Secretary of the Tianjin Party committee Zhang Lichang, after reading the report, instructed the department concerned to investigate and seriously deal with the red paper bags takers. Later Secretary Zhang made a further instruction that the department concerned should give the patient proper treatment, so as to eliminate the bad influence. Finally, Li Juan's right leg was healed. She said happily to the reporter: ``Now my leg is hopefully cured, I will be able to go to school again. There are many date trees in the courtyard of my home, now I can kneel down to pick up dates.''

	Editorial: Strive to Create a New Situation in China's Agricultural and Rural Work ---Hailing the Conclusion of the Third Plenary Session of the 15th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) The Third Plenary Session of the 15th Central Committee of the CPC concluded. The session was of great importance for creating a new situation in the country's agricultural and rural work, carrying the cause of building socialism with Chinese characteristics through to the 21st century, and ensuring realization of the nation's magnificent cross-century goals. The "CPC Central Committee Decision on Major Agricultural and Rural Issues", approved on October 14, was the guideline for building a new socialist countryside. The document reaffirms the remarkable achievements and experiences in rural reform and development, clearly defines cross-century development goals and basic principles for agricultural and rural work, makes overall arrangements for the nation's economic, political and cultural sectors, and formulates important policies and principles for promoting related efforts. The document indicates that the Party has gained a deeper understanding of the rural reform and development, as well as a greater self-consciousness of the need to strengthen the agricultural and rural work. China has a population of over 1.2 billion people, with some 900 million people living in rural areas. Both the new democratic revolution led by the CPC and the ongoing reform sparked the first significant breakthroughs in the countryside. Agriculture, the countryside and farmers are major issues related to the nation's ongoing reform, opening and modernization drive. Rural stability is a prerequisite for ensuring the overall stability of the nation. The wellbeing of farmers is a decisive factor for the prosperity of the entire Chinese people, and the absence of agricultural modernization will prevent the achievement of national modernization. The key to implementing the Party's rural policy centers on stabilizing the double-tiered operation system based on the household responsibility system and the integration of unified distribution and sales, and the system serves as the foundation of the Party's rural policy. Localities are required to firmly implement the policy of extending the current terms of land-use contracts for another 30 years. In addition, related laws and regulations should be issued at the earliest possible date in order to ensure long-term land-use rights guaranteed for farmers. Experience gained in reform and opening over the past 20 years proves the correctness of the Party's principal rural policies. Experience proves that the ongoing reform represents the greatest hope for rural areas, and that achievement of development has enabled the countryside to deepen reform even further. The main theme of the plenary session centered on deepening reform in order to promote the further development of agriculture and the rural economy in line with the Party's rural policies. National modernization will be impossible without an end to the underdeveloped status of the countryside. The Party's leading role in rural work must remain strong. The editorial urges strict adherence to Deng Xiaoping Theory and the Party's principal line on rural work in order to build strong grassroots Party organizations in rural areas and reinforce the contingent of local cadres.
	CPPCC Vice-Chairman Meets ROK Visitors Wan Guoquan, vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), met with Suh Chung Won, president of the Korea-China Friendship Association, and his party in Beijing on October 14. Established in 1994, the Korea-China Friendship Association consists of political figures and leaders of small and medium-sized enterprises in the ROK. The ROK visitors have come to China at the invitation of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. D105 Macao SAR Preparatory Committee Group Concludes Meeting The fifth session of the Political and Administrative Group under the Preparatory Committee for the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) ended in Zhuhai, Guangdong, on October 13 after a two-day session. Participants engaged in heated discussions regarding drafts of two documents, provisions for the formation of the government electoral committee for the first MSAR government and the code for committee members. The two drafts, which are based on the Basic Law of the Macao Special Administrative Region and the NPC Decision, will be submitted to the fourth plenary session of the preparatory committee scheduled for Zhuhai in early November.
	The First Meeting of Asia-Pacific Parliamentarians Environmental Conference Opens The Seventh Asia-Pacific Parliamentarians Environment and Development Conference will be held in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in the second week of December 1999. This was released on October 14 at the first meeting of the Sixth Conference in Guilin, a scenic city in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The next conference will focus on the issue of urban pollution, especially the worsening urban garbage problem and effective solution to it.
	Wang Daohan Meets Koo Chen-fu A delegation from the Taiwan Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), led by Chairman Koo Chen-fu, arrived in Shanghai for a landmark visit to the Mainland on October 14. Wang Daohan, president of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), met with Koo Chen-fu and his party. The 12-member delegation will visit both Shanghai and Beijing over the next six days. Photo shows Wang Daohan and Koo Chen-fu shaking hands with each other.

	Paving Way for Farming High-Tech When the bollworm spread widely years ago, peasants hesitated to respond to the advice of planting trans-gene insect-resistant cotton. They thought it was a matter in the laboratory and there was a wide gap between technology and its actual use in production. But things took a turn this year. In some places like Huimin County in Shandong Province, peasants lined up for insect-resistant cotton seeds. This shows there is a long way to go to put high-tech into the fields. First, we have to help peasants understand high-tech. We hope that responsible departments can offer opportunities for peasants to learn agriculture knowledge. Second, we should help peasants select and regroup suitable technologies. Now there are numerous high-tech options which are difficult for the peasants to choose by themselves. The agricultural departments should do more practical work for the peasants and establish an indispensable risk-ridden mechanism to test high-tech.
	Technology Are Welcome in Flooded Areas Peasants in the flooded areas in Hubei who are engaged in production recovery and homeland reconstruction welcome technological specialists. Over ten specialists went to the flood-hit areas like Jiayu and Honghu to teach peasants agriculture technology and send high-quality seeds and technological books there.
	Specialists Propose Formulation of Yellow River Law Chinese scientists point out that water conservation and long-term river diversion projects are vital for maintaining the uninterrupted flow of the Yellow River. Scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) visited four provinces on the lower and middle reaches of the river in July and found the worsening drought on the lower reaches of the Yellow River. They warned that interrupted flow of the river may result in disastrous floods and drought in the area next century. On the basis of this survey, CAS filed a report. The report says, drought often occurred in the lower reaches of the Yellow River in 1970s, and the situation was more serious in 1990s. At Linli Station in Shandong Province the water flow in this area was interrupted 13 times in 226 days in 1997. For 330 days, no water was emptied into the sea. The lower reaches of the Yellow River may become a seasonal river as the upper reaches consumes more water. Specialists pointed out that we have to pay much attention to the drought of the Yellow River and departments concerned should take steps to address this issue as soon as possible. They proposed that a Yellow River Law should be drawn up.
	Successful Heart Transplant from Adult to Child Recently, the Third Military Medical University in Chongqing has successfully transplanted an adult heart to a 13-year old boy. This boy has recovered and left the hospital.
	Second Stage of "Socialist Ethical Drive on Seaboard " Begins The second Stage of the "Socialist Ethical Drive on Seaboard " began on October 14.
	Foreign Specialists Starts " Greening China Action" "Greening China Action" under the auspices of foreign financial and forestry circles started in Beijing on October 13. This action was sponsored by New Zealand Pacific Agriculture and Forestry Investment Consulting Company. They applied with the New Zealand government for the Asian Development and Aid Fund and gave free aid to Heilongjiang Province for afforestation. The first eight forest specialists from New Zealand and Sweden have arrived in Heilongjiang to make an on-the-spot research.

	Kosovo Situation: Serbian Government Endorses Kosovo Accord The Serbian government fully endorsed the accord reached on October 13 by Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic and US special envoy Richard Holbrooke to ease the Kosovo crisis. The Serbian government believed the agreement has "fully preserved the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country, averted a conflict and lay the conditions for a political dialogue" on the basis of legal systems of the country.
	New Body to Protect Women From Violence in Indonesia The Indonesian government has formed a Commission on Violence Against Women in Jakarta on October 14. A presidential decree setting up the 21-member commission was signed by President B.J. Habibie on October 9. Members of the commission include noted psychologist Saparinah Sadli. It was reported that members of the commission voiced doubt that last Friday's slaying of rape counselor Martadinata, better known as Ita, was a "criminally motivated murder". Saparinah said Ita's death was a result of ongoing threats against women investigating rapes that occurred during the May riots. The murder and accompanying misinformation was allegedly carried out by "government-backed perpetrators". "The terrorism against the activists would be difficult to prove, but what happened to Ita clearly proves that threats were inflicted on the group," Saparinah said.
	Photo: An assembly was held in Washington on October 12 to mark Columbus' discovery of America in 1492.

	7th East Asia Economic Summit Puts Forward Action Plan The Seventh East Asia Economic Summit in Singapore on October 13 put forward the Action Plan for Global Growth and Reform of the World Financial System Under the plan, developed countries, namely the United States, Canada, the European countries and Japan are urged to bolster their economies and the world economy against the rising threat of global recession, immediately expand the provision of official loans and credit guarantees to the emerging markets in crisis.
	Nobel Prize in Economics Awarded Amartya Sen, an Indian expert on welfare who has helped the world understand what causes famine and how the poorest are treated in society, won the 1998 Nobel economics prize on October14 in Stockholm. Sen, a former Harvard professor who now heads Trinity College, Cambridge, won the prestigious award ``for his contributions to welfare economics,'' the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said in its citation.
	photo: A geographer is crossing a deep and long ground fracture in Arizona due to decline of groundwater level.

	China, France and Italy Have Divided 13 Gold Medals of First Day of '98 ISF World Gymnasiade On the first competition day of the '98 ISF World Gymnasiade in Shanghai, Chinese players got 6 gold medals of the total 13. The rest were taken by French and Italian contestants. The '98 ISF World Gymnasiade opened in Shanghai on October 12. The ISF World Gymnasiade is an international middle school student sports activity held every four years.
	There Is Hope for Chinese Women to Win Title at Marlboro China Cup International Bridge Championships The Chinese Women's Team (95VP) kept leading in the women's competition on October 14 at the Marlboro China Cup International Bridge Championships. The European Bridge League Team (82VP) led in the open competition.
	Lots Announced for 1998 World Cup Table Tennis Tournament Lots drawing ceremony of 1998 World Cup Table Tennis Tournament was held in Shantou on October 14. The competition starts on October 15. The grouping for the three Chinese players is not as good as expected, and Liu Guoliang, the world men's singles champion, will have some tough matches, according to Cai Zhenghua, head coach of the Chinese Table Tennis Team. Following are the name list and the grouping of 16 players: Group A 1-Vladimir Samsonov, Belarus 5-Jan-Ove Waldner, Sweden 10-Kalinikos Kreanga, Greece 221-Mark Smythe, Australia Group B 2-Kong Linghui, China 7-Jean-Philippe Gatien, France 11-Ma Lin, China Ali Sareh, Egypt Group C 3-Zoran Primorac, Croatia 9-Kim Taek Soo, South Korea 16-Peter Karlsson, Sweden 59-Liu Song, Argentina Group D 4-Liu Guoliang, China 7-Jean-Michel Saive, Belgium 14-Jorg Rosskopf, Germany 17-Johnny Huang, Canada
	Liu Xiaoguang Beats Ma Xiaochun in Weiqi Contest In the first match of the Zhongxing Telecom Cup 11th National Weiqi Meijin Challenge on October 14, Liu defeated Ma with only 207 moves. The next four matches of the total five will be held in Shenzhen in mid-November.

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