China: UN Arms Trade Treaty should be reached through consensus

China is among 23 countries who abstained in the vote for the Arms Trade Treaty in United Nations General Assembly. China insisted that the Arms Trade Treaty should be reached through consensus and accepted by all parties. Wang Min, China’s deputy permanent representative to the UN says the draft resolution concerning the Arms Trade Treaty does not address the concerns of China.
Wang Min, China’s deputy representative to the UN, said, "China is not in favour of pushing through a multilateral arms control treaty at the General Assembly which concerns international security and the security of all nations. We are very much concerned about the possibility of negative precedents from multilateral arms control negotiations. We should insist on negotiating through consensus to reach a treaty acceptable by all parties."

China regrets DPRK reactor reopening: FM

China says it regrets a decision made by the DPRK to restart a closed nuclear reactor, and calls on all sides to return to dialogue.
Hong Lei, Spokesman of Chinese Foreign Ministry, said, "China regrets the DPRK’s decision. China has constantly advocated denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and maintaining peace and stability in the peninsula and northeast Asia. The situation on the peninsula is complicated and sensitive. We are calling for all parties concerned to remain calm and restrained, return to dialogue and consultation as soon as possible and jointly seek ways to appropriately resolve the issue."
Meanwhile, Chinese vice foreign minister Zhang Yesui has met with ambassadors of relevant countries to China, and expressed China’s serious concern over the current situation in Korean Peninisula.

China steps up monitoring of H7N9 bird flu

by CCTV reporter Yuan Yifang
Authorities in Chinese regions have ordered health institutions to step up monitoring of H7N9 bird flu after four more cases were reported Tuesday. So far there is no vaccine for this strain of the virus. Yuan Yifang has the details.
Two deaths in Shanghai from the H7N9 bird flu are first cases of human infection. An emergency plan went into effect there on Tuesday. It calls for daily reporting of statistics on pneumonia cases caused by unknown reasons.
The municipal government will set up an expert team to evaluate the severity and risk of the H7N9 bird flu. The infections and people who have been in contact with them will be closely watched. The Shanghai Animal Disease Prevention and Control Center has tested 34 samples of pig carcasses pulled from the Huangpu River. No bird flu virus was found.
The health bureau in Beijing has ordered hospitals to include the testing for H7N9 in routine monitoring. Hospitals in the capital have started to train their staff in treating pneumonia caused by unknown factors.
The public is being advised to avoid contact with poultry, to wash their hands and keep their homes well-ventilated. Chicken and eggs should be completely cooked.
There is no vaccine against the H7N9 virus. Experts say it will take time to develop, as the source of the virus is still unknown.

China reports 4 more H7N9 infections

Four people in East China’s Jiangsu Province have been confirmed as being infected with the H7N9 bird flu. This brings the official number of infections in the country to seven.
The provincial health bureau says the four people, all in different cities, are in critical condition and are undergoing emergency treatment. The expert team says no epidemiological link has been identified between these four cases at present. And people in close contacts with the infected have not been found to have fever or respiratory illness.
China reported three H7N9 bird flu cases on Sunday, two in Shanghai and one in Anhui Province. They are the first known human infections of the new strain. The two in Shanghai have died. The one from Anhui is in critical condition and being treated in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu.

China FM hosts senior ASEAN officials

By CCTV reporter Ai Yang
The 19th China-ASEAN Senior Officials’ Consultation was held in Beijing on Tuesday. Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with the officials.
Newly appointed Foreign Minister Wang Yi received senior officials from the 10 Southeast Asian countries on Tuesday afternoon. As a senior diplomat with a strong background in Asian Affairs, Wang called the meeting one between friends.

The 19th China-ASEAN Senior Officials' Consultation was held in Beijing on Tuesday. Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with the officials.

Wang Yi, Minister of Chinese Foreign Ministry, said, "I’d like to congratulate us on the results and achievements made through our consultation. The mechanism has worked well and achieved far-reaching and all around progress."
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the China-ASEAN strategic partnership. The two sides have decided to deepen and upgrade their strategic partnership, and promote their cooperation in the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area.
Over the past decade China-ASEAN ties have grown stronger. The two sides enjoy the largest free trade area in developing countries, and the bilateral trade volume surpassed 400 billion US dollars last year, a seven fold increase from ten years ago.
In the meantime, the foreign ministry earlier said the two sides will also promote their cooperation in maritime affairs. Recent island disputes created tensions when a Chinese vessel fired on a Vietnamese boat which was illegally fishing in the waters around Xisha Island in the South China Sea. China says the move was to warn of China’s territorial sovereignty. No damage was done. The upcoming ASEAN summit will be held later this month in Brunei, where the South China Sea is believed to be one of the topic of concerns.

Using the “ladders of heaven” to get to school

By CCTV reporter Wu Haojun

We’ve probably all complained about the unbearable commute to work or school. Especially if you live in a mega-city like Beijing, with notorious traffic jams and crowded subways. If that’s the case, the following story may just cause you to be more thankful for what you have. In a remote village in central China’s Hunan province, children have to walk long distances every day just to get to school.
Despite how it looks, this isn’t a boot camp session for children, rather it’s a daily routine they take to get home from school.
The two ten-meter long hand-crafted wooden ladders, dubbed "the ladders of heaven" endearingly by local villagers, are the only way in or out of their homes neatly perched amidst the mountains in Zhangjiawan village in Hunan province.
But the catchy and graceful name doesn’t really do it justice. One misstep can easily spur tragedy.
And it’s especially risky for children.
Wu Chengxiang, local villager, said:"My daughter slipped here one time. She almost fell off but I was able to catch her."
Locals shrug off the tough trip home, saying it’s manageable.
But for newcomers not used to rugged hilly roads or the complete lack thereof, being "scared" would be an understatement.
A teacher at Longtanping School said:"I was just trembling the whole time. I dared not to look down at all."
Back home, grandparents are waiting a little longer than usual.. the "outsiders" weren’t so quick on their feet.. but grandma was just happy to see everyone get home safe.
The seniors who still call Zhangjiawan village their home say they are often worried sick about their grandchildren’s journey home everyday. As for them, they simply stopped going out.
Yang Yulan, local villager, said:"I haven’t left my home since 1989. Occasionally my daughter-in-law would carry me."
The scenery in this hilly village after a rainy day looks serene. But that also means even more dangerous travel conditions.
"Don’t be afraid, Xinxin. Dad, mom and uncle are all here."
"She probably got scared the last time here."
A modern cement road is being built by the local government to link this secluded village to the outside world.
But until that’s up and running, children here will still have to rely on the "ladders of heaven."

China regrets DPRK reactor reopening

China has reacted with regret at the news that the DPRK will restart a closed nuclear reactor. The DPRK said Tuesday it has decided to restart operations at the Yongbyon nuclear complex. A statement carried by the country’s KNCA news agency said the move would bolster the DPRK’s nuclear forces in quality and quantity. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said at a press conference Tuesday, that China regretted the reopening and called on all sides to return to dialogue.
Hong Lei, spokesman of Chinese Foreign Ministry, said:"China regrets the DPRK’s decision. China has constantly advocated denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and maintaining peace and stability in the peninsula and northeast Asia. The situation on the peninsula is complicated and sensitive. We are calling for all parties concerned to remain calm and restrained, return to dialogue and consultation as soon as possible and jointly seek ways to appropriately resolve the issue."

Efforts on to control epidemic outbreak in Tibetan ill-fated site

By CCTV reporter Wu Lei
Rescuers at the site of the landslide that buried 83 miners in Lhasa in Tibet Autonomous Region had managed to recover 54 bodies till 4 pm on Tuesday. And although the search for the remaining miners continues, rescuers are themselves facing the threat of more landslides and an epidemic-like situation from bodies decomposing under the mud.
Gongga, doctor of People’s Hospital, Miazhokonggar County, said:"We can prevent rescuers getting affected by bacteria from decomposing bodies by using idophor, a kind of disinfectant to wash hands with."
Geng Ai’mei, head of Disease Prevention and Control Center, said:"Bacteria are breeding fast, so we have to make sure that rescuers are not affected and the sites remain safe. "

How to prevent the bird flu

The bird flu, or avian influenza, has the potential to become an epidemic, but there’s certainly no need to panic. Here is some information to help you better understand and prevent bird flu.
Avian influenza is an infection caused by certain new strains of the influenza virus that live in the intestines of birds. Most don’t affect people. However, some subtypes can infect humans. The best defense against catching bird flu is an easy one: wash your hands. Frequently washing your hands with soap and hot water keeps a variety of bacteria and viruses at bay. And although no evidence exists of transmission through undercooked poultry or eggs, for any poultry-transmitted diseases, its best to thoroughly cook your eggs, chicken or other poultry. Also be sure to clean yourself and keep your cutlery sanitized after working with raw or partially cooked poultry.
While there’s no vaccine against this particular virus at the moment, it’s still a good idea to get a flu shot, as the fear right now is that a human influenza virus and a bird flu virus could combine to form a more potent one.

WHO urges vigilance on H7N9 strain

Health authorities in Beijing say that the testing materials for detection of the H7N9 virus has arrived in the city. And the virus has been incorporated into the city’s monitoring system for avian flu. In a media briefing in Beijing on Monday, World Health Organisation warned that although no sign of human-to-human transmission has been found, vigilance is still needed.
Michael O’Leary, China Rep., World Health Organization, said:"Again, there’s been no human-to-human transmission that we’re aware of, and over 80 close contacts have been tested so far and found to be negative. So at this point this is a good sign. But it of course requires careful follow up to see if there should be any possibility of human-to-human transmission."

Woman infected with H7N9 in intensive care

By CCTV reporter Li Qiong
The woman who was the third person that contracted the H7N9 strain of bird flu, is still critically ill in a hospital in Nanjing, in east China’s Jiangsu province. She got the flu virus in Chuzou, in east China’s Anhui province. Efforts are ongoing in order to figure out where the avian flu virus comes from, and if it can spread among humans.
Ms. Han, who has been in intensive care for over one week, is still in life-threatening danger.
The 35-year-old woman was sent to a hospital on March 20th, after showing signs of a fever in the city of Chuzhou, in Anhui Province.
Wei Zhengxiang, vice director of Chuzhou Disease Prevention & Control Ctr., said:"She had a very high heartbeat. Two shadows were found in her lungs. She later showed symptoms of heart failure."
Emergency life-saving efforts did not help improve her condition, and she quickly developed acute pneumonia on the same day.
Xu Xuewei, vice director of Chuzhou Disease Prevention & Control Ctr., said:"A conclusion was made that it was a viral pneumonia, but we were not sure which kind it was. We called experts from the disease control and prevention center for assistance."
Han was later transferred to a larger hospital in Nanjing for further examination, on March 30th. Joint investigations by the hospital and experts from China’s health authority confirmed that the woman had contracted H7N9.
Xu Xuewei said:"The patient bought a chicken at a poultry market one week before falling ill. The chicken was killed by the vendor, and later was processed by the patient. "
Xu said so far, there is not sufficient evidence to prove that the infection is related to the chicken in the market. Chuzhou authorities are still tracking people who had contact with the victim, while continuing to monitor local poultry markets. No additional infections in Anhui have been reported to date.

Shanghai medical institutions on high alert for H7N9 bird flu

The Shanghai government information office has held a press conference on the H7N9 bird flu. Shanghai medical institutions are on high alert for the newly-found deadly flu, and an expert task-force has been founded.
Three cases of the illness in Shanghai and Anhui province have been confirmed. The sudden onset of the illness reminded people of the dead pigs problem in Shanghai, but no virus was detected in the pigs floating in the river in Shanghai.
The three cases of H7-N9 bird flu virus were the first in the world to be found in humans. Experts say the H7-N9 is not contagious among people.