China

WILMINGTON, Del., July 1, 2008 – The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) of the People's Republic of China (PRC) has specified the BAX® system as an official method for pathogen detection in food imports and exports.

AQSIQ is a government agency responsible for monitoring the safety and quality of food in China. The agency recently published a new professional standard for entry/exit inspection and quarantine in the PRC. Standard SN/T1869-2007describes the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique for rapid pathogen detection and names the automated BAX® system as an approved PCR method for detecting Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter jejuni and E. sakazakii in food.    » read more »

CAMDEN, N.J., July 1, 2008 -- Campbell Soup Company (NYSE: CPB) today outlined the evolution of several key strategies and detailed innovations planned for the upcoming fiscal year at a meeting with investors. Campbell's management described plans for its U.S. soup business and its expansion in Russia and China. A replay of the presentation can be accessed via a Web cast at campbellsoupcompany.com.    » read more »

GE caring for more than 10,500 athletes from over 200 countries at Beijing Games with advanced MRI, ultrasound and ECG technologies

BEIJING, 01 July 2008 -- GE Healthcare, the US$17 billion healthcare business of General Electric Company (GE), is working with medical leaders in the Olympic Movement to advance the use of innovative medical imaging technologies to provide insight into athlete health, as well as benefits for the general public. The company will supply a broad array of medical technologies, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound and electrocardiogram (ECG) to the Olympic Village General Hospital. In addition, three National Olympic Committees, including China, U.S.    » read more »

June 20, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Barack Obama today released the following statement after the International Trade Commission (ITC) concluded that Chinese pipe producers have injured U.S. manufacturers for several years by dumping circular welded steel pipe exports into our market - a practice which has been enabled through Chinese pipe producers receiving illegal government subsidies.

"I appreciate and support the ITC determination. This is the first case in the history of U.S. trade agreement enforcement involving subsidies in China that has resulted in the imposition of countervailing duties by the U.S. Department of Commerce.    » read more »

23 June 2008 -- Chinese authorities say they have punished 31 officials and fired 12 others because of their poor handling of relief supplies and response to the country's massive earthquake last month.

China's top anti-corruption official, Ma Wen, told reporters Monday that most of the demerits and firings were a response to complaints about misuse of tents and improper distribution of food and other goods.

China's May 12 quake killed nearly 70,000 people and left millions homeless. The government has previously warned that it would come down hard on those who misused aid funds or relief supplies.

Corruption is rampant across China, and there is concern about the use and destination of donations.    » read more »

17 June 2008 -- Great pandas have been a boon to zoos that can afford them, but they have raised visitors' expectations and put pressure on smaller zoos to show off
Forestry officials in China say they estimate that the powerful May 12 earthquake destroyed or damaged more than 80 percent of the giant panda's remaining habitat.

Giant panda: Photo by Chi King (CC)

A senior forestry official told a Hong Kong newspaper the "South China Morning Post" that about two-thirds of the wild population is likely dead, injured or facing starvation.    » read more »

Beijing -- 16 June 2008 -- Massive flooding across a broad stretch of southern China has killed 57 people and forced more than one million others to flee their homes.

For China, spring and summer flooding has become a regular event. But Civil Affairs Ministry official Li Baojun says this year is different.

Flooding in China: Photo by Dennis Kruyt (CC)

Li says there are floods every year, but that in some areas, this has been the highest rainfall in history. He especially points to southern Guangdong province, which has seen 250 to 500 millimeters of rain since the
second half of May.    » read more »

15 June 2008 -- Chinese state meteorologists say heavy rains are likely to worsen floods that have killed at least 57 people and forced about 1.3 million others to flee their homes.

Torrential rains have battered eastern and southern China over the past week. The prosperous southern province of Guangdong has been the hardest-hit. China's official Xinhua news agency says rains have killed at least 20 people there.

Xinhua says the flooding in the Pearl River delta is the worst in 50 years. It says the rains have washed away some roads and submerged farmland across nine provinces. Many areas have been hit by landslides.

More rain is expected in the area over the next 10 days.    » read more »

Hainan Airlines now offering the only non-stop flight between the Northwest and China

June 9, 2008 -- SEA-TAC – Washington Governor Chris Gregoire today helped greet passengers arriving on Hainan Airlines’ new direct passenger flight between Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Beijing, and proclaimed today, “Hainan Airlines’ Day,” in Washington.

Hainan’s new flight is the first non-stop commercial flight between the Washington state and China since 1997. “This new direct flight is great economic news for Washington,” Gregoire stated during the celebration. “It comes at a time when other parts of the nation are facing a struggling economy, and airlines are being impacted by high fuel prices and even consolidating or limiting existing flights.”    » read more »

31 May 2008 -- India's economy grew by nine percent last year making it the world's fastest-growing major economy after China.

But the news is not all good. There are worries that high crude oil prices and runaway inflation will slow down growth.

A busy street in Bangalore, India: Photo by Matthew Logelin (CC)

India has pegged economic growth in the last fiscal year at a higher-than expected nine per cent. It is the third successive year that the economy has grown at this pace.    » read more »

27 May 2008 -- Chinese state media say aftershocks toppled more than 420,000 houses Tuesday in China's quake zone, nearly two weeks after this month's devastating earthquake.

The official Xinhua news agency reports that the two temblors, 5.4 and 5.7 magnitude, struck in China's southwestern Sichuan and neighboring Shaanxi province.

Chengdu residents sleeping in tents following China earthquake: Photo by Michal Pachniewski (CC)

An aftershock on Sunday killed at least eight people and destroyed about 70,000 homes.

The death toll from the May 12 quake is already at more than 67,000, and nearly 21,000 remain missing.    » read more »

WASHINGTON, Friday, May 23, 2008 — In response to the devastating 7.9 magnitude earthquake that hit China’s Sichuan province on May 12, the American public and corporations have generously supported American Red Cross relief efforts.

“The American Red Cross is grateful for the outpouring of compassion we’ve received from individuals and corporations across the United States,” said David Meltzer, senior vice president, International Services for the American Red Cross. “Thanks to this support, the Red Cross has been able to provide immediate financial assistance to support vital relief efforts for those affected by the earthquake in China.”    » read more »

May 22, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Floppy Friends Horse Toys Recalled by Toy Investments Due to Violation of Lead Paint Standard

Name of Product: Floppy Friends Horse Toys

Units: About 300

Importer: Toy Investments Inc., d/b/a Toysmith, of Auburn, Wash.

Hazard: Surface paint on the toy horse contains excessive levels of lead, violating the federal lead paint standard.

Incidents/Injuries: None reported.    » read more »

25 May 2008 -- Central China has been struck by a powerful aftershock as the region struggles to recover from a massive earthquake earlier this month that killed tens of thousands of people and left many more homeless. The latest shock killed at least one person in Sichuan province and injured about 260.

Tent city outside a soccer stadium in Chengdu: Many Chengdu residents don't trust their buildings post-earthquake. Photo by Lukas Bergstrom (CC)

Chinese state media say a team of Chinese paramilitary police has arrived on foot at a newly formed lake in central Sichuan province that was created by the 7.9 magnitude earthquake two weeks ago.    » read more »

May 20, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, DC – United States Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) chaired a hearing today on global internet freedom and corporate responsibility. The hearing examined the role of U.S. internet companies in the suppression of freedom of speech and press in certain countries.

"Freedom of expression is a fundamental right guaranteed to all people and the advent of the internet has allowed billions of people to exercise this right more fully," Durbin said. "But many confront censorship and jail time for expressing themselves online. U.S. technology companies face difficult challenges when dealing with repressive governments, but they have a moral obligation to protect freedom of expression."    » read more »