| Chinese Fringe Fashion
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(XINHUA) |
Chinese fashion designer Wang Haizhen won the 2012 Fashion Fringe award at the London Fashion Week on September 18.
Wang, one of the three finalists, is the first Chinese designer to make it to the Fashion Fringe finals.
A graduate of Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, Wang worked at a world-famous fashion company before establishing his own brand name in London in 2010. His design style is simple and infused with Asian elements.
The Fashion Fringe section was established in 2004, aimed at discovering excellent new designers and providing an opportunity for young fashion pioneers to showcase their talents.
China's first aircraft carrier was delivered and commissioned to the People's Liberation Army Navy on September 25 at a ceremony at a naval base in Dalian, northeast China's Liaoning Province.
President Hu Jintao, also Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and Premier Wen Jiabao attended the ceremony.
The carrier, formerly known as the Soviet ship Varyag, was renamed Liaoning and underwent years of refitting to install engines and weapons as well as a year-long sea trial.
According to the CMC, after being commissioned to the Navy, the Liaoning will continue to be used for scientific research purposes, as well as military training.
China is the world's 10th country and the last among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council to have an aircraft carrier in active service.
China announced its aircraft carrier program in July 2011 when the carrier was berthed in Dalian for refitting.
China aims to become a world technological power by 2049 and strives to be a leading nation in innovation and scientific development, according to a government document released on September 23.
The Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council, the nation's cabinet, released the document to give opinions on "deepening technological system reform and accelerating national innovation system construction." The document sets the goal for the country to be "in the ranks of innovative nations" by 2020.
China's R&D funds nationwide should reach 2.2 percent of GDP during the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15) period, and more than 2.5 percent by 2020, it says.
The document also pledges that the nation's technological plan will be more open to the outside world in terms of cooperation, and international academic institutions and multinational companies are encouraged to set up R&D centers in the country.
A Chinese court sentenced Wang Lijun to 15 years in prison for bending the law for selfish ends, defection, abuse of power and bribe-taking on September 24.
Wang, former vice mayor and police chief of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, received a combined punishment for all offences. The Chengdu City Intermediate People's Court in southwest China's Sichuan Province delivered the verdict.
Wang stood trial on September 18 in an open court in Chengdu for bribe-taking and bending the law for selfish ends. One day before that, the Chengdu City Intermediate People's Court held a closed-door trial on Wang's two other charges of defection and abuse of power because they involved state secrets.
China welcomes law-abiding foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the country's top civil affairs official said on September 20.
Minister of Civil Affairs Li Liguo told a press conference that some foreign NGOs have made contributions to the development of China's culture, education, health, science and sports causes and poverty reduction.
Li said, however, some ill-intentioned foreign NGOs have done things in breach of the country's laws and it is imperative to apply strict registration procedures to foreign NGOs operating in China.
Legislation regarding supervision over foreign NGOs is not complete, said Li. Provisions on foreign NGOs setting up representative agencies in China are only seen in regulations relating to foundations, but not in those regarding social groups.
Regulations on the management of social organizations are being revised, Li said.
The State Oceanic Administration (SOA) and the Ministry of Civil Affairs on September 21 jointly released a list of standardized names for the geographic entities on the Diaoyu Islands and some of its affiliated islets.
The list also relates to the surrounding waters of the islands.
The announcement details the Chinese-language names as well as the descriptions of the geographic locations of various mountains, creeks, capes and other geographic entities in the region.
The names, standardized by the SOA and approved by the State Council, are also romanized according to their pinyin phonetic spellings.
The SOA also released a set of location maps for the geographic entities.
In another development, China has announced to postpone a reception marking the 40th anniversary of the normalization of China-Japan relations. It says the reception will be held at a proper time, in light of the tensions over the Diaoyu Islands.
The State Council decided on September 19 to institute a National Low-carbon Day in a move to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the world's second-largest economy.
The introduction of the National Low-carbon Day beginning in 2013 is aimed at promoting awareness about climate change and low-carbon development policies, and encourages public participation to facilitate the country's commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, said the State Council.
The National Low-carbon Day will fall on the third day of the National Energy Efficiency Promotion Week in June every year, according to the State Council.
The Chinese Government has pledged to cut energy use per unit of GDP by 16 percent by 2015 from the 2011 level, while lifting non-fossil fuel energy usage to 11.4 percent of the country's total energy consumption from the current 8.6 percent.
Construction on several environmental preservation projects has kicked off in the newly established island city of Sansha in the South China Sea, authorities said on September 19.
Construction of a sewage processing and pipeline project and a garbage collection and transfer project started on August 25, sources with the Sansha Government said.
The two projects, being built with a combined investment of over 50 million yuan ($7.93 million), will be capable of processing 1,800 tons of sewage and 20 tons of garbage each day upon completion.
Another project kicked off on September 14 to manage coastal erosion.
The government of Hainan Province administering Sansha will prioritize environmental protection in all construction projects, as Sansha's ecological environment is fragile and non-renewable, said Governor Jiang Dingzhi. | 
