Applauding 15 Years of Ties

Premiers of China and the Republic of Korea (ROK), Wen Jiabao (left) and Han Duck Soo, applaud the performance by Chinese kungfu practitioners in Seoul on April 10, after meeting with some 300 youth representatives from the two countries. The two leaders called on the younger generation to carry forward bilateral friendship and contribute to regional and world peace.

This year marks the 15th anniversary of China-ROK diplomatic ties and the Exchange Year of the two countries.

The ROK was the first leg of Wen's Northeast Asian tour on April 10-13, which also brought him to Japan.

SOCIETY

Fighting Hospital Profiteering

The Chinese Government will set prices for all prescription drugs in a bid to stop corruption in medical services.

The Office for Rectifying Malpractice under the State Council, China's cabinet, announced on April 10 that the move would help regulate the purchase of medicines and medical services, and improve medical ethics.

An official from the office told a national conference of discipline inspection officials that profiteering by hospitals and medical organizations should be checked, and the education of doctors and nurses should be strengthened to prevent practices such as asking patients for "red envelopes" or "gifts."

He said the government would also standardize the approval procedures for new medicines to prevent producers from changing the names of drugs and repricing them to escape price controls.

Drug Addicts Monitored

China's National Narcotics Control Commission (NNCC) said on April 11 that it established last year a data bank to monitor drug addicts.

Files on more than 785,900 drug users had been included in the data bank by the end of March. The Ministry of Public Security launched the monitoring system in August last year.

The system aims to determine the number of China's drug users, verify their identities and monitor their current situation, said an official with the NNCC.

Police data showed that the number of drug users grew 35 percent in the five years since 2000 to hit 1.16 million in early 2005.

The number dropped to 720,400 in August 2006 as a result of compulsory rehabilitation measures and strict checks on chemicals and narcotics, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

Restore the Grasslands

China imposed a temporary nationwide ban on grazing amid efforts to prevent a further deterioration of its vast grasslands and improve the environment.

It is the second time that China has imposed a grazing ban since April 1 last year.

A two-month-long ban has been imposed in certain areas but the ban will last a full year in other areas.

China banned grazing on 86.7 million hectares of pasture and forbade 30 million livestock from roaming on wild grasslands at the end of last year, said Wang Zongli, Deputy Director of the Animal Husbandry Department under the Ministry of Agriculture, in Ordos, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

Security for Exams

China is considering enacting a law on examination security as cheating widely exists, said an official with the Ministry of Education.

Dai Jiagan, Director of the National Education Examination Authority under the Ministry of Education, said test security is one of the biggest issues of concern among the Chinese people, as examination equality is the bottom line of social equality.

Test cheating is rampant, however, and is becoming well organized because of high technology. Cheating widely exists not only in the national college entrance exam but also in the country's other national exams, such as college English tests.

Bribe Taker Accused

The former Party chief of Chenzhou City in central China's Hunan Province has been accused of taking bribes of more than 14.34 million yuan, a provincial official said on April 11.

Li Dalun, 57, who is being investigated, has also failed to account for another 17.65 million yuan, said Zhang Weiping, Deputy Secretary of the Hunan Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China (CPC), at a press conference on the province's anti-corruption work.

Li and his family members allegedly took the bribes from 1999 to 2006 when he was the Secretary of the Chenzhou City CPC Committee. In exchange, Li helped some local construction companies win bids on projects and gave promotions to some local officials, said Zhang, without further elaboration.