Commercialization of Military Technologies

The Chinese Government is going to invest 377.7 million yuan ($51 million) in transforming military technologies for civilian use in 2008, 20 percent more than this year's budget.

The Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, organizer of technological development and production of national defense contractors in China, said that the funds will be channeled into 17 projects, covering alternative energy, electric equipment, information technology, heavy equipment, and energy-efficient and environment-friendly equipment.

Military Downsizing

China will transfer 60,000 military officers to civilian work in 2008, which is "still a tough task," announced the Ministry of Personnel.

A total of 337,000 officers of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) were transferred to civilian work over the past five years, including 256,000 demobilized from 2004 to 2006, a national personnel conference heard.

Minister of Personnel Yin Weimin said that local governments would set up special agencies to provide services and supervise and manage the transfer. More professional training programs should be organized to help demobilized soldiers adapt to their new life, Yin said.

Patriotic Exhibition Well Received

Up to December 18, Road to Revival, a free exhibition illustrating the history of China since 1840, had attracted over 2 million people, who had written down over 30,000 comments, since its inauguration in October.

Co-sponsored by the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Culture, the General Political Department of the PLA and the Municipal Government of Beijing, the exhibition displayed the Chinese people's efforts over the past 160-plus years to realize rejuvenation of the nation.

The exhibition at the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution in central Beijing will run through February 9, 2008.

Aging Society's Old Problem

According to a national survey on senior citizens conducted by the China National Committee on Aging, poor health remains a big problem hindering the life quality of the elderly.

The survey reported about 22 percent of elderly citizens in cities and 95.2 percent in rural areas do not have a pension, despite an 60-percent pension income increase for senior citizens with pensions since 2000. Only 27.9 percent of the elderly urban population and 23.1 percent of the elderly rural population consider themselves completely healthy or reasonably healthy. About 55.3 percent of elderly people in rural areas don't have basic medical insurance.

Most-wanted Couple Sentenced to Death

China's most-wanted couple has been sentenced to death in southwest China's Guizhou Province for forcing 23 girls, mostly primary and middle school students, into prostitution.

Zhao Qingmei, a former provisional teacher at Xinfa Town Primary School, and her husband Chi Yao, also a teacher who taught at Xinfa Town Middle School in Weining County, were found guilty of procuring 22 girls from the two schools, including six under the age of 14, and a village girl. The offences took place from March to June 2006 in Liupanshui City and Nayong County. Zhao was sentenced to death and Chi was given a suspended death sentence, according to the local court.

The couple were arrested on August 10 in Panzhihua City, Sichuan Province, after the Ministry of Public Security issued a Class-A arrest warrant and offered a 100,000-yuan ($13,500) reward for them.