In a way uncharacteristic of a Chinese diplomat, China's ambassador to the UK, Fu Ying, has openly warned that Western media's distorted coverage of China might spark a counter reaction among the country's youngsters, which will in turn harm bilateral relations. In a signed article published in the April 13 issue of Sunday Telegraph, Fu said that many [young Chinese] who had romantic views about the West are very disappointed at the media's attempt to demonize China.

"I felt so many things all at once-sadness, anger and confusion," she quoted a young friend of hers in China, who watched the torch run in London on the BBC, as saying.

Listing some of the misreporting of China in recent weeks, such as crafting photos or even using photos from other countries to prove a crackdown, Fu pointed out that in China, the view is that the Western media needs to make an effort to earn respect.

"It would be helpful to the credibility of the Western media if the issues they care and write about are of today's China, not of the long-gone past," said Fu, who was appointed Chinese ambassador to the UK in March 2007.

FAO Chief Warns of Hunger Unrest

Director General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Jacques Diouf, warned on April 14 that continuous food price hikes are likely to trigger more riots in poor countries that will undermine stability in the developing world.

Despite a predicted 2.6-percent increase in grain production, runaway food prices would force poor countries to raise imports by 56 percent, Diouf said in Kenya Times. He added, "If prices continue to rise, I would not be surprised if we began to see more food riots."

A recent report by the FAO showed that riots in some African countries, Indonesia, the Philippines and Haiti, are the result of inflation and short supply of food. A number of 37 UN member states are facing a food crisis.

Besides frequent natural disasters, a swelling world population, surging oil prices, market speculation and use of food-turned-biofuel, being major reasons to push food prices up, Diouf attributed food price hikes to tightened investments in agricultural sectors. "During 1999-2000, the world population rose by 78.5 million year on year, but financial aid was nearly halved," he said.

Actress Gets More Serious Role

Chinese movie star Gong Li has been invited by the UN Environment Program (UNEP) to be Global Environmental Ambassador, and will be officially nominated along with two other well-known celebrities on the World Environment Day, June 5.

On the poster shot for UNEP, Gong said, "In today's fast-developing world, the way we produce and consume is creating vast amounts of waste. This trend will become a serious threat to the environment if we don't stop it. In China, I have submitted a proposal on environmental protection to the public, and I call on citizens of all countries to work together with their leaders to protect the environment."

"We will never waver in our determination in pushing ahead the peaceful development of the cross-straits relations."

Chinese President Hu Jintao, when meeting with Vincent Siew, Chairman of the Taiwan-based Cross-Straits Common Market Foundation, on the sidelines of this year's annual meeting of the Boao Forum for Asia

"Some Europeans appear to assume that a course of direct confrontation in connection with the Olympics and Tibet serves Europe's interests, and indeed Tibet's, but we will not be able to dictate the solutions to China's problems."

EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson, at the China and UK-Partners in Sustainability Forum sponsored by the China-Britain Business Council in London on April 15

"Every development expert knows that if you want a country to make progress, then empower women, educate girls, that's the way you do it and that's how we will tackle poverty."

Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland, when the Women, Faith and Development Alliance, a high-powered alliance of women from government, advocacy groups, faith-based organizations and Hollywood, kicked off a major campaign on April 13 to help impoverished women and girls around the world

"The overriding concern of developing countries is economic growth and poverty eradication and you cannot expect developing countries to engage on the question of climate change and harm those overriding objectives."

Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, warning that the global fight against climate change after the Kyoto pact expires will fail unless rich countries can come up with creative ways to finance clean development by poorer nations

"I think there's no doubt in anyone's mind that, if Israel is ever going to find peace with justice concerning the relationship with their next-door neighbors, the Palestinians, then Hamas will have to be included in the process."

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, saying that he feels "quite at ease" about meeting Hamas militants over the objections of Washington because the Palestinian group is essential to a future peace with Israel, in an interview with ABC News' This Week airing on April 13