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	Yeltsin, Jiang Hold Informal Summit Russian President Boris Yeltsin and Chinese President Jiang Zemin met in Moscow on November 23 in their first ever informal summit. The "no-tie" meeting was held at the Central Clinical Hospital, where Yeltsin was hospitalized as a result of pneumonia. The two leaders exchanged views on bilateral relations and issues of common concern in a friendly and unconstrained atmosphere, and achieved positive and important results.
	China, Russia Issue Joint Declaration to Promote Mutual Ties Visiting Chinese President Jiang Zemin and his Russian counterpart Boris Yeltsin issued a joint declaration in Moscow on November 23 on the China-Russia Relations at the Turn of the Century. They said in the declaration that the two sides coordinated their stands on the basic trend of the world social development at the turn of the century and reached consensus on the prospects of further promotion of the long-term strategy for bilateral cooperation. The two presidents said that peace and all-round and coordinated development should become an important principle to be followed by the mankind in the coming century. They pointed out that building China-Russia strategic partnership is not forming an alliance and not directed at any third party, but is aimed at abandoning confrontation between the two countries so as to create favorable conditions for the broadest cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual benefit. They also reached agreement on many aspects on developing China-Russia partnership and other international issues of common concern.
	China, Russia Release Statement on Border Issue China and Russia on November 23 released a joint statement on their border issue. The statement said that both Chinese President Jiang Zemin and his Russian counterpart Boris Yeltsin are happy to see that under their border agreement signed in September 1994 the fieldwork of demarcation in the western part of their border has been finished. It is the first time in the history of the bilateral relations that their border line in the eastern and western parts has been accurately indicated in the field, and the two sides will complete all the demarcation work within the agreed time, the statement said. The two countries agreed that the smooth settlement of the border issue on the basis of equal consultation and mutual understanding will help preservation of peace and harmony in the border areas, further develop friendly bilateral relations and make important contributions to the reinforcement of regional security and stability, the statement said. Meanwhile, the two sides also agreed to hold more talks on those not-solved-yet border issues of a few stretches on the basis of the agreements they signed and international laws, the statement added.
	Li Peng Meets ABB President and CEO Li Peng, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, met with Goran Lindahl, president and chief executive officer of the ABB Group on November 23. ABB won a bid to manufacture hydraulic generators for China's Three Gorges Power Project, and it recently announced its plans to expand investments and transfer more technology to China. Li Peng stressed that China's primary energy resources such as coal and oil are mainly located in the western part of the country, while the eastern region suffers from power shortages. He said that the power industry must be further developed. Lindahl said that his company is fully prepared for strengthening cooperation with China and expressed the hope for more involvement in the Three Gorges Project.

	NPC Vice-Chairman on New Growth of Rural Industry Jiang Chunyun, vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the Chinese National People's Congress (NPC), called for more support to and protection of rural enterprises for their new development. In his one-week inspection tour which ended on November 23, Jiang visited a dozen of different rural enterprises in Suzhou, Wuxi, Changzhou, Nanjing and Xuzhou cities in east China's Jiangsu Province. He said that at present China's rural enterprises have come upon with some new problems in a period of structural readjustment. He said that so long as effective measures are adopted and the Law on Rural Enterprises is implemented, the rural industry in the country will achieve a new growth and gain new favorable conditions. Jiang said that Jiangsu's rural enterprises have achieved a lot in developing new products, expanding the market, deepening reforms, enhancing vitality of the enterprises, promoting agricultural modernization, improving quality of their management personnel and absorbing talents. He called for creating a sound environment for the reforms and development of rural enterprises in line with the Law on Rural Enterprises. He said that those illegal actions against the law and infringing upon the legal rights and interests of rural enterprises should be stopped and penalized.
	Water Conservancy and Irrigation in Rural Areas Peasants invested 20 million yuan into building over 300 water conservancy projects, improved 2800 mu of low-yield land and bought through auctioning and leased over 20000 mu of waste hills, slopes and shoals in Ningdu County, Jiangxi Province. Cadres in Changyang County in Hubei Province went to the countryside to help peasants in stretching their land contracting. Peasant households at Gold Star village, Anyuan County, Jiangxi Province signed 30-year contracts on contracting 20 mu of land, bringing the total contracted land to 2980 mu.
	Photo: A Tibetan woman named Baoma buys flowers at a florist's shop at the foot of the Potala Palace in Lhasa
	Market Supervision Focused for Winter and Spring The State Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision has set its supervisory targets on putting to rights the market for the livelihood of the people this winter and next spring.
	* Road Enterprises Penalized * road construction enterprises were earlier barred from signing contracts again in Henan for building roads. They were penalized for illegally transferring contracts, subcontracting or doing substandard projects.
	Distribution Points on China Agriculture Information Network China Agriculture Information Network has over 3000 distribution points. The network renews over 0.2 million words a day.
	Reform and Development of State Enterprises An article headed "Master Basic State Affairs and Solve Historical Difficult Problem" delves into the issue of combining public ownership with the mechanism of the market-based economy for the purpose of finding a way out for the reform and development of the state enterprises with Chinese characteristics.

	Officers and men of some logistics headquarters of the Xinjiang military command area are concerned about "Project Hope". They have donated funds to aid teaching operations and enable over 100 children of minority nationality to resume schooling.
	Strengthening Control on Floating Population and Rural Social Security Luo Gan, member of CPC Political Bureau and State Council, demanded that relevant departments should pay close attention to social security and strengthen control on floating population and rural social security. He said that various preventive measures should be taken to check the rising tendency of criminal cases and ensure social stability.

	China to Hold Exhibition on Use of Overseas Investments China will hold an exhibition to highlight its achievements in the utilization of overseas investments over the past two decades of reforms and opening from November 27 to December 1. The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation (MOFTEC) will host the exhibition together with the State Development Planning Commission and the State Economic and Trade Commission. The participants will come from all of China's provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities, special economic zones and cities with sub-provincial status, as well as 20 ministries, commissions, and offices and bureaus under the State Council. Through the use of modern audio-visual and electronic media, the exhibition will illustrate China's history and achievements in utilizing overseas investments over the past 20 years, and a large number of pictures, models and other objects will be employed. President Jiang Zemin, Chairman Li Peng of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, and Chairman Li Ruihuan of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee all wrote inscriptions for the exhibition.

	Commemorate the Centenary of Liu shaoqi's Birth Contributed by former Chinese President Yang Shangkun who died before long, this article reviewed in vivid details the glorious life of Liu shaoqi. Pictured on the upper right were Liu Shaoqi, Deng Xiaoping (third right) and Yang Shangkun (third first), who made an investigation tour of Shenyang Airplane Manufacturing Factory in November 1955. Pictured on the bottom left was Liu Shaoqi talking with young intellectuals in the rural areas of Chiping, Shandong in July 1958. To Liu's right was Shu Tong.

	Jiang Meets Russian State Duma Speaker Chinese President Jiang Zemin said in Moscow Monday that the new type of state-to-state relations between China and Russia will continue to develop no matter what happens on the international arena. Jiang told Russian State Duma Speaker Gennady Seleznyov that the two countries' relations based on equal treatment and mutuallybeneficial cooperation not only serve the fundamental interests of the two countries and two peoples, but will also contribute to regional and global peace and development. Seleznyov, for his part, expressed his confidence that Jiang's current visit will push bilateral relations to a new stage. He said Russia hopes to maintain and further its friendly ties with China and to achieve even greater results in their strategic partnership. Seleznyov, who visited China last October, spoke highly of China's tremendous achievements in the past two decades. "Seeing is believing," Seleznyov said, adding that Russia can learn from China's experience in its reforms, although it cannot apply China's practices mechanically. The Chinese president told the Russian lawmakers that Beijing has been supporting the two parliaments in their efforts to develop friendly relations, and views parliamentary exchanges as an important part of bilateral ties. With common efforts, Jiang said, exchanges and cooperation between the Chinese National People's Congress and the Russian State Duma have been developing smoothly, and play a positive role in strengthening mutual understanding, expanding common grounds, enhancing friendship and consolidating cooperation between the two countries. He thanked the State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, and friends from the various political parties present at the meeting for their unremitting efforts in promoting the sound and smooth development of Sino-Russian ties. Jiang expressed the hope that greater contributions will be made to the development of bilateral ties and their smooth transition to the coming 21st century. Recalling his years' studying and working in Russia as well as his frequent visit to the country in the past few years, Jiang praised Russia's long history, splendid culture and ingenious people. A nation with such high quality represents the hope of the country, Jiang said, adding that China, as a friendly neighbor, sincerely wishes Russia prosperity and its people happiness. Blessed with the presence of such a great people, Russia will surely achieve economic prosperity and national rejuvenation, Jiang said.
	Yeltsin Has Normal Temperature Russian President Boris Yeltsin now has normal temperature, presidential press secretary Dmitri Yakushkin told reporters Monday. He said that the president got a fever on Sunday and the doctors prescribed for the president a stay in a hospital to take antibiotics and undergo therapy. These measures have yielded results, the presidential spokesman said. It is yet difficult to say how many days Yeltsin will be staying in the hospital. In general, the treatment should last as long as is needed for complete recovery, Yakushkin said. According to him, earlier presidential elections now are not worth a word.
	Cambodia's CPP, FUNCINPEC Sign Coalition Agreements Cambodia's two major political parties, the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) and FUNCINPEC, signed two important documents on the formation of a new government Monday afternoon at the Council of Ministers. The two documents were the political platform and power-sharing in the new government. CPP President Chea Sim and Vice-President Hun Sen and FUNCINPEC party President Prince Ranariddh and General Secretary Toh Lah signed the documents. Hun Sen announced after the signing that the new government will be formed on November 30. That is ahead of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) summit meeting scheduled for mid-December in Hanoi, Viet Nam, keeping alive a slim hope that Cambodia might be admitted into the regional group. On power-sharing, the two parties agreed to have two vice-prime ministers with one from each party. Among the government's 25 ministries, the CPP will be in charge of 12 ministries including those of foreign affairs, finance and commerce, while the FUNCINPEC will chair 11 ministries, such as justice and information. But the two key ministries of national defense and interior will have co-ministers. The platform will be presented after the National Assembly approves the CPP's Hun Sen as sole prime minister. The National Assembly is scheduled to meet Wednesday to elect Ranariddh its president. A preliminary deal struck last week calls for the prince as National Assembly president and Hun Sen as prime minister. The new government will be the second CPP-FUNCINPEC coalition. The first one collapsed after the July 1997 factional fighting which toppled first prime minister Ranariddh. The formation of the new government came to a deadlock after the FUNCINPEC and Sam Rainsy Party rejected the results of the election, claiming that the CPP won the elections through fraud and intimidation. King Norodom Sihanouk played a key role in mediating the three factions to a compromise in the interests of the nation and the people.
	UN Envoy Returns to Baghdad UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's special envoy to Iraq Prakash Shah returned to Baghdad Monday amid the disputes on documents between Iraq and UN chief inspector Richard Butler. Shah left Baghdad last Wednesday when UN arms inspectors resumed their routine work for the first day after they returned to Iraq on Tuesday following the easing of the latest Iraq-UN standoff over weapons inspections. Iraq has said Shah would have to be present when Iraq showed a document Butler demanded. Iraq insists that the document, which the inspectors believe provides an inventory of Iraq's chemical weapons during its 1980-88 war with Iran, relates to national security and has nothing to do with the activities of UN arms inspectors. Last week, Butler accused Iraq of pursuing a concealment policy, saying Iraq had not handed over 12 documents concerning its chemical and biological programs to the UN Special Commission (UNSCOM) on disarming Iraq. In response, Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf told a press conference on Sunday evening that Iraq had handed over "all available documents "to UNSCOM. Sahhaf said Butler's demands for more document were part of a savage US-British campaign to keep in place sanctions imposed on Iraq for eight years. He said Iraq had handed over more than 2 million documents to UNSCOM and the International Atomic Energy Agency. The United States called off air strikes a week ago after Iraq promised at the last minute to rescind its October 31 decision to block weapons inspections.
	China-Japan Economic and Trade Cooperation for New Century An article entitled "China-Japan Economic and Trade Cooperation in the New Century" says that China and Japan are close neighbors and important trade partners as well. The economic and trade relations have played a basic role for the healthy development of the China-Japan relations. China-Japan economic and trade cooperation has made headway as a result of efforts made jointly by China and Japan. It adds that Japan is one of the countries making maximum investment in China with investment totting up to over US$ 20 billion. And Japanese government loans total about US$ 15 billion, playing a vital role for the morderization drive in China. Coupled with the in-depth reform and opening up, the two countries' economic and trade cooperation has spread from the general processing indust ry to farming, circulation trade, finance, telecom and high-tech industries. The increasingly consummated mechanism of the socialist market-based economy and provided foreign enterprises with good investment ambience, it continues. Even the Japanese enterprises task the view that "the most hopeful country in the world for long- and medium-term investment is China." And Japanese enterprises are prepared to take China as "an ideal place" for investment. Takashi Imai, president of the Federation of Economic Organizations, said that Japan and China should be engaged in broader cooperation in the next century, emphasis should be placed on both government and non-governmental exchanges, premium should be put on non-governmental exchanges and there should be wider and deepening cooperation. It is hoped that during his visit to Japan, President Jiang will explain China's strategy of economic development and the policy on wooing foreign investment. Looking ahead to the 21st century, there will be broad prospects for economic cooperation between China and Japan. It is believed that President Jiang Zemin's historic visit to Japan will surely lay a more solid foundation for the neighborly and friendly relations for cooperation between the two countries and push the economic and trade ties to a new height.

	Vietnam Reiterates Importance of Agricultural, Rural Development The Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam has emphasized the industrialization and modernization of agricultural production as Vietnam's most important task in the immediate and long term. Vietnamese Communist Party's daily Nhan Dan (the people) on November 23 carried a resolution saying that the target for agricultural and rural economic development was to ensure national food security, raise peasants' income and meet their need for food and clothing by 2000. Over the past ten years, the resolution said, agricultural production has grown continuously at a high speed. The economic structure in rural areas has also changed by increasing the ratio of industry and services. Exports of farm, forestry and fishery products have rapidly increased. However, there are still existing shortcomings and problems of the agriculture and rural economy. Morocco gained a good harvest in the past agricultural year 1997-1998. The major grain output reached 6.55 million tons, increasing 63.1 percent on the basis of 4.01 million tons in the previous year. Despite the bumper harvest, Morocco still needs a large volume of grain import this year. It had imported 1.90 million tons of grain by November 16 and planed to import 411,000 tons in the coming weeks. *Officials from Uganda Ministry of finance declared earlier that the government decided to invest at least 160 billion shillings (about US$120 million) to agricultural projects in the first four years of next century.
	Poland police said on November 22 that 31 people have been frozen to death since November 16. On November 22, the temperature in some areas in Poland dropped to 22 centigrade below zero. Coming along with the cold wave was a snow storm. Recently the accumulated snow in some southern areas came up to dozens of centimeters, or even over one meter in some place. Police said that most of the dead were frozen for they were drunken and slept out in the street. Now the relevant departments are taking measures to make arrangements for the vagrants. Last year more than 50 people were frozen to death in Poland. Recently the central part of Vietnam was hit by a tropical storm and the disaster has claimed nearly 40 lives. *On November 22, Bangladesh was hit by the first tornado this winter and about 1500 fishermen were lost.
	On November 21, a stair-climbing competition named "climbing up for the blind" was held in the Nairobi, capital of Kenya. Over 100 persons from all walks of life took part in this competition which was held to collect funds for the blind. Among the attendants are 4 blind persons. This activity has collected some 500 thousand Kenyan shillings. The photo shows a blind candidate climbing up a building.

	An Asian Games Website Set up The People's Daily Online establishes a special website for the Asian Games on November 24. Readers can browse a brief introduction to the previous meets, items and itinerary of the event. As soon as the 13th Asian Games opens, the website will launch the latest news of the competition. Video News and other multi-media columns will also be used.
	Adidas To Design Special Shoes for Asians Two Adidas experts on product development from Germany have finished foot pattern investigation in China. The company will make sports shoes special for the Asians. The Chinese women's football team and some other teams will have their own shoes.