China urges free government information disclosure to improve transparency

BEIJING, July 22 (Xinhua) -- China urged its government departments to provide the public with free publications of information to protect the right to know and improve government transparency.

Government departments should provide free and timely information through government websites, communique, news conference or media, Xu Kunlin, a National Development and Reform Commission official, said during an online interview on Tuesday.

Such information included the department structure, administrative function, official work and administrative documents required by the Provisions on the Disclosure of Government Information that took effect on May 1, Xu said.

The disclosure of specific information requested by individuals, enterprises or groups would incur a charge, Xu said. The charge, however, would only include costs incurred during the process, such as for copying and delivery.

The money would go to the national treasury, he said.

Low-income groups, however, could get free access to the paid government information by providing their income declaration, said Yuan Guangrui, General Office of Ministry of Finance deputy director.

The Provisions on the Disclosure of Government Information is designed to "improve transparency and protect the right to know and public scrutiny of official acts."

Editor: Mu Xuequan

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US imposes arms sales freeze on Taiwan

The United States has frozen on arms sales to Taiwan following concerns expressed by China, top US military commander in Asia Admiral Timothy Keating said Wednesday.

He said Washington made the decision after having "reconciled Taiwan's military posture, China's current military posture and strategy that indicates there is no pressing, compelling need for, at this moment, arms sales to Taiwan.

"There have been no significant arms sales from the United States to Taiwan in relatively recent times," he acknowledged at a forum of the Washington based Heritage Foundation. "It is administration policy."

Keating said while Washington was committed to the defense of Taiwan, as enshrined in US law, "We want to do nothing to destabilize the (Taiwan) strait," which separates the Taiwan and the mainland.

"The Chinese have made clear to me their concern over any arms sales to Taiwan," he said.

Reports have said that senior US officials were holding up an 11-billion-dollar arms package and a delivery of dozens of F-16 jets for Taiwan, possibly until President George W. Bush leaves office.

The Bush administration must give Congress formal notification for the approval of weapons sales to foreign governments, but the Washington Post recently cited unnamed sources saying Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley have frozen the deal.

The reports appeared as China and Taiwan began last month their first formal talks in a decade, the latest step in a rapprochement that is likely to see the long-time rivals quickly deepen trade and tourism ties.

Taiwan has been governed separately since the end of a 1949 civil war, but Beijing has repeatedly threatened to invade should the island declare formal independence.

Washington has been the island's leading arms supplier, despite switching diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979.

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2008 Beijing Olympic's Theme Song: Beijing Welcomes You

Various Chinese musicians came together to show their national pride. Plus it's a pretty song.

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BREAKING!!!!! ANOTHER EARTHQUAKE HITS SICHUAN CHINA (JULY 15th)

This just in, another earthquake has hit the Sichuan province where a major earthquake on May 12th has killed over 70,000 people and left millions homeless. lets pray for the rescue workers that are still there.


A 5.0 Richter Scale aftershock hits
Mianzhu County of southwest China's Sichuan Province at 5:26 p.m. on
Tuesday, according to the China Earthquake Administration.
Source:Xinhua

Chinese Citizens Open Up Homes to Tourists During Olympics

Zhu Baohua beamed proudly as he showed a group of American visitors a century-old wooden bed in his house.


Zhu, in his fifties, is the owner of a siheyuan, a traditional
courtyard home in downtown Beijing. He was among 598 Beijing homeowners
selected as an Olympic host by the city tourism administration on
Friday.

The administration initiated the homestay program in
April, offering overseas visitors a chance to get to the heart of the
Beijing life.

As a supplement to the city's hotels, these
households could offer 726 rooms for more than 1,000 visitors, said
Xiong Yumei, deputy director of Beijing Tourism Administration.


Most of the families lived near major stadiums, trunk roads, cultural
sites and hutongs, or alleyways, making it easy for visitors to enjoy
the capital, Xiong said.

Before selecting the families,
officials inspected ventilation, lighting, fire safety and sanitation
conditions to make sure they met requirements.

Officials
recommended rates at 60 to 80 U.S. dollars for each bed per night, but
said individual rates could be negotiated between the visitors and the
landlords.

For Beijing natives like Zhu, hosting overseas
tourists is not only a chance to make a little cash, but also a chance
to share his culture.

Zhu's house was bought by his family in
the early 1900s. In 2004, he spent more than 4 million yuan (579,710
U.S. dollars) on renovations: "westernizing" the toilet, installing air
conditioningand high-definition televisions.

"The whole
family are learning the history of siheyuan and hutong. We are
professional tour guides now," Zhu said. He also invited his nephews,
nieces and their friends who speak English to translate for visitors.

On Sunday, the Zhu family received dozens of foreign tourists who come to see the home.


"In your constitution, you have the pursuit of happiness. Although our
cultures are different, we do have a lot in common," a nephew, Zhao
Dongyan, told some U.S. visitors, pointing to a red Chinese character
"Fu", which translates to blessing or happiness.

"I'm
improving my English, so that I can explain better when more visitors
come during the Olympics," said Zhao, a new college graduate.

Like the Zhu family, other hosts are preparing to receive guests.


Wang Zhixi, in her fifties, owns a smaller siheyuan near Zhu's. She and
her husband are seizing every chance to learn English so that they can
tell foreigners about siheyuan.

"My guests ask a lot of
questions about siheyuan. For example, they asked why homes were built
in all four directions in such crowded spaces," she said. "I told them
Chinese families like to live together and it's a way of seeking calm
and tranquility in a noisy world."

Wang also had experience
hosting overseas visitors. She is currently hosting a French reporter
with her 11-month-old son and her mother.

"I try to take good
care of my guests in the way that I care for my son, who now works in
Canada. I hope they feel the warmth and kindness of the Chinese
people," she said.

Apartment onwers are also ready to share:
making Jiaozi, introducing guests to local delicacies, explaining why
the elderly like to keep grasshoppers and birds, or expounding complex
theories like Fengshui.

"The accommodations don't have the
luxury of a hotel, but they are sure part of genuine Beijing life,"
said Ron Rice, from Washington D.C..

Beijing's tourism
authority said travel agencies from Japan, the United States, Canada,
Chile and Singapore had considered renting rooms from these families
during the Games.

But due to the short marketing time, visa
problems and transportation, most of the homestay guests would probably
be Asians, said Zhao Xin, director of the Olympic Program of the China
International Travel Service.

Those interested could apply at their home travel agencies, he added.


The city expects to see more than 500,000 overseas visitors over the
Olympics, and hotels prices are up to four times higher than usual for
the time of year.

The city has a total of 660,000 visitor
beds. By Friday, about 78 percent of the five-star hotels were booked,
but less than half of hotels with four stars or fewer were reserved,
said the tourism administration.

Staff with the
www.Chinahomestay.org, which plans to recruit 350 host families for a
four-week period surrounding the Olympics, said they had been seeing an
increase in demand.

"Many visitors who come to China don't
want to live alone, and they want to communicate with the local
people," said a woman at Chinahomestay.org who gave her name as Chen.

Source: Xinhua