Officials say a new treaty to replace the Kyoto accords on greenhouse gas emissions could take another year.

UN officials have admitted progress has been so slow on the most difficult issues they will need more time to legally seal the deal.

The key problems are targets for emissions cuts and money for poorer nations.

Copenhagen could still lead to a significant political agreement, but if it happens it will be a major achievement.

Above targets, money and technology, one major element was clearly missing this week - trust.

As the session winds up, finance ministers from the G20 have arrived in Scotland to discuss the global financial recovery and tackle climate change.

G20 meeting

G20 countries are agreed on the need to cut carbon emissions, but not on ...]]> China Sat, 07 Nov 2009 21:58:52 +0800

Chinese Finance Minister Xie Xuren, speaking after financeministers and central bank governors of the Group of 20 nationsmet in Scotland, said countries with global reserve currenciesshould work to maintain the currencies' value, China's officialXinhua news agency reported.

Xie also said countries should pay attention to thesustainability of their fiscal policies and economic growth.

Chinese central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan said theInternational Monetary Fund should increase its monitoring ofeconomic policies and financial markets in developed countries,Xinhua reported.

The Xinhua report was the first official Chinese response tothe G20 meeting, which ended on Saturday. (Reporting by Langi Chiang; Editing by Andrew Torchia)

By Langi Chiang

ST ANDREWS, Scotland, Nov 7 (Reuters) - China on Saturdayshrugged off international pressure to appreciate its currency,saying developed countries should focus on the quality of theirown economic policy-making.

Chinese Finance Minister Xie Xuren, speaking after financeministers and central bank governors of the Group of 20 nationsmet in Scotland, said countries with global reserve currenciesshould work to maintain the currencies' value to avoiddestabilising the world economy.

"All countries should pay attention to the sustainability oftheir fiscal policies and economic growth, and take timely andeffective steps to address potential risks, includinginflation," China's official Xinhua news agency quoted Xie assaying.

Chinese central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan said theInternational Monetary Fund should increase its monitoring ofeconomic policies and financial markets in developed countrie...]]> China Sat, 07 Nov 2009 21:13:37 +0800     BEIJING, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- A charity fund was set up here Saturday to aid patients with Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), often known as brittle bone disease.

    The fund, "China-Dolls care and Support Association", launched by the China Social Welfare Education Foundation (CSWEF), will focus on improving public knowledge of OI and other rare diseases, and providing social and legal assistance to patients and their families

    The CSWEF said it had earmarked 100,000 yuan (14,000 U.S. dollars) to the fund and welcomed donations from various sectors.

    The brittle bone disease is a genetic bone disorder. Fragile bones and bone deformities are among its clinical characteristics.

    There are estimated five million OI patients in the world and the number for China is about 100,000.

    "The world's economy is recovering but it will need more time, so China should basically rely on increasing domestic demand and expanding home market to drive its economic growth," said Yao Jingyuan, chief economist of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

    At the 4th China International Oils and Oilseeds Conference held in Guangzhou, provincial capital of South China's Guangdong, Yao said external demand for Chinese products was still weak though drop of China's exports had been decelerating over the last three quarters.

    The world's major economies, including the United States and the European Union, were seeing signs of recovery, but the recovering proc...]]> China Sat, 07 Nov 2009 21:07:05 +0800 /articles/09/1108/196552/MTk2NTUyiFV8tGqB.html     by Xinhua writers Yu Fei, Shi Xinrong

    BEIJING, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Over the past 27 years, Shi Shengchang has trudged along the bumpy paths in southwest China's mountainous area, visiting poor villagers.

    The happiest thing for the taciturn man is to see impoverished people living a better life with the loans he offered.

    "As long as people are diligent, I believe they can get out of poverty," said Shi, director of the Rural Credit Cooperatives (RCC) in Shuitang Town of Ziyun County, Guizhou Province.

    In China, more than 90 percent of the agricultural loans are provided by the Rural Credit Cooperatives, which are regional rural cooperative financial institutions formed by shareholding partners. Different from the large banks whose customers are mainly in cities, RCC focuses on farmers.

    Shi, 47, wa...]]> China Sat, 07 Nov 2009 21:04:35 +0800 /articles/09/1108/196551/MTk2NTUxqQcuwWMP.html     CHENGDU, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- The death toll of a bus crash accident in southwest China's Sichuan Province on Friday has risen to seven, as five injured passengers failed medical treatment on Saturday, according to the provincial work safety bureau.

    Another 17 injured passengers were still under medical treatment. One was in critical condition, hospital sources said.

    Two people died on the spot, when a bus carrying 24 people suddenly got off road and plunged 30 meters into a roadside ditch in Fulong Township in Leshan City at noon time Friday.

    The cause of the accident is still under investigation.

    A fire-fighting official said 3,276 villagers have fallen victims to the fire, as their houses were burnt down.

    The official said that the county government sent 43 fire engines and mobilized 2,500 people to put out the fire, which broke out at 2:30 a.m. Friday. The fire was put out at 7 a.m.

    A government investigation team led by Zheng Junkang, mayor of Liuzhou City, which administrates Sanjiang, found the fire was caused by the malfunction of the electric switch of the rice mill owned by villager Wei Xianting. The 70-year-old man and his four-year-old granddaughter were among the dead.

    The Linluetun village is densely popula...]]> China Sat, 07 Nov 2009 21:03:53 +0800 /articles/09/1108/196549/MTk2NTQ5ppCNolcP.html     WUHAN, Central China, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- The seventh Wuhan international horse racing festival opened here on Saturday, attracting equestrians of the world and more than 300 horses.

    During the two-day festival, more than 130 equestrians from seven countries and regions, such as Japan, Germany, Australia, Hong Kong and Macao of China, and 22 teams from the Chinese mainland will compete in this first-class horse race pageant of the country.

    Six big horse races, including the important National Speed Racing Championship, will be staged at Wuhan Orient Lucky City with the biggest race course in the Chinese mainland.

    Besides, some races of this festival introduce the games with award that audience can win a mobile phone rechargeable card if they guess right the winners.

    As a sport event and entertainment, horse racing first thr...]]> China Sat, 07 Nov 2009 21:03:31 +0800 /articles/09/1108/196548/MTk2NTQ4lQOmhs3X.html     NINGBO, Zhejiang, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- A senior official has called for unity among people living on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to promote the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations.

    Jia Qinglin, member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Political Bureau, made the call during his meeting with James Soong, chairman of the Taiwan-based People First Party and Yok Mu-ming, chairman of the New Party Saturday in Ningbo of east Zhejiang Province.

    Jia praised Soong and his party for firmly opposing "Taiwan independence", safeguarding the interests of people from both sides of the strait and those of the Chinese nation, and promoting cross-Strait cooperation.

    Jia, also chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said that the cross-Strait relations have ...]]> China Sat, 07 Nov 2009 21:00:59 +0800 China Sat, 07 Nov 2009 18:44:54 +0800 CAIRO, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said here Saturday that China is willing to further enhance its friendly cooperation with the Arab world in various sectors.

During a speech at the Arab League headquarters in downtown Cairo, Wen said China and the Arab world are both entrusted with the mission of renewing their centuries-old civilizations.

"Let us join hands and take the friendly cooperation between China and Arab countries to a new level," Wen proposed.

Reviewing the history of China-Arab relations, the Chinese premier put forward a four-point proposal to promote bilateral cooperation.

First, China is committed to deepening political trust and strengthening strategic cooperation with Arab countries.

"It serves the fundamental interests of both sides to solidify political trust and intensify strategic cooperation," Wen explained.

The establishment and development of the China-Arab Cooperation Forum ha...]]> China Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:24:03 +0800 /articles/09/1108/196545/MTk2NTQ1bjOk3raI.html Photo Gallery>>>

CAIRO, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak at the Presidential Palace in Cairo on Saturday morning.

They are expected to exchange views on bilateral relations and the fourth ministerial meeting of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, which is scheduled to open on Sunday in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Wen is paying a two-day official visit to Egypt. Special report: Wen visits Egypt, attends China-Africa forum

The air force chiefs attending the forum agreed that given the current security conditions, all the nations should work together in responding to the challenges in space and air.

They proposed strengthening mutual trust and increase cooperation among air forces and put forward suggestions on establishing a global association of air forces, sharing outer space information.

"The meeting is conducive to boosting understanding and friendship between air forces" said PLA Air Force Commander Gen. Xu Qiliang at the closing ceremony.

Xu said, it proved the cooperative relations between air forces were full of vitality, and demonstrated the air forces' aspiration and confidence of dealin...]]> China Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:23:21 +0800 /articles/09/1108/196543/MTk2NTQzWKVCeEJv.html BEIJING, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Major highways to Beijing have been closed as the capital and neighboring Hebei Province and Tianjin Municipality were shrouded in dense fog on Saturday.

The average visibility in Beijing was less than 500 meters on Saturday morning. The city's meteorological station said the fog would continue on Sunday, and would be dispersed by a cold air on Sunday evening.

The city's environmental protection bureau said that the fog, which has dominated Beijing since Friday, deteriorated the city's air quality.

Beijing recorded "serious pollution" Saturday, which was rare during this year, according to a bulletin issued by the China Environmental Monitoring Center.

According to the China's Central Meteorological Station, ten provinces and municipalities in north, central and east China were affected by the fog.

In Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, more than 10,000 passengers were stranded at the Chen...]]> China Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:23:00 +0800 /articles/09/1108/196542/MTk2NTQyrAU7Zk1f.html

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan urged Myanmar Saturday to release detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi before next year's election, adding it was ready to provide more aid if democratization in the country advanced.

The comments came a few days after a U.S. delegation made a landmark visit to Myanmar as part of a new policy of engagement by the Obama administration.

"It is extremely important that Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners are all released before the general election to be held in 2010," Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama told Myanmar's visiting prime minister, according to a Japanese Foreign Ministry spokesman.

Hatoyama also urged General Thein Sein to ensure all stakeholders could take part in the election.

Japan has distanced itself from the policy of Western powers, which have imposed tough sanctions on Myanmar, and from that of China, which has pumped billions of dollars into the country.

ST ANDREWS, Scotland (Reuters) - British finance minister Alistair Darling urged his G20 counterparts on Saturday to work toward a $100 billion deal to tackle climate change but developing nations insisted they did not want to talk about it.

Britain is hosting the third meeting of Group of 20 finance ministers and central bankers this year in St Andrews, Scotland, and is determined to push forward on an ambitious target to meet the costs of climate change by 2020, ahead of a major environmental summit in Copenhagen next month.

"It really is imperative that when we reach the end of the day that we have shown that we have made some real progress," Darling said at the start of talks on Saturday.

"If there isn't an agreement on finance ... then the Copenhagen agreement is going to be much, much more difficult."

But there appeared to be little chance of a breakthrough with many emerging countries questioning whether it should...]]> China Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:08:49 +0800     JOHANNESBURG, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- South Africa's relations with China are conducive to the country's plan to halve unemployment by 2014, the labor minister said on Saturday.

    Speaking at a meeting with his Chinese counterpart He Xian in Cape Town, South African Labor Minister Membathisi Mdladlana said South Africa wanted to learn vital strategies of job creation from the Asian country as it also faced the same unemployment crisis, the Cape Time reported.

    "A fact of life that cannot be ignored is that both South Africa and China are developing countries whose growing stature in international affairs is there for everybody to see, " Mdladlana was quoted as saying

    "No wonder we are being invited to all important global forums as an acknowledgement of the positive role we both play," Mdladlana added.

    The visiting Chinese min...]]> China Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:07:35 +0800 /articles/09/1108/196539/MTk2NTM5pHhc8pQF.html     CAIRO, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao highlighted here Saturday diversity of civilizations in the world, calling for respect, dialogue and exchange among different civilizations.

    "There exist diverse civilizations in the world, just like the existence of diverse species in the nature," Wen said during a speech at the headquarters of the Arab League in downtown Cairo.

    The world today is home to over 200 countries and regions, more than 2,500 ethnic groups and 6,000-plus languages, Wen said, adding that "dialogue, exchange and integration among different civilizations form the powerful current of the human civilization are surging ahead ceaselessly."

    The Chinese premier said both the Islamic and the Chinese civilizations are treasures of the human civilization and both have made indelible contributions to the progress and develop...]]> China Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:07:13 +0800 /articles/09/1108/196538/MTk2NTM4l5uQ8X1x.html     CAIRO, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said here Saturday that China is willing to further enhance friendly cooperation with the Arab world in various sectors.

    During a speech at the Arab League headquarters in downtown Cairo, Wen said China and the Arab world both shoulder the sacred mission of renewing their centuries-old civilizations.

    "Let us join hands and take the friendly cooperation between China and Arab countries to a new level," said Wen. Special report: Wen visits Egypt, attends China-Africa forum

    CAIRO, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao met wi...]]> China Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:06:51 +0800