Ectracts.
"Shenzhou II" Spacecraft Returns
------------------------------------------------------------------------Shen
zhou-II, China's second unmanned space shuttle launched on January 10
touched down smoothly in the central part of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous
Region in north China Tuesday at 19:22 (Beijing Time), after flying 108
circles around the earth in nearly one week.
The successful recovery of the space vessel serves as a special gift to
Chinese people, who are slated to mark the lunar Spring Festival, which is
just seven days away.
``Shenzhou unmanned space capsule made a nearly 7-day, 108-orbit voyage
after being blasted off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre on January 10,"
said a spokesman at the Beijing Aerospace Command and Control Centre.
It soft-landed in central Inner Mongolia at 7:22 pm, after completing the
planned space science and technical experiments, he said.
"Shenzhou II" Spacecraft Returns
------------------------------------------------------------------------Shen
zhou II was composed of an orbital module, returning module and booster
rockets, almost identical to how a manned spacecraft would be constructed,
according to the centre sources.
During the past few days, the centre had directed the tracking networks on
land and at sea to track and monitor Shenzhou II, and sent a series of
directions and data to the spacecraft and made it complete hundreds of
sophisticated actions.
At 6:33 pm Tuesday, when Shenzhou II was flying over the Atlantic, Yuanwang,
a tracking vessel in the ocean, signalled the spacecraft to travel back to
earth, according to the spokesman.
Before that, the Beijing centre had directed Shenzhou II from its initial
oval orbit into a round one, and ignited the spacecraft's engine for the
second time to maintain a good condition of the flying orbit.
China's Second Spacecraft Returns
------------------------------------------------------------------------Upon
receiving the tele-commands from the Yuanwang vessel, the returning module
of Shenzhou II detached itself from the orbital module, and flew towards its
preset destination in a grassland in central Inner Mongolia.
The Xi'an Satellite Tracking and Controlling Centre soon discovered the
capsule, according to the spokesman.
The returning module will be sent to Beijing within a few days, so that
scientists there could conduct analysis and research on the capsule and the
experimental items in it.
In fact, during its week-long flight, experiments on space life environment,
space materials, space astronomy and physics, and voice transmission had
been conducted on the spacecraft.
Space watchers noted that Tuesday's uncrewed test mission was the second in
a series expected to lead to a first manned space voyage in the early 21st
century.
China conducted its first maiden flight of ``Shenzhou" in November 1999,
also at the Jiuquan launch site.
An expert at the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, who
declined to be identified, said China needed ``three to four more test
flights of unmanned space aircraft" before it can send a human into space.
Luan Enjie, director of the State Aerospace Bureau, further said that the
country's first generation of astronauts were ``receiving intensive
training."
****
DPRK Establishes Diplomatic Relations with Netherlands
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea DPRK and the Netherlands have
established diplomatic relations, the Korean Central News Agency reported on
Tuesday.
****
Sino-Italian Ties to Further Grow in New Century, President
Chinese President Meets Italian PM
The growth of Sino-Italian ties has demonstrated that countries with
different social systems can cooperate on the basis of mutual respect,
equality and mutual benefit, Chinese President Jiang Zemin
<http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/leaders/jzm/jzmhome.htm> told
visiting Italian Prime Minister Giuliano Amato Tuesday, January 16.
Amato is on a three-day official China tour at the invitation of Chinese
Premier Zhu Rongji
<http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/leaders/Zhurongji.htm> .
It is the second meeting between the two leaders within four months. Jiang
and Amato previously met at the UN Millennium Summit last September.
After expressing satisfaction over the overall growth of cooperation between
the two countries in recent years, Jiang voiced the stance of the Italian
government in adhering to the One-China policy and in advocating dialogue
instead of confrontation on the human rights issue.
Both leaders expressed the hope that people worldwide will enjoy a peaceful
and stable life, shake off poverty and seek common developments in the new
century.
Jiang said that the world should be a colorful one and urged political
leaders to be far-sighted and cooperate for peace and development.
In response, Amato said that the world is moving toward multi-polarization.
As countries develop unbalancedly, he called for more efforts on poverty
elimination and the creation of a peaceful environment for development. "The
United Nations should play a bigger role," he said.
Jiang also briefed the guests on China's domestic situation. After
minimizing the effects of the Asian financial crisis, China scored rapid
economic growth while ensuring social stability and improving people's
living standards, Jiang said, adding that all reforms also proceeded
smoothly.
Amato told Jiang that he has visited China in about every ten years and saw
tremendous changes during every visit. He said he believed China will
achieve bigger and faster development in the new century.
****
FM Spokesman on India Tour by China's Top Legislator
Chinese top legislator Li Peng
<http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/leaders/npcchair.html> 's recent
visit to India <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/data/india.html>
furthers the development of healthy and stable Sino-Indian good-neighborly
relations in the new century, said a Chinese Foreign Ministry
<http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/> spokesman Tuesday.
"The visit also achieves its purpose of improving mutual understanding,
friendship and cooperation, and it promotes the exchanges between the two
states and parliaments," said Zhu Bangzao at a regular press conference.
Zhu said that Li, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National
People's Congress (NPC), has paid an official goodwill visit to India from
January 9 to 16, at the invitation of Chairman Krishan Kant of India's Upper
House of the Parliament and Speaker G.M.C. Balayogi of the House of the
People.
Li's trip represents another high-level visit between the two countries
following Chinese President Jiang Zemin
<http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/leaders/jzm/jzmhome.htm> 's state
visit to India in 1996 and Indian President Kocheril Raman Narayanan's visit
to China in May, 2000.
During his visit, Zhu said, Li was in contact with Indian leaders and people
from other circles, exchanging views on how to push forward Sino-Indian
friendly cooperation. The two sides reached agreements, he added.
****
China Scored Breakthrough in Water Conservancy Projects
China has made great breakthrough in water conservancy construction during
the "Ninth Five Year Plan" period. The central government invested nearly
100 billion yuan in infrastructure construction for water conservancy
projects in 1998, 1999 and 2000, an annual increase of three to four folds
over the normal times.
During the "Ninth Five Year Plan" period, China began to construct 30,000-km
protecting embankment with 16,000-km of sectional embankment completed to
the standard, of which the first and second tiered embankments along
mainstreams and tributaries of major rivers occupied over 10,000 km. A total
of 6,000 km sea dykes was built and 236 cities across the country reached
the national standard for flood control, a rise of 37 percent as against the
31 percent in the early days of the "Ninth Five Year Plan" period. 25 water
control projects were put into operation, an increased capacity of six
billion cubic meters for flood control, and over 80 large and medium-sized
reservoirs got consolidated with a capacity of 5.8 billion cubic meters
being restored for the prevention of floods
****
US Urged to Axe Anti-missile Plans
China Tuesday reiterated serious concerns over US plans to deploy a National
Missile Defence (NMD) system, urging the incoming administration to scrap
the relevant tests.
Plans to deploy Theatre Missile Defence and NMD are not conducive to world
disarmament and arms control efforts and will have a negative impact on the
21st century global and regional strategic balance, said Foreign Ministry
spokesman Zhu Bangzao.
"The US already has the largest and most sophisticated nuclear and
conventional arsenals in the world," said Zhu. Zhu further noted that a UN
resolution sponsored by China and Russia on preserving and observing the
1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty last year received overwhelming
support.
The US plans violate the Treaty on the Limitation of Anti-Ballistic Missile
Systems (ABM), which aims to maintain the global strategic balance and
stability and continue the nuclear disarmament process, Zhu said.
"We hope the relevant country will listen to the just call of the
international community, strictly abide by the ABM treaty and give up at an
early date a plan that will undermine the global strategic balance," he
said.
Aiming his remarks at US President-elect George W. Bush, Zhu called for
continued efforts from the new administration to maintain the continued
development of Sino-US relations.
"As the new century dawns, China and US are faced with new opportunities and
challenges and we believe and hope that during the tenure of President Bush,
China and US relations will undergo new developments," Zhu said.
Turning to the official goodwill visit to India by Chairman Li Peng of the
National People's Congress over the past week, Zhu said Li met with Indian
leaders and people of all walks of life. He had an in-depth exchange of
views with them on how to push forward the Sino-Indian friendly co-operation
and reached a lot of consensus, Zhu said.
The visit enhanced understanding, developed friendship and strengthened
co-operation. It also promoted co-operation between the two countries.
****
Israeli, US, Turkish Naval Units to Hold Joint Exercise
Israeli, US and Turkish naval units are to hold a joint exercise off the
Israeli coast on Wednesday, Israel Radio reported on Tuesday.
The exercise was described as being for humanitarian purposes and was to
include air-sea rescue procedures.
Five ships, three helicopters and three spotter planes are to take part in
the drill.
This will be the third joint exercise of its type under the code name of
"Reliant Mermaid."
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