Ma Xiaoguang, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn] Beijing is 'willing' to do more, but 1992 Consensus should be recognized first A spokesman for the Chinese mainland said on Wednesday that the 1992 Consensus embodying the one-China principle is the political foundation for the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations and that the island's authorities have refused to reiterate its validity. Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said the principle clearly defines the fundamental nature of cross-Straits relations and that good relations will help serve the interests and improve the wellbeing of compatriots in Taiwan. The mainland is willing to actively promote whatever is good for Taiwan residents based on a correct stance, Ma said, adding that since the Democratic Progressive Party took office in 2016, it adopted many unreasonable measures restricting exchanges. People want to improve the economy, he said. The mainland is making efforts, and we hope the island side will review and change those unreasonable policies, including restrictions on mainland investment on the island. The island's leader, Tsai Ing-wen, said recently that the island's authorities are open to exchanges between cities and counties but said she didn't want any political preconditions. The island's mainland affairs council also said it won't change its stance. Ma said that no political precondition refers to refusing to recognize the one-China principle, and that the island's cross-Straits policy has seriously harmed the interests of the people there. If the ruling DPP continues to brush off public opinion that favors the development of cross-Straits relations, as well as the desire of people to improve their livelihoods, it will only be left in a more passive position, he added. Ma said that with a correct understanding of the nature of cross-Straits relations, the exchanges and cooperation between cities and counties will definitely expand. In local elections last month in Taiwan, the Kuomintang won 15 of the 22 contested seats, while the ruling DPP landed six. The newly elected Kuomintang county and city heads all publicly declared that they will uphold the 1992 Consensus and expect more cooperation with the mainland to stimulate economic development. On Monday, the head of the island's Penghu county visited Liu Jieyi, head of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, in Beijing, and they exchanged ideas on issues including the sale of Penghu agricultural products to the mainland and tourism. numbered wristbands for eventssilicone wristband manufacturermake your own silicone bracelet kitxl silicone wristbandssilicone wristbands custom
Warehouses of liquid natural gas in Zhejiang province on Aug 8, 2018. [Photo/VCG] The transfer of responsibility for tackling climate change to the country's top environmental watchdog will help promote and improve the critical process, said an official. Li Gao, director-general of climate change, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, made the remark during a news conference on Wednesday in Beijing after his department was transferred to the ministry from the National Development and Reform Commission. After years of effort, China has achieved remarkable results in tackling climate change. The carbon intensity, or the ratio of greenhouse gas emissions produced to gross domestic product, fell 46 percent last year from 2005 levels. This shows that China is attaining its goal of reducing the intensity by 40 to 45 percent by 2020, two years ahead of schedule, Li said. This lays a good foundation for the country to achieve the goal it set for 2030, Li said. The shift of duties of tackling climate change to the ministry helps better coordinate and collectively promote the country's efforts to control greenhouse gases and other pollutants, he said. The key task in tackling climate change is to control carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels. Coal, a major source of energy in China, is a significant contributor to air pollution, he said. The country has limited the expansion of industries with high energy consumption and pollution, promoted use of clean energy, and accelerated the adjustment of energy generation in its action plans for air pollution control in the past few years. These measures are also helping contribute to greenhouse emissions control, he said. Air pollution control measures in recent years have helped reduce the greenhouse gas emissions equivalent of 175 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. The actions to improve air quality have played a significant role in helping us realize the goal of tackling climate change, he said. Meanwhile, controls over greenhouse gas emissions have also contributed to reduced air pollution. The reduction of one ton of carbon dioxide also means a decrease of 3.2 kilograms of sulfur dioxide and 2.8 kg of nitric oxide, he added. The shift to the ministry provides better coordination in tackling climate change and controlling air pollution, he said. We will collaboratively promote the work ... in our monitoring and setting of targets, as well as in policy drafting, Li added.
