China This Week: Concern over US-South Korea Drill, Internet Openings and Closings, China Relations with UK, France, & EU

China Calls for Restraint as US, South Korea Plan Military Drill:  China on Thursday called for  an avoidance of tensions on the Korean Peninsula in response to a possible naval drill by the US and South Korea.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang reiterated China's opposition to foreign warships or aircraft entering the Yellow Sea area and adjacent waters, engaging in activities that would affect Chinese security and interests.

Answering a question on whether China and North Korea would plan a military exercise if US and South Korea proceeded, Qin called the hypothesis "a typical Cold War mindset."

"Times have changed," said Qin. "No single country or military alliance can resolve issues like regional security and stability."

China Comments on  South Korea warship sinking:  China urged the involved parties to "flip over the page", after the sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan warship, and restart the six-party talks over nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang made the comment after the United Nations Security Council released a Presidential statement on the Cheonan incident. The statement has encouraged the settlement of the outstanding issues on the Korean Peninsula by peaceful means and the resumption of direct dialogue and negotiations between the two Koreas.

Copper PlPant closed after Waste Leakage:  Zijin Mining Group Co., China's largest gold producer, has shut down a copper smelter in East China after a leakage of acidic water.

The plant in Fujian Province, producing 12,800 metric tons of copper a year, will only be reopened after checks by local environmental authorities, Lan Fuyan, vice-mayor of Shanghang County, said at a press conference.

According to initial estimates, the acidic water killed more than 1.9 million kilogrammes of fish.

New Government Transparency Rules:  A new regulation extends the list of declarable assets for officials and introduces dismissal as the maximum penalty for failing to report assets honestly and promptly.

The newly added items include the official's salary and subsidies; income from other sources such as lecturing; housing owned by the family; the family's investments in unlisted companies; the family's investment in stocks, investment-oriented insurance, and other financing products; and the employment of a spouse and children at home or abroad.

However, according to Zhu Lijia, an anti-corruption professor with the Chinese Academy of Governance, the new regulation fails to make a breakthrough in making officials' assets transparent. While the regulation requires officials to report to higher officials, it does not make that information public.

China and Britain seek stronger relations:  British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Wednesday that Britain hopes to further its relationship with China, as he met with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi in Beijing.

Hague said the new British government stands ready to develop its relationship with China and would take the bilateral strategic partnership to a new level. He added that the two countries maintained close coordination and communication on issues such as development in African countries, the global economy, climate change, and the Iranian nuclear issue.

China, France Pledge to Strengthen Co-operation:  Chinese top legislator Wu Bangguo met with Marseilles Mayor Jean-Claude Gaudin on Tuesday, vowing to further cooperation at the local level between China and France.

Wu hoped Marseille would take the opportunity of the Shanghai Exposition to build links on new energy and materials, public transportation. and port construction. Gaudin said he hoped to cement cooperation with China on scientific, educational, cultural, and tourism matters.

China, EU enhance space technology co-op:  China and the European Union have strengthened their cooperation in space technology to better monitor climate change and improve the ability to prevent and control natural disasters.

At a conference entitled "Let's Embrace Space", Reinhard Schulte Braucks, head of the European Commission's Unit Space Research and Development said air pollution is a problem facing the entire world and China and the EU should strengthen cooperation to improve air quality monitoring.

China's Ministry of Science and Technology and the European Space Agency are conducting a cooperation project-DRAGONESS, which is China's largest international cooperation project in the field of earth observation.

China, Serbia vow to expand cooperation:  The top Chinese legislator Wu Bangguo and Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic met on Thursday and agreed to expand cooperation between two countries.

Thanks to their joint efforts, the two countries have made remarkable achievements in their cooperation in infrastructure construction, automobile manufacturing and other areas, noted Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China.

Wu added that China and Serbia should make a full use of such advantages and seize opportunities to deepen bilateral collaboration in infrastructure construction including roads, bridges, and power plants.

Nokia to be awarded online map license:  China's State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping said it plans to give Nokia a license to provide online mapping services in China, making it the first foreign firm to get such approval.

The announcement may open doors for other foreign applicants such as Google and Microsoft, which have also reportedly applied for such licenses.

To avoid State secrets being disclosed and uncertified maps published online, the bureau launched a regulation in May requiring all companies providing online maps and location services in China to apply for approval.

It is unclear if the bureau will also approve Google's application. The US search engine had its Internet Content Provider license renewed by the Chinese government last weekend.

Filter software Green Dam "Closure" refuted:  The "Green Dam --- Youth Escort" Internet content-filtering software, which aroused opposition due to privacy and security concerns at home and abroad last year when it was launched, is facing funding difficulties, the Beijing Times reported.

One of two companies linked to the nationwide Internet pornography-filtering project refuted reports on Tuesday that the controversial software has been halted.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced in May last year that starting 1 July, all computers sold in the country must pre-install Green Dam. But after strong opposition from both foreign and domestic computer manufacturers makers as well as users over security concerns, the installation was restricted to schools and Internet cafes.

China's Population Statistics:  China's population on the mainland will reach 1.39 billion by the end of 2015, with as many as 700 million living in urban areas. This will be the first time that the urban population exceeds the rural population in China.

The Chinese aging population, senior citizens over 60 years of age, had reached 167 million, accounting for 12.5% of the country's population. The average life expectancy in China has surpassed 73, and 18.99 million people are more than 80 years old.

China's population of floating migrant workers reached a record 211 million by 2009 and will hit 350 million by 2050 if government policies remain unchanged.