Three characteristics featuring China��s officials exchanging at provincial level

The year 2006 and 2007 are the changing years for China��s officials at provincial level.

Since this May, the central government has adjusted the party and municipal leaders of Tibet, Shangxi, Guangxi, Gansu, Guizhou, Xinjiang, Liaoning, Hunan, Hebei, Jiangxi, and Yunnan provinces and autonomous regions.

This round of official adjustment has three features:

First, it has become common for the officials exchanging between east, central, and west of China. Officials from the prosperous coast provinces are appointed to be the top officials of the central, northeast and westprovinces, which is said to be conducive to narrow the concept gap between regions in order to shorten the economic gap.

Second, the new appointed leaders at provincial level are much younger than before.

\

Third, this round of adjustment has attached great importance on people��s living and the scientific development concept. Most of the officials have been changed to posts but in the same province, which is conducive to comprehensive development of that province.

Total value of foreign trade in the first ten months exceeds the whole of last year

The total value of China��s foreign trade from in the first ten months of this year is US$1.42 trillion, up by 24.1 per cent from the same period of last year, which has exceeded the total value of that of last year, according to news released by China Customs, on November 13.

Among the total value, the export is US$779.29 billion, up by 26.8 per cent; import is US$645.6 billion, up by 20.9 per cent.

According to the statistics released by China��s Customs, from January to October this year, the European Union (EU) is China��s largest trade partner, with the bilateral trade value as much as US$218.9 billion, up by 24.2 per cent. The United States is China��s second largest trade partner, with the bilateral trade value as much as US$214.52 billion, up by 24.6 per cent. Japan is China��s third largest trade partner, with the bilateral trade value as much as US$168.46 billion, up by 12.5 per cent.

Furthermore, the trade value between China��s mainland and Hong Kong Special Administration Region is US$131.8 billion, up by 23.1 per cent; the trade value between China and ASEAN is US$129.91 billion, up by 23.5 per cent.

Four miners who were digging out copper remnants at a disused open pit mine died on the spot on Sunday in Chingola, 440 km north of Lusaka, when the mine collapsed on them following heavy rains, local newspaper Zambian Daily Mail reported Tuesday.

Chingola district commissioner Toby Maliti confirmed the incident, saying some people have been scavenging for copper pieces and scrap metal at the disused former Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines (ZCCM) mine.

"What happened is that when they were digging copper it started raining heavily forcing the ground to be weaker, thereby collapsing on the deceased," Maliti said.

"These people have dug tunnels in the pit which had a lot of rainwater making it difficult for them to escape," he added.

Chingola police commanding officer Felix Mulenga said some residents had mobilized themselves to retrieve the bodies. The bodies were finally retrieved on Monday afternoon, 24 hours after the collapse.

Mulenga said there was a lot of water in the tunnel making it difficult for diggers to access the bodies.

The incident came shortly after two other illegal miners died in similar circumstance recently, the paper said.

Source: Xinhua