China and India, both large economies developing at a fast pace, should enhance their cooperation and dialogue to promote their ties and better contribute to the global economy, scholars from both countries said at a weekend forum. Chinese and Indian academicians gathered at the Second China-India Think Tank Forum on Saturday and Sunday in Beijing to discuss "strategic cooperation and developmental partnership". The forum, sponsored by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and India's Ministry of External Affairs, covered issues of strategic communication, trade and investment, people-to-people exchanges and science and technology. At its opening ceremony, CASS President Wang Weiguang said China and India are "two important forces in the world's process of multipolarization" and their think tanks should participate in strengthening their bilateral cooperation. China-India cooperation benefits not only the two countries, but also Asia and the world, Wang said. India's delegation consisted of 17 experts and scholars from 11 Indian think tanks and institutions, said Nalin Surie, delegation head and director general of the Indian Council of World Affairs. The two countries "are expected to play a much greater role in international affairs", said Surie, who is also a former Indian ambassador to China. "We have a variety of reasons to cooperate and collaborate, rather than entering into needless competition or rivalry," he said. The two countries should ensure that differences between them do not become disputes, he said, but are converted into opportunities for greater cooperation. China and India established the forum in 2015, and it was first held in December the following year in New Delhi. The two countries will alternate as host of the annual event. Indian Ambassador to China Vijay Gokhale said, "The genesis of this platform lies in our shared belief in the need for greater and more sustained dialogue among our scholars and academics." The ambassador called for "sustained and in-depth dialogue" at the governmental as well as societal levels in order to sustain ties between the two countries. China and India are the world's two most populous countries and are regarded as important players in the global economy. Hu Shisheng, director of the Institute of South and Southeast Asian and Oceania Studies under the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said on the sidelines of the forum that the two countries should focus on cooperation in development. They "have many similar aspects in their national conditions", and communication on developmental issues will help build a more solid foundation for the bilateral ties, Hu said. [email protected]custom rubber bandsmake your own bracelet cheapprinted wristbandscheap silicone wristbands
In just over two decades, Yuanshan Forest Farm has changed beyond recognition. It used to be uncompetitive and debt-ridden.But now it is one of the most lucrative tourist spots in East China's Shandong province, earning over 100 million yuan ($15.36 million) every year from its ecotourism, aquaculture, hotels and other businesses.Over 150 forest farm directors had traveled to Yuanshan, in Zibo, to learn about the transformation. They were told that Sun Jianbo, the farm's director, is the key.Sun, 58, has worked at the farm since 1986. Planting, nurturing and felling trees had been the farm's pattern since his arrival, just like other forest farms across the country.Until in the 1990s, the central government prohibited forest farming. To survive, the farm started six businesses, such as a cattle ranching and an ice cream factory. When he was promoted to the leadership post 10 years after starting at the farm, nearly all six businesses were losing money and the farm had been defaulting on over 400 staff salaries for 13 months.I had spent many a sleepless night and the suffering was even more bitter than my physical disability, said Sun, whose right leg was disabled by childhood polio.To fix the problem before it was too late, Sun carried out a series of reforms. He abolished the life-tenure system in leading posts and promoted those who dared to put their visions into reality.Those do-nothing leaders were replaced by people who really wanted to do something, he said.After thoroughly researching the farm's resources, he developed a tourism model and invited experts from across the country to plan the scenic spot.Sun also closed all the unprofitable businesses and started a few new ones, including a winery and a nursery garden.Sun said farmworkers used to cut down trees and sell them to coal mines for only a few yuan each. But after the nursery garden was set up, trees were sold to urban landscaping companies.Each of the trees can sell for hundreds of yuan, sometimes thousands of yuan, he said.Sun also gave priority to environmental protection. He established a firefighting squad and invested heavily in professional equipment. He also initiated a performance-related pay system, which is linked to the forest's survival rate and the frequency of forest fire. As a result, the forest protection rate increased from 82 percent to over 94 percent in the decades since 1996.According to Sun, salaries have been increasing by about 20 percent annually, reaching 56,000 yuan a year. In addition, the farm provides each staff member with a free dormitory and an apartment developed by the farm's own real estate company in the nearby town at a preferential price.Stuffing cakes do not drop from the sky. Without hard work and spirit to reform and to chart the unknown, the green hills and clear waters won't turn into economic benefits on their own, Sun said.
