Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, speaks at the Seventh Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee in Beijing, capital of China. The plenum was held from Oct 11 to 14 in Beijing. [Photo/Xinhua] BEIJING - The four-day Seventh Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) concluded in Beijing Saturday with a communique issued. Entrusted by the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, delivered a work report at the meeting. It was decided that the 19th CPC National Congress, a five-yearly event, will be convened from Oct 18 in Beijing, according to the communique. A report to be made by the 18th CPC Central Committee to the 19th CPC National Congress, a work report of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) to the congress, as well as an amendment to the CPC Constitution were discussed and approved. It was decided that the three documents will be submitted to the upcoming congress for examination and deliberation. The amendment to the CPC Constitution must include the key theories and strategic thought presented by the report to be delivered at the 19th CPC National Congress, according to a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on Sept 18. The amended constitution must fully represent the latest sinicization of Marxism, new governance concepts, thoughts and strategies of the CPC Central Committee since the 18th CPC National Congress, as well as new experience in adhering to and strengthening Party leadership and in strict Party governance, it said. The plenum was presided over by the Political Bureau. Xi gave an explanation on the draft report to the 19th CPC National Congress, and Liu Yunshan, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, gave an explanation of the draft amendment to the CPC Constitution. Altogether 191 members and 141 alternate members of the CPC Central Committee attended the meeting, with members of the CCDI and leading officials of related departments present as non-voting delegates. Eleven new full members, who had been alternate members of the 18th CPC Central Committee, were admitted to the Central Committee during the plenum. plastic braceletslivestrong braceletmake your own rubber braceletsilicone keychaincustom silicone bands
Hong Kong people will have to do a lot more in cutting down usage and disposal of plastic bags and utensils for the sake of the city's environment. Provided to China Daily Hong Kong people, especially the younger generation, talk all the time about the need to protect the environment in this city of seven million. But, they're willing to sacrifice very little in doing that. Take plastic waste for instance. Every day in Hong Kong, hundreds of thousands of styrofoam lunch boxes, along with plastic-coated cups and plastic straws, are discarded. They mostly end up in landfills that will become part of the land reclaimed from the sea. Tons of meat, vegetables and fish are transported in large styrofoam cartons that are dumped onto the streets or in the sea after use. Pieces of these offensive white plastics can be seen at all times floating on the murky waters near the fish market in Aberdeen typhoon shelter. There is a law requiring vendors to charge customers for one-use plastic bags. But, the charge, at 50 Hong Kong cents (about 6 US cents) apiece is too insignificant for most shoppers to care about. While most other major world cities, including New York, London and Shanghai, are passing stricter and stricter laws to cut down the use of plastic materials, Hong Kong is sitting tight doing precious little other than complaining. Some city authorities have banned the use of plastic straws which have long been the target of environmentalists. Discarded plastic straws, which usually end up in the ocean, are listed by environmental groups as one of the top 10 waste items found on beaches. Coffee and tea cups have also been targeted by environmentalists, prompting some coffee outlets like Starbucks in some cities to charge customers a fee for using disposal cups. They also try to offer discounts for customers who bring their own reusable cups. Do Hong Kong people care? Certainly not the fast-food joints which continue to provide customers with one-use plastic utensils, cups and straws. They also cater to many take-away customers who have no qualms about throwing away the styrofoam containers and plastic utensils after consuming their lunch or dinner. Any proposal to restrict the use of plastics would trigger a storm of protests from the powerful business groups who would object to anything that could be seen to add to their costs. Consumers will have to take the initiative to reject the use of disposable plastics for the sake of the environment.
