BEIJING - China and the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have scheduled a joint maritime exercise to take place later this year, a Chinese ministry spokesperson said Thursday.The purpose of the joint drill is to enhance mutual trust, expand exchange and cooperation, and safeguard regional peace and stability, said Wu Qian, spokesperson with the Ministry of National Defense.The parties are currently working together to arrange the details, he said.Wu also confirmed that lieutenant general Liu Xiaowu, deputy commander of the Western Theater Command, will head a border defense delegation to Pakistan and India in the near future.Liu will meet and hold talks with the two countries' military leaders on topics including theater-level exchange, border management and control, as well as cooperation in border defense. custom fidgetpaper bracelet template1 inch wide rubber bandsballer bandswristband creationrubber bracelets cheapuv braceletprinted wristbands
WUHAN - Fishing would be gradually banned in all 332 nature reserves along China's Yangtze River from January to restore the ecosystem of the country's largest river. The ban also applies to future nature reserves, said Zhao Yimin, deputy director of the Yangtze River Fishing Supervision and Administration Office under the Ministry of Agriculture. The ban has won support from local governments along the river. Authorities will offer fishermen subsidies and vocational training to help them find new jobs, said Zhao. In recent years, wildlife in the Yangtze has declined, leaving many species on the verge of extinction. The annual fish catch in the Yangtze is less than 100,000 tonnes. The Chinese paddlefish and white-flag dolphins have not been seen in years and the Chinese sturgeon and finless porpoise are on the brink of extinction. The number of four species of carp has decreased by 97 percent from the levels in the 1950s.
