China says SCO not an eastern NATO

China is shooting down suggestions the Shanghai Cooperation Organization could evolve into a military and political bloc.
The statement came after some media reports likening the SCO to an eastern NATO.
Earlier, in a closed-door session of the summit, Chinese President Hu Jintao called on leaders of SCO member states to promote regional stability and cooperation.
The members are set to work together to counter terrorism, separatism and extremism.
The SCO currently has six full members -- China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
China, Russia voice opposition to military intervention to Syria

China and Russia have issued a joint statement, once again voicing their opposition to military intervention in the Syrian crisis.
It comes following meetings between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leaders in Beijing.
The two countries are also voicing their opposition to forced regime change in Syria and calling for the international community to support the peace efforts of UN-Arab envoy Kofi Annan.
Avalanche leaves 3 dead, 7 missing in NW China

3 people have been killed in an avalanche in northwester China's Gansu province.
7 others are missing when a snowslide engulfed an antimony ore prospecting station in Subei county, north of Qinghai.
11 people managed to escape.
One of the survivors is in hospital in serious condition.
The area has been suffering severe heavy rainstorms - rare in the region - since Monday.
H5N1 bird flu reported in NW China

The Ministry of Agriculture is dealing with a bird flu outbreak in Gansu.
More than 62-hundred chickens at a farm in Jingtai county, north of the provincial capital Lanzhou, are showing symptoms of avian flu.
260 of the chickens have died.
Some 20-thousand chickens in the area have been destroyed.
Chinese scientist re-elected as member of key UN sea commission

A veteran Chinese scientist has been re-elected as one of the 21 members of a key UN oceanic commission.
Lu Wenzheng of China's State Oceanic Administration will serve another five-year tenure in the "UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf" from later this month.
The commission is tasked to implement the delineation of the outer limits of the continental shelf, particularly when the submerged portion extends beyond 200 nautical miles from coastline.
Its findings are important for countries to define the limits of their territories.
China calls for inclusive development of outer space

Cheng Jingye, China's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, says that the inclusive development of outer space should include tolerance for space environment, all nations and all of mankind.
The ambassador confirmed that China will launch its manned Shenzhou-9 spacecraft later this year and conduct a space rendezvous and docking mission with the orbiting Tiangong-1 space lab module.
The manned docking mission is believed to be an important step towards China building a space station by 2020.
China to boost treatment capacity for mental illnesses

The Chinese government says it is trying to establish a treatment network for serious mentally ill patients across the country by 2015.
The Ministry of Health says at least 60 percent of those patients will receive regular treatment when the system is set up.
The healthcare watchdog estimates China has some 16 million people suffering from severe mental diseases, including schizophrenia and mental disorders.
China considering revising pension system

The Chinese government is considering revising its pension system.
The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security says on its website that it's been conducting research on the reform, though it has fallen short to offer details.
It is expected the government will either increase the retirement age or ask pensioners to continue contributing to their pension account several years after their retirement.
China is facing a potential deficit in retirement pension funds due to an aging population.
Most men retire at 60 and women at 50 in China.
Great Wall longer than originally thought

The Great Wall of China has officially been officially declared much longer than previously thought.
The Chinese State Administration of Cultural Heritage has for the first time released definitive figures revealing the country's number one tourist attraction to measure just over 21,000 km.
A preliminary study had concluded that the wall was around 8,500 km long. The wide discrepancy is being put down to archeological differences over which ancient fortifications actually constituted part of its original construction.
The Great Wall – originally built to protect China from Mongolian attacks – began construction in around 500 BC. However, its numerous stretches weren't linked-up until the reign of Emperor Qin in 220 BC.