Beijing

New head named to Taiwan office

Zhang Zhijun was appointed director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, the office's website announced on Sunday. Zhang, 60, from Jiangsu province, had worked as Party chief of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the ministry's vice-minister in charge of regular work. Wang Yi, Zhang's predecessor as the director of the Taiwan Affairs Office, was appointed the minister of foreign affairs.

Toyota recalls defective cars

Japanese automaker Toyota will recall some 4,400 units of FJ Cruiser cars in China over seat belt flaws, China's consumer quality watchdog said on Saturday. The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said on its website that Toyota China will recall these imported cars produced between December 2007 and March 2013. This marks Toyota's second recalling this year.

Shanghai

More pig carcasses pulled from river

Authorities in Shanghai plucked 495 dead pig carcasses from the Huangpu River by 3 pm on Sunday, bringing the total number of dead pigs found in the river since March 8 to 9,460. All the retrieved carcasses would be incinerated. Shanghai environmental and water departments said water from plants in the city's Songjiang, Jinshan, Minhang and Fengxian districts met national standards.

Liaoning

4 people held for stopping dogs

The public security bureau in Shenyang, Liaoning province, announced on Saturday that it has held in administrative detention four people who stopped a truck carrying 186 dogs on a highway on March 7 and caused traffic jams for eight hours. According to the police, the truck driver had the required inspection and quarantine certificates for the dogs to be slaughtered.

Hunan

8 accused of blackmailing

Eight people have been arrested in Central China on suspicion of blackmailing officials and businessmen by using Photoshop to create obscene pictures, People's Daily reported on Sunday. Police in Shuangfeng county, Hunan province, said the suspects planned to send more than 210 letters and demand 45 million yuan ($7.2 million). Thirty-seven suspects have been arrested.

Yunnan

Donors giving to disaster-hit region

Some 50 million yuan ($8.05 million) in donated funds has poured in to support the reconstruction of Eryuan, a county struck by an earthquake on March 3 in Dali, Yunnan province. He Hua, commissioner of Dali Bai autonomous prefecture, told China National Radio on Saturday that 1.2 billion yuan will be needed to rebuild the quake-hit county.

Guangdong

Crackdown on sea sand concrete

One cement factory was shut down and 14 others suspended from operating for more than six months in a crackdown on sea sand illegally used in cement-making in Shenzhen, Southern Metropolis Daily reported on Sunday. The crackdown was prompted by a China Central Television report on Thursday, which said several major property projects in Shenzhen, including ongoing construction of the city's tallest building, Ping'an Financial Center, used sea sand.

Hebei

Drug maker to appeal US fines

A major Chinese drug maker said late on Saturday that it will appeal massive anti-trust fines ordered by a US federal court in New York. The Brooklyn Federal Court ruled on Thursday that the North China Pharmaceutical Group and its affiliate Hebei Welcome Pharmaceutical must pay $162 million in fines after concluding that they colluded to raise prices for vitamin C exports to the US market. The ruling was the first time a Chinese pharmaceutical company has been fined in a US anti-trust case.

Xinhua-China Daily

(China Daily 03/18/2013 page2)