-- May 30, 2007
Since its official launch in May 2002, the China Development Gateway (CnDG) has been developing quickly, with initiatives in poverty relief, such as news reports, features, and big projects. However, because of the intense competition among websites, it's now the time for CnDG to decide how to pursue its future development.
For this reason, all the members of CnDG had a seminar last Saturday, focusing mainly on the following three topics:
1. CnDG is now working on a project of the localization of dgCommunites, with a Chinese forum on poverty alleviation expected to be established in July, in the hope of contributing more to the poor in helping them rise out of poverty. The details of the preparation work of the forum, including translation, technical support, time schedule, and key issues were discussed.
2. For CnDG, how to make its website more "interactive", "personalized", "practical", and with "multimedia"?
3. What is the best way for CnDG's English version and Chinese version to cooperate with each other as a whole entity?
Each member of the team showed his/her opinions on the above issues, and though disparities existed, the seminar ended very fruitfully. It was also a good opportunity for the team members to communicate with each other, exchange their views and information, and come to an understanding.
(China Development Gateway by Xu Lin)
-- March 2, 2007
China Development Gateway launched a new Chinese version of its website on the Spring Festival Eve. The updated site will focus on China's economic development, share China's development experience with the world, and contribute to poverty reduction, development, and international cooperation.
More than 140 new columns and features such as Latest Development Report, China Economic Statistics, Definition of Economic Terms, Regional Development, Urban Issues, AIDS, Anti-corruption, and Food Safety, have been added to the new version. Economic issues are clearly classified as macroeconomics, regional economics, industry economics, and finance. Reports about economic boom, macroeconomic forecast, GDP, statistics in western development, industry analysis, corporation boom, rural society, and farm produce prices, are available for research purposes. Poverty reduction and development are two major tasks of China Development Gateway, so the Social Development column is enhanced in the new Chinese version. Services such as travel, weather, map, search engine, global tender bidding information, and netizen survey, are also available in the new version.
16 new economic features were added, including economic data statistics of ten year's development, 2007 industry reform, Green GDP, 2007 capital flow of central government, and economic data statistics of China's western areas.
Much positive feedback has been received since the new version came online. Officials of World Bank China Office and Washington headquarters highly praised the new version and recommended it to other Country Gateways immediately. Many economists in China sent congratulatory letters to China Development Gateway, "China Development Gateway is a professional website that focuses on economics, obviously it is maintained by senior editors." said He Chuanqi, director of China Modernization Strategy Research Center of Chinese Academy of Sciences.
(China Development Gateway by Wang Sining)
-- November 11, 2006
As a reporter from China Development Gateway and www.toubiao.info, I went to Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, to attend "China's First Vocational Education Expo" and "China's Third Human Resources Expo" held in the Suzhou International Expo Center from November 10th to 11th.
"China's First Vocational Education Expo" is by far the largest and highest-standard event themed on vocational education since China adopted its reform and opening up policy in 1978, and also the only specialized expo of the industry in China.
About 35 officials attended the opening ceremony of the expo, including: Zhou Yuanqing, former minister of education, president of China Higher Education Society and vice councilor of China Employee Education Society; David Ang, Executive Director of the World Federation of Personnel Management Associations; Fan Zengyu, director of the Training Center of the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development; Liu Tianxi, vice secretary-general of Hubei Provincial Committee; Zhu Yongxin, vice major of Suzhou; and Chen Guangqing, director-general of China Employee Education Society. More than 1,000 visitors attended the ceremony.
During the two-day expos which were very successful, I made the best use of the time to promote the CnDG and Toubiao, by showing posters, releasing brochures and providing internet service with CnDG website as the front page. I answered the questions of the visitors and introduced the details of CnDG and Toubiao. Many of them showed their interests.
As a supporting media, CnDG has its name and logo printed on various expo materials and its web link published on the website of the expo, along with the organizers.
(China Development Gateway by Zhang Xiaochong, translated by Xu Lin)
-- October 22, 2006
Today, an international conference on microcredit opened in Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, a beautiful garden complex in Beijing. At the conference I had the great honor to meet Dr Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Peace Prize winner of 2006.
Dr. Yunus (66), attired in traditional Bangladeshi dress, looked confident and determined when he appeared. We all stood up and applauded loudly when he arrived by way of a welcome and to recognize his achievements.
Yunus, known as "the father of microcredit," established the Grameen Bank (Grameen) in 1976, a pioneer of the small-loans financing concept. The bank has so far lent US$5.72 billion to more than six million Bangladeshis and the concept has been introduced to other developing countries benefiting more than 100 million poorer clients worldwide. Yunus and his colleagues came to China to explore ways of replicating the Bangladesh success story.
His speech was very encouraging. He was happy to have won the Nobel prize but stressed the honor was not for him as an individual but his team and also for all the people who had benefited from the project. They were the real winners.
Yunus' trip to Beijing was fully scheduled. He also made a speech at Peking University and had meetings with Chinese officials. He brought to the conference the new edition of his book-- Banker to the Poor-- and I was lucky to obtain an autographed copy.
I encountered microcredit for first time when I attended the Asia Conference on Micro-finance and Women's Development last year. At the event I met many microcredit professionals, both Chinese and foreigners, and learnt a great deal about this new concept of poverty reduction.
I believe microcredit is a good way to assist lifting China's poor out of poverty. China should adopt relevant laws and regulations and inject abundant funds to support this project. Only when poverty is eliminated will society become peaceful and harmonious and the whole country much stronger.
For more information about the conference please visit: http://www.chinagate.com.cn/english/news/49078.htm.
More Photos can be found at: http://www.chinagate.com.cn/english/blog/49344.htm
(China Development Gateway by Xu Lin)