Top leaders elected

    Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, was elected president of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and chairman of the PRC Central Military Commission.

    Li Keqiang was elected Chinese premier.

    Zhang Dejiang was elected chairman of the Standing Committee of the 12th National People’s Congress (NPC), replacing Wu Bangguo.

    Yu Zhengsheng was elected chairman of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China’s top political advisory body.

    Vietnamese ships driven out

    Two Vietnam-registered fishing ships were driven out* of China’s territorial waters by a China Marine Surveillance* (CMS) fleet on March 13.

    The Vietnamese vessels, registered as QNg96417TS and QNg96382TS, were spotted around 7 a.m. in the South China Sea around the Xisha Islands. They were suspected of illegal fishing within China’s territorial waters.

    Coca-Cola checked for spying

    China has launched an anti-espionage* investigation against Coca-Cola. The company was allegedly conducting illegal mapping in many sensitive areas of the country.

    The case is being handled jointly by the National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geoinformation and the Ministry of State Security. The involvement of these top authorities underscores* the seriousness of the case.

    “We are still in the process of gathering information,” said an official from the administration.

    Safe from dead pigs

    A government official said on Saturday that no dead pigs found in Zhejiang Province have been sold on the Chinese market.

    About 12,000 pig carcasses* have been fished out* of the Huangpu River this month.

    Yu Kangzhen, chief veterinarian* with the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), also said water from the Huangpu River meets national standards for drinking.

    (SD-Agencies)