China changes approach to family and makes peace with Taiwan

Six people were killed and 480 injured as a result of a new earthquake that struck Sichuan province on May 25. The previous disaster on May 12 killed 65 thousand people, and another 24 thousand were missing. Among the dead were 9 thousand students, despite the fact that intact buildings often stand next to schools lying in ruins. The authorities, citing poor quality construction as a consequence of official corruption as one of the reasons for the collapse of schools, made an exception to the strict “one family, one child” rule, allowing parents who had lost children to give birth to another child.

Condolences and assistance to the Chinese authorities continue to arrive from all over the world, including Russia. Tomorrow, words of support for Chinese leader Hu Jintao will be personally expressed by Wu Boxiong, head of the Taiwanese Kuomintang party. Arriving in China for a six-day visit, he will discuss the priorities of developing cross-Strait cooperation. We are talking about opening direct flights and intensifying the exchange of tourists. The Kuomintang won Taiwan's parliamentary elections in January and the presidential elections in March. This is the first meeting of the heads of the ruling parties on the island and the mainland since the formation of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

Alexey SLOBODIN