In This EditionChina refutes "groundless" criticism of its vote against a United Nations Human Rights Council resolution on Syria.

Some two thousand members of China's top political advisory body gather in Beijing for their annual session.

Voters in Iran go to the polls in the country's first vote since its disputed presidential election in 2009.

And a senior Chinese Environment official says two-thirds of China's cities cannot meet recently updated air quality standards.

Hot Issue ReportsChina Refutes "Groundless" Criticism regarding Syrian Resolution VetoChina has refuted "groundless" criticism of its vote against a United Nations Human Rights Council resolution on Syria.

Russia, China and Cuba earlier voted against a UNHRC resolution on Syria, while U.S. representatives declared that these countries have been gradually isolated by the international community.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei.

"Relevant countries' criticism of China's veto against the UNHRC resolution on Syria is unreasonable and unacceptable. If relevant countries genuinely care about the rights of Syrians, they should facilitate a cease-fire and push for the early launch of inclusive political dialogue. It does not help ease the current tension and safeguard the Syrian people's rights by pressing one side of the conflict."Hong said China believes the UNHRC should work in an impartial manner and opposes country-specific resolutions.

Chinese FM Meets with South Korean CounterpartChinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi has met his South Korean counterpart Kim Sung-hwan in Seoul.

The two are said to have discussed various bilateral matters including North Korea and trade issues.

Yang Jiechi says China would work to develop the China-South Korea partnership.　"With my trip, I expect our strategic and mutual understanding and communication to be strengthened more and our progressive mutual trust to be improved and our exchanges and cooperation in various areas to be deepened. Thank you".

South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan agreed with the sentiment.

"Especially we should improve our mutual trust through our countries' close cooperation and mutual understanding and communication in the changing political situation on the Korean peninsula and in this region."The visit comes a day after North Korea agreed to suspend nuclear activities and allow nuclear inspectors to visit its nuclear complexes.

CPPCC Press Conference Held in BeijingChina is in full preparation of the annual session of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the nation's top advisory body.

More than 2,000 members are expected to attend the meeting, and nearly 800 proposals have been submitted.

Zhang Shuangfeng has the story.

Zhao Qizheng, spokesman for the CPPCC, China's top political advisory body, has met the press ahead of the annual session.

Zhao says China's political reform must be made under the leadership of the Communist Party of China and within the framework of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Since the country adopted the reform and opening up, political and economic reforms have not been completely separated from each other, otherwise economic reform would not have progressed so smoothly. Political advisors have talked a lot about the country's political reform, but it is up to the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council to work on the final policies.

He added that China's political reform will be implemented only after careful deliberation and seeking opinions from all sectors.

Meanwhile, in terms of nuclear safety, Zhao Qizheng says China will develop nuclear power under an "extremely safe" precondition after drawing lessons from the Fukushima nuclear power station accident in Japan last year.

"China is currently expediting efforts to review safety guidelines concerning nuke power stations and adjust its strategy on long-term development of nuclear power to enhance the capacity of handling extreme natural disasters and emergency response capability at nuclear power stations and nuclear facilities."Zhao also took time to advise Chinese firms investing overseas to focus more on public diplomacy so that they can achieve success in "going global".

"They lack in-depth and comprehensive knowledge of the international market, practices and rules, and they are not skilled at conducting public diplomacy with the local communities."This year's session of CPPCC is scheduled to open on Saturday in Beijing, and will last ten days.

For CRI, this is Zhang Shuangfeng.

Iran Parliamentary Election BeginsIranian voters headed to the polls on Friday in Iran's first vote since the country's disputed presidential election in 2009.

Iranians are casting their ballot after the country's Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei placed his vote earlier in the morning.

Speaking to state television after voting, Khamenei said taking part in elections was a duty for all Iranians.

"My advice is the usual advice. I believe that this voting is a responsibility for us whilst it is also a right that belongs to us. We should make use of this right and undertake this responsibility."Scores of voters queued outside mosques and polling stations in Tehran, Shiraz, Yazd and the holy city of Mashhad.

Iran's Interior Minister Mohammad Najar.

"People have turned up to ballot boxes and in affect have been influenced and followed the steps of the Supreme Leader. Thank God, the presence of the youth has been immense."The parliamentary vote is expected to reflect a deepening power struggle between political and religious hard-liners.

With marginalized reformists not involved, loyalists of Khamenei are set to block backers of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from winning a majority in the 290-seat assembly.

The election result will impact the presidential election next year.

Australia Cabinet Reshuffle AnnouncedAustralian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has announced a Cabinet Reshuffle following a bitter leadership challenge from former Foreign Minister, Kevin Rudd.

After winning a leadership ballot last week, Gillard earlier announced that New South Wales state premier Bob Carr would replace Rudd as foreign minister.

She has also axed Emergency Management Minister Robert McClelland from her Cabinet after he was one of Rudd's supporters during the leadership challenge.

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

"The decisions I have made about my team are about merit, about the strongest possible team. I am thanking Robert McClelland for his service, but in putting together the strongest possible team, I believe this was the shape of it."Carr said the invitation to become foreign minister was an honour.

"There were warring emotions in my thoughts. But in the end when the distinctive voice of Prime Minister Gillard rouses you from your slumber and says 'will you be foreign minister of Australia', I couldn't have found it in me to have said no."Carr added that he did not predict any major policy changes, but, over time, "changes of emphasis".

Britain to Boost Trade Links with China via New PlatformBritain is establishing a new group to boost business exchanges between the UK and East Asia, especially China.

The 'All Party Parliamentary Group on East Asian Business' will serve as a bridge for British and Chinese entrepreneurs and trade groups.

China's foreign trade surged over 30 percent in 2011 from a year earlier to 3.64 trillion U.S. dollars.

However, the UK saw its trade deficit widen as exports to non-EU countries fell and imports from non-EU countries rose to a record high.

British corporations are seeking to find new growth in the emerging Asian market.

Simon Henry, CFO of the energy giant, Royal Dutch Shell:

"The world really does depend on China as an economy both to manufacture export but also to consume the demand for energy, for example. So China now not only matters to China, but really does matter to the rest of the world."Henry added that China contributes to half of the growth in global energy consumption and one third of new oil demand.

British Trade and Investment Minister, Stephen Green meanwhile, says that China is Britain's key partner for growth.

Lord Green estimates that the two countries would achieve the objective of 100 billion U.S. dollars in annual trade by 2015.

"China is on its way to a historic transformation. There is some way to go yet. But I think China is going to grow strongly for another generation at least."Founding members of the business group hope it's establishment will narrow the trade deficit by further promoting business cooperation with China.

China Introduces Stricter Air Quality Standards to Curb PollutionWu Xiaoqing, Vice Minister of Environmental Protection, says that two-thirds of China's cities cannot meet recently updated air quality standards.

Wu's words came after the State Council, China's cabinet, passed revised air quality standards earlier this week.

Wu says the new standards are a "significant milestone" in the country's environmental protection efforts, marking a transformation from pollution control to environmental quality management.

However, he also noted that they are still far from meeting stringent limits set by the World Health Organization (WHO).

"Since we are still a developing country, the development level of our economy and technologies determines that China could only comply with the WHO stage one limits of the pollutants such as PM10 and PM2.5 which are widely adopted by developing countries. In this sense, the new standard only follows the lower limit of international standards."To many Chinese people, the improvement of air quality and environment is a pressing issue that needs to be addressed.

"It is not going to resolve the problem if they just monitor the environment, the key is to cut off the source of the pollution.""I hope the change of environmental monitoring standard could be helpful to improve Beijing's air quality. Everyone should work together to do this. The environment in Beijing is really too bad."Major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou have already started to monitor the internationally recognised PM 2.5 index.

The Chinese capital will set up more than 30 monitoring stations by the end of the year.

More than 100 smaller cities will adopt the new standards in 2013 with all cities nationwide adopting them by 2015.

The Price Drop of Luxury Cars in the Chinese MarketPeople always believe that luxury cars are sold at a much higher price in China than they are in foreign markets. But currently, a host of car dealers have been offering big discounts on luxury cars in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.

Wang Wei has more.

High-end car dealerships in Hangzhou are currently involved in a price war.

Take a 930 thousand yuan Mercedes Benz S300 for example. Dealers are now offering up to 30% off, amounting to 280 thousand yuan, which would allow the buyer to purchase another middle-priced car.

The Lexus RX series also enjoys tempting discounts - Some dealers offering a discount of 86 thousand yuan.

Hu Yahui, Deputy General Manager of a luxury car dealership in Hangzhou, says that besides offering discounted prices, they also provide other perks to customers.

"We also buy insurance for the customers, throw in regular car maintenance for free and have even given buyers an iphone 4s as a gift."So, why are the dealers in such a rush to sell these cars? Experts believe that the dealers want to empty their stock and recoup funds to buy new models issued during the first quarter of the year.

However, automobile analyst Wang Yinglai says the dramatic price drop is in fact due to the price bubble for luxury cars within China.

"There is a huge price difference in the prices of luxury cars sold in China and those sold abroad. For instance, an Audi Q7 sells for at least 900 thousand yuan in China, but it sells for 400 thousand yuan in the foreign market. The price difference is as high as 500 thousand."Research has revealed that the prices of luxury cars sold in China are much higher than those sold in foreign countries.

The sticker price of a Top of the range Ranger Rover is the equivalent of 917 thousand yuan in Britain. Its dutiable price when coming into China should be 1.7 million yuan, but its official sticker price is almost 2.2 million yuan in the Chinese market.

In response to this, auto dealers have said that the profit they make from selling one car is about 3% of the sticker price. Therefore, the automobile import companies are making a fortune due to the huge profit margin.

Industry insiders have suggested that though the prices of middle and low end cars have not eased as of yet, they are all likely to be affected by the price drop of luxury cars.

For CRI, I'm Wang Wei.

Maldives Remain Favored by ChineseThe Maldives has seen a rapid increase in the number of Chinese tourists in recent years. The number exceeded 198,000 last year, up 67 percent year-on-year, making it the second consecutive year that China was the biggest source of tourists for the island nation. Even the country's political unrest in February did not dampen Chinese tourists' passion for the paradise-like place.

Zhang Wan takes a closer look.

Although it's a not the peak season of outbound travel for Chinese tourists, many are still heading to the Maldives.

"Before we came here, we were still worried about the unrest in Maldives, but after careful consideration, we decided to travel here anyway, as this is a must-see place for many travelers."The Maldives is an island country in the Indian Ocean and a leisure resort that used to receive mostly western tourists. But now it is seeing more Chinese tourists.

In 2010, the Maldives received 120,000 Chinese tourists, representing an increase of 96 percent from a year earlier and making China the largest source country for foreign tourists for the first time. In 2011, the number increased to 198, 000.

Here is Ahmed Adheeb, Tourism Minister of the Maldives.

"Last year, 32 percent (of travelers to the Maldives) were Chinese of a total of 1 million visitors. They contribute a lot to our GDP, so we would like to see more tourists coming and keep the Maldives the top brand in China.

Ge Lei, General Manager of the Marketing Department at China Youth Travel Service, one of the largest travel agencies in the country, says more Chinese have chosen the Maldives as a vacation destination in recent years.

"Over the past couple of years, more Chinese travelers have visited the Maldives. Taking our customers as an example, in 2011, the number of travelers from Beijing and Shanghai hit a record of 8,000 for an increase of 150 percent."In addition, direct flights from China to the Maldives have been scheduled to boost Chinese tourism to the Maldives. George Weinmann, Chairman and CEO of Mega Maldives Airline, explains why the airlines added routes to and from China.

"Most of our operations are to China. We have flights to Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and now Chongqing. And this has been all of our operations in the first year. Most of our revenue comes from the Chinese market. We initiated our services to China because we saw the unique potential of the Chinese market."Tourism is the Maldives' largest industry, accounting for a third of its GDP and more than 60 percent of foreign currency earnings. Some 90 percent of government tax revenues come from import duties and tourism.

For CRI, I am Zhang Wan.

China DailyThe State Council has published a regulation outlawing forced labor and protecting the rights of those in detention.

The existing regulation in China allows the detained to do "proper work" in custody, but says the revenues have to be used to subsidize accommodation and buy daily necessities for the detained.

Ten minority ethnic groups in the country for example don't eat pork, which however is a main source of meat for the Han Chinese.

The new regulation forbids detention houses from forcing those in custody to work.

Experts say such a move is "a major step forward" compared with the current guideline on detention house management.

Apart from this, the new regulation also requires detention houses to respect the dietary habits of different ethnic groups, and to ensure outdoor activities for the detained are not fewer than two hours each day.

In addition, the new regulation also requires detention houses to inform relatives of the detained "on time" after the person has been held in custody.

The current regulation was issued in 1990 and this new one will take effect in the up-coming April.

***************************Nanfang DailyThe paper is reporting that a political adviser attending the CPPCC is suggesting that heating program in northern China should be expanded to include the south.

Winters in recent years have been particularly cold in southern provinces such as Guangdong and Guizhou, where winters are usually mild compared to the north.

The adviser, Zhang Xiaomei, said that coupled with the humidity, it feels even colder in the south than the north.

Currently, the heating program is limited to areas north of the Qinling Mountain-Huaihe River line.

****************************APA lioness in China is making the history books by giving birth to the first two mixed lion-tiger cubs and a pure-bred lion cub, all in the same litter.

The cubs were born in Yancheng Safari Park of Changzhou. The lioness, named Mary, mated with a lion and a tiger separately, before she gave birth to the cubs on December 26th last year. One of the mixed lion-tiger cubs, also known as a "tigon," died soon after it was born. Mary now has two of her cubs living together with her.

Apparently breeding Tigons is tricky as there is only a 1-or-2 percent chance for them to successfully conceive as they come from different species. Cubs born often find it difficult to stay alive. Experts say there are less than ten known tigons in the world today.

*********************************ReutersTimes are looking tough for Tokyo's cat cafes, where feline fans can drop in for tea and some time with a cat. At most of these establishments, it's the post-work rush that brings in the most cash, with tired professionals dropping by on their way home to pet and play with the animals as a way of relieving stress.

But now this could all change as a change to the law in Japan coming into force in June could slap on a curfew on the public display of cats and dogs forcing cat cafes to shut up shop after 8pm.

Shop Owners reckon this isn’t a good move and find it strange as they say everyone knows cats are happy in the evening.

Cat cafes have long been popular in Japan, catering to the many cat lovers who can't keep the animals at home because of strict housing regulations that forbid pets in many apartments. Visitors to the cafes generally pay about 1,000 yen or ($12) an hour to play with the feline friends. Visitors can also buy drinks and relax.

Apparently the government says the real targets of the tighter animal protection law are late-night pet shops, which often sell dogs and cats around the clock. The animals are kept in small cages under bright lights that are never switched off.

Market UpdateU.S. stocks ended slightly lower on Friday as the market took a breather in the absence of positive economic data.

The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 0.02 percent to 12,978. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index lost 0.3 percent to 1,370.

The Nasdaq Composite Index slipped 0.4 percent to 2,976.

In Europe, London's FTSE 100 lost 0.3 percent to 5911. Frankfurt's DAX lost 0.3 percent to 6921. CAC 40 in Paris gained 0.04 percent to 3501.