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Russia gets help to tackle river pollution
By Qin Jize (China Daily)
Updated: 2005-12-02 05:44

Equipment to test for benzene pollutants and 150 tons of activated carbon to upgrade water filtration systems are on their way from China to Russia.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang disclosed this yesterday as an 80-kilometre-long slick in the Songhua River approaches the Heilong River (called Amur in Russia).

Qin said China would dispatch professionals to Russia to help install the equipment.

Officials from Khabarovsk, the Russian city that is likely to be affected by the water pollution, had expressed appreciation for the timely assistance, he said.

The two countries are negotiating an agreement on joint supervision on water quality, he added.

On November 13, a blast at a chemical plant in Jilin city, Northeast China's Jilin Province, caused 100 tons of chemicals mainly benzene and nitrobenzene to leak into the Songhua River, which flows through Jilin and Heilongjiang before entering Russia.

The accident forced Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang, to suspend water supply for four days last week because of contamination.

Qin reiterated China's determination to minimize the possible impact on Russia.

He said China was watching the situation closely and was keeping its neighbour well informed. The nation began updating Russia with monitoring results daily from last Thursday. "China welcomes co-operation with international organizations," Qin said, adding the country was also keeping the United Nations informed.

Hong Kong democracy

Qin also expressed China's opposition to any foreign intervention in Hong Kong matters, which he said are China's "internal affairs."

He was asked to comment on a meeting between US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Martin Lee, a lawmaker from Hong Kong's Legislative Council.

After the meeting on Tuesday in Washington, a US State Department spokesman said that Washington supports democracy and universal suffrage in Hong Kong.

Qin said China has always attached importance to, and actively supported, the progressive development of Hong Kong's political system based on the special administrative region's Basic Law and ground realities.
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