2012中国日报热点双语新闻
（一）Food safety monitoring network in
shape[ 2012-03-09 10:25 ]
A network to monitor and track food-borne diseases caused by pathogenic microorganisms will
be set up, a senior food safety expert said.
These organisms, usually a bacteria or virus, are microscopic and can cause serious illnesses,
diarrhea and, in extreme cases, even death. They thrive in unhygienic conditions and can be very
resistant.
Yan Weixing, secretary-general of the safety committee under the China Food Safety Risk
Assessment Center, told China Daily that many cases were not even reported.
Yan is also a CPPCC member.
"Those cases that have been reported are only the tip of the iceberg and the network will help
detect, track, and issue alerts," he said.
Yan estimates that less than 5 percent of cases are reported.
The network, China Food Net, will connect supermarkets, food markets, restaurants and
hospitals.
As soon as a case is reported, the network will track the supply chain and find out where the food
originated from and where it may have been contaminated.
"It can also issue alerts on food safety for the public," he said.
China already has a national monitoring system with more than 300 sites throughout the
mainland.
The system was launched in 2010 and mainly handles data for testing food safety, Yan said.
It can help detect major contaminants, which might vary regionally, and better target government
efforts to ensure food safety, he said.
There have been reports in the media of incidents involving unsafe food but improvements have
been made, Yan said.
"The general food safety situation in China is getting better. We test samples of food each year
and most are up to standard and cases of food poisoning are very rare," he said.
Chemical contamination is also a major risk to food safety, he said.
"These cases are well publicized," he said. But scandals such as melamine-contaminated milk
powder, are in a different category than food contaminated by bacteria or viruses.
At least six babies died after consuming tainted formula in 2008 and hundreds were sent to
hospital.
"This is adulteration and it is a serious crime," he said.
To date, nearly all of the severe or lethal food-related cases reported were in this category, he
added.
He also confirmed that testing methods for gutter oil are being assessed and results will be issued
in two months. Gutter oil is the generic term for cooking oil that has been used and then resold.
Starting from December, the Ministry of Health
and the China Food Safety Risk Assessment
Center began to test methods to detect gutter oil.
The process in separating various components of the oil is difficult but progress has been made,
he said.
(China Daily)
（二）Calls to protect online privacy[ 2012-03-09 10:05 ]
Lawmakers and political advisers have called for legislation that would require micro
bloggers to register their real names, and laws that would further safeguard personal
information.
Starting from March 16, users must register their real identities on Chinese micro
blogs to post messages, according to regulations set by the Ministry of Industry and
Information Technology.
But several members of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's
Political Consultative Conference National Committee told China Daily that they
want to see the rules made law.
A deputy to the National People's Congress takes a picture during the second plenary meeting
of the Fifth Session of the 11th NPC at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday
morning. [Wu Zhiyi / China Daily]
"Registering real names on micro blogs would curb the spread of rumors and
establish online credibility. It is definitely a good thing," said Guo Wei, a CPPCC
member and chairman of IT company Digital China Holdings. "But personal
information also needs to be protected, so I think China should introduce laws to
safeguard Internet information."
China has 513 million Internet users, according to a China Internet Network
Information Center report in January. About 300 million are using micro blogs, a
massive increase since 2010.
China currently has about 300 million micro-bloggers, says Liu Zhengrong, deputy
director of the Internet department of the State Council information office.
There is a noticeable gap between the actual number of micro blog subscribers and
the number of micro blog IDs, Liu said. Many subscribers have more than one ID and
use dummy IDs to increase the number of micro blog followers or to spread rumors.
Tong Guohua, 54, an NPC deputy and a researcher from Wuhan Research Institute
of Posts and Telecommunications, said the Internet as a public communication
platform posed risks to netizens' privacy.
His motion declares that in cyberspace where there is no real-name system, anyone
can reveal another's private details or slander them, and it is difficult to trace the
source.
"The dubious credibility of online news has resulted in a loss of trust. Therefore,
identity authentication is a global and necessary trend," Guo said. He explained that
the US-based social network company Facebook implemented real-name
registration a long time ago.
"A person should take responsibility for his or her behavior, even on the Internet. We
need a trustworthy environment," said Yang Yuanqing, a CPPCC member and
