Software Export Bases Come to 5 Cities...Harbin to Build New Industrial Park...China to Tackle Overcharging in Schools...A Stranded Panda Rescued in SW China...  
 
China will bring a new software development scheme into effect to promote the export of China-made software.

Under the action plan, State-level software export bases will be established in five major cities including Shanghai, Dalian, Shenzhen, Tianjin, and Xi'an.

Officials at a national conference say that related departments and local governments have made extensive preparations to facilitate the change by creating a good environment for human resources, technology, funds, and market.

China' software industry has boomed in recent years, and is expected to reach a total of 2 billion US dollars in 2003.

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Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province is working hard to revitalize its economy by setting up an industrial park in the provincial capital of Harbin.

Government sources say the new industrial park will be located in the city's Songbei district, including three subordinate parks, with a total area of nearly 30 square kilometers.

A series of policies have been drawn up to help attract investment and the local government has made extensive preparations to provide service to the park.

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China's Minister of Education Zhou Ji says the problem of overcharging fees in Chinese schools needs to be addressed, adding that it is particularly serious in some regions.

He says the problem exists due to a shortfall in financing for education, a lack of regulations on fair fees, and malpractices in some schools and universities.

The Chinese government aims to tackle the problem by increasing investment in education, regulating charges and holding public debates on the issue.

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A giant panda, found stranded in snow in southwest China's Sichuan Province, is now out of danger and back into warmth.

More than forty rescuers conveyed the heavy panda from a massive snow-covered hill in Dayi County to safety.

The panda is twenty years old and more than one and a half meters long, weighing sixty kilograms. At last it was able to sleep on a soft quilt after eating a long overdue meal.