PEOPLE/POINTS

“To make distribution open, fair and equitable, all procedures in granting an affordable housing unit should be made public on the Internet and subject to supervision from the media and people.”

Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang, calling upon local governments to step up efforts to build and fairly distribute highquality affordable housing, at a meeting in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, on June 11

“China’s railway development will not slow down in the 12th Five-Year Plan period (2011-15). Railway planning for the five years aims to put 30,000 km of new lines into operation.”

Hu Yadong, Vice Minister of Railways of China, talking about the country’s railway construction in an interview with China Daily, in Beijing on June 13

“China’s economy will continue to be a ‘bright spot’ for global growth and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) maintains its forecast for China to grow around 9.5 percent for both this year and next.”

John Lipsky, Acting Managing Director of the IMF, in an interview with Xinhua News Agency in Beijing on June 9

“China has become a strategic trade partner for Latin America and the Caribbean. There are many opportunities to achieve exports and investment agreements in fields such as mining, engineering, agriculture, infrastructure, science and technology.”

Alicia Barcena, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, presenting a report during Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping’s visit to Santiago, Chile, on June 10

“We don’t believe a unilateral solution can help peace. I believe peace can only be reached with a common effort, that is, with negotiations.”

Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi, at a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on June 13, rejecting unilateral solutions in the Middle East peace process