Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (
Wen suggested government offices set air conditioners' temperature to no lower than 26?C to set an example for the rest of society and advised officials to don thin clothes instead of Western-style suits and neckties, the Xinhua news agency said.
Government buildings should not turn on their lights during the daytime and definitely not keep them on throughout the night, said Wen in a recent speech at a national teleconference.
Hundreds of people have been hospitalized in Shanghai as a record-shattering heatwave showed no signs of letting up yesterday, straining already stretched power resources.
The thermometer hit 39?C on Sunday, making it a record ninth straight day above 35?C and the hottest July 3 in the city since 1873.
The sweltering heat has strained power supplies as air-conditioners were turned up to maximum, but hundreds, mostly elderly, were hospitalized with heat stroke and breathing difficulties.
Over 600 ambulances have been dispatched each day, the Shanghai Daily reported. No deaths, however, have been reported.
Residents of the city of 17 million will have to endure the hot, humid temperatures at least until tomorrow when meteorologists have forecast partial relief from expected rainstorms, the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau said.
China is bracing for electricity shortages this summer which are expected to be worse than last year, when the country experienced the worst shortfalls since the 1980s.
So far this year, 24 of China's 31 provinces and provincial-level administrative units have experienced power cuts.
Widescale rationing of energy and closures of factories are expected in some areas.
In the speech, Wen also called for deeper changes -- such as rethinking China's whole style of economic development and going down a "new road of industrialization."
Acknowledging the devastation the past two decades of rapid economic growth have wrought on the environment and resources, Wen said China must quicken the pace of building a "resources-saving society."
"This has a bearing on China's economic and social progress and the prosperity of the Chinese nation, and is a policy of strategic importance concerning the overall situation," Wen said.
"While promoting economic growth, we must strengthen environmental protection and improvement so that our people can drink clean water, breathe fresh air, have safe food and work and live in a sound environment."
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
SHOT IN THE ARM: The new system can be integrated with Avenger and Stinger missiles to bolster regional air defense capabilities, a defense ministry report said Domestically developed Land Sword II (陸射劍二) missiles were successfully launched and hit target drones during a live-fire exercise at the Jiupeng Military Base in Pingtung County yesterday. The missiles, developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST), were originally scheduled to launch on Tuesday last week, after the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday long weekend, but were postponed to yesterday due to weather conditions. Local residents and military enthusiasts gathered outside the base to watch the missile tests, with the first one launching at 9:10am. The Land Sword II system, which is derived from the Sky Sword II (天劍二) series, was turned