EMERGENCY DELIVERY The second shipment of typhoon relief materials from the Chinese mainland arrives in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on August 18. The batch included 10,000 sleeping bags, 10,000 blankets and 1,000 sterilizers (XINHUA)

Defense Goes Online

China's Ministry of National Defense launched its website (www.mod.gov.cn) on August 20 in both Chinese and English, pledging to promote transparency in defense policy and the building of the army.

The website "releases authoritative information on China's national defense and army building," said a news release on the website.

"The founding of the website is designed to let the outside world have a better perception of China's national defense policy, and help enhance foreign exchanges and cooperation," it said.

Essential Medicine

On August 18, China's Health Ministry issued a list of 307 essential drugs as part of its plan to create an essential medicine system in the coming 10 years that ensures people's access to important treatments while also cutting their medical costs.

Essential medicines are those that satisfy healthcare needs and are available to the public at all times, in adequate amounts and in appropriate dosage forms. They will also be sold at a price the public can afford.

By the end of 2009 about 30 percent of state-owned community health institutions will stock all the essential medicines on the new list. They will be asked to prioritize the dispensation of the drugs when treating patients.

Warming Threatens Plateau

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the highest plateau in the world, is growing warmer and experts warn the change will trigger environmental deterioration and water shortages if the trend continues.

"The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is among the regions hit worst by global warming. In turn, this will have a deleterious effect on global climate and also the livelihood of Asian people," said Qin Dahe, a former head of the China Meteorological Administration (CMA).

The temperature in the Tibet Autonomous Region has risen by an average of 0.32 degrees Celsius every 10 years from 1961 to 2008, much higher than China's national warming rates of 0.05 to 0.08 degrees Celsius. Tibet's average temperature in July this year was the highest since 1951, according to CMA data.

Qin also said global warming has led to the retreat of glaciers on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau at a speed faster than in any other part of the world.

Media Forum

The Seventh Annual Asian Media Forum, organized by the Communication University of China and the Korea Foundation for Advanced Studies, opened on August 16 in Changchun, capital of China's northeastern Jilin Province. The forum's theme was the "media industry's challenges and opportunities during the economic crisis." Four panel discussions were held on the media industry's development during the economic crisis, past crisis management experiences, finding new growth engines and the advertising industry's evolution under the economic crisis.

Begun in 2003, the annual Asian Media Forum has been one of the most significant conferences on media studies and industry practices in Asia.