A Taiwan delegation headed by Han Kuo-yu (C), mayor of Kaohsiung, visits Xiamen, East China's Fujian province on March 26. [Photo/VCG] Trade deals worth more than 1 billion yuan ($149 million) have been signed during Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu's first visit across the Taiwan Straits, selling the city's agricultural and fishery products to mainland cities. These achievements reflect that the two sides belong to one family, fully demonstrating that on the basis of adhering to the 1992 Consensus and one-China policy, city exchanges across the Straits have broad prospects, An Fengshan, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said on Wednesday. Han, a rising star in Taiwan's Kuomintang party, arrived in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on Friday, leading a delegation of about 30 officials and business executives from Kaohsiung. The weeklong visit by Han, who assumed office in December, includes the Hong Kong and Macao SARs, Shenzhen in Guangdong province and Xiamen in Fujian province. The trip is scheduled to conclude on Thursday. Han and his group signed agreements worth 400 million yuan during their stay in Shenzhen and Xiamen, over 500 million yuan in Hong Kong and about 160 million yuan in Macao, according to the spokesman. The agreements on selling Kaohsiung's agricultural and fishery products to mainland cities were signed in accordance with the market-oriented operation mechanism, An said at a regular news conference. Kaohsiung was also invited to join trade and culture exhibitions held in Xiamen every year, including the Straits Forum and China International Fair for Investment and Trade to boost economic ties. Xiamen will hold cultural activities, including a South Fujian dialect chorus show, in Kaohsiung, according to An. In addition, Shenzhen will provide 200 internships and jobs for young people in Kaohsiung every year. Xiamen Air will visit Taiwan again this year to recruit 200 flight attendants, and 100 spots will be set aside for Kaohsiung, he said. Travel agencies in Shenzhen and Xiamen will be encouraged to organize tours to Kaohsiung under the market mechanism, and 8,000 tourists are expected to travel to Kaohsiung in groups, An said, adding Xiamen-to-Kaohsiung cruises will be arranged as soon as possible. The spokesman said that through the trip, a consensus was reached on building a cross-Straits city exchange mechanism, showing bright prospects for strengthening cooperation with Kaohsiung. We support more cities on both sides in strengthening exchanges on the basis of the 1992 Consensus and working together for development, so our compatriots in Taiwan will have a greater sense of gain, he added. Speaking of the criticism from the Democratic Progressive Party and some Taiwan independence forces on the visit, An said that the DPP administration's obstruction and interference in cross-Straits city-level cooperation exposes their true motive, to damage Taiwan compatriots' interests and well-being for their own ends. Only when cross-Straits relations are good will Taiwan be better, he said. We hope that compatriots on both sides will oppose 'Taiwan independence' and actively promote the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations. Xinhua contributed to this story. custom braceletsupcycle silicone braceletspersonalized heart braceletembossed printed wristbandsdesign rubber bracelets
[Photo/VCG] Research among cancer patient volunteers using parasites responsible for malaria is proceeding apace, despite conjecture online of the suspension of the project amid ethical and safety concerns. The project is proceeding normally and the official website will carry any related developments, an expert with the team led by Chen Xiaoping, a researcher at the Guangzhou Institute of Biomedicine and Health under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was quoted by news website Jiemian as saying on Monday. Among the volunteers registered with Guangzhou Fuda Cancer Hospital affiliated with Jinan University, several have been selected by the institute and the project is ongoing, said a staff member of the hospital's customer service. CAS Lamvac Biotech, which was founded by Shenzhen-listed Bluedon Information Security Technologies Co in 2013 and is participating in the research, said on its website on Thursday that the volunteer quota for the research in this round had been met. Clinical research of malaria parasite immunotherapy remains at an early stage and still requires continuous experimentation, the company said. Chen is one of the founders of CAS Lamvac Biotech and serves as its CEO. The issue has garnered strong public attention after Chen made a speech saying that the malaria parasite has become a new force in fighting cancers at a forum late last year. In the research, malaria parasites stimulated the immune system of the cancer patient, which in turn fought off malignant cells. Malaria parasites are injected into the bodies of patients in a precisely controlled manner to minimize risk, and the anti-malarial drug artemisinin is used to control the level of parasites. More than 30 patients have been involved in trials. Of the 10 cases that were under observation in the past year, five have shown progress against cancers, two of which may have been cured, Chen said. In the research among tens of thousands of guinea pigs with cancer over more than a decade, malaria parasites markedly helped extend the lives of the laboratory animals, he said. The treatment remains in an exploratory stage and there are many unknown factors, but the phenomenon is positive, said Zhong Nanshan, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a leading member of the research team, who added that individual cases are not enough to reach a conclusion. The team will try to extract matter from malaria parasites for further research, Zhong said. However the research has sparked immense skepticism. Three related research projects registered with the China Clinical Trial Registry are described as observatory research. If patients receive irregular treatment such as injection of malaria parasites, the research should not be listed as observatory. Intervention therapy in the name of observatory research runs contrary to existing rules and regulations, said Shi Jinhai, secretary-general of China Protein Drug Quality Alliance, as quoted by Science and Technology Daily. Also, the pathogens used need further study and improvement before they are applied in clinical experiments to ensure patients' safety, he said.
