China ranks 101st out of 187 countries and regions in terms of human development conditions, with Norway topping the list, according to the 2011 Human Development Report launched by the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) on Wednesday.
According to news released on the official website of the UNDP, the report, entitled "Sustainability and Equity: A Better Future for All," argues that the urgent global challenges of sustainability and equity must be addressed together. It also features the 2011 Human Development Index (HDI) - a composite measure of health, education and income.
The HDI shows countries and regions divided into four major types according to their human development ranking sequence from high to low, namely "very high," "high," "medium" and "low." China falls into the third category and stands at 101st on the list, the same position as the previous year.
Norway has been in first place since 2006 and also tops the list this year, while the Democratic Republic of Congo is at the bottom. India, the country with the second largest population in the world after China, ranks 134th.
"The HDI is a comparatively objective index," Zheng Qirong, vice president of the China Foreign Affairs University and executive director of the United Nations Association of China, told the Global Times Thursday. "It's a comprehensive index with the aspects of life expectancy, education, income, poverty and environment taken into consideration."
"Although the economy in China is very large, the income of Chinese people is still much lower than in many developed countries," said Zheng, "and I think environmental pollution also affected China's ranking on the list."
Sub-columns concerning China on the HDI table show the Gross National Income (GNI) per capita is $7,476, while the figure for Norway is $47,557.
Taking into account the uneven development among different countries, variants of the HDI were also released by the UNDP, such as the gender inequality index. According to this index, China rises to 35th from its original ranking, while the US, listed as fourth on the original index table, drops to 47th. Sweden tops all other countries and regions in the index.
Zheng said China now has a comparatively clear understanding of its national conditions. "Under this rapid development, we still have a lot of disadvantages," he added. He also said the report can, in a sense, help China to better push forward with its development in the future, because "we need to think about China in a more all-round way."
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Mekong River suspects seek to clear their names
Nine suspected soldiers deny killing Chinese sailors and want to be exonerated from the charges they face, Thai Army Chief Prayuth Chanocha said on Thursday.
Prayuth Chanocha called for "justice" for his subordinates as the investigation is still underway.
Prayuth said that as the soldiers were doubted, he ordered the Third Army Region to bring them into the police so that they could have the chance to show their sincerity but that should not be misinterpreted as surrender.
"I would like to ask support for the soldiers. They should have an opportunity to explain themselves," he said.
"Ninety percent of my subordinates are good guys. Please don't prejudge them for committing crimes. It's not that easy to kill people even if their supervisors ask them to do so," said Prayuth.
Chalerm Ubumrung, Thai deputy prime minister in charge of security, said on Tuesday that investigators have gathered sufficient evidence in connection with the slaughter of Chinese sailors and that the truth will be clear within the week.
Two cargo ships, Huaping and Yu Xing 8, were attacked on October 5 on the Mekong River near the Golden Triangle area and 13 Chinese sailors were killed.
Nine soldiers, reportedly including one major and one lieutenant, from the Third Army Region guarding Thailand's northern border were identified as suspects last Friday by Thai police chief Priewpan Damapong.
However, the group deny two charges, murder and tampering of evidence, on being pressed by the police.
Xinhua
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Made of glass
Chen Fa, 13, a congenital brittle bone disease sufferer, attends an inauguration ceremony of a primary school in Jianhe county, Guizhou Province. Chen, whose wish is to become a teacher, was dubbed by local people as the glass boy. Photo: CFP