论财务风险的成因及其防范

县财政局亮点工作经验汇报材料

BEIJING, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Communist Party of China (CPC) issued a policy document on Sunday urging the improved social welfare enjoyed by the country's 900 million rural population.     The Decision on Major Issues Concerning the Advancement of Rural Reform and Development was approved by the CPC Central Committee on Oct. 12 in a plenary session.     RURAL CULTURE AND EDUCATION     The document urged for further cultural development in the country's rural areas, quoting that "rural cultural development is of great importance to building a new socialist countryside."     It demanded TV, radio and movies be more accessible in the rural areas, and more community cultural centers to be set up in the villages along with countryside libraries.     Cultural products based on rural lives and activities, which the farmers are willing to participate and have easy access to should be encouraged, the document said.     It urged urban organizations to go to the countryside to spread scientific and literacy knowledge and offer medical services to farmers, and help them break away from superstitions and build a harmonious society that advocated gender equality and honesty. Local farmers work in the fields in Wenxian County of Longnan City, northwest China's Gansu Province, on Oct. 19, 2008. Reconstruction on agriculture is accelerated in Longnan, the province's most suffered area in the May 12 earthquake that devastated China's southwest and northwest regions    The document also said efforts must be made to improve the education level in rural areas, especially for the left-behind children, those whose parents are both working in the cities, and children from economically-challenged families.     Professional trainings should be provided in townships to train farmers, while college students were encouraged to go the countryside to work.     Quality of teachers in the rural areas would be improved, along with their salaries and working conditions, the document said.     SOCIAL WELFARE AND RURAL INFRASTRUCTURE     In addition, efforts must be made to ensure all farmers can enjoy basic medicare service by sticking to the rural cooperative medical system, the document said.     It demanded every county and township should have its own medical institution, while villages in the rural areas were also encouraged to set up medical stations to provide "safe and inexpensive medical service" to farmers.     Endemic diseases, infectious diseases and disease that affects both human beings and livestock must be closely guarded against, with the focus on prevention of such illness.     The one-child policy must be adhered to in the countryside to retain a low birth rate in the rural areas, and to deal with a disproportional sex ratio, the document said.     It also demanded to accelerate the construction of a comprehensive social welfare system in the countryside.     A new old age insurance system in the rural areas should be established in the countryside with the premiums paid by the beneficiaries and the collective and government subsidies. Authorities should find ways to incorporate the system with the urban old-age insurance system, it said.     In addition, the livelihood of farmers whose land had been requisitioned must be guaranteed before the requisition procedure, the document said.     The rural minimum living allowance system must be perfected with larger subsidies from the central and provincial budget, to cover all applicable with improved benefits.     Living standards of those who receive five guarantees, namely food, clothing, medical care, housing and burial expenses provided by local governments for their lack of relatives and working abilities, should be in accordance with the average living standards of the neighborhood, the document demanded.     It also urged to improve the relief system to help farmers affected by natural disasters and boost social welfare for the old, the handicapped, the poor and orphans.     Prevention of disability and rehabilitation for the disabled must also be strengthened in the countryside, the document said.     The document highlighted the importance of infrastructure construction in the rural areas.     The committee vowed to ensure villagers to have safe drinking water within five years and townships be connected by cement roads by the end of 2010.     Efforts should be made to develop renewable energy resources, including methane, wind and solar energy, it said, adding Internet service would be accessible for more farmers.     POVERTY REDUCTION AND DISASTER RELIEF     The committee pledged to provide more low-income farmers with financial aid and give more assistance to people in remote areas, revolutionary bases, ethnic minority regions and poverty-stricken places.     International cooperation should be enhanced to fight poverty in the countryside, it read.     To install an upgraded natural disaster forecasting system and raise farmers' awareness of emergency response and relief was also one of the document's high points.     The capacity of forecasting disastrous weather, ecological disasters and monitoring earthquakes should be strengthened and more needs to be done to promote farmers' disaster prevention and relief awareness, it said.     The paper also set the direction for public facility safety standards, saying schools and hospital buildings should all be safe and up to construction standards.     All-out efforts should be made to restore the agriculture work in the area struck by the May 12 Sichuan earthquake and more measures need to be adopted to heal and improve the ecological conditions in the quake-hit region, it noted.     HARMONIOUS SOCIETY IN THE COUNTRYSIDE     It also emphasized the importance of maintaining a "harmonious" and "stable" environment in the countryside.     More channels should be opened to solicit farmers' opinions and address their complaints and problems, said the paper, adding leaders should pay frequent visits to farmers and solve villagers' problems at the grassroot level.     The committee further underscored ethnic relations. The equal, united, mutually-aided and harmonious ethnic relations should be consolidated and developed, it said.     Interference with village affairs by any religious groups or clans would be objected; evil cults in villages were prohibited and any mafia-style force would incur severe crackdown, it said. Local farmers work in the fields in Wenxian County of Longnan City, northwest China's Gansu Province, on Oct. 19, 2008. Reconstruction on agriculture is accelerated in Longnan, the province's most suffered area in the May 12 earthquake that devastated China's southwest and northwest regions

 BEIJING, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- The General Political Department of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) has issued a notice ordering all members of the PLA and the Chinese People's Armed Police Corps (PAPC) to study a recent instruction on value made byHu Jintao, chairman of the Central Military Commission.     Addressing a recent military conference, Hu urged servicemen to strengthen their spiritual pillar and foster the core value of "Beloyal to the Party, love the people, serve the nation, be devoted to the mission, and worship credit."     Hu's instruction has put forward a major strategic task for ideological and political building of the Army under the new historic conditions, said the notice. It urges the whole armed forces to seriously study and implement the important instruction of Hu, who is also China's president and general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.     The "core value for contemporary revolutionary soldiers" raised by Hu holds the key for ideological and political building of the Army, it says, adding that it is of "great realistic significance and far-reaching historic importance."     The core value reflects the relations between Chinese servicemen and the Party, the people, the nation and the Army, as well as the most fundamental and the innermost value among Chinese servicemen, it says.     The core value reflects an integration of the Chinese Army's good traditions, the demands of the development of the times, and the pursuit of value by Chinese soldiers and officers, according to the circular.

BEIJING, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang urged more efficient and transparent use of government funds as the country faces rising fiscal expenditures while tackling the global financial crisis.     China should strengthen management and scrutiny of the fiscal budget and should reduce administrative expenses as the country faces relatively high fiscal pressure, Li said at a national fiscal conference on Tuesday.     The government must "firmly oppose extravagance and waste", he said.     China will have "a difficult fiscal year" in 2009 because of lower tax revenues and surging expenditures, Finance Minister Xie Xuren said on Monday.     China's 2008 fiscal revenue is expected to rise 19 percent to exceed 6 trillion yuan (about 857 billion U.S. dollars), said Xie.     That growth was slower than the 32.4-percent annual gain made in 2007.     The country's fiscal revenue increase started to slow down in the second half of 2008, said Xie. He attributed that change to economic deceleration, corporate profit decline and tax cuts made to boost growth.     China decided to carry out an "active fiscal policy" and "a moderately easy monetary policy" in 2009. It has unveiled a four trillion-yuan fiscal package to stimulate domestic demand.

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BEIJING, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese netizens have made their voices heard more loudly and their presence better recognized in headline news events over the past year.     When the Beijing Olympic torch relay overseas was disrupted in April, almost all the Chinese msn messenger users posted "I love China" beside their names, a move that looked "overwhelming" to Kevin, a French man who was living in Shanghai at the time.     As to domestic affairs, netizens did not sit aloof. After the dairy scandal emerged in September, netizens' strong criticisms finally led to the resignation of Li Changjiang, then director of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.     Yan Jirong, professor at Peking University's School of Government, said this incident showed the government was paying attention to public voices on the Internet.     A report released by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences on Dec. 2 showed about 206 million Chinese use the Internet as their main source of news.     According to the China Internet Network Information Center, under-30s are the majority of online news readers, accounting for about 69 percent of total Internet users.     On June 20, Hu visited the Qiangguo Forum, which is affiliated to people.com.cn, and chatted with netizens. Hu's visit drew so many clicks that it almost crashed the site.     Premier Wen said frankly at a press conference on March 18 that he had been using the Internet to listen to netizens' opinions and suggestions during the annual sessions of the National People's Congress, the top legislature, and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the top advisory body.     Fans of the two leaders started to post suggestions and support to the two leaders at beginning of July on a bulletin board of the people.com.cn, a website of the People's Daily.     It was prompted by affection for Hu and Wen after seeing how they dealt with the May 12 earthquake, the fans said in their postings.     After the magnitude-8.0 earthquake struck the southwestern Sichuan Province and the neighboring provinces on May 12, the two officials paid repeated visits to the devastated areas and impressed netizens with moving behavior and words.     Some scholars said bluntly that the Internet had indeed built a direct link between the grassroots and the central power.     Local officials, on the other hand, are going a step further to write blogs and hold debates with netizens on hot issues.     Li Ou, vice mayor of Siping in the northeastern Jilin Province, has been hailed by netizens as being the most active mayor who uses his real name to debate with netizens on social affairs.     Li's blog was selected as one of the "top 10 blogs of 2008" in a poll by the People's Daily based on the votes from millions of netizens.     Another local official, Liao Xinbo, deputy director of the Department of Public Health of the southern Guangdong Province, was also on the list. His blog was picked for pointing out the keyto China's new medical reform plan which is likely to be issued in January, reported the People's Daily.     Liao wrote on Dec. 25 that China should learn from other countries, such as Cuba, in drafting the long-delayed medical reform plan.     "The government is seeking new ways for the public to voice opinions," said Yan.     A survey taken by the China Youth Daily's poll center showed about 72 percent of those responding hoped the Internet would be anew path to democracy. More than half of those surveyed said the exchanges on the Internet helped to bring the government closer to the public.

TIANJIN, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping has called for government and party officials to maintain their political integrity and lead the people to overcome difficulties amid hardships.     Xi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks during an inspection tour to the northern coastal city of Tianjin from Sunday to Monday. Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping (1st R, front), also member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, talks to teachers and students on campus of Tianjin University during his visit to Tianjin Municipality Jan. 18, 2009. Party committees at all levels must make efforts to improve the awareness of political responsibility of officials, and make sure the officials would abide by party disciplines and political ethics, and preserve integrity in their work, Xi said.     He urged officials at all levels to study President Hu Jintao's speech at last Tuesday's plenary session of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI).     Officials must keep in close contact with the public, prioritize people's interests during their work, and address their needs, he said.     Xi called for officials to ask the people for advice and suggestions, and try harder to take practical measures to tackle public difficulties.     He said officials should be the first to bear hardships, but the last to enjoy comforts.     Extravagance and waste during work must be opposed to enhance official's capability in fighting corruption, he said.

ALGIERS, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- Visiting top Chinese legislator Wu Bangguo held talks Wednesday with Abdelaziz Ziari, speaker of the Algerian National Assembly, on issues of common concern and they agreed to boost bilateral relations and cement cooperation between the two parliaments.     China and Algeria always handle the bilateral relations from a strategic perspective, said Wu, chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC), highlighting that the relations have endured the test of time since the two countries established diplomatic relations 50 years ago.     Wu expressed his appreciation of Algeria's adherence to the one-China policy, noting that China respects the choice Algerian people have made on path to develop their own nation.     China feels satisfied with the current bilateral cooperation especially with the two-way collaboration at multilateral occasions on issues of UN reform, human rights and anti-terrorism, he said.     Wu offered a four-point proposal to promote China-Algeria relations: firstly, maintain high-level exchange and increase political mutual trust; secondly, expand the substantial cooperation especially in infrastructure, agriculture and energy for mutual benefit; thirdly, intensify the exchange on humanitarian issues to carry out the traditional friendship; and lastly, strengthen coordination with an aim to safeguard the common interests.     Ziari, for his part, called Wu's visit to Algeria "a big event "for the bilateral relations and "a symbol" marking a higher level of the inter-parliamentary cooperation.     The speaker agreed with Wu's views on the bilateral relations and recalled the fact that China was the first non-Arab country who recognized Algeria's independence and forged the diplomatic relations with it, while expressing his gratitude to China's assistance to Algeria's national development. Wu Bangguo(2nd L, front), chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, and Abdelaziz Ziari (2nd R, front), Speaker of the Algerian National Assembly, sign on a memorandum on the exchange and cooperation between the top legislatures of China and Algeria in Algiers, Algeria, on Nov. 4, 2008.Algeria and China shared a solid foundation to foster ties and Algeria would unswervingly support China's constructive role on world affairs and make joint efforts with China to transfer the political will of developing ties into real actions so as to enrich the bilateral cooperation and enhance the strategic and cooperative ties, Ziari said.     On the inter-parliament cooperation, Wu said one of his main purposes of the visit is to further promote the friendly relations between the two parliaments and push forward the cooperation among the various special inter-parliamentary committees and friendly groups.     Ziari highlighted the commitment of the Algerian National Assembly to promoting the friendly relations with the NPC, calling on the two sides to boost cooperation so as to inject new vitality into the bilateral cooperation.     The two parliament leaders also signed a memorandum on the inter-parliamentary cooperation after the talks.     Wu, who is on the first leg of his five-nation Africa tour, also met with Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in the day. Wu spoke highly of the bilateral relations, saying the ties between the two nations are "in their best time."     Wu said the good political relations should work effectively to promote the development of the trade cooperation, pledging that China would make concerted efforts with Algeria to step up cooperation with mutual benefit and give a fully play to the two business communities especially on some big projects which could help push forward the overall development. Wu Bangguo (L, front), chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, meets with Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in Algiers, Algeria, on Nov. 4, 2008.The Chinese government would encourage Chinese enterprises with good reputation to start their business and invest in Algeria, and it also welcomes Algerian companies to further their investment, Wu told Bouteflika.     Echoing Wu's views, Bouteflika said China is a sincere friend of Algeria, noting that the North African country expects to work closely with China and hopes to see more Chinese enterprises to invest in Algeria.     Algeria and China should work together on such fields as energy and resource, infrastructure and telecommunication, the president added.     The two leaders also called on the concerned parties of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum to strengthen their cooperation to further carry out the agreements inked at the Beijing Summit and focus on the next-phase cooperation at an early date.

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BEIJING, Nov. 17 -- Chinese banks should be alert to the risks of growing bad loans and narrowing profit margins amid a worsening global financial crisis and domestic interest rate cuts, a senior banking regulator has warned.     China Banking Regulatory Commission Vice Chairman Jiang Dingzhi told a financial forum in Beijing on Saturday that China's banking system, despite being generally healthy, faces growing risks.     "Our judgment is that losses at overseas financial institutions will widen further, and capital shortfalls will become more serious," Jiang said     "The financial crisis won't end in the near term. So we should not turn a blind eye to the risks " Jiang said, warning that the first risk China may face in the coming years is "exported inflation" from developed economies.     He said many developed economies have taken quick action to inject huge liquidity and credit into their banks to stabilize financial systems and it is likely that the banks will export capital to developing countries such as China (through direct investment or loans).     "That may cause high inflation (for us) and we should keep a close eye on cross-border capital flows," said Jiang.     Jiang also warned that bad loans, especially in the real estate sector, are the second risk that China's banks are confronted with.     "Bad loans are already showing an upward trend, especially in the property market where the mortgage default risk is growing at an accelerating pace," Jiang said, without elaborating.     Jiang also said Chinese banks may encounter growing losses from their overseas investment as the global financial crisis remains "far from over".     The government said earlier that Chinese banks suffered "very limited losses" overseas as their exposure to bankrupt global financial companies was not much.     Jiang said Chinese banks also face narrowing profit margins as the central bank cuts interest rates to boost the slowing economy. Banks are encouraged to lend after the government announced a 4 trillion yuan (586 billion U.S. dollars) stimulus plan a week ago.     The People's Bank of China has cut interest rates thrice this year after economic growth cooled to 9 percent in the third quarter, the slowest rate in five years. He said the banks will see declining profits next year as lower interest rates shrink margins and loan defaults may increase.     However, Jin Liqun, chairman of the supervisory board of China Investment Corp, said Chinese banks should continue market-oriented reforms despite the risks.     "All these risks cannot be used as excuses to defer further reform in the banking system," said Jin at the forum. "Only with market-oriented reforms can our banks further build up their capabilities in profit-making and risk-prevention."     Jiang said China's banking system remains "in good health" with all major indicators at their best levels ever.     Banks' total assets, 59.3 trillion yuan at the end of September, were five times the level of 10 years ago when the Asian financial crisis erupted, he added. And banks reduced their average bad-loan ratio to 5.49 percent at the end of September, from 6.3 percent at the end of March.     "These sound indicators are the basis of our confidence to battle financial crisis," Jiang said.

LIMA, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao put forward proposals for dealing with major issues in international economic and social development and tackling the ongoing global financial crisis at the 16th APEC economic leaders' meeting here on Saturday. 　　ADDRESSING INT'L PROMINENT ISSUES     Hu presented five proposals for addressing the prominent issues in international economic and social development.     First, APEC member economies should build consensus and promote sound development of the multilateral trading regime, Hu said.     "A fair and open multilateral trading regime is conducive to the steady growth of regional and global trade, to the sound growth of the world economy and to the benefits of all parties," he said.     "We should have strong confidence in the multilateral trading regime and give strong support to the Doha Round negotiations," he added.     Second, APEC member economies should take up responsibilities and jointly tackle climate change, he stressed.     All parties should, in keeping with the requirement of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Kyoto Protocol and the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities," actively conduct negotiations for the implementation of the "Bali Roadmap" and take effective policy measures in light of their respective conditions to mitigate climate change.     Third, exchanges and cooperation should be conducted and efforts joined to combat natural disasters, Hu said.     In order to increase exchanges and cooperation in disaster response in the Asia-Pacific region, China has put forward the APEC Principles on Disaster Response and Cooperation this year, he said.     "It is also our hope that APEC members will consider carrying out long-term cooperation projects in post-disaster recovery and reconstruction so as to deepen APEC cooperation in disaster prevention and relief," he added.     Fourth, regulation and guidance should be enhanced and corporate social responsibility strengthened, he said.     "An important lesson we have learned from the ongoing financial crisis is that while trying to maximize economic returns, enterprises should follow a prudent, well-thought-out and responsible approach in market operations," he added.     Fifth, APEC members should take coordinated actions and ensure world food and energy security, Hu emphasized.     "We should, following the principle of common development, actively and effectively coordinate our policies and resort to a variety of joint measures to safeguard world food and energy security," he said.     "We should establish and act on a new energy security concept that calls for mutually beneficial cooperation, diverse forms of development and common energy security through coordination," he added.     TACKLING FINANCIAL CRISIS     "The rapidly-spreading international financial crisis, with its extensive impact, constitutes the most severe challenge confronting world economic growth," Hu said.     It is a major and urgent task for all countries and regions to deal effectively with financial risks, maintain international financial stability and promote world economic development, he added, lodging three proposals.     First, to curb the worsening financial crisis, all countries should take prompt and effective measures, enhance macroeconomic policy coordination, improve information sharing, help each other as much as possible, and employ all necessary fiscal and monetary means to stop the spread and development of the financial crisis, bring stability to global financial markets, stimulate economic growth, minimize the damage of the financial crisis on the real economy and avoid a global economic recession.     Second, the international community should earnestly draw lessons from the ongoing financial crisis and, based on full consultations among all stakeholders, undertake necessary reform of the international financial system in a comprehensive, balanced, incremental and result-oriented way, with a view to establishing anew international financial order that is fair, just, inclusive and orderly and fostering an institutional environment conducive to sound global economic development.     "The reform of the international financial system should both reflect the general law and principles of financial regulation and take into account the specific development stage and unique features of different economies," he said.     It should seek a balance among the interests of all parties and reflects, in particular, the interests of emerging markets and developing countries, he added.     Third, from a long-term perspective, it is necessary to change those models of economic growth that are not sustainable and to address the underlying problems in member economies.     "We should also pay adequate attention to the impact of the financial crisis on the developing world and provide necessary support to relevant countries to help them maintain growth momentum," he pointed out. 　　APEC'S FURTHER DEVELOPMENT     On APEC's development, President Hu said China is ready to work with other APEC members to promote its further development.     Since its launch almost 20 years ago, APEC has done a great deal in promoting trade and investment liberalization and facilitation and economic and technical cooperation, thus making positive contribution to regional economic integration and the building of an Asia-Pacific family, President Hu said.     The host of major reform measures adopted within the APEC framework in recent years have improved APEC's organizing and coordinating capabilities and significantly enhanced the dynamism and efficiency of APEC cooperation, Hu said.     To promote the further development of APEC, "we should maintain the nature of APEC as a forum for economic cooperation and its approach of conducting cooperation on a non-binding basis, as this best suits the diversity prevailing in the Asia-Pacific," the Chinese president said.     He said that the APEC members should continue to promote balanced progress in economic and technical cooperation and trade and investment liberalization.     "In particular, we should increase input in economic and technical cooperation to enhance capacity-building in developing members and narrow the development gap."     Hu arrived here on Wednesday for a state visit to Peru and the Economic Leaders' Informal Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).     The APEC economic leaders' meeting opened in Lima on Saturday to discuss such issues as the ongoing global financial crisis, the Doha Round trade talks and food security.     The two-day meeting would also discuss the APEC regional economic integration, corporate social responsibility, human security, APEC institutional reform, trade and investment, structural reform, anti-corruption and transparency, economic and technical cooperation, and climate change.

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BEIJING, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- China's top economic planning agency on Monday said it would raise the minimum purchasing price for wheat by as much as 15.3 percent starting next year.     The move by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) aims to boost rural income and grain output. The country, with a population of more than 1.3 billion, relies mainly on domestic production for food.     By hiking grain purchasing prices the NDRC hopes to motivate farmers to increase agricultural production.     The government's minimum purchasing price for white wheat next year will be 0.87 yuan (12.7 U.S. cents) per 500 grams, 13 percent higher than prices in 2008. In addition, prices for red and mixed wheat will be 0.83 yuan per 500 grams, up 15.3 percent.     The agency also pledged to further increase subsidies for agricultural production materials, machinery and crop seeds.     It will also increase commercial reserves of fertilizer to help ensure market supply and price stability.     The NDRC would like to expand China's grain production capacity by 50 million tons.     On Oct. 11, China's Ministry of Agriculture predicted an increase in grain output for the fifth consecutive year.     According to estimates from the State Grain Information Center, this year's grain output should reach 511.5 million tons, up 10 million tons from 2007.     The central government allocated 102.86 billion yuan (15.1 billion U.S. dollars) in agriculture subsidies this year, doubling the money from 2007.     The NDRC also plans to raise the minimum purchasing price for rice next year, although it did not give further details.

BEIJING, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- After successfully carrying out its first escort mission, the Chinese Navy prepares to cover another 11 domestic merchant vessels planning to travel around Somalia this week.     "We will actively provide information and necessary rescue services for those merchant ships passing through the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters," said He Jianzhong, spokesman with Ministry of Transport (MOT). A ship of China Ocean Shipping Group Company (COSCO) sails in the Gulf of Aden under the escort of a Chinese naval fleet (not seen in the picture) Jan. 6, 2009. The Chinese naval fleet arrived Tuesday in the waters of the Gulf of Aden off Somalia to carry out the first escort mission against pirates. Four Chinese ships, including one from China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, were escorted by the fleet.     A governmental spokesman said on Tuesday that the naval task force will protect a total of 15 Chinese merchant ships between Tuesday and Saturday.     Consisting of two destroyers and one supply ship, the naval fleet arrived in waters off Somali coast on Tuesday after a voyage of more than 4,400 nautical miles. It set sail on Dec. 26.     Soon after its arrival, the fleet conducted its first escort service for four Chinese merchant vessels, including one from Hong Kong.     The ship's cargo, origins and destinations were not released.     Under command of the fleet's flagship DDG-169 Wuhuan destroyer, the four merchant vessels sailed in a line formation and passed through the warship's patrolling area.     Surging piracy off the Somali coast has increasingly threatened internationals shipping. A total of 1,265 Chinese merchant ships passed through the Gulf of Aden last year. Seven were attacked by pirates.     One Chinese fishing ship, Tian Yu 8, and its 18 crew members were hijacked on Nov. 14, 2008. They are still being held by pirates.     The MOT announced Chinese merchant ships may ask for protection by applying to the China Shipowners' Association (CSA) and China Maritime Search and Rescue Center (CMSRC).     According to the commander of the Chinese Naval expedition, Real-Admiral Du Jingchen, the main task for the warships is to dispel pirates with their presence.     "We have started our escort mission and will conduct careful deployment and close contact with the vessels to secure their safety by strictly abiding by the U.N. resolutions and international laws," said Real-Admiral Du.     The fleet is carrying about 800 crew members including 70 soldiers from the Navy's special forces along with weapons such as missiles, canons and helicopters.     For the first phase of the escort mission, the fleet will patrol the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters for about three months, followed by possible replacement warships as needed.