Society

China will help Venezuela build three 300 megawatt (mW) electricity generating plants in return for oil deliveries under a long-term $20 billion financing deal, the Latin American OPEC nation said on Thursday.

Three months ago, Beijing said the China Development Bank had signed a "framework financing agreement" worth about $20 billion with Caracas, half to be paid in dollars and half in yuan, but gave few other details.

The Venezuelan government said 19 development projects had been agreed during bilateral talks in its capital on Thursday, including constructing the three power stations.

Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Hu Zhengyue said here Friday China is committed to consolidating ties with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

In a meeting with Yang Hyong Sop, vice president of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, Hu said Chinese leaders attache great importance to the bilateral relationship.

It is China's steadfast policy to continuously consolidate and enhance the good neighborliness and friendly cooperation with the DPRK, which will better serve the interests of the two countries and the two peoples, said the Chinese official, who arrived in Pyongyang on Monday at the invitation of the DPRK Foreign Ministry.

Yang said under direct guidance from the leaders of the two nations, bilateral relations have been further consolidated and developed. The DPRK will work with the Chinese side to advance the bilateral cooperation and exchange in all areas.

During the visit, the Chinese official also exchanged views with senior DPRK diplomats on bilateral ties and other issues of common interests.

Netizens will be able to communicate with the Beijing police through microblogs in the near future, with the founding of the Beijing police's first public relations branch.

The public relations branch, officially established on Tuesday, is part of the Beijing police's plan to better their relationship with residents.

A new survey shows that more than half of female graduate students in Shanghai show an understanding attitude toward other girls who are kept as lovers by rich men or who work at night clubs.

The survey was conducted by the journalism school of Fudan University in June with more than 900 female students at the city's 17 universities who graduate this year. About 40 percent were from Shanghai, while the rest were from other parts of the country.

Researchers said the students also showed a free and open attitude toward sex and marriage.

Fifty-six percent of the students said they could understand a girl becoming the lover of a rich man, though they wouldn't do it themselves, 20 percent said they despised such behavior, 20 percent said they have no idea why girls do this, and 2 percent considered it normal and said they may make the same choice one day.

Also, 55 percent showed an understanding attitude toward girls who work in night clubs, with nearly 3 percent saying it is normal and that they may possibly to do it themselves one day.