Beijing  - Hundreds of millions of television viewers across the world saw China for the first time in August, or at least they saw a new side of the vast nation of 1.3 billion people.

The extravagant opening and closing ceremonies and the perfectly organized Olympic events at spectacular venues won heartfelt praise from international Olympic officials and spurred deep national pride in many ordinary Chinese citizens.

"I think ordinary Chinese people were excited about the Olympics," said Zhang Ming, a politics professor at People's University in Beijing.

"Beijing people were very proud of holding the Olympics," Zhang told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

Beijing - The Chinese government on Thursday cut fuel prices and announced a long-awaited fuel tax scheme, seeking to boost economic growth slowed by the global financial crisis.

The wholesale price of petrol will be reduced by 900 yuan (132 dollars), or about 14 per cent, to 5,580 yuan per ton from Friday, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said.

The factory price of kerosene for airplane fuel will drop by 2,400 yuan per ton, or 32 per cent, to 5,050 yuan from Friday, the NDRC said in a notice.

The diesel price will also fall to 4,970 yuan, down 1,100 yuan, or 18 per cent.

Pump prices will fall by 0.91 yuan per litre for petrol and 1.08 yuan per litre for diesel.

Beijing - A Beijing court sentenced a rights activist to two years in prison on Thursday after convicting her of "obstructing public business," her husband said.

Dong Jiqin said he was not allowed into the courtroom to present his defence of his wife, Ni Yulan, who planned to appeal against the sentence.

"They didn't let me in," Dong told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

He said Xicheng district court officials only allowed the couple's adult daughter into the courtroom but apparently did not consider any of the evidence prepared in Ni's defence.

"They didn't let our daughter defend her [Ni] or accept her evidence," Dong said.

Beijing - Chinese President Hu Jintao on Thursday hailed 30 years of economic reform and said the ruling Communist Party would continue to develop "Chinese Marxism."

"We will definitely hold high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and continue to promote the sinification of Marxism," Hu said in a speech to mark the 30th anniversary of the start of economic reform.

Hu said the party would push forward its policies for reforming and opening the economy, while maintaining stability and promoting "contemporary Chinese Marxism."

Beijing - A gas explosion trapped 18 people in a coal mine in central China's Hunan province, state media said Thursday.

Rescuers were searching for the missing miners at the Guaziyan mine in Lianyuan city, the government's Xinhua news agency quoted local officials as saying.

Another 14 miners escaped after the explosion ripped through the shaft while 32 miners were working Wednesday, the agency said.

The Lianyuan city government ordered an investigation and suspended mining pending safety checks at all coal mines in the area.

Guaziyan is a township-owned mine opened in 1997 with a licensed annual capacity of 30,000 tons of coal, the agency said.

Beijing - China has sentenced to death two men convicted of a terrorist attack on police officers in August in the restive central Asian region of Xinjiang, state media said on Wednesday.

The Intermediate People's Court in Xinjiang's Kashgar district sentenced the two men after finding them guilty of "intentional homicide and illegally producing guns, ammunition and explosives," the government's Xinhua news agency quoted court officials as saying.

The attack on August 4 in Kashgar, China's westernmost city, killed 17 paramilitary police and left 15 injured, the government said earlier.