President backs Palestinian efforts

China will continue supporting the Palestinian people's pursuit of restoring their legitimate national rights, President Xi Jinping said on July 18 as he received the highest Palestinian medal from visiting President Mahmoud Abbas. China firmly supports the establishment of the State of Palestine, enjoying full sovereignty on the basis of 1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital, Xi said while holding talks with Abbas at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Abbas was making a state visit to China through July 20. It was his fourth state visit to China. Witnessed by the two presidents, China and Palestine signed four documents to enhance cooperation in diplomacy, economy, technology, human resources, culture and education.

British fund to lure Chinese researchers

The British government has set up a ￡100 million ($130.6 million; 113 million euros) research fund to attract global talent, with China identified as one of the key recruitment pools. The Ernest Rutherford Fund, which takes its name from the nuclear physicist and Nobel laureate, was established by the Department for Business, Energy& Industrial Strategy as part of the government's ￡1 billion industrial strategy laid out in April. The fund will be used to attract highly skilled early career and senior researchers. The government has identified "emerging research powerhouses", including China, India, Brazil, and Mexico, as key recruitment pools.

Boy boards plane without a ticket

The family of a 4-year-old boy who was able to pass through security and board a plane in Beijing without a ticket was released without charges, the civil aviation watchdog says. The incident, which contributed to a five-hour delay for Juneyao Airlines flight HO1252 from the capital to Shanghai, occurred at Beijing Capital International Airport on July 16. The family was removed from the flight and taken to a police station at the airport. For safety reasons, all passengers were then asked to again go through a security check as an inspection of the aircraft was conducted. Police were satisfied that the family did not attempt to sneak onto the flight without a ticket and they were released the same day, the aviation authority says.

Icebreaker to study Arctic acidification

The Chinese icebreaker Xuelong, or Snow Dragon, set out for northern seas on July 20 on a quest to measure the acidification of the Arctic Ocean. It is internationally acknowledged that ocean acidification, mainly caused by rising carbon dioxide emissions, is worsening in the Arctic, according to Xu Ren, deputy head of the Shanghai-based Polar Research Institute of China. It is the first time the institute has targeted Arctic acidification.

Diplomats 'shocked' by Indian incursion

Foreign diplomats in China were shocked by Indian troops trespassing on Chinese territory, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang says. Last month, Indian border troops crossed into China at the Sikkim section of the border with India, a demarcation that has been recognized by both countries for decades. The troops have refused to withdraw. The incident has aroused wide concern in the international community. Many diplomats in Beijing have sought verification from China through diplomatic channels, Lu says.

Popular hot-word list released

Lists of popular words and phrases based on an annual assessment of characters used by Chinese-language media were released on July 18 by the State Language Committee, the department of the State Council in charge of the nation's language reforms. About 12,000 characters were used almost 1 billion times in the Chinese media last year, according to Tian Lixin, director of the Ministry of Education's Department of Language Application and Administration. Words including afagou (AlphaGo, the artificial intelligence program that plays the ancient game "go") and Mobai Danche (the Chinese name for bike-sharing company Mobike) were included in a list of the top 10 new words and phrases that appeared in the media.

Ozone pollution tied to cardiovascular woes

Exposure to ozone, a powerful greenhouse gas and a widespread air pollutant in many major cities, may cause cardiovascular disease such as high blood pressure and lead to heart attacks and strokes, according to a new study of Chinese adults. Ozone is a pollutant formed by a chemical reaction when sunlight interacts with nitrogen oxides and other organic compounds generated by coal burning, vehicle exhaust and some natural sources. It has long been associated with adverse health effects in children and adults.

Police go after information theft

Police have solved more than 1,800 cases of personal information infringement and computer hacking since March, the Ministry of Public Security said on July 17. Police also managed to track more than 50 billion pieces of stolen personal information and catch more than 4,800 suspects nationwide.

Nation to develop intelligent drilling

Chinese scientists and researchers will develop intelligent drilling systems with independent intellectual property rights, the Chinese Academy of Sciences announced on July 18. The project will have the capacity to explore and develop oil and gas 6,000 meters below ground level, and will help increase China's oil and gas output on a large scale, the academy said.

Healthcare reform progress noted

China expanded the number of cities with pilot healthcare reforms to 200 in 2016, according to a new report. More than 2,300 public hospitals nationwide participated in the pilot program last year, the healthcare reform leading group under the State Council announced on July 18. Currently, 1.34 billion Chinese are enrolled in various public medical insurance systems, accounting for up to 98.8 percent of the population.

City to become coal-free by 2020

Virtually no coal consumption will take place in the heavily populated areas of Beijing by 2020, the municipal development and reform commission said on July 18. The capital has stepped up efforts to curb air pollution, including a measure to replace coal use in downtown areas with gas, electricity and alternative clean energy. Beijing will essentially eliminate coal use in its six downtown and southern areas this year.

Keep eye to future, president urges

President Xi Jinping urged Chinese military institutions on July 19 to recruit and train top-level professionals and to develop world-class theories and technologies. Xi, also chairman of the Central Military Commission, said well-educated personnel, good theories and advanced technologies are essential to building a top-class military. He said science and technology determine military combat capabilities, so the People's Liberation Army must make more effort in research and development and continue to boost innovation. Xi made the remarks at a ceremony at the Central Military Commission headquarters building in Beijing that marked the establishment of the new PLA Academy of Military Science, PLA National Defense University and PLA National University of Defense Technology.

Food imports, exports to get a closer look

China should perfect its systems for safety risk alerts, quick response and supervision of commodities being imported and exported, a meeting chaired by President Xi Jinping determined on July 19. The 37th meeting of the Central Leading Group for Deepening Overall Reform highlighted the safety of traded commodities at a time China is becoming a major buyer of global foods. Food imports have achieved an annual average growth of 2.6 percent in the past five years.

Beijing calls on US to ease trade rules

Vice-Premier Wang Yang urged the United States on July 18 to loosen its "outdated" restrictions on high-tech exports to China so it can tap the vast Chinese market and reduce the bilateral trade imbalance. Wang, who is in Washington for the first round of China-US Comprehensive Economic Dialogue, said that as China upgrades its industries, there is a huge market for US exports of advanced technology, key equipment and critical parts to China.

China unveils Gulf crisis suggestions

China supports Arab countries finding their own way within the framework of the Gulf Cooperation Council to eliminate differences among the Gulf states, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on July 19. Wang spoke as he unveiled China's three-point position regarding the lingering Gulf crisis during his meeting with Sultan Ahmed Al-Jaber, the visiting minister of state of the United Arab Emirates. As good friends and partners of the Gulf countries, China hopes and believes that the crisis will be properly addressed, Wang said.

CPC documentary examines reforms

China started to air a 10-episode political documentary on July 17 on State media to showcase the progress achieved by the Communist Party of China during the past five years amid its ongoing efforts to comprehensively deepen reform. The CPC Central Committee organized the filming of the documentary. The first episode was broadcast on China Central Television and its new media outlets on July 17. Topics of the documentary series include the economy, politics, social management, Chinese culture, environment, the armed forces and the Party's self-governance.

China and CEEC nations focus on media relations

Twelve of China's governmental spokesmen and spokeswomen shared experiences with representatives from 13 Central and Eastern European countries at the China-CEEC Spokespersons Dialogue in Beijing on July 17, which focused on the Belt and Road Initiative and global communication. Chinese officials vowed to disseminate timely information on major events and public policies in an effort to achieve closer connections between the public and media and the government. The dialogue was the first such event hosted by China to exchange views on news releases.

Prices of 36 drugs negotiated downward

The prices of 36 expensive drugs - half of them for cancer treatment - are now covered by medical insurance, after the authorities negotiated substantial price reductions. The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security negotiated with pharmaceutical manufacturers on 44 drugs and managed to cut prices of 36 of them to be acceptable for coverage by the medical insurance fund, Xu Yanjun, a fund management official at the ministry, said at a news conference on July 19.

1.39m divorce cases handled last year

About 1.39 million divorce cases were adjudicated by courts across China in 2016, Zhou Qiang, head of the Supreme People's Court, said at a meeting on trials involving domestic affairs on July 19. The divorces affected nearly 10 million people and represented the majority of the 1.75 million domestic affairs cases in the country last year, Zhou said. Also, a total of 1,284 protective orders have been issued to protect the rights of women, minors and the elderly since March 1, 2016, when the law against domestic violence took effect.

Huge cocaine bust made in Qingdao

About 18 kilograms of cocaine was seized from a foreign container ship by Qingdao Customs, authorities said on July 19. It was the biggest case they had ever handled, they said. On May 6, more than 60 customs officers searched the ship based on information received earlier. In a crew member's closet, officers found 30 shoe soles with cocaine hidden inside. The crew member had connected with drug dealers when the ship was berthed overseas and brought the cocaine to China, the authorities said.

Daily desalination tops 1.18 million metric tons

The daily output of China's 131 seawater desalination projects reached more than 1.18 million metric tons at the end of last year, according to an official report released on July 19. The report on seawater utilization in 2016, issued by the State Oceanic Administration, said China's largest desalination project could produce 200,000 tons of fresh water per day.

Vocational schools reach out to region

About 3,300 students from the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region will attend vocational schools in inland cities as part of a program to increase the number of skilled workers in the region. Of the students, 88.5 percent are from rural areas of Xinjiang, according to the student enrollment office. This year, 15,658 students applied for the program, 1,085 more than last year. Beginning in 2011, students from Xinjiang have been able to apply for courses at 33 vocational schools in the central and eastern regions.

Report says fewer hours being spent on the job

People in Beijing are spending less time at work than they did 20 years ago but also less time on leisure activities, according to a new survey. The average resident's work time was six hours and two minutes per day last year, a decrease of 27 minutes from 1996, according to the Annual Report on China's Leisure Development, which was released on July 19. The findings are based on questionnaires completed by about 830 Beijing residents last year and more than 430 in 1996. The survey also found that the average time respondents spent on daily necessities, such as sleeping and eating, increased by 82 minutes to 11 hours and 58 minutes.

Sleeping capsules shut down over fire risk

Authorities in Shanghai have shut down newly opened sleeping capsules in office buildings, citing fire hazards and other reasons. Similar to capsule hotels in Japan, the sleeping capsules showed up in three office buildings in Shanghai and in buildings in several other cities. They are designed to offer white-collar workers a space to take a break, day or night. Shanghai police also said the service was suspended because it did not get permission from fire departments or a license to run a hotel.

(China Daily European Weekly 07/21/2017 page2)