Li, head of US state seek ways to boost exchanges

Premier Li Keqiang said on Aug 1 that all US states, including Michigan, are welcome to strengthen exchanges with provinces and municipalities in China and deepen cooperation in fields such as trade, investment, manufacturing and innovation. He was speaking to Rick Snyder, Michigan's governor, when they met in Beijing. Li said local cooperation between the two countries is booming, which is helpful to expand common interests. China will cultivate an open and facilitating environment, he said. Common interests far override differences for China and the United States, as the world's largest developing and developed countries, Li said.

2nd shipment of French wine sent by rail to China

China is set to receive its second test rail shipment of French wine this month, as European logistics companies work to ensure they can deliver the product unaffected by the varied conditions, trains encounter along the 11,400-kilometer journey. The second shipment left the transportation hub of Duisburg, Germany, on July 28 and is expected to arrive in Shanghai about Aug 21. The shipment was organized by JF Hillebrand, which specializes in the transportation of wine, beer and spirits, and the Inter-Rail Group, an international transportation group focusing on rail freight. The outcome of the test could lead to a faster way to give France, the world's second-biggest wine producer, greater access to potentially the biggest market in the world.

First overseas logistical base opens in Africa

China's first overseas logistical base began operations on Aug 1, the same day as the 90th birthday of the People's Liberation Army. More than 300 people attended the flag-raising ceremony that marked the opening of the Djibouti base, on the Horn of Africa. The base, near the southern entrance to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, is China's only permanent overseas logistical base. It was established to support the Chinese military's escort and peacekeeping missions in Africa and West Asia. It can support about 10,000 people, according to PLA Daily, but official figures for the number of personnel to be stationed there have not been released.

Photo exhibit at UN shows PLA's progress

The Journey of Glory photo exhibition opened on July 31 at UN headquarters in New York to mark the 90th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army. The weeklong exhibition is composed of more than 60 photographs displayed on the first floor. It illustrates 90 years of achievements of the PLA, led by the Chinese Communist Party, in its fight for the independence and liberation of the Chinese nation; safeguarding the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of the country; and participating in the cause of building socialism with Chinese characteristics, says Major General Huang Xueping, head of the Military Staff Committee of China's Permanent Mission to the United Nations.

Brand knockoffs targeted by big data

Copyright protection chiefs from across China converged on Alibaba's headquarters on Aug 1 to learn how the e-commerce giant's big data technology can help crack down on fake goods. It was the first meeting of the Cloud Sword alliance, which aims to combat the scourge of counterfeit goods after being expanded to 13 provincial areas in May. Officials saw a presentation on how Alibaba has used big data to identify fake goods and to locate online store owners, affiliated dealers and factories suspected of producing or selling knockoffs. The information is then passed to local authorities.

Container ships collide on the Yangtze River

Two container ships collided on the Yangtze River at 10:55 pm on July 31 near Taicang. Fifteen crew members were thrown into the water, along with 183 containers, when their ship overturned, authorities in Jiangsu province said on Aug 1. As of the morning of Aug 1, 13 people had been rescued and two were still missing. The incident did not result in any pollution, the authorities said.

Expressway built on permafrost opens

A new expressway section opened on Aug 1 on the permafrost of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the world's highest plateau. The 634.8-km section, which connects Gonghe county with Yushu in Qinghai province, has an average altitude of more than 4,000 meters. Up to 36 percent of the road is built on permafrost, but advanced technology was developed to keep the ground surface stable for the construction and operation of the road. The expressway has shortened travel time between Yushu and the provincial capital, Xining, from 12 hours to eight.

Stamps celebrate army anniversary

China issued a set of commemorative stamps on Aug 1 marking the 90th anniversary of the creation of the People's Liberation Army. The set, issued in Nanchang, Jiangxi province, consists of six stamps and a small sheet of stamps. It is the first time China has issued a stamp sheet alongside commemorative stamps marking the anniversary. The anniversary is celebrated on Aug 1 in memory of the Nanchang Uprising on Aug 1, 1927.

Dinosaur footprint fossils discovered

Chinese paleontologists announced that they have discovered a group of nearly 100-million-year-old fossils of dinosaur footprints in Zhejiang province. The fossils, scattered on a hill in Yiwu, are believed to be the largest group of fossilized dinosaur footprints in southeast China, according to researchers with the Zhejiang Museum of Natural History. So far, more than 80 footprints have been found.

Platform preserves a disappearing language

Heilongjiang province is launching a project to encourage more people to use the internet to learn the steadily dwindling languages of some ethnic groups. The first course in the use of a learning platform for the preservation of the Oroqen language and culture in northeastern China concluded recently in Tahe county. The two-day course attracted about 60 representatives, including experts, officials, teachers and Oroqen people. The language is only spoken; it has no written form. There are about 3,900 Oroqen people in Heilongjiang, accounting for 45 percent of all Oroqen people nationwide.

Ministry document shows border violations

India's trespass across the China-India boundary in the Sikkim Sector and into the Donglang area (Doklam) is a severe violation of China's territory and integrity, and this behavior "cannot be tolerated by any sovereign state", Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Aug 2. Earlier in the day, the ministry issued a paper giving details of the incursion and rebuking India's excuses for the move. China has repeatedly pointed out that India's trespass violates the 1890 Convention Between Great Britain and China Relating to Sikkim and Tibet, which delineates the China-India boundary in the Sikkim Sector. According to the convention, the Donglang area (Doklam) is on the Chinese side of the boundary.

Gunshots fired near Chinese consulate

China has asked the United States to determine what happened on Aug 2 in a shooting incident outside the Chinese consulate in Los Angeles and to take measures to ensure the safety of the building and the diplomats working there. A man fired several gunshots outside the Consulate General of China in Los Angeles before taking his own life. The shooting, reported at about 6 am, did not injure anyone else. The man, in his 60s, died in his vehicle at the scene, Xinhua News Agency quoted an official from the consulate as saying. A consulate official also told Xinhua that a report saying the shooter is a Chinese national is "just speculation." The official said the Los Angeles Police Department was investigating and would ascertain the gunman's background in the coming days.

Alipay, WeChat Pay vie for customers

Chinese mobile payment leaders Alipay and WeChat Pay are engaged in a weeklong battle from Aug 1 to 8 to encourage consumers to use their e-wallets amid an escalating fight for digital payment supremacy. By dishing out a slew of incentives, such as cash rebates, free bus rides and even a chance to win gold, the companies are taking the cashless payment fever to new heights. During the promotional period, consumers who use Alipay, the world's top mobile payment tool, for their transactions stand to earn up to 4,888 yuan ($727; 613 euros; ￡550) in cash rebates if they make purchases at any of the 10 million-plus brick-and-mortar stores across the country accepting the service. WeChat users can accumulate savings and spend them on Aug 8. Consumers also gain additional cash rewards by sharing promotions with their WeChat contacts.

Panda mama in France expecting twins any day

Chinese panda Huan Huan, who is on loan to France, is expecting twin cubs, according to the zoo, which carried out a medical examination. A team of Chinese and French panda experts awaits the birth of France's first baby pandas. Nine-year-old Huan Huan is pregnant following artificial insemination. She has been receiving intensive care from a team of experts at ZooParc de Beauval, which is about 200 kilometers from Paris. The zoo has formed a team of at least 10 people to help with the birth, according to Delphine Delord, the zoo's director.

BRICS consensuses reached on commerce

Trade ministers of BRICS countries have reached eight major consensuses, including establishing stronger digital networks at ports to ease trade and approving a service trade cooperation road map to boost economic complementarities and diversification, China's commerce minister announced. Zhong Shan, also chairman of the seventh meeting of trade ministers of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa in Shanghai, called on BRICS countries to work together to enhance intra-BRICS investment, and to improve the capacity of services related to investment amid uncertainties in the global economic recovery. The ministers met on Aug 2 and 3.

Young HK talent visiting Zhejiang

Young entrepreneurs from Hong Kong who have made their dreams come true in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, invited young people from their home city to follow in their footsteps on Aug 2. Hundreds of young people from Hong Kong Special Administration Region were on a six-day visit to Zhejiang province. Their average age of the delegation is less than 26. While this type of trip has taken place for years, this is the third year it has been sponsored by the New Home Association NGO of Hong Kong.

Xiongan New Area punishes polluters

The counties that form the Xiongan New Area in Hebei province have shut down thousands of polluting companies since the move to create the area was announced in April. More than 7,200 companies that discharged heavy pollution were investigated and nearly 4,000 were closed, according to an announcement on the area's public WeChat account. About 100 people involved were arrested and detained for questioning about contaminating the environment. The severity of the punishment shows the determination of the area's leaders to tackle environmental problems, observers say.

Human-machine future seen in blink of an eye

A team of Chinese scientists recently invented a micromotion sensor that allows people to control devices and type text by blinking their eyes, according to a paper published in an international science journal. The sensor is fixed to special eyeglasses and applied through two real-time human-machine interfacesa smart home control system and a wireless hands-free typing system. It makes direct contact with the wearer's skin around the eyes and responds to changes in pressure when the wearer blinks intentionally to trigger a computer response. Hu Chenguo, of Chongqing University's Department of Applied Physics, led the research.

China provides more for disasters

The central government has allocated an additional 1 billion yuan ($148 million; 124.88 million euros; ￡111.96 million) to aid regions affected by natural disasters, the Ministry of Finance said on Aug 1. It released more than 1.3 billion yuan earlier for emergency assistance. More than 60 percent of the money will be used for flood control and drought relief, and the rest for restoring agricultural production in areas hit by natural disasters.

Bird flu found in Inner Mongolia

North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region has reported a case of the H5N1 strain of bird flu virus, the Ministry of Agriculture said on Aug 1. The case was discovered at a poultry farm in Tongliao recently. Some 35,000 chickens have been infected and 15,000 have died. The National Avian Influenza Reference Laboratory found the virus during testing of samples collected at the farm, according to the ministry. Local authorities have sealed off and sterilized the infected area.

More electric buses planned for Beijing

The number of electric buses in Beijing will increase tenfold - to 10,000 from the current 1,000 - by 2020, in an effort to improve the environment, Beijing Public Transport Group said on Aug 2. The proportion of all buses powered by electricity alone will increase from the current 10 percent to 60 percent, says Zhong Qianghua, deputy general manager of the group. Zhong says electric buses have lower emissions and make less noise.

Thousands moved over geological risk

More than 30,000 residents in Sichuan province were relocated after a monthlong check for threats of geological instability, according to local authorities. The check was conducted by more than 2,000 investigators in 176 counties, after a landslide left 83 dead or missing in Maoxian county in June.

(China Daily European Weekly 08/04/2017 page2)