New Drilling Ship

China has completed its first domestically produced drilling ship， giving the country extra opportunity to tap into the deep-sea drilling sector.

The ship， officially christened Opus Tiger 1 on November 8， was funded by the Chinese Reignwood Group and constructed by Shanghai Shipyard of China State Shipbuilding Corporation. It is the first drilling ship with all intellectual property rights exclusively owned by China.

The exact amount of investment was not revealed， but industry insiders put the total cost between $200 million-300 million.

IPR Court

A court specializing in intellectual property rights （IPR） opened in Beijing on November 6， in the latest effort to effectively handle IPR conflicts.

The court， which has four hearing rooms， has selected 22 of its 30 judges， each has an average 10 years experience of IPR cases.

The court will mainly hear administrative cases， in which plaintiffs sue authorities over IPR violations.

The establishment of the court is in line with a proposal by the Supreme Peoples Court， which was approved in August by Chinas top legislature， to set up three special courts for IPR cases.

The other two， which will mainly deal with civil cases， are expected to open in Shanghai and Guangzhou in southern Guangdong Province by the end of this year.

Chinese courts hear about 110，000 IPR cases annually and this is expected to increase.

Anti-Terrorism efforts

China has launched a joint mechanism to improve intelligence gathering for anti-terrorism efforts， according to a statement released on November 12.

Guo Shengkun， Minister of Public Security， urged full use of the intelligence to smash violent terrorist activities before they are carried out.

While giving full play to traditional methods of intelligence gathering， authorities should also use big data and information technologies to improve the coordination， sharing and research of anti-terrorism intelligence， he said while attending the launching ceremony of the mechanism.

The gathering center should become a powerful intelligence support to Chinas fight against terrorism， he said.

Phone Users

Chinas phone users numbered 1.53 billion at the end of September， including 1.27 billion mobile phone users， the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced on November 12.

Mobile broadband subscribers reached 525 million at the end of September， including 43.06 million 4G mobile broadband subscribers.

Broadband through fixed-lines reached 200 million households at the end of September.

About 92 percent of villages have accesses to broadband， according to the ministry.

New Bank Cards

Public security experts have developed a type of electronic identity card that will better safeguard personal information and Internet security.

The e-ID， which employs sophisticated security techniques approved by the State Security Cryptography Administration Office， prevents card information from being read， copied， changed or used， said Yan Zeming， a principal investigator with the Third Institute of the Ministry of Public Security.

With personal information stored in a chip embedded in a bank card， the e-ID will allow for easier， safer online shopping by eliminating complicated submissions， Yan said at the ongoing China International Industry Fair in Shanghai.

The institute is trying out the technology in localities across China， with some 6 million e-ID bank cards being issued.

Video Game Studies

A college in southwest Chinas Chongqing Municipality has started offering an optional course on the popular computer game DOTA， fueling debate online about the value of online gaming in academia.

The course， named “recent development of e-sports and analysis of DOTA teams，” aims to improve students teamwork spirit， according to the courses teacher， Zeng Qingqing at Chongqing Energy College.

The weekly course has been a hit at the college， with each class drawing more than 200 students， though only 90 are supposed to show up， according to a student surnamed Wang.

Netizens remain divided on the topic， as many expressed concerns about possible addiction to the game.

Zeng told Xinhua News Agency that class content centers on the analysis of strategies used by the top teams in the game， rather than teaching students how to play online games.

Satellites Launched

China will launch around 120 more applied satellites to accommodate economic and social needs， a senior executive of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation said on November 10.

However， Yang Baohua， Deputy General Manager of the corporation， did not specify the period of time over which the launches will span.

The Chinese economy will continue to record relatively high growth， generating more demand for aerospace technologies， Yang said at an international aviation and aerospace forum held in Zhuhai in south Chinas Guangdong Province.

China will launch about 70 remote sensing satellites to detect the nearEarth space environment and predict extreme events， according to Yang.

China will also launch about 20 communication satellites to meet communication demand in national security and public services.

In addition， China will launch about 30 navigation satellites to provide accurate and reliable global positioning and navigation services.

Married on Singles Day

The couple takes photo with their marriage certificates in Sichuan Province on November 11. Singles Day is a day for people who are single， celebrated on November 11 in China. Over the past few years it has also become an annual date for sales by online vendors similar to Cyber Monday in the United States， though much larger.

Extended Visas

Edmund Thomas Downie shows his visa to the press after becoming the first American citizen to be issued one of the new visas valid for entry within 10 years at the Visa Department of the Chinese Embassy to the United States in Washington D.C. on November 12.

Starting on November 12， under a new agreement announced during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic LeadersMeeting in Beijing， China and the United States will grant each others citizens business or tourist visas valid for entry within 10 years time. The validity of student visas will also be extended to up to five years.

More Uranium

Chinese geologists have found more uranium deposits in Chinas largest uranium mine， Xinhua learned on November 6.

Geological exploration around the western areas of the Daying uranium mine， located in Erdos， north Chinas Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region， had been ongoing for more than six months this year， said Cheng Liwei， Director of the China Central Geological Survey Fund Management Center.

The belt of uranium at the Daying mine is now thought to be 20 km longer than originally estimated， making the mine the 14th largest in the world， said Cheng.

“Compared with a preliminary survey in 2012， this new discovery represents a uranium deposit increase of about 60 percent，” Cheng said.

Uranium is the only commercially available fuel source for nuclear power plants.

CPI and PPI

Chinas consumer price index （CPI）， a main gauge of inflation， grew 1.6 percent year on year in October， the National Bureau of Statistics （NBS） revealed on November 10.

The growth showed similarity to Septembers， which was the lowest since January 2010， the NBS said.

On a monthly basis， Octobers CPI was flat against the previous month， compared with Septembers 0.5-percent increase.

The inflation index grew 2.1 percent year on year in the first 10 months， well below the 3.5-percent full-year target set by the government.

Meanwhile， Chinas producer price index （PPI）， which measures inflation at wholesale level， dropped 2.2 percent year on year in October， the NBS said.

On a monthly basis， the PPI index contracted 0.4 percent from the previous month， the same as that of September.

The PPI declined for the 32nd straight month and more quickly than the previous month， which indicates existing pressure from subdued manufacturing activities and economic growth momentum.

The PPI had dropped 1.8 percent year-on-year in September， 1.2 percent in August and 0.9 percent in July.

In the first 10 months， the countrys PPI dropped 1.7 percent year-on-year.

Surging Exports

Chinas exports rose 11.6 percent year on year to hit $206.87 billion in October， data from the General Administration of Customs showed on November 8.

The October growth rate has decelerated compared to Septembers 15.3 percent， which was the fastest growth rate in 19 months.

Imports in October stood at $161.46 billion， up 4.6 percent.

Total exports and imports rose 8.4 percent to $368.33 billion in October， as trade surplus expanded to $45.41 billion， up 46.3 percent.

In the first 10 months of this year， Chinas total exports and imports hit$3.53 trillion， up 3.8 percent. Trade surplus during the period stood at $277.11 billion， up 38.5 percent year on year.

During the January-October period， trade with the European Union， Chinas largest trading partner， saw the fastest growth of 9.8 percent， amounting to$509.23 billion.

Trade with the United States， Chinas second largest trading partner， came in at $453.74 billion， up 5.5 percent. ChinaASEAN trade went up 7.4 percent to$391.72 billion.

In contrast， trade between the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong fell 10.1 percent to $297.05 billion in the first 10 months， while trade with Japan fell 0.1 percent to $259.51 billion.

New Channel

A construction vehicle works at a section of a tunnel of the Jiujiang-Jingdezhen-Quzhou railway in east Chinas Jiangxi Province.

Designed to travel at a speed of 200 km per hour and with an approved investment of 25.92 billion yuan （$4.23 billion）， the 333-km railway is expected to be completed in 2017.

Energy Agreement

China and Russia signed agreements on November 9 to boost their energy cooperation， including a memorandum of understanding （MOU） to develop a second route to supply China with Russian natural gas.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin witnessed the signing of a series of bilateral cooperation agreements， including an MOU of the China-Russia West Route natural gas pipeline and a framework agreement between China National Petroleum Corp.， Chinas largest oil and gas producer， and Russias energy giant Gazprom.

The two countries have seen broader and closer feasible cooperation in new situation， according to the two leaders.

They agreed to push forward the construction of the east route gas pipeline as scheduled， launch the west route at an early date， negotiate major oil projects in an earnest manner and discuss new cooperation projects of nuclear power and hydropower.

Stock Trading Link

A much-anticipated pilot project to connect stock trading in Shanghai and Hong Kong aims to open up A-shares and usher in further reform in Chinas capital market.

The China Securities Regulatory Commission and the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission announced on November 10 that they had approved the launch of the pilot project to provide mutual-trading access between the Shanghai and Hong Kong bourses.

Investors will be allowed to trade eligible shares listed on either market through local securities firms or brokers from November 17.

The project allows a maximum crossborder investment of 550 billion yuan （$90 billion） and a daily two-way quota of 23.5 billion yuan （$3.84 billion）.

Yuan Clearing Bank

Chinas central bank on November 9 appointed the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China （ICBC） to clear transactions involving the countrys currency， the Renminbi or yuan， in Canadas financial hub of Toronto.

According to a memorandum of understanding （MOU） between the two central banks， the Peoples Bank of China （PBC） decided to authorize the Canadian branch of ICBC to clear yuan transactions in Toronto， the PBC said in a statement on its website.

The PBC signed the MOU with the Bank of Canada on November 8. In the MOU， the Canadian central bank promised to support the establishment of a yuan clearing bank in Canada.

Also on November 8， the two central banks signed a currency swap deal worth 200 billion yuan （$32.64 billion） or 37 billion Canadian dollars.

Aircraft Export

Harbin Aircraft Industry Group Co. Ltd.（HAIG）， a subsidiary of Aviation Industry Corp. of China （AVIC）， on November 11 signed a contract with a U.S. airliner to sell 20 Y12 series aircraft to the firm.

The aircraft will be used for sightseeing tours and cargo transport from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon. This is the first time China has exported civil aircraft to the United States.

The HAIG， based in Harbin， capital of northeast Chinas Heilongjiang Province， is a component supplier for world famous aviation enterprises such as Boeing and Airbus and has independently developed a variety of aircraft， including helicopters and light regional aircraft.

The Y12 series aircraft is a light and general purpose aircraft. The high wing two-engine aircraft can be used for both passenger and cargo transportation， as well as parachute jumping and touring.

HAIG has sold 130 units of its Y12 series aircraft to more than 20 countries and regions worldwide.

Funding Boost

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi Inc. is talking to investors and banks to raise about $1.5 billion in its fifth round of financing， financial news website Jiemian of the Shanghai United Media Group reported on November 8.

The fundraising target is roughly$1.5 billion， which would be the largest investment （excluding IPO） raised by any Chinese company backed by venture capital.

One of the investors is said to be DST Global， a London-based investment firm that focuses on Internet companies， Jiemian said in the report.

Xiaomi， currently the worlds third largest smartphone maker after Samsung and Apple， will use most of the money raised to develop video content for Xiaomi TV， according to the report.

Ready to Set Sail

Ships float on the main course of Xiangjiang River around Orange Island Bridge in Changsha， capital of central Chinas Hunan Province.