Cute But Deadly

A total of 105 Siberian tiger cubs， one of the worlds most endangered animals， were born in 2014 at the Siberian Tiger Park in Heilongjiang Province.

Over the past decade， the Siberian Tiger Park， the largest Siberian tiger breeding and field training center in the world， has adopted planned breeding of tigers in a move to protect strong genes among the species population. Currently， there are more than 1，000 Siberian tigers in the park.

Reform Achievements

China “basically finished” 80 key reform tasks identified for last year， according to a statement of the eighth meeting of the central leading group for comprehensively deepening reform on December 30， 2014.

In addition， 108 missions assigned to various central departments have also been completed， according to the statement.

The meeting approved a summary of progress in comprehensively deepening reform in 2014， outlined a work agenda for the leading group in 2015 and set key tasks for implementing the decision of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in October 2014， which focused on promoting the rule of law.

The leading group was established upon a decision passed at the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee in November 2013， a measure to promote the countrys overall reforms.

Speaking at the meeting， President Xi Jinping， also chief of the leading group， called for continued efforts to quicken the reforms strong momentum.

“Strike the iron while its hot，” Xi urged at the meeting.

Public Service Ads

China has set up a special fund worth more than 10 million yuan （$1.6 million） to support public service advertisements.

Radio and TV programs， roadside billboards and banners have long played a key role in promoting good values and providing knowledge on a range of topics， from furnace safety to giving up bus seats to the elderly.

A total of 132 projects chosen from more than 500 applications have been covered by the fund， the State Administration of Press， Publication， Radio， Film and Television （SAPPRFT） said on December 26， 2014.

Completed projects that have already aired include one by the Beijing Media Network calling for patience in parenting， as well as an anti-speeding ad by a radio station in east Chinas Zhejiang Province.

Figures from the administration show that central and local television groups made 16，000-plus public service ads under the organization of SAPPRFT as of November 2014， with total air time of some 3 million minutes.

SAPPRFT vowed to increase financial investment to boost the production and airing of public service programs.

Cross-Regional Court

Chinas first cross-region court and procuratorate were established in Shanghai on December 28， 2014， as part of the countrys judicial reform to reduce the interference of local governments on administrative litigation cases.

The Shanghai No.3 Intermediate Peoples Court is responsible for hearing the cross-region administrative litigation cases， major civil and commercial litigation cases， environmental protection cases as well as food and drug safety cases.

During the trial period， the court will mainly hear the administrative litigation cases with the municipal government as the defendant.

Shanghai had 16 districts and one county by the end of 2013. In the past， each district court and procuratorate is responsible for handling the cases within the district.

HD Land Imaging

China can now view the entire countrys land mass using HD satellite images， it was announced at a national geomapping conference held on December 26， 2014.

According to a statement issued by the National Administration of Surveying， Mapping and Geoinformation， China has begun capturing remote-sensing images with clear view of objects of as little as a meter in length since 2012.

By October 2014， such highresolution images had covered Chinas entire land territory.

Ebola Vaccine Test

The Chinese military has developed and will test an Ebola vaccine on humans， a Defense Ministry spokesman said on December 25， 2014.

At a press briefing， spokesman Yang Yujun said that a research team at the Academy of Military Medical Sciences had developed the vaccine.

Yang said that since September 2014， the Chinese military had sent some 300 medical personnel and specialists to Sierra Leone and Liberia in eastern Africa to help control the epidemic.

New Ship in Operation

Chinas first multifunctional offshore engineering ship capable of operating 3，000 meters under the water was put into operation on December 28， 2014， a major progress for Chinas deepwater ability.

The Offshore Oil 286 ship， built with an investment of more than 1 billion yuan （$163 million）， belongs to the Offshore Oil Engineering Co. Ltd.， an affiliate of China National Offshore Oil Corp.， the countrys largest offshore oil and gas producer.

The ship， 141 meters long and 29 meters wide， has a maximum loading capacity of 11，228 tons， and can accommodate up to 150 crew members. It is equipped with a 400-ton crane to fulfill installing missions underwater.

The ship can undertake hoisting and pipe-laying missions and support underwater robot and diving missions. It can also carry out equipment maintenance work.

Fare Hike

Passengers walk downstairs to take a train at the Xuanwumen Subway Station in Beijing on December 29， 2014.

Beijings public transport adopted a new system for calculating bus and subway fares on December 28 last year， which doubled previous prices on average. The increase was not enough to deter commuters who live far from their work from choosing public transport， particularly the capitals always bustling subway lines.

The number of passengers taking the subway hit 3.2 billion last year in Beijing， an increase of 350 percent from 2007.

High-Speed Rail

The final part of the engineering work for the mainland section of the high-speed railway between Beijing and Hong Kong is completed on December 29， 2014.

Yellow Book Published

World Economy Analysis and Forecast （2015） and Annual Report on International Politics and Security （2015） were released by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences on December 26， 2014， in Beijing.

The two books， compiled by the Institute of World Economics and Politics of the academy and published by the Social Sciences Academic Press（China）， are part of the Yellow Book of World Economy and the Yellow Book of International Politics respectively.

World Economy Analysis and Forecast （2015） analyzes the economic situation of worlds major countries and region in 2014 and makes corresponding predictions.

This book also includes special reports on international trade， international finance， foreign direct investment， global commodity price， and studies on hot economic issues in 2014.

Supporting ‘Going Global

The government will increase financial support for Chinese companies investing and operating overseas， or “going global.”

Better financing can make more use of excess production capacity and promote cooperation with foreign companies， according to a statement released after a State Council executive meeting presided over by Premier Li Keqiang on December 24， 2014.

Approval for overseas investment should be made easier to obtain， including the procedures for listing， mergers and acquisitions overseas and for banks setting up overseas branches.

China will ensure financing support for exports of large equipment， encourage commercial banks to finance the whole industrial chain of equipment manufacture and promote use of foreign exchange reserves.

Policies concerning the cross-border payment and clearing of the yuan and export credit insurance should be improved.

Overseas direct investment by nonfinancial companies rose 11.9 percent to reach $89.8 billion in the first 11 months of 2014， data from Chinas Ministry of Commerce showed.

Ruling on Qualcomm

Chinas top antitrust body will form a final ruling on mobile chip maker Qualcomm Inc. as soon as possible， an official statement said on December 27， 2014.

Qualcomm was accused of price fixing and abusing its dominance in the Chinese market. Probes into the case started in November 2013 in response to complaints from industry associations. Xu Kunlin， Director of the Price Supervision and Anti-monopoly Bureau of the National Development and Reform Commission （NDRC）， said the case is being pushed forward in line with legal procedures， according to an online statement of the NDRC.

However， the commission did not mention a specific date for unveiling the ruling.

Qualcomm said it will continue to support the work of the NDRC， said the statement， noting Qualcomm President Derek Aberle had visited the commission several times to exchange views with the bureau.

Upscaling Capacity

Workers assemble cars at a production line in domestic automaker JACs new base in Yangzhou， east Chinas Jiangsu Province， which started operation on December 28， 2014.

The company said it will continue to expand its coverage and improve services so that more foreign nationals adopt their products.

According to data from the China National Administration of Tourism， Chinese travelers made more than 100 million overseas trips in the first 11 months of 2014， compared to less than 9 million in 1998.

China-Cambodia Tourism

China and Cambodia signed a memorandum of understanding （MOU） on tourism strategic cooperation on December 29， 2014， aiming at attracting more Chinese visitors to Cambodia.

The deal was inked between Cambodian Tourism Minister Thong Khon and Wang Weimin， Chairman of the state-owned China International Travel Service Corp. （CITS） under the presence of Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Cabinet Minister Sok An.

“The cooperation will help attract more Chinese tourists and foreign tourists visiting China to come to Cambodia.” Sok An said after the signing ceremony.

According to Thong Khon， to date， 66 Chinese tour operators and 41 Cambodian tour companies have been providing tour services to tourists between the two countries， and eight Chinese airlines have been operating direct flights between the two nations.

“As part of the MOU， a CITSs dutyfree shop will be inaugurated in the cultural city of Siem Reap on December 30，” Wang said， adding that CITS would operate direct flights between China and Cambodia in the near future.

UnionPay Expansion

UnionPay International announced plans to expand its overseas presence on December 26， 2014， with companys services already available in 148 countries and regions outside the Chinese mainland.

Nearly 20 million UnionPay cards have been issued in Hong Kong and Macao.

The Asia-Pacific region is the market stronghold but UnionPay has also become one of the biggest international bankcard brands. In Europe and North America， UnionPay basically covers the tour sites frequented by Chinese travelers.

Water Diversion

Jiudianxia Reservoir winds through mountains in Zhuoni County， northwest China Gansu Province.

On December 28， 2014， the largest inter-basin water transfer project in Gansu is formally opened， which benefits 1.55 million people in seven counties.

FTZ Equity Fund

The Shanghai Free Trade Zone Equity Investment Fund was established in Shanghai on December 28， 2014， the first fund in the country focusing on investment in the China （Shanghai） Pilot Free Trade Zone （FTZ）.

The fund， which will raise a total of 5 billion yuan （$817 million） and 1.5 billion yuan （$240 million） in the first phase， was initiated by four stateowned enterprises—Shanghai Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone Development Co. Ltd.， Shanghai Waigaoqiao（Group） Co. Ltd.， China Cinda Asset Management Co. Ltd. and China Orient Asset Management Corp.

The fund will mainly concentrate on investment in modern logistics and warehousing， commercial real estate， cross-border e-commerce， an imported goods direct sales center and cultural product trading platform within the FTZ， said Yang Xiaoming， Chairman of the Shanghai Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone Development Co. Ltd.

In addition to the four stateowned initiators， the fund also hosts investments from private and foreign enterprises， said Yang.

The fund， with a mixed ownership， will promote the financial capital to cater for the real economy， service industry and urban infrastructure， and will become a landmark for the integration of capital and industry within the FTZ.

Oilfield Cuts Output

Daqing Oilfield， the largest oilfield explored by Chinas major oil and gas producer PetroChina， is expected to reduce its production starting in 2015. According to the economic working conference of northeast Chinas Heilongjiang Province on December 27， 2014， Daqing Oilfield—which produces nearly one fourth of Chinas total oil output annually—will see output reduction by 1.5 million tons this year. By 2020， Daqings annual output will be slashed to 32 million tons.

As Chinas largest inland oilfield， Daqing has produced more than 2.1 billion tons of crude oil since production started in 1960.

Limited oil reserves， high cost of development and declining international oil prices have caused the fast-depleting Daqing Oilfield to reduce output， a staff who declined to be named from Daqing told Chinas Xinhua News Agency.

He said the proper adjustment of output can allow the oilfield to develop sustainably and give more time to research on new technologies.

In order to offset adverse impact of the output reduction on local economy， the province planned to accelerate its economic restructuring and deepen cooperation with PetroChina by promoting the oil refining projects.

Beijings New Airport

Construction of Beijings new airport started on December 26， 2014. The project will cost 79.98 billion yuan （$13.11 billion） and take about five years to complete.

The airport is designed to handle 72 million passengers， 2 million tons of cargo and mail， and 620，000 flights by 2025， according to the NDRC.

It is expected to meet Beijings rising demand for air transportation and help achieve balanced development in the capitals southern and northern areas.

The new airport will be built in southern Beijings Daxing District， which borders Hebei Province.

Experts believe the project could help boost the regional integration of Beijing， Tianjin and Hebei.

An official with the Civil Aviation Administration of China noted that the new airport could ease the burden of the Beijing Capital International Airport， which is located in northeastern Beijing and was listed as the second busiest airport by passenger numbers in the world in 2013.