CHINESE SPRINTER BREAKS 10-SECOND BARRIER

Sprinter Su Bingtian finished third in the 100-meter dash at the Eugene Grand Prix in the United States on May 30 in 9.99 seconds， becoming the first Asian-born athlete to officially beat the 10-second barrier in mens 100 meters.

“I am so proud of my result. I can write my name into history now and will work harder and run faster，” said the 26-year-old sprinter.

Su participated in his first official competition in November 2004. In September 2011， he took top honors in the 100 meters in a national track and field tournament with a time of 10.16 seconds. Su became Chinas first sprinter to enter the semi-final stages at the Summer Olympics in August 2012 in London.

“I hope that in this years world championships [taking place in Beijing in August]， I can work some miracles for my country in the 100 meters and 4 X 100-meter relay，” he said.

New Frontiers of Anti-Corruption

South Reviews May 20-June 2

Since the Central Government stepped up anti-corruption efforts in 2013， a large number of provincial- and ministerial-level officials have fallen from grace. Now the target of the anti-corruption campaign has been shifted to leaders of state-owned enterprises （SOEs） and local government officials.

For a long time， Chinas economic growth has been driven by local governments and SOEs. The two driving forces are currently undergoing reforms， which will integrate the anti-corruption drive with the countrys economic development. SOEs are likely to breed corruption owing to their large assets and lack of supervision. In order to fight against corruption， these companies may sell their shares to institutional investors such as private equity firms and insurance companies， allowing their representatives to assume management positions in SOEs and supervise their leaders. However， it takes a long time for this to be realized.

As anti-corruption efforts intensify， local government officials who used to vie for real estate and other construction projects are reluctant to pursue new projects for fear of making mistakes. Many officials have been found guilty of accepting bribes in the review and approval process and removed from their posts. As the old economic growth model driven by local governments is receding while the new model hasnt turned up， the Chinese economy is facing unprecedented pressure.

The Water Scarcity Blues

Oriental Outlook June 4

As an English saying goes， “In fair weather， prepare for the foul，” the need to develop emergency sources of water supply in cities has become increasingly urgent. Beijing began to realize the importance of water resource reserves in 1999 when a serious drought hit the city.

The Chinese capital suffers from water shortages. According to statistics， the citys per-capita water resource volume is less than 400 cubic meters， accounting for only one sixth of the national average and one 25th of the world average—far below the internationally recognized lower limit of 1，000 cubic meters per capita.

In the years that followed， Beijing constructed a number of emergency water resource reserves in its suburban areas. As the first Chinese city to do so， Beijing has set an example for other cities across the country. Twenty-one provincial capitals， or 75 percent of the total， have built or are building water resource reserves. However， the problem is that many newly constructed reserves have been polluted due to inadequate protection.

In Beijing， excessive exploitation of reserved water reserves has caused a sharp drop in the amount of underground water. In order to protect its underground water， Beijing is diversifying its water supply by utilizing recycled water and water channeled from central Chinas Hubei Province through the south-to-north water diversion project.

An Insubstantial Regulation

Legal Daily May 28

A government regulation restricting the use of plastic bags was put in place on June 1， 2008. According to the regulation， plastic bags less than 0.025 millimeters thick were forbidden to be produced， sold and used. All retailers such as supermarkets， department stores and vegetable markets are not allowed to provide plastic bags for free.

Although seven years have passed， plastic bags remain widely used. Supermarkets have profited from charging a fee for plastic bags， while vegetable markets， food stores and boutiques still offer super thin plastic bags free of charge.

The regulation has been poorly implemented for several reasons. Super thin plastic bags are still being produced by small underground workshops. Also， consumers have a weak sense of environmental protection and choose to use plastic bags for convenience. Moreover， its difficult to enforce the regulation in numerous vegetable markets.

In a nutshell， the prime reason behind the prevalent use of banned plastic bags is a lack of supervision. Supervision was relatively strict following the adoption of the regulation. However， in recent years， supervision has loosened. Related government departments such as quality supervision and inspection authorities， as well as industry and commerce administrations， would carry out investigations only after receiving tips. The punishment they impose is often no more than requiring wrongdoers to correct their misbehaviors.

FULL STEAM AHEAD FOR NEW RAIL HEAD

Cui Dianguo， former President of CNR， was announced as the first chairman of the board of Beijing-based CRRC， the product of a merger between Chinas two largest train manufacturers CNR and CSR， on June 1.

According to the merger plan， the new company will focus on international operations in order to gain a stronger foothold overseas. Chinas leading position in the high-speed rail sector is only expected to be further cemented as CRRC continues to develop new advanced technology.

Cui was born in 1954 in Dalian， northeast Chinas Liaoning Province. He studied vehicle engineering at Xian Jiaotong University from 1978 to 1982 and joined CNR in 1998. Since 2008， Cui had acted as president of the company. He said the merger will accelerate innovation and upgrade related industries， changing the perception of China as primarily a manufacturing economy to one strong in innovation.

“Hukou reform is like killing three birds with one stone. It would ensure the stability and improvement of the labor force， raise productivity and boost migrant workers consumption.”

Cai Fang， Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences， stating his belief that reform of the hukou （household registration） system could promote economic growth as the nations traditional advantage of cheap and abundant labor wanes

“South Korean companies should see the Chinese market as a place where they compete with Chinese and global companies in hi-tech industries， not as a place where they can manufacture products with low labor costs.”

Han Jae Jin， a senior research fellow with the Hyundai Research Institute of South Korea， saying that the signing of the China-South Korea free trade agreement on June 1 points the way to deepened bilateral economic cooperation

“The central bank will continue to improve its instrument mix and try to maintain proper liquidity growth in 2015.”

Zhou Xiaochuan， Governor of the Peoples Bank of China， announcing on May 26 that China will steadily open its financial sector to the world on the basis of national financial security

“They are not trying to achieve the fastest possible growth but rather the fastest sustainable growth.”

David Lipton， First Deputy Managing Director of IMF， applauding recent reports that Chinese policymakers are pursuing a “quality growth” strategy