Better Preservation

Wang Zhidong stores his corn in a special container at Changping Village in Zhaodong， northeast Chinas Heilongjiang Province， on October 31.

With subsidies from the local government， Wang pays only about 500 yuan （$74） for the barn， which can store 20 tons of corn and prevent the grain from becoming mildewed.

The local government has funded and built more than 1，700 such barns this year.

Educational Investment

The Central Government has earmarked over 4 billion yuan （$592 million） to improve education in agricultural and pastoral areas in Tibet Autonomous Region.

According to the regional education department， since 2014， over 1，000 compulsory education schools in 74 counties and districts have been funded for renovation， purchasing equipment and other projects.

In Maizhokunggar County， over 700 students access Internet classes in a primary school with 42 teachers using electronic blackboards during lessons.

The school headmaster， Tsedan Tashi， said the new equipment and facilities have improved the teaching quality and attracted more students. The region is spending over 6.7 billion yuan （$991.6 million） from 2014 to 2018 to build schools and purchase computers， classroom furniture， beds for students， textbooks and instruments.

Revision of Civil Code

A revised draft of the general rules of the civil code of China， submitted to the top legislature for a second reading on October 31， stipulates for the first time that citizens personal information would be protected by law.

No organization or individual can illegally collect， use， process and transmit personal information， according to the draft submitted to the National Peoples Congress（NPC） Standing Committee. It also bars anyone from illegally providing， disclosing or selling personal information.

Personal information leaks are rampant in China. Although criminal law addresses crimes like infringing on citizens personal information， the General Principles of Civil Law， which came into force in 1987， has no clause to protect personal information leaks.

The revision will also clarify the legal guardianship law. When a legal guardianship is revoked， a new guardian will be designated under a principle that favors the minors involved.

The first draft in June had said guardianship could be reinstated if the erring guardian showed repentance. However， the new draft says only the parents of minors are eligible for the reinstatement of guardianship， and in this matter， the will of the children would be respected.

The revised draft also bars shareholders in an organization from abusing other shareholderslimited liability to evade debts and thus damage the interests of the creditors.

Stricter Fuel Standards

New fuel standards for vehicles will be implemented in Beijing from January 2017， the citys environmental protection department said on October 31.

The new standards， or Jing-VI standards， are aimed at reducing the emission of volatile organic compounds and the formation of PM2.5 and ozone. Improving the quality of fuel will reduce the emission of particles and nitrogen oxide， the department said.

For gasoline-powered cars， the new fuel will cut particle emissions by about 10 percent and nonmethane organic gases and nitrogen oxide by another 10 percent， according to Li Kunsheng， an official with the department. Li added that diesel vehicles will also emit fewer pollutants under the new standards.

Beijing has upgraded its fuel standards four times， in 2004， 2005， 2008 and 2012.

The city has 5.65 million registered vehicles， which emit about 500，000 metric tons of pollutants every year. Li said automobile exhaust pollution is the largest source of PM2.5 in the city.

J-20 Stealth Fighter

Chinas domestically built stealth fighter， the J-20， has made its public debut at an air show in the southern city of Zhuhai in Guangdong Province.

Chinas air-force pilots flew the new-generation warcraft for a minute amid cheers from the crowd.

The development of the J-20 is progressing as scheduled， said Shen Jinke， Peoples Liberation Army Air Force spokesperson， at a press conference. Shen said the jet will help the air force better fulfill the mission of “safeguarding national sovereignty， security and territorial integrity.”

The 11th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition ran from November 1 to 6.

Making Life Healthier

Participants attend the opening of the 2016 World Life Science Conference in Beijing on November 1. The three-day event， sponsored by the China Association for Science and Technology， focused on health， agriculture and the environment. It had invited a dozen of Nobel laureates as well as representatives of scientific， technological and industry circles from 36 countries and regions.

Search for Survivors

More than 400 rescue workers search for survivors at the Jinshangou coal mine in Yongchuan District of Chongqing， southwest China， on November 1. Thirty-three people were confirmed dead after an explosion in the mine on October 31.

An investigation into the cause of the accident is underway under the supervision of the State Administration of Work Safety. Preliminary investigations show the mine exceeded its boundaries， had insufficient and malfunctioning equipment， poor ventilation and chaotic management.

Cultural Relic Protection

The State Administration of Cultural Heritage （SACH）， Chinas cultural relics watchdog， has come up with a regulation banning the auction of stolen， smuggled and looted cultural relics nationwide.

Other relics banned from going under the hammer include those legally confiscated by the government or owned or stored by government sectors， and those belonging to state relic shops， national enterprises， the military and private museums.

The regulation also says SACH retains purchasing priority and the right to set prices for the artifacts that make it to legal auctions.

Cultural relics from China have been auctioned many times in recent years， upsetting both the Chinese Government and the public. In 2009， two bronze sculptures， representing the heads of a rabbit and a mouse， were auctioned in Paris. These were looted when the Old Summer Palace of Emperor Qianlong （1736-95） was burned down by Anglo-French Allied Forces in 1860.

Though the new regulation has been warmly welcomed on Chinese social media， many Internet users have also expressed concern， pointing out that it has no authority over overseas markets， where most looted cultural relics end up.

More Circuit Courts

China has approved a plan to establish four more circuit courts to lessen the burden on the apex court and improve judicial efficiency.

The plan， approved on November 1 during a meeting of the Leading Group for Overall Reform led by President Xi Jinping， provides new circuit courts for Chongqing municipality； Xian in Shaanxi Province； Nanjing in Jiangsu Province； and Zhengzhou in Henan Province.

Currently， there are two circuit courts—in Shenzhen， Guangdong Province， and in Shenyang， Liaoning Province. They were set up at the end of 2014 and began operating early last year.

The circuit courts will make it convenient for residents to file lawsuits and stave off intervention. In the past， some administrative cases involving disputes between government departments and residents had seen administrative interference.

Antarctic Expedition

China launched its 33rd Antarctic expedition when research vessel and icebreaker Xue Long， or Snow Dragon， left a Shanghai dock on the morning of November 2.

A 256-member team has embarked on their 161-day trip of 31，000 nautical miles， according to Sun Bo， Deputy Director of the Polar Research Institute of China， who leads the team.

They will visit the Zhongshan， Kunlun， Taishan and Changcheng stations， performing various research tasks. The team will also carry out an environmental clean-up around the stations.

The team is scheduled to return to Shanghai on April 11 next year.

The expedition has a list of 72 tasks to perform including prelimi- nary site selection for Chinas new base on the Ross Sea and work on fixed-wing aircraft.

Xue Long will arrive at the Zhongshan station in eastern Antarctica in early December. After unloading at the Zhongshan， Kunlun， and Taishan stations， the ship heads to Chile to resupply.

In late January next year it will survey the Ross Sea， returning to the Zhongshan station in February before departing home in March.

Manufacturing PMI

Chinas manufacturing purchasing managers index （PMI） rose to 51.2 in October from 50.4 in September， well above market expectations and the highest since July 2014， according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics （NBS） on November 1.

The manufacturing PMI has stayed above the 50-point mark， which demarcates expansion， for the third month in a row.

The sub-index for production expanded at a faster pace， rising to 53.3 from 52.8 in September， the highest level since September 2014.

The sub-index for new orders moved up to 52.8 from the previous months 50.9. That helped offset weakness in new export orders， which came in at 49.2， down from 50.1 in September.

Along with the boost in production and new orders， the business expectations measure jumped to 58.5， the highest since April.

NBS statistician Zhao Qinghe attributed the pickup in Octobers manufacturing PMI to improved domestic demand， booming new growth drivers such as hi-tech industries and equipment manufacturing sectors， accelerated supply-side structural reforms and higher commodity prices.

According to NBS data， the nonmanufacturing PMI expanded to 54 from 53.7 in September， marking the highest level this year.

The non-manufacturing subindex for new orders fell to 50.9 from 51.4 in September， but stayed in expansionary territory for the second consecutive month， indicating demand in the sector continued to improve， Zhao said.

On the Regular Track

The inaugural train on the first China-South Asia international freight route sets out from Lanzhou in Gansu Province for Kathmandu， Nepal， on October 31.

The event marked the launch of regular freight service between the two cities， which takes around 10 days for a oneway trip， 35 days less than previous land and sea routes.

Investment Boost

The civilian airport market is fully accessible to private capital with the national aviation authority issuing a sweeping rights-granting guideline on October 30.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China （CAAC） rolled out the red carpet for private capital in all civilian projects planned in the countrys outline for airport development or special regional and industrial planning.

Private capital can participate in the construction and operation of civilian airports and their affiliated facilities via franchising， transfer of operation or stock right， and entrusted operation.

Private investment no longer needs CAACs approval to fund terminals， logistics and warehousing， ground services and other operations of entirely civilian airports.

Qualified private and foreign investments can provide intermediary services such as counseling， designing and maintenance.

China has also fully opened the general aviation airport construction market， the launch pad for a fledgling industry with a market value projected to hit 150 billion yuan （$22 billion） by 2020.

Opening the door to private capital is expected to alleviate the governments financial pressure and accelerate the building of civilian airports.

Post-80s Rich List

The husband-and-wife team of Wang Qicheng and Wu Yan， founders of Hakim Unique， an Internet business company， are the richest post-80s self-made billionaires in China with a fortune of 24.5 billion yuan （$3.62 billion）， according to a new report.

The Post-80s Generation Rich List 2016 released by Hurun Report includes self-made billionaires as well as billionaires by inheritance.

Drone maker SZ DJI Technologys founder Wang Tao， 36， with a fortune of 24 billion yuan （$3.5 billion） came in second.

Cheng Wei， 33， founder and CEO of Didi Chuxing， and Zhang Bangxin， 36， Chairman and CEO of the TAL Education Group， tied for third place with a fortune of 13 billion yuan （$1.9 billion） each.

A total of 68 entrepreneurs， including 22 self-made billionaires， made it to the list， 12 more than last year.

Mobvistas Duan Wei， 30， was the youngest post-80s selfmade billionaire， followed by Shao Heng， 31， Chairman of the Zhejiang Century Huatong Group， and Zhang Xuhao， 31， founder of the online food delivery service company Ele.me. The Post-80s Generation Inherited Billionaires List had 13 inheritors whose fortunes were worth over 5 billion yuan （$739 million） each. Their average age was 33， a year younger than the self-made billionaires.

Automated Vehicles

The United States and China have surged ahead of other countries in automated vehicle sales， according to a report issued by international business consultancy Roland Berger and German automotive research institution fka.

According to the report， American and Chinese markets have posted the highest sales figures while Sweden and Germany own the biggest market shares. France， Italy， Japan and South Korea rank the lowest in automated vehicle sales.

The report also shows that while every country has different priorities， communication technology supporting vehicle connectivity will become a new focus in the industry. Statistics from Beijing-based Internet consultancy Analysys show Chinas intelligent driving industry market is expected to be worth 121.4 billion yuan （$17.9 billion） by 2020. Analysys said policies related to intelligent driving in China would help Chinese intelligent driving products achieve commercial operations as soon as possible. It also predicted that low-end intelligent driving firms would see a new round of market reshuffle.

IoT Touches Everything

A visitor tries on a smart helmet at the 2016 World Internet of Things （IoT） Exposition in Wuxi， Jiangsu Province， on October 30.

Themed “Create IoT Era， Share Global Intelligence，” the expo lasted from October 30 to November 1. It is the largest event of its kind in China.

Teaming Up

Jack Ma （right）， Chairman of e-commerce giant Alibaba Group， and Dhanin Chearavanont， Chairman and CEO of Thailands Charoen Pokphand Group， exchange gifts at the launch of a partnership between their companies financial arms in Hong Kong on November 1.

Under the agreement， Alibabas Ant Financial Services Group will invest in Charoen Pokphands Ascend Money. The move is part of Ant Financials global expansion plan to serve 2 billion customers in the next 10 years.

Insurance Profits

Insurance companies profits dropped an estimated 35.68 percent year on year to 156.96 billion yuan （$23.18 billion） in the first three quarters， the China Insurance Regulatory Commission （CIRC） said on November 1.

The rate of decline was less than the 54.05-percent drop in the first half of this year.

CIRC attributed the drop to lower yields on insurance funds. From January to September， yields on insurance funds shrank 19 percent year on year to 483 billion yuan （$71.33 billion）.

Duan Haizhou， a statistics officer with CIRC， said the insurance market expanded rapidly in the first three quarters as premiums grew 32 percent to 2.5 trillion yuan （$362.28 billion）， exceeding the total in 2015.

At the end of September， total industry assets stood at 14.63 trillion yuan （$2.12 trillion）， up 18.38 percent since the beginning of the year， according to CIRC.

E-Commerce Satellite

China plans to launch its first ecommerce satellite in 2017， with the primary purpose of using the data in agriculture.

The plan was announced on October 31 during an international aviation and aerospace forum in Zhuhai， Guangdong Province， by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology， China Aerospace Museum and Juhuasuan， an arm of e-commerce giant Alibaba.

“In an era of space economy， the potential of a commercial space industry is immeasurable，” Han Qingping， President of ChinaRocket Co. Ltd.， a subsidiary of the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology， said at the forum.

In 2015， the value of the global space industry amounted to $330 billion， 76 percent of which stemmed from commercial activities.

Chinese authorities are making efforts， including writing legislation， to support and regulate the development of a commercial space industry.

“China is speeding up drafting a space law so that it can be completed by the end of this year，”Hu Chaobin， an official from the State Administration of Science， Technology and Industry for National Defense， said at the forum.