Hand in Hand

Attendants of the First Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Leaders Meeting—Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh， Lao Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong， Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha， Chinese Premier Li Keqiang， Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and Vice President of Myanmar Sai Mauk Kham （left to right）—pose for photos in Sanya， south Chinas Hainan Province， on March 22.

The meeting was held on March 23 with the theme “Shared River， Shared Future.”

Higher Sea Levels

Chinas average annual rise in sea levels from 1980 to 2015 was 3 millimeters， higher than the global average， according to a report released by the State Oceanic Administration on March 22.

The decade between 2006 and 2015 saw the fastest rise in the past 30 years， with the mean sea level increasing by 32 millimeters and 66 millimeters， respectively， compared with the figures from the 1996-2005 and 1986-1995 periods， said the report.

The report stated that thermal expansion of seawater and the melting of glaciers and ice sheets on land due to global warming contributed to the accelerated rise in global sea levels.

China has also seen its air and seawater temperatures increase due to climate change， along with lower air pressure in coastal regions， resulting in rising sea levels， according to the report.

Statistics showed that Chinas sea level drops during El Nino weather patterns. The sea level in 2015 was down by 21 millimeters from 2014 due to a strong El Nino that affected the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean.

The report also suggested authorities take sea-level rises into consideration when planning coastal cities to ensure safety and effective disaster prevention and relief efforts.

On the same day， another report released by the administration revealed that oceanic disasters in China in 2015 caused direct economic losses of over 7.27 billion yuan （$1.12 billion） and the deaths of 30 people.

In 2015， the coastal provinces of Zhejiang， Fujian and Guangdong suffered the most during oceanic disasters， with their direct economic losses accounting for 97 percent of the total.

Python Skins

Customs officials from the southern province of Hainan announced on March 18 they have seized 68，000 pieces of python skins worth 310 million yuan （$48 million）.

A total of 16 suspects were caught in a raid in five cities on January 29， according to the customs office of Haikou， capital of Hainan.

A local company is alleged to have obtained a wild animal import license to produce folk instruments， but used it to smuggle python skins from Viet Nam since 2014， according to the customs officials.

The company is also alleged to have made false customs declarations to avoid taxes of 11 million yuan （$1.69 million）.

Pythons are protected in China. The import of python skin is therefore tightly controlled by the government and requires a valid license.

Language Data

The first stages of fieldwork for a project to help preserve Chinas ethnic minority languages and dialects， including some on the verge of vanishing， has been completed， according to the Ministry of Education（MOE）.

Specialists worked in 81 fieldwork sites in ethnic minority regions and 53 sites with different Chinese dialects to help preserve the languages by collecting and documenting their use.

The MOE and the State Language Commission launched the project in May 2015 with the goal of collecting and preserving the languages over five years.

The project is also designed to augment and streamline the current multi-media database of Chinese languages compiled in 2008.

In 2015， the preservation project began from places where dialects and ethnic minority languages are in dire need of conservation， including Shanxi， Zhejiang and Fujian provinces as well as Chongqing. It will expand to more localities later.

The MOE also urged localities to build regional museums dedicated to preserving and sharing language culture.

Number of Websites

The number of websites in China rose to 4.27 million at the end of last year， new figures showed on March 18.

A total of 620，000 Chinese websites were launched in 2015， exceeding the number of sites launched during the 2010-14 period， according to a report released by the Internet Society of China.

Of the 4.27 million websites， 3.02 million were operated by companies， up 493，000 from one year earlier. Around 1 million websites were run by individuals， representing an increase of 110，000 from 2014， the report said.

Average mobile Internet traffic by Chinese netizens exceeded 366.5 megabytes per month in 2015， up 85.3 percent year on year. The number of 4G users jumped to 386 million at the end of 2015， compared with 289 million at the end of 2014.

Natural Reserve

The Chinese nature reserve Wudalianchi in Heihe， northeast Chinas Heilongjiang Province， was awarded the Michel Batisse Award at the Fourth World Congress of Biosphere Reserves in Lima， Peru.

A documentary about Wudalianchi was shown at a ceremony on March 18， allowing the audience to appreciate its ample ecosystem， in which innovative solutions have been presented to tackle problems related to environmental conservation， ecology and sustainable development.

The Michel Batisse Award has been given out by UNESCOs Man and the Biosphere Program since 1989， helping to further research on ecosystems， natural resources and biodiversity.

New Vaccine

China has developed a vaccine against hand， foot and mouth disease （HFMD）. The human diploid cell vaccine， is the first against enterovirus 71 （EV71）， a primary cause of the HFMD.

The vaccine prevented 97.3 percent of testers from contracting EV71， according to the Institute of Medical Biology， Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences， the vaccine developer.

The HFMD is caused by a group of enteroviruses including EV71， which causes heart and lung complications that can lead to death.

It has become one of the most ubiquitous infectious diseases in China due to the previous lack of effective vaccines. Infants and children under five years are most vulnerable.

Chinas food and drug watchdog approved the production of the vaccine in December 2015.

Bright Yellow Sea

Rape flowers are in full bloom in Qingyuan Village of Duanshen Township in Wuyuan County， Jiangxi Province， on March 22.

Rape flowers bloom in many places in China including Shaanxi， Anhui and Qinghai Provinces and attract many tourists.

Taking a Rest

A teacher and two kids in Qingniao Kindergarten of Bozhou， Anhui Province， attend an activity on World Sleep Day on March 21.

Many schools held activities on the day teaching students how to cultivate good sleeping habits.

Duty-Free in Tibet

Chinas Tibet Autonomous Region is applying to establish duty-free shops at selected entry ports to boost border trade and tourism， Lhasa Customs said March 23.

Lhasa Customs is working closely with the regional government to apply for the Central Governments approval for the opening of such shops， said Wang Wenxi， Chief of Lhasa Customs.

Bordering India and Nepal， Tibet has become a gateway of trade between China and south Asian countries. The regions foreign trade reached about 76 billion yuan （$11.7 billion） between 2011 and 2015， more than 60 percent of which were achieved in border areas.

Wang did not specify in which ports the duty-free shops will be established. However， ports bordering Nepal like Jilong are more likely candidates as trade with Nepal accounts for most of Tibets overall foreign trade.

The regions trade with Nepal dropped 59.2 percent in 2015 after a strong earthquake devastated ports and trade routes in April. The Gyirong port was reopened in October 2015 while the other major port， Zham， is still under reconstruction.

Opening duty-free shops will help improve Tibets status as a major tourist destination in the world， according to Hong Wei， deputy head of the regions tourism promotion committee.

Tibet received about 67.9 million visitors between 2011 and 2015， raking in 87.4 billion yuan （$13.45 billion）.

Patent Filings

China continued to perform strongly in international patent and trademark filings against the backdrop of a moderate worldwide intellectual property filing growth， according to the latest figures released by the World Intellectual Property Organization （WIPO） on March 16.

International applications filed under WIPOs Patent Cooperation Treaty （PCT） grew to 218，000 in 2015， up 1.7 percent year on year， marking the PCTs slowest growth in five years.

Chinas PCT applications exceeded 29，800 last year， increasing 16.8 percent over the same period last year. The country maintained its No.3 ranking for the third year in a row， following the United States and Japan.

The top three companies with the most applications were Chinas Huawei， U.S.-based Qualcomm and Chinas ZTE Corp. Huawei has consecutively held the top spot since 2013.

Fully Loaded Return

The Changan International Freight Train， fully loaded with 2，000 tons of grease， is ready to leave the border town Dostyk in Kazakhstan for Xian in northwest Chinas Shaanxi Province on March 20. This is the first time the international train has returned to China with cargo since it was put into operation in November 2013.

Costlier Homes

Chinas housing market continued to expand in February， with more than half of the major cities surveyed reporting an increase in new home prices.

Of the 70 large and mediumsized cities surveyed by the National Bureau of Statistics （NBS）， new home prices climbed from the previous month in 47 cities， up from 38 in January， said the bureau on March 18.

Meanwhile， 15 reported monthon-month price declines， down from 24 in January， according to NBS data.

New home prices soared 57.8 percent in February from a year earlier in the southern city of Shenzhen， Guangdong Province， the sharpest increase among all major cities， followed by Shanghai and Beijing， where prices surged 25.1 percent and 14.2 percent year on year. The northeastern city of Dandong registered the steepest price decline， dropping by 3.9 percent.

Prices for existing homes also grew in the month， with 34 cities reporting higher month-on-month prices.

Analysts attributed the market revival to the governments efforts to destock real estate inventory， higher expectations for price rises， as well as speculative and investment demand.

Steel Dispute

China is concerned about the tougher stance the European Commission has taken on cheap steel imports from China， the Ministry of Commerce （MOFCOM） said on March 21.

The EU called on member states on March 16 to help in a crackdown on unfairly cheap steel imports from countries such as China and Russia by accelerating and streamlining measures against producers suspected of dumping products onto the European market.

The European Commission said that it may speed up procedures by two months， bringing the EUs response time more in line with other countries.

Such policies will hinder exporters exercising of their rights of defense， an unnamed official， who is in charge of the Trade Remedy and Investigation Bureau of MOFCOM， told Xinhua News Agency.

Overcapacity is a worldwide industrial problem that needs to be addressed through dialogue and cooperation， and trade protectionism will do little to solve the problem， the official said.

Fee Adjustment

Starting September 6， China will cut fees on purchases made through bank cards to save businesses about 7.4 billion yuan （$1.14 billion） each year， according to a joint statement from the National Development and Reform Commission （NDRC） and the Peoples Bank of China on March 18. The move will not affect consumers.

The document said that bank service fees will go down more than half， and will be different for debit and credit cards. Fees on debit cards will be no more than 0.35 percent of the total purchase， while credit card fees will be no more than 0.45 percent. Banks could previously charge up to 0.9 percent as service fees.

Network service fees will be no more than 0.065 percent of the total. Fees collected by institutions that handle the transactions will be determined by the institutions and the businesses themselves.

Certain businesses will have zero bank service fees and no network fees， such as non-profit medical institutions.

After the changes， the NDRC expects total fees to shrink up to 63 percent in the catering sector and nearly 40 percent in department stores.

About 29 billion deals were made through bank cards in China in 2015， involving 55 trillion yuan（$8.46 trillion）.

Brokerage JV

Chinas securities regulator has approved the first brokerage joint venture （JV） that is established under the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement between the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong.

With 3.5 billion yuan （$540 million） in registered capital， the JV will be set up in Shanghais pilot free trade zone and offer standard brokerage services， Deng Ge， a spokesman for the China Securities Regulatory Commission （CSRC）， announced at a press conference on March 18.

The JV will have six months to register with regulatory authorities before starting operations， according to a document posted on the CSRC website.

It also revealed that three Hong Kong investors will have a combined stake of 34.85 percent in the new company， while 11 mainland investors will take the remaining 65.15 percent.

According to their respective agreements with the Chinese mainland， Hong Kong- or Macao-funded financial institutions are allowed to set up one brokerage JV each in Guangdong Province， Shanghai and Shenzhen with a maximum 51-percent stake.

Cross-River Project

A highway bridge erected on a river 100 km east of Pontianak， capital of West Kalimantan province in Indonesia， officially comes into service on March 22.

The new bridge was constructed by a Chinese company， with 90 percent of the construction funds lent by the Export-Import Bank of China.

Sanction Response

Chinese telecom equipment maker ZTE Corp. said on March 22 that it will continue to work with the U.S. government to be fully removed from the Entity List after temporary trade sanction relief was provided to the company.

On March 8， the United States announced export restrictions on ZTE and three affiliated entities for allegedly violating U.S. export controls on Iran.

The U.S. Department of Commerce added ZTE Corp.， ZTE Kangxun， Beijing 8-Star and ZTE Parsian to the Entity List under the Export Administration Regulations， saying that the companies re-exported controlled items to Iran.

ZTE will continue to heavily invest in its core technology and manage the company according to regulations to ensure healthy development， a spokesperson from the company told Xinhua News Agency in an interview.

So far， ZTE has 14 offices and six research centers in the United States， and 80 percent of its 350 staff are Americans. ZTE currently holds about 7 percent of the U.S. smartphone market， making it the fourth largest smartphone manufacturer in the country， after Apple， Samsung and LG.

Malaysian Project

The China Railway Group Ltd. （CREC） on March 21 announced a $2-billion investment in Malaysia with an eye on further expanding into the Southeast Asian market.

CREC， one of Chinas largest state-owned companies， is using the investment to build an integrated office complex as its regional headquarter in Bandar Malaysia， which will act as a future transport， business and commercial hub for Kuala Lumpur.

The announcement came three months after CRECs successful bid with its Malaysian joint-venture partner in December 2015 to acquire a 60-percent stake in the Bandar Malaysia project.

“In the past， we were contractors， so this project is of much significance for us in the sense that we are partnering with local companies to invest and build this transport and commercial hub，” CREC President Zhang Zongyan said.

Located about 7 km from the Kuala Lumpur city center， Bandar Malaysia will also serve as a terminal for a proposed high-speed railway linking the Malaysian capital and Singapore.

Copper Ore Arrives

A cargo ship loaded with 11，330 tons of concentrated cooper ore arrives at a port in Nanjing， Jiangsu Province， on March 20.

The ore comes from a high-quality copper mine that was jointly purchased for $10.5 billion by three Chinese companies in Peru. The mine is the largest overseas purchase made by Chinese metal mining companies.