Return Anniversary

A flag-raising ceremony is held at the Golden Bauhinia Square in Hong Kong on July 1 to celebrate the 19th anniversary of the establishment of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

On July 1， 1997， China resumed the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong after Britains 156-year colonial rule of the region.

Cleaner Air

Air quality in Chinese cities has generally improved， more than three years after the countrys Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan became effective， said the Chinese Academy of Engineering （CAE） on July 5.

Issued in September 2013， the action plan set a number of key targets such as building monitoring stations for PM2.5 （fine particles） in all prefecture-level cities by 2015 and cutting coal consumption to 65 percent of total energy consumption by 2017.

The CAE said in a report that PM2.5， PM10 （all particles 10 micrometers or less in diameter）， nitrogen dioxide， sulfur dioxide and other pollutants have dropped year on year in all cities， and the number of days with heavy air pollution has fallen in most cities.

However， winter air pollution is serious， and ozone pollution is emerging in some areas， said the report， adding that the annual average density of PM10 in seven provincial regions has risen.

Beijing faces a great challenge if it wants to achieve the goal of decreasing its annual average PM2.5 density to 60 micrograms by 2017， according to the report.

It suggested strengthening pollution treatment in Beijings southern suburbs， implementing tougher measures in autumn and winter， and strictly controlling diesel emissions.

Homeless Back Home

Aid agencies across China found the families of 1，570 homeless persons and took them home in the first half of this year， according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Most of the success came through posting search notices online， DNA sampling and inquiries in person.

“Every year， aid agencies offer support to a large number of seniors， women， minors and the mentally retarded， who might be missing or have been abducted. Most of them cant provide accurate information about their families or themselves，”said Wang Jinhua， a ministry official in charge of social affairs， on July 4. The ministry will strengthen cooperation with the police， media outlets and social groups to confirm the identities of such people and search for their families， Wang said.

Wild Animal Protection

The top legislature on July 2 adopted a revised law on wild animal protection， which outlaws production and purchase of food made from protected species.

The law， which was adopted after its third reading at a bi-monthly session of the National Peoples Congress Standing Committee， will take effect on January 1， 2017.

Besides the production and sale of food made from state-protected wild animals， the amended law bans products derived from such animals as well as food made from creatures not under special state protection but lacking proof of legitimate sourcing.

The law also bans the hunting， sale， purchase and use of stateprotected wild animals and derived products， unless for scientific research， captive breeding， population regulation， monitoring of disease or other purposes. Offenders could face criminal penalties.

In addition， the law stipulates that animals bred under controlled conditions through mature methods may be removed from the list of protected species.

Furthermore， anyone who frees captive animals in a reckless manner， causing property damage or physical injury to others or jeopardizing the ecosystem， will be held accountable， according to the law.

New Aircraft

The Y-20， Chinas homegrown large military transport aircraft， officially entered service with the Peoples Liberation Army Air Force on July 6.

With a maximum takeoff weight of 200 tons， the Y-20 can transport cargo and personnel over long distances in diverse weather conditions.

“The Y-20s entering into service marks a crucial step for the Air Force improving its strategic power projection capability，” said Air Force spokesman Shen Jinke.

The Air Force needs more and better transportation to fulfill its military responsibilities， which include safeguarding national security as well as domestic and international rescue and relief work， Shen added.

The Y-20 undertook its maiden flight in January 2013 and made its debut at the 10th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in November 2014.

Nature Reserves

China has 2，740 nature reserves， covering 1.47 million square km and including 446 such areas at the national level， according to a State Council report to the National Peoples Congress Standing Committee.

The countrys first nature reserve was established in 1956.

Nature reserves on land cover 1.42 million square km， or 14.8 percent of the countrys land surface， with the rest made up by marine reserves， the report said.

The reserves contain 89 percent of the wildlife species under state protection and a majority of important natural relics. Some rare and endangered species have seen population increases， according to the report.

The giant panda population in the wild now exceeds 1，800. The spe- cies status has thus changed from endangered to vulnerable.

Populations of Siberian tiger， Amur leopard， Asian elephant， crested ibis and elk have also increased， according to the report.

Despite all the progress， Minister of Environmental Protection Chen Jining admitted that the country still faces great pressure in protecting the natural environment and has yet to address a number of challenges in building and managing nature reserves.

Over the next five years， the government will proceed with legislation on nature reserves， improve their ecological monitoring networks， provide better personnel and financial support， and carry out regular inspections， Chen said.

Fasting Ended

A Uygur woman buys sazi， a kind of food made of flour， from a street vendor in Urumqi， Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region， on July 5 for the celebration of Eid al-Fitr， which fell on July 6.

Eid al-Fitr is an Islamic festival. It takes place at the end of Ramadan， a month of fasting and spiritual reflection in which Muslims are not allowed to eat and drink during the day.

International Exchange

The Civil Society 20 China 2016 conference opens in Qingdao， east Chinas Shandong Province， on July 5.

The event was a policy dialogue between political leaders of G20 countries and representatives of civil society organizations working on issues related to the agenda of the G20 Summit to be held in Hangzhou， east Chinas Zhejiang Province， in September.

In-Space Refueling

China has successfully completed the in-space refueling of a satellite， the National University of Defense Technology announced on June 30. Similar to air refueling for planes， the process involves refueling a satellite in the microgravity environment of orbit to extend its functional life and considerably boost its maneuverability， according to a statement from the university. Developed by the university， Tianyuan-1 is Chinas first in-space refueling system for orbital satellites. It was launched aboard a Long March-7 carrier rocket on June 25.“The injection process was stable， and measurements and controls were precise，” the statement said， adding that the test proved that Tianyuan-1 meets design requirements.

Though an area of great interest， in-space refueling is complicated， and only a few countries have begun similar experiments.

More Satellites

By 2025， China plans to launch eight Fengyun satellites and another six satellites for multiple meteorological purposes， Wu Yanhua， deputy head of the State Administration of Science， Technology and Industry for National Defense， said at a seminar on Fengyun satellite development in Beijing on July 4.

Fengyun satellites are a series of remote-sensing， meteorological satellites developed by China.

China has launched 14 Fengyun satellites since 1988， seven of which remain in orbit.

Devaluation Not Planned

China has no intention of devaluating the yuan to gain a global trade advantage， and there is no basis for long-term depreciation， the Peoples Bank of China （PBOC） said in an online statement on June 30.

The yuan has generally remained stable despite global volatility after Britains vote to leave the European Union， said the PBOC.

The banks remarks came after media reports about a substantial depreciation in the yuan by the end of the year.

“The reports misled expectations and disrupted the market， encouraging speculative selling. We strongly condemn the behavior， which is irresponsible and against professional ethics，” the PBOC said.

The currency is likely to remain stable at a reasonable level thanks to Chinas sound economic foundation， according to the PBOC statement.

The Chinese economy will maintain steady growth and continue to record a balance of payments surplus， with abundant foreign exchange reserves， sound financial conditions and a stable monetary system， the PBOC said.

China will propel foreign exchange reform and continue to let the market play a decisive role， the bank added.

New Growth Point Fostered

Workers assemble mountain bikes in Guangzong County of Xingtai， north Chinas Hebei Province， on July 3. In recent years， the rising bicycle-manufacturing industry has contributed a lot to poverty alleviation in Guangzong.

PMI Numbers

Chinas manufacturing sector posted a slight drop in June， official data showed on July 1， suggesting there remains downward pressure on the worlds second largest economy.

The purchasing managersindex （PMI） for the manufacturing sector came in at 50 in June， slightly lower than the 50.1 recorded for both April and May and the 50.2 in March， according to the National Bureau of Statistics （NBS） and the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing.

A reading above 50 indicates expansion， while a reading below 50 reflects contraction.

NBS statistician Zhao Qinghe said， in general， the manufacturing sector is steady and its structure has improved. Hi-tech manufacturing picked up remarkably， while industries with excess capacity contracted. The sub-index for hi-tech manufacturing was 51.3， 0.5 percentage points higher than the figure in May. The sub-index for sectors with high energy consumption fell 0.9 percentage points to 48.2， the second consecutive monthly decline. Meanwhile， business activities in Chinas non-manufacturing sector witnessed a rebound in June after two months of slight decline. The non-manufacturing PMI， which tracks business activities in services and construction， was 53.7 in June， 0.6 percentage points higher than it was in May.

Driverless Car Services

Visitors to Wuzhen in east Chinas Zhejiang Province may soon be able to get a lift between their hotel and tourist spots in the Venice-like town， after Chinese tech giant Baidu Inc. signed a deal with a local tourism agency on July 3 to develop such services.

Baidu and Wuzhen Tourism Co. will research which routes could be taken by driverless cars， and details like the necessary costs and vehicle numbers will be needed before nailing down a more exact plan， said Wang Jin， Baidus Senior Vice President and head of its autonomous driving division. Wang did not say when the service might be launched.

Despite being a historic town that dates back 1，300 years， Wuzhen is also known as a technological pioneer， after its IT infrastructure was upgraded over the past few years. It became the permanent host venue for Chinas World Internet Conference （WIC） in 2014.

Baidu debuted its driverless car at the second WIC in Wuzhen last year and generated great excitement on successfully completing a rigorous road test in Beijing last December.

The company said earlier this year that it would select 10 urban locations to try out driverless cars in 2016. Wuzhen is the third after Wuhu in east Chinas Anhui Province and an automobile industrial park in Shanghai.

Huge Lending

Bank of China， along with other lenders， signed off a syndicated loan of $168 million to Vietnamese firm Cheng Yang Paper Mill in Ho Chi Minh City on July 4.

The loan is to help improve the competitiveness of Viet Nams paper-making industry and meet the increasing demand of Vietnamese people for high-quality kraft paper， thus enhancing the cooperation between China and Viet Nam in investment and trade.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City branch of Bank of China， Viet Nam is confronted with more opportunities than challenges in the next few years. The branch will continue to improve its diversified banking services and provide the best financial products and solutions to its customers in Viet Nam.

Cheng Yang Paper Mill was established in 2003. In June 2015， the Hong Kong-based Nine Dragons Group， the largest manufacturer of recycled kraft-liner board in Asia， increased its ownership stake in Cheng Yang to 67 percent.

The total production capacity of the kraft-liner board paper mill expansion project in the city is 442，000 tons， with the products selling mainly in Viet Nam， Cambodia and Laos.

Improving Traffic Network

Cars run through the Liupanshan Tunnel in northwest Chinas Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region， which opened to traffic on July 3.

The 9.485-km tunnel is the longest expressway tunnel in Chinas plateau areas.

Response to Indias Probe

China is highly concerned with Indian trade remedy measures against Chinese steel products， the Ministry of Commerce said on July 4.

The Indian Government has launched an anti-dumping investigation into color-coated steel sheets imported from China. It is the fifth such probe against China from India this year， the highest number recorded among WTO members， according to a statement on the ministrys website.

Countries all over the world have realized that the global steel industry is experiencing difficulties due to sluggish economic growth and weak demand， but abusing trade remedy measures will not help resolve industrial overcapacity but hamper normal trade， the statement said.

China and India have broad room for cooperation in the industry， the ministry said， adding that it is hoped that the two countries can seek common development through trade， investment and technological cooperation， and properly handle trade frictions.

Overseas Development

Chinas state-owned enterprises（SOEs） are accelerating the pace of developing overseas businesses， according to a report delivered to the countrys top legislature on June 30.

SOEs， especially centrally administered ones， have become a major force ready to compete on an international scale， according to the report， which was delivered by Xiao Yaqing， Chairman of the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council， to the National Peoples Congress Standing Committee during its bimonthly session.

Overseas investment of centrally administered SOEs accounts for 60 percent of the countrys total nonfinancial outbound direct investment， and the turnover of overseascontracted projects accounts for 60 percent of the total turnover of overseas-contracted projects undertaken by China， Xiao said.

SOEs overseas businesses have expanded from energy and mineral products to high-speed railways， nuclear power plants and ultrahigh-voltage electricity transmission， according to the report.

Maintenance Enhanced

A technician examines a bullet train in a maintenance base in Xian， northwest Chinas Shaanxi Province， on July 4.

The maintenance base， the largest and most advanced of its kind in west China， has been completed and has come into trial operation， giving a leg up to the construction of a high-speed railway hub in the western region.