Seasonal Migration

Herdsmen guide their sheep to spring pastures from their winter habitat in Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture， Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region， on March 9.

Civil Code Preamble

The National Peoples Congress（NPC）， Chinas top legislature， has passed the General Provisions of the Civil Law， the opening chapter of a civil code to be enacted in 2020.

The General Provisions were adopted at the closing meeting of the annual session of the NPC on March 15 and will take effect on October 1.

Compiling a civil code， a decision made by the central leadership in 2014， was deemed a “must-do”to promote Chinas rule of law and modernize state governance. It was also a crucial move to build China into a moderately prosperous society by 2020.

The code is being developed in two steps. The adoption of the General Provisions， which lay down the basic principles for regulating civil activities， marked the completion of the crucial fi rst step.

The second step， the compilation of fi ve sets of laws dealing with prop- erty， contract， tort liability， marriage and inheritance， started last year.

Migrant Welfare

The number of rural migrant workers in China hit 282 million at the end of 2016， an increase of 4.24 million from the previous year， the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security said on March 14.

Some 58 million are covered by pension insurance and 48 million by medical insurance. In addition， 46.6 million have access to unemployment insurance， and 75.1 million are protected by work injury insurance.

Vice Minister Qiu Xiaoping said the ministry will continue to help rural migrant workers settle in cities and start their own businesses. Efforts will be made to help them enjoy equal social welfare with urban residents.

Due to the household registration system that ties peoples access to social welfare to their residential status， in earlier times they did not enjoy the same healthcare， pension and other social benefi ts as city residents.

To bridge the gap， the government is gradually removing the distinction between urban and rural residents.

Childcare Initiative

The fi rst big data research center for childrens health in China has been founded in Hubei Province to improve the child medical care system.

The center， established by Wuhan University and a Beijingbased pediatric technology fi rm， will develop a more complete medical care system for children in disease prevention， diagnosis and personalized treatment.

It has collected information on more than 200，000 children in 70 hospitals across seven provinces. The collection will expand to 300 hospitals by 2017 and 1，000 by 2020.

The center said it will develop into a national cloud platform for childrens health information， offering personalized medical care and clinical treatment standards.

Graft Accused in Net

Chinese authorities have succeeded in repatriating 164 corruption suspects on the run in an international manhunt that started in 2014， Procurator General Cao Jianming said on March 12.

The suspects were repatriated or persuaded to turn themselves in from 37 countries and regions， Cao said， while presenting a report on the work of the Supreme Peoples Procuratorate at the annual session of the National Peoples Congress.

They include 27 fugitives who had an Interpol “red notice” issued for their arrest.

Greener Beijing

Beijings forest cover has more than tripled from 12.8 percent to 42.3 percent since a national tree-planting campaign was launched in the early 1980s.

The proportion of green land in urban Beijing increased from 20 percent in 1980 to 48 percent last year.

A total of 200 million saplings have been planted since the campaign began， the Beijing Afforestation Committee Offi ce said on March 12.

Last year， the city planted trees on 12，700 hectares. This year， it plans to plant 1 million trees.

The campaign has led to fewer barren mountains. Authorities are encouraging residents to register to take care of the trees.

Wildlife in Tibet

Wildlife is fl ourishing in southwest Chinas Tibet Autonomous Region as authorities strike a balance between ecology and development， a government report said.

Tibetan antelopes， wild yaks and donkeys， black-necked cranes and other endangered species have experienced “notable growth” in population， according to the report， released during the annual session of the National Peoples Congress on March 10.

It says there are more than 200，000 Tibetan antelopes—nearly quadruple the number in 1995—as well as 90，000 wild donkeys and 10，000 wild yaks. The number of black-necked cranes， once nearly extinct， also rose to around 7，000.

Tibet is home to 795 species of wild vertebrates and boasts some of the largest populations of large and medium-sized animals among provincial-level regions.

The wildlife population has grown despite a tourism boom， dispelling concerns that rapid tourism growth could threaten Tibets fragile environment.

In 2016， annual tourist arrivals rose by 15 percent to more than 23 million.

Tibet has 61 nature reserves， including 10 state-level reserves. It is also home to the Tibetan Antelope and Yak National Park， Chinas fi rst large-animal reserve.

High-Altitude Test

Chinas fi rst domestically made regional civilian jet has completed a series of test fl ights on the QinghaiTibet Plateau， demonstrating excellent high-altitude performance. The ARJ21-700， produced by Shanghai-based Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China Ltd. （COMAC）， is a twin-engine jet for 78-90 passengers with a fl ight range of 2，225-3，700 km.

The aircraft fi rst took to the sky in 2008. There are currently two such jets in commercial operation between Shanghai and Chengdu， southwest Chinas Sichuan Province.

Between February 28 and early March， the aircraft successfully completed 16 fl ight tests at an airport in Xining， northwest Chinas Qinghai Province， located at an elevation of about 2，200 meters.

The ARJ21s smooth takeoffs and landings confi rmed its good performance on the plateau. COMAC plans to put the jet into operation in Qinghai if it passes more tests in the latter half of 2017.

Nansha Cruises

The southern island province of Hainan will run regular cruises to the Nansha Islands in the South China Sea by 2020， according to a local government paper on tourism.

Hainan will improve the travel experience with new routes and ships， improve infrastructure and provide better travel packages.

Sansha， on Yongxing， one of the Xisha Islands， was founded in July 2012 and administers three island groups—the Xisha， Zhongsha and Nansha—along with surrounding waters. The city sees tourism as its main economic engine.

The fi rst cruise to the Xisha Islands was in 2013， with two cruise ships since making the trip more than 100 times， carrying over 20，000 tourists.

Hainan is upgrading its ports and has plans for a pan-South China Sea cruise line covering countries along the Maritime Silk Road.

A Step Closer to Synthetic Life

Dai Junbiao， a researcher from Tsinghua University， shows a Petri dish containing yeast in a laboratory in Beijing on March 9.

Chinese scientists have assembled four synthetic yeast chromosomes， making China the second country capable of designing and building eukaryotic genomes， following the United States. Researchers from Tianjin University， Tsinghua University and BGI-Shenzhen， a biotech company， took part in the experiment.

Handicraft Learners

Students make pottery wares during a traditional culture class at a primary school in Zhangjiakou， Hebei Province， on March 13.

Marine Institute

The State Oceanic Administration will open its fourth institute for marine research in Beihai in south Chinas Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

According to a memorandum signed by the administration and Guangxi， the institute will be key to achieving the strategy of China becoming a maritime power， the initiative to build the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road （Belt and Road）， and integrated oceanic management.

The Belt and Road Initiative was proposed by China in 2013 as a trade and infrastructure network that will connect Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road trade routes.

The other three marine research institutes are in the coastal cities of Qingdao in Shandong Province， Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province and Xiamen in Fujian Province.

Inflation Eases

Chinas consumer infl ation eased sharply in February after price distortions created by the festival season faded， leaving the central bank with leeway on interest rate policy.

The consumer price index （CPI）， a main gauge of infl ation， advanced 0.8 percent year on year in February， the National Bureau of Statistics（NBS） said on March 9.

It was well below market expectation of 1.7 percent， and substantially lower than the growth of 2.5 percent in January. On a monthly basis， the CPI declined 0.2 percent.

The NBS attributed the weakening CPI to sharply lowering food prices， which fell 4.3 percent in February. Food prices surged 27 percent in January driven by the festival shopping spree.

“As the travel season has ended， the number of tourists declined in February， bringing down the costs of tourist services， which partly explains the lower CPI，” the NBS said.

Chinas producer price index（PPI）， which measures costs of goods at the factory gate， rose 7.8 percent year on year in February， increasing from 6.9 percent in January.

The PPI hit its highest level since 2008， largely as a result of government measures to trim excessive industrial capacity. The index is likely to fall as capacity reduction continues.

Boeings Chinese Factory

Boeing and the Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China Ltd. （COMAC） will start building a Boeing 737 completion center in Zhoushan， east Chinas Zhejiang Province， at the end of March. They are scheduled to make their fi rst delivery in 2018.

This is Boeings fi rst overseas facility as part of its 737 production system， and it is designed to deliver 100 Boeing 737 planes per year.

In the joint-venture completion center， Boeings 737 aircraft will be installed with fl ight entertainment systems and seats. The plant in Zhoushan， 287 km southeast of Shanghai， also provides services such as coating， repair and maintenance of Boeing aircraft.

Boeing and COMAC signed an agreement in October 2016 to set up the Zhoushan plant， which will consist of two parts： the 737 completion center， and the 737 delivery center owned by Boeing.

To accommodate aircraft manufacturing in Zhoushan， the citys Putuoshan Airport is undergoing a 750-million-yuan （$108 million） expansion to become an international airport.

In addition to supporting Boeing， the aviation base in Zhoushan will also develop an entire industrial chain for aircraft manufacturing， with the capacity to assemble， deliver and modify 600 aircraft per year by 2025.

Zhoushan is an archipelago and island city， which has the largest fi shery in China and boasts strong shipbuilding， tourism and service industries.

Ensuring Safety and Efficiency

On March 14， the overhaul of the northern line of the Three Gorges is fi nished， and ships are waiting to cross the navigation lock in Zigui， Hubei Province.

Surging Auto Sales

Auto sales in China surged 22.4 percent year on year to 1.94 million units in February， despite a higher purchase tax， data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers （CAAM） showed on March 10.

The growth was compared with the 0.2-percent growth recorded in January and 13.7-percent in 2016.

In the fi rst two months， auto sales climbed 8.8 percent against the same period last year， according to CAAM statistics.

In October 2015， China slashed purchase taxes on cars with 1.6 liter engines or below to 5 percent from 10 percent， propping up sales to a record high of 28.03 million in 2016.

The tax was raised to 7.5 percent this year and is expected to rise to 10 percent again in 2018.

New energy vehicle production and sales increased 15.5 percent and 30.3 percent， respectively， to 1.8 million units and 1.76 million units in February.

Big Data Lab

The launching ceremony of Chinas fi rst national engineering laboratory for big data distribution and exchange technologies was held in Beijing on March 11. The move is seen as boosting the countrys digital economy， helping it to compete in the global market.

Yang Shanlin， Director of the lab and an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering， said the lab will seek breakthroughs in the research and application of big data.

It will also help the government better regulate the exchange and distribution process.

“We will actively conduct research in the fundamental theories of big data， including data collection， open data and data security. In terms of applying big data to industries， we will build innovation centers and conduct research in key technologies for industries like fi nance， media， advanced manufacturing， energy， healthcare and education，” Yang said.

He also said the lab will research policy and help set quality and service standards in big data.

The lab will be led by the Shanghai Data Exchange Corp. Other backers include the China Internet Network Information Center， China United Network Communications Group Co.， Fudan University， the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology， and Inspur Group Co. Ltd.

“We will work closely with our partners to promote research into key technologies and applications of big data in different fi elds，” said Tang Qifeng， CEO of the Shanghai Data Exchange Corp.

According to Tang， 13 research centers have been set up to conduct related research. The centers would be led by different enterprises， institutions and universities.

Boosting Entrepreneurship

An award winner demonstrates his project at the College Students Pioneer Park of Guizhou Education University in Guiyang， Guizhou Province， on March 14.

Since 2012， local governments in Guizhou have encouraged people to establish micro enterprises by distributing subsidies. In the last fi ve years， a total of 108，000 micro enterprises have benefi ted from the policy， creating 581，500 jobs.

Didis Innovation Endeavor

Chinese on-demand mobility platform Didi Chuxing announced on March 9 that it was setting up labs in Silicon Valley， California， to attract top engineering talent.

Didis U.S. labs will primarily focus on big-data-based security and intelligent driving technology， and are a landmark step for the company to create a global innova- tion nexus.

“Sweeping changes are taking place in the global transport and automobile industries，” said Cheng Wei， founder， Chairman and CEO of Didi Chuxing， adding that they would build on rich data and fast-evolving artifi cial intelligence analytics to work with cities and towns to build intelligent transport ecosystems for the future.

Cheng pointed out that Didis international vision now extended to building the best-in-class international research network to advance the global transport revolution through innovation.

E-Commerce Customer Complaints

The number of Chinese e-commerce customer complaints increased by 14.78 percent year on year in 2016， according to a report released by Chinas E-commerce Research Center （CECRC）.

A total of 57 online retail shopping and service platforms as well as Internet fi nancial fi rms were involved in the complaints， which were related to product quality and delivery， customer service， exchange and return policies， and false promotions， the report said.

Of those complaints， product packaging and delivery complaints accounted for nearly 23 percent， while service complaints made up nearly 10 percent.

Complaints peaked following certain online shopping promotions， such as the Singles Day shopping spree on November 11， the report said.

Authorities were urged to investigate and punish acts that disturb market order， enhance market supervision and provide legal provisions to protect consumers， the CECRC said.

The retail sales volume of Chinese e-commerce was more than 5 trillion yuan （$724 billion） in 2016， 15.5 percent of which were social consumer goods， according to the Ministry of Commerce.

Industrial Transfer Underway

Workers have their hands full at a manufacturing shop of a branch of the Beiqi Foton Motor Co. Ltd.， in Zhangjiakou， Hebei Province， on March 13.

In the past three years of Beijing-Tianjing-Hebei integration， Zhangjiakou has accepted industries transferred from Beijing worth 104.7 billion yuan （$15.2 billion）.