VICE CHAIRMAN OF TOP POLITICAL ADVISORY BODY

Leung Chun-ying， Chief Executive of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region （SAR）， was elected vice chairman of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference （CPPCC）， the top political advisory body， on March 13.

The election result is well-deserved for Leung， who has implemented the “one country， two systems” principle and the Basic Law of Hong Kong SAR in a comprehensive and faithful manner， said Jonathan Choi Koon-shun， a CPPCC National Committee member from Hong Kong.

Leung received his bachelors degree in valuation and estate management in Britain in 1977. He entered politics in 1985， when he joined the Hong Kong SAR Basic Law Consultative Committee， which was responsible for consulting with local people on various drafts of the Basic Law. He became secretary general of the committee three years later.

Leung was elected chief executive of Hong Kong SAR in 2012. He announced late last year that he would not seek reelection this year due to family reasons.

A Milestone in Chinas Legal System

Guangming Daily March 10

The General Provisions of the Civil Law have attracted widespread attention. The offi cial website of the NPC collected over 70，000 pieces of public opinions on the draft.

The General Provisions constitute the general part of Chinas first ever comprehensive civil code， which is due for roll-out in 2020 after decades of preparatory work and rigorous debate. They are based on the landmark 1986 General Principles of the Civil Law， which were partly revised in 2009. Over three decades since the reform and opening-up drive was launched， China urgently needs a civil code which systematically incorporates laws on contracts， property rights， tort liability and marriage， among other matters， to meet the needs of its contemporary society.

The General Provisions outline the core ethos and values of the civil code and define and protect the civil and commercial rights of individuals， business entities， and other institutions in China. There are many highlights， such as extending inheritance rights to unborn children and protecting personal information. They reflect social progress and underline the principle of protecting personal and property rights.

The adoption of the General Provisions marks a new high in Chinas legal system development and the rule of law. They will be further improved in legal practices to guarantee individual rights.

Safer Nuclear Energy

China Financial Weekly March 6

As Chinas nuclear industry develops rapidly， ensuring its safety has become a daunting task. China will have about 88 million kilowatts of nuclear energy facilities in operation or under construction by 2020. The government has made multiple efforts to form a national nuclear emergency response system in recent years.

For instance， the latest version of the National Nuclear Emergency Plan， which lays out nuclear emergency preparations and response in the form of a governmental decision， was implemented in 2013. A national nuclear emergency response team consisting of 320 professionals designed to handle serious nuclear accidents and take part in overseas operations is expected to be formed by the end of 2018. Meanwhile， China will formulate a nuclear safety law this year. A nationwide radiation monitoring network will be built to publish radiation data in a timely manner.

However， in spite of these measures， the public still has concerns over the safety of nuclear plants. In order to ease their concerns， the National Nuclear Safety Administration has made information regarding nuclear energy available through its website and WeChat account.

Questionnaires， discussions and visits to nuclear facilities will be conducted ahead of the construction of nuclear plants to solicit public opinion. Information transparency will be improved to notify the public of radiation data and accidents. In addition， the publics concerns would be responded to quickly in order to mitigate their fears.

QR Code Fraud Calls for Action

Beijing Morning Post March 1

Quick response （QR） codes are widely used in social media platforms and mobile payment services today. However， although the new technology has provided great convenience for people， it also poses serious security risks when used as a means of fraud.

As QR codes are easy to create， fraudsters may insert computer viruses into them. Once consumers scan such contaminated codes， their mobile phones can be infected by the viruses， and their personal information， such as ID card numbers， bank account details and payment passwords， can be stolen.

Any acts of fraud should be punished in accordance with the law in order to protect consumers rights. However， there are no effective measures to tackle QR code fraud at present. Warning consumers of the risks is far from enough. Stricter law enforcement should be the key to solving the problem.

The technology involved and the diffi culty of identifying the creators of illegal QR codes have added to the complexity of dealing with such cases. Under these circumstances， law enforcement departments should not back down， but intensify efforts to dole out strict punishments to wrongdoers in order to root out the problem and safeguard consumers rights.

A GERMAN TO TRAVERSE SILK ROAD ON FOOT

Kai Markus Xiong， a 44-year-old running enthusiast from Germany， has begun traveling along the historical Silk Road， a journey of about 12，000 km， on foot. He started his super marathon on March 12 from Hamburg， and plans to fi nish his trip in Shanghai in about eight months.

The journey will take him through Poland， Belarus， Russia， Kazakhstan， Uzbekistan， Kyrgyzstan and finally to China. It will be covered by Nihao Deutschland， a television program that presents China to German audiences. Along with him， his best friend， experienced adventurer Victor Neubauer， will transport most of the equipment and food in a Volkswagen Beetle， towing a caravan.

“The main goal is to bridge cultural gaps and dismantle prejudices between Germans and Chinese，” Xiong said， adding that most Germans are aware of Chinas economic development， but they probably dont know that China has made progress in numerous other fi elds in the past decades.

“The forum will transform the Belt and Road Initiative into an institution which will provide global economic policy for multilateral cooperation.”

Pang Zhongying， Director of the Center for the Study of Global Governance at the Renmin University of China， commenting on the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation to be held in Beijing in May in a recent interview with the Global Times

“The collaboration can make a significant contribution to raising young peoples mathematics performance， which is essential to their future success in learning and in life.”

Colin Hughes， Managing Director of Collins Learning， commenting on a recent agreement between HarperCollins Publishers and the Shanghai Century Publishing Group to introduce mathematics textbooks from schools in Shanghai to Britain

“The strategy and its related policies are applicable to all businesses in China， be they domestic or foreign.”

Miao Wei， Minister of Industry and Information Technology， in response to a report by the EU Chamber of Commerce which claims that the Made in China 2025 plan， designed to promote hi-tech manufacturing in China， will lead to worsening treatment of foreign companies， at a press conference on March 11

“The rising number of complaints shows Chinese consumers are paying more attention to protecting their rights and urging law enforcement units to perform their duties well.”

Yu Fachang， spokesperson of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce （SAIC）， commenting on March 14 on figures released by SAIC showing that the number of consumer complaints increased by 29.1 percent year on year to a record high of 1.667 million in 2016