Tradition Mixes With Fashion

Kunqu opera actresses and models perform during a fashion show at Jiangnan International Fashion Week， held in Suzhou Kunqu Opera Theater in Suzhou， Jiangsu Province， on May 26.

Info Protection

The Cybersecurity Law took effect on June 1， banning online service providers from collecting and selling users personal information.

Internet service providers cannot collect user information that is irrelevant to their services， and they should handle such information in line with laws and agreements， according to the new law that was adopted by the Standing Committee of the National Peoples Congress， Chinas top legislature， in November 2016.

Users now have the right to ask service providers to delete their information if such information is abused.

Cybersecurity management staff must also protect information obtained and are banned from leaking or selling the information， including private and commercial secrets.

Those who violate the provisions and infringe on personal information rights will face hefty fi nes.

The law also makes it clear that no one is allowed to use the Internet to conduct fraud or sell prohibited goods.

Job Limits

Civil servants will face new restrictions when changing jobs as authorities move to prevent them from using offi cial posts to make personal profi t.

Those in leadership positions or at the county level and above will not be allowed to work in businesses or for-profi t organizations related to their previous administration for three years after resignation， or undertake related profi table activities， an recent document said.

Lower-level civil servants should also abide by the rules， but with a limit of just two years.

The measures were jointly announced by the Organization Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and several government agencies.

Departing offi cials should submit their future professional plans and will have to report job changes during the restricted period. Authorities involved must strengthen supervision.

Civil service is considered a stable career in China and has a high retention rate. The country had 7.17 million civil servants at the end of 2015.

Child Service

A big data platform was launched on May 31 to help a special group of Chinese children， known as leftbehind children.

China has around 9 million rural children whose parents work away from home， leaving them behind with grandparents， relatives or caregivers.

The platform will include a database covering these childrens personal information， guardianship， psychological and physical conditions， and then match their needs with resources donated by social organizations， companies and individuals.

Service centers will be set up to offer various courses， training and aid， according to a statement issued at the launch ceremony.

Children taking part in the project will receive watches that track their location to prevent them from becoming lost.

The project was jointly launched by the China Children and Teenagers Fund and a technology fi rm related to the countrys BeiDou Navigation Satellite System.

Water Project

The south-to-north water diversion project has benefi ted more than 53 million people in the cities of Beijing， Tianjin， and Hebei and Henan provinces， authorities said on May 26.

Since the projects middle route came into operation in late 2014， nearly 7.8 billion cubic meters of water has been pumped through canals and pipes from the Danjiangkou Reservoir in Hubei Province.

The quality of the diverted water has met targeted standards and remained stable， according to the construction authority.

The water feeds over 11 million Beijing residents， or about half the citys population， accounting for more than 70 percent of Beijings daily water supply. It also supplies Tianjins city proper.

In addition， residents of seven cities in Hebei， as well as 11 cities and 37 counties in Henan， have access to the diverted water.

The project has helped rein in excessive use of groundwater and improved ecosystems of lakes and rivers in the four regions.

Toilet Revolution

China installed or upgraded 52，485 public toilets from 2015 to the end of April， carrying out its nationwide“toilet revolution.”

The fi gure was released by the China National Tourism Administration （CNTA） in a report on May 26.

The number accounted for 92.7 percent of the offi cial target the government announced for the three years through to 2017.

China planned to add 33，000 restrooms and renovate 24，000 others between 2015 and 2017. When the campaign started in 2015， the CNTA said it would make tourist restrooms reach three-star standards.

By the end of 2017， China will add or upgrade a total of 71，000 toilets， well exceeding the target， the CNTA report said.

A recent survey showed that people have felt the impact of the campaign， with over 80 percent of tourists fi nding toilets satisfactory， compared to 70 percent in 2015.

The CNTA mainly attributed the improvement to innovations and the application of technology.

Poverty Alleviation

The Chinese Government has allocated more than 140 billion yuan（$20.61 billion） this year to keep pace with the needs of poverty relief， said the Ministry of Finance on May 27. The Central Government has allocated over 86 billion yuan（$12.66 billion）， up 30.3 percent from last year. A total of 28 provincial governments have allocated about 54 billion yuan （$7.95 billion）.

At the end of last year， China still had more than 43 million impoverished rural residents.

The Chinese Government has vowed to lift all rural impoverished people out of poverty by 2020 to build a moderately prosperous society.

Since China started the reform and opening-up drive more than 30 years ago， over 700 million Chinese have shaken off poverty， accounting for over 70 percent of global poverty reduction in the period.

Medical Tourism

Thirty traditional Chinese medicine（TCM） service packages for international tourists were unveiled by Beijings municipal TCM administration on May 30 at the Beijing International Fair for Trade in Services.

The packages， the fi rst in Beijing， cover 30 symptoms such as insomnia and headaches. Fifteen hospitals were designated as service providers.

The administration said the packages not only feature effective treatment and whole-process services at a reasonable cost， but also offer tourist programs for patients during their stay in Beijing.

Beijing is rich in TCM resources with 14 top-level and 20 tier-2 TCM hospitals as well as a large number of time-honored TCM clinics and masters.

According to a document issued by the China National Tourism Administration and the State Administration of TCM in July 2016， China will establish 10 national TCM tourism demonstration areas， 100 TCM tourism demonstration bases and 1，000 TCM tourism demonstration projects within about three years.

Quick Delivery

JD.com， Chinas second-largest ecommerce company， has launched the fi rst e-commerce warehousing and logistics park in Tibet Autonomous Region， which covers nearly 10，000 square meters.

Consumers in Lhasa currently can receive goods the same day they place an order， while people in Tibets other cities can expect nextday delivery.

Previously， consumers in Lhasa had to wait at least one week to receive items， due to the lessdeveloped local logistics network.

Tibet has boosted e-commerce in recent years. In 2016， mobile transactions accounted for 83.3 percent of all online transactions in Tibet， according to Alipay， a major third-party online payment platform.

A Festive Celebration

Students perform a drum dance in celebration of International Childrens Day in Songtao Miao Autonomous County of Tongren City， Guizhou Province， on May 31.

Into the Future

People visit the Hangzhou International Future Life Festival in Hangzhou， capital of Zhejiang Province， on May 27. The three-day event featured technologies and solutions that may impact upon peoples lives in the future.

PMI Expands

Chinas manufacturing sector expanded for the 10th straight month in May， an offi cial survey showed on May 31.

The manufacturing purchasing managers index （PMI） came in at 51.2 in May， fl at with April， according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics （NBS） and the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing （CFLP）.

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

The latest reading reaffi rmed a stabilizing Chinese economy， said Zhang Liqun， a researcher with the Development Research Center of the State Council.

The sub-index for production stood at 53.4 in May， down from 53.8 in April， while the sub-index for new orders came in at 52.3 in May， unchanged from that in April.

Chen Zhongtao， an analyst at the China Logistics Information Center， said positive factors had grown for the Chinese economy， including balanced supply and demand， better performance of companies and a good job market.

The manufacturing PMI for medium-sized enterprises stood at 51.3 in May， up from 50.2 in April， while PMI for small enterprises came in at 51 in May， the highest in fi ve years.

Equipment manufacturing， hitech manufacturing and consumer goods manufacturing continued robust growth， with the sub-indexes all registering above 52， indicating the increasingly important roles they play in the manufacturing sector.

Chinas non-manufacturing sector expanded at a faster pace in May.

The non-manufacturing PMI came in at 54.5 in May， up from 54 in April， according to the NBS.

Stock-Selling Rules

Chinas securities regulator made changes to the rules governing the selling of stock by major shareholders and management， in an effort to better protect the rights of small investors and guarantee stable market operations.

The new policy requires major shareholders to divulge detailed information on all aspects of their stake sales via mechanisms like block deals. It also covers the sale of private placement shares and equity transfers via agreements.

The defi nition of “major shareholders” has been also revised. It now includes those who hold 5 percent or more shares in a company， besides senior managers.

“The improved system will guide major shareholders to reduce their holdings in a standardized， reasonable and orderly manner， which will help stabilize market expectations and shore up investor confi dence，”said the China Securities Regulatory Commission on May 27.

Stake sales by major shareholders through block deals have been often blamed for market volatility that rattled small investors. Analysts said the new rules will make the stock market more stable and sustainable in the long term， besides strengthening investor sentiment.

The new policy may， however， affect private placements， pre-IPO funds and private equity funds， market insiders said. Tightened regulation could hurt liquidity in secondary market trading， said a report from China Fund.

Express Train of Hope

A train carries out a test run on the Chinese-built Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway on May 24. The 480-km railway linking Kenyas largest port city Mombasa to its capital Nairobi was offi cially launched on May 31. It is a key infrastructure project that will push forward the East African nations modernization drive.

FDI and ODI

Foreign direct investment （FDI） into the Chinese mainland retreated mildly from a year ago in April， data from the Ministry of Commerce（MOFCOM） showed on May 18.

The FDI was 4.3 percent lower than the same period in 2016 at 59.91 billion yuan （$8.73 billion）， in contrast with a 6.7-percent increase in March， according to a statement posted on the MOFCOMs website.

During the period， 3，343 new foreign-funded enterprises were established on the mainland， up 42.7 percent year on year.

The MOFCOM said the situation has remained “generally stable.”Total FDI in the fi rst four months of the year edged down 0.1 percent year on year to 286.41 billion yuan（$41.97 billion）.

Nearly two thirds of investment went to the service sector， which saw its FDI expanding 5.5 percent year on year in the fi rst four months. Investment in the construction sector soared 146.3 percent， followed by a nearly 40-percent rise in transport services and a 6.4-percent increase in the information and consulting industry.

The MOFCOM highlighted rapid FDI growth in the hi-tech service industry， citing services in environmental monitoring and improvements.

Capital pumped into the manufacturing sector accounted for around 25 percent of the total FDI.

Investment from Hong Kong， Taiwan and the European Union grew 15.7 percent， 52 percent and 9.3 percent in the January-April period， respectively.

Besides， Chinas non-fi nancial outbound direct investment （ODI） dropped 70.8 percent year on year to $5.83 billion in April， offi cial data showed on May 27.

In the fi rst quarter of 2017， Chinas non-fi nancial ODI declined 56.1 percent year on year to $26.37 billion， according to the MOFCOM.

Early Harvest

Wheat is harvested in farmland of Dagong Township in Nantong， east Chinas Jiangsu Province， on May 30.

One-Stop Customs Clearance

Chinese authorities will work to promote an integrated “single window”platform nationwide by the end of this year， allowing companies to declare cargo and taxes with a single submission， a move to facilitate trade and streamline administration.

“The integrated platform makes it unnecessary for businesses to enter the same information again and again to different authorities. The platform has been put in place in 17 provinces and cities，” Zou Zhiwu， Vice Minister of the General Administration of Customs， said on May 27 at a press conference.

“By the end of this year， the single window platform will be in use at all ports across the country，” Zou said.

In this years government work report， China committed to extending the single-window processing of international trade and achieving nationwide integration of customs clearance procedures.

A standardized version of the single window is being developed， which consists of nine functions， including declaration of cargo， transportation， and payment of taxes and fees， he said.

An e-verifi cation platform will be established for authorities to share declaration data， logistics control information and enterprises credit standing to create a better business environment， he added.

Alibaba Purchased Lianhua Shares

Chinas e-commerce giant Alibaba Group spent an estimated but unspecifi ed amount of over HK$630 million （$80.88 million） for an 18-percent stake in the Hong Kong-listed Lianhua Supermarket Holdings Co. Ltd. on May 26.

Through the deal， which was announced by Lianhua， Alibaba became the second-largest shareholder of Lianhua.

Alibaba bought the Lianhua stake from Shanghai Yiguo E-commerce Co. Ltd.， a fresh produce marketplace.

Alibaba had previously invested in Yiguo， having participated in its series A and C funding rounds in 2013 and 2016.

The deal marks the third transfer of Lianhua shares in three years.

Lianhua was the fi rst Chinese mainland retail company to be listed in Hong Kong. By the end of 2016， it had 3，618 physical stores across China， including 2，286 outlets in Shanghai.

Airbus Helicopter Plant

Airbus Helicopters is moving forward with its strategic partnership with China， with construction now underway of its fi rst helicopter assembly line in the country.

Guillaume Faury， CEO of Airbus Helicopters， said the new fi nal assembly line for its H135 chopper in Qingdao， east Chinas Shandong Province， is the fi rst for the company in China.

Costing more than 10 million euros （$11.21 million）， the plant is expected to be completed by 2018， he said at the groundbreaking ceremony on May 28.

Under a framework agreement signed in June last year， 100 Airbus H135s will be assembled over the next 10 years and the fi rst aircraft rollout from Qingdao is planned for mid-2019. The production line will have a total installed annual capacity of 18 helicopters， which can be extended for future growth.

The new facility， located in the Jimo Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone， will be operated by Airbus Helicopters and Qingdao United General Aviation Co. Ltd.， a joint venture between China Aviation Supplies Holding Co. and Qingdao United General Aviation Industrial Development Co. Ltd.

Paying via App

Visitors experience a fl ash payment service via a smartphone app developed by Chinas bankcard association UnionPay at a new product launch held in Beijing on May 27. A two-dimensional bar code linked to the service will make smartphone payments more convenient while ensuring their security.