THE SCIENTIST WHO MATTERED IN 2017

Pan Jianwei， 48， a leading Chinese quantum scientist， has been listed by science journal Nature as one of the 10 “people who mattered” in 2017.

According to Nature， Pan “has been widely hailed for leading China to the forefront of longdistance quantum communication： harnessing quantum laws to transmit information securely.”

A graduate of the University of Science and Technology of China in 1990， Pan holds a doctorate from the University of Vienna and is currently the chief scientist for the worlds fi rst quantum satellite project.

Launching the Micius satellite in August 2016， China became the first nation to transmit the quantum state of a photon on Earth 1，400 km to a photon on an orbiting satellite， paving the way for long-distance quantum communication. In September， Pans team used the satellite to beam photons to Beijing and Vienna， generating quantum encryption keys that allowed team members in the cities—7，800 km apart—to video-chat with complete security. Due to his outstanding work in scientific research， Pan has been called “the father of quantum” in China.

Safeguarding Human Rights by Rule of Law

Peoples Daily December 16

A white paper titled New Progress in the Legal Protection of Human Rights in China， issued on December 15 by Chinas State Council Information Office， offers a comprehensive introduction to the achievements made in the protection of human rights over the past five years.

With pertinent data and facts， the white paper demonstrated the Chinese Governments strong determination and unremitting efforts to respect and protect human rights in an all-round way as well as further promote the development of society and individuals.

The Central Government adheres to a people-centered development philosophy and gives priority to respecting and protecting human rights in the process of advancing the rule of law comprehensively. Protecting human rights has become a cornerstone in Chinas reform of legislation， enforcement and the judiciary， which can ensure people enjoy equality and justice.

China is an active player in promoting the human rights cause around the world. China works together with the international community to uphold world peace and development. Chinas proposal to build a community with a shared future for mankind has been adopted in United Nations resolutions， broadening human rights development in the world.

China has actively participated in multilateral cooperation on human rights protection and humanitarian rescue， contributing Chinas experience and approaches to promote fair and reasonable global governance in the fi eld of human rights.endprint

The 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China has laid out a blueprint for Chinas future development， at the center of which is the nations human rights development. There is still a long road ahead for China to achieve greater progress in better protection of human rights.

Breaking Local Healthcare Barriers

Oriental Outlook December 21

Healthcare is a fundamental public service that is in the interest of all citizens. In China， it is also an important element of the reform agenda that affects social stability and peoples welfare.

In a cyber-poll conducted in 2016，“building a nationwide healthcare service network” became the topic of most concern， with as many as 10.98 million votes.

Current conditions dont enable realtime settling of accounts for healthcare services in different places. This means that an individuals healthcare welfare is locally confined. But 2017 marks the beginning of reform in this regard. On March 24， a national network system for healthcare service accounting was put into operation.

According to the data from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security of China， as of November 15， as many as 7，801 medical institutions and 90 percent of A-level hospitals across the country had joined the national unified accounting network. Both urban and rural residents can enjoy medical care services outside their hometowns and claim reimbursement of a certain proportion of the costs.

The reform is not easy as it requires the establishment of a sound system to deal precisely with complicated information related to over 1 billion people.

The mismatch between the varying levels of medical care services across the country and peoples growing needs for better healthcare services presents a real diffi culty. In particular， an increasing number of patients from rural areas and small cities would like to seek better treatment in large cities. The effective solution is to improve community-level healthcare services， strengthen the ranks of general medical practitioners and ensure everyone can enjoy sound healthcare services no matter where they live.

Education Apps Need Supervision

South Daily December 19， 2017

Unexpected problems have continually cropped up as online learning apps boomed in the Chinese market. Recently， several online learning apps which were designed to target primary and middle school students have been denounced by parents and teachers for containing improper contents for children. The apps have been deleted from the app store. But a market report shows that many learning apps have the functions of social networking and games which distract teenage users.endprint

In the information age， learning apps are helpful for students to acquire knowledge and broaden their horizons， as a beneficial supplement to the curriculum at schools. With such apps， teachers can conveniently assign homework and check students work effi ciently and provide instructions if needed. Learning apps can meet the needs of students and improve their learning efficiency with diversified and customized services. But current problems remind the public that learning apps in cyber space cant become healthy without supervision and regulation.

Undoubtedly， the app service providers should be responsible for the contents. But currently， it is very easy to develop learning apps without necessary registration and qualification review procedures. Therefore， education and market authorities should strengthen supervision and do their part to ensure learning apps available in the market are healthy for students. Watchdogs should raise the threshold and stop unqualified service providers from accessing the market. The booming learning app market needs to cool down.

FAMOUS POET PASSED AWAY

Yu Kuang-chuang， a well-known Chinese poet， passed away in Kaohsiung， Taiwan Province， on December 14 at the age of 90. Yu was in hospital after suffering a stroke and had a pulmonary infection， according to his family members.

Yu， a famous littérateur， poet and proser， was born in Nanjing， east Chinas Jiangsu Province， in 1928 and moved to Taiwan with his parents in 1950. He graduated from the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature， “National Taiwan University，” in 1952. Yu taught at a number of prestigious universities in Taiwan and Hong Kong from 1959 onward. He dedicated half a century of his life to literary creation and literature translation.

Yu won almost all the important literary awards in Taiwan over the past decades， enjoying a high reputation and great popularity in the world of Chinese literature. Some of his works were selected by education authorities as texts for students in Taiwan. In particular， his masterpiece poem Nostalgia generated much resonance among Chinese across the Taiwan Straits.

“Chinese President Xi Jinpings idea of building a community of shared destiny for mankind is well in line with the UN agenda， which prioritizes peace and development.”

Abdelkader Abbadi， senior UN expert， speaking in an interview with Xinhua News Agency in New York City on December 19

“The lab will show how AI can ease the workload of journalists and make their work more efficient.”

Hu Yu， Chief Executive of iFlytek， speaking at the opening of Chinas fi rst artifi cial intelligence （AI） laboratory for broadcasting in Changsha， capital of Hunan Province， on December 18

“Football development is taking the lead in physical education reform and will boost the development of other ball games and campus sports.”

Xu Zhen， Deputy Director of the Sport， Health and Art Education Division of the Ministry of Education， speaking in Beijing on December 18

“China will continue the crackdown against smuggled waste to block imports of foreign garbage.”

Huang Songping， General Administration of Customs spokesperson， speaking in Beijing on December 19endprint