NUCLEAR SCIENTIST HONORED

Yu Min， dubbed the Father of Chinas hydrogen bomb， was listed among 100 people who have made outstanding contributions to Chinas reform and opening up by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on November 26.

In addition to scientists like Yu， the list also includes entrepreneurs， economists， village offi cials， sports stars and actors.

Born in north Chinas Hebei Province in 1926， Yu studied physics at Peking University from 1946 to 1951. He began hydrogen bomb research in the 1960s， making important contributions to Chinas fi rst hydrogen bomb in 1967.

He became a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1980 and received the “Two Bombs and One Satellite Meritorious Award” in 1999. He won Chinas top science award in 2015.

Football Salaries

Guangming Daily November 26

The Chinese Football Association will limit the pay for male football players. The amount of money a football club spends transferring domestic and foreign players will be capped at 45 million yuan （$6.5 million） for foreigners and 20 million yuan （$2.9 million） for domestic players.？

Even if football players become successful， their careers last only a few years and they often have little or no income after retirement. Therefore， its reasonable for them to receive a high income during their limited career. However， at present， salaries are too high with some famous players being paid an exorbitant amount for transferring from one club to another.

These high salaries are not reflected when playing international games. Chinas national team has qualified for the World Cup final tournament only once. The government has made multiple efforts to promote the development of the sport， including hiring foreign coaches to head team but their performance has repeatedly disappointed fans.

Football has become a commercialized sport in China； therefore salaries should be dictated by the market. In reality， salaries have been inflated by football clubs and listed companies that fund them in a bid for self-promotion.

Its necessary to restrict pay and establish an income distribution system which matches salaries with performance.

Consumption Driven Retail Industry

Oriental Outlook November 29

Dramatic changes in peoples consumption patterns and habits vividly exemplify the improvement of peoples livelihoods over the past 40 years of reform and opening up. Over the past four decades， the consumer market has continuously expanded， with total retail sales of consumer goods in China increasing from 155.9 billion yuan（$22.4 billion） in 1978 to 36.63 trillion yuan （$5.27 trillion） in 2017. This realizes an average rise of 15 percent year on year.

The structure of consumption has continued to upgrade and the relationship between supply and demand has undergone fundamental changes， with the era of supply shortage gone forever. At present， consumption has become the primary driver of economic growth， with the consumer spending making up 78 percent in the fi rst three quarters this year.

The growth of consumption has pushed forward the transformation of the retail industry. From brick-and-mortar stores to online-offl ine integration， the retail industry is providing consumers with an increasingly wider variety of options， enabling Chinese customers to have improved customized consumer experience.

In addition， smart retail， a sales mode centered on the consumer experience which uses big data to accurately gauge consumers needs， is also taking shape in China. The retail industry and consumption patterns will continue to drive the development of Chinas consumer market in the future.

Humans and Birds in Harmony

Beijing Youth Daily November 26

A group of photography afi cionados recently caught the medias attention. A group of mostly retired citizens have made a habit of waking up at 3 a.m. and heading to the Olympic Park to take pictures of birds. In recent years， Beijings green coverage has reached 48.2 percent， with over 8，000 hectares of wetland created. The improved natural environment has encouraged a number of wild animals to make their home in the capital.

However， how urban residents live alongside wildlife requires professional guidance. Whether humans should feed birds has long been a controversial topic. Every year a number of black-headed gulls fl y to Kunming in southwest Chinas Yunnan Province for the winter. Locals would feed them bread and local government also puts food in many spots to ensure the species survive the winter. But some have been heavily critical of this， stating that birds will adjust their natural habits and develop a reliance on humans rather than being self-sustaining.

How to avoid birds being injured by physical infrastructure is one of the more pressing questions for conservationists and policymakers. Only when and if these issues are resolved will humans and wildlife be able to live together peacefully and safely.

BIOLOGICAL RESEARCHER SPARKS OUTRAGE

He Jiankui， an associate professor with the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen， south Chinas Guangdong Province has sparked controversy for claiming to produce the worlds fi rst gene-edited babies who are immune to HIV.

He said in a video released on November 26 that a pair of twin girls was born in early November through in-vitro fertilization with genetic editing technology preventing them from being infected with HIV.

The National Health Commission and Ministry of Science and Technology announced that scientifi c research and medical activities should be carried out in accordance with laws and regulations as well as ethics and any behavior that crosses the line will be punished. China forbids gene editing for the purpose of assisted reproductions in a regulation issued in 2003.

He received a bachelors degree in physics from the University of Science and Technology of China in 2006 and a PhD in biophysics from Rice University in 2010. He studied for his post-doctorate at Stanford University from 2011 to 2012.

“China and the EU are like-minded on economic and trade issues and both hope to strengthen a rules-based multilateral trade system which is centered on free and fair trade.”

Chinese Vice Premier Liu He said at a meeting with EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager on November 27

“It is believed that Xis visit will provide a new direction for the two countries to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields.”

Chinese Ambassador to Argentina Yang Wanming commenting on Chinese President Xi Jinpings visit to Argentina where he also attended the 13th Group of 20 （G20） Summit in Buenos Aires on November 26

“China supports necessary reforms of the WTO to strengthen its authority and effectiveness…Rules should be made jointly by the international community， rather than a minority of members and cliques should not be formed.”

Wang Shouwen， Vice Minister of the Ministry of Commerce， at a press conference on November 23

“The new policies will not only make cross-border trade more convenient but also meet consumers upgraded needs and improve regulation and supervision of cross-border e-commerce imports.”

Wang Jian， a professor with the University of International Business and Economics， recently commenting on a new policy adding more products to the list of duty-free goods. These include electronics， home appliances， food and healthcare products