Playing With Ice

Playing With Ice

Visitors play a game with water in Beiji Village， Mohe City of northeast Chinas Heilongjiang Province， on January 24. With temperature approaching minus 30 degrees Celsius， visitors in Mohe experienced the phenomenon of water instantly turning into ice when exposed to the freezing temperatures.

Sky Net 2019

China has launched a new campaign to capture corrupt offi cials who have fl ed abroad.

The campaign， codenamed Sky Net 2019， will detain more suspects and prevent corrupt offi cials from fl eeing， according to a meeting held on January 28 by the offi ce in charge of pursuing fugitives and stolen assets in foreign countries， under the central anti-graft coordination group.

The campaign will be executed by several organs and overseen by the National Supervisory Commission （NSC） who will be in charge of fi nding offi cials who are suspected of duty-related crimes. The Supreme Peoples Court will pursue illicit assets and the Ministry of Public Security （MPS） will carry out the Fox Hunt operation that targets suspects of economic crime who have fl ed overseas.

The Peoples Bank of China and the MPS will also aim to prevent and crack down on the transfer of stolen money， and the Organization Department of the Communist Party of China （CPC） Central Committee and the MPS will deal with the illegal acquisition of travel documents.

More efforts should be made to deepen judicial assistance and international law enforcement cooperation to crack the cases and improve the system that prevents more suspects from fl eeing， said Li Shulei， Deputy Secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and vice head of the NSC. China launched the fi rst Sky Net operation in April 2015.

Child Medicare

China has beefed up efforts to ensure children have access to medical care， according to the National Health Commission （NHC）.

The country has experienced major progress in its pediatric medical care in recent years， including infrastructure and training of pediatricians， said Guo Yanhong， Deputy Director of the NHCs Medical Administration Bureau.

The number of pediatric hospitals in China reached 228 by the end of 2018 and another 20 pediatric hospitals are under construction， according to Guo.

Meanwhile， the number of pediatricians grew to 154，000 by the end of last year， up 28.3 percent from 2015.

“The fi gure comes to about 0.63 pediatricians for every 1，000 children. I am confi dent the countrys target of 0.69 by 2020 can be reached on schedule，” Guo said.

The government issued guidelines in 2016 on advancing reform and development of pediatric medical services， calling for more childrens hospitals， a larger team of pediatricians and higher quality of services to cope with the national shortage of pediatricians.

Many provinces and cities， including Beijing， have published directories for pediatric hospitals and clinics to make it more convenient for patients to seek treatment， according to Guo.

Yangtze Protection

China has unveiled an action plan to protect and restore the Yangtze River as the country pushes forward environmental protections.

The water quality of more than 85 percent of Yangtze River segments should reach Level III standard or above by the end of 2020， according to the plan released by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment （MEE） and the National Development and Reform Commission.

It also said more than 90 percent of “black and odorous”water bodies in cities at or above prefecture level in the Yangtze River economic belt should be eliminated by the end of 2020.

Regions along the river in 11 provinces and municipalities are set as key areas， the plan said.

It also listed eight major tasks on Yangtze River protection including strengthening industrial， agricultural and shipping pollution treatment， ensuring the safety of sources of drinking water and cracking down on ecological destruction.

The protection and renovation of the Yangtze River， the countrys longest waterway， should combine water pollution treatment， water ecology restoration and water resources protection， the MEE said.

China classifi es the water quality of major rivers and lakes into six levels， ranging from Level I， which is good enough to be used as the source of drinking water， to Level VI which is too polluted to be used even for farm irrigation.

Forest Fires

Chinas Ministry of Emergency Management has called on local departments to stay on high alert for forest fi res during the Spring Festival period.

Burning incense at the graves of loved ones is a popular Chinese tradition around the Spring Festival which falls on February 5 this year. The ministry has issued preventive measures be taken to prevent fi res from breaking out.

Apart from tomb-sweeping activities， customs such as setting off fi recrackers to celebrate the Spring Festival， burning straw and using controlled burning to clear land for forestation may increase the risks of fi res， the ministry added.

With more extreme weather forecast over the festival period， the ministry said forests and grasslands were considered to be at risk.

Since January 1， Beijing， Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region， Liaoning， Yunnan and Sichuan provinces have reported forest fi res.

A national overhaul has recently started to detect hidden risks that might cause forest fi res， the ministry said.

China saw 16，309 hectares of forest area damaged in 2，478 forest fi res in 2018， with 39 people injured or killed.

Reading Time

People deep in books at a reading room in Zhanggong District of Ganzhou City， east Chinas Jiangxi Province， on January 24. Ganzhou has made efforts to build reading rooms across the city in recent years.

Grain Reserves

China will strengthen the regulation of grain circulation and strategic reserves in 2019， aiming to promote the security of national grain and deal with emergencies.

“We will accelerate the establishment of an effi cient and modern system of grain circulation and a unifi ed system of national stockpile reserves，” said Zhang Wufeng， head of the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration， at a national meeting.

Addressing the meeting， Zhang stressed that the administration will continue to assess the responsibility of provincial governors in ensuring grain security this year. He also stressed that the local government should reinforce the management of grain reserves and fi gure out the volume and quality of the stock.

Statistics showed enterprises nationwide purchased more than 360 million tons of grain last year with farmers easily being able to sell their produce.

China has signifi cantly improved its ability to ensure food security in recent years. It feeds 20 percent of the worlds population with 10 percent of the cultivated land and 6 percent of the fresh water on Earth.

Food Tracking

A food tracking system involving 86，000 companies and 524，000 merchants has been established in 58 big and medium-sized cities across China， a spokesperson with the Ministry of Commerce has said.

The tracking system covers commonly consumed meats like pork and beef， over 500 kinds of vegetables， some fruits as well as aquaculture products.

The establishment of the tracking system will help ensure food safety for consumers， the spokesperson Gao Feng said at a press conference.

A monitoring mechanism will be put into use during the Spring Festival. Once drastic price fl uctuations or shortages of certain food are reported， the government will release stockpiles to the market promptly to ensure adequate supplies， Gao said.

Fresh and Juicy

A tourist picks strawberries at a greenhouse in Liupi Town of Shiyan City， central Chinas Hubei Province， on January 26.

Forestry Loans

Chinas rural policy bank has issued loans of 40.5 billion yuan （$6 billion） to help the countrys forestry sector.

Since the start of such loan services in 2016， the Agricultural Development Bank of China （ADBC） has launched 184 loan projects to protect and develop forestry resources.

In 2018， the bank lent 14.4 billion yuan （$2.1 billion） to boost forestry ecosystem development. While upgrading the term structure of loans for the sector， the ADBC has also expanded its service to 25 provincial-level regions.

Moreover， the ADBC has developed a series of sustainable projects for the sector， including PPP project fi nancing， poverty alleviation and coastal ecological management， according to the bank.

Established in 1994， the ADBC raises funds through a national credit-based market to support the development of agriculture， rural areas and farmers.

Industrial Upgrading

Workers examine the quality of their products at an auto parts manufacturing enterprise in Laoting County， north Chinas Hebei Province， on January 26. In recent years， the county has shifted the traditional manufacturing industry toward innovation-oriented equipment manufacturing， further boosting economic restructuring.

Yuan Bond Holdings

At the end of 2018， the total amount of yuan bonds owned by overseas institutions under the depository of the China Central Depository & Clearing Co. （CCDC） surged 50.26 percent to 1.51 trillion yuan （$224 billion）， the CCDC said on its website on January 29.

The fi gure accounted for 2.62 percent of the total value of bonds under CCDC depository， up from 1.91 percent a year earlier.

The strong growth in overseas holdings of yuan bonds was in part boosted by the Bond Connect program， a market access scheme launched in July 2017 that allows overseas investors to invest in the Chinese mainlands interbank bond market using fi nancial institutions of the mainland and Hong Kong.

By the end of 2018， more than 500 registered institutional investors across the globe had chosen Bond Connect to access the Chinese bond market. Meanwhile， the schemes functions were improved last year， with the delivery versus payment settlement being fully implemented， and pre- and post-trade allocations going live.

To further open up the bond market， China announced in November 2018 that overseas institutions investing in its bond market will be exempted from corporate income tax and value-added tax on their bond interest earnings for three years.

Cruise Tourism

South Chinas Hainan Province plans to develop more cruise routes to upgrade its tourism industry， Governor Shen Xiaoming said.

According to the government work report delivered by Shen to the provincial peoples congress， which opened its annual session on January 27， Hainan aims to add cruise routes around the main island and to its Xisha Islands throughout 2019.

It will also encourage cruise companies to explore regions like Southeast Asia which would increase the number of services departing from Hainan， Shen said.

The Cruise Lines International Association estimates that by 2025， the number of Chinese travelers who will have taken a cruise will reach 8 to 10 million， a surge from 2.5 million in 2017.

Hainan has started a pilot run of its 15-day visa-free policy for tourist groups who take cruises and enter the country from the provinces ports.

Digital Highlight

The added value of core industries of the digital economy grew 13.1 percent year on year in east Chinas Zhejiang Province in 2018， with the addition of 66 unmanned factories and workshops， according to off ciial statistics.

In order to upgrade traditional industries， the province also built 222 small and micro enterprise parks， added 16，000 industrial robots to factories and eliminated 1，733 companies with outdated production capacity.

In 2019， Zhejiang will set up a digital economy industrial fund of 10 billion yuan （$1.48 billion）， accord- ing to the provincial government. It also vows to build 100 unmanned workshops and factories， support 100 digital enterprises and promote the construction of 100 digitalization programs.

Golden Embroidery

Women of the Miao ethnic group embroider products in Gaoniao Village in Rongjiang County， southwest Chinas Guizhou Province， on January 23. Through developing handicrafts with distinctive local features， the once impoverished village has become affl uent.

China Entry

The Operations Offi ce of the Peoples Bank of China （PBC） has registered S&P; Global Inc.s Beijingbased wholly-owned subsidiary， while the National Association of Financial Market Institutional Investors has accepted the registration of the subsidiary to conduct bond rating business in the interbank bond market， according to a PBC statement on January 28.

Calling the opening up of the credit rating sector “an important part” of the move to steadily open up Chinas fi nancial market， the PBC said it would support more internationally infl uential and qualifi ed foreign credit rating agencies to enter the Chinese market.“With accelerating internationalization of Chinas fi nancial market， the introduction of international credit rating agencies will help meet the demand of global investors for diverse yuan asset allocation， improve the quality of credit ratings in China， and play a positive role in promoting the regulated and healthy development of the Chinese fi nancial market，” the statement said.

China introduced over 10 measures to further open up its fi nancial sector last year， including easing ownership restrictions and enabling access to certain niche markets.

Renewable Energy

The average utilization rate of hydropower stood at around 95 percent in China in 2018， while curtailment rates of wind and photovoltaic power dropped 5 and 2.8 percentage points， respectively， according to the National Energy Administration（NEA）.

China built over 44 million kw of new photovoltaic power capacity last year， second only to the amount in 2017.

NEA data also showed that at the end of 2018， Chinas renewable energy registered an installed capacity of 728 million kw， jumping 12 percent year on year.

The renewable energy generated electricity of 1.87 trillion kWh in 2018， rising by 170 billion kWh from a year earlier.

A Bigger Role

China is encouraging its chambers of commerce to play a bigger role in resolving economic disputes in the private sector in a bid to promote healthy development.

It is necessary to let the chamber cultivate mediation organizations and let the judiciary lead and support their dispute resolution process， said a guideline released by the Supreme Peoples Court （SPC） and the AllChina Federation of Industry and Commerce （ACFIC） on January 27.

Efforts should be made to establish a dispute settlement system that facilitates effective linking between the mediation mechanisms with litigation procedures， according to the document.

The federations of industry and commerce at all levels should standardize the operation of mediation organizations and make this kind of arbitration an important channel to resolve disputes in the private economy.

The courts should guide related parties to choose the mediation organizations of the chambers of commerce as their prioritized means to solve disputes， adding that litigation procedures should be introduced in a timely manner if mediation fails to safeguard the litigants right of action.

In 2013， the SPC and the ACFIC launched a pilot mediation program for chambers of commerce in 21 units in 16 provinces across the country.

China has 47，000 chambers of commerce and about 1，520 mediation organizations affi liated to more than 3，400 federations of industry and commerce at all levels.

More Choices

Customers buy imported goods at an open air market in Xian， northwest Chinas Shaanxi Province， on January 27.