Spring Is Coming

Spring Is Coming

Tourists gaze at cherry blossoms at Yuyuantan Park in Beijing on March 19. The 31st cherry blossom cultural event kicked off at the park that day and visitors can enjoy over 3，000 cherry trees.

Wedding Code

Local authorities and communities in China have come up with various measures to combat extravagant rural wedding traditions such as hefty caili， or betrothal gifts， according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs on March 18.

It is a tradition in many places across China， especially in rural areas， where the grooms family gives caili to the brides family. This can sometimes drive certain families to poverty.

In Ningling County， central Chinas Henan Province， all 364 villages have formulated village rules and regulations to promote thrifty weddings. Local governments in east Chinas Jiangxi and Shandong provinces have also called for frugal weddings.

To fully facilitate the reform against extravagant weddings， the Ministry of Civil Affairs has pledged to mobilize community-level organizations in rural areas to promote new forms of wedding， such as group nuptials.

Legal Aid

Chinas Ministry of Justice has issued a new national standard for legal aid for criminal matters in a bid to improve the quality of such services.

Legal aid in criminal matters refers to a set of safeguard mechanisms in which eligible people will be provided with free legal consultation， legal assistance， criminal defense and representative services.

Under the new standard， legal aid lawyers are required to promptly meet the recipients at least once during every stage of the criminal litigation procedure， attend the trial and submit their defense in written form.

Legal aid lawyers are also obliged to refer complicated cases to the institutions they belong to and put themselves under the supervision of the institutions and the recipients， the document said.

The new standard applies to the criminal legal aid provided by government-run legal aid agencies， as well as the supervision and management of other criminal legal aid institutions and personnel.

It also prescribes that recipients do not need to be a citizen of the country， which is designed to safeguard the legal rights of foreigners and stateless people.

Labor Pain Relief

China will promote pain relief during normal labor at over 900 pilot hospitals， with the list to be released soon， according to the National Health Commission （NHC） on March 18.

Pain relief methods during natural childbirth are far less common in China than in developed countries， though they are considered impor- tant for lowering cesarean delivery rates and improving the mothersquality of life after birth.

The Chinese Medical Doctor Association will set up labor pain relief training centers for medical staff across the country and promote pain relief methods.

The NHC released a three-year work plan for the nationwide promotion of pain relief methods during labor and delivery in November 2018.

Green Protection

China channeled more energy into the protection of forests and grassland last year， an offi cial report showed.

The National Forestry and Grassland Administration （NFGA） cracked down on violations such as illegal logging in 2018 as a special campaign code-named Hurricane No.1 was launched. Fines totaling 1.68 billion yuan （$250 million） were imposed in 183，000 forests-related cases.

Around 207，000 cubic meters of timber and 175，000 wild animals were confi scated in those cases， and 15，000 hectares of forests and 863.4 hectares of national reserves were recovered.

The NFGA also investigated the damage of 7，646.6 hectares of grassland last year.

The action came as the country is attaching greater signifi cance to environmental protection. China planted 7.07 million hectares of new forests in 2018 and plans to increase forest coverage by 6.73 million hectares this year.

In 2018， China launched the fi rst public forest monitoring scheme， the ninth national check of forest resources and the fi rst carbon sink calculation to improve the management of forest and grassland resources.

Extreme Weather

China will strengthen disaster control as severe fl oods and droughts are expected this year， according to the Ministry of Water Resources.

Since the beginning of 2019， heavy rainfall has hit south China， leading to higher river levels and an early fl ood season， the ministry said.

Examinations ahead of the fl ood season should be made in advance and the process of repairing damaged water conservancy facilities should be accelerated to restore their functions in time for the early fl ood season， said Minister of Water Resources E Jingping.

He also called for more efforts on reservoir management to keep water levels within a limited range. Reservoirs are the biggest challenge in water conservancy projects.

“We rely on over 98，000 reservoirs， 98 state-level detention and retarding basins， and over 300，000 km of levees to guard against fl oods and reduce disaster losses，”the minister said. The Ministry of Water Resources will also enhance coordination on information sharing with hydrology and meteorology departments to improve the precision of fl ood forecast， he added.

Ploughing Ceremony

People attend a ceremony marking the start of spring plowing in Shannan City， southwest Chinas Tibet Autonomous Region， on March 16.

Online Braille

China launched an online braille platform with a translation function to make it easier for the visually impaired to read.

The Braille Online Platform of China， developed by a team led by Su Wei at Lanzhou University in northwest Chinas Gansu Province， was offi cially put into use on March 22.

On the platform， the user can upload a Chinese or English text and it will be translated into braille. This can then be read on a braille display or printed out. An audio version can also be produced.

The platform will also work with music scores， mathematics equations， circuit diagrams or chemical formulas.

Research and development work on the platform， supported by the China Blind Persons Association and the China Disabled PersonsFederation， started in 2015. “This is the fi rst public service of its kind designed for the 17 million visually impaired people in China，” Su said.

“Artifi cial intelligence and big data technologies are applied in building the braille translation function and the braille database to provide more reading materials for the visually impaired，” he added.

Dressed to Dance

Women from the Miao ethnic group dance to the rhythm of wooden drum beats during the annual celebration of the Fangu Drumming Festival at Qingjiang Village， southwest Chinas Guizhou Province， on March 16. The Fangu Drumming Festival， a traditional local festival dating back 600 years， features wooden-drum dancing， bull-fi ghting， antiphonal love songs and other traditional forms of folk art.

Stable Employment

Chinas job market remained largely stable despite a slightly higher unemployment rate in January and February， according to the National Bureau of Statistics （NBS）.

The urban unemployment rate stood at 5.1 percent in January and 5.3 percent in February， up 0.1 percentage points and 0.3 percentage points year on year， respectively， and higher than the 4.9-percent level recorded in December 2018， the NBS data showed.

The levels remained below the 5.5-percent target set by the government for 2019， with employment expected to improve in the coming months， according to Li Xiru， head of the department of population and employment at the NBS.

In an NBS statement， Li attributed the higher rate to reduced jobs at export fi rms caused by weakening external demand and seasonal disruptions around the Spring Festival， which fell on February 5 this year.

“Many Chinese workers， especially migrant workers， quit their jobs before the festival and are now seeking new jobs. This often causes the unemployment rate to be higher during this period，” Li said.

Most companies had job posi- tions fi lled to normal capacity after the festival， as shown by an NBS survey in 22 provincial regions， refl ecting overall stability in the job market.

Meanwhile， 1.74 million new jobs were created in cities in January and February， a relatively high level， according to Li.

Policy makers have taken an array of measures to ensure a stable job market， including an insurance payment rebate for employers， government subsidies on skill training and bigger tax cuts. Favorable policies were also given to people setting up their own businesses.

Patent Applications

Chinese telecom giant Huawei Technologies was the top corporate fi ler of international patent applications in 2018. It led an Asia-based innovation surge accounting for over half of the applications submitted at the World Intellectual Property Organization （WIPO） last year， WIPO said on March 19.

“Asia is now the majority fi ler of international patent applications via the WIPO， which is an important milestone for the economically dynamic region and underscores the geographical shift of innovative activity from West to East，” said WIPO Director General Francis Gurry.

WIPO statistics showed that 50.5 percent of all Patent Cooperation Treaty （PCT） applications fi led in 2018 came from Asia， with Europe and North America accounting for about a quarter each.

U.S.-based applicants fi led 56，142 PCT applications， followed by applicants from China， 53，345， and Japan， 49，702.

Huawei， with a record number of 5，405 published PCT applications， was the top corporate fi ler in 2018， which is “an all-time record，” according to Gurry.

ZTE was the top applicant in 2016 but saw a 29.8-percent drop in the number of published PCT fi lings in 2018， its second straight year of decline.

The top 10 applicant list in 2018 comprises six companies from Asia， two from Europe and two from the U.S.

Clean and Powerful

Aerial photo of a photovoltaic power station in Hengdong County， central Chinas Hunan Province， on March 19. In recent years， Hunan has combined clean energy development with poverty alleviation.

Bonds Going Global

The expected inclusion of Chinese bonds in the Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate Bond Index next month is an “important milestone”in Chinas fi nancial integration into the world economy， an International Monetary Fund （IMF） offi cial said on March 13.

“That step both refl ects the importance of these bonds in foreign portfolios and will likely encourage more purchases of those securities going forward，” said Changyong Rhee， IMFs Director of the Asia and Pacifi c department， at a book forum held in Washington， D.C.

In January， Bloomberg confi rmed its decision to include renminbi government bonds and policy bank bonds in the index starting in April.

“This development follows the establishment in 2017 of the socalled Bond Connect， which allows foreigners to enter the Chinese bond market， as well as recent commitments to further develop and open the market，” Rhee said in his opening remarks of the event.

According to the government work report of 2019， China will further open up its fi nancial sector and bond market.

“Bond market development and global integration will be benefi cial for the allocation of resources within the Chinese economy—and will spur greater asset diversifi cation in China and globally，” he said， adding that it could boost Chinas economic growth and strengthen fi nancial stability.

Foreign Trade

China will take an array of measures to support foreign trade this year amid increased uncertainty， a senior offi cial said on March 18.

The countrys foreign trade is facing a more complicated and challenging environment with greater uncertainty and more risks， Assistant Commerce Minister Ren Hongbin told a national conference on imports and exports.

However， China has the foundation and necessary conditions to achieve its target of keeping foreign trade stable while improving its quality this year， Ren said.

Authorities will ensure implementation of current trade policies and drive to build China into a major trading power， he said.

More efforts will be made to diversify export destinations and optimize the market structure.

Policies to support new business types including cross-border e-commerce will be improved to foster new models of trade， while processing trade will be upgraded.

Measures will be taken to expand imports and improve their structure， boost border trade and improve the level of trade facilitation.

Chinas foreign trade in merchandise hit a historic high of 30.51 trillion yuan （$4.5 trillion） in 2018， up 9.7 percent year on year.

Traveling to the South

Waterfront view taken in Sanya， south Chinas Hainan Province， on March 17. Hainan has been promoting supply-side structural reform in tourism and upgrading its tourism industry by tapping into its environmental advantages.

Chinese Assets

Investors across the world have shown intentions to increase their allocations in Chinese fi xed income assets over the next three years， according to a new U.S. study on global fi xed income.

The annual Global Fixed Income Study found that 58 percent of the participating asset owners in North America plan to increase allocations to China over the next three years， according to a briefi ng on March 18 by Invesco， a U.S. independent investment management company.

The study was conducted through face-to-face interviews with 145 investors across North America， Europe， the Middle East， Africa and the Asia-Pacifi c region， who are responsible for the fi xed income components of portfolios totaling$14.1 trillion in assets under management as of June 30， 2018.

In the search for an enhanced yield and diversifi cation， “Chinese fi xed income allocations are set to grow as investors look beyond trade and geopolitical issues，” said the briefi ng.

While recognizing Chinas underrepresented bond portfolios， especially its role in the global economy and the size of its debt market， “32 percent of fi xed income investors globally intend to increase their allocations to China over the next three years，” it said.

Invesco also found that 51 percent of global investors had plans to add Chinese fi xed income assets as a longer-term strategic decision， which will be underpinned by the increased weighting of China in major fi xed income indices expected in 2019 and beyond.

Network Upgrading

Workers carry out network updates at the Tangshan-Hohhot Railway between north Chinas Hebei Province and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on March 19. After the transformation， the cargo transportation capacity of the railway line will reach more than 100 million tons.

Capital Management

China has amended its regulations on the capital management of transnational companies， according to the State Administration of Foreign Exchange （SAFE）.

The new regulation will help promote the liberalization and facilitation of cross-border trade and investment and better serve the countrys real economy， said the SAFE.

China will ease the registration management of foreign debt and offshore loans and launch pilot reforms to facilitate foreign exchange settlements and payments in multinational companies after registration.

China will also cancel restrictions that demand multinational companies cooperate with only a limited number of banks， the document shows.

While promoting the facilitation， supervision will also be strengthened to prevent risks of cross-border capital fl ow.

Tax for Overseas Talents

Chinas Ministry of Finance （MOF） announced a favorable tax policy for overseas talents working in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area on March 16.

Based on individual income tax differentials between the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong， overseas high-end talents and professionals in short supply that work in the Greater Bay Area will get subsidies from Guangdong Province and Shenzhen to offset the losses， according to the MOF.

The subsidies will be exempt from individual income tax.

The policy， effective from January 2019 to the end of 2023， applies to nine cities in Guangdong—Guangzhou， Shenzhen， Zhuhai， Foshan， Huizhou， Dongguan， Zhongshan， Jiangmen and Zhaoqing， the ministry said.

It said the move aims to encourage the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Consisting of the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions and the nine cities in Guangdong， the area covers 56，000 square km. It had a combined population of 70 million by the end of 2017.