VIRTUAL SUMMIT

President Xi Jinping attends the Group of 20 Extraordinary Leaders Summit on COVID-19 in Beijing on March 26.

Guided by the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity， China will be more than ready to share its good practices and provide assistance in its capacity to countries hit by the growing outbreak， Xi said.

This is the fi rst time for the leaders of the worlds 20 major economies to hold a summit online.

Successful Launch

A Long March-2C carrier rocket carrying a group of new remote sensing satellites blasts off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan Province in southwest China on March 24. The satellites have been successfully sent into orbit. Belonging to the Yaogan-30 family， this group of satellites will work as a constellation for electromagnetic environment detection and related technological tests.

Travel Ban

China announced temporary suspension of entry by foreign nationals holding valid Chinese visas or residence permits on the night of March 26.

The ban would become effective on March 28， said a statement jointly released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Immigration Administration.

According to the statement， entry by foreign nationals with Asia-Pacifi c Economic Cooperation Business Travel Cards will be suspended as well.

However， entry with diplomatic， service， courtesy or C visas will not be affected， said the statement.

Foreign nationals coming to China for necessary economic， trade， scientifi c or technological activities or out of emergency humanitar- ian needs may apply for visas at Chinese embassies or consulates， the statement said， adding that entry by foreign nationals with visas issued after this announcement will not be affected.

“The suspension is a temporary measure that China is compelled to take in light of the outbreak situation and the practices of other countries，”said the statement.

“China will stay in close touch with all sides and properly handle personnel exchanges with the rest of the world under the special circumstances，” it read.

The above-mentioned measures will be calibrated in light of the evolving situation and announced accordingly， the statement said.

New Cargo Route

A new freight train route linking inland municipality Chongqing in southwest China to Viet Nam， then to sea routes to India and other countries was launched in Chongqing on March 25， according to the routes operator.

On that day， the fi rst freight train on the route， loaded with motorcycles and other cargo worth over 10 million yuan （$1.42 million）， departed from Changshou District of Chongqing， scheduled to arrive at Qinzhou Port in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in south China in two days. The cargo is destined for countries including Viet Nam， India， Pakistan， Indonesia and Malaysia.

The new rail-sea transport route is at least 14 days faster than the traditional shipping routes connecting the municipality with these countries via the Yangtze River and the sea.

Tuberculosis Drops

China has witnessed a 3.4-percent annual reduction in its tuberculosis（TB） incidence rate over the past fi ve years， marking a faster drop than the world annual average of around 2 percent， according to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention （China CDC） on March 24.

China has seen decreases in TB morbidity and mortality rates in recent years， with more than 800，000 new TB cases reported each year. Its mortality rate is comparable to that of developed countries.

Despite remarkable progress achieved in TB control， it is still challenging for China and other parts of the world to reach the UN goal of ending TB by 2030， said Jiang Shiwen， a former offi cial with China CDCs National Center for TB Control and Prevention.

March 24 marked the 25th World Tuberculosis Day.

Job Discrimination

As the resumption of work and production is accelerating in regions with low risk of novel coronavirus infection， the Federation of Trade Unions in Anhui Province in east China has warned against discrimination against cured COVID-19 patients at the workplace.

The organization stressed that employers cannot refuse to employ cured coronavirus patients.

Also， it said workers who need leave to get treatment for COVID-19 should enjoy paid medical leave according to law. Those with suspected infection should not be unilaterally terminated.

It said during the anti-epidemic period employers should abide by labor laws and regulations and labor contracts.

Drainage System

Archaeologists have unearthed a number of pottery drain pipes at a Neolithic site of Longshan Culture dating back more than 4，000 years.They believe the pipes formed Chinas earliest and most complete urban drainage system.

The urban drainage system was found in the Pingliangtai Ancient City ruins in Henan Province in central China.

“The pottery pipes were connected with drainage ditches in the city，” said Cao Yanpeng， associate research fellow with the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology.

The development of public facilities and growth of labor productivity are key indicators to measure the level of civilization of a society. The discovery is of considerable signifi cance to the future studies of the ancient city.

Discovered in 1980， the Pingliangtai ruins lie in a place that once served as a regional center of the Longshan Culture. A lot of cultural relics， including delicate jadeware and pottery have been unearthed there， Cao said.

Lifting Restrictions

Vehicles leave Xiaogan， a city in Hubei Province in central China， on March 25. Starting that day， the lockdown of the province hardest hit by the novel coronavirus was lifted， with the exception of its capital Wuhan.

Counseling Plan

China has released a work plan on psychological counseling for those affected by COVID-19 as the country sees positive signs in taming the epidemic.

The work plan， issued by the State Council inter-agency task force for epidemic control on March 24， called for sustained psychological counseling services especially for COVID-19 patients， their families， families of deceased patients， other vulnerable groups， health workers and others fi ghting the virus on the frontline including police offi cers and community workers.

The work plan requires community workers to help recovered patients and their families return to their normal lives and prevent stigma caused by the disease.

Social service organizations and mental health facilities should be mobilized to provide the bereaved families with social support and psychological counseling services as a way to help them handle the grief， the work plan said.

In hard-hit regions， particularly Wuhan and other parts of Hubei， special work teams comprising mental health professionals， social workers and volunteers should be set up to provide support and services.

The work plan also pledged fi nancial support for such services， training programs for mental health professionals， social workers and volunteers， and protection of the privacy of those receiving mental counseling.

Wintering Birds

More than 115，000 migratory birds including the lesser white-fronted goose， one of the most endangered bird species， passed the winter in Dongting Lake in central China， according to a local nature reserve.

The lake in Hunan Province is the second largest freshwater lake in the country.

The East Dongting Lake National Nature Reserve Administration said they spotted 12，428 lesser white-fronted geese this winter， a significant increase compared with 10，779 last winter.

Yao Yi， chief engineer of the administration， said there are fewer than 35，000 lesser white-fronted geese currently in the world， indicating that East Dongting Lake has become one of the most important wintering places for the species.

The improvement in the ecological environment of the lake in recent years has led to a better habitat for the endangered species， and the nature reserve has played a role in protecting the reproduction and survival of this globally endangered bird， Yao added.

Library Reopens

A reader takes a book off the shelf in the Liaoning Provincial Library in Shenyang， Liaoning Province in northeast China on March 24. The library reopened that day. Real-name online registration is required for visitors.

Additional Investment

U.S. new materials giant Dow will invest $300 million in Zhangjiagang， Jiangsu Province in east China， in the next fi ve years.

Dow signed a memorandum of understanding for collaboration with the Zhangjiagang Free Trade Zone on March 23.

The investment is aimed at facilitating expansion and increasing capacity at the companys signature manufacturing site in Zhangjiagang to meet the growing global demand for differentiated silicone products， it said.

“Due to megatrends such as globalization and urbanization and a growing focus on sustainable development， customers across industries are seeking more innovative， sustainable and differentiated silicone products—especially customers in China and the Asia-Pacific region，” Mauro Gregorio， President of Dow Performance Materials & Coatings， said.

Gregorio said the fi ve-year investment plan will enable Dow to better address customers fastgrowing needs across a wide range of key industries， such as mobility and transportation， building and infrastructure.

“The memorandum we are signing today is a testament to our longstanding commitment to growing alongside the city of Zhangjiagang and our partners in China，” Yoke Loon Lim， President of Dow Greater China， who signed the agreement on behalf of Dow， said.

“We view China as a rapidly growing market， and the planned investments refl ect our confi dence in this view.”

Building the Future

Construction resumes at the site of the Beijing No.4 High School in Xiongan New Area， Hebei Province in north China， on March 17. Nearly 70 key projects in the area had resumed construction by March 18.

Women Billionaires

China has 61 percent of the worlds self-made women entrepreneurs with fortunes of more than $1 billion， up 4 percent year on year， according to the Hurun list of 100 self-made women billionaires from 16 countries released on March 16.

Hurun is a research， media and investment business， known for its Hurun Rich List， a ranking of the wealthiest individuals in China.

China has far outstripped others， including the United States， which comes in second place with 19 selfmade female billionaires， and the United Kingdom， in third place with six， according to the list.

Zhong Huijuan， a 59-year-old Chinese entrepreneur who started a pharmaceutical company emptyhanded， has been named the worlds richest self-made woman billionaire with 106 billion yuan （$15.1 billion）.

Nine out of the lists top 10 female moguls are from China.

Beijing， Shenzhen and Shanghai in China have the most self-made women billionaires on the list， while Hangzhou and Xiamen have broken into the fi rst fi ve spots.

Automobile Boost

Guangzhou， Guangdong Province in south China， has rolled out measures to boost consumption in the automobile sector.

The measures cover encouraging purchase of new-energy vehicles（NEVs）， facilitating technological upgrading and creating a sound environment for auto-related consumption.

More charging facilities will be installed in public parking lots and industrial parks in the city. Outdoor parking lots of government departments and organizations will also be equipped with them， the municipal department of industry and information technology said on March 21.

The city will promote recycling of vehicle batteries to lower the price of NEVs.

Auto companies will be supported to innovate their sales mode via e-commerce.

Fund Allocation

The Ministry of Finance （MOF） has taken multi-pronged efforts to spur funding for infrastructure construction as the government seeks to restore economic activities that had taken a heavy blow from the novel coronavirus outbreak.

The ministry has quickened fund allocations to local authorities for public infrastructure construction including roads， ports and airports， MOF offi cial Song Qiuling said at a press conference on March 21.

It has allocated more than 250 billion yuan （$35.2 billion） of vehicle purchase taxes， 7 billion yuan（$986.3 million） of port construction fees and 24 billion yuan （$3.4 billion） of development funds for civil aviation ahead of schedule.

MOF has allocated 1.85 trillion yuan （$260.7 billion） worth of new local government bonds quotas ahead of schedule this year to shore up the economy， along with a wide range of tax cuts to reduce business burdens.

It pledged to take further efforts to stimulate the participation of private capital.

Earlier MOF data showed fi xed assets investment declined by 24.5 percent year on year in the fi rst two months of 2020 partly due to the pandemic.

Seeds of Success

A vegetable grower attends to tomatoes in an agritourism industrial park in Guyuan， Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in northwest China， on March 18. Vegetable like tomatoes， cabbages and broccoli grow well in areas with a high altitude， cool weather and suffi cient sunshine. Guyuan has built dozens of large-scale vegetable bases where farmers began planting seedlings as spring arrived.

Power Use

Electricity consumption， a key barometer of economic activity， dropped by 7.8 percent year on year in the fi rst two months of 2020， while recovery gained visible momentum since the beginning of March， according to the top economic planner.

Power use by the secondary and tertiary industries was down by 12 percent and 3.1 percent， respectively. The primary industrys power consumption grew by 3.9 percent from the same period a year ago， Meng Wei， a spokesperson with the National Development and Reform Commission， said on March 17.

Eight provincial-level regions registered growth， with electricity consumption in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in north China and Yunnan in southwest China up by over 5 percent.

Meng said both indicators of power generation and consumption had posted faster growth in March. National electricity output reached 17.8 billion kWh on March 16， marking a 9.9-percent rise from the 16.2 billion kWh registered at the end of February.

New data on electricity use pointed to recovered vitality across sectors. The nonferrous metals industry saw power use back to the normal level of last year， while the pharmaceutical， chemical and electronic industries saw their electricity use back to 90 percent of the normal level.

Industrial Internet

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology （MIIT） announced measures to fuel the development of industrial Internet， as part of the efforts to create fresh growth drivers on March 20.

5G technology will be used to improve the infrastructure of industrial Internet and speed up the construction of the national big data center， the MIIT said.

Enterprises are being encouraged to make full use of industrial Internet to share information， technologies， production capacity and orders.

The MIIT will build a platform to monitor and evaluate the operation of the industrial Internet.

Industrial Internet refers to an integration of information technology and the manufacturing industry， connecting people， devices and things.

Taking the Bull by the Horn

A worker checks product quality at a toy company in Jiangyin， a county in Shaanxi Province， northwest China， on March 18. The company has employed 300 local residents， helping in poverty alleviation. About 90 percent of the plants and industrial parks in the county have resumed work.

Alibaba Offer

Alibaba Cloud， the cloud computing arm of Internet giant Alibaba， is sharing its artifi cial intelligence （AI）-powered novel coronavirus disease diagnostic technology with hospitals worldwide for free.

The technology can analyze CT images within 20 seconds for diagnosing suspected novel coronavirus cases with an accuracy rate of 96 percent.

Doctors usually spend around 5 to 10 minutes examining the CT images of a patient. The AI diagnosis system will augment strained hospital resources.

Medical institutions in Japan， Italy， Malaysia and the Netherlands have contacted Alibaba Cloud to use the technology， according to the company.

The technology has been used in over 260，000 clinical cases in 160 Chinese hospitals.