EX-CHINESE ENVOY’S NEW POST

EX-CHINESE ENVOYS NEW POST

Cheng Yonghua， former Chinese ambassador to Japan， has been appointed executive vice president of the China-Japan Friendship Association， a historic organization established in 1963 at then Premier Zhou Enlais initiative.

Cheng， 66， fi rst went to Japan in 1973 as one of the fi rst batch of Chinese students going overseas for higher education. Since then， he lived and worked in Japan for over 30 years.

Joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1977， Cheng served in various posts at the Chinese Embassy in Japan， including secretary， director and counselor. In 2010， he was appointed Chinese ambassador to Japan. Chengs tenure is the longest among Chinese ambassadors to Japan since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1972.

Before he left Japan in 2019， Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a reception for him in Tokyo， appreciating his work in improving bilateral relations and thanking him for his role when the two countries faced diffi cult situations.

Mobile Classrooms

Beijing Youth Daily June 14

Online education in China has experienced remarkable growth since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease， and a new trend is emerging with Internet platforms entering the sector. On June 8， popular Internet platforms Douyin （TikTok）， Toutiao and Ixigua launched a joint program to support online content creators in the education sector. The program intends to encourage teachers to move their classes online by helping them produce， distribute， and also make money from the contents.

That is seen as a new opportunity for online education but the challenges for the sector remain. The disadvantages of online learning include difficulties for students to stay focused and for teachers to apply classroom practices.

The key is to diversify the form and content of online education by fusing the traditional style of online teaching provided by online education companies and this new form led by Internet platforms， and by combining online and offl ine education. It is essential for the sectors long-term development when the epidemic is over.

Another challenge is to make regulations for this new form. The rules for online education published last July need to be updated to include the new kid on the block.

Emergency Response

Peoples Daily June 15

As heavy rainfall continues to batter south China， the authorities are making heroic efforts to fi ght the fl ood and protect peoples lives and property.

Each year， the flood season is a test for governments at all levels. From early monitoring and warning， patrol， emergency rescue to reconstruction， each link in flood prevention and disaster relief is crucial. China endures many types of natural disasters occurring widely with high frequency， which calls for an optimized allocation of emergency resources in synergy.

In the past， responding to disasters， relevant departments would send their teams without any coordinated plan. However， the establishment of the Ministry of Emergency Management （MEM） in 2018 integrated 11 departments， which has played a signifi cant role in improving modernized disaster response.

Under the principle of solidarity and high effi ciency， a joint command mechanism has been established， It includes early warning response， information sharing and coordinated activities and is being improved. Faced with natural disasters， emergency management departments should shoulder their responsibilities， making full use of their advantages.

For instance， during the treatment of the barrier lake of Jinsha River in southwest China in October 2018， a joint group sent by MEM， Ministry of Natural Resources， Ministry of Water Resources and National Energy Administration carried out rescue at the frontline with professionalism. With the support of the local government， the danger was controlled without any casualties.

Today， China has developed a reliable government emergency system of 200，000 rescue members， which can work with social forces. There are over 700，000 grassroots staff collecting， sending， analyzing and evaluating disaster information.

Closing Loopholes

Xinhua Daily Telegraph June 13

Recently， the Ministry of Education issued a circular for stricter assessment of international students applications for undergraduate programs in Chinese universities and colleges to ensure fair play.

According to the circular， students who are foreign nationals by birth but studied in Chinese primary and secondary schools and have at least one parent who is a Chinese national are eligible. However， they should have a record of living abroad for more than two years in the last four years.

Or they can take the national college entrance exam， known as the gaokao. The highly competitive and tough exam is said to have prompted some parents to emigrate so that their children can benefit from Chinas favorable university admission policy for international students.

At this years Two Sessions， the annual meetings of the national legislature and the advisory body， Yu Minhong， founder of the education consultancy New Oriental Education and Technology Group， said to appear more international， some Chinese colleges and universities have indiscriminately admitted more international students without paying adequate attention to their credentials and research abilities.

With the reform of admission for overseas students， colleges should also endeavor to improve the quality of education. The educational authorities should formulate a more scientific evaluation mechanism for colleges that emphasize internationalized development.

FORMER INSURANCE REGULATOR CHIEF SENTENCED

iang Junbo， former Chairman of the China Insurance Regulatory Commission， was sentenced to 11 years in prison for taking bribes by a local court in Jiangsu Province in east China on June 16.

Xiang was also fi ned 1.5 million yuan （$212，000）， according to the Intermediate Peoples Court of Changzhou. His illicit gains have been confi scated and will be turned over to the national treasury， according to the verdict of the court.

The court found that Xiang took undue advantage of multiple posts he had held from 2005 to 2017 and assisted certain organizations and individuals in project contracting， loan handling， qualifi cation approval and job promotions. In return， Xiang accepted money and property worth over 18.62 million yuan （$2，630，687）， according to the court.

The court said that it has given a lenient punishment considering the defendant confessed to his crimes and surrendered his illicit gains.

Xiang accepted his sentencing and said he would not appeal.

“Certainly， in China， after you spent over 50 days without having any significant local transmission， a cluster like this （COVID-19 cases） is a concern. And it needs to be investigated and controlled， and thats exactly what the Chinese authorities are doing.”

Michael Ryan， Executive Director， World Health Organizations Health Emergencies Program， telling a press conference on June 15 about recently detected COVID-19 cases in Beijing

“There is no way Beijing becomes Wuhan 2.0. The world will see Chinas powerful capacity in controlling the epidemic… We will win again.”

Hu Xijin， Editor in Chief of Global Times， an English-language newspaper under Peoples Daily， writing on his Twitter account on June 15

“As there is little hope of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region （HKSAR） enacting local laws to safeguard national security， the central authorities have no option but to exercise their constitutional power to establish and improve the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for HKSAR to safeguard national security.”

Carrie Lam， Chief Executive of Chinas HKSAR， saying on June 15 that the national security legislation will help restore stability in Hong Kong

“ Global markets are very much mapping to Chinas policies right now， because it emerged from the lockdown a lot quicker than the rest of the world.”

Stephen Innes， chief global market strategist at AxiCorp， on CGTN during a recent discussion on whether a negative interest rate can be a cure for economic recession