DEPUTY MINISTER OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY APPOINTED

DEPUTY MINISTER OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY APPOINTED

Zhang Guangjun， President of Southeast University in Nanjing， Jiangsu Province， was appointed Deputy Minister of Science and Technology.

Zhang has long been engaged in education and research on dynamic vision measurement， presiding over the development of small-scale high-precision celestial sensor spaceborne products， aviation equipment， and flight performance dynamic test stations. In 1982， Zhang enrolled in the Department of Precision Instrument Engineering at Tianjin University and graduated in 1991 with a Ph.D. After teaching at Beihang University in Beijing， he started serving Southeast University as president in 2015.

In 2013， Zhang was nominated and became the Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering at the age of 48， making him one of the youngest academicians in history to receive the honor. In 2016， he was awarded second place for the National Science and Technology Progress Award， a prestigious scientific prize in China.

Rural Express Delivery

Economic Daily November 22

The postal and courier sector continued its robust expansion in 2021， handling around 86.72 billion courier packages from January to October， recording a growth of 34.7 percent year on year， said a report recently released by the State Post Bureau.

Rural areas have delivered important momentum to the sectors business growth. About 30 percent of parcels handled this year were sent out to rural areas as service accessibility has continued to expand especially at the village level.

In the long run， the government should improve rural logistics to unleash the full consumption potential of these areas. The integrated development of e-commerce and distribution logistics across the countryside should be advanced.

Faster progress should be made to shore up the infrastructural weak links in rural delivery logistics.

In the rural areas， especially in the remote areas of China， postal service providers need to fully play out their role in the last-mile distribution process.

A New Domestic Shine

Lifeweek

November 22

The percentage of keyword searches for Chinese brands surged to more than two thirds of all searches on Baidu， up from only about one third 10 years earlier， according to a report released by the Chinese Internet search giant.

The trend is usually dubbed guochao， or “Chinese fashion trend，”which has driven demand for domestic brands and products that often incorporate traditional Chinese culture and art styles.

“During the past two years， many of the brands topping the sales charts are new domestic brands，” Sheng Chao， who is in charge of new brand management on Tmall， Alibabas ecommerce platform， explained.

The trend to embrace domestic labels has spread rapidly from fashion to other sectors and products， from food and beverages to clothing， mobiles， cosmetics and electronic vehicles.

Cost-effective and high-quality are some common features of these new domestic products and brands. Their main followers are millennials born between 1980 and 1995 and Gen Zs born between 1995 and 2010. To woo more young consumers， these brands never stop bolstering their research and marketing efforts to ensure their products stand out from the crowd.

With the incessant influx of digital media， channels， consumers and supply chains， Chinese entrepreneurs need to explore many new methods for brand building in the new digital environment. Local brands， too， must continuously improve the design and quality of their products and keep innovating to meet the evolving needs of their Chinese clienteles.

Cultural Relic Protection

Peoples Daily November 22

Chinas State Council recently approved new guidelines on cultural relic protection and technological innovation during the nations 14th Five-Year Plan （2021-25） period. The directive， for the first time ever， has incorporated technological applications into the conservation and research of cultural relics.

Cultural relics and artworks tell the story of Chinese civilization. China features 766，700 immovable cultural relics and 108 million pieces （sets） of state-owned movable cultural relics.

In recent years， museums across China have started paying more attention to the way they present ancient artifacts to the public and how they underline their educational functions.

Through different media like TV shows and documentaries telling the stories and history behind those relics， audiences not only come to appreciate their beauty， but their cultural significance as well.

In the future， authorities at all levels should continue to improve laws and regulations. Additionally， more funds and investment will be allocated to the protection of historical and cultural heritage， with more relevant educational and training activities soon to be launched.

PEKING UNIVERSITY GRAD CONTRIBUTES TO POVERTY ALLEVIATION

Liu Kai， Deputy Secretary of the Jiayuguan Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China （CPC） in Gansu Province， was recommended as candidate for city mayor， according to the Organization Department of the CPC Gansu Provincial Committee.

Liu， 38， received his Ph.D. degree from the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Peking University in 2010. In October 2011， he left the capital to work in Lingtai County， a national-level poverty-stricken county in Pingliang City， Gansu Province.

He believes education and persistence are key drivers of poverty alleviation. Since 2013， Lingtai has reduced poverty by an average of more than 10，000 people per year. In April 2019， the Gansu Provincial Government removed the county from the poverty list.

Ten years after laying down roots and alleviating poverty in Lingtai， Liu was appointed Deputy Secretary of the Jiayuguan Municipal Committee of the CPC in July.

“No grumbling， no blame-shifting， no troublemaking， only doing what we can to help. China is not part of the problems in the world， but part of the solutions.”

Qin Gang， Chinese Ambassador to the U.S.， during a virtual dialogue with board members of the Brookings Institution on November 18

“Once the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership comes into force， one third of Chinas trade will be tariff free， which will offer Chinese enterprises more options to position themselves in the global supply chain.”

Wei Jianguo， Vice Chairman of the Beijing-based China Center for International Economic Exchanges and former Vice Minister of Commerce， in an article on China Daily on November 24

“We count on our Chinese partners， and they can very much count on us， for increasingly global， sustainable and innovative agribusiness.”

Fernando Camargo， Secretary of Innovation， Sustainable Development and Irrigation with Brazils Ministry of Agriculture， at an online forum on China-Brazil cooperation on November 23

“As is well known， the Chinese community has made important contributions to the socioeconomic development of the U.S. However， it is a shame that discrimination against people of Chinese descent has not been rectified with the socioeconomic progress， but has become a persistent tumor afflicting U.S. society instead.”

Zhao Lijian， spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry， at a regular press conference on November 23