NEW CHONGQING MAYOR ELECTED

On January 21， Hu Henghua， 59， was elected mayor of Chongqing Municipality during the Third Plenary Session of the Fifth Session of the Fifth Chongqing Municipal People’s Congress， the local legislature.

After graduating from Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology in Xi’an， Shaanxi Province， in 1983 with a bachelor’s in Engineering， Hu joined the Hengyang Steel Pipe Factory in Hunan Province and was later elected deputy director. In 1999， he served as general manager of Hunan Hengyang Steel Pipe（Group） Co. Ltd.

From 2009 onwards， Hu served as mayor of Yiyang and Changsha cities in Hunan， his home province. In 2020， he became deputy secretary of the Shaanxi Provincial Party Committee. In December last year， Hu was appointed deputy secretary of the Communist Party of China Chongqing Municipal Committee and acting mayor of Chongqing.

Guangming Daily January 17

China has ushered in this year’s Spring Festival travel rush， with the travel season expected to see 1.18 billion trips， a 35.6-percent increase over last year. As people working far away from their hometowns are preparing for their journey home and family reunion， uncertainty emerges due to COVID-19 cases in several places nationwide.

It is vital to minimize the virus’ impact on people’s voyages， with up-to-the-minute information regarding local infections as well as effective pandemic prevention and containment measures. Areas with significant migrant worker flows are advised to organize charter buses between transportation pivots to minimize the possibility of infection.

Two years into the war against the pandemic， there is already a consensus on the important connection between COVID-19 control and economic growth. Under the guidance of accurate prevention and control measures， the various transportation sectors must put in place the proper plans to ensure smooth and safe travel， so that people can join their families after an extended time， one to two years， of hard work away from them.

Outlook Weekly January 24

According to the National Bureau of Statistics （NBS）， in 2021， the planting area for grain crops in Heilongjiang Province reached 218.27 million mu（14.55 million hectares）， accounting for 12.4 percent of the country’s total， up by 1.69 million mu （about 112，660 hectares） over the year before. Its grain yield accounted for 11.5 percent of China’s total， up by 3.27 billion kg over the previous year.

The province now ranks first in terms of grain acreage， green food planting area and agricultural mechanization rate. This is the 12th year Heilongjiang has been the country’s biggest grain producer.

Currently， the overall mechanization， covering plowing， planting， reaping and managing， hits 98 percent， with sci-tech progress contributing 68.3 percent of its agricultural development， 8.3 percentage points higher than the national level. China has revolutionized its grain production in many places by applying modern agricultural technologies and big data to its vast farmlands.

From conventional plows to farm machines， scattered farmer households to new business models， and quantitative but ordinary produce to effective manufacturing and high-quality products， Heilongjiang has blazed the trail for a modern agriculture combining production， management and commercialization， guaranteeing the food security of a nation.

Beijing Daily January 21

A newly released NBS report on China’s economy in 2021 revealed China’s economic growth to be at 8.1 percent， with its economic aggregate accounting for more than 18 percent of the global economy. This verification appears gleaming amidst sluggish worldwide economic recovery and has triggered worldwide media interest. Comparing China’s economy with that of America， many outlets are forecasting when China’s economic aggregate will surpass that of the U.S.

But essential here is how China looks at its growth. GDP can indeed help reflect a country’s overall economic development and comprehensive national strength， but that’s not all. Being large in economic size does not always equal being of high quality. An elevated GDP cannot cover up the regional economic imbalance and low value added in many of China’s industries. Any talk of when the economy will surpass that of the U.S. is pointless.

The objective of China’s economic growth is to improve the living conditions of the nation’s 1.4 billion people， and help them benefit from new development. This should be a guiding principle， not only for China， but also for all countries.

Xu Liyi， former Secretary of the Communist Party of China Zhengzhou Municipal Committee， Henan Province， was demoted and given disciplinary punishment， after a thorough examination of events concluded he had failed to perform his duties in dealing with the deadly floods last summer， according to a recently released investigative report on the disaster in Zhengzhou compiled by a team under the State Council.

Police detained eight for suspected criminal responsibilities in the disaster and will press charges against them； 89 holding public posts， including Xu， were punished through Party discipline and administrative penalties.

From July 17 to 23， 2021， Henan was hit by unusually heavy rainfall and ensuing severe floods. The provincial capital of Zhengzhou suffered heavy casualties and property damage. A total of 14.78 million people were affected， and 398 people were dead or missing， along with direct economic losses of 120.06 billion yuan （$18.91 billion） in the province.

“Driven by its selfish pursuit of exceptional and special treatment， the U.S. suspended passenger flights by Chinese airlines without any reason and disrupted their normal operation.”

Zhao Lijian， spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry， at a regular news briefing on January 24

“We should address the urgent needs of developing countries in advancing the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development， focusing on promoting cooperation in such fields as poverty reduction， connectivity， food security， green development and digital economy.”

Geng Shuang， China’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN， following a briefing by UN Secretary General António Guterres on his priorities for 2022 on January 21

“How is it possible that Japan and the U.S. could solve these problems （global challenges like COVID-19 and climate change） by themselves instead of working together with China and other countries？”

Zhong Feiteng， head of the Department of Great Power Relations Studies of the National Institute of International Strategy with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences， commenting on U.S. President Joe Biden and Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s recent virtual meeting on January 21

“The pandemic is far from over， but I am hopeful we can end the emergency phase in 2022 and address other health threats that urgently require our attention.”

Hans Kluge， the World Health Organization’s Regional Director for Europe， in a statement on January 24