IN BRIEF

Elizabeth Richard, who looks very similar to Queen Elizabeth II, talks to children at a tea party to promote the Queen's Diamond Jubilee at the Daning International Business Plaza in Shanghai on May 22. Yong Kai / for China Daily

High costs put off Chinese tourists

Despite the efforts of British tourism authorities, Chinese travelers have been scared away from the country by high costs during the forthcoming London Olympic Games.

While the Queen's look-alike appeared at a Shanghai shopping mall to lure them to the United Kingdom during the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, major travel agencies in Beijing and Shanghai were dropping plans to take tourists to the Games.

Instead, they encouraged travelers to postpone the trip to London until the end of the Games (July 27 to Aug 12) due to cost concerns.

An average traveler is expected to pay an extra 3,000 to 4,000 yuan (370 to 500 euros ) for a 10-day trip to the UK during the Olympics compared with last summer, according to SAL Tour, a Shanghai-based travel agency.

Tourism

Entry fees will be reasonable

The government is against high entry fees for tourist attractions and will do away with redundant ticket charges, a senior official said, even as reports of possible entry fee hikes at many scenic spots raised public concern.

Wu Wenxue, director of the planning, development and finance department of China's National Tourism Administration, said on May 19 that local tourism departments nationwide have been fully informed that excessive price increases should be banned, and that no fees should be charged in addition to admission tickets. In China, it is common for tourist attractions to raise entry fees from May to October, which is the "peak tourist season".

Safety

Standards raised for paper cups

Most of the paper cups that are available in the Chinese market do not meet the new national standards, which come into effect on June 1, according to industry insiders.

The country's first regulation on disposable cups will focus on raw materials, additives and printed patterns, and is aimed at boosting consumer safety. However, as the new rule does not include details on any penalties for offenders, experts predicted that the standard is unlikely to have a major impact in the short-term.

The regulation will require a great number of products to be taken off the shelves, said Dong Jinshi, executive vice-president of the International Food Packaging Institute in Beijing. But without enforcement people will continue to be "left with no choice but to use cups that may be hazardous to their health".

Technology

Every rain cloud has a silver lining

Rainmaking technology will be better deployed and there will be more of it, a leading meteorologist promised. The country plans to increase artificial precipitation by 3 to 5 percentage points in the next five years, Zheng Guoguang, administrator of the China Meteorological Administration, said.

Rainmaking technology in China lags behind leading countries in the field by between 15 to 45 percent, depending on the region, he said. The arsenal targeting the weather includes more than 7,000 rocket launchers, at least 50 planes and nearly 7,000 guns.

Management capability will also be improved, Zheng said during the National Weather Modification Conference in Beijing on May 22.

Society

Plan to reduce income inequality

A new income-distribution framework is set for approval to redress the growing gap between rich and poor, government officials said. The framework comes at a time when the most affluent 10 percent of the population make 23 times more than the poorest 10 percent. In 1988 it was seven times.

The framework, eight years in the making, has been tabled for approval by the central government and is likely to be introduced in the second half of this year.

As part of income-distribution reform, government agencies, at both central and local levels, will be urged to pass legislation to cut taxes and regulate executive pay in high-profit monopoly industries and private companies, said Yang Yiyong, director of the Social Development Research Institute under the National Development and Reform Commission.

Education

Business language test redesigned

To counter a lack of interest in the Business Chinese Test, Chinese language educators will soon roll out a redesigned version of the exam, which emphasizes Mandarin skills in the workplace as a supplement to the HSK, a test of general Chinese proficiency.

Han Hong, executive director of the International Business Chinese Language Teaching and Resource Development Base, gave a preview of the new test on May 22 at an event to mark the second anniversary of the development base.

Han said in the past the Business Chinese Test did not attract as many examinees as expected due to high difficulty and lack of brand promotion. So a team carried out field research in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province as well as France and Saudi Arabia.