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An abandoned statue of Marilyn Monroe at a factory that recycles used goods in Guigang, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, on June 18. The 8.18-meter-tall stainless steel statue weighs 8 tons and used to stand at the gate of a shopping mall in Guigang. Huo Yan / China Daily

Japan aims to change stance

Tokyo looks set to further loosen legislative restrictions on sending troops into war zones and to change its postwar defense posture, as the Cabinet on June 17 issued a draft summary outlining Japan's controversial definition of collective self-defense.

Beijing said on June 16 that any policy adjustments on Japan's military security "should not harm China's sovereignty and security interests".

Japan has manufactured incidents and stirred up tension to pave the way for easing the constitutional curbs that have kept the military out of overseas conflicts for nearly 70 years, China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.

The draft would overturn the present interpretation of Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution to allow Japan to fight with other nations under the umbrella of collective self-defense.

The article had been interpreted until now to mean that Japan has the right of individual self-defense while maintaining the minimum forces necessary to achieve that. It can exercise collective self-defense only to aid forces of the United States, with which it has a formal alliance.

Immigrant policy to adopt skill list

A list of skills the country needs most, and a points-based assessment system for applicants, will be included in China's future policy on skilled immigration, according to a senior foreign affairs official.

Socioeconomic development has made it more urgent for the country to introduce talent from overseas, said Zhang Jianguo, head of the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs.

Speaking at an international symposium on talent exchange and immigration in Beijing, Zhang said China regards a skilled immigration policy as a strategic requirement for its development, and, it should include a list of most-needed occupations to reflect the country's long-term and short-term requirements.

A points-based system can help to assess the eligibility of applicants in terms of their knowledge, skills, adaptability and contributions to the country, he added.

Turmoil in Iraq to affect oil prices

The security crisis in Iraq will affect oil prices in China and change the mix of the country's overseas oil supply sources in the long run, according to energy industry experts.

Lin Boqiang, director of the China Center for Energy Economic Research at Xiamen University, said it is almost certain that the situation in Iraq will drive up oil prices in China and alter Chinese oil investment strategies in the Middle East.

Iraq is China's fifth-largest crude oil supplier, and the second-largest producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, after Saudi Arabia.

China depends on the world market for nearly 60 percent of its annual petroleum use.

Attack plotters sentenced to death

Three terrorists from the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, who launched an attack in Beijing's Tian'anmen Square last year, have been sentenced to death.

Thirteen others who were involved in seven other cases were executed on June 16 in connection with terrorist attacks and violent crimes.

A court in Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang, sentenced Husanjan Wuxur, Yusup Umarniyaz and Yusup Ahmat to death after convicting them of organizing and leading a terrorist group and endangering public security with dangerous methods.

Five other members of the group received prison sentences ranging from five years to life.

PLA recruitment restrictions eased

The Chinese military has relaxed its physical standards for new recruits in an effort to attract more young people with higher education backgrounds.

The height requirement for a male candidate has been lowered from 162 centimeters to 160 cm, and for female candidates from 160 cm to 158 cm, according to the Defense Ministry's recruitment office.

The new standards have also lowered eyesight requirements because nearly 70 percent of high school and university students in China are nearsighted.

The People's Liberation Army is also to be more tolerant of tattoos, which had been regarded as a taboo in the military. People who have less than 2 cm of tattoos showing on their body while in uniform or 10 cm of total ink are now allowed to join.

Singapore sees pickup in tourists

Singapore is beefing up its tourism promotion in China, after a sharp decline in Chinese visitors to Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines, due to a rise in anti-China violence and disturbances in those countries.

Many of Singapore's citizens are Chinese speakers, and officials say the country has strong Chinese influences, such as its food.

"Singapore has seen increasing Chinese visitors in the past few years, and we aim to attract more because fewer are heading to other traditional East Asian destinations," said Derek Tay Hock Guan, managing director of Lex Travel Pte Ltd, a travel agency in Singapore.

More tie the knot with overseas spouses

Marriages registered in China between Chinese and overseas residents have increased for the past three years and the trend is expected to continue amid increased globalization.

About 55,000 Chinese registered marriages to foreigners or Chinese from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan with civil affairs departments in 2013, a rise of 12 percent compared with three years ago, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

About 13.4 million people on the Chinese mainland married last year, the ministry said.

Study shows areasat risk of H7N9 virus

The H7N9 bird flu virus may inhabit only a fraction of its potential range and could possibly spread to India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines, according to a study published in the latest issue of the journal Nature Communications.

The emergence and spread of the disease has been linked until now mainly with areas that have a high concentration of markets selling live birds. However, it does not appear related to China's growing number of intensive commercial poultry operations, the study found.

Beijing, Hanoi vow to act on friction

China and Vietnam pledged on June 18 to rein in maritime tensions during the highest-level direct contact between the countries since relations worsened in May over a Chinese oil rig operating in the South China Sea.

Analysts welcomed the talks, but stressed that tangible progress can be made only after Vietnam stops harassing Chinese vessels.

State Councilor Yang Jiechi told Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh the countries should stabilize the situation as soon as possible through political and diplomatic efforts.

"We should also try not to exaggerate, complicate and internationalize the issue," Yang said.

Yang, China's top diplomat, outranking the foreign minister, was in Hanoi for an annual meeting.

Before leaving in the evening, he also met with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and Communist Party of Vietnam General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

Vietnam should be held responsible for "the difficult situation" in relations, Yang told Minh, who is also foreign minister.

Scientists to map out vast ancient city

Chinese scientists are planning a five-year, 10 million yuan ($1.6 million) program to gather information to fully map out the lost ancient kingdom of Loulan and to solve the mystery of its disappearance.

Qin Xiaoguang, the scientist heading up the plan, said he hopes to recreate a complete picture of Loulan, using satellite technology and field work.

Loulan's ruins are located about 300 km northeast of Ruoqiang county in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and adjacent to another early city, Dunhuang in Gansu province

Besides Loulan, Qin said the program will also study natural formations in the Lop Nor region such as the Yadan landscape, a vast area of wind eroded hills and bluffs.

Maritime courts see cases increase

Chinese courts have heard an increasing number of commercial marine cases over the past three years, especially disputes involving foreign entities, according to the latest official figures.

Luo Dongchuan, chief judge of the maritime department at the Supreme People's Court, said disputes over marine cargo, watercraft rentals, vessel collisions and ship construction have risen amidst a turbulent international shipping market and the global economic crisis.

The figures showed the Chinese maritime courts handled 11,224 cases last year, up from 8,692 cases in 2011.

Of the 30,723 cases handled over the past three years by the 10 maritime courts, most were recorded in coastal cities including Qingdao in Shandong province and Xiamen in Fujian province. A total of 4,454 cases involved foreign litigants, from 73 countries and regions, including Japan, the United States and Britain, the court said.

70 hurt in Macao ferry crash

Officials in Macao say 70 people were injured after a high-speed ferry crashed on June 13.

They said the turbojet ferry Cacilhas, operated by Hong Kong-based Shun Tak Holdings Ltd, hit the southern embankment near Macao's outer harbor terminal at around 9.30 am. Shun Tak later confirmed the ship was carrying about 220 passengers and 13 crew.

A news release from Macao's Health Bureau said the injured included 45 men and 25 women between the ages of 17 to 69, of whom four were Macao residents and 59 were from Hong Kong. Also hurt were four South Koreans, one Japanese national and two Thais. Nine crew were among the casualties.

The authority said the injured were all taken to a local hospital, but sustained only minor injuries.

Xi's call for 'energy revolution' supported

Industry experts have reacted favorably to a call by President Xi Jinping to accelerate China's energy production and diversity, and to raise its energy efficiency.

Leading figures, including Lin Boqiang, director of the China Center for Energy Economic Research at Xiamen University, applauded the leadership's resolve to pave the way for more non-state companies to enter the industry and foster healthier competition in the sector.

Xi stressed that China must raise its energy security to a higher level as he presided over a meeting of the Central Leading Group on Financial and Economic Affairs to map out the next round of the "revolution in energy production and consumption".

Investment in ASEAN sought

Companies in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, are being encouraged to cooperate on infrastructure projects in countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, as part of an effort by authorities to boost interest in the "21st Century Maritime Silk Road".

The city's mayor Chen Jianhua said Guangzhou will work to increase maritime routes and flights to ASEAN cities to develop closer ties.

"We are positioning Guangzhou as a main transportation hub" for the new Maritime Silk Road, he said.

Chen described Guangzhou, which dates back more than 2,200 years, as the birthplace of the ancient Maritime Silk Road due to its leading role in foreign trade.

Progress expected to expand Straits ties

A top mainland official has vowed to enhance cross-Straits ties after a key trade pact made little progress because of violent protests in Taiwan.

The Chinese mainland will continue working on measures in the interests of Taiwan's people, and the key to further development lies in both sides adhering to the 1992 consensus and opposing "Taiwan independence", top political adviser Yu Zhengsheng said.

Yu, chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, made the remarks in a keynote speech at the opening of the sixth Straits Forum in Xiamen, Fujian province.

China Daily-Xinhua

(China Daily European Weekly 06/20/2014 page2)