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Hybrid rice varieties under fresh scrutiny

China's agricultural authority is set to conduct more comprehensive assessments of hybrid rice varieties following a massive crop failure in Anhui province caused by abnormal weather conditions and rice disease.

The evaluations will focus on high yields and also the adaptability of varieties to different growing environments, including resilience to disease and insects, according to Zhang Taolin, vice-minister of agriculture.

"There will also be evaluations of the efficiency of fertilizers and the grain quality of hybrid rice," he said at a news conference at the State Council Information Office on April 14.

Hybrid rice seed provider Yuan Longping High-Tech Agriculture Co said on April 13 that it will stop selling its Liangyou 0293 variety following widespread low yields or crop failure.

Li promises action to help growth level

Premier Li Keqiang has pledged to use more flexible fiscal measures to sustain growth as the economy faces a difficult point of transition.

On April 14, he delivered a candid view of economic performance in the first quarter of the year, which is likely to have witnessed the slowest growth since 2009.

He summed up the situation by saying, "New dynamics have yet to grow strong while the old are losing steam."

Li said that to overcome a temporary shortage of economic-growth drivers, central authorities will continue to lead more government investment projects, design policies targeting specific industries and regions, and increase the supply of public projects and services.

Major boost planned for anti-terrorist measures

Work on setting up a "three-dimensional" security network is to be stepped up under a national policy package aimed at eradicating potential deadly attacks.

This will include monitoring technologies, checking citizens' information, expanding security resources at community level and strengthening precautionary measures.

Observers said the move to prevent such attacks reflects the desire for a system that can adapt quickly and consistently to changing threats posed by terrorism.

The decision was announced in guidelines issued jointly on April 13 by the general offices of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council.

The network will include intensified counter-terrorism operations on public transport and a shared information database linked to identity card numbers.

Public to have more environmental input

The Ministry of Environmental Protection released a draft of public rights on April 14 to encourage participation in projects and policies involving the environment.

The draft stipulates that the public can participate in making and revising policies and regulations, draw up environmental impact statements, investigate cases of serious pollution that violate their environmental rights, supervise the emissions of major companies in polluting industries and other voluntary services.

Environmental authorities should make the necessary information public through the Web and other channels, and people can apply for more information if they think it is insufficient, according to the full text of the draft published in China Environment News, the ministry's newspaper.

Information involving business or State secrets or personal privacy is exempt.

The draft is open for public feedback until April 20, the ministry said.

Global tip-offs help China in anti-corruption fight

China's anti-corruption system is receiving "high-quality" tips from around the world and is ready to take further action to catch more former public officials who have escaped abroad with ill-gotten gains.

A senior official from the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection says that the top anti-graft watchdog had received more than 100 "valuable clues" since it opened an Internet channel for tips in December.

"Many of the clues we received are of high quality, and some, after our careful verification, have been used as key evidence to assist the nation's anti-corruption manhunt," said an official from the CCDI's international cooperation bureau who declined to reveal his name.

Fugitive hunt streamlined between US, China

China and the United States say they will cooperate to track down and repatriate Chinese fugitives who are at large in the US and who are responsible sending billions of yuan there illegally.

US Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson visited Beijing on April 9 and 10 to discuss issues of shared concern with high-ranking officials, including the ministers of public security, cyberspace and customs.

The result of the visit was fruitful, according to a statement from the Ministry of Public Security. China and the US will work closely on tracking down and repatriating Chinese fugitives by enhancing intelligence sharing, strengthening judicial cooperation and exchanging updates of important cases regularly, the statement said.

"Neither China nor the US will provide asylum for fugitives," it said. "The US and China will work hard to repatriate Chinese fugitives within the framework of each country's laws."

Problem-plagued Milan Expo battles headaches

Less than three weeks before the Milan Expo opens on May 1, the site of the showpiece event is still a mass of trucks raising dust and workers in hard hats racing to finish building after delays, corruption and cost overruns.

Italy has had four different governments in the seven years since Milan was chosen to follow the 2010 Shanghai Expo and has undergone its most severe economic crisis since World War II.

But 40-year-old Prime Minister Matteo Renzi is counting on the event to reinforce fragile signs of recovery and put a more modern face on Italy after years of recession.

Officials are counting on about 20 million visitors to the six-month-long exhibition of products and technologies from around the world. They hope it will bring in 10 billion euros ($10.75 billion), half of it from foreign visitors.

Flood warning ahead of rainy season

China's flood control authority is warning of possible heavy flooding in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River this year, with the basin areas set to receive more precipitation for the upcoming rainy season.

Liu Yaming, director of the Changjiang Water Resources Commission of the Ministry of Water Resources, said the upper and lower reaches of the Yangtze River have already been hit by several rounds of torrential rain this year.

Forecasts by the China Meteorological Administration said that the precipitation received in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River is 20 percent more than average, while the water level of the river in its middle and lower reaches is 2.5 meters higher than normal.

PLA to buy missiles from Russia

The deployment of the Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile system will substantially improve China's air defense capability, military experts said after Russian media reports of China's weapons purchase.

"The S-400 is one of the top anti-aircraft weapons in the world. It will greatly supplement the People's Liberation Army's air defense system, which now has some incapacity in long-range, high-altitude defense of airplanes or ballistic missiles," said Wang Ya'nan, deputy editor-in-chief of Aerospace Knowledge magazine.

China signed the deal in September at a cost of more than $3 billion for the delivery of at least six S-400 battalions, Moscow Times reported.

"China still lacks experience in the development of long-range air defense systems, especially those that can intercept ballistic missiles. There is no shortcut because the development of such sophisticated weapons requires a great number of experiments and tests. It is a matter of time and resource input," he added.

Currently, China relies on its domestically developed HQ-9 and the Russian-made S-300 missile system, according to Western military observers.

Overseas assets face supervision

China will spend 11.39 million yuan ($1.86 million) to ensure a thorough examination of overseas assets of state-owned enterprises, the state-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission announced on April 15. Seven independent accounting firms will oversee the examination of the assets.

Top court vows prompt appeals hearings

Chinese courts are required to accept appeals without hesitation and reply to litigants in a timely manner under a guideline by the country's top court.

A civil, criminal or administrative appeal should be received once it is registered instead of waiting until a preliminary review of the merits of the case has been completed, according to the guideline by the Supreme People's Court. The guideline, which takes effect on May 1, is part of the nation's overall judicial reform and was sent to regional courts on April 15.

It aims to protect people's right to litigate by breaking down unnecessary procedural barriers, according to the top court.

Li: Ties with Japan hinge on WWII stance

Premier Li Keqiang highlighted Japan's previous post-war apologies and urged the country to honor historical facts on April 14 amid increasing but halting efforts to thaw frosty Sino-Japanese ties.

Li made the remarks in Beijing as he received a trade delegation led by Yohei Kono, Japan's former chief cabinet secretary, who issued a landmark 1993 apology over the forcing of women to work in military brothels during World War II.

The Sino-Japanese relationship faces both challenges and opportunities this year, but the key lies in how Japan interprets historical events , Li said.

The meeting comes months ahead of the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII and after Asian countries, including China, criticized Tokyo's recent comments about WWII. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is set to make a statement on the anniversary.

Risk evaluations set for public-private projects

The Ministry of Finance said that the financial aspects of public-private partnerships will undergo a risk evaluation. In an announcement on April 14, the ministry said the evaluation would include the fiscal impact over several years and the distribution of projects across sectors. Annual fiscal expenditure on PPP projects will be less than 10 percent of the general public budget to control risks, the ministry said.

Novel of minister published in China

Equatorial Guinean Cultural and Tourism Minister Guillermina Mekuy said she is very happy her third novel, Three Souls for One Heart, has been published in China.

Guillermina said she hopes Chinese readers will like her book and through her book learn about life in Equatorial Guinea.

The novel is about polygamy in Equatorial Guinea, and how three wives fighting to win the heart of their common husband.

Her next novel will be about the life of a model.

Guillermina wrote two novels before she came back to Equatorial Guinea, but all her work reveals her love of Africa.

"I am African, so I love Africa. But what I write is about the positive side of Africa and how people enjoy happiness through hard work," she said.

With regards to the cooperation between Equatorial Guinea and China in the fields of culture and tourism, Guillermina said the two countries have good cooperation in these fields. "China sent cultural troupes to Equatorial Guinea last year and Equatorial Guinea sent artists to participate in the Shanghai Expo of 2010," she said.

Five-year plan targets rural pollution

The excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides is worsening agricultural pollution in China, a senior official said on April 14 as the country's agricultural authority launched a five-year action plan to curb rural pollution.

Zhang Taolin, vice-minister of agriculture, said on April 14 that the pollution caused by excessive use of fertilizers is increasing in the country's central and eastern areas.

"The problem is more severe in areas cultivating fruits and vegetables as those areas have expanded in recent years," he said.

China has emerged as the world's largest producer of fruits and vegetables. It provides 20 percent of the world's fruits and 50 percent of its vegetables, according to the 2013 Statistical Yearbook of the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization.

In the five-year program, made public on April 13, the Ministry of Agriculture said it is targeting more than 90 percent of China's farmland that use formulated fertilizers. It will implement soil tests to determine how much and what type of fertilizers are needed. It also aims to flatline the use of fertilizers and pesticides by 2020.

Nation honors Chinese WWII 'heroes'

Fifty-three Chinese who lived and worked near Moscow during World War II were honored on April 15 at a medal ceremony at the Russian embassy in Beijing.

The event was the latest of 60 high-profile activities planned by China and Russia to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II and highlight the close ties between the two nations.

"Russia and all Russian people thank you for your contribution to the victory of the Great Patriotic War," Russian Ambassador to China Andrei Denisov told the 32 Chinese in attendance to whom he presented Jubilee Medals. "Our country will remember the heroes who protected and liberated the Soviet Union and contributed to the anti-fascist war, no matter which country they come from."

Twenty-one of the people honored were unable to attend the ceremony due to age and ill health. The embassy will present them medals either at their home or in the hospital.

(China Daily European Weekly 04/17/2015 page2)