What's news

Suu Kyi begins groundbreaking visit

Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi arrived in Beijing on June 10, starting a groundbreaking visit to China that is expected to consolidate another channel for Beijing to communicate with the neighboring country.

Beijing showed how important it considers the first visit of 69-year-old Suu Kyi by having the Chinese ambassador to Myanmar see her off at the airport, a rare arrangement in interparty exchanges.

She met Wang Jiarui, head of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, on June 10 in Beijing.

President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang also met Suu Kyi, leader of Myanmar's National League for Democracy, which is likely to perform strongly in elections later this year, her party says.

Since her release from house arrest in 2010, Suu Kyi has said that her country must maintain friendly relations with China.

Song Qingrun, an expert with the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said that though this is Suu Kyi's first visit to China, her family has kept close ties with the country.

Premier confident about economic growth

Premier Li Keqiang said China is confident of maintaining an annual growth rate of about 7 percent for a fair period of time by persisting with reform and opening-up and tapping the country's huge potential.

While meeting with international business leaders on June 9, he said conditions still exist to sustain growth at a "medium to high level" despite the economic slowdown.

Li said he drew confidence from the fact large areas are yet to be developed in central and western China, reflecting the gap between the relatively industrialized coastal areas and those regions.

"If the Chinese economy can expand at about 7 percent this year, it would translate into an incremental volume of about $800 billion," he said.

Zhejiang firm to help Russian farming

A company in Zhejiang province has obtained a 49-year land lease from Russia to develop modern agriculture and livestock industries on 115,000 hectares of uncultivated land.

The deal was sealed between a newly founded subsidiary of Zoje Resources Investment and Russia's Transbaikal regional government on June 9. The contract is worth 176 million yuan ($28.7 million; 25 million euros).

Manufacturing industrial sewing machines is the core business of Zoje Resources, which is listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.

The company said in a statement that the move was in response to the Chinese government's call for development in countries along the Belt and Road Initiative. President Xi Jinping introduced the idea of the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road in 2013 to rejuvenate ancient trading routes.

The Chinese company will use 50,000 undeveloped hectares of grazing land and 65,000 hectares of uncultivated land to grow vegetables, wheat and other agricultural products. It will also develop animal husbandry in four areas of the Transbaikal region, a mountainous region east of Lake Baikal.

G7 'ignores the facts' on South China Sea

Beijing accused the G7 of bias, ignoring the facts and irresponsibility on Tuesday, as it rejected a statement made by the group targeting, but not naming, China over maritime tensions.

Hong Lei, spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, leveled the accusations at a news conference.

"What the G7 members have said and done are too far from the facts," he said. "China strongly urges the G7 to respect the facts, discard bias, stop making irresponsible remarks, and instead focus on things that can really help to properly handle and resolve the disputes and contribute to regional peace and stability."

On June 8, leaders of the G7 countries expressed concerns about tensions in the East and South China seas and called for nations to abide by international law. Their comments marked the end of a two-day summit in Germany.

Lawsuits spike after rules eased

The number of lawsuits filed in May rose by almost 30 percent nationwide compared with the same month last year, after a new litigation policy eased rules for filing complaints with courts.

Sun Jungong, spokesman for the Supreme People's Court, said, as of May 1, courts at all levels are prohibited from declining a case if the action meets the legal criteria.

He said the top court has intensified its efforts to protect litigation rights of individuals and entities by specifying the procedures for filing a case.

"The move is part of the campaign to advance the rule of law," he said. "A court is not allowed to refuse to receive a complaint, and it must issue a dated receipt to the plaintiff when it receives any material related to a litigation."

Companies put emphasis on English

More than 80 percent of large Chinese companies with overseas branches are offering English lessons to employees, a survey has found.

"Companies value proficiency in English in today's global market," said Yu Feng at Educational Testing Service, an international assessment company.

"Over the past 12 years, foreign-invested companies in China have required employees with proficiency in English. More recently, Chinese enterprises aiming to enter the global market also need employees with adequate English skills."

ETS administers the TOEFL and TOEIC English tests and carries out research. Yu is executive director of its global TOEIC and partnerships divisions.

The survey, conducted by ETS and Ipsos Public Affairs, involved interviews with 749 human resources personnel at large and multinational companies in 13 countries. The aim was to assess their views about challenges to global expansion.

Among the global respondents, 78 percent said the need for employees proficient in English has increased. Its importance is fully recognized in China, where 75 percent of companies said they encourage proficiency in the language.

3-D tech used in twins' surgery

Twelve-week-old conjoined twin girls from Jiangxi province were successfully separated at a Shanghai hospital on June 9 with the assistance of 3-D printing technology.

Medical checks showed the girls, weighing a combined 9.55 kilograms, were connected by soft tissue at the hips.

They shared a 10-centimeter anal tube, but had separate digestive systems.

The surgery began at 10:20 am and lasted about five hours.

Pediatric surgeon Zheng Shan, vice-president of the Fudan University Children's Hospital, said the operation included body separation and nerve system repairs.

Ten doctors from neurosurgery, plastic surgery and general surgery took part in the operation.

War surrender files to be published

Files related to China's acceptance of the Japanese surrender in 1945 will be available to the public in August after being sealed for 70 years.

The Chinese Theater's Acceptance of Surrender Files, which consists of 12 volumes, will be published on Aug 13 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the world's triumph over fascism and victory in China's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-45).

The books were compiled by Nanjing Publishing House and Second Historical Archives of China and will include about 4,800 pages of original files related to the Japanese army's surrender in 16 Chinese regions.

(China Daily European Weekly 06/12/2015 page2)