IN BRIEF (Page 2)

Li praises innovators, entrepreneurs

Premier Li Keqiang attended the opening of a weeklong event on innovation and entrepreneurship in Beijing on Oct 19, together with hundreds of startup entrepreneurs.

He made an impromptu speech encouraging innovators and strolled among booths to hear their stories and ask about the development of their businesses.

He pledged to leverage mass innovation to shake off excess capacity in traditional industries while pressing ahead with emerging sectors, such as high-value-added manufacturing and services.

He said educated Chinese are the largest potential driver for further development.

Fight against poverty on two fronts

The Chinese government will enact more support policies to lift the country's 70 million poor people above the poverty line by 2020, while being engaged in the global poverty alleviation plan, President Xi Jinping said on Oct 16 before the 23rd International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

"Eradicating poverty is a common mission of human beings," Xi told the Global Poverty Reduction and Development Forum in Beijing. "While China fights against poverty at home, we are also engaged in South-South Cooperation, providing assistance, without any condition, to other developing countries."

Xi said that the next 15 years will be crucial for China and other developing countries, and he called for cooperation that benefits people everywhere.

At the end of last year, China still had 70.17 million people in the countryside living below the country's poverty line of 2,300 yuan ($375; 320 euros) in annual income by 2010 price standards.

It's reigning cats, dogs and tortoises

Residents in Guangdong province raise the most pets of any province in the Chinese mainland, owning more than 10 percent of the 100 million registered nationwide, a survey has found.

One in every 13 people on the mainland has a pet, with dogs and cats accounting for about 80 percent of the total, although the number of tortoise owners has risen swiftly in recent years.

Guangdong is followed in the pet popularity stakes by Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, Shanghai, Beijing and Shandong province, according to a survey by Zhongjinqixin, an international information consultancy in Beijing.

Wang Ning, an executive in charge of the Survey Department at Zhongjinqixin, said the number of pets owned in China is expected to continue growing by at least 10 percent a year in coming years.

Burning farmland increases air pollution

A rise in clearing farmland by burning leftover straw has increased air pollution in parts of northeastern China, the environmental watchdog warned.

The Ministry of Environmental Protection found 862 suspected hot spots nationwide from Oct 5 to 17 from satellite sensing technology, an annual increase of 6.7 percent, authorities said on Oct 18.

The fires have been one reason for rising air pollution in northeastern China, with the environmental watchdog pointing out that many hot spots were found in areas where burning farm fields is illegal such as near airports and expressways.

Apart from satellite evidence, ground inspections showed an increase in farmland fires on the outskirts of Shenyang and Tieling in Liaoning province on Oct 16 and 17, the ministry said.

Wide support seen for national smoking ban

In China, 740 million nonsmokers, including 182 million children, are exposed to secondhand smoke at least once a day, according to a report issued on Oct 19 by the World Health Organization and other health agencies.

The report, compiled by the WHO, the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said even some smokers in China support a nationwide smoke-free law, particularly in workplaces.

The report comes as China considers a national ban on smoking in public places to protect nonsmokers from passive smoke.

Support among smokers for smoke-free bars in particular is higher in China than in other places, such as Ireland, Scotland and France, before such smoking bans were introduced there, the report said.

Satellite to better link Maritime Silk Road

Nations in South and Southeast Asia as well as Oceania will soon benefit from a communications satellite China has launched for a Hong Kong-based operator, said project managers.

With its transponders, the Apstar 9 can cover China, South and Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii, said Chen Xun, vice-president of the Hong Kong-based APT Satellite Co Ltd, which will begin operating the Apstar 9 after a month, when the satellite completes in-orbit tests.

"The satellite will start commercial operations after the in-orbit tests finish, helping to better connect countries along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road," Chen said.

The Apstar 9 was developed by the China Academy of Space Technology based on its DFH-4 satellite. APT Satellite now operates four communications satellites, all of which were made by foreign manufacturers.

Military leader rules out 'reckless' use of force

Fan Changlong, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, said China "will never recklessly resort to the use of force" even on issues regarding sovereignty, and China's construction of islands in the South China Sea helps provide better public services to the world.

Fan made the comments while addressing the Sixth Xiangshan Forum, a high-end semi-official gathering hosted by China that involves senior officials and scholars and focuses on Asia-Pacific security.

Recently, newly built lighthouses on Huayang Reef and Chigua Reef, where China has garrisons, were officially put into use. Fan said such projects "will not affect freedom of navigation in the South China Sea".

Cyprus plans five visa centers in China

Cyprus plans visa application centers in five Chinese cities to make it more convenient for tourists going to the Mediterranean island, Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades announced.

The Cypriot government has already concluded an agreement with an agency to set up visa centers in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenyang, Wuhan and Chengdu, which will "facilitate all those who would like to get a visa for Cyprus in the easiest way and the fastest way", Anastasiades said.

Cyprus has no consulates in China, and applicants have to go to the Cypriot embassy in Beijing to obtain a visa.

The governments of the two countries are still discussing the issue, and the five visa centers are expected to be established "very soon", Anastasiades said.

Wind power capacity to hit 120 gigawatts

China's wind power capacity will reach 120 gigawatts by the end of this year, National Energy Administration officials said on Oct 16. Zhu Ming, deputy director of the NEA's new and renewable energy department, said wind power capacity reached 105 gigawatts at the end of June. He said that wind power generation has become an important part of the country's electricity supply, and needs more subsidies, better technology and management. By 2020, China aims to increase nonfossil energy to 15 percent of total primary energy consumption.

Applications show govt jobs still attractive

The number of candidates for the national public service exam has surpassed last year's numbers, with more than 132,000 applicants on Oct 20 - the most in a single day - deemed qualified for the exam.

According to figures from Zhonggong Education, an institute that monitors the applicant numbers, more than 459,600 people applied to take the exam by the sixth day of this year's application window, which was on that date. Almost 103,000 of those had applied on Oct 19.

A record 27,817 public service jobs are being offered this year by central government departments and subsidiaries.

Higher trade surplus to offset liquidity shortage

Data from the General Administration of Customs said in the third quarter China's exports declined by 5.6 percent year-on-year, further extending the 2.9 percent contraction in the second quarter.

An even faster drop in imports resulted in the trade surplus expanding to $424.1 billion in the first nine months, which exceeded last year's total surplus of $382.4 billion. In September, the trade surplus increased to $60.3 billion, reaching the highest level since May.

The huge trade surplus will offset the liquidity shortage from the unexpected rise in capital outflows since August, said Liu Ligang, chief economist at ANZ Bank Group in China.

Farm exports drop on weak demand

Shandong province, in the country's main agricultural region, reported an unexpected decline in exports of farm produce in the first three quarters. Exports were 4.3 percent lower compared with the same period last year, down by $11 billion, according to customs authorities in Qingdao. The fall was attributed to weak demand in the traditional markets of Japan, South Korea and Europe.

Freight train service to Hamburg begins

A new international freight train from Linyi, Shandong province, to Europe began operating on Oct 20. The train will enter Russia via Manzhouli, China's largest land port with Russia, before heading for its destination in Hamburg, Germany. The train will run every two days, with 20 cars. Several cities, including Chongqing and Chengdu, have launched freight train services to Europe.

Death sentence for drug trafficker

A businessman from Hong Kong was sentenced to death at Beijing No 3 Intermediate People's Court on Oct 16 for trafficking drugs. The convict, surnamed Huang, 65, was found guilty of transporting more than 20 kilograms of cocaine in two suitcases at Beijing Capital International Airport on Aug 18, 2013. Huang was arrested on the spot and the drugs were confiscated, according to prosecutors. The court said the large amount of drugs would have a negative effect on the public, which is why he was given the harshest sentence under the law.

Overseas schools woo Chinese at expo

The 2015 China Education Expo was scheduled in Beijing for Oct 24 and 25, when some 600 schools from more than 40 countries and regions will try to attract Chinese students. The organizer, the China Education Association for International Exchange, said on Oct 16 that embassies, education authorities and schools from the participating countries will join the expo, promoting their education systems and explaining their application and visa process to prospective students. Nearly 100 schools will organize face-to-face interviews to provide the students with customized evaluations.

Organizer indicted over Taiwan park blaze

An event organizer was indicted in Taipei on Oct 16 after a blast at a water park in Taiwan killed 12 people and injured nearly 500 in June. Lu Chung-chi, head of a local firm that organized the Color Play Asia party at a water park in New Taipei City, was charged with negligence that led to deaths and injuries, according to a local prosecutor's office. Lu knew of the risks but chose to take a chance and failed to inform partygoers of the risks, the office said in a statement.

Chrysanthemum grafts set a record

A "full-standing multiflorous chrysanthemum" grafted in China has earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for containing the largest number of chrysanthemum species. The plant is 3.8 meters in diameter and composed of 641 different types of chrysanthemums grafted to southernwood. It took about four years to cultivate the plant. A representative of the Guinness made the announcement at a chrysanthemum festival in Kaifeng in Henan province.

Development officials in anti-graft probe

Three officials with the National Development and Reform Commission are under investigation on charges of violating disciplinary rules, the country's anti-graft watchdog announced on Oct 19.

Wang Wei, director of the commission's social development department, and Ren Wei, the department's deputy director, as well as Zhou Heyu, a researcher with the commission's living quality division, are being investigated for violations of Party discipline. It follows another case of several officials with the commission being probed simultaneously, when five officials with the commission's energy section were investigated by the anti-corruption agency.

Projects involving chemicals to be checked

The Ministry of Environmental Protection is planning an inspection tour of construction projects involving chemical and dangerous materials in 16 provinces this month. The ministry planned to dispatch six groups of experts to assess the potential environmental impact of these projects.

The groups will also provide safety suggestions, according to Pan Yue, vice-minister of environmental protection. The inspection tour comes after two chemical blasts killed 173 people in the port area of Tianjin on Aug 12.

Customs busts luxury goods smuggling ring

Shenzhen customs authority has smashed a smuggling ring involving luxury bags and clothes with a value of 360 million yuan ($56.6 million), Hong Kong-based Sing Tao Daily newspaper reported on Oct 19. A gang of 33 people smuggled goods from Hong Kong into the mainland. Customs officials were quoted as saying the gang evaded taxes worth 100 million yuan during the past three years by selling smuggled items at a store in Shenzhen.

Bid to list Confucius' cuisine as heritage

China is preparing a bid to list the family cuisine of ancient philosopher Confucius (551-479 BC) as a UNESCO "intangible cultural heritage", experts said on Oct 18 during the fifth Asian Food Study Conference in the philosopher's hometown, Qufu. Confucius' family cuisine was developed during frequent visits to his home by China's emperors, high-ranking officials and other distinguished guests.

Leaders to attend key China conference

Chinese leaders and more than 40 former overseas government heads will attend the Second Understanding China Conference in Beijing from Nov 1 to 3. The conference will be the first important international event held after the Fifth Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China this month. In 2013, President Xi Jinping met participants of the conference and Premier Li Keqiang delivered a speech.

Climate topic at oceanic research meeting

Change and sustainability in the North Pacific were the main themes at the 24th Annual Meeting of the North Pacific Marine Science Organization, which opened in Qingdao on Oct 19. The meeting is co-hosted by the organization's secretariat and the State Oceanic Administration of China.

One of the most important meetings in global oceanic research, the gathering will cover hot topics such as El Nino and global warming in the North Pacific. More than 500 marine scientists and researchers were scheduled to participate.

(China Daily European Weekly 10/23/2015 page2)