IN BRIEF (Page 2)

Chinese firm wins condom battle

A condom maker in South China's Guangdong province has won a lawsuit against a Japanese company over its competing claim to be manufacturer of the world's thinnest prophylactic. Guangzhou Yuexiu District People's Court pronounced on Feb 22 that Tokyo-based condom brand Okamoto used unfair practices to compete against Guangzhou Daming United Rubber Products. Guinness World Records verified the Chinese company's Aoni condom, which has an average thickness of 0.036 mm, is the world's thinnest in December 2013 - breaking the previous record of 0.038 mm set by Okamoto in 2012.

Chinese deals most scrutinized by US

For the third year in a row, Chinese planned acquisitions of US companies constituted the largest number reviewed by a US panel for national security implications.In its annual report to Congress filed on Feb 19, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States said it reviewed 147 purchases of US businesses by foreign interests in 2014. Deals involving investors from China, totaling 24, topped those from any other nation. Second was the UK with 21, with Canada third at 15.

Potato to become fourth food staple

China is aiming to have 6.66 million hectares on which to grow potatoes by 2020, as the crop is set to become the nation's fourth food staple after rice, wheat and corn, according to a guideline released on Feb 23. The guideline released by the Ministry of Agriculture, also states that the country will encourage consumption of tomatoes as a staple food. It says that authorities will ensure that 30 percent of the potatoes cultivated are varieties that are good for the production of food staples.

More imported Zika cases confirmed

China has confirmed another two imported Zika cases, bringing the total figure to five, according to the National Health and Family Planning Commission. The new cases involve a 38-year-old man and his 8-year-old son from Yiwu, Zhejiang province. They were bitten by mosquitoes while in Fiji and Samoa and are now recovering under quarantine in hospital, health authorities said.

Ancient tomb relics set for exhibition

More than 400 relics unearthed from the tomb of the first Haihunhou, or marquis of Haihun, will be put on display in Beijing. The items will be on show for three months at the Capital Museum starting from March 2, Xu Changqing, head of the Jiangxi Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute, said on Feb 22.

Veterinary drugs tied to obesity

Veterinary antibiotics ingested by humans in the form of tainted food and drinking water have been linked to childhood obesity by researchers at Shanghai-based Fudan University. The discovery, recently published in the United States scientific journal Environment International, came as a result of five years of study by a team working at the university's Education Ministry-designated public health security laboratory and its College of Public Health.

Revised SAT exam tougher for Chinese

The newly overhauled SAT exam, which puts a heavier emphasis on reading comprehension, may affect the performance of Chinese students, who have traditionally excelled in the math part of the test and relied heavily on rote memorization and cramming. The new test will feature longer and more-difficult reading passages, as well as wordier math problems that the College Board, which administers the test, said would test students on their real-world applications.

Tibet set to build China's highest resort

China's highest ski resort has been earmarked for Lhasa, capital of the Tibet autonomous region, as part of its 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20). Surrounded by snow-capped mountains and glaciers, Tibet has many natural advantages for developing a skiing and mountaineering industry. It has five mountains higher than 8,000 meters, more than 70 mountains higher than 7,000 meters, and no fewer than 1,000 mountains higher than 6,000 meters.

Domestic duty-free boost on the way

China is to open 19 duty-free shops for domestic consumers, a move aimed at catering to the increasingly sophisticated demand among these shoppers for overseas products. They will be located at 13 airports, including Guangzhou Baiyun, Hangzhou Xiaoshan and Qingdao Liuting, and six ports in Shenzhen and Zhuhai in Guangdong province, and also in Heihe, Heilongjiang province. Passengers will be allowed to carry duty-free goods worth up to 8,000 yuan ($1,220; 1,110 euros), an increase on the previous limit of 5,000 yuan, the ministry said.

5,459 public officials disciplined over rules

A total of 5,459 officials were disciplined for violating thrift and integrity rules in January, the Communist Party of China's top anti-graft body said on Feb 22. The officials punished last month were implicated in 3,945 cases, about one-fourth of which involved unauthorized allowances and subsidies, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said in a report on its website. Other violations included illicit gift giving and receiving, unapproved use of public vehicles and using public funds for banquets.

Capital to upgrade air monitoring

Beijing will upgrade its air monitoring system to double the number of monitoring stations, the local environmental authority said on Feb 21. According to Zhang Dawei, director of the Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Center, more than 30 stations will be added. Beijing currently has 35 monitoring stations, which record levels of pollutants such as PM2.5, particles smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter.

Li says economy regaining composure

China is gaining new dynamics for economic growth and creating new jobs, Premier Li Keqiang assured the visiting chief of the World Bank on Feb 24. The Chinese economy is regaining its composure and making new progress, the premier told Jim Yong Kim, president of the World Bank Group. Kim was in Beijing ahead of the G20 meeting of central bankers and finance ministers, scheduled for Feb 26-27 in Shanghai.

Blast-hit railway station to be rebuilt

Reconstruction of a train station severely damaged in the fatal warehouse blasts last year will start in March, authorities said on Feb 24. The Donghailu stop of a light rail line linking downtown Tianjin and Binhai New Area will be rebuilt at the original site by February 2017, according to a source with the area's construction and transportation bureau.

Survey: Beijing's single women on the rise

The number of single women over 30 is on the rise, according to new official statistics. A survey of the population last year by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Statistics found that 45 percent of singletons between the ages of 30 and 44 were women, up from 40 percent five years ago.

Protein discovery to help fight disease

Shanghai scientists have figured out the structure and regulatory mechanism of a protein family in the human body highly associated with multiple genetic diseases and cancers, which is likely to bring about breakthroughs in medicine. The discovery, made after years of study by the National Center for Protein Science, Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, was published on Feb 18 on the website of the British journal Nature.

Ventilation corridors to improve capital's air

Beijing plans to build five large ventilation corridors across the city to ease air pollution by bridging parks and conservation areas to make greenbelts, a local official said on Feb 19. The five corridors will go along the Fifth Ring Road and the central axis, which runs from the Olympic Green in the north through to the government center of Zhongnanhai.

2,000 officials punished after audits

A total of 2,138 government workers and employees of state-owned enterprises were punished last year for financial and fiscal problems exposed by auditors, the National Audit Office said on Feb 24.

Sanctuary applies for world heritage

China's remote western Hol Xil Nature Reserve, home to 70,000 Tibetan antelope, has applied for UNESCO world natural heritage status, its administration said on Feb 19. The reserve, covering 60,000 sq km in Qinghai province, will be the only site in China to apply for a listing in 2017.

New homes built for quake victims

Yunnan province has finished rebuilding tens of thousands of homes damaged in the deadly earthquake of Aug 3, 2014, authorities said on Feb 18. That includes 48,606 houses in Ludian county, the epicenter, with an investment of 2.3 billion yuan ($352 million; 320 million euros), according to the post-quake reconstruction headquarters. All the tents for temporary shelter have been dismantled, it said.

Funeral reforms seek to save space

Families will be encouraged to share tombs, while eco-friendly funerals will be promoted over the next five years in China, according to a central government guideline issued on Feb 24 designed to save land resources. The guideline, issued by nine departments, said the country will promote sea burials and tree funerals, which is when ashes are buried and a tree is planted on the spot.

Chengdu investment to reduce PM2.5 levels

Chengdu is to spend more than 500 billion yuan ($76 billion) over the next 10 years to improve the local environment, the city government said on Feb 19. The city plans to contain the average PM2.5 concentration to less than 50 micrograms per cubic meter by 2025, down by more than 20 percent on 2015. The city's forest coverage will be raised to more than 41 percent, an increase of about 8 percent.

Timetable set for govt car reform

China set a timetable on Feb 17 to reduce fiscal expenses by reforming government car use in state-owned public institutions and companies. The former must stop using general-purpose government cars by mid-2016, but may retain vehicles for emergency use, telecommunications and other special purposes. Heads of state-owned enterprises can choose to use government cars or receive transportation subsidies.

(China Daily European Weekly 02/26/2016 page2)