IN BRIEF (Page 2)

Chinese visitors not shy about spending

Chinese tourists in Brazil for the Olympics will spend an average of 72,145 yuan ($10,860; 9,725 euros), according to the latest report from Ctrip, one of China's leading online travel service providers. In July, the average amount spent by Chinese visitors in South America was around 53,479 yuan - about 10 times what Chinese outbound tourists usually spend abroad, according to the report. This month, the average was pushed higher due to the increased cost of hotels and air travel.

Nation aims for broad tech progress

China is pursuing multidimensional advantages by developing technologies for deep-space, deep-ocean and deep-earth exploration and the deep-blue cyber sectors, according to the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) for science, technology and innovation, which the State Council released on Aug 8. More specific proposals are focused on the exploration of the moon in 2018 and Mars in 2020, as well as new technologies to probe deep-ocean minerals and observe polar regions. The plan aims to sustainably develop ocean resources and maintain ecological balance as well as improve predictions on natural trends and disasters.

S. Africa probe into steel imports raises concern

China has expressed concern over South Africa's probe into steel products. The South African government notified the World Trade Organization that it had initiated an investigation over imports of cold-rolled steel sheets at the end of last month. The move has caused concern over bilateral trade from Chinese government and businesses, said China's Ministry of Commerce. China is closely watching the case, as it is the second trade remedy measure for steel products launched by South Africa on behalf of the South African Customs Union in four months.

New lab to explore South China Sea resources

A laboratory will be opened in Hainan province in November to focus on the use of marine resources in the South China Sea. The State Key Laboratory of Marine Resources Utilization in the South China Sea, initiated by the Hainan Science and Technology Department and Hainan University, must finish recruitment for the research team before operations officially begin, according to Shi Yiyun, head of the department.

Land prices going higher in 2nd half

Surging land prices in major cities will probably squeeze real estate developers' profit margins in the second half of the year, industry analysts said on Aug 10. Land sales in the first half of 2016 exceeded 1.32 trillion yuan ($199 billion; 178 billion euros), jumping 24.8 percent on a yearly basis, according to statistics from the Ministry of Land and Resources. In July, the number of the "land kings" - companies winning auctions by bidding record prices for prime sites - rose to 31, hitting a new high. Experts predicted that land prices will continue to rise in the second half, though the National Development and Reform Commission urged local governments this month to boost the land supply and control the prices.

Nuclear processing site suspended

A coastal city in eastern China on Aug 10 backed away from its selection of a site for a Sino-French nuclear waste processing plant, after days of protests by residents. Since Aug 6, thousands of people concerned about safety took to the streets of Lianyungang, Jiangsu province, to protest the proposed 100 billion yuan ($15 billion; 13.5 billion euro) plant.

Panda holds title as the oldest in captivity

The world's oldest panda in captivity, Jia Jia, celebrated her 38th birthday - the equivalent of 114 years old in human terms - at Hong Kong Ocean Park this month. The female panda holds two Guinness World Records: the oldest panda ever in captivity and the oldest panda living in captivity. The average life span for wild pandas is 14 to 20 years, and 25 to 30 years for those in captivity. Jia Jia, who was born in the wild in Sichuan province in 1978, was sent as a gift to Hong Kong in 1999 to mark the second anniversary of the city's handover to China. She has been living in Ocean Park ever since.

Facing doubts, scientist submits gene protocols

Chinese biologist Han Chunyu has provided his experimental gene-editing data to Nature as requested to help peer researchers replicate his work, but the controversy has not gone away, according to the journal's website. Meanwhile, Han has been working to replicate his own work. Three months ago, Han reported that the enzyme NgAgo can be used to edit human genes, and an article was published in Nature Biotechnology. However, some researchers said they had been unable to replicate Han's work.

Unruly air passengers to face tougher rules

Passengers misbehaving aboard a commercial airliner or at an airport may face heavier punishments under a draft amendment to the Civil Aviation Law. The draft includes 14 types of misconduct that may threaten the safety and order of civil aviation, according to a notice published on the Civil Aviation Administration of China website. They include distributing fabricated information, using mobile phones or other electronic devices against regulations, and smoking in the cabin.

Low inflation marks weak growth

Inflation remained low in July, with a slight drop in factory prices. The consumer price index rose 1.8 percent in July from a year earlier, compared with 1.9 percent in June, according to the National Bureau of Statistics on Aug 9. It matched with the January reading, the lowest this year. Experts said it indicates that economic growth remains weak and the country still needs to relax its monetary policy to help the corporate sector and jazz up economic activity.

Orphans to get more subsidies

The Chinese government will allocate more funds to the basic living allowance it gives to orphans and children with HIV/AIDS, the Ministry of Finance said on Aug 8. It will channel 700 million yuan ($105 million; 94 million euros) more into the allowance fund this year. Coupled with the 1.24 billion yuan already extended, the central government has allocated 1.94 billion yuan this year, the ministry said.

40 fraud suspects in police custody

A total of 40 suspects, 35 from the Chinese mainland and five from Taiwan, were brought back to China from Kenya in police custody on Aug 8, the Ministry of Public Security said. The suspects, allegedly involved in 60-plus fraud cases worth 4 million yuan ($601,000; 539,500 euros), belonged to one of two gangs arrested by Kenyan police in November 2014, the ministry said on Aug 8. Another 36 suspects in the other group were repatriated in April and have been formally arrested. They allegedly swindled more than 26 million yuan out of mainland residents by pretending to be members of the Beijing and Shanghai police.

Lawmakers from ROK seek solution

The controversy surrounding the China visit of six South Korean lawmakers has demonstrated the opposition President Park Geun-hye faces in her decision to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system. The lawmakers from the opposition Minju Party of Korea embarked on a three-day visit to Beijing on Aug 8. They attended a closed-door seminar on Chinese-Korean ties organized by the Pangoal Institution the next day.

Envoy rebuffs Diaoyu accusations

Cheng Yonghua, the Chinese ambassador to Japan, rebuffed protests from Tokyo on Aug 9 over the presence of Chinese ships around the Diaoyu Islands. It is "natural" for them to operate in Chinese territory, Cheng said after being summoned by Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida. The minister had lodged a protest over the increased number of Chinese vessels in waters around the islands.

30 mainland tourists injured in bus crash

Thirty tourists from the Chinese mainland were injured on Aug 8 when a tour bus crashed into a building in Macao, authorities in the special administrative region said. Rescuers said three of the injured were in serious condition. All were taken to a hospital. The handbrake is thought to have failed after the bus stopped on a slope, causing the vehicle to roll downhill before crashing into a clinic, the Macao Public Security Police Force said.

Ministry rebukes massacre remarks

China expressed its strong indignation over the Japanese defense minister's remarks on the Nanjing Massacre, urging Japan to face up to history and not challenge the world order. In an interview, Tomomi Inada, the defense minister, denied the existence of a killing competition during the tragedy that killed an estimated 300,000 people. The defense minister was trying to whitewash Japan's history of aggression and recall the spirit of militarism, the Chinese ministry said.

(China Daily European Weekly 08/12/2016 page2)