IN BRIEF (Page 2)

NDRC issues plan for growth in northeast

China's top economic regulator on Aug 16 announced a three-year plan to boost growth in the northeastern region, after a mild recovery in the first half of the year. The plan lists 137 key tasks for upgrading the economy, improving social welfare, creating job opportunities and simplifying administrative procedures, said Zhao Chenxin, a spokesman for the National Development and Reform Commission. A total of 127 fixed-asset projects will be launched, covering fields such as transportation, energy construction, waterworks, agriculture, and urban and rural construction in the next three years, Zhao said.

Volunteers help fellow expats stay within law

Ten longtime foreign residents in Shanghai's Chengjiaqiao area, where expatriates account for 30 percent of the total residents, are working with police as volunteers to spread awareness of Chinese laws and rules among foreigners, especially newcomers. These volunteers, including businesspeople, artists and students from countries such as the Netherlands, Argentina, Italy and France will assist police in informing other expats to register with local police stations within 24 hours of arrival. More than 170,000 foreigners in Shanghai have lived and worked there for more than half a year, according to the city police.

Security top priority at G20 summit

The local government will "spare no effort" to guarantee the "absolute safety" of the G20 summit next month in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, the city's Party chief Zhao Yide said. Officials have rehearsed traffic control measures for the summit at night, when there are fewer vehicles on the roads, to avoid disturbing residents, Zhao said. In addition, the government has trained nearly 4,000 volunteers from 14 countries to provide multilingual services for the events, and people can dial 96020 for information about the summit.

Shanghai Book Fair hosts top authors

The 2016 Shanghai Book Fair, one of the biggest in China, opened on Aug 17. More than 40 writers including Pulitzer Prize-winning author Junot Diaz from the Dominican Republic and British poet Sean O'Brien were in attendance. The market for books in China has seen rapid growth since 2014 when the goal of building a "nation of readers" was included in the annual Government Work Report. The show runs until Aug 21.

US Army chief visits East Asia

China hopes Washington "places a high priority and properly tackles" its plan to deploy an advanced anti-missile system in the Republic of Korea, Li Zuocheng, a commander of the People's Liberation Army, said when meeting with US Army Chief of Staff Mark Milley in Beijing on Aug 16. Milley, starting his first official visit to Beijing amid lingering tension triggered by the plan to deploy the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system, was quoted by China's Ministry of National Defense as saying that he expects the two militaries to reinforce exchanges and boost trust. In recent months, Beijing and Moscow have strongly opposed THAAD, as the X-band radar associated with the system is known to locate missiles as far away as 2,000 km.

Heart disease rising, study finds

A study by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health suggests that an increasing body mass index, lower physical activity, smoking and unhealthy diets have contributed to the rise in cardiovascular disease, the No 1 cause of death in China. Also found were increases in high-cholesterol cases, obesity and Type 2 diabetes. The researchers analyzed data collected from 1991 to 2011, from 26,000 people in nine provinces, as part of the China Health and Nutrition Survey.

Smokers banned from high-speed trains

Passengers who violate the smoking ban on high-speed trains twice may be banned from purchasing tickets, China Railway Corp has announced. Passengers caught smoking will be fined and not allowed to buy high-speed train tickets again unless they sign an agreement promising not to smoke. If there is a second offense, railway authorities can prohibit him or her from using high-speed rail services, according to a regulation that took effect on Aug 15.

Beijing hosts internet security conference

The 2016 China Internet Security Conference opened in Beijing on Aug 17. More than 30,000 delegates attended at the two-day event, which is organized by the Internet Society of China and the internet security company Qihoo 360. Industry experts say a shortage of professionals is restricting the development of cybersecurity enterprises in China.

Smuggled ivory found by chance; 2 detained

Shijiazhuang Customs has busted an international ring linked to Japan that has been trading in illegal raw ivory and related products. More than 100 kg of ivory was confiscated. Two suspects have been detained. They ordered ivory products through an e-commerce site based in Japan, and the site would send the products through international mail, the authorities said. After receiving the parcels, the suspects allegedly sold the ivory products to other buyers via the internet.

Xi offering nations 'ride' on Silk Road

China is willing to give other countries "a ride" as it renews ties, via the Belt and Road Initiative, with nations along the old Silk Road routes, President Xi Jinping said on Aug 17. As the second-largest economy in the world, China should be "more proactive" in dealing with other countries, Xi told a meeting attended by government officials, entrepreneurs and scholars. The president encouraged Chinese companies to invest in countries along the routes of the Belt and Road Initiative, which comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

Li urges advisers to use broad vision

Premier Li Keqiang called on Aug 17 for top advisers to contribute thoughts and suggestions on how to improve the government's policymaking. During a ceremony, Li granted certificates to six new counselors of the Counselors' Office of the State Council and to four newly recruited researchers at the China Central Institute for Culture and History. Both are think tanks of the central government. Li said he hoped counselors would closely follow China's social and economic development and conduct in-depth research on major issues as the country works to cultivate new economic momentum.

DPRK airline operation limited

China will limit the operations of Democratic People's Republic of Korea carrier Air Koryo after one of its aircraft made an emergency landing in China last month, and has told the airline to improve training and maintenance. The Russian-built Tupolev TU204-300 was flying to Beijing from Pyongyang when it made a forced landing in Shenyang, Liaoning province, because of smoke in the cabin. The plane landed safely and there were no injuries. China's civil aviation regulator said the smoke came from a call button under a luggage rack.

China-made products help keep Games green

A company in Huzhou, Zhejiang province, supplied biodegradable tableware to the Rio Olympics, adding to a long list of made-in-China products appearing at the Games. The disposable tableware - supplied in cooperation with a Brazilian partner and worth a total of $500,000 - is made of cornstarch. The technology creates no chemical pollution, says Baron Xie, chairman and general manager of Huzhou Global Xinyifeng Environmental Protection Technology Co. The plates, bowls, cups and cutlery are used in the athletes' cafeteria and at the media village in Rio de Janeiro and can decompose within three months.

Ministry: Cyber law no worry for business

China's pending cybersecurity law will not create obstacles for foreign business, the Foreign Ministry said. More than 40 global business groups petitioned Premier Li Keqiang, according to a letter seen by Reuters, urging China to revise draft rules they believe are vague and discriminate against foreign enterprises. The groups say the pending rules, including a cybersecurity law that could be passed this year, include provisions for invasive government security reviews and onerous requirements to archive data in China.

China's anti-doping lab cleared for testing

The World Anti-Doping Agency announced on Aug 16 that it has lifted the suspension of the China Anti-Doping Agency, which was closed because of technical mistakes. WADA confirmed that the Beijing laboratory's accreditation has been reinstated just ahead of the maximum four-month suspension that was issued in April, said WADA Director-General Olivier Niggli. The reinstatement allows the lab to immediately resume all of its anti-doping activities, including all analyses of urine and blood samples, according to an agency statement.

Police target elusive underground banking

Chinese police have busted underground banks that handled 200 billion yuan ($30.2 billion; 26.7 billion euros) in illegal money transfers this year, the Ministry of Public Security said on Aug 17. Police said they arrested 450 suspects involved in 158 cases of underground banking and money laundering, according to the ministry.

Grieving parents to get care, comfort

The government is moving to take better care of bereaved parents whose only child has died or is disabled. Every household "living with special difficulties" because of previous family planning policies, and that does not choose another birth or adoption, will have two officials from the local village or urban district assigned as liaisons, according to an Aug 16 circular from the National Health and Family Planning Commission.

Plan completed for national panda park

A plan to build a national park for giant pandas has been completed and will be submitted to the central government for approval, authorities said on Aug 17. Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces have determined the area for the park, said Yao Sidan, head of Sichuan's provincial forestry department. Drafting of the plan began in April. Yao said authorities have tried to keep the pandas' habitat intact, while also integrating existing nature reserves, parks and scenic areas.

E-sports team wins $9.1m at US tourney

A Chinese team secured the biggest prize in e-sports history on Aug 14 after finishing first in an elite tournament in the United States. The five members of Wings Gaming shared $9.1 million after beating North American rivals DC three games to one in the final of the 2016 International DOTA 2 Championships, held in Seattle. They played Defense of the Ancients 2, an online game in which two teams battle to capture each other's base. Each team has five players who control five "heroes" chosen from more than 100 characters.

Crops impacted by global warming

Extreme weather patterns, pests and diseases are affecting food security in China and the world, according to experts at the seventh International Crop Science Congress in Beijing. Earth's overall temperature rose by about 0.75 C over the past century, according to Zhang Weijian, the chief scientist of agro-ecology at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

(China Daily European Weekly 08/19/2016 page2)