IN BRIEF (Page 2)

Xi encourages group to meet reform goals

President Xi Jinping called on Aug 30 for solid efforts to press ahead with China's planned reforms in accordance with the established timetable and road map. The country should focus more on economic system reforms and improve fundamental mechanisms that support these overhauls, according to a statement released after a meeting of the Central Leading Group for Deepening Overall Reform. During the meeting, policies were passed concerning such issues as green finance, intellectual property rights, resource allocation and poverty relief.

Strategic Support Force 'a key pillar of the PLA'

President Xi Jinping made his first inspection tour of the People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force on Aug 29. Xi, who is chairman of the Central Military Commission, told commanders of the Strategic Support Force that the service is a new type of combat force and an important pillar of the PLA's joint operation system. The president asked commanders to focus on innovating in the force's development. He also emphasized the building of various support systems and the coordination of development of civilian and defense sectors. Xi also inspected the combat command center of an unidentified unit of the force.

Pollution fees could become law of the land

A draft of China's first environmental protection tax law, submitted to the top legislative body for initial discussion on Aug 29, may impose heavier penalties on polluters. The draft designates four taxable types of pollution - airborne and water pollutants, solid waste and noise. Companies and individuals who directly discharge these would be subject to the tax, Finance Minister Lou Jiwei said. The draft adopted the current standards for pollutant discharge fees as the lower range, and provincial level governments would have the authority to raise tax fees based on the environmental situation in their jurisdictions, Lou said.

Plan for oil reserves agreed with Saudis

China and Saudi Arabia signed a plan on Aug 30 covering strategic oil reserves and vowed to explore the potential of a Silk Road on the internet. The signing came after the first meeting between the two countries of a high-level joint commission to coordinate cooperation. The commission is led by Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli and Saudi Arabia's Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is also the country's defense minister. Zhang and the deputy crown prince witnessed the signing of 17 cooperation documents after the meeting.

Peace hopes voiced on Indian-US pact

China hopes that cooperation between India and the United States will help to maintain regional peace and stability, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Aug 30. The Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement was signed between India and the US on Aug 29 after 12 years of discussions. The core of the agreement provides for the two countries' naval ships and aircraft to dock and land at each other's facilities to take on supplies such as fuel. Hua said China had noticed reports about the agreement and hoped that this meant that cooperation between India and the US would be normal.

Program raises foreign student quality

A university foundation program designed for international students receiving the Chinese Government Scholarship has helped China to find better-qualified recipients, according to Wang Shenggang, deputy secretary-general of the China Scholarship Council, which is a Ministry of Education institute that administers the scholarship. More than 4,300 international students received the scholarship 20 years ago, but last year 40,600 students from 182 countries came to study in China with support from the scholarship. In recent years, the number of recipients has risen by 13 percent annually, according to the council.

Housing sales surge as new curbs feared

Homebuyers in Shanghai have rushed to buy about 5,300 apartments since Aug 26, after news media widely reported that the city's policymakers are considering tightened measures to curb realty prices. Apartment transactions in Shanghai surpassed 1,000 units for three consecutive days since Aug 27. The average before Aug 26 was between 400 and 600 a day. On Aug 28 the online registration system for property transactions crashed for half an hour due to overload.

Ties with Hanoi to reach a new level

China wants to work with Vietnam on handling and resolving disputes properly to take bilateral ties to a new level, top military officer Fan Changlong said on Aug 29. Fan made the remark while meeting with Ngo Xuan Lich, Vietnam's minister of national defense and vice-secretary of the Central Military Commission, who was on a four-day trip to China with a delegation of senior military officers. It was his first visit to China since becoming defense minister in April. He also met with Vice-President Li Yuanchao on Aug 29.

Ministry: Poor students getting better nutrition

More than 33.6 million students living in poverty have become healthier overall as a result of government-subsidized meals, but improved food availability and safety remain top priorities, along with health education, the Ministry of Education said. Fifteen organizations, including the finance and education ministries, launched a nutrition drive in 2011 to help needy children from first to ninth grade. Since then, more than 159 billion yuan ($23.8 billion; 21.3 billion euros) has been spent on improving meals and dining spaces in 137,000 schools in 29 provinces. The program covers more than 33.6 million students, according to the program's assessment report published on Aug 30.

China adds 7 new free trade zones

Chinese authorities have decided to set up seven new free trade zones across the country, bringing the total number to 11, as China looks to replicate the success of previous trials. The new FTZs will be in Liaoning, Zhejiang, Henan, Hubei, Sichuan and Shaanxi provinces as well as in Chongqing municipality, according to Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng. The expansion comes three years after the launch of China's first free trade zone, in Shanghai, to test a broad range of economic reforms, including more openness to foreign investment and fewer restrictions on capital flows.

Manual on killing chickens humanely for better meat

A new technical manual in Shandong province encourages the use of humane methods to slaughter chickens. The methods promote better meat quality, proponents said. The manual, which sets standards to reduce the animals' suffering, was prepared by a research team at Qingdao Agricultural University and approved recently by the Shandong provincial government's quality watchdog. The standards ensure the animals experience minimal fear, stress and pain, according to Sun Jingxin, a professor of food science at the university's College of Food Science and Engineering.

Push renewed for rehabilitation services

China will establish a rehabilitation university before 2020 to help disabled people, the China Disabled Persons' Federation said on Aug 31. An estimated 85 million disabled people live in China, and about 26 million of those are registered. The federation's chairwoman, Zhang Haidi, said under the current system, fewer than 8,000 rehab students graduate every year, and 70 percent of those are from two-year colleges, far from meeting the demand for such services. In 2015, only 30 percent of registered disabled people received any kind of rehabilitation services.

Higher education access expands

Minister of Education Chen Baosheng said in Beijing that 36.4 million students received higher education in 2015, an increase of 17.5 percent from 2010. Access to higher education has expanded in China, Chen told legislators during the ongoing bimonthly session of the top legislature. Moreover, Chinese universities and colleges attracted nearly 400,000 overseas students from 202 countries and regions last year.

NGO created to help smokers quit

A new NGO, the China Tobacco Cessation Alliance, was established on Aug 31 as the foundation of a nationwide clinical system that will develop guidelines for getting smokers to stop. Major public hospitals from across the country are members. Wang Chen, head of China-Japan Friendship Hospital in Beijing, was nominated as the founding director of the alliance. Smoking addiction is a disease that needs treatment, experts say, but until now China has lacked services at hospitals.

Charity Law eases fundraising rules

The Charity Law, passed by national lawmakers in March, took effect on Sept 1. The law eases restrictions on the fundraising and operations of charity groups. The new law also includes strict regulations to prevent fraud and will impose tighter supervision on the management of charity groups.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 09/02/2016 page2)