IN BRIEF (Page 2)

Growth goals set for central provinces

China issued a five-year guideline for invigorating development of its central region, aiming to build it into a key area for advanced manufacturing, modern agriculture, urbanization and ecological conservation. The new guideline sets a goal that the six provinces in central China - Henan, Shanxi, Hubei, Anhui, Hunan and Jiangxi - will account for a considerable proportion of China's production output, while people's livelihoods will be improved significantly. The goals will be achieved through such measures as optimizing the regional economic structure, creating new economic drivers, encouraging industrial upgrading, improving modern transportation infrastructure and strengthening agriculture development.

China stands ready to aid Iran's recovery

Senior officials and trade association leaders from China and Iran have called for reinforcing Beijing's role in revitalizing infrastructure and trade in Iran. China is well positioned for this, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said, because it has been a friend during hard times. Zarif, made the remarks on Dec 6, during an official visit to China, at the Iran-China Business Forum, a gathering of more than 300 corporate delegates. The visit was made at a time when China's role has been highlighted in helping the oil-rich Middle Eastern country address the poor condition of its infrastructure after international sanctions were lifted in January. The sanctions were imposed 10 years earlier over Iran's nuclear program.

PLA Navy ships visit San Diego base

Three Chinese Navy vessels arrived in San Diego on Dec 6 morning for a four-day visit to the Southern California city. Sun peeked through the clouds as rear admirals Huang Xinjian and Wu Haihua of the People's Liberation Army Navy walked off their vessel at San Diego's downtown B Street Pier. They were welcomed by US Rear Admiral James Bynum, commander of Carrier Strike Group Nine, and by Rear Admiral Yancy Lindsey, commander of the US Navy's southwest region. Some 600 Chinese sailors, most of whom were setting foot on United States soil for the first time, planned to spend three days with their counterparts from the USS Cape St George.

Energy sector faces more inspections

China's work safety watchdog will step up checks and supervision in the energy sector, including coal mines and oil and gas production and transportation, as rising energy prices increase motivation for illegal production. The country saw five major work safety incidents, including four involving coal mines, in the past three months, with at least 179 people losing their lives, according to the State Administration of Work Safety. At a conference on Dec 5 it said it will crack down on illegal coal mine production and activities that exceed designated mine capacity, and step up the phasing-out of small coal mines to prevent major accidents.

Youth in China get taller, heavier

Chinese youth have become taller, but they are also fatter and have worse eyesight, according to a report released on Dec 7. The average height of kids age 7 to 18 increased from 2000 to 2014, according to the Annual Report on Development of Youth Sports in China 2016. The average 18-year-old male stood at 1.72 meters in 2014, up from 1.70 m in 2000, while females grew from 1.58 m to 1.59 m. However, the obesity rate of males aged 7 to 22 in urban areas increased 25-fold from 1985 to 2014, reaching nearly 15 percent, while males in rural areas increased 45-fold.

Little spent on public promotion of science

China has been gaining international recognition for its scientific research thanks to significant government investment, though authorities seem not as generous in promoting science to the general public. Survey results released on Dec 7 by the Ministry of Science and Technology show that last year, special government funding for science promotion was 4.63 yuan ($0.67; 0.63 euros; 0.53) per capita, a 0.05 yuan drop from the previous year. The fund is mainly spent on sponsoring government organs or semiofficial organs to carry out science promotion projects, such as publishing books, holding lectures and organizing exhibitions.

PISA scores for Chinese students fall

Chinese students' scores fell across the board in science, reading and mathematics, in a global study conducted every three years by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. The so-called PISA test for 2015 found that 15-year-old students' scholastic performance weakened, compared with 2012, although they were able to stay in the top 10 in science and math, according to an assessment of results released on Dec 6 by the OECD. Students in Beijing, Jiangsu, Guangdong and Shanghai scored a median 518 and were ranked 10th in science, compared with the 580 score of students from Shanghai in 2012.

Industrial park signs Oxford University deal

Jiansu-based Suzhou Industrial Park and the UK's Oxford University signed a deal establishing a joint research center, officials said on Dec 8. The Oxford Suzhou Centre for Advanced Research will be a multi-disciplined research, innovation and technology centre; it will initially focus on biomedical engineering, biomedicine, advanced function material, energy, environmental technology, financial mathematics, computer science and the health industry. The agreement, which took five years to negotiate, was signed by Suzhou Industrial Park's chairman, Yang Zhiping, and Professor Donal Bradley, head of the Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences Division of Oxford University.

Small firms should create jobs, Li says

Premier Li Keqiang called on the owners of small private businesses to build their brands and contribute to employment and the national economy. At a ceremony on Dec 5 marking the 30th anniversary of the China Privately Owned Business Association, Li met with more than 200 representatives of the group. Such businesses now provide 40 percent of the country's jobs and have played an important role in boosting economic growth, vitalizing the market and meeting the public's diversified demands, Li said. The government will further streamline administrative processes and strengthen public services to protect their rights and legal property, he said.

Protection of pandas, big cats to improve

China is set to establish a national park system to beef up the protection of giant pandas, Siberian tigers and Amur leopards, according to a decision made by the country's leading group for overall reform. A pilot program for a national park system will help increase the integrity, connectivity and coordination of the habitats of the three at-risk animal species in China, according to a statement released on Dec 5, after a meeting of the Central Leading Group for Comprehensively Deepening Reforms.

New drone adds to PLA's aerial toolbox

The People's Liberation Army will soon have a new drone with an unusual shape. It is expected to strengthen the Chinese military's aerial reconnaissance capabilities. An unknown number of Xianglong, or Soar Dragon, high-altitude, long-endurance drones have been produced by Guizhou Aviation Industry Group, which is part of the state-owned aircraft maker Aviation Industry Corp of China, according to aviation sources. The aircraft is believed to be undergoing testing and is expected to be delivered to the PLA soon, sources said, adding that it is likely to become China's answer to the United States' Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk, the best-known unmanned surveillance drone in the world.

Delivery tricycles get more oversight

Beijing recently introduced a registration system for express delivery tricycles that standardizes the appearance of such vehicles. The city also issued safety instruction cards to couriers, officials said. Insurance policies for the tricycles have also become a must for express-delivery companies. About 57,000 tricycles had been repainted as of early December, including those of 40 delivery companies. Some old tricycles do not meet the standards, and companies are being urged to discard them, according to Niu Jianming, office director at the Beijing Express Association.

Ancient high-level sacrificial site found

Archaeologists recently discovered a government-level venue used by ancient emperors to participate in sacrificial offerings. The Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology announced the discovery on Dec 5 on its official website, saying the find had great academic value for in-depth research on social institutions and politics of the Qin (221-206 BC) and Western Han (206 BC-AD 24) dynasties, as well as ancient Chinese ritual culture generally. The old sacrificial site, named Yongshan Blood Pool, is located in Fengxiang, about 15 kilometers southeast of the Yongcheng ruins, which is believed to have been the capital of the state of Qin (770-221 BC).

Sale of old painting sets price record

Five Drunken Kings on Horses, a Chinese classical painting of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), sold for 303.6 million yuan ($44 million; 41 million euros; 34.6 million) at a Beijing auction on Dec 4, a record high for a Chinese painting so far this year. The color painting drew a packed room of bidders at Beijing Poly Auction's sale of ancient Chinese paintings and calligraphy. The bidding started at 68 million yuan and lasted about 40 minutes. The painting was created by Ren Renfa (1255-1327), a high-ranking official in charge of water conservancy in the Mongol-ruled court. In his spare time, he achieved prominence as a painter of horses and grooms.

Xi: Constitution is fundamental

President Xi Jinping called for enhanced public awareness of the Constitution and its implementation as the country observed its third National Constitution Day on Dec 4. The Constitution contains the fundamental rules of the nation, and it must be adhered to while implementing the rule of law, Xi said in a message marking the opening of an exhibition hall in Hangzhou. The hall features documents on the first Constitution of the People's Republic of China, which was drafted in Hangzhou and enacted in 1954. China's top legislature adopted the current Constitution on Dec 4, 1982, based on the 1954 version.

New hardy rice strain resists cold

Yuan Longping, a scientist known as China's "father of hybrid rice", has developed a new strain that could enable the plant to adapt to more varied growing environments at a significantly lower cost. The strain, the third generation of hybrid rice that Yuan has developed, is designed to be hardier and able to withstand lower temperatures during the plant's reproductive phase. Yuan said the cost of breeding the new strain has also decreased significantly, making its commercial use viable in the short term. However, he declined to disclose the expected average unit yield of the new rice strain.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 12/09/2016 page2)