IN BRIEF (Page 2)

China, France vow to safeguard free trade

China and France vowed to boost globalization and safeguard free trade by condemning rising protectionism after Premier Li Keqiang met with his visiting French counterpart on Feb 21. Both leaders agreed to send the international community a strong signal to jointly cope with risks and challenges, fight protectionism in any form and boost multilateralism and economic opening-up, Li told a news conference after the meeting.

Furniture treasures to be auctioned

Christie's auction house will sell a major collection of Chinese furniture during its Asian Art Week in March, with premium pieces expected to fetch at least $1 million each. Items from the Marie Theresa L. Virata Collection of Asian Art will be offered on March 16 at Christie's in New York. The collection was acquired through the joint efforts of more than three generations of the Virata family from the Philippines. Virata was the wife of prominent economist Leonides Sarao Virata, who helped rebuild the Philippines after World War II and served as secretary of the Department of Commerce and Industry.

Beijing cuts off coal shipments from DPRK

The Ministry of Commerce and the General Administration of Customs issued a notice on Feb 18 to halt this year's coal imports from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, including coal that has been declared at customs but hasn't been given clearance. Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Feb 21 the decision was made in accordance with Resolution 2321, which the UN Security Council adopted in November. The notice was issued because China's imports of coal from the DPRK have nearly reached the value limit established by the resolution, Geng said.

Ex-minister gets 15 years for graft

Yang Dongliang, former head of China's work safety watchdog and a longtime Tianjin official, was sentenced to 15 years in prison after his conviction for bribery and embezzlement by a Beijing court on Feb 21. Yang, the former minister of the State Administration of Work Safety was also fined 2 million yuan ($290,000; 275,000 euros; 232,000) and ordered to return his illegal gains by the Beijing No 2 Intermediate People's Court, the court said in a statement.

Courts instructed to ignore illegal evidence

The Supreme People's Court released a guideline on Feb 21 ordering courts at all levels to find suspects innocent when evidence is insufficient to prove their guilt, and to not accept evidence that is obtained illegally, in an effort to reduce wrongful convictions and protect human rights. The guideline stipulates that courts should review the legality of evidence before hearing a case, and they are not allowed to continue with cases if evidence has been collected in an improper manner.

Guangdong sees post-holiday influx

More than one-third of travelers since the end of the holiday have headed to Guangdong province, according to a report released by 360 Technology Co that was based on online train-ticket sales between Jan 30 and Feb 21. After Guangdong, Beijing, Shanghai and Zhejiang province were the most popular destinations since the end of the holiday, the report said.

Pension funds OK'd for investment

Seven provincial-level regions, including Beijing and Shanghai, have started entrusting their pension funds to the National Council for Social Security Fund for investment. A total of 360 billion yuan ($52.3 billion; 49.6 billion; 41.8 billion) is being transferred from scattered bank accounts operated by local authorities to the council for centralized asset management, Economic Information Daily reported on Feb 21.

Plan created to protect artifacts better

China will improve the way in which it protects immovable artifacts, according to a plan issued by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage on Feb 21. During the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) period, China will roll out projects to protect the Great Wall and artifacts related to the revolutionary period, according to the plan. By 2020, the museum-to-population ratio will be 1:250,000, the plan states.

Charity launches first-aid project

The Chinese Red Cross Foundation launched a Belt and Road Initiative first-aid project in Beijing on Feb 20. The project will offer first-aid resources, including ambulances and medical professionals, as well as public health services, along the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a 3,000 kilometer network of roads, railways and pipelines linking Kashgar in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region with southwest Pakistan's Gwadar Port.

Scientists complete first drilling task

Scientists on Feb 21 completed the first drilling task on an expedition to the South China Sea. The hole, identified as U1499A, has reached 3,770 meters below sea level, and will produce sediment samples. A total of 33 scientists from China, the United States, France and other countries boarded the US drilling ship JOIDES Resolution on Feb 8 and arrived at the drilling site on Feb 14.

Navy upgrades itsmissile destroyer

The People's Liberation Army Navy has upgraded the CNS Shenzhen guided missile destroyer, once the most powerful domestically made warship in the Navy, amid a massive modernization of the country's naval arsenal. The only Type 051B Luhai-class ship, the 6,000-metric ton Shenzhen entered service with the South Sea Fleet in 1999 and was then the largest and most advanced domestically made warship of the Navy for about five years until the first Type 052B destroyer, CNS Guangzhou, was commissioned in 2004.

China, Italy renew cooperative vision

President Xi Jinping and his Italian counterpart, Sergio Mattarella, signed 13 cooperative documents on Feb 22 in Beijing. Mattarella, who took office in 2015, was making his first state visit to China and was the first top state leader to visit China in the new year. A cultural park, a park for boosting local innovation and a China-Italy design innovation base were among the visions outlined in the agreements.

Xi urges stepped-up anti-poverty effort

President Xi Jinping urged more intensified and precise poverty relief efforts to accomplish the country's goal of pulling all people out of poverty by the end of 2020. Speaking on Feb 21 while chairing a group study session of the Party's ruling authority, Xi, China's top political leader, underscored the importance of stronger leadership, more funding support and better coordination between government departments, as well as between the country's eastern and western regions.

ID tags issued to PLA personnel

Men and women serving in the People's Liberation Army are being issued with personal identification tags to improve personnel management, battlefield logistics and medical support. Thirteen units across the Navy, Air Force and Rocket Force have been given the tags, which consist of two parts - a metal tag engraved with the bearer's name, rank, blood type and military member code, and an auxiliary metal tag with a quick-response code and a built-in microchip containing health information. Troops have also been issued wristwatches that can measure the wearer's heart rate and send distress signals, according to PLA Daily, the military's official newspaper.

Beijing backs talks on Korea concerns

China wants to improve communication with all parties, including the United States, to help restart negotiations over nuclear issues on the Korean peninsula, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Feb 22. Geng also said State Councilor Yang Jiechi spoke by phone with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Feb 21, the latest in a series of recent high-level China-US contacts. The two top diplomats agreed to push forward bilateral ties and exchanged views on a number of international issues, including the nuclear issue, the ministry said in a news release.

Environmental reins tightening

China is tightening the oversight of governments and companies - including conducting more large-scale inspections and suspending production in more industries - in a bid to achieve its targets for air pollution control this year. Inspectors involved in the ongoing monthlong review have uncovered another 137 problems involving insufficient emergency responses by governments, and excessive discharges of pollutants by companies, according to a statement by the Ministry of Environmental Protection on Feb 22.

Confucius depicted on mirror

A polished bronze mirror was discovered in the tomb of the Marquis of Haihun - China's most complete Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 24) cemetery - bearing the earliest known image of Confucius. Writings on the wood to which the mirror is mounted may offer more information about the educator and philosopher who lived about 2,500 years ago, according to an archaeologist. The mirror is about 1 meter in height and has a painted wooden cover and holder. Confucius is depicted on the cover dressed as a commoner.

Travel rush sets rail trip record

The 40-day Spring Festival travel rush, which started on Jan 13 this year, saw 357 million train trips, according to official data on Feb 22. The record-breaking figure represents an increase of 10.1 percent over last year, according to China Railway Corp. A daily average of 8.93 million people traveled by train during the period, known as the largest human migration on earth.

118 expats granted Lhasa residence

A record 118 foreigners were given permanent resident status in Lhasa on Feb 22. Permanent resident status gives a foreigner in China access to healthcare, education, property and other benefits enjoyed by native locals. The foreigners included Swiss, French and Nepalese nationals.

Remains of old fortifications found

The remains of a fortification built about 550 years ago have been found in Yuanling county, archaeologists said on Feb 22. The walls, resembling the Great Wall, stretch 18.4 kilometers over hills, with 12.3 km well preserved. About 0.6 to 0.7 meters wide and 1.2 to 1.3 meters tall, the walls were built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) during the reign of Emperor Xianzong (1464-1487).

Red Cross facing more supervision

Red Cross societies and their staff members will be held accountable if they do not provide donors with feedback on how money is spent, under a draft revision of the Red Cross Society Law released on Feb 22. The draft says that the societies and their employees will also face punishment if they spend money on projects against a donor's wishes, embezzle funds or divide or hide donations.

Deaths spur coal mine inspections

China's work safety watchdog will launch a widespread safety check of coal mines nationwide next month, a move prompted by three accidents that killed 32 miners this year. The campaign, which will last until the end of the year, will look for safety hazards and focus on accident prevention, Huang Yuzhi, head of the State Administration of Coal Mine Safety, said at a work conference on Feb 20.

Alibaba chief starts bilingual school

The founder of Alibaba Group Jack Ma is setting his sights on China's education system by establishing a private bilingual school. He and other partners of Alibaba co-founded the Yungu Schoo in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. The school will span 15 years of education, offering classes from kindergarten through high school.

2 million copyright registrations in 2016

China has set a new record for copyrights, processing more than 2 million new registrations last year, a rise of 22.3 percent over 2015, the National Copyright Administration of China said on Feb 20. Nearly 1.6 million registrations were publications, including literary works and photographs, while 407,774 were software, according to the administration. The number of software copyright registrations has increased about 40 percent over 2015.

Tsinghua admissions standards debated

China's prestigious Tsinghua University was bombarded with criticism after it released a new set of admission requirements for foreign applicants. According to the university's 2017 requirements for international bachelor's degree applicants, foreign citizens under 25 years of age may apply if they have a high-school diploma and are proficient in the Chinese language - meaning the new Band 5 level of the HSK language test, which is administered worldwide. Previously, an entrance examination was required for international undergraduate admission.

Deep-sea vehicle sets its sights on ocean trenches

A domestically developed unmanned submersible designed to explore as deep as 11,000 meters under the sea is expected to start deep-sea trials by 2020, researchers said on Feb 21. Shanghai Jiao Tong University, which has been working on the development of the new autonomous underwater vehicle, says that the trial will be carried out in the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench, in a ravine called Challenger Deep. According to Ge Tong, a professor at the university who led the research, the deep-sea submersible will be equipped with a comprehensive navigation system, which ensures it maintains its direction.

(China Daily European Weekly 02/24/2017 page2)