IN BRIEF (Page 2)

War mourners include Japanese adoptees

A group from Japan mourned victims of Japan's invasion and occupation of northeastern China before and during World War II on April 4, calling on their leaders to visit China to apologize for war crimes. The group of 41 was organized by people abandoned as children in China by their Japanese families at the end of the war who were adopted by Chinese families. Three of those had since had returned to Japan and were part of the group. The visit took place during Qingming Festival, the most important occasion for Chinese to honor the dead.

Drones fly toward international market

The TYW-1 drone, developed by Beihang University in Beijing - a large unmanned aircraft for reconnaissance and combat based on an earlier high-altitude, long-range reconnaissance drone - will make its maiden flight in September and enter the international market in 2018, according to Wang Jianping, deputy general manager and chief designer at Beihang Unmanned Aircraft System Technology. It would be the first time for a Chinese university to sell such an aircraft on the international market. Northwestern Polytechnical University in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, has sold small, unarmed military drones to foreign buyers.

SPP tightens review of pollution cases

China's Supreme People's Procuratorate has tightened its oversight of major environmental cases. It has been conducting intensified reviews of air and water pollution cases since January. The effort will continue to December 2018 in heavily polluted areas, including the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

Air in Beijing schools to be checked

The Beijing Municipal Education Commission will conduct a complete inspection of the indoor air quality of 2,320 public and private primary schools, junior middle schools and kindergartens in the capital, Xinhua News Agency reported on April 3. As some schools and kindergartens will have ventilation systems installed, the report also said the commission would strengthen supervision and guidance to ensure that the renovations meet standards.

Child saved from 15-meter well

A toddler who fell into a 15-meter-deep dry well in Shandong province was rescued on April 4. The 2-year-old boy was pulled out of the well at 3:06 am alive and alert. He remains hospitalized for observation. He fell into the hole at about 5:30 pm on April 3. The well, 30 centimeters in diameter, is so narrow that rescuers could not go down to bring the boy up. Dozens of excavators and bulldozers were used to dig a big hole near the mouth of the well to reach him.

Holiday brings glut of railway travelers

China's railway network saw more than 45 million trips during the four-day Tomb Sweeping Day break, which ended on April 4, according to estimates by the national railway operator. Stations in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Guilin, Zhangjiajie and Kunming were among the most crowded this year, based on ticket sales, according to the company. The travel peak came on April 2, when 12.7 million journeys were made, an increase of 10 percent over last year and a record for daily rail transportation during the annual holiday, also known as Qingming Festival.

2,105 officers died on duty since 2012

A total of 2,105 police officers died and 22,977 were injured while on duty since late 2012, according to the Ministry of Public Security. Last year, 362 police officers died in the line of duty, the ministry said. During the three-day Tomb Sweeping Day holiday, people across the nation commemorated the officers.

Hospital closed after chopstick rampage

A hospital in Henan province where a patient killed three people with a chopstick has been closed pending an investigation of its standards. The man, identified as Yang, attacked four women at the privately run Da Zhong Hospital after breaking free of his restraints on Feb 24, according to a statement from the Luoning county government on April 4. All of the victims were patients.

Panda killed after release into wild

A giant panda born in captivity and then released into the wild died after being attacked by an unknown animal, researchers have concluded. He Sheng, a 3-year-old male panda, was released into the Liziping Nature Reserve in Shimian county, Sichuan province, in March last year. Experts found the panda's body with wounds on its right shoulder, ear and leg. An examination concluded that he had been attacked by an unknown animal, and the wounds had resulted in a bacterial infection and fatal blood poisoning.

Flights added as Beijing renovates

Tianjin Binhai International Airport will handle more flights in April as Beijing Capital Airport renovates a runway. One of the three runways at Beijing Capital is closed until April 29 for an overhaul. During the period, Tianjin will add 426 flights, mostly from Air China, Xiamen Air, China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines and Lucky Air, which were originally scheduled for the Beijing airport. An additional 86 flights from Sichuan Airlines and Shandong Airlines will also likely change their routing to Tianjin.

Porpoises settle into new reserve

Another four finless porpoises from the eastern province of Jiangxi have been relocated to a reserve in central China, as the critically endangered species' natural habitat is under threat from pollution, overfishing and river traffic. The endangered mammals from Poyang Lake were transferred to Tian'ezhou reserve in Hubei province on March 28. In April, the Hubei Hewangmiao reserve reported that the first four had settled in.

Mandarin-speaking rate to be increased

China plans to increase the rate of nationals speaking standard Mandarin Chinese to 80 percent by 2020, according to a plan issued by the Ministry of Education and State Language Commission. The plan calls for improved Mandarin-speaking abilities among teachers, especially new ones, who must meet national Mandarin-speaking standards before joining a school. The plan also highlights the training of teachers from ethnic minority regions. Methods including online remote teaching will be used to ensure that all ethnic teachers speak standard Mandarin.

Food safety given priority in schools

China's Ministry of Education has issued a document encouraging schools and kindergartens to install surveillance cameras in kitchens and pantries to monitor the entire process of food production to improve food safety. As the weather gets warmer, the possibility of food poisoning and infectious diseases increases, and schools should be more careful in purchasing ingredients and processing food. The document said. The food must have clear labels, stating the production date and producer, and expired food must not be used, according to the document.

Party chiefs named in 4 provinces

New Party chiefs have been named in four provinces in the latest reshuffle of provincial leadership ahead of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China later this year. Zhang Qingwei, 55, former governor of Hebei province, was appointed Party chief of Heilongjiang; Liu Cigui, 61, was named Party chief of Hainan; and Lin Duo, 61, former governor of Gansu, was appointed Party chief of that province. Liu Jiayi, who holds a doctorate in economics, was named Party chief of Shandong province.

98 million e-chip passports issued

China has issued more than 98 million e-chip passports, which contain the personal information of the bearer, the Ministry of Public Security said on April 1. E-chip passports first appeared in March 2012, and 6.6 million were issued that year alone. Each year since, the average number of new passports has grown by 20 percent.

Seven new FTZs will accelerate opening-up

Seven new free trade zones, including several in inland areas for the first time, are expected to accelerate the country's opening-up and boost the Belt and Road Initiative, the Ministry of Commerce announced. The inland FTZs, which began opening on April 2, are in Henan, Sichuan, Shaanxi and Hubei provinces, and in Chongqing municipality. Two new coastal FTZs will be in Liaoning and Zhejiang provinces. The seven bring the country's total number of FTZs to 11.

Beijing aspires to bigger Arctic role

China is willing and able to play a bigger role in Arctic development and cooperation, Vice-Premier Wang Yang said recently at the Fourth International Arctic Forum in Arkhangelsk, Russia. China is an important stakeholder in Arctic affairs, and it has been participating in those affairs for a long time, Wang said, adding that it upholds a spirit of respect, cooperation and sustainability. Wang called on the international community to strengthen environmental protection of the Arctic and to continuously deepen scientific exploration of the North Pole.

More job assistance aims at vital areas

More proactive policies will be carried out this year to create jobs for key groups, including college graduates and discharged soldiers, following a State Council executive meeting presided over by Premier Li Keqiang on April 5. Mass entrepreneurship and innovation will be further promoted and all eligible enterprises will benefit from favorable policies to boost startups and innovation, according to a statement released after the meeting.

Report: China could help US rebuild

China and the United States will both benefit if they work together on infrastructure construction, according to a report - Infrastructure Cooperation: New Opportunities for US-China Relations - which was published by the Beijing-based Center for China and Globalization. a top think tank. It explains how several projects in which Chinese companies have entered the US market are helping the US government meet goals touted by President Donald Trump during his campaign for office.

India warned over Dalai Lama visit

China asked India on April 5 to immediately stop acting in ways that harm China's interests by using the Dalai Lama, and said it would take necessary measures to safeguard its territorial sovereignty. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said India insisted on arranging visits by the Dalai Lama to areas where China and India have territorial disputes, despite Beijing's concerns, adding that such actions seriously damage China's interests and China-India relations.

TV series highlights ties with Russia

The Chinese embassy in Russia hosted a premiere on April 4 for a documentary series entitled This Is China, which was jointly created by China and Russia. The series focuses on China's wisdom and creativity, and it reflects the developing trends of the country. It also shows the beauty of Peking Opera, Chinese kung fu and traditional sculpture, which are popular with Russians.

Li: Reform unleashes Chinese productivity

China is prioritizing reforms to foster better economic vitality and higher living standards for people. The State Council's executive meeting on April 5 was presented with an outline for specific plans for this year's economic reform, short-listing areas that require the focus of reform. The meeting was presided over by Premier Li Keqiang. Li said that reform will inevitably touch vested interests, and joint efforts are called for from all government departments. Efforts to deepen economic reform will be carried out in several areas in 2017.

'Pink Star' diamond sells for $71.2 million

A stunning 59.6-carat diamond known as the "Pink Star" sold for $71.2 million (66.8 million euros; 57.2 million) at a Sotheby's auction on April 4 in Hong Kong. The price set a new world record for a diamond or jewel, the auction house said. The oval mixed-cut Pink Star smashed the $60 million presale estimate set by Sotheby's when it went on the block. The diamond was mined in Africa by De Beers in 1999 as a raw 132.5 carat gem and cut over a two-year period. The gem is the largest flawless fancy vivid pink diamond ever graded by the Gemological Institute of America. At the same auction, other treasures were sold, including a Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) bowl selling for nearly $30 million.

Seven arrested for real estate deals

Seven people have been arrested for real estate violations in the recently announced Xiongan New Area, Hebei province, sending strong signals to investors, according to analysts, that the government intends to fend off risks from distortions in the property market. The preparatory committee for Xiongan New Area, a transitional group founded recently, discovered 765 cases of real estate violations and shut down 71 sales offices, according to an announcement on April 5.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 04/07/2017 page2)