IN BRIEF (Page 2)

Drones will help Xinjiang fight terror

The Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region plans to deploy drones to patrol its borders as it further tightens security this year, a senior official said. Xinjiang will deploy drones, set up barbed wire and install surveillance cameras along the border to prevent people crossing illegally, according to Jerla Isamudin, deputy chairman of the region. Xinjiang needs to further enhance cooperation in exchanging terrorism-related intelligence with neighboring countries, he said. The region has been working on connecting People's Liberation Army border control units to the power grids since 2014 to provide an efficient electrical supply to high-tech equipment. In 2017, 29 more frontier defense companies in Xinjiang will have electricity and will not have to rely on unstable solar energy and diesel generators, PLA Daily reported in March.

Alipay app unlocks 6 bike-sharing services

The 450 million users of Alipay can now access the bike-sharing services of Ofo, Bluegogo, Youon, Hellobike, funbike and U-Bicycle via its mobile app, avoiding having to download each company's app and pay deposits in order to ride. The service is available in 50 cities and connects Alipay with about 6 million bikes, more than half of all the shared bikes in China, according to Ant Financial, owner of Alipay.

Swiss climber killed in fall near Qomolangma

Famous Swiss climber Ueli Steck, popularly known as the Swiss Machine for his rapid climbs, died on April 30 after falling to the foot of Mount Nuptse, Nepalese officials and expedition organizing company said. It was the first death this spring in the region of Qomolangma - known as Everest in the West - according to Nepal's Department of Tourism, which issues permits for mountain climbing. Steck, 40, was heading toward Camp 2 from Camp 1 of Qomolangma. The camp also serves as a base for climbing the 7,855-meter Nuptse, where he fell 1,000 meters to the foot of the mountain, according to KhemRaj Aryal of the department's mountaineering division.

More British music may flow after trip

Representatives of Britain's music industry and its Department for International Trade visited China recently, seeking new ways for the United Kingdom to benefit from the country's lucrative pop market. The week long trip to Beijing, which concluded on May 1, was part of the UK government's Music Mission, which aims to help bands and stars break into the Chinese charts. Currently, UK artists account for about 5 percent of the acts in China's top 100. The Beijing trip pushed for a more thorough mixture of conferences, artist showcases and visits to Chinese music companies. The Department for International Trade organized the mission in partnership with the Association of Independent Music and the British Phonographic Industry.

Passes will save money on Beijing-Tianjin rail

A commuter pass for the Beijing-Tianjin intercity railway that gives a discount of up to 15 percent went on sale on May 1 as part of government efforts to promote the integration of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province. Last year, 646,000 passengers traveled back and forth between Beijing and Tianjin at least twice a month. The pass is expected to benefit more than 200,000 people. The pass will save passengers the trouble of buying tickets, and the discount is expected to attract more people to commute between the two cities, said Sun Wenkui, vice-mayor of Tianjin. Currently, 184 trains arrive and depart from both Beijing and Tianjin every day, carrying more than 80,000 passengers.

Satellites to focus on small polluters

The Ministry of Environmental Protection will put greater emphasis on high-tech satellite monitoring to identify pollution sources efficiently, using a grid system put in place late last year, according to the official in charge of the effort. Now, the ministry will use its "hot grid" system, based on the satellite technology, to target more polluters - including small, unregistered, scattered companies that are operating illegally, according to Li Wei, head of the ministry's department in charge of the grid system. The satellite inspections will supplement ongoing national environmental inspections, in which teams on the ground have uncovered violations in 28 major cities of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, as well as in neighboring Henan, Shandong and Shanxi provinces, as of April 30.

Millions hit road to enjoy the holiday

More than 130 million trips were made during the May Day holiday, which ended on May 1, the China National Tourism Administration said. An estimated 50 million of those were railway trips, which would represent a 10 percent increase from the same period last year, China Railway Corp said. Stations in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Chengdu and Zhengzhou were among the most crowded this year, based on ticket sales, the company said. The administration said 134 million trips were made during the three-day holiday, an increase of 14 percent from last year. Tourism income during the holiday exceeded 79 billion yuan ($11.5 billion; 10.5 billion euros; ￡8.9 billion), up 16 percent from last year.

High winds disrupt railway service

High winds disrupted train service in parts of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region on May 1, local authorities said. Strong gales sweeping southern Xinjiang at 140 kilometers per hour forced eight passenger trains to stop for safety reasons, starting from 11:25 pm on April 30, Xinjiang's railway authorities said in a news release on May 1.Most of the trains resumed operation after 9 am on May 1, when the wind had subsided.

Earlier fishing ban put in place this year

An annual fishing ban was introduced nationwide on May 1, weeks earlier than previous years for some regions, with the aim of better protecting fisheries and the environment. In the past, the off-season began on a staggered schedule - different days for different areas - with a June 1 deadline. It was moved up mainly because the spawning season of most fish has begun earlier, owing to the decay of fishery resources and global warming, according to Zhang Xianliang, director of the Ministry of Agriculture's Bureau of Fisheries.

Mountain blaze out, another ignites

Hundreds of firefighters have been battling a new fire in China's largest forest in the Greater Hinggan Mountains, authorities said. The fire broke out about 12:15 pm on May 2 in the Beidaihe forest in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, regional fire authorities said. More than 700 People's Armed Police soldiers have been mobilized to extinguish the blaze. Strong winds and mountainous terrain are making their work difficult. The cause of the fire was unknown. A fire that extended from Russia to a primeval forest in the region broke out on April 30. It has been put out and cleanup was proceeding on May 2.

Wang: UAE won't harbor Chinese fugitives

The United Arab Emirates will never become a safe haven for criminals involved in corruption, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on May 2 as he described progress on extradition cooperation. Wang and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed AlNahyan, UAE minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation, co-chaired in Beijing the first meeting of the China-UAE Intergovernmental Cooperation Committee. Wang said both countries support trade, investment liberalization and facilitation and also advocate open and transparent regional free-trade arrangements.

State Council OKs Brands Day

The State Council has approved a Chinese Brands Day, to be observed on May 10 annually, starting this year, according to a statement made public on May 2.The Cabinet's decision was in response to a request for instructions filed by the National Development and Reform Commission, the country's top economic planner. Detailed work for the day will be done by the commission and other government departments, the statement said.

World Expo Museum opens in Shanghai

The World Expo Museum in Shanghai opened to the public on May 1. The museum is located on the former site of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. It is the only official museum and documentation center in the world entirely dedicated to Expos and authorized by the Paris-based Bureau International des Expositions. The museum, built by the bureau and the Shanghai municipal government, is also the first museum in the world to showcase the history of World Expos development.

Study finds little control of asthma

Only about 28 percent of people in China with asthma have their condition under control, according to a study released on May 2, World Asthma Day. More than 26 percent of respondents reported being hospitalized in the past year and 22 percent had visited an emergency room due to an asthma attack. Widespread misunderstandings of the disease are mainly to blame for the low control rates, according to Lin Jiangtao, a leading respiratory disease specialist at China-Japan Friendship Hospital in Beijing. Lin also heads the China Asthma Alliance. Roughly 30 million people in China have asthma, according to estimates by the National Health and Family Planning Commission.

Bridge completion insight for HK, Macao, Zhuhai

Construction of the long-awaited Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge took a big step toward completion on May 2 when workers began to install the final piece of an underwater tunnel. The final joint of the last 5.6-kilometer section was lowered into the Lingding Channel, the central channel of the Pearl River, in ideal weather conditions, according to Wang Zhanggui, chief engineer at the National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center. Completion of the tunnel will effectively end work on the road link between Hong Kong, Macao and Zhuhai, Guangdong province. It is scheduled to open to traffic this year. 

(China Daily Africa Weekly 05/05/2017 page2)