IN BRIEF (Page 2)

Bigger role for media urged in covering BRICS

Media in the five member countries of BRICS should deepen their cooperation, tell great stories and inject more dynamism into the partnership, Liu Yunshan, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, said on June 7. Liu made the remarks at a meeting with journalists attending the BRICS Media Forum in Beijing. BRICS comprises five major developing countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The forum was a preparatory event ahead of the ninth BRICS Leaders Meeting in Xiamen, Fujian province, in September. Liu told the attending media executives and veteran reporters that media cooperation is a key area for BRICS countries

Company's first military jet for export rolled out

Guizhou Aviation Industry Group, a subsidiary of Beijing-based Aviation Industry Corp of China, rolled out its first plane for export - a trainer for fighter jet pilots - on June 5 in Anshun, Guizhou province. The aircraft, a modified Mountain Eagle, based on the earlier JJ-7 trainer jet, has been modified with export in mind. The company has adjusted some features of the Mountain Eagle, including its weapons system and seats, to make it more adaptable for combat scenarios, according to Hu Jianxing, chief designer for Guizhou Aviation. It can be used to train fighter pilots in peacetime and be equipped with various types of missiles for use as a fighter in wartime, said Wang Wenfei, the company's president. All spare parts and components for the aircraft are made in China.

Xi's book released in Kazakh language

The launch ceremony of the Kazakh language version of President Xi Jinping's book Xi Jinping: The Governance of China was held on June 5 in the First President Library in Astana, Kazakhstan. The book elaborates on China's development theory and path, as well as its internal and foreign policies, according to Tuo Zhen, deputy head of the publicity department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. Chinese Ambassador to Kazakhstan Zhang Hanhui said the new edition offers the people of Kazakhstan a firsthand acquaintance with Xi's insights.

Party toughens its oversight rules

The Communist Party of China Central Committee published a document strengthening inspections of implementation of policies at all levels to ensure enforcement from the top, Xinhua News Agency reported on June 5. Party organizations at all levels should make sure policies are fully implemented, the document said, adding that inspection work will be strengthened to ensure follow-through. Inspectors should focus on problems and focus on the truth. They should assess performance fairly and objectively. Measures such as on-site investigations, unannounced visits and random checks will be used to discover and solve problems, the document said.

Wealthy Chinese seek vacation adventures

The appetite of wealthy Chinese people for luxury travel is growing, according to the Chinese Luxury Traveler 2017 Report, which was released on June 5 by the Hurun Research Institute and International Luxury Travel Market Asia. The average upscale traveler spent 380,000 yuan ($55,900; 49,700 euros; ￡43,000) on family travel last year, 220,000 yuan of which was devoted to shopping - up by 57 percent year-on-year, the report said. The seventh report released by the two organizations covers wealthy travelers from 12 Chinese cities. The survey polled 334 affluent Chinese with an average personal wealth of 22 million yuan.

Infertile males can blame mutant genes

Scientists in Shanghai have discovered that a mutation at a specific location in a gene - mainly active in male reproductive cells - leads to male infertility. And they've figured out how it works, which is likely to bring new insights into treatment. The scientists discovered that infertility results when a key step in the development of sperm cells is obstructed by mutation at a domain called "D-box" on the gene Hiwi. Their findings were published recently on the website of the scientific journal Cell, which is based in the United States.

New freight train route links to Belarus

A freight train route has been put into operation between Heilongjiang province and Belarus, cutting the time of the traditional sea route in half. A train departed from Harbin earlier this month and will travel nearly 10,000 kilometers in around 16 days before reaching Minsk, the Belarus capital.

Rails laid for new Xinjiang connection

Workers started laying tracks on June 3 for a 1,213-kilometer railway linking the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region with neighboring Qinghai province. The railway, which will connect Korla in Xinjiang with Golmud in Qinghai, is the third rail artery linking the region with neighboring provinces, and the first direct rail link between Xinjiang and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Asia's largest cruise ship weighs anchor

Norwegian Joy, the largest cruise ship in Asia and custom-built for the Chinese market, began its maiden voyage from Qingdao on June 3. It can accommodate nearly 5,000 passengers and 1,900 crew members. A total of 28 restaurants on board offer international dining. A two-level go-cart racing track, virtual reality games and Broadway musical shows are provided for entertainment.

Prospective chief of environment speaks

Li Ganjie, who is widely expected to become the country's new environmental minister, highlighted China's continuous efforts in combating air, water and soil pollution at an international summit on June 5, World Environment Day. Li appeared at the opening of the International Summit of New Environmental Protection Technology in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, saying the latest data from the ministry showed improvement, with 338 cities reporting an increase in days with good air quality and blue skies last year. In those cities, 78.8 percent of the days had air quality better than the national standard, an average increase of 2.1 percentage points over 2015, the annual China Environmental Statement released on June 5 showed.

3 pandas born in Japan come home

Three giant pandas, Hai Bang, Yang Bang and You Bang, sent by Japan, will meet visitors after a monthlong quarantine is completed at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Sichuan province. Two experienced keepers will care for them, said information officer Chen Cheng. To help the trio adapt, a Japanese keeper will stay at the base for several days. The keeper brought water and bamboo from Japan, as the pandas were accustomed to it. Zhang Hemin, executive director of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Wenchuan county, Sichuan, said pandas born overseas should have no problem with their new Chinese home, as the species has a marked ability to adapt to new environments.

California urged to boost China-US ties

President Xi Jinping spoke with California Governor Jerry Brown on June 6 and encouraged the state, the most populous in the United States, to contribute more to China-US cooperation in key areas. Brown was in Beijing to attend a clean energy ministerial meeting, the first international meeting of its kind since US President Donald Trump pulled out of the Paris Agreement on climate change. Xi said China is committed to the path of peaceful, open and green development. He expects US states and Chinese provinces to strengthen the synergy of development strategies, produce more highlights in cooperation and make local exchanges and cooperation a new growth point in ties between the two nations.

President praises Kazakh connection

China-Kazakhstan cooperation on jointly building the Belt and Road is helpful for the revival of the ancient Silk Road trade route, President Xi Jinping said in a message on June 6. Xi's remarks were presented at a ceremony in Kazakhstan's capital, Astana, for the publication of Beautiful China and Beautiful Kazakhstan, a joint picture album with over 200 photos of the countries' natural scenery and people. The publication marks the connecting of the China-proposed Silk Road Economic Belt with Kazakhstan's Bright Road economic policy. Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev also sent a message.

Plans readied for expanded space role

China will launch at least four manned missions with Shenzhou spacecraft before the end of 2022 to build a space station, according to a senior space official. Yang Liwei, deputy head of the China Manned Space Agency and the first Chinese astronaut in space, said on the sidelines of the 2017 Global Space Exploration Conference that the nation will start building its first manned space station in 2019. The first step will be the launch of a Long March 5B heavy-lift rocket to put the station's core module into orbit, he said. Yang said that on the Shenzhou XII and XIII missions, scheduled for 2020, Chinese astronauts will go into space to assemble the station, and at least two such missions will follow in 2021 and 2022.

Belt, Road door open for Japan

The Belt and Road Initiative can become an "experimental field" for China and Japan to achieve mutually beneficial cooperation and common development, the Foreign Ministry said on June 6. The remark was made after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said in a speech on June 5 that Tokyo is ready to work with Beijing on the initiative, with conditions including "harmony with a free and fair trans-Pacific economic zone". 

(China Daily Africa Weekly 06/09/2017 page2)