IN BRIEF (Page 2)

HK leader speaks at anniversary event

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor provided glimpses into her vision for Hong Kong's future on Oct 9 during an event held as part of the 20th anniversary celebrations for the China Daily Hong Kong Edition. In her keynote speech at the China Daily Asia Leadership Roundtable luncheon, which gathered 340 distinguished guests, including diplomats and leaders in the public and private sectors in the special administrative region, Lam referred to the theme of the forum, "Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area from the Belt and Road Perspective: Opportunities and Challenges". Lam said the topic was "a most timely and relevant one "that is "inspiring", bringing together "two critically important national development strategies". "Much synergy can be derived from interactions of both, particularly in shaping the future of Hong Kong," she said. She stressed the importance of upholding "one country, two systems" to enable the SAR to benefit from its strategic edge and make the most of opportunities that the Belt and Road brings.

Technology feat points to futuristic weapon

China has developed electromagnetic launch technologies that allow the People's Liberation Army to build a futuristic naval weapon described as game-changing - an electromagnetic railgun to launch high velocity projectiles. According to a news release from the PLA Naval University of Engineering in Wuhan, Hubei province, Rear Admiral Ma Weiming, the university's top researcher, has designed electromagnetic launch systems as part of "a key national defense program". More than 100 Chinese experts in the field, including 40 academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, who attended a briefing praised the achievement. Ma's team mastered the cutting-edge technology. Engineers continue to make breakthroughs in this regard, having designed several pieces of equipment and techniques that, according to the university, no one else in the world has created. This is the first time that the Chinese military has officially confirmed its railgun program, though the release did not give further details about it.

China welcomes Manila's yuan move

China welcomes the issuance of yuan-denominated bonds in China by the Philippines, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Oct 9. Hua told a daily news briefing in Beijing that she believed the issuance will help deepen financial and investment cooperation between the countries, promote infrastructure construction in the Philippines and push forward bilateral relations. The Philippines plans to "test the debt market" in China by issuing yuan-denominated bonds starting around November, Xinhua quoted Philippine Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez as saying.

Postal industry to be strengthened

China will strengthen its fast-growing postal industry, an official said on the 48th World Post Day on Oct 9. The industry, mainly postal and courier services, has seen revenue nearly triple since 2012, and the courier sector has been the world's largest in delivery volume for three years, said Ma Junsheng, head of the State Post Bureau. However, the industry faces problems in many areas, including delivery channel safety, vehicles and employee interests, Ma said.

150 are detained for ticket scalping

Railway police detained about 150 suspects nationwide for scalping, or reselling, train tickets during the recent eight-day national holiday, according to a statement released on Oct 9. The police sent around 1,740 officers to major rail stations - especially those near popular tourist destinations - in an operation aimed at minimizing the illegal resale of tickets, the statement said. They also tightened security aboard trains and at stations, the statement said.

7 fined for chasing protected antelope

Seven people were fined a total of 105,000 yuan ($15,830; 13,420 euros; ￡12,000) for chasing Tibetan antelope on a nature reserve in the Tibet autonomous region, the local forestry department said on Oct 8. On Oct 4, a group of seven tourists in two SUVs drove off a public road and into the Siling Co Nature Reserve in Nagchu prefecture, said Deng Zhonghua of Lhasa's public security bureau. The reserve, covering 18,936 square kilometers including Serlingtso Lake, is the world's largest habitat for black-necked cranes. The reserve is also home to about 30,000 Tibetan antelope, a first-class State-protected species. The police tracked down the group in the vehicles on Oct 6, then handed the case over to the local forestry department. Each person was fined 10,000 yuan for breaking the Wild Animal Conservation Law and 5,000 yuan for breaking nature reserve regulations. The person in charge of the area was disqualified from the annual excellence assessment and will not receive an allowance for three months.

Hospital reforms aim for better care

China will carry out reforms at public hospitals to optimize medical care resources, according to a decision made at a State Council executive meeting presided over by Premier Li Keqiang on Oct 9. Reforms in the pricing of medical services will continue to move toward price adjustments to better reflect the expertise of medical workers, the panel determined. One or two cities in provincial areas where the comprehensive medical reforms are being tested will be chosen for medical insurance payment reform, covering all medical care institutions and services. The government will also designate more than 100 disease categories for an insurance payment-by-category reform. "The medical care reform is not only a major project to improve public well-being but also a major economic measure," Li said. He said the public hospital reforms should be pushed forward across the board, and the reforms of medical care partnerships should be tested in multiple forms to better serve "healthy China" with better and more convenient healthcare services.

Xi, Putin cite group's 60 years of service

President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin sent congratulatory messages on Oct 9 to the Russia-China Friendship Association on the 60th anniversary of its founding. Xi said in his message that over the past six decades, the association has adhered to the principle of friendship in managing relations with China, actively carried out people-to-people exchanges and contributed significantly to promoting mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples. Calling the association an important force in cementing and developing China-Russia ties, Xi stressed that the key to sound relations between states lies in amity between the peoples. China-Russia relations have reached a new historical starting point, Xi said, expressing his hope that the association will open up a new chapter in promoting exchanges between peoples of the two nations and make greater contributions to strengthening people-to-people bonds, fueling the development of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination at a high level. In the message released by the Kremlin, Putin said: "The association was there through almost the entire modern history of Russian-Chinese relations, which have now reached the level of an all-embracing trusting partnership and strategic cooperation."

Science vessel returns from Arctic expedition

The Chinese icebreaker Xuelong, or Snow Dragon, docked in Shanghai on Oct 10 after completing its eighth Arctic expedition, the Polar Research Institute of China announced. The vessel traveled through the central and northwest shipping lanes along the Arctic rim for the first time, completing China's first circumnavigation of the top of the world. The vessel departed from the exploration base in Shanghai on June 20 with 96 crew members. It traveled 20,000 nautical miles in 83 days, including 1,995 nautical miles through ice formations, according to the institute. He Jianfeng, vice-captain of the team and chief scientist of the expedition, says China traversed the northeastern shipping lane along Russia's northern coast in 2012, from the Bering Strait to northern Europe. Seven survey stations were established on floating ice bodies during the journey for further scientific research.

Deployment of new type of light tank confirmed

China has confirmed the deployment of a new light tank, which observers say will suit combat operations on plateaus. A photo of the tank on snowy ground is on display at an exposition in the Beijing Exhibition Center, as part of a display showing achievements made by China over the past five years. The caption accompanying the picture says it is a new type of light tank, without giving details. This is the first time the Chinese military has officially published a picture of the tank. Developed by China North Industries Group Corp, the country's biggest maker of land armaments, the light tank is equipped with a hydropneumatic suspension system that ensures good maneuverability and survivability in mountainous regions. Its main weapon is a 105-mm gun that is able to fire both shells and guided missiles, according to weapons observers, who said the tank's main task is to fight on plateaus even at very low temperatures, and that its weight ranges from 25 to 35 metric tons. By comparison, a main battle tank, such as the United States' M1 Abrams and China's Type 99A, weighs up to 65 tons. Du Wenlong, an equipment researcher at the PLA Academy of Military Science, said the vehicle was designed to operate in China's southern regions and on plateaus.

6,187 punished for violating austerity rules

The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the country's top anti-draft body, said on Oct 10 that 6,187 officials were punished in September for violating the Party's austerity rules. The officials were involved in 4,506 cases. Awarding an unauthorized allowance or bonus was the most common misdemeanor, followed by giving or accepting gifts and misuse of public vehicles.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 10/13/2017 page2)