From our archives

April 9, 1984

Port cities to adopt flexible open policies

Flexible economic policies similar to those now being practiced in the four special economic zones in southern China, will be practiced in 14 more Chinese coastal cities.

Dalian, Qinhuangdao, Tianjin, Yantai, Qingdao, Lianyungang, Nantong, Shanghai, Ningbo, Wenzhou, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Zhanjiang and Beihai make up the 14 cities.

Together with four special economic zones, they will be centers of foreign economic relations along the coast.

It is proposed that some of the cities take measures to set up step-by-step economic development zones in designated areas away from existing urban areas.

Mothers, children get better care

A complete network of maternal and child care has been set up in China, says Cui Yueli, the Minister of Public Health.

China has 24 children's hospitals and 18 institutes for child health care, in addition to 2,827 maternal and child care hospitals and centers.

As a result of preventive inoculation, most infectious diseases which affect children have been brought under control. China's infant mortality rate has dropped from 200 per thousand before the founding of the People's Republic in 1949 to 34.68 per thousand in 1981.

(China Daily 04/09/2009 page9)