IN BRIEF (Page 5)

Beijing

Foreign airlines under scrutiny

A program has been launched to tighten safety assessment and supervision of foreign airlines operating in China, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said on Wednesday. The move comes after frequent air accidents worldwide in recent years. Some airlines' substandard operations pose huge safety risks, the administration said. To date, 156 foreign carriers have been cleared to operate in China, running 374,000 flights last year.