News digest

Alibaba taps intothe new Silk Road

China's e-commerce giant Alibaba Group is strengthening its position along the Silk Road Economic Belt. It has signed agreements with Gansu province, Ningxia Hui autonomous region and Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region to develop e-commerce, cloud computing and big data in China's western region.

"From here we see an opportunity, an opportunity to sell produce from Xinjiang to the entire country and the world," said Jack Ma, chairman of Alibaba Group, at Xinjiang E-commerce Forum. "Cross-border trade will be our next priority."

Beijingers farewell2-yuan subways trips

Those using the Beijing subway will say goodbye to the city's low-price transport system next month, with the municipal government announcing subway and bus fare rise on Nov 27.

The new fares, which come into force on December 28, put bus fares starting at two yuan (32 cents) and subway fares at three yuan.

Bus commuters taking trips of more than 10 km must pay one yuan for every 5 kilometer.

The price of a subway ticket ranges from three yuan to six yuan when the trip is shorter than 32 km. Travelers who go further need to pay one yuan for every 20 km.

At present, the city has a flat-rate subway fare, with unlimited transfers.

Liquor maker executiveunder investigation

The deputy general manager of China Kweichow Moutai Winery (Group) Co Ltd is under investigation, the local discipline watchdog said on its website on Nov 27.

According to Southwest China's Guizhou province's discipline watchdog, Fang Guoxing, the deputy general manager and board director of Kweichow Moutai Winery, is being investigated for a "suspected serious violation of discipline".

Fang has been at Kweichow Moutai Winery since January last year and was once the secretary of the Communist Party of China's Renhuai City Committee.

China and Bavaria seekto improve teamwork

The German soccer team Bayern Munich unveiled its latest "signing" and set a goal of greater teamwork with China on and off the field as Premier Li Keqiang was presented with a jersey from the Bavarian Premier Horst Seehofer.

As Li was given the No 8 jersey in Beijing, with his name on the back and signed by the team, Seehofer said he hopes Bayern Munich will play in China next year and help China to train soccer players so that one day both countries can meet in the World Cup finals.

China hopes to enhance Sino-German sports cooperation, Li said, adding it will benefit the world if they combine their efforts both in the sporting arena and in other fields.

Green light for seanavigation system

China's independently developed Beidou Navigation Satellite System has taken a huge step toward going global as the International Maritime Organization approved its use in operations at sea, the country's Maritime Safety Administration said on Nov 24.

The organization's maritime safety committee reviewed and passed a key document known as a commitment letter for the Beidou system during its 94th session in London recently.

Beidou is the third system to gain such acceptance after the US Global Positioning System and the Global Navigation Satellite System of the US.

It is the first time the Beidou system's standards have been ratified by an international organization, the administration said.

Online malls to sellXinjiang products

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group opened three online malls on Nov 24 to help sell more specialties from the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region to the rest of China and the world.

Announcing the move, Jack Ma, founder and executive chairman of the group, said it is part of an agreement Alibaba Group signed with the regional government that aims to develop better e-commerce, cloud computing and big data analysis in Xinjiang.

"Alibaba now has more than 600 million users, and I believe many of them want us to deepen the cooperation with Xinjiang. We could sell cherries from the United States to the Chinese market, of course, but we could sell more local products from Xinjiang to the rest of China and even the world."

Xi's trip reinforcesChina's role in Oceania

President Xi Jinping returned to Beijing after a tour of Oceania that included state visits to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji and reinforced China's image as both a partner and player in the Asia-Pacific region.

Calling the 10-day trip the "finale" of Chinese diplomacy this year, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China enjoyed a fruitful diplomatic year by linking the country and the world more closely, with new thoughts, plans and mechanisms being proposed.

Chinese diplomacy in the new era has a better structure, greater influence and a broader road ahead, Wang said.

Xi also attended the G20 summit in Brisbane, Australia, where he said China will provide the world with greater demand and create more market, investment and growth opportunities.

Web video sites shutin copyright crackdown

The closure of two popular subtitle and video sharing websites reflects a hardening of attitudes toward copyright violation, but more proactive measures are needed, experts say.

Fans of foreign TV series who visited yyets.com and shooter.cn for free downloads and translated Chinese subtitles found the sites were shut on Nov 22. Both carried statements about the closure on their home pages.

"Our website is cleaning up (pirated) content," the yyets.com statement said. "Thanks for users' attention and support. Since (being) established by a group of overseas students in 2004, we have ... offered subtitle translation for popular foreign TV series, only hoping to help Chinese viewers."

The shooter.cn statement, drafted by founder Shen Sheng, said the website was launched to enhance understanding of different cultures.

Regional military chiefshail security proposal

China has proposed that disputes in the Asia-Pacific region be tackled by efficient crisis management and control mechanisms.

The proposal, put forward at a defense policy forum in Beijing, drew widespread acclaim from military chiefs and defense specialists in the region.

A liaison system has yet to be established to help the economically dynamic region tackle looming geopolitical concerns, and the proposal will help to resolve this, they said.

In an address to the fifth Xiangshan Forum, State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Chang Wanquan said China held 2,000 talks or meetings last year with neighbors on border issues.

New pollution lawnears review stage

China is one step closer to imposing the toughest ever penalties on air pollution. A draft code on air pollution control is likely to be ready for lawmakers' review as soon as next month, experts said.

An executive meeting of the State Council, presided over by Premier Li Keqiang, approved the draft amendment to the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Law on Nov 26.

The draft emphasizes that emitters should play a major role in anti-pollution efforts and that the work should be done with the participation of members of the public, a statement issued after the meeting said.

China Daily

(China Daily Africa Weekly 11/28/2014 page3)