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Ambitious course set for airliner market

China aims to take one-third of the global market for turboprop airliners with the MA-700, a cutting-edge aircraft currently under development, according to the aircraft's chief designer.

"The MA-700 will make its maiden flight in the first half of 2017 and is set to be delivered to buyers in 2019. At least 50 planes will be made each year," Dong Jianhong, a senior designer at Aviation Industry Corp of China, told China Daily in an exclusive interview. "I am convinced that after the aircraft enters service, it will help us obtain at least 30 percent of the international turboprop airliner market within about 10 years."

He said that compared with its predecessors, the MA-60 family, the MA-700 is a new design with lower operational and maintenance costs and more eco-friendly technologies.

"At present, we are focusing on gaining Chinese authorities' certification, and once the MA-700 is certified in China, we will, and must, strive to have it certified by the United States Federal Aviation Administration, otherwise the plane will not be able to enter Western markets," he said, adding the aircraft's safety standard is the strictest of its kind in the global civil aviation sector.

Premier: Fair business climate crucial

The stage is now set for Beijing and Latin American and Caribbean countries for the next five years to bring their relationship to an unprecedented level.

The two-day ministerial meeting of the Forum of China and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States in Beijing saw the adoption of a five-year outline for interregional development on Jan 9, as well as plans to institutionalize the forum, which will be hosted next by Chile in 2018.

The plan covers cooperation in 13 sectors such as trade and investment, infrastructure, and energy and resources.

The forum marks the first time that China has hosted the 33-member body, which comprises all countries in the Americas except the United States and Canada.

Premier Li Keqiang, speaking to the heads of delegations - mostly the foreign ministers - stressed the importance of creating a fair business environment and solid legal protection for Chinese equipment.

He praised current relations between China and the Latin American and Caribbean countries and said that innovative methods of cooperation would boost the relationship and provide solid foundations for future success.

H-bomb work nets scientist top award

Nuclear physicist Yu Min won China's top science award on Jan 9 for his outstanding contribution to the country's hydrogen bomb research.

The award, given annually since 2000, honors scientists who make a major contribution to China's scientific and technological development and achieve key breakthroughs in cutting-edge scientific and technological fields.

Twenty-five distinguished scientists have won the top award since 2000. It is presented to no more than two scientists annually.

Yu, 89, won an award of 5 million yuan ($807,000; 687,000 euros).

Foreign trade poised to recover in 2015

China's foreign trade growth fell far short of its target last year, but figures for December beat expectations and a new round of government policies are expected to help lift the world's second-largest economy's trade performance this year.

This improvement is anticipated because the government has taken another round of decisive measures to upgrade the industrial structure and increase trade with more emerging markets through new routes, a customs official said on Jan 13.

China's foreign trade rose by 3.4 percent year-on-year in 2014, said Zheng Yuesheng, spokesman for the General Administration of Customs.

The foreign trade surplus widened to 2.35 trillion yuan ($380 billion; 323 billion euros) last year, an increase of 45.9 percent from a year earlier, according to the customs administration.

"A slowing recovery of the global economy, weak domestic investment and demand, and falling commodity prices are the major reasons behind the weak foreign trade growth in 2014," Zheng said at a news conference held by the State Council Information Office.

Top-level delegation going to Davos forum

China will send its highest-level delegation since 2009 to Davos, Switzerland, to attend the annual World Economic Forum as part of its effort to boost its presence in global affairs and woo international investors amid an economic downturn.

Premier Li Keqiang will be in Davos for the forum from Jan 20 to 22, a Foreign Ministry spokesman announced on Jan 13.

Li will deliver a speech and meet with representatives of the International Business Council. He will also meet Klaus Schwab, chairman of the forum, spokesman Hong Lei said.

According to Hong, the Chinese premier will elaborate on his views on global affairs and discuss China's economic situation, including measures on deepening reform.

Li will be the first premier to attend the annual economic meeting since 2009, when former premier Wen Jiabao visited Davos weeks after he greenlighted China's 4 trillion yuan ($640 billion; 548 billion euros) stimulus to counter the global crisis.

Maritime safety talks resume with Japan

China and Japan agreed to launch a maritime crisis management system as soon as possible to reduce the risk of an accident in the air or at sea, as talks resumed on Jan 12 after a long hiatus.

The move marked the latest encouraging step to avoid clashes in the East China Sea and to thaw the strained relationship between China and Japan, observers said.

Both countries discussed specifics, including potential technical problems, and agreed to launch the program as soon as possible after necessary adjustments based on the fourth round of talks in Tokyo, China's Defense Ministry said on its website on Jan 13.

The working-level talks, involving the ministry, Japan's defense ministry and the Maritime Self-Defense Force, also reaffirmed the basic agreements that have been reached so far.

Defense authorities in both countries began the talks in 2012 and discussed basic principles for a set of measures such as setting up a hotline and unifying radio frequencies for warships and planes around the islands of the East China Sea.

But talks were suspended after the Japanese government's "nationalization" of the Diaoyu Islands in September 2012 before any mechanisms were put into operation.

Shopping for a mate means calculation

Love is not the only criterion for marriage in China. A recent survey shows that more than 40 percent of Chinese look to marry someone who suits them in appearance, educational background, social status, income and other characteristics.

Baihe.com, a major dating portal in China, released its 2014 Chinese Marriage Status Survey Report on Jan 11. The site has tracked marriage trends in the country since 2007.

The latest results show that 44.4 percent of male and 49.7 percent of female respondents said the reasons for their choice of a marriage partner include their prospective mate's coming from a family of equal social rank.

"This means people are much more rational when it comes to the marriage decision," the report said. "They would like to match each other under every single standard. Love is no longer the only pass."

The report also said that more than 70 percent of female respondents said they would consider marriage only if the male partner owns property.

And more than 70 percent of the women hoped their future husband's income would be double their own.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 01/16/2015 page2)