IN BRIEF (Page 2)

South Korea to waive group visa fees

South Korea is to waive visa fees for group travelers from China and parts of Southeast Asia from July 6 until Sept 30 to boost tourism, amid fears over the outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome. Chinese tourists traveling in groups with Japanese visas will also be allowed to enter South Korea and stay for up to 15 days without a visa.

Social media blamed for divorce rate

The growing use of social media is a major factor behind a dramatic increase in the divorce rate, a lawyer has said. Couples who spend too long chatting online instead of spending time to each other risk growing apart, said Liu Lin of Beijing Shuangli Law Firm. Nine out of 10 divorces Liu handles involve disputes triggered by social media, he said.

A report by the Ministry of Civil Affairs said the number of couples getting divorced was 3.64 million last year, up from 2.68 million in 2010. The figures show the divorce rate has increased for 10 consecutive years.

Records on Japan's aggression donated

More than 1,000 privately owned historical documents that record Japanese militarists' crimes during World War II have been donated to the Museum of Overseas Chinese History in Beijing.

To reach the widest possible audience, the documents were initially displayed at the Chinese People's Anti-Japanese Aggression War Memorial Hall on July 7, said Qiao Wei, spokesman for the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese. The documents, held for years by Hsu Po-yih, a Taiwan artist and philanthropist, cover 1894 to 1936 and include internally distributed documents of Japanese troops as well as Asahi Shimbun newspapers during the war.

"These materials have great value for studying the history of the war, launched by Japanese militarists more than half a century ago," said Ruan Jianxin, former curator of the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution.

Senior Japanese official may visit capital

A probable visit by one of Japan's top national security officials to China in mid-July may be grounds for cautious optimism at a sensitive time ahead of a key anniversary, analysts said.

The visit, if realized, is of special significance, as it comes just a few weeks before China's September military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, as well as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's planned statement about the war.

Shotaro Yachi, head of Japan's National Security Secretariat and a key foreign policy adviser to Abe, is considering a visit to China to meet with State Councilor Yang Jiechi, Japanese media outlets reported.

Landmark electric train rolls off assembly line

The first of six passenger trains ordered by Macedonia has been completed at a plant operated by a subsidiary of China Railway Rolling Stock Corp at Zhuzhou, Hunan province.

It is set to become the first electric multiple unit train to be exported from China to Europe and will help the Balkan country to modernize its antiquated rolling stock.

The train, painted red and yellow after Macedonia's national flag, was manufactured by Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive.

"China has exported electric locomotives, subway trains and light rail trains to Europe before," said CRRC vice-president Lou Qiliang. "The electric multiple unit train is more complicated in terms of development and manufacture.

Rules set to fix financial problems

The People's Liberation Army has issued a regulation to correct 69 financial irregularities and close all the loopholes in its treasury.

The irregularities targeted by the regulation, released by the PLA's Leading Group of Financial Inspectors, include adjustments to budgets without proper approvals, appropriation or embezzlement of designated funds, irregular granting of subsidies or allowances, as well as excessive spending on receptions and entertainment.

It requests that PLA units found to have irregularities should put them right immediately. Also, individuals who have used public funds improperly should give back the money in exchange for a lesser punishment. However, the regulation stipulates that units or officers that knowingly violated financial rules after October should receive tougher punishments.

Govt in joint effort to halt market slide

The central government, the securities regulator and financial institutions have launched a joint effort to support China's plummeting stock market, amid fears a market crash could threaten the entire financial system.

Experts warned that further steep market declines without government intervention could lead to chain reactions across financial markets, including the liquidation of fund and trust products as well as rising bad loans in the banking sector.

The State Council ordered the suspension of new share offerings on July 4 to release locke

d-up capital to the market. But reviews of new IPO applications will not stop, according to a spokesman for the China Securities Regulatory Commission.

The Shanghai index had fallen more than 30 percent since a spectacular bull run peaked on June 12, driven lower by restrictions on margin trading, concerns about overvaluations and "panic" selling by the retail investors that make up the vast majority of the market.

High-speed rail getting popular for tours

High-speed rail tours have become a popular choice for travelers, especially families and students during the peak summer season, as the growing railway network connects the country's scenic spots.

In a report by Chinese online travel agency Tuniu, nearly 80 percent of respondents said they were planning to travel by rail. Most were students, parents and teachers.

Forgetting history is a betrayal, president says

All seven members of the Standing Committee of the Communisty Party of China's Central Political Bureau visited a museum on July 7 to mark the anniversary of the event that triggered Japan's invasion of China.

"Remembering history is to open up to the future; forgetting history is a betrayal," President Xi Jinping said at the new Great Victory, Historical Contributions exhibition.

The museum is next to Lugouqiao, also known as Marco Polo Bridge, the site of a skirmish in suburban Beijing 78 years ago that sparked the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-45).

Xi called on the country to remember the contribution of the Chinese people to the world's anti-fascist war, cherish peace and adhere firmly to a path of peaceful development.

China safe from effect of Greece default

Greece's debt default will not affect China's investment because it has a small number of assets in the country and its companies are diversified in other parts of Europe.

Shen Danyang, a spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce, said the scale of investment between China and Greece is not significant. China has invested $1.3 billion in Greece, mainly in the fields of shipping, telecommunications and photovoltaic cells.

Chinese contractors in Greece signed contracts worth $45.2 million and completed projects worth $22.4 million in the first five months of this year in fields such as shipbuilding and ship maintenance, according to the ministry.

Greece has invested $96 million in 130 projects in China but has not invested this year.

Military gear being adapted for police use

Chinese defense equipment manufacturers are eager to adapt their military technologies for the police and anti-terrorism equipment market, industry insiders said.

Pods designed for military aircraft, usually containing electronic warfare equipment, can be mounted on police helicopters, patrol ships and armored vehicles, said Wang Yanyong, a manager at Beijing A-Star Science and Technology.

"The pods were primarily developed for military aircraft, especially the modern, advanced types in service with the People's Liberation Army air force, but now we plan to promote them to public security authorities," he said on July 7 at the opening of the 2015 China Military and Civilian Integration Expo in Beijing.

Beijing rejects arbitration gambit

China criticized the Philippines on July 7 for "betraying bilateral consensus" on resolving its South China Sea concerns through negotiations, as an international tribunal at The Hague took up Manila's request for arbitration over the issue.

The five-member tribunal is to "address China's contention that the arbitration body does not have authority to assume jurisdiction over Manila's complaint against Beijing", the Associated Press reported. The Philippines initiated the arbitration case in January 2013.

Database to help handle cross-border cases

A database for searching foreign laws is being developed along with a new rule under which foreigners can visit Chinese courts, the Supreme People's Court announced on July 7.

The moves represent the latest effort to improve access to China's legal system as the country pushes its Belt and Road Initiative, the court said. The database will cover foreign laws, international conventions and contracts, and will be shared through China's court network for judges to search and study.

Under international conventions, litigants have a right to choose which law they prefer to apply in a commercial dispute, and the ongoing trade initiative may bring a wave of such cases, said Luo Dongchuan, chief judge of the foreign-related tribunal at the top court.

If the database can be built up, it will help courts improve efficiency and accuracy when hearing cross-border cases, especially commercial and maritime cases. In addition, it will help to ensure that litigants receive legal services in a timely manner, Luo said.

Watchdog inspects 26 enterprises

The top anti-corruption body has placed inspectors in 26 state agencies and state-owned enterprises as it launches the second round of this year's disciplinary tours.

The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection announced the move on July 8.

The organizations under scrutiny include the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office and China Resources Corp, ranked number 143 in the Fortune Global 500 list of the world's top corporations as measured by revenue.

The inspectors will be stationed with organizations for two months to receive tipoffs and reports of misbehavior by senior officials or business executives, the commission said.

Parade in Beijing will 'surprise'

Russian Ambassador to China Andrey Denisov said a show by Russian soldiers in September in the planned Tian'anmen Square parade will have "a surprise".

Denisov praised a Chinese honor guard's May show in Moscow's Red Square.

Beijing said this year the Russian army will be welcomed at the September commemorative events marking the 70th anniversary of China's victory in World War II and the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-45).

Although details of the Russian armed forces that will attend the Beijing parade are still unavailable, the envoy said: "The Russian unit will march as well as the Chinese did in Moscow in May."

Tibetan antelope removed from danger list

Wildlife advocates have welcomed the removal of the chiru, or Tibetan antelope, from the endangered species list, but plan to continue their protection program.

A joint report by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Chinese Academy of Sciences published in June said the Tibetan antelope was no longer an endangered species.

"Due to effective protection, there are now around 200,000 in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau area, and the population is steadily climbing," said Shirab, the forestry police chief in Nagchu prefecture, Tibet autonomous region.

Tibetan antelopes mainly live in western China, in Qinghai province, the Xinjiang Uygur and Tibet. About 80 percent live in Changtang in northern Tibet.

(China Daily European Weekly 07/10/2015 page2)