IN BRIEF (Page 2)

Angola welcomes new ambassador

Cui Aiming, China's new ambassador to Angola, who took up his post on Sept 21, has vowed to explore fresh areas of cooperation between the two countries.

At a welcome ceremony in the capital, Luanda, he said Angola was an important strategic partner in Africa and pledged to work hard to implement the bilateral agreements signed during President Jose Eduardo dos Santos' visit to Beijing in June.

In reply, the president said Angola wants to strengthen cooperation with China in various fields and to establish closer strategic ties to deal with challenges.

Free checkups offered to villagers

A team of 12 Chinese doctors in Guinea Bissau provided free treatment to residents in Quinhamel, a city 40 kilometers from the capital, Bissau, on Sept 19 and 20.

"Our aim was to help people who do not have access to hospitals or health centers," team leader Luo Li said, adding that the doctors had hoped to treat at least 200 people.

The visit was part of a health campaign by the medical team, which is based at a Bissau military hospital, to offer free treatment to regions outside the capital.

Sino-French fund to focus on global markets

China and France agreed to set up a joint fund by November to channel capital into investment projects in markets other than the two nations, which was among some 40 agreements reached at a high-level dialogue that ended on Sept 18.

The fund will be dedicated to identifying and implementing new projects globally across different sectors, with a special focus on infrastructure, renewable energies, healthcare, clean transportation and the environment, according to a circular issued after the third Sino-French High-Level Economic and Financial Dialogue, which was held in Beijing.

Premier Li Keqiang, while meeting with the French delegation on Sept 18, said the fund is a breakthrough that will bring more openness and market vitality.

Scenic high-speed rail route opens in Jilin

China's first high-speed passenger railway to its borders with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Russia went into operation on Sept 20.

The 361-kilometer route, dubbed "the most beautiful" by Chinese media, runs from Jilin, the second-largest city in Jilin province, to Hunchun, where the borders of the three countries meet.

The trains, running at speeds of up to 250 km/h, cut the travel time between the cities from six hours to just over two.

Courts to avoid judgments in weak cases

Chinese judicial bodies have vowed to withhold making judgments in cases without strong evidence, in a move to protect human rights and avoid wrongful verdicts.

A lack of awareness of human rights protection and illegal maneuvering have been the main reasons for wrongful verdicts in recent years, Sun Qian, the country's deputy chief procurator, said on Sept 21.

From September last year to August, Chinese prosecutors concentrated on cleaning up 1,800 cases that had become backlogged for years because of a lack of evidence, he said.

Negative list system to increase market appeal

China is to adopt a new national market access system from 2018 for domestic and foreign investors, part of steps to make the market more attractive.

The "negative list" system will help to identify sectors and businesses that are off-limits in addition to the existing investment approval method of specifying categories as "encouraged", "prohibited" and "restricted".

A guideline for adopting a negative list approach was approved by the Central Leading Group for Comprehensively Deepening Reforms. The approach will be promoted in pilot regions over the next two years and will be implemented nationwide from 2018, the National Development and Reform Commission said on Sept 21.

Major platform for talent development

This year's Western China Overseas High-Tech and High Talents Conference was scheduled to be held in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, from Sept 23 to 26.

Two Nobel Prize winners and nine academicians from home and abroad are expected to discuss the latest research in their fields. The event, which involves efforts to attract and develop talent across several sectors, has introduced more than 125 projects worth 80 billion yuan ($12.5 billion) since 2009.

New carrier rocket sets record

China staged the maiden flight of its latest Long March 6 rocket on Sept 20, taking 20 satellites into space - a record for a single Chinese rocket.

The launch, just after 7 am at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi province, also marked the first use of a new-generation, eco-friendly engine.

After the 29-meter, three-stage Long March 6 reached space, it released the satellites, which entered orbit in four groups, according to the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, which developed the rocket.

As a "high-speed response" launch vehicle, the Long March 6 is the country's first new rocket in more than 20 years and has been under development since 2009.

400 million can't speak Mandarin

About 70 percent of China's population can speak Mandarin and more than 95 percent are able to use standardized Chinese characters, Xinhua News Agency reported. However, about 400 million people are unable to communicate using the language, the report said. Regional languages and dialects are common in China.

Senior political adviser meets with guests

Yu Zhengsheng, head of China's top political advisory, said on Sept 18 that his country cherishes its friendship with Zimbabwe and is ready to develop bilateral relations.

The chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference made the remarks in a meeting with Zimbabwe Senate Speaker Edna Madzongwe and her entourage at the Great Hall of the People.

The countries established diplomatic ties 35 years ago, and since then bilateral cooperation had been a success, Yu said, adding that the CPPCC was willing to strengthen exchanges and promote pragmatic cooperation.

Madzongwe said the Zimbabwe Senate was willing to learn from China's experience in social and economic development and to advance bilateral ties.

President Xi Jinping and his Zimbabwean counterpart, Robert Mugabe, met in April to develop a plan for the future growth of bilateral links.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 09/25/2015 page2)