News in review

Monday____April 10

Rewards offered for informing on spies

Beijing residents could be rewarded up to $72,460 (500,000 yuan) if they can provide useful information on spies or related activities, according to a new government policy.

Informants are eligible for rewards depending on how useful the information is, according to the National Security Bureau of Beijing.

Informants' privacy and information about spy-related messages will not be disclosed, while information providers can ask authorities for protection if they or their relatives are in danger due to informing, according to the policy. However, informants will face punishments if they deliberately slander others or invent and spread false information, the policy stipulates.

Some individuals have betrayed the nation to benefit their private interests, the bureau said, adding that Beijing, as the capital, is the primary location for such activities.

More sectors for private investment to open up

China will open up more industries, including oil drilling and defense technology, to private investors to cope with slowing private investment growth, Xinhua-run Economic Information Daily reported.

The government will also lure private investment into strategic emerging industries by setting up industrial investment funds, according to the report.

Nur Bekri, head of the National Energy Administration, told the newspaper that the reform plan had gained government approval and would soon be released.

"Access restriction is one of the major factors that constrain China's private investment, especially in the energy and military industries," said Li Wei, head of the Development Research Center of the State Council.

Tuesday____April 11

China customs in mammoth ivory tusk bust

Customs authorities in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province said that they had seized more than 1 ton of mammoth ivory smuggled from Russia.

Luobei customs found 107 mammoth tusks, along with 37 woolly rhino horn parts and 1.11 tons of jade in secret compartments in a truck attempting to enter China through the Luobei port in mid-February.

The driver of the truck fled after being informed that the truck, which claimed to carry soybeans, needed further examination. He and the owner of the goods were caught later that month.

Russia's Siberia region is a major source of mammoth tusks, a raw material for ivory-carving, which are usually uncovered by hunters when the tundra snow melts. (Photo 1)

Tibetan province to get 200b yuan for roads

Northwest China's Qinghai province will spend about $29 billion (200 billion yuan) in the next five years to improve roads in its vast Tibetan-populated areas, according to local authorities.

The province, with 90 percent of its land inhabited by Tibetans, is home to more than 20 percent of China's total Tibetan population, according to a government census.

At an average altitude of 3,000 meters, the province has large areas of frozen soil and mountainous landscape that have restrained road construction on the plateau.

The provincial government spent 38.8 billion yuan on transport in 2016 and annual investment is set to increase in the next five years, according to the provincial department of transport.

Wednesday____April 12

National park to drive revival of wild pandas

China plans to build a Giant Panda National Park spanning three provinces to help the endangered animals mingle and enrich their gene pool.

The proposed park will cover 27,134 square kilometers (10,476 square miles), three times the area of Yellowstone National Park in the United States.

It will have a core area, protecting pandas in 67 existing reserves as well as an additional 8,000 endangered animals and plants.

According to the plan, China's national park system will include the Giant Panda National Park and eight other facilities devoted to endangered species and the headwaters of major rivers.

When it is complete, the pandas will be able to roam freely between their far-flung habitats. It will also lead to the relocation of at least 170,000 people in Sichuan province to establish the core protection area. (Photo 2)

Private hospital buys Europe's largest eye clinic

Aier will spend $161 million (152 million euros) to buy 59 percent of shares in Baviera through its subsidiary in Europe.

Baviera, specializing in laser eye surgery, has nearly 300 ophthalmologists and 76 eye clinics in Europe. Its market share in laser eye surgery ranks first in Spain and Germany.

Aier Eye Hospital is China's largest private ophthalmic medical chain institution and went public on the Shenzhen stock market in 2009. By 2016, Aier had developed more than 160 specialized eye hospitals in China. It acquired a medical group in Hong Kong in 2015 and a US eye center in January 2017. (Photo 3)

Thursday____April 13

Number of intercepted invasive species surges

Exit-entry inspection and quarantine officers in Beijing stopped more than 10,000 consignments of banned animals, plants and other items between January and March, an increase of 35 percent compared with the same period last year.

A total of 667 consignments contained harmful pests, such as seed weevil, a near fourfold increase, according to the Beijing Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau.

Entry-exit inspection and quarantine authorities across China intercepted 6,305 kinds of harmful species last year, compared with 5,985 in 2015, with 26 of them being intercepted in China for the first time, authorities said.

China forbids a number of species from being carried or mailed into the country, including most live animals, fresh fruits and vegetables, to prevent invasion of harmful species and diseases.

Smart spoon helps shaky hands eat in comfort

Eating a bowl of soup can be an ordeal for someone with Parkinson's disease, a degenerative illness that causes muscle tremors. But technology companies have been coming up with innovative designs for so-called inclusive cutlery, which allow people to eat unassisted in comfort.

The Gyenno Spoon was designed in southern China and went into mass production last summer. So far, more than 6,000 units have been sold online in 10 countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom.

The device can distinguish intentional hand motions from unconscious tremors, according to Ren Kang, the 32-year-old CEO of Gyenno Technologies. He said it has an intelligent, high-speed control system that provides fast and accurate stabilization and can offset 85 percent of unwanted hand movements. (Photo 4)

Friday____April 14

FDI growth in March slowed from February

Foreign direct investment (FDI) into the Chinese mainland rose 6.7 percent year-on-year in March, slowing from February, official data showed.

FDI reached $12.8 billion (87.8 billion yuan) in March, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said in a statement. Last year, China attracted $126 billion of foreign direct investment, the largest recipient among developing countries, data showed.

The growth rate was lower than the 9.2-percent increase recorded in February.

Total FDI in the first three months of the year edged up 1 percent year-on-year, the MOC said.

During the same period, 6,383 new foreign-funded enterprises were established on the Chinese mainland, up 7.2 percent year-on-year.

Baidu AI tech helps abducted child find family

Baidu succeeded in using artificial intelligence to reconnect a man with his family 27 years after he was abducted, the company announced.

Working with baobeihuijia.com, a charity group dedicated to connecting missing children and their families, Baidu used its cross-age facial recognition program to analyze pictures of abducted children uploaded by the victims and their families.

Fu Gui, 33, was abducted in 1990 and transferred to Fujian province. He registered with baobeihuijia.com in 2009, and his natural family did the same in 2017.

Baidu's facial recognition program was able to draw up a short list of potential identities for the man from pictures uploaded to the site, and a DNA test later verified the correct match.

(China Daily USA 04/14/2017 page12)