IN BRIEF (Page 2)

Activists mark 'comfort women' day

Human rights activists rallied on Aug 14 in front of the Japanese consulate in San Francisco, demanding justice for women kept as sexual slaves by the Imperial Japanese Army before and during World War II. The rally was in honor of International Comfort Women Day, using the euphemism for the women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military at the time. Led by the Comfort Women Justice Coalition, a San Francisco-based grassroots coalition consisting of more than a dozen multiethnic organizations, around 100 people turned out for the demonstration, holding signs and chanting. "In court we say, justice delayed is justice denied," said Lillian Sing, co-chair of the Comfort Women Justice Coalition and a retired judge of San Francisco Superior Court. "On this International Comfort Women Day, we call upon Japan to do what Germany did over 70 years ago: apologize, take responsibility for your crimes and resolve the 'comfort women' issue according to the international standard."

PLA, US military to further build relations

General Fang Fenghui, chief of the People's Liberation Army's Joint Staff Department, met with his US counterpart, Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, in Beijing on Aug 15. They agreed to further develop military relations and exchanges amid growing tensions on the Korean Peninsula. The two militaries also signed the framework to build a new communication mechanism for their joint staff departments. Since the department plays a crucial role in actual combat operations, experts say the new mechanism will strengthen effective communication, reduce miscalculations and improve risk management in Asia's increasingly complex geopolitical climate.

Only half of July's flights punctual

Half of all flights across China were delayed or canceled in July, mostly affected by extreme weather, the top aviation authority said on Aug 15. The flight punctuality rate was 50.76 percent, says Zhang Chunzhi, Party chief of the Civil Aviation Administration of China's operation and monitoring center. Zhang says weather accounted for 58.6 percent of the delays in July. Five typhoons struck China and affected airports in southeastern coastal areas, including Guangdong, Shenzhen, Haikou, Sanya, Fuzhou and Xiamen.

China, Russia say war of words must stop

China and Russia should not allow anyone to make trouble on their doorstep, meaning the current top priority is to "put the brakes" on the inflammatory words and actions exchanged between Pyongyang and Washington, Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov. In their phone conversation on Aug 15 about the situation, Lavrov said it is entirely unacceptable to resolve the peninsula's nuclear issue through military means. Earlier on Aug 15, Beijing urged Washington to "translate into actions" its latest pledge to diplomatically resolve the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, and said it is hoped Pyongyang responds to the US vow.

Quality of medical care is on the rise

The quality and safety of medical care have risen steadily in China, with patients increasingly benefiting from the adoption of international standards, according to China's top health authority. The death rate for inpatients at Grade A public hospitals stood at 0.71 percent, while the rate at Grade B public hospitals was 0.48 percent, in 2015 - a decrease of 4 percent and 11 percent, respectively, from 2014 - said Guo Yanhong, deputy chief of the National Health and Family Planning Commission's Bureau of Medical Administration, at a news conference on Aug 15. Death rates for hospitalized patients at Grade A hospitals - the top level of China's three-tier hospital grading system - were higher than for Grade B because they handle a larger proportion of critically ill patients, she said.

Dongguan tycoon gets life sentence

Liang Yaohui, a business tycoon and former national legislator, has been sentenced to life behind bars for bribery and organizing prostitution in Dongguan, Guangdong province. All the properties that Liang illegally gained have been confiscated, and he has been deprived of political rights for life, according to Liang's attorney, Wang Silu. Liang was the boss of the Crown Prince Hotel, a major five-star property in Dongguan that was once noted for entertainment. Forty-four former employees in Liang's hotel were also sentenced to prison terms of at least 16 months for organizing or aiding the organization of prostitution and destroying evidence. Two others were placed on probation.

Disaster status report released

Natural disasters killed 230 people in July in China, and another 44 remained missing, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the National Commission for Disaster Reduction. A total of 2.8 million people were displaced, the authorities said in a report on Aug 15. About 73,000 houses were destroyed and about 600,000 houses damaged. About 8.84 million hectares of crops were damaged, with 920,000 hectares destroyed. Natural disasters in July caused 135 billion yuan ($20 billion; 17.1 billion; ￡15.4 billion) of direct economic losses, according to the report.

More than 12 tons of drugs seized

Shenzhen police have destroyed more than 320 drug dens and seized 12.25 metric tons of narcotics as of July, Xu Wenhai, the city's deputy mayor, said on Aug 15. Suspects associated with the dens were involved in more than 4,600 drug-related cases, Xu added. Local police have established offices to handle anti-drug and drug rehabilitation work in all 74 subdistricts in Shenzhen this year. More than 600 employees were recruited to work in rehabilitation centers in 126 communities across the city.

Man, 48, dies of H7N9 flu virus

A resident of Hunan province died of H7N9 flu infection, provincial authorities said on Aug 15. The 48-year-old waste trader, surnamed Mo, in Jishou developed symptoms on Aug 10 and died on Aug 13 in a hospital, the Hunan provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention says. Mo tested positive for the H7N9 virus.

Medal given to missionary's family

Nanjing awarded a peace medal to the family of John Magee on Aug 13, to show gratitude for the missionary who recorded the Nanjing Massacre in 1937. Long Xiang, deputy Party chief of the city, presented the medal to Magee's grandson Chris Magee. A missionary in Nanjing from 1912 to 1940, John Magee secretly filmed the slaughter of Chinese soldiers and civilians by Japanese troops 80 years ago.

Land-based export weapons displayed

China demonstrated many of its domestically developed tanks and other land-based weapons in an arms show before hundreds of foreign military officers in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Aug 16. The event was held by State-owned China North Industries Group Corp, commonly known as Norinco, the country's biggest maker of land-based armaments. It was meant to display the latest achievements of the Chinese land-based weapons industry, Norinco said in a statement. It included livefire performances by tanks and antitank missiles at a shooting range of the Inner Mongolia First Machinery Co. Dozens of tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and mine-resistant/ambush protected vehicles roared onto the proving ground in formation and then conducted tactical maneuvers. Several amphibious assault vehicles and allterrain vehicles cut through bodies of water. The weapons displayed were the export versions, not those used by the Chinese military.

Five cities in Hebei are worst polluters

Smog-shrouded Hebei province's six major cities were among the top 10 cities with severe air pollution during the first seven months of this year. But officials insisted on imposing tougher controls for the coming months to meet annual reduction targets. The latest data from the Ministry of Environmental Protection on Aug 16 showed that the top five cities with severe air pollution among the country's 74 major cities were in Hebei province. Handan topped the list. Reaching beyond the province, the 13 major cities in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region experienced good air on only 50.6 percent of the days during that period, a year-on-year decline of 6.8 percent. The PM2.5 average level increased by 11.3 percent year-on-year, the ministry said.

Nepal vows to welcome Chinese investments

Vice-Premier Wang Yang and Nepali Deputy Prime Minister Bijay Kumar Gachhadar agreed on Aug 15 to make joint efforts to further advance pragmatic cooperation between the two countries. Calling China and Nepal trustworthy friends and partners for cooperation to their mutual benefit, Wang said China is willing to join hands with Nepal to implement consensuses reached by leaders of the two neighboring nations to promote their pragmatic cooperation under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative. Wang called on the two sides to expand their trade and investment; increase connectivity including construction of railways, roads and ports; and enhance cooperation in oil and gas, electricity and clean energy.

Tea package dispute ends in legal draw

China's top court has ruled that the two leading brands of herbal tea may both use the exact same packaging, as long as they do not harm each other's interests. On Aug 16, the Supreme People's Court effectively declared it a draw, stating that both JDB (China) Drink Co and Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Holdings "had made contributions to promoting the packaging and related products". The makers of Jiaduobao and Wong Lo Kat have been locked in a five-year legal battle over the right to a trademark design: a red can with distinctive yellow lettering. The court did not elaborate on what would constitute one company harming the other's interest. Both said they would respect the ruling and continue to sell Chinese herbal tea.

Chinese go overseas to escape heat

The continuous summer heat in many parts of China has induced large numbers of people to travel to cooler climates overseas, according to the travel industry. Online travel agency Ctrip estimates that about 30 million Chinese people will travel overseas during the summer, with about 1 million making the trip to avoid the heat. "Popular overseas destinations for Chinese tourists to avoid summer heat not only include countries that are well-known for their comfortable temperatures during this season, such as Australia, New Zealand and Britain, but also include places that Chinese tourists know comparatively less about, like Africa," says Shi Yuduan, chief marketing officer of Ctrip's vacation department, adding that bookings for trips to escape the heat in July were double the number for June.

India urged to honor border deals

Chinese border troops have remained on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control along the China-India border in the Ladakh region, a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said on Aug 16. Responding to a reported altercation between the two sides, Hua Chunying said she did not know any specifics about the incident, but said Chinese border troops were committed to safeguarding peace in the China-India border regions. Hua urged India to honor agreements between the countries and work with China to resolve issues.

Fugitive repatriated from Indonesia

A smuggling suspect was repatriated from Indonesia to China on Aug 16. The suspect, identified only as Ji, is a former people's congress deputy in a district of Shenzhen and the founder of a tech company. He is suspected of involvement in a smuggling case, with contraband valued at 321 million yuan ($48 million; 41 million euros; ￡37 million). Interpol issued a red notice, the nearest thing to an international arrest warrant, for Ji in October at the request of China's Ministry of Public Security. Ji, who had been on the run for 15 months, was arrested by Indonesian police on Aug 4.

Mercury thermometers to be phased out

About 7 million mercury thermometers in hospitals and clinics across China may be phased out by the end of the year, as an international treaty to protect human health and the environment from poisonous mercury took effect in China on Aug 16. They will be replaced by mercury-free products, including electronic thermometers, which have been widely adopted in hospitals across China, according to the China Medical Devices Industry Association. Yang Xiaofang, from the association's legal department, said China will follow the World Health Organization's proposal to reduce global demand for mercury thermometers and blood pressure gauges by 70 percent by the end of the year. There are currently more than 11 million mercury thermometers in use at medical institutions in China, according to the National Institute of Hospital Administration.

Woman has body frozen for future

The first cryonics procedure in China for an entire body has taken place in Shandong province, the Yinfeng Life Science Foundation said on Aug 14. The procedure is meant to preserve the body at a very low temperature shortly after death in the hope of bringing the deceased back to life if future medical technologies make it possible. The procedure began on May 8, less than five minutes after Zhan Wenlian's heart stopped beating and doctors declared her clinically dead. The process took more than two days to complete.

Exploration of Pacific seamount has begun

Chinese scientists began exploring a seamount called Caroline in the western Pacific Ocean for the first time on Aug 14, using a remotely operated diving vehicle to take measurements, record videos and collect samples. Part of the Caroline Ridge in the Pacific Ocean, the Caroline seamount is located in the southern Mariana Trench, the deepest place on Earth, in what is called the Yap Trench. It has never been explored. The top of the seamount is an oval basin 28 meters below the surface. It is 28 kilometers long and 9.3 km wide, according to data collected recently by the scientific ship Kexue.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 08/18/2017 page2)