Briefly

Premier Li meets with renowned mathematician

Premier Li Keqiang highlighted the need to shore up research in basic science and support researchers in amplifying their imagination and creativity to make breakthroughs during a meeting with Chinese-American mathematician Shing-Tung Yau in Beijing on Friday. Li noted that mathematics is a pillar of fundamental science and urged efforts to respect the laws of science and build the foundation for scientific and technological innovation and growth. It is important to respect talent, create an environment that enables them to give play to their expertise and strengthen international exchange and cooperation, he said. Yau, the first ethnic Chinese to have won a Fields Medal, often referred to as the mathematical equivalent of the Nobel Prize, is committed to the development of basic disciplines and the training of outstanding mathematical talent in China.

National railway operator names model workers

Eleven railway employees were named model workers on Friday in recognition of their hardworking spirit and as an encouragement to more than 2 million railway workers to learn from them and showcase the high-quality development of the sector. The recognition was awarded by the China State Railway Group and the 11 workers' stories have been publicized by the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee. The model workers, drawn from different railway departments, shared their stories with the public at a gala on Friday. China's railway network has undergone rapid development in the past 15 years, especially the development of its high-speed railway system. The country has a railway network of 155,000 kilometers, 42,000 km of which are high-speed. The high-speed network accounts for two-thirds of all high-speed lines in the world.

China Daily