Briefly

Defense minister to attend dialogue

The Ministry of National Defense announced on Monday morning that Defense Minister Dong Jun will attend the 21st Shangri-La Dialogue and visit Singapore from Wednesday to next Monday. According to a statement from the ministry, Dong will deliver a keynote speech on China's approach to global security at the high-level international security forum and hold meetings with the heads of delegations from other countries. During his visit, Dong will meet and hold talks with leaders of the Singaporean government and defense department.

Crackdown targets corrupt health workers

China will strengthen punishment of healthcare workers who take advantage of their medical positions to run healthcare businesses, procure kickbacks from suppliers or advance other personal interests, the National Health Commission and 13 other government departments said in a notice issued on Monday that lays out this year's key tasks for cracking down on malpractices in the pharmaceutical and medical service sector. It said that oversight of key personnel at well-known hospitals and renowned professionals will be enhanced and a crackdown on the corrupt acceptance of disguised benefits from pharmaceutical companies will also be stepped up. More attention will also be devoted to investigating illegal activities in the assisted fertility, health examination, aesthetic medicine and internet healthcare sectors, it said.

No casualties reported in quake

A 5.0 magnitude earthquake rattled Muli county in the Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture, in Southwest China's Sichuan province, at 11:07 am on Monday, the China Earthquake Networks Center said. There were no immediate reports of casualties or housing damage, according to Liangshan's emergency management department and the county's publicity department. The epicenter was near Shuiluo town, which is surrounded by mountains. The tremors were also felt in neighboring regions including Daocheng county in the Garze Tibetan autonomous prefecture.

Universities to hold job fairs for students

The Ministry of Education is working with higher education institutions across China to facilitate employment for college students graduating this year. The ministry launched a weeklong campaign on Monday that will see higher education institutions across the country host activities such as job fairs under its guidance to provide students with greater opportunities to land satisfying jobs. The ministry said that during the campaign, 175 on-campus job fairs, featuring nearly 17,000 enterprises, are expected to be held across the country. A job fair co-organized by the ministry and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology at Beijing Jiaotong University on Tuesday will be attended by 122 employers from different fields including information technology, finance, manufacturing and construction. The ministry estimates that 11.79 million students will graduate from college this year, 210,000 more than last year.

China Daily - Xinhua