Briefly

Border crossings to surge during festival

The National Immigration Administration is projecting a 32.5 percent year-on-year surge in border entries and exits during this weekend's Dragon Boat Festival break, with a daily average of 1.75 million crossings, it said on Thursday. The Dragon Boat Festival, one of China's major traditional holidays, falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar, which is Monday this year. Major aviation hubs are expected to see a steady increase in passenger traffic, and arrivals and departures at Shanghai Pudong Airport are projected to average 89,000 a day. In response, immigration authorities have implemented measures to streamline clearance procedures and maintain operational efficiency and safety, aiming to keep waiting periods in immigration lines for Chinese citizens below 30 minutes.

China harvests 57% of its winter wheat

China had harvested 57 percent of its winter wheat by Wednesday, two to three days earlier than it took to reach the halfway mark last year and bolstering the country's food security. A total of 12.6 million hectares of winter wheat has been harvested, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said on Thursday. The wheat harvest in Southwest China's Sichuan province and Central China's Hubei province, two agricultural powerhouses, has concluded, while the harvest in Jiangsu, Shandong, Shanxi and Hebei provinces will soon get into full swing. Various forms of support are being provided to facilitate the wheat harvest, including the deployment of more big and efficient crop harvesters across the country, the ministry said.

Former Yulin mayor pleads guilty to bribery

Li Jinzhu, a former senior legislator in Shaanxi province, pleaded guilty on Thursday to taking bribes of more than 432 million yuan ($59.6 million). Prosecutors told the Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court in Guangdong province that from 2004 to 2023, Li took advantage of various work posts in Shaanxi, including mayor of Yulin, vice-governor of the province and deputy head of the Standing Committee of the Shaanxi People's Congress, the province's top legislature, to seek profits for individuals and departments in matters such as business operation, project contracting and job promotion, and accepted bribes worth over 432 million yuan in return. The court said it would hand down Li's sentence later.

Xinhua - China Daily