IN BRIEF (Page 3)

Health

Transplants system to come into force

China's top health authority will issue a national regulation within the next month requiring transplant hospitals to use a computer-based organ allocation system, senior health officials say.

Under the directive on human organ procurement and allocation, those who do not distribute donations via the system, called the China Organ Transplant Response System, will be punished, and may even have their licenses revoked, said Huang Jiefu, director of the China Organ Donation Committee and former vice-minister of health.

Only organs donated by the general public after death fall under the new regulation.

The new regulation is an effort cut reliance on executed prisoners as major sources for organ transplants. This year nearly half of transplanted organs have come from death-row inmates, a decrease of 95 percent on previous years.

Baby formula sales to be shifted to pharmacies

Authorities are to require that all baby formula on the Chinese mainland be sold in pharmacies or in shops qualified to sell medicines, a move aimed at improving consumer confidence in formula products while weeding out fake brands.

However, some experts say changing sales channels will do little to improve safety standards or allay consumer fears in the wake of the Fonterra milk powder scandal.

The China Association of International Trade under the Ministry of Commerce said that domestic and foreign baby formula will be sold in 20 pharmacies in Beijing and Jiangsu province from October, in a pilot program that will be extended to 20,000 pharmacies in 500 cities by 2015.

Some experts said the move reflects Premier Li Keqiang's announcement in May that baby formula would be subject to the same strict supervision standards as medicines and that fake products would be removed from the market.

Finance

Youth games set an example of frugality

The organizers of the 2nd Asian Youth Games, which opened at the Nanjing Olympic Center Stadium on Aug 16, hope to set an example of frugality to young people in accordance with the recent call from leaders to cut back on extravagant spending.

Unlike the magnificent and star-studded ceremonies of most international sports events, the organizers invited those taking part to highlight the event as a festival for younger generations, said Yang Weize, executive chairman of the organizing committee.

Industry

Shipbuilder unveilspioneering technology

One of China's major shipbuilders says it has developed propulsion technology that will bring the country closer to its goal of modernizing its shipping and naval fleets.

China Shipbuilding Industry Corp said its Wuhan Institute of Marine Electric Propulsion finalized its integrated electric propulsion technology last month.

It said the in-house development will help the country wean itself off the dependence on imported parts in manufacturing ships.

Most surface vessels in China use mechanical transmissions and are propelled by a motor or an engine spinning a propeller. Many Western countries have adopted integrated electric propulsion, in which gas turbines produce electricity that powers electric motors.

Aviation

PLA aerobatic teamto perform in Russia

The August 1st Air Demonstration Team, China's best-known aerobatic flight display team, will stage its first overseas show in Moscow with J-10 jet fighters.

The team will join its Russian counterpart at the MAKS 2013 International Air Show at Ramenskoye Airport from Aug 27 to Sept 1.

The J-10s, which left an airbase in northern China on Aug 18, will make stops on their way to Moscow, said a publicity official with the People's Liberation Army air force who is familiar with the mission and refused to be named.

Commemoration

Japanese mourn victims of Nanjing Massacre

A group of Japanese citizens from cities and prefectures including Tokyo, Osaka, Kanagawa and Kyoto took part in a gathering in Nanjing on Aug 15 to honor those killed by Japanese forces, especially those killed during the Nanjing Massacre in 1937.

The assembly of 37 Japanese and hundreds of Chinese at the Memorial Hall of the Victims in the Nanjing Massacre by the Japanese Invaders, on the 68th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II, took place as dozens of Japanese cabinet ministers and lawmakers paid their respects at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, seen as a symbol of Japan's past militarism.

Housing

Home prices in Chinarise in July

Prices of homes in most of the country's cities are still rising, but month-on-month gains continue to narrow.

The National Bureau of Statistics issued data on Aug 18 indicating that new-home prices in 62 of the 70 cities it tracks rose month-on-month in July, while in four cities, prices were unchanged, and in four they fell.

On an annual basis, prices in 69 cities rose in July. Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, was the only city to report a drop. In the secondary market, prices of pre-owned homes in 57 cities rose in July.

Trade

More New Zealanddairy products banned

The quarantine authorities have announced the suspension of imports of lactoferrin from Westland Milk Products, a dairy producer in New Zealand, after discovering excessive amounts of nitrate in the lactoferrin supplied by the company.

The incident follows the scandal involving Fonterra, the largest dairy company in New Zealand, which admitted on Aug 5 that 38 metric tons of its whey protein was contaminated with a bacterium that can cause botulism.

The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said Wondersun Dairy Co, based in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, found an excessive amount of nitrate in two batches of lactoferrin imported from Westland.

Transport

Private capital soughtfor rail investment

The central government has published plans to innovate with railway funding and speed up railway construction as the new leadership is devoted to deepening reforms.

The State Council said railway investment this year is likely to exceed the planned amount. Also, for this year and the following two years, the central government will provide transitional subsidies for China Railway Corp, established in March after the government and enterprise functions of the now-defunct Ministry of Railways were separated.

Legal

Foreigners get bigger fines in exit-entry law

Shanghai fined and punished more than 500 foreigners for illegally staying in the country after China imposed its new exit-entry law in July, according to statistics provided by the city's immigration inspection department.

From July 1 through Aug 10, 534 foreigners had illegally entered or overstayed their visas.

A foreigner who stayed illegally in Shanghai for 33 days was fined 10,000 yuan ($1,630) by the city's immigration inspection authority on Aug 2, the biggest fine issued in the city and the maximum allowed under the law that took effect on July 1.

China Daily

(China Daily Africa Weekly08/23/2013 page3)