IN BRIEF (Page 2)

Coalition will work to green Belt and Road

China's Ministry of Environmental Protection and the United Nations Environment Programme are jointly establishing an international coalition to work toward the sustainable development of the Belt and Road Initiative, UN officials say. The Coalition for Green Development on the Belt and Road will build an international platform to share the environment policies and experiences among the countries involved in the Belt and Road, and promote wide cooperation, according to Zhang Shigang, China country coordinator of UN Environment. The coalition will support putting together an ecological environmental data platform related to the Belt and Road and encourage businesses to play active roles in the green development of the countries taking part in the initiative, Zhang says.

Courts prepare for more global cases

Chinese courts will make further efforts to ensure justice during the development of the Belt and Road Initiative, with improved judicial services for legal disputes involving foreign entities. The Supreme People's Court plans to set up a dispute resolution center for cases related to the initiative and will further develop its international maritime judicial research institute, according to Liu Jingdong, deputy head of the fourth civil division of the top court. This year, judicial services will be further improved to safeguard the development of the Belt and Road Initiative, Liu says, adding that to facilitate judges' rulings, the top court plans to draft more legal interpretations of laws applied in cases concerning foreign entities as well as related judicial principles.

Shared-bike service begins in Lhasa

China's biggest bicycle-sharing startup, Ofo, began operating in Lhasa, capital of the Tibet autonomous region, on May 14 and announced plans to make 2,000 shared bikes available there this month. It also plans to expand the service across the region. Ofo first entered Tibet in April, when it brought its bikes to Xigaze, the region's second-biggest city. The company's officials say residents welcomed the new way to get around. Ofo hopes to put 10,000 shared bikes in the next few months in Lhasa, which is the company's 100th city, according to Zhang Yiding, one of Ofo's founders.

Qihoo 360 helps crack ransomware virus

The unprecedented spread of ransomware that has swept across more than 100 countries since May 12 has been cracked, at least in part, by Chinese tech company Qihoo 360. The company issued a software patch on May 14 that can recover the data encrypted by the unidentified attackers. The software can operate without internet access, and customers do not need to pay for it. The recovery kit was built around a flaw found in the malware, according to Zheng Wenbin, the company's chief security engineer. For now, the recovery kit is in Chinese only. Zheng says he does not know if the company will provide the service in English or other languages, though he admits that changing the user language would be fairly easy.

UNESCO revives Courier magazine

A Chinese edition of quarterly magazine The UNESCO Courier was relaunched on May 13 in Beijing following a 15-year hiatus. First published in 1948, the magazine is said to have been the only journal Nelson Mandela could access while imprisoned, and a feature it ran on Picasso in the 1980s inspired Chinese artists such as Ding Yi, who said it "had opened up new space for artistic creation". It ceased publication in 2002, citing financial difficulties, but was revived in April after the Chinese government stepped in to offer support. This marks a new beginning for China's partnership with UNESCO, according to Huang Kunming, executive vice-minister of the CPC Central Committee's Publicity Department.

Sino-US deal eases access to markets

China and the United States have reached a new deal that will ease market access in the areas of agriculture, financial services and energy, marking both sides' willingness to advance the trade relationship and alleviating fears of a trade war between the world's two largest economies. Under the agreement, China agreed to resume imports of US beef by July 16. In return, the US agreed to open its market to Chinese cooked poultry. In financial services, China pledged to grant market access to US credit rating agencies and credit card companies and agreed to issue licenses to "two qualified US financial institutions" for the interbank bond underwriting and settlement business. Other agreements included the US easing restriction on liquid natural gas exports to China, the expediting of Chinese approval of US genetically modified products, and cooperation between Chinese and US financial regulators over cross-border settlements and transactions.

1,278 punished in inspections

A total of 1,278 officials have been held accountable for inadequate environmental protection in the latest round of inspections, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Environmental Protection. In late April, seven teams reviewed local government work in the third round of inspections, which took place in areas including Tianjin municipality and Shanxi and Liaoning provinces. The teams have looked into 3,324 cases and imposed fines totaling 90 million yuan ($13 million; 11.8 million euros; ￡10.1 million) in 1,531 of those cases.

Chinese student sends message of peace

Young Chinese speech competitor Gu Yunxiang wowed the audience with a powerful speech at the grand final of the International Public Speaking Competition in London. Gu, 18, a winner of the 21st Century Cup National English Speaking Competition organized by China Daily, represented the Chinese mainland in the competition. He spoke about his understanding of peace, based on a personal story of how he and his friends addressed inequality on campus. The story Gu told is his personal interpretation of this year's grand final competition theme, "peace is not an absence of war". The International Public Speaking Competition is organized by the English-Speaking Union. This year's competition was attended by about 50 participants from more than 40 countries and regions.

Sino-Japanese cooperation discussed

The Belt and Road Initiative can become an "experimental field" for China and Japan to achieve mutually beneficial cooperation and common development, President Xi Jinping said on May 16 at a meeting in Beijing with a representative of the Japanese government, Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai. Japan is welcome to talk with China about cooperation within the framework of the initiative, Xi said. China and Japan, both being major economies, have common interests in promoting economic globalization and promoting free trade, Xi said. Nikai expressed his gratitude to Xi for the meeting, congratulated him on China's success in holding the forum, and said Japan and China need to cooperate.

Beijing backs Myanmar peace process

China will continue helping Myanmar achieve peace, President Xi Jinping told Myanmar's State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi on May 16 as the neighboring nation's peace efforts are gaining momentum. China is willing to continue to provide necessary assistance for Myanmar's internal peace process, Xi said. The two sides should make joint efforts to protect security and stability at the China-Myanmar border, Xi told Suu Kyi. Suu Kyi said Myanmar appreciates China's support and help, and expects to work with China to maintain peace and stability in the border area. Myanmar's peace process is heading for the second meeting of the 21st Century Panglong Peace Conference slated for May 24, an inclusive dialogue designed to be open to all ethnic armed groups.

13 agreements with Cambodia are signed

China signed 13 cooperation documents with Cambodia on May 13 in areas such as infrastructure, finance, maritime research and tourism as the two countries moved forward to build the Belt and Road. Witnessed by Premier Li Keqiang and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, the plans, agreements and memorandums of understanding were signed in Beijing. Li highlighted the China-Cambodia friendship cultivated over time by leaders of both nations. China would like to cooperate with Cambodia on key projects related to production capacity, investment and agriculture, which would help Cambodia develop its economy and improve the people's livelihoods, Li said.

China and Australia to open marine center

A new marine research center, operated by Chinese and Australian leading research institutions, will be opened in Hobart, Australia, on May 22, according to a news conference in Qingdao, Shandong province. The Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology partnered with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization to build the center.

Air network planned for connectivity

China plans to build an air network to better link countries taking part in the Belt and Road Initiative, the country's civil aviation authority said on May 16. According to Wang Changyi, director of development planning for the Civil Aviation Administration of China, as of December, China had signed bilateral air transportation agreements with 120 countries and regions - including 62 involved in the Belt and Road Initiative. Direct flights link China with 43 countries along the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, with about 4,200 flights weekly. Chinese airlines have set up liaison offices in 24 Belt and Road countries.

Bird's-eye views are coming to Tibet

A helicopter tour service will be launched in Lhasa, capital of the Tibet autonomous region, in August to allow tourists to view the plateau landscape from the sky. The Potala Tourism and Culture Group is the first to get approval for flights in a designated airspace. The airspace covers a part of Lhasa and the Namtso Lake area, 240 kilometers from the capital, according to Dawa Phuntsok, president of the tour group. Tours will be provided by four Eurocopter H125s and two Bell 505s. The first two helicopters will be delivered in June, with the first flight scheduled for August, according to Dawa Phuntsok.

Trash collected in Qomolangma cleanup

More than 100 climbers have collected 4.5 metric tons of garbage on the north slope of Qomolangma, known as Mount Everest in the West, in an annual cleanup campaign. The volunteers, including local Tibetans, domestic and overseas mountaineers, and staff of Tibet's mountaineering work units, have been working at altitudes of between 5,200 and 6,500 meters since May 6. Pema Trinley, deputy secretary of the Tibet Mountaineering Association, said the mountaineers are from more than 20 countries, including the United States, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and Switzerland. Kari Kobler, president of Swiss outfitter Kobler & Partner and one of the volunteers, was reported by Xinhua News Agency to have lauded the cleanup campaign as a sign of China's increased environmental awareness.

University program to feed initiative

Shanghai Jiao Tong University has launched a master's program in engineering for international students that aims to cultivate high-level talent in the field of navigation and remote sensing. The program, which will start in September, will serve the Belt and Road Initiative, with enrollment mainly targeting students from countries along the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. Satellite navigation and remote sensing are key technology projects that China has been actively promoting and developing. BeiDou, for example, the country's satellite navigation system, already covers countries involved in the initiative.

Graphic memoir becomes best-seller

Rao Pingru, 96, published an artistic memoir for his late wife, Mao Meitang. In the graphic memoir, Our Story, which was published by Guangxi Normal University Press in 2013 and has sold more than 200,000 copies, Rao drew more than 200 pictures to memorialize his wife and compiled them into 18 albums. A French version was released in January, and more than 26,000 copies have been printed. In recent months, it was a best-seller in the China category on the Amazon France website. An English version is expected soon.

Free tickets set for heritage sites

China plans to give out 37,000 free tickets to 74 of its UNESCO World Heritage and scenic sites to celebrate its first Cultural and Natural Heritage Day, according to Zhang Linwei, deputy head of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development's urban construction department. The central government decided in late 2005 to establish a Cultural Heritage Day, which falls on the second Saturday in June, with the aim of enhancing people's awareness of protecting cultural heritage. This year, the State Council decided to change the day into Cultural and Natural Heritage Day, which falls on June 10 this year, after some well-known scholars, including Chinese Academy of Sciences academicians Liu Jiaqi and Yuan Daoxian, made suggestions last year, Zhang says.

Parents are warned of Blue Whale

Police in Chongqing municipality and Sichuan and Guangdong provinces are warning parents to prevent their children from playing Blue Whale, the so-called suicide game. According to the Chongqing Public Security Bureau, a small number of juveniles have been discovered participating in the game, which operates via social media groups.

System helps search for children

Chinese police have expanded an emergency response system to help find missing children faster. The system is similar to the Amber Alert in the United States, which makes emergency broadcasts and releases information about missing children. The latest version of the Chinese system, which now links to seven more apps, including Tencent's news service and bicycle-sharing service OFO, was put into operation on May 17.

( China Daily Africa Weekly 05/19/2017 page2)