THE POTALA PALACE REOPENS

Visitors head for the Potala Palace in Lhasa， capital city of Tibet Autonomous Region in southwest China， on June 3， the fi rst day of its reopening.

The number of visitors per day is restricted， and advance online reservation is required. The 1，300-year-old palace had been closed since January 27 due to the novel coronavirus lockdown.

Wild Horses

Przewalskis horses graze in a breeding and research center in Changji City， Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China， on June 2. They belong to the only surviving horse subspecies never having been domesticated.

Lawyers Support

Chinas national lawyers association has launched supportive projects to promote the development of the legal service sector in response to the effects of the novel coronavirus epidemic.

The All China Lawyers Association will provide targeted assistance to law fi rms and lawyers in operational diffi culties due to the epidemic， and strengthen fi nancial aid for lawyers suffering from major diseases and hardships.

Lawyers associations across the country decided to take action， including reducing or waiving membership fees and setting up special funds to help the sector overcome diffi culties.

Lawyers and law fi rms of Hubei Province， central China， newly es- tablished law fi rms， and lawyers who have been confi rmed as COVID-19 positive will be exempt from membership fees for 2020.

Waste Imports

China is now moving closer to achieving its goal of halting all imports of solid waste by the end of 2020， part of its broader antipollution efforts.

It imported 2.49 million tons of solid waste in the fi rst four months of the year， down by a massive 47.3 percent from one year earlier， Liu Youbin， spokesperson for the Ministry of Ecology and Environment， told a press conference on June 2.

Liu said the ministry， together with other relevant authorities， will ensure that the goal is achieved by the end of the year.

China began importing solid waste as a source of raw materials in the 1980s and for years has been the worlds largest importer， despite its weak capacity in garbage disposal. Some companies have profi ted by illegally bringing foreign waste into the country， posing a threat to the environment and public health.

The government vowed to halt such imports by the end of 2020， and move to increase the domestic solid waste recycle rate.

Citywide Tests

Wuhan tested 9，899，828 people between May 14 and June 1 in a citywide drive to screen novel coronavirus infections， according to a press conference on June 2.

No confi rmed cases were found， Lu Zuxun， a professor with Tongji Medical College， Huazhong University of Science and Technology， said.

However， 300 asymptomatic cases were found and quarantined， none of which turned into confi rmed COVID-19 cases. All the 1，174 people in close contact with them tested negative for the infection， according to Lu.

On May 14， the city launched a campaign to offer nucleic acid tests to those not tested before. Offi cials said the move was aimed at tracing asymptomatic cases and reassuring the society as the city reopens its factories， businesses and schools.

Executive Deputy Mayor Hu Yabo said the city spent 900 million yuan （$126 million） on the tests， which was “totally worthwhile” as it reassured Wuhan residents as well as the whole nation， and will help the city bring its social and economic activities back on track.

Military Recruitment

The Chinese military will increase the proportion of university graduates in its 2020 recruitment.

The move is to send more highquality personnel to the army， according to a document jointly issued by the Ministry of Education and the Department of Defense Mobilization under the Central Military Commission.

The document ordered smoother channels for university students to enlist amid the COVID-19 epidemic. “In military recruitment， priority should be given to those who have worked on the frontline battling the coronavirus and their children， especially college graduates，” it said.

Starting from 2021， the scale of a special postgraduate enrollment program for retired college-educated soldiers will be expanded from 5，000 to 8，000. Measures will be rolled out to facilitate the employment of retired college-educated soldiers. For example， a special jobhunting section for retired collegeeducated soldiers will be launched on the “24365” platform， an off ciial online recruitment platform for university graduates.

China has changed its military recruitment from once a year to twice a year， starting from 2020.

Garbage Sorting

Beijing has made progress after introducing mandatory garbage sorting in May， authorities said on June 2.

The daily average amount of sorted domestic kitchen waste in the city reached 740 tons since May， up 159 percent month on month and a year-on-year increase of 37 percent， according to a press conference by the Beijing Municipal Commission of Urban Management.

Beijing launched a guidance program called Green Bands， with people wearing green bands working in communities to help with garbage sorting.

In 2019， Beijings residential waste collection and transport volume was 10.116 million tons， with an average of 27，700 tons per day.

Garbage sorting is being done by over 70 percent of housing estates in 18 cities， including Shanghai， Guangzhou and Shenzhen， according to the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.

Living Conditions

Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China has invested 510 million yuan （$71.5 million） so far this year to improve the rural environment and living conditions， local authorities said.

The amount is 60 percent of the total investment in the area last year， according to the regional agriculture and rural affairs department.

In 2018， Xinjiang introduced a three-year plan to signifi cantly improve the living conditions in its rural areas by 2020， including popularizing hygienic toilets and improving waste management.

Offi cial data shows that as of April， 26，834 hygienic toilets had been installed in rural areas， penetrating 59 percent of rural areas. More than 7，500 villages， or 83 percent of the total， were able to dispose domestic waste effectively.

Fun Moment

Children play in Chaoyang Park in Chaoyang District， Beijing， on May 31， International Childrens Day.

Mars Probe

China plans to launch its fi rst Mars probe between July and August this year， aiming to complete orbiting， landing and roving in one mission， an expert said in a recent interview with state broadcaster China Central Television.

After the launch via Chinas largest carrier rocket Long March-5， the probe is expected to reach the gravitational fi eld of Mars next February and will be captured in orbit around the planet， Bao Weimin， an academic with the Chinese Academy of Sciences， said.

According to Bao， the Mars probe consists of an orbiter as well as a lander and a rover. The lander and rover will make a soft landing on the surface.

The Mars rover， which is expected to work on Mars for at least 90 Martian days （more than three months on Earth）， will carry out exploration and research on geomorphic landforms of Mars.

In April China announced its fi rst Mars exploration mission， Tianwen-1. The name comes from the famous poem Tianwen， meaning Questions to Heaven， written by Qu Yuan （about 340-278 BC）， one of the greatest poets of ancient China.

Back to School

Students of Tsinghua University High School attend a class on June 1. Over 400，000 middle school and primary school students in Beijing resumed in-school classes that day.

Rural E-Commerce

Chinese authorities have unveiled new measures to boost e-commerce in rural areas， pledging diversifi ed fi nancial support to tap consumption potential in the underdeveloped rural market.

China will accelerate building a more effi cient circulation system for agricultural products and a modern market system， according to a joint work plan released on June 1 by government agencies including the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Commerce （MOFCOM）.

The plan seeks to foster more demonstration counties that feature upgraded e-commerce， low logistics costs and smooth fl ows of industrial goods and farm produce.

Local authorities will be encour- aged to adopt fi nancial support policies including direct and indirect subsidies to boost consumption， the plan said.

China will also fast-track allocations of central fi scal funds and enhance capital effi ciency to enable social capital to join the effort.

As the novel coronavirus epidemic dented consumption， China has been encouraging innovative ways to tap market potential， especially in the countryside.

County chiefs and city mayors have promoted local products via live-streaming， according to data from MOFCOM.

In the fi rst quarter， online sales of farm produce reached 93.68 billion yuan （$13.16 billion）， up 31 percent year on year， according to the ministry.

Nighttime Economy

Visitors stop by a stall at night in Kaifeng， Henan Province in central China， on June 1. The city has launched a range of consumption programs to boost its nighttime economy.

LPR Reforms

Chinas loan prime rate （LPR） reform has improved independent pricing capabilities of fi nancial institutions and the transmission effi ciency of market interest rates， according to a central bank report released on May 29.

Banks of all types have been promoting the use of the LPR mechanism， with loans priced against this benchmark accounting for a bigger share of their new lending， said the Peoples Bank of China（PBC）， the central bank， in the report on the countrys regional fi nancial operation in 2019.

Among the 150 banks surveyed， LPR-based loans issued by urban commercial banks and rural commercial banks reached 92 percent and 86.1 percent of their total lending in December 2019， respectively， the PBC said.

The LPR mechanism， revamped in August 2019 to better refl ect market changes， has steered lending rates lower and facilitated the transmission of market interest rates to lending rates， the report said. The average lending rate for enterprises stood at 5.12 percent in December 2019， down nearly 0.2 percentage point from July 2019 and hitting a new low since the second quarter of 2017.

Financial institutions， however， still face diffi culties in fully leveraging the LPR mechanism， the report said， urging greater efforts to foster their pricing capabilities and expand the LPR reform to improve the transmission mechanism.

Medical Digitalization

Chinas medical information technology market is expected to embrace robust growth in the coming fi ve years， according to a report released on May 26 by global market research fi rm International Data Corporation （IDC）.

The report predicted IT expenses of Chinas medical industry would reach 104.2 billion yuan（$14.6 billion） by 2024， nearly double the 54.8 billion yuan （$7.7 billion） recorded in 2019， with a compound annual growth rate of 13.7 percent.

The market scale of Chinas medical application software is forecast to reach 32.7 billion yuan （$4.59 billion） by 2024， surging from 16.2 billion yuan （$2.28 billion） in 2019， the report added.

The strong performance was driven by the deepened reform of the medical and healthcare system， further medical digitalization and wide application of emerging technologies， the report pointed out， noting that the new technologies are of signifi cance in the novel coronavirus disease （COVID-19） containment， which will boost the IT expenditure of the medical industry.

Medical software systems， based on the framework provided by emerging technologies such as cloud computing， the Internet and big data， are expected to fl ourish from this year， Xiao Hongliang， a research manager with the IDC， said， adding that these systems are playing an underpinning role in accelerating the development of the whole industrial chain.

Tea Processing

A jasmine tea factory in Fuzhou， Fujian Province in southeast China， on May 30. Fujians tea exports reached 7，726.1 tons in the fi rst four months， up 8.7 percent year on year.

Volkswagen Plan

German carmaker Volkswagen on May 29 announced plans to invest 2 billion euros （$2.2 billion） in China to develop its electric vehicle business in the country.

With an investment of 1 billion euros （$1.1 billion）， Volkswagen will increase its stake in JAC Volkswagen to 75 percent and acquire 50 percent of JAG， the parent company of its partner JAC.

Volkswagen will also acquire a 26-percent stake in battery manufacturer Gotion High-Tech Co. for around 1 billion euros.

Volkswagen is the fi rst foreign automobile company to invest directly in a Chinese battery manufacturing enterprise. The investment is expected to be completed by the end of 2020， according to Gotion.

“Together with strong and reliable partners， Volkswagen is strengthening its electrifi cation strategy in China，” said Herbert Diess， CEO of Volkswagen AG. “The electric car segment is growing rapidly and offers a great deal of potential for JAC Volkswagen.”

By opening up the market， China is giving Volkswagen new business opportunities， said Stephan Wollenstein， CEO of Volkswagen Group China.

Volkswagen Group China expects to deliver around 1.5 million new energy vehicles to Chinese customers in 2025.

The cooperation between Volkswagen and Gotion has created a new model for the development of Chinas new energy automobile industry， and will further enhance the competitiveness of Gotion in the global battery industry， said Li Zhen， President of Gotion.

A Head Start

A trainee practices hairdressing skills at a vocational school in Dongxiang County， Gansu Province in northwest China， on May 27. The school provides free training to make people better prepared for a job.

Green Channel

Chinas international air cargo transport capacity has been sustained by the effective green channel measures taken during the pandemic period， according to the civil aviation authorities.

The civil aviation industry of China has seen a sharp increase in scheduled cargo fl ights， said the Civil Aviation Administration of China （CAAC）.

China now maintains scheduled air cargo fl ights to around 102 overseas destinations in 49 countries.

In April， Chinese and foreign airlines carried out 1，574 scheduled air cargo fl ights per week， representing a 55.2-percent increase compared with the weekly volume before the COVID-19 pandemic. And in the fi rst two weeks of May， the weekly volume went up to 2，365 fl ights， a 133.2-percent increase.

The rapid growth in Chinas international air cargo sector has contributed to transporting vital supplies and ensuring global supply chains.

CAAC introduced a series of green channel measures to facilitate international air transport in the pandemic period.

These comprehensive measures include a simplifi ed fl ight approval process， more fl exible time limits and around-the-clock online acceptance of fl ight applications， according to CAAC.

Besides facilitating the scheduled cargo fl ight sector， CAACs green channel measures have also helped the growth of temporary cargo fl ights.

CAAC approved 1，794 temporary cargo fl ights in March and 2，225 in April.

It has also encouraged airlines at home and abroad to utilize their passenger aircraft to carry out cargo missions. This move is helping relieve pressure on the civil aviation industry during the pandemic.