THIS WEEK

THIS WEEK

JIN LIANGKUAI

Deepwater Drill

A helicopter landing on China’s “Marine Oil 981” drilling platform in the south China Sea. The drill is 320 km southeast of Hong Kong and the well is 1,500 meters deep.

According to China National Offshore Oil Corp., the “Marine Oil 981” is the sixth-generation semi-submersible drilling platform. It will begin operations in September.

This is the fi rst deepwater oil and gas drilling platform designed and constructed independently by a Chinese oil company, a big step forward of China’s oil industry in deepwater operation.

“It is clear that the Philippine side does not realize it is making serious mistakes by stepping up efforts to escalate tensions.Therefore, it is hard for us to be optimistic about the situation.We hope that the Philippine Government will not misjudge the disagreement or escalate tensions without considering the consequences. The Chinese Government has made all preparations to respond to any escalation by the Philippine side.”

China’s Vice Foreign Minister Fu Ying,meeting with Alex Chua, Charge D’affaires of the Philippine Embassy in China, on May 7

“China’s population accounts for 19 percent of the global population while its current trade volume is only 10.4 percent, so it will be totally fi ne for China’s trade to be 15 percent of the global share.”

Chinese Minister of Commerce Chen Deming,at an economic meeting held in east China’s Jiangsu Province on May 7

“The elections weren’t easy and there were many dif fi culties. Such elections in such way will not make a real parliament and would further enrage the crisis. Syria’s electoral system should be radically changed.”

Qadri Jamil, head of the National Front for Change and Liberation of Syria and a parliament candidate, at a press conference held in Damascus on May 9, saying that there have been numerous violations in the polls held two days before

“The government is right to place de fi cit reduction and economic stability at the forefront of its program.”

Simon Walker, Director General of the Representative Association for Business Leaders of Britain, on British Government’s legislative plans for the coming year which focuses on economic recovery

Water Usage Measures

China will continue to carry out strict management measures to cope with water shortages,said Chen Lei, Minister of Water Resources,on May 8.

He said that the measures include strengthening water resources protection and promoting the restoration of aquatic ecosystems.

China sees a 50-billion-cubic meter water shortage annually, with two thirds of its cities having trouble accessing water. The country’s annual water consumption now exceeds 600 billion cubic meters, accounting for 74 percent of the country’s exploitable water resources.

China’s water consumption should be controlled below 700 billion cubic meters by 2030, and its efficiency of water usage will reach advanced levels, the Chinese Government said in a document issued in January.

The country aims to reduce water consumption per 10,000 yuan ($1,597) of industrial value-added output to less than 40 cubic meters by 2030, raise the effective water use coefficient of farmland irrigation water to above 0.6 and improve water quality,according to the document.

More Social Workers

The Chinese Government has formulated a plan to train 1.45 million social workers by 2020.

“By the end of 2015, licensed social workers will total 500,000, and another 950,000 will be added during 2016-20,”Minister of Civil Affairs Li Liguo told Xinhua News Agency on May 9, citing the long-term plan (2011-20) for developing a national social work system.

China currently has 320 colleges with undergraduate programs in social work and 60 colleges and academies offer master’s degrees

WELCOME TO XINJIANG Local people perform at the opening ceremony of the Second Altay Folk Culture and Tourism Festival in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on May 8

Actress Honored

Chinese actress Zhao Tao won the best actress prize at Italy’s David di Donatello 2012 Awards on May 4. Zhao received the award for her leading role inIo Sono Li, a movie co-produced by China and Italy, becoming the first Asian to win the prestigious Italian award.

“The movie was a perfect example of joint cinematic efforts by Italians and Chinese,” said Zhao. “I think the movie has succeeded in showing how people from two different cultures learn from each other at a profound level.”

Directed by Andrea Segre from Italy,Io Sono Liis a love story between a Chinese immigrant who works as a barmaid in the Venice lagoon town of Chioggia, and a local fisherman nicknamed The Poet. In 2011, the movie was screened in the Venice Days section of the 68th Venice International Film Festival.

Zhao, 34, was born in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province. She enrolled in the folk dance department at Beijing Dance Academy in 1996. After graduation, she became a dance teacher in Taiyuan Normal University. She gained instant fame for her performance in Chinese director Jia Zhangke’s moviePlatform.Her most famous films includeUnknown Pleasures,The World,andStill Life.in social work. At present only 20,000 social workers graduate every year.

More than 600 private social work institutions are operating in China, providing services in fields concerning people’s livelihoods, national unity, community services and criminal rectification, figures from the China Association of Social Workers show.

According to the plan, social serviceoriented communities and government organizations should first consider qualified social workers when recruiting staff. They will also be given preference when applying for public servant posts with governments at all levels.

Traditional Medicine

The World Health Organization (WHO)designated the Chinese Medicine Division(CMD) of the Health Department in Hong Kong as the Collaborating Center for Traditional Medicine (CCTM) on May 9.

It is the fi rst such center of its kind in the world and will focus on assisting the WHO to formulate policies and strategies as well as setting regulatory standards for traditional medicine.

The CMD of the Health Department,founded in 1997, is a designated division tasked with regulating, promoting and improving the safety, quality and efficacy of Chinese medicine.

At the center’s opening ceremony,Secretary for Food and Health of HongKong Special Administrative Region, York Chow, said, “Traditional medicine is no doubt a precious resource which has much to offer in complementing conventional medicine.”

COLLEGE DANCERS Contestants perform ballroom dance at a competition in the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei,capital of east China’s Anhui Province, on May 6

BEAUTY IN FLOWERS A model shows off headware made of fowers at the Hong Kong Flower Fashion Show on May 8

Following the ceremony, a three-day meeting of global experts was held to develop the next WHO traditional medicine strategy.The new global strategy will take into account various countries’ progress and new challenges in the field with an ultimate goal of supporting member states in integrating traditional medicine into their respective national health systems.

Anti-trust Rules

China’s Supreme People’s Court (SPC) published on May 8 a judicial interpretation on civil lawsuits fi led against monopolistic acts,the first of its kind, in a bid to smooth such claims and promote fair competition.

According to the interpretation, an individual, company or organization may bring a civil anti-trust lawsuit directly to the court without having to obtain a government determination on a certain monopolistic act.

Moreover, the new rules have reduced the plaintiff’s burden of proof in such cases.

The plaintiff need not prove the existence of monopoly hazard in typical monopoly cases with evident and serious threats to the market, such as the acts of illegal price or market segmentation collusion, said Kong Xiangjun, Chief Judge with the Third Tribunal for Civil Trials of the SPC.

Antibiotics Regulation

An inspection of more than 430 major hospitals across China showed that the prescription of antibiotics accounted for 15 percent of the total prescriptions in hospitals in 2011, down from 27.8 percent in 2006, according to the Ministry of Health.

Antibiotics were applied in about 58 percent of surgeries involving open wounds in 2011, down from 99 percent in 2006, and were applied on less than 30 percent of hospitalized patients, down from 51.5 percent, said Wang Yu, a senior of fi cial with the ministry.

The country launched the campaign last April to curb the prevailing abuse of antibiotics.

In addition, a new regulation on the medical application of antibiotics will take effect on August 1, which upgrades the management on the purchase and applications of antibiotics in hospitals and interference in abuse.

Rural Diabetes Doctors

China will train 8,000 doctors in rural areas to prevent and treat diabetes, covering 279 counties in nine provinces, the Chinese Diabetes Society (CDS) under the Chinese Medical Association said on May 4.

The year-long program will allow doctors to receive both face-to-face and remote online training in the provinces of Jiangsu, Hebei,Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Sichuan,Yunnan, Shandong and Henan, the CDS said.

A CDS survey indicated that China has more than 40 million diabetes patients in rural areas, similar to the number found in urban areas.

However, nearly 70 percent of rural patients are not even aware that they have the disease because of the poor quality of rural medical care.

Ji Linong, Director of the CDS, said the training program is aimed at improving the knowledge and skills of rural doctors for the purpose of standardizing diabetes prevention and treatment.

Diabetes specialists from the CDS will train the counties’ most highly quali fi ed doctors, who will then pass on their knowledge to clinical doctors through training courses and seminars, Ji said.

MAPPING SATELLITE A Long March 2D carrier rocket carrying the Tianhui I-02 mapping satellite blasts off from the launch pad at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China’s Gansu Province on May 6

Iron Ore Trading

China’s first iron ore spot trading platform made its debut on May 8 as the country, the world’s largest consumer of the commodity,strives to up its pricing power. First-day transactions totaled 242,000 tons.

The platform was jointly launched by China Beijing International Mining Exchange,China Iron and Steel Association and China Chamber of Commerce of Metals, Minerals& Chemicals Importers and Exporters.

The benchmark trading price will be set based on the average prices on the previous trading day, while the daily trading band is set at 10 percent.

So far, the platform has 152 members,including major Chinese steelmakers such as Baosteel, Anshan Iron and Steel Group and Hebei Iron and Steel Group, as well as top foreign miners BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto, Vale and Fortescue Metals Group Ltd.

Subsidy Program Flop

A nationwide subsidy program for rural consumers failed to spur home appliance sales in rural China amid the economic slowdown in the fi rst four months of this year, according to data released by the Ministry of Commerce(MOFCOM).

Home appliance sales in China’s countryside fell 6.7 percent year on year to reach 61.68 billion yuan ($9.8 billion) during the January-April period.

MAIDEN VOYAGE The launching ceremony for the large container vessel New Qinzhou is held at the port of Qinzhou Bonded Area in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on May 9

The volume of appliances sold during this period dropped 16.4 percent to hit 23.34 million units.

As of the end of April, China had subsidized 241 million units of home appliances valued at 567.49 billion yuan ($90.08 billion)over the past two-and-a-half years since the subsidy program began.

Initiated in 2009 to stimulate rural consumption and buoy the nation’s economic growth amid the global economic downturn,the subsidy program will be effective until January 2013.

Under the program, farmers can receive subsidies equal to 13 percent of the price of the home appliances they buy.

Anti-dumping Probe

The MOFCOM said on May 8 it found that the European Union and Japan have been dumping certain high-performance stainless steel seamless tubes into the Chinese market.

Investigations showed the dumping has substantially harmed Chinese producers, and importers of those products will have to pay antidumping deposits to China’s customs authorities starting from May 9, the MOFCOM said in a preliminary ruling released on its website.

The deposits will be charged in accordance with the dumping margins of different producers, at rates ranging from 9.7 percent to 39.2 percent of the customs value of the imported goods.

Boosting Equipment Sector

China is looking to triple the sales revenue of its high-end equipment manufacturing industry to 6 trillion yuan ($951 billion) by 2015, according to the sector’s 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15) published by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on May 7.

Sales of high-end equipment will account for 15 percent of the overall revenue of the equipment manufacturing industry in three years, compared with 8 percent in 2010, and will also have a larger share of the global market.

GAS SHOW Visitors watch a model of a liquid petroleum gas station at the 13th China Gas Station Equipment Exhibition held in Beijing on May 8

The industry mainly includes aviation equipment, satellite and applications, railway transportation equipment, marine engineering equipment, and smart manufacturing equipment.

Aircraft manufacturing will be one of the key growth areas. China will also continue to invest in high-speed railway innovation and the exploration of global markets to establish its railway transport industry as the world leader.board, similar to the OTC Bulletin Board in the United States, were under way.

Government Debt Surge

Trial OTC Market

China’s securities regulator will allow retail investors to trade unlisted shares in a new national over-the-counter (OTC) market currently in the planning phase.

“When the trial OTC market goes nationwide in the future, we plan to let investors enter the market but they must meet certain requirements such as investment experience,”said Yao Gang, Vice Chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC).

Guo Shuqing, Chairman of CSRC, said last month that preparations for the new OTC Bonds issued by China’s local government financing vehicles surged in the first quarter of this year as urban construction continued to boost government demand for funding, theShanghai Securities Newsreported.

These financing vehicles or companies set up by local governments to raise funds and bypass restrictions on direct government fi nancing, fl oated 71 bonds in the fi rst quarter,up from 54 during the same period last year.

A total of 84.5 billion yuan ($13.5 billion)was raised through the bond issuance, up 35 percent year on year, according to figures from the Shenzhen-based Pengyuan Credit Rating Co. Ltd.

Bond fi nancing through local government fi nancing vehicles will stay at a high level this year, Zhou Yuanfan, Vice President of the company.

Chinese laws stipulate that local governments are forbidden borrowing directly from banks and have only allowed four developed regions, including Shanghai and Guangdong,to issue bonds directly on a trial basis last year.

But due to a lack of direct fi nancing channel, local governments circumvent the rules by setting up thousands of fi nancing vehicles to raise funds.

Prominent Fashion Designer

Famous designer Guo Pei released her latest creations in Beijing on May 6. The fashion show is named Story of a Dragon and had been in the works for three years.

Guo, 45, started her designer career when she was 19. In 1986,she graduated from college and became one of the first professional designers in China. She is now regarded as China’s top haute couture and high-end dress designer.

Guo’s designs carry strong Chinese style, from embroidery to traditional patterns. But the traditional elements merge perfectly with modern influences.She also combines oriental flavor with Western cutting styles perfectly.

She has designed gowns for hostesses of China Central Television’s annual Spring Festival Gala for several years. She was also the designer of the beautiful ceremonial dresses used in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. As chief designer and founder of the Rose Studio Haute Couture,Guo designed gowns for A-list stars, such as Zhang Ziyi and Song Zuying, for their biggest appearances.

RUSSIA

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a ceremony commemorating those killed in World War II at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow on May 8, the day after his inauguration

HONDURAS

Policemen guard at least 400 kg of cocaine seized in La Mosquitia, on the Caribbean coast of Honduras, on May 7. Honduran authorities con fi scated more than 22 tons of cocaine last year

SUDAN

Workers inspect the Heglig oil facility after Sudan started pumping oil again from the war-damaged oil fi eld on May 2, following the withdrawal of South Sudanese troops from the area

AFGHANISTAN

A man exercises with his prosthetic legs at the Orthopedic Center of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Kabul on May 8, the World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day. The ICRC has worked in Afghanistan for 25 years

THEUNITED STATES

Three-time World Sumo champion Byamba demonstrates Sumo moves with a kid in Los Angeles,California on May 5

SYRIA

Syrian women show their ink-dipped fi ngers after casting votes in the fi rst parliamentary elections under Syria’s new Constitution in Damascus on May 7. The new Constitution ended the monopoly on power of President Bashar al-Assad’s Baath Party created a multi-party system