Disney in Shanghai

Shanghai Disney Resort will officially welcome its first batch of guests on June 16， the Walt Disney Company and Shanghai Shendi Group announced on January 13.

As the sixth of its kind worldwide， the Shanghai Disney Resort will feature attractions unseen in five other Disney resorts worldwide， including ones based on Marvel comics and Star Wars， and others inspired by Chinese culture.

Military HQ Reshuffle

China has reorganized its four military headquarters—staff， politics， logistics and armaments—into 15 new agencies under the Central Military Commission （CMC） of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

The new structure includes three commissions—discipline inspection； politics and law； and science and technology—as well as the general office and five more： administration， auditing， international cooperation， reform and organizational structure， and strategic planning. There are six new departments： joint staff， political work， logistical support， equipment development， training， and national defense.

Chinese President Xi Jinping， also Chairman of the CMC， met with the new chiefs of each agency on January 11， when he described the reshuffle as a breakthrough and called the new leadership system a crucial step toward a stronger military.

Following the three principles of the absolute authority of the CMC， with battle zone commands focused on combat and each branch of the military service pursuing its own ends， the new structure will better advise and serve the CMC while enforcing CMC orders.

Natural Disasters

A total of 819 people died in natural disasters across China in 2015， according to a report by the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the National Commission for Disaster Reduction published on January 11.

According to the report， as many as 186 million people were affected by natural disasters that caused a direct economic loss of 270 billion yuan （$41.2 billion） over the year. More than 6.4 million people were evacuated.

Among the disasters， 14 earthquakes were over magnitude 5. Damage and direct economic losses in Xinjiang Uygur and Tibet autonomous regions accounted for over 60 percent of the national total.

Compared to 2014， 2015 saw fewer natural disasters， with less serious losses.

The 5G Era

The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology （MIIT） began to research and test 5G technology on January 7 with the aim of commercializing it by 2020.

“The purpose of the research and test is to support the formulation of global 5G standards and boost the development of the telecom industry，” said Cao Shumin， head of a 5G R&D team under the MIIT.

Research and test work will be completed by 2018 and domestic telecom service providers will try to commercialize the 5G technology in the following two years.

“China has made progress in the research of some key areas regarding 5G technology，” said MIIT chief engineer Zhang Feng.

China currently has more than 905 million mobile Internet users and about 380 million are 4G users.

Easier Entry

The Ministry of Public Security （MPS） announced on January 12 that it will ease requirements for foreign professionals entering and exiting Beijing and will provide favorable terms to such foreigners who seek to acquire permanent residence in China.

The MPS will run the pilot program in Beijings Zhongguancun Science Park， providing foreign professionals with conveniences such as special offices for permanent residence examination and approval， streamlined approval procedures and more favorable terms for foreigners with doctorate degrees to obtain a Chinese green card.

The new regulations will also allow short-term internships for foreign students in Beijing and will permit them to run their own startups in Zhongguancun.

Foreign talents in technology and senior management are also encouraged to join companies in Chinas creative industries and to file applications for permanent residence， the MPS said， adding that the new regulations， scheduled to take effect on March 1， aim to promote Beijings environment for innovation and startups.

The Warmest Year

China had the warmest year on record in 2015， partly due to a powerful El Nino， the China Meteorological Administration（CMA） said on January 12.

Chinas average temperature was 10.5 degrees Celsius， 0.95 degree higher than the average historical level since the country started to keep records in 1951， according to a CMA report.

All of the countrys 31 provinciallevel regions had a warmer-thanaverage year in 2015， and 10 of them saw the warmest year on record.

Affected in part by a strong El Nino， 2015 was also the warmest year globally in the last 135 years， according to Chao Qingchen， Vice Director of the National Climate Center.

China received an average of 648.8 millimeters of rainfall last year， up 3 percent from the historical level.

“Generally speaking， Chinas climate was normal in 2015 without severe floods or droughts，” said Chao.

Quality Labor Force

China will have an abundant labor force for decades to come， though its overall quality needs to be improved， said a senior official with the National Health and Family Planning Commission （NHFPC） on January 11.

Wang Peian， deputy head of the NHFPC， said at a press conference that in 2015 China had a labor force of 1 billion， which is expected to slip slightly to 958 million in 2030. According to the official， the labor force is estimated to be at around 827 million for 2050.

Therefore， the challenge for the nation in the next few decades lies not in the size of the labor force but in its quality， Wang said.

New Framework

UN resident coordinator Alain Noudehou （right） and Chinas vice minister of Commerce Wang Shouwen show the new UN Development Assistance Framework for China 2016-20 during the launch ceremony in Beijing on January 12.

The UN unveiled the framework that day， which represents a renewed commitment to continuing the strong partnership between China and the world body.

Precision Medicine

The Chinese Academy of Sciences（CAS） announced on January 9 its precision medicine research plan targeting Chinese people. Precision medicine is a medical model for high-efficiency， low-cost prevention and treatment of diseases tailored to individual patients based on their genetic content.

Headed by the Beijing Institute of Genomics under the CAS， a cross-disciplinary team consisting of researchers from multiple institutes will spend four years collecting genetic information from 4，000 volunteers.

Comprehensive research will target 2，000 of those volunteers， involving whole genome sequence analysis， building genome sequence health profiles， and early warning and intervention research for the risks and drug reactions concerning the genetic factors in key chronic diseases.

“Human genome sequence studies brought new concepts for the treatment of complicated diseases such as cancer， metabolic diseases， and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases，” said Zeng Changqing， the programs chief scientist.

Collection of the genetic information of the first group of volunteers is under way.

Help Hotline

Middle school students learn to wear blast-resistant helmets on the 30th 110 Publicity Day in north Chinas Tianjin on January 10. People in China call 110 for police help.

The hotline received over 21 million reports last year and coordinated police assistance to 27.7 million people， according to the police report.

Air to Tibet

Tibet Autonomous Region in southwest China saw a record 3.63 million air passengers in 2015， up 15.2 percent from the previous year， regional civil aviation statistics show.

The plateau region opened 13 new air routes in 2015， bringing its operating routes to 63. The number of cities linked to Tibet via air rose by seven to reach 40.

Five airports in Tibet handled more than 36，000 landings and takeoffs and cargo throughput of 29，000 tons in 2015， an increase of 16.8 percent and 16.3 percent yearon-year， respectively.

Tibets civil aviation industry has been growing rapidly， with a total investment of more than 3 billion yuan （$457 million）， becoming an important driver for the regional economy.

During the 13th Five-Year （2016-20） period， Tibet will develop air express routes between the regional capital Lhasa and Chengdu， capital of neighboring Sichuan Province， and will open more air routes to other domestic cities， according to a regional civil aviation official.

Tibet will also encourage airline companies to open routes between Lhasa and Southeast and South Asian countries， said the official.

Inflation Indexes

Chinas consumer prices grew 1.4 percent in 2015 from one year earlier， below the governments 3-percent cap set for the year， according to data released by National Bureau of Statistics （NBS） on January 9.

The growth in the consumer price index （CPI）， the main gauge of inflation， was also below the 2-percent increase registered in 2014.

Chinas producer prices continued to drop in 2015， indicating high deflationary pressure on the economy.

The producer price index （PPI）， a measure of costs for goods at the factory gate， dropped 5.2 percent in 2015， widening from a 1.9-percent slip registered in 2014， according to the NBS.

The NBS attributed the PPI decline mainly to price drops in oil and natural gas exploitation， ferrous metal smelting， coal mining and gas fuel supply.

Forex Market

Chinas central bank has allowed more overseas central banks and similar institutions to enter the countrys interbank foreign exchange market on January 12.

Seven such institutions completed their registration with the China Foreign Exchange Trading System， which signaled their official access to the Chinese forex market， the Peoples Bank of China said on its website.

The move brought the total number of central banks and similar institutions on the market to 14 and will steadily help to promote the openness of the market.

China first opened its interbank forex market to foreign central banks（monetary authorities）， international financial institutions and sovereign wealth funds in November 2015， when seven overseas institutions were allowed to enter the market.

They will be allowed to conduct renminbi and foreign exchange trading of one or more traded forex products， including spots， forwards， swaps and options.

Tidal Power

Chinas largest tidal power generator unit， with an installed capacity of 3.4 megawatts， is ready to be installed in the sea in Zhoushan， Zhejiang Province， on January 12.

The generator unit owns independent intellectual property rights， with 46 core technological patents being applied and is expected to be put into operation this June.

Foreign Trade

Last year， the countrys foreign trade decreased 8 percent to $3.96 trillion， according to data published by the General Administration of Customs（GAC） on January 13.

Exports fell 2.8 percent to$2.28 trillion in 2015， while imports declined 14.1 percent to $1.68 trillion last year.

“The double decrease in import and export is due to the global economic slowdown，” said GAC spokesman Huang Songping.

The import slump was largely caused by a drop in the price of commodities as well as weakening demand， Huang added.

“China still faces challenges in terms of trade. Its exports will face tremendous pressure in the first quarter of this year，” said Huang.

Chinas trade volume in 2016 will remain at the same level as last year， he said. New trading channels， such as e-commerce， are expected to grow in 2016.

Managing Risks

China will better manage local government debts and improve its risk control mechanism， the Ministry of Finance （MOF） said on January 11 in the face of rising risks from expanding debts amid an economic downturn.

China will put a proper cap on the outstanding debts of local governments and strengthen its management of new bond quotas， according to an online statement from the MOF.

Currently， local governments issue bonds according to a quota set by the central authorities.

Governments will need the approval of the top legislature to alter the cap， the statement said.

China will also conduct comprehensive risk assessments， establish a mechanism to defuse risks and improve the supervision and accountability system currently in place.

In 2015， local governments issued nearly 600 billion yuan （$91 billion） in new bonds and converted another 3.2 trillion yuan （$487 billion） in outstanding debts into lowinterest bonds under a bond-fordebt swap program.

The central authorities have introduced the swap program and put a cap on new debts in an effort to defuse risks， as well as a method to increase the income of local governments.

Cool Glass

A staff of Alto Tech， a hi-tech company based in Beijing， demonstrates its new product Cool Glass， an augmented reality device similar to Google Glass， at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas， Nevada， on January 9.

Chinese Cola

The Chinese cola brand Tianfu， once the countrys top-selling soft drink， will return to the market after being absent from shelves for nearly two decades.

Tianfu Cola will be relaunched around the Spring Festival， which falls on February 8 this year， according to Qian Huang， general manager of the company.

Qian said Tianfu would continue using its natural herbal recipe to produce the “healthy drink.”

Back in 1980s and 1990s， the Chongqing-based company was the largest soft drink maker in China with a strong 70-percent hold of the soft drink market. Tianfu Cola was sold outside of China and had started to gain market recognition in Russia and America.

In 1994， the company set up a joint venture with American cola producer Pepsi， which was unsuccessful. By 2005， Tianfu Colas market share had plummeted to 1 percent.

Qian attributed the failure to the decision to decrease the production of Tianfu Cola to make way for the production of Pepsi-Cola.

In 2006， the company sold its stakes in the joint venture to Pepsi. However， Pepsi refused to give back Tianfus production rights.

In 2010， Tianfu took Pepsi to court， accusing the U.S. firm of stealing the secret recipe for its beverage. The court ordered Pepsi to return the formula and technical secrets， but rejected Tianfus request for 1 million yuan （$151，700） in compensation.

Qian said that 2016 would witness the “reincarnation” of Tianfu Cola. In addition to the reproduction of its flagship cola， the company plans to debut a new series of soft drinks including fruit juices and a protein beverage.

Less Capital Control

China has granted more freedom in the use of cross-border capital by financial leasing firms in the free trade zone （FTZ） in north Chinas coastal city Tianjin.

The city already leads the country in terms of financial leasing business. Around 90 percent of airplane leasing and all maritime engineering equipment leasing are carried out at Dongjiang Port， now part of the Tianjin FTZ.

Financial leasing firms within the FTZ have been given the green light for freer use of the yuan in cross-border financial transactions， including financing， cash pooling， and bond issuance.

Authorities have made the Chinese yuan convertible under the capital account on a quota basis.

Chinas foreign exchange regulator has also approved the establishment of a joint venture financial leasing company between the China Minsheng Investment Corp. and the Republic of Koreas Hana Bank in the Tianjin FTZ.

ICBC Financial Leasing Co. Ltd. set up by the state lender， the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China， brought back 5 billion in offshore yuan into its cash pool， thanks to eased controls on cross-border capital flow within the FTZ.

Heading to Brazil

A total of 350 cars made by China Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Co. Ltd. are ready to be shipped to Brazil at the Lianyungang Port， east Chinas Jiangsu Province， on January 9.