NEWLY APPOINTED STATISTICS HEAD

Ning Jizhe， Vice Minister of the National Development and Reform Commission， Chinas top macroeconomic regulatory body， has recently been appointed head of the National Bureau of Statistics （NBS）. He will hold the two positions concurrently.

Ning， 60， has been a researcher in Chinas economic and social development planning and industrial and environmental policies， and has been engaged in drafting a number of national development plans. He holds a PhD in economics from the Renmin University of China.

His predecessor at the NBS was Wang Baoan， who was in office for no more than 10 months before being removed when he was investigated for suspected corruption in late January.

The NBS is a Central Government department responsible for releasing Chinas latest economic data and helping the public understand the countrys economic situation.

Too Many Reality Shows

Guangming Daily March 7

Cao Kefan， a host with the Shanghai-based Dragon TV and deputy to the National Peoples Congress （NPC）—Chinas top legislature， recently said China has too many reality shows and decried their crude nature. TV stations should focus on news reports and the dissemination of culture， rather than become reality show channels， he said.

Caos views sparked a heated discussion among Internet users. More than 200 reality programs aired on TV last year. Reality shows have gained popularity thanks to market competition. But， while they are favored in the marketplace， they are not without problems. For example， the copyrights for the majority of the reality shows were purchased abroad and did not originate in China. Many are similar to one another in content and lack critical thought. Chinese TV channels are flooded with singing competitions and shows centered on cooking， travel and dating.

TV programs should strive to not only entertain but also spread culture to viewers. One such program has been wildly successful. The final competition of a Chinese idiom contest produced and broadcast by the state broadcaster China Central Television recently ranked first in audience ratings. Several similar programs aimed at promoting Chinese culture have also achieved success in recent years. TV stations should present a wider variety of programs that cater to the audiences diverse taste.

The 1-Trillion-Yuan Club

Oriental Outlook March 10

Hangzhou， the capital of east Chinas Zhejiang Province， became the 10th city whose GDP surpassed 1 trillion yuan（$153.5 billion） in China last year. As a result， the combined GDP of the 10 cities—Shanghai， Beijing， Guangzhou， Shenzhen， Tianjin， Suzhou， Chongqing， Wuhan， Chengdu and Hangzhou—surpassed one fifth of the national total. In sharp contrast， these cities， dubbed the 1-trillion-yuan club， occupy just 1 percent of Chinas territory and host one 10th of the countrys population.

Hangzhou began taking steps to restructure its economy in 2006. Now the city has taken the lead in the cultural and information technology sectors in China. Wuhan， the capital of central Chinas Hubei Province， has also been driving innovation by attracting investment to develop its technologies.

The proportion of the tertiary industry in nine of the 10 cities surpassed half of the local GDP. This indicates that the 10 cities have achieved remarkable progress in developing the hi-tech and cultural industries， balancing environmental protection with economic growth and innovating city management.

As China enters the new normal of slower growth， the country faces both opportunities and problems. The development path of the 1-trillion-yuan club matches the pattern of innovation-driven， balanced， green， open and inclusive development set forth in the 13th Five-Year Plan， which covers the period from 2016 to 2020.

A Resilient Economy

Peoples Daily March 7

Economic issues topped the agenda of this years annual sessions of the NPC and the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference （CPPCC） National Committee. Chinas GDP reached 67.7 trillion yuan （$10.4 trillion） last year， growing 6.9 percent year on year. More than 13 million new jobs were created， surpassing the governments 10 million target.

All this was achieved at a time when the world economy registered its slowest growth rate in six years and saw the prices of major commodities plunge. Also， fluctuations in the global financial market have had a direct impact on the Chinese economy. Despite external influences， Chinas GDP surpassed $10 trillion for the second consecutive year last year， making it just one of two countries able to do so worldwide—the other being the United States.

For the first time， Chinas service industry exceeded half of its GDP， accounting for 50.5 percent. Consumption contributed to about 66 percent of economic growth. In the meantime， China used$126.3 billion of foreign investment in 2015， representing an increase of 5.6 percent over the previous year. The countrys non-financial direct investment overseas reached $118 billion， increasing 14.7 percent. China remained the main driving engine for global economic growth last year， contributing to more than a quarter of global economic growth.

The Chinese economy is shifting gears and transitioning toward a higher development level. Growth will stay within a reasonable range given the strong resilience of the economy and its ability to withstand risks.

SOCCER STRIKER SCORING A SHOT

Football player Wang Shanshan scored the lone goal of a match against South Korea during the six-team Asian Zone qualifications for the Rio Olympics in Osaka， Japan， on March 7. The game ended 1-0， enabling the Chinese womens football team to qualify for Rio.

This is the first time that the team has been able to secure a ticket to the Olympic Games in eight years. The Chinese womens national football team won second place at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. However， it failed to qualify for the 2011 World Cup and the 2012 Olympics.

“We were a little bit tired in todays game， maybe because it was the fourth game. But we performed better and better，” Wang said after the match.

Wang， 26， is a forward from the northern port city of Tianjin. She started to play for the national team in 2012.

“Female leaders seem to be more dedicated to driving their companies toward achieving goals， and appear to be more committed to their jobs.”

Xu Hua， CEO of Grant Thornton China， on March 8， commenting on a report of the global accountancy firm saying women now hold about 30 percent of the top positions in Chinese mainland businesses， compared with 25 percent last year

“It is reasonable for China to set the peak [greenhouse gas emission] target for around 2030， and we will try our best to achieve it a bit earlier.”

Xie Zhenhua， Chinas Special Representative on Climate Change， who is also a national political adviser， at a news conference of the National Committee of the CPPCC on March 7

“As organs are donated free， all people should have equal rights to enjoy transplant services. Nobody should be rejected because they are poor.”

Huang Jiefu， Vice Chairman of the Committee of Education， Science， Culture， Health and Sports of the CPPCC National Committee， in a statement to reporters on the sidelines of this years CPPCC National Committee session on March 8

“She was committed to friendly exchanges between the two countries， and made positive contributions to the development of China-U.S. relations.”

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei， expressing condolences over the death of former U.S. first lady Nancy Reagan at a press briefing on March 7