Brown and White

Six-year-old brown giant panda Qizai eats in the Qinling Giant Panda Field Training Base in Foping County， Shaanxi Province， on October 11. Brown giant pandas are extremely rare.

Urbanization Goal

China will help 100 million migrants settle in cities to expand urbanization， the State Council announced on October 11.

During the next five years， the government plans to help over 13 million migrants annually apply for urban hukou （household registration） permits， which will qualify them to access public services such as healthcare and education. The plan is part of an attempt to increase the proportion of registered permanent urban residents to 45 percent by 2020， according to a statement released by the council.

The fraction of urban dwellers who possess the local hukou stood at 39.9 percent at the end of 2015.

China plans to relax household registration requirements in most cities for students from rural areas and migrant workers who have lived in the city for a long time. Metropolises， such as Beijing， will implement specific policies to control rapid population growth.

Rural Tourism

Vice Premier Wang Yang on October 10 urged more efforts to boost rural tourism， as the nation strives to increase farmers incomes and eliminate rural poverty.

During an inspection tour in Laishui County in north Chinas Hebei Province， Wang described the industry as a major means to develop impoverished areas.

“As the urbanization process advances， the beautiful scenery in the countryside has increasingly become a scarce resource that can provide a huge space for tourism，”Wang said.

Companies will be encouraged to create new business models， and the government will allow farmers to pledge their land management rights to raise funds for tourism businesses， Wang said. He also stressed the protection of the environment and culture.

Rural tourism is burgeoning in China， as urbanites increasingly flock to the countryside to get a taste of rural life during public holidays.

Last year， urban tourists made 2.2 billion trips to the countryside， and rural tourism revenue totaled 440 billion yuan （$65 billion）， according to the Ministry of Agriculture. The booming sector has created jobs for 6.3 million rural people.

Rights Report

China has issued an annual report on the nations progress on human rights in 2015.

The reports publisher， the China Society for Human Rights Studies， said in a statement on October 10 that the publication， also known as Chinas human rights blue paper， includes a general report， 17 special reports on various topics as well as two research， investigation and case study reports.

The general report analyzes Chinas progress in promoting peoples right to development through the implementation of the nations five new development concepts—innovation， coordination， eco-friendliness， opening up and sharing. It mentions the national commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II， which reflects the countrys understanding of the right to peace. The report also shows Chinas contributions to tackling climate change in order to safeguard peoples environmental rights.

The special reports cover the Chinese Governments efforts in protecting citizens rights in the fields of health， environment， legal proceedings and religion as well as its protection measures for medical workers， rural teachers and people living in poverty. The documents also report Chinas progress in combating gender discrimination， its work to ensure senior care and protection of minors， and commitments to UN peacekeeping missions.

The report is the sixth human rights blue paper China has published since 2011.

Data Security

Nearly 96 percent of Chinese mobile Internet users have been exposed to information security risks， and over 40 percent of them have experienced some form of loss， according to a new report.

Of those who have suffered losses， some have had money or their private information stolen from their mobile accounts， while many have had to spend extra time dealing with security risks， according to the report， which was released on October 10 by the China Internet Network Information Center.

By the end of 2015， the number of mobile Internet users in China—620 million—accounted for over 90 percent of the nations total Internet-user base.

However， 38 percent of mobile Internet users still believe it is “very safe” to surf the Web via smartphones， the report said， and it called for efforts to enhance safety awareness.

Nearly 45 percent of users have the habit of connecting to WiFi networks without first confirming their safety， which makes users vulnerable to theft of private information， the report said. About 19.6 percent of users said they make purchases or mobile payments while connected to public WiFi networks.

Senior Care

About 500，000 elderly people go missing in China every year， with most cases occurring in rural areas and smaller cities， where younger generations have left to work elsewhere and where elderly care is inadequate.

According to a survey jointly released on October 9 by the Zhongmin Social Assistance Institute and leading news platform Toutiao. com， 1，370 senior citizens， with an average age of 76， go missing every day. Women account for 58 percent of the total.

The survey found many of those missing have mental health issues， with 72 percent suffering from some form of memory impairment and 25 percent diagnosed with dementia.

According to the findings， many cases are related to poverty and inadequate care provided by family members after they migrate to large cities in search of higher wages. The survey called for the establishment of a national network to record and track down missing people and also recommended that aid centers arrange specialist personnel to look for the missing.

Furthermore， it suggested local governments in areas with large population outflows cooperate with social groups to assess the living conditions of senior citizens left behind and explore effective methods to prevent them from going missing.

Buddha Caves

Over 100 photographers from China and overseas gathered at the Mogao Caves in northwest Chinas Gansu Province on October 10 for Dunhuang on the Silk Road， an event encouraging photographic creativity and giving people a better understanding of the World Cultural Heritage site.

The Mogao Caves， also known as the Thousand-Buddha Caves， located about 25 km southeast of Dunhuang City， are one of the largest and best-preserved Buddhist art sites in the world.

According to the Dunhuang Academy， the authority in charge of the research， protection and management of the site， visitors to the caves had never been allowed to photograph the murals， and until the event， only members of the academy had taken pictures of the cave interiors.

The special photography program， lasting from October 10 to 15 and sponsored by the Dunhuang Academy and the provincial literature and art circles federation， aimed to publicize the art and historical richness of the caves.

Five caves dating from different historical periods were opened to the photographers. The photos will be reviewed by experts， and the selected ones will be published both on the academys official website and by the provincial photographersassociation.

Wang Xudong， head of Dunhuang Academy， said， “This activity is part of our efforts to showcase and protect Dunhuang culture. Hopefully， more people will understand the caves through the photographing and join the ranks that protect the precious cultural relics of humanity.”

The 1，600-year-old Mogao Caves feature a huge collection of Buddhist artwork—adherents to the Buddhist faith in ancient times created more than 2，000 sculptures and 45，000 square meters of frescoes in 735 caves carved out of a cliff face. In 1987， the site became the first in China to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Golden Couples

Senior couples walk on a red carpet during a celebration ceremony in Yantai， Shandong Province， on October 8， one day prior to the traditional Chongyang Festival， which was designated Chinas Seniors Day in 1989.

Building Collapse

Rescuers carry the body of a victim from the site of a collapsed building in Wenzhou， Zhejiang Province， on October 10.

Twenty-two people were confirmed dead after a residential building collapsed on the day in the citys Lucheng District.

Debt-for-Equity Swaps

The State Council on October 10 released a guideline on the longdiscussed debt-for-equity swaps plan， pledging that the scheme will be conducted in an orderly fashion as the country steps up efforts to tackle high corporate debt.

Companies with temporary difficulties but long-term potential will be able to exchange their debt for stocks， according to the guideline.

However， poorly performing“zombie enterprises” and those with bad credit records will be forbidden from participating， according to the State Council.

According to the plan， financial asset management firms， insurance fund management institutions and state investment firms are encouraged to conduct market-based debtfor-equity swaps. The plan prevents banks from directly swapping nonperforming loans.

But at a press conference on the issue on October 10， Wang Zhaoxing， Vice Chairman of the China Banking Regulatory Commission， said Chinese banks could apply to establish new qualified institutions to conduct swaps.

High corporate leverage in China has become a major threat to financial stability in recent years， especially as Chinas growth has faced persistent pressure.

Debt-for-equity swaps are generally believed to benefit both banks and struggling companies. They reduce the pressure on companies and free up bank balance sheets， releasing capital for investment.

Curbing Housing Bubbles

China has adopted further measures to rein in speculative home purchases， contain bubble risks and stabilize the property market.

A total of 21 cities in China released tightening measures on home purchases—requiring higher down payments and imposing purchase limits—from September 30 to October 8， marking a new round of controls aimed at cooling down the fizzling market.

Chinas housing market started to recover in the second half of 2015 after cooling for more than a year， boosted by interest rate cuts and lower deposits.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics， prices rose in over 90 percent of larger cities surveyed in August， up from 73 percent in July and 79 percent in June.

Prices in 100 major Chinese cities rose 14.9 percent in the first nine months of 2016， with August and September seeing record monthon-month growth of more than 2 percent， according to the China Index Academy， a private property research institute.

The price acceleration came as excess money supplies led to strong investment， with buyers looking to profit from further price increases in future， said Zhang Dawei， an analyst with Centaline Property.

The regulations should reduce property speculation while at the same time protecting ordinary homebuyers interests by providing more land for building， said Liao Junping， a professor at the Real Estate Department of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangdong Province.

In bigger cities， credit should be tightened， but for others—smaller cities with high inventories—the major task should be destocking， said Liao.

Power Generation

The Three Gorges Dam and power transmission lines in Yichang， Hubei Province， on October 10.

The Three Gorges Corp.s power generation reached 200 million kWh for the first time in the first three quarters of 2016， surging 35 percent year on year.

Antitrust Scrutiny

The Ministry of Commerce（MOFCOM） on October 9 dismissed concerns over obstacles for overseas enterprises intending to acquire Chinese firms， saying the government is impartial in its antitrust scrutiny.

China applies the same standards to all market entities in antimonopoly reviews， regardless of their form， scale and origin， MOFCOM spokesperson Shen Danyang told a regular news briefing.

He made the comments in response to a recent report in Japanese media that called for measures to prevent the unfair treatment of overseas firms by Chinas antitrust scrutiny policies.

China has lowered market thresholds and streamlined administrative approval procedures to improve the business environment for foreign investors.

The State Council agreed on October 8 that many administrative approval procedures will no longer be necessary for foreign firms to set up on the Chinese mainland， cutting roughly 95 percent.

According to the State Council， such investors are only required to report business plans to local regulators， as long as their business is not on the negative list， a list that spells out which sectors are closed or restricted for foreign investment. To invest in sectors outside the list， foreign investors do not require government approval and will enjoy the same treatment as domestic companies.

Foreign direct investment into the Chinese mainland rose 5.7 percent year on year to hit 57.3 billion yuan （$8.8 billion） in August， compared with a 1.6-percent drop in July， data from MOFCOM showed.

Excess Capacity Cut

China accomplished its excess capacity reduction goals for 2015， authorities announced on October 9.

All local governments met their annual goals to reduce excess capacity in a total of 16 sectors， including electricity， coal， steel and cement， according to a statement jointly released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the National Energy Administration.

Last year， China reduced its electricity production by about 5.3 million kilowatts， coal by 101 million tons， and crude iron and steel by 31 million tons. Those sectors annual reduction goals were set at about 4.2 million kilowatts， 78 million tons and 30 million tons respectively.

Cutting overcapacity is high on the Central Governments reform agenda， as excess capacity in sectors such as steel and coal has put pressure on the countrys overall economic performance.

China plans to cut steel and coal capacity by about 10 percent —as much as 150 million tons of steel and half a billion tons of coal —in the next few years， with funds set aside to help displaced workers.

High-Speed Railway

Construction of the Foping Station of the Xian-Chengdu High-Speed Railway continues on October 10.

The railway is a dual-track， electrified， high-speed rail line constructed by the China Railway 12th Bureau Group Co. Ltd. It will run 510 km through Shaanxi and Sichuan provinces and will accommodate trains traveling at up to 250 km per hour.

The project is expected to be completed in November 2017.

Mergers and Reorganization

The State Council issued guidelines on October 10 encouraging mergers and the reorganization of businesses in key industries， as China transitions toward a more open， marketoriented economy and tries to reduce leverage.

Businesses are encouraged to enter into trans-regional acquisitions and reorganization so that the country can create a larger number of higher-quality companies.

State-owned enterprises are encouraged to attract private capital through the sale of shares.

The guidelines urge the acceleration of reform of monopoly industries and the introduction of private capital to encourage investment from private sources.

Businesses struggling with overcapacity are advised to accelerate mergers and reorganization. Poorly performing “zombie enterprises” should be phased out from the market， according to the guidelines.

Mergers and reorganization should be pushed in industries with low concentration ratios or with lots of homogeneous competition， to improve profitability.

The government pledged financial support for these measures. Eligible enterprises are allowed to issue preference shares and convertible bonds to raise funds for these activities， according to the guidelines.

Electric Cars

Shanxi Province is planning to make Taiyuan， the provincial capital， and the cities of Jinzhong and Jincheng into production bases for electric cars， according to sources with the Shanxi Provincial Commission of Economy and Information Technology.

Several automobile manufacturers have invested in Shanxi. By 2020， the provinces annual electric car output is expected to exceed 120，000 units， while electric car ownership will surpass 200，000.

The province will spend 5.2 billion yuan （$773.9 million） on the construction of a recharging network， which will include centralized charging stations in all of its 283 cities， 60 intercity fast-charging stations， 190，000 recharging points and an electronic service platform. By the end of 2016， fastcharging stations will be installed in 38 expressway service areas.

To make Taiyuan the countrys first city to use only electric taxis， the local government began to phase out its 8，292 gas-powered taxis at the end of last year.

An electric taxi with a range of 400 km per charge， which costs 309，800 yuan （$46，108）， can be bought for 89，000 yuan （$13，245） thanks to government subsidies.

Harvest Season

A worker dries grain at a grain-processing factory in Leshan County， Changchun City， Jilin Province， on October 11.