TEX-OLYMPIAN ELECTED AS ISU COUNCIL MEMBER

Former short-track speed skater Yang Yang was elected to the Speed Skating Council of the International Skating Union with the highest number of votes of all candidates at the unions 56th Ordinary Congress in Croatia on June 10. She is the first female member of the council in history.

After her election， Yang said on Chinas most-used social networking app WeChat， “My success is inseparable from the strong support of our country， as China has made a huge contribution to the winter games with achievements gaining worldwide acknowledgment.”

Yang， 40， won Chinas first Winter Olympics gold medal in the 500-meter event in Salt Lake City， the United States， in 2002. She captured an astounding 59 world titles during an illustrious sports career. After retiring from skating in 2006， she has been actively engaged in various international sports organizations. In 2010， she was elected to the International Olympic Committee （IOC）， becoming the first Chinese athlete to serve as an IOC member.

Poisonous Tracks

Beijing Times June 15

Recently， students in a number of Chinese cities are reported to have symptoms like nosebleeds， rashes and coughs after new rubberized artificial running tracks have been used in their schools.

But surprisingly， these tracks are all said to be “up to the national standard”after testing. The two major national standards being applied to rubberized artificial running tracks are recommended for professional athletes， not for kids and teenagers. Whats worse， there are many loopholes in the bidding process and the production of the tracks.

Now that the current national standards are known to be unsafe for youngsters， the government should improve supervision over the sector. Most importantly， it should bring producers of poisonous products to justice.

Actions are needed now. Rubberized artificial running tracks should be as safe as school buildings. Since the Wenchuan earthquake in 2008， governments at all levels have allocated a lot of funds to reinforce buildings in primary and middle schools. After years of effort， school buildings in China are safe and sound. Running tracks， desks and chairs are also in need of improvement.

Local governments should check all running tracks in primary and middle schools， and roll out a new safety standard for rubberized artificial running tracks used on campus.

The Post-2000 Generation

South Reviews June 1-14

Its time to get to know those who were born between the year 2000 and 2010， a group referred to as the post-2000 generation in China. Some of them have reached puberty， a vital period for a humans self-development. Understanding them may help us catch a glimpse of the elements that are bound to influence the future of society.

Born into a society in which stability and development are prominently featured， post-2000 children are mostly carefree， for the time being. They are enjoying the convenience of the Internet era. In their eyes， the world is flat and all competitors have an equal opportunity.

The generation is keen on trying new and different things and therefore seems rebellious to their parents. They are eager to express themselves， often uploading comments while watching videos online. Moreover， they like online reading and communicate in a special language alien to adults， which consists of Japanese and Korean words and strange signs.

They view playing video games as a way of learning， and entertainment as an indispensable part of life. They are crazy about pop idols—take the TFboys， a popular trio of youngsters in China， for example—but are indifferent to sport stars. The generations lifestyle has accelerated compared to previous ones. Puppy love is prevalent among them， and teenagers are often seen kissing in public. Though never shy to make critical comments to their elders， this generation has a paper heart for setbacks and criticism from others.

Its hard to pigeonhole the post-2000 generation， since its members are still growing. But one thing that is certain is that they are strikingly different from previous generations.

High-Speed Railway Does Not Go Global In One Day

Economic Daily June 14

U.S. private company XpressWest said in early June that it had terminated its joint venture activities with China Railway International U.S.A. regarding the 370-km high-speed passenger rail between Las Vegas and Los Angeles. In response， the latter said it has been dealing with the case according to law.

Its not the first breach of a high-speed railway contract between China and other countries. At the end of 2014， Mexico revoked the high-speed railway deal with a Chinese enterprise just days after the bid- ding due to domestic issues. No matter what the reason is， its irresponsible for a party to hurriedly sign a contract and then refuse to carry it out soon after. Such behavior would definitely affect the other party.

When facing such types of civil wrongdoing， Chinese companies should cope with cases in a lawful manner. Whats more， we should remain confident in our high-speed rail. China has nearly 20，000 km of high-speed railway lines， accounting for over half of the worlds total. China is experienced in constructing and operating them. Rome was not built in one day. It takes time for Chinas railway to win the hearts of international consumers.

In addition， high-speed lines are of strategic significance to all countries， and their construction demands abundant money and time. It therefore takes far greater effort to secure a high-speed rail deal than most other business projects.

TLATE FORESTRY PROFESSOR PRAISED

Li Baoguo， a late professor at Hebei Agricultural University， was posthumously recognized as a role model for Chinese officials， educators and scientists. President Xi Jinping has recently called on them to learn from Lis unselfish devotion to public interest.

Li provided his scientific research results to farmers in villages near the Taihang Mountains in north Chinas Hebei Province， free of charge. His findings in tree-planting have been applied to 1.22 million hectares of land， generating revenue of 3.5 billion yuan （$530 million）. Notably， he was directly involved in the afforestation of more than 93，000 hectares of barren mountains and helped 100，000 farmers out of poverty.

Li spent over 200 days of the year in rural areas， helping local factories and farmers solve technical problems. He refused any material rewards they offered him.

He died of a heart attack on April 10 at the age of 58.

“A global stock index without Chinese A-shares is incomplete.”

Deng Ge， spokesman for the China Securities Regulatory Commission， responding on June 15 to global equity indexes provider MSCIs decision to delay the inclusion of Shanghai- and Shenzhen-listed stocks， or A-shares， on its emerging market index

“The community of interest that is your view of the future of the world is absolutely and directly relevant to the development of the Silk Road.”

Gordon Brown， former British Prime Minister， commenting on the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative during the Sino-European Entrepreneurs Summit in London on June 13

“We plan to land Change-4 at the Aitken Basin because the region is believed to be a place with great scientific research potential.”

Liu Tongjie， an official with the China National Space Administration， explaining why China is to land the lunar probe in the south pole region on the far side of the moon in 2018

“Once China joins the International Organization for Migration （IOM）， it will play a bigger role in international migration， and contribute Chinese wisdom to enhance international cooperation on migration.”

Lu Kang， spokesman of the Foreign Ministry， confirming that China has submitted an application paper to join the IOM on June 13