REPATRIATED CRIMINAL SUSPECT

Huang Haiyong， who is suspected of smuggling crude soybean oil into China and had been on the run for 18 years， was repatriated on July 17， the first extradition of a criminal suspect from Latin America to China.

An earlier investigation found that Huang， together with his accomplices， bought and sold 107，000 tons of crude soybean oil tax free from 1996 to 1998 by establishing false bonded warehouses. Huang was charged with evading taxes worth 700 million yuan （$105 million）.

The International Criminal Police Organization （Interpol）， an intergovernmental organization facilitating international police cooperation， issued a global arrest warrant for Huang in 2001 at the request of the Chinese Government. Huang was captured by the local branch of Interpol upon his arrival in Peru in October 2008. After years of consultations on extradition proceedings， Perus Constitutional Court agreed on May 23 to allow his extradition to China.

Half-Year Global Review

Outlook Weekly July 18

The international situation in the first half of the year exhibited six prominent features：

First， risks in the global economic and financial system rose. Overall， the downward pressure on the global economy increased， and the financial situation in a number of countries worsened. After the U.S. Federal Reserve hiked its benchmark interest rate， a large amount of U.S. dollars flowed back to the United States. As a result， developing countries currencies depreciated， their debt accumulated and their financial risks increased.

Second， strategic games between major powers became more frequent， and both traditional and non-traditional security threats worsened. Confrontation between Russia and NATO is poised to escalate. In the meantime， the so-called “Islamic State”group has expanded its reach.

Third， social and political conflicts in Western countries got worse. Given the widening wealth gap and shrinking middle class， the public increasingly took to strikes and demonstrations to voice their discontent.

Fourth， major countries cooperated in dealing with terrorism， hot-button regional issues such as North Koreas nuclear program， climate change and widespread epidemics.

Fifth， China played a larger role in international affairs as the Belt and Road Initiative continued to unfold.

Sixth， geopolitical risks and security threats increased in areas surrounding China. The United States dispatched airplanes and vessels to approach Chinas islands and reefs in the South China Sea multiple times in the name of freedom of navigation. The recent ruling of the South China Sea arbitration initiated by the Philippines opened up opportunities for countries outside the region to meddle in the issue.

Aircraft Engine Manufacturing

Oriental Outlook July 14

While Chinas aviation industry has made remarkable achievements over the past 60 years， the nations aircraft engine manufacturing capacity remains weak. Almost all of the engines used in domestically produced civil aircraft are imported. Engines used in military aircraft， meanwhile， are primarily made up of either foreign imports or imitations of such， and only a few are domestically designed and produced.

China started to develop aircraft engine manufacturing in the 1950s following the establishment in 1951 of three aircraft engine repair factories in northeastern cities of Harbin and Shenyang and Zhuzhou in the south. By the middle of that decade， China had become one of the few countries worldwide able to mass produce military jet engines. When plans for domestically producing military aircraft were shelved in the early 1980s， however， the associated design of jet engines was also suspended. China consequently lags behind advanced nations in aviation engine manufacturing by 20-30 years.

As research and development of new aircraft engines usually take 15-20 years， such development often precedes the design of new airplanes. In China， however， the order is reversed. Only when an airplane project is approved will the corresponding engine development begin.

Chinas aircraft engine manufacturing industry also lacks core technology. The government should play a dominant role in areas of cutting-edge technology such as aircraft engine manufacturing by offering more financial support.

Ordering Food Online

The Beijing Times July 14

Ordering food online to be delivered is extremely convenient， and platforms that provide the service are thriving and have great growth potential. A lack of supervision over the industry， however， has given rise to food safety issues that endanger public health. For instance， one such provider， Ele.me， was exposed by China Central Television in March for allowing unlicensed vendors to list on its platform and for helping sellers to fake photos of their restaurants.

In order to regulate online food-vending platforms， the China Food and Drug Administration， the countrys food safety watchdog， has recently published new regulations. According to the new rules， such platforms should record information about the food vendors they list， keep it up to date， and ensure that the vendors they deal with have appropriate food-vending licenses. The regulations form part of Chinas Food Safety Law， which comes into force on October 1. Some municipalities and provinces， including Beijing， Shanghai， Zhejiang， Sichuan and Fujian， have unveiled their own specific regulations regarding the safety of food sold online.

While the Internet has changed business models and consumer habits， the moral integrity of market entities should still be upheld. Online shops and platforms should obey the laws and regulations governing food safety. Compared with using traditional catering outlets， the use of online services potentially exposes consumers to greater risk and makes safeguarding their rights more difficult. Improving regulations and tightening supervision of the industry， therefore， are urgent tasks.

YOUNGEST CHINESE TO COMPETE IN RIO

Ai Yanhan， 14， will be the youngest athlete of the Chinese contingent to compete in the upcoming Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro， Brazil， from August 5 to 21.

Ai， a swimmer， will compete in the womens 200-meter freestyle and 4x200-meter freestyle relay. The Chinese delegation for Rio， unveiled at a ceremony staged in Beijing on July 18， includes 416 athletes， 35 of whom are former Olympic champions.

Ai hails from Wuhan， capital of central Chinas Hubei Province， and started to have swimming lessons at the age of 6. She won bronze in the womens 200-meter freestyle at the National Swimming Championships held in Foshan， Guangdong Province， in April and thereby secured the right to participate in the Rio Olympics.

“Many HIV/AIDS patients are now in a state of anxiety， and they have no idea how their information， which is assumed confidential， was leaked.”

Bai Hua， chief of BHL China League， an online inter active platform for HIV/AIDS patients based in Beijing， speaking about a recent suspected leak of information about people living with HIV in China

“All political parties in the United States should view Chinas development in an objective and rational manner and correctly understand the issues that emerge in bilateral ties.”

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang， commenting on the 2016 platform of the Republican Party adopted on July 18， which contains accusations against China on issues related to Taiwan， Tibet， trade and the South China Sea

“Going back to negotiations is the only way to move forward with the disputes in the South China Sea.”

Zhao Qizheng， former Minister of the State Council Information Office， at the Think Tank Seminar on South China Sea and Regional Cooperation and Development in Singapore on July 18

“We are ready to explore an innovative pricing approach to support the inclusion of Cervarix into public cervical cancer immunization programs.”

Hervé Gisserot， GlaxoSmithKline Senior Vice President， speaking about the pricing of the pharmaceutical giants human papilloma virus （HPV） vaccine Cervarix， the first HPV vaccine licensed for use on the Chinese mainland to help women fight cervical cancer