ILLUMINATING SEA ROUTES

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ILLUMINATING SEA ROUTES

A lighthouse is inaugurated on Zhubi Reef in the South China Sea at a ceremony held by the Ministry of Transport on April 5.Construction of the lighthouse began in October 2015 on the reef in the Nansha Islands.

The 55-meter-high lighthouse has a light range of 22 nautical miles and a glowing cycle of fve seconds.It can provide navigation services such as positioning references，route guidance and safety information to ships，which will help improve navigation management and emergency response in the area.

Paying Tribute

Local residents mourn victims of the Nanjing Massacre from December 1937 to January 1938 at a ceremony in the Memorial Hall of the Victims in the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese lnvaders in Nanjing，Jiangsu Province，on April 4.

An estimated 13.4 million Chinese visited 150 major cemeteries across the country to honor their deceased relatives during the Tomb-Sweeping Day holiday on April 2-4.

Organ Donation

As of March 20，China had registered more than 66，000 voluntary organ donors，6，624 of whom have already donated their organs，saving about 18，000 lives，People's Daily reported on April 1.

The country began a voluntary organ donation trial in 2010 and promoted the practice across the country in 2013.Now，it tops Asia for the number of organ donations per year，said Wang Pei'an，Vice Minister of the National Health and Family Planning Commission （NHFPC）.

Statistics from the NHFPC showed that 2，766 volunteers donated organs last year，with 7，785 large organs acquired.The number of organ donations exceeded 2013 and 2014 combined.

ln 2015，doctors nationwide performed more than 10，000 transplants，with 74 percent of the organs transplanted from volunteers and 26 percent from relatives.

Despite the growing number of organ donors，China still faces a great challenge in promoting organ donation since traditional beliefs assert that organ removal after death desecrates a corpse.

Bribery Charge

Guo Boxiong，former Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission，the highest authority that runs China's armed forces，confessed to taking bribes and was charged with alleged bribe-taking，according to military procurators on April 5.

Prosecutors have fnished the investigation into Guo's alleged graft case and started the procedure to prosecute him，said a statement from the military procuratorate.

Guo，who has been under investigation since April 9，2015，was found to have taken advantage of his position to assist others' promotions and reassignments，accepting an extremely huge amount of bribe personally and through his family，the statement said.

EMBA Exam

The qualifcation examination for the Executive Master of Business Administration，or EMBA，is to be included as part of China's national entrance examination for postgraduate studies beginning in 2017.

According to the China National MBA Education Supervisory Committee，the enrollment cut-off point will also be unifed by education authorities and made public.

The Ministry of Education released a set of new guidelines standardizing the education and recruitment of Master of Business Administration students in March.

As of December 1，2016，no academic institutions will be allowed to organize EMBA entrance examinations in their own right.

Supervision of course assessments，and the process of student thesis writing will also be tightened up.

There will be a ban on conferring degrees of a lower standard，and the practice of “purchasing.”

Autism Aid

A total of 36，000 autistic children from poor families now receive rehabilitation aid，the China Disabled Persons' Federation （CDPF） said on April 2.

The China Education Association estimated that the total number of people in China with autism could be over 10 million，with about 2 million children under 14 years of age.

Education of autistic children in China is largely dependent upon private rehabilitation schools and training centers.There are 77，000 autistic children registered in rehabilitation organizations nationwide.

The government has invested 432 million yuan （$66.66 million）in rehabilitation for autistic children，but still more are in urgent need of professional help.

The government promises to invest more in the education and rehabilitation of autistic children，and a public medical aid system will also be established，said the CDPF.

Artificial Cornea

China's frst artifcial cornea product was licensed and released onto the market in 2015，according to the China Food and Drug Administration （CFDA）.

The product has proved effec-tive in treating corneal ulcers，the CFDA said in a report released on April 1.

China holds intellectual property rights to the product's core technology，according to the administration.

Kid Caring

China has established a system to take care of rural left-behind children whose parents migrate to cities to make a living，according to a document issued on April 5.

The system comprises several ministerial-level departments，the Supreme People's Court，the Supreme People's Procuratorate，and organizations related to women，youngsters and disabled people，among others.

Annual work plans and suggestions will be made through the new system to the State Council and activities from different institutions will be coordinated to tackle the issue.

lmproving the assistance and protection for rural left-behind children is also a major goal of the system，according to the document posted on the website of the State Council，the cabinet.

Leopards in Focus

A large number of endangered snow leopards were caught on camera on the north face of Mount Qomolangma，also known as Mount Everest in the West，researchers said on March 30.

A total of 17，304 photos were taken by 64 infrared cameras placed in Gyirong County in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region，said Lhapa Tsering，an offcial with the Administration Bureau of the Qomolangma National Reserve.

Among the photos，606 contained snow leopards and the rest captured movements of lynxes，red foxes，bharal blue sheep，golden eagles and other endangered animals.

The Qomolangma Snow Leopard Conservation Center and the Wildlife lnstitute of Beijing Forestry University surveyed the population density of wild snow leopards in Tingri and Gyirong counties on the north face of the mountain from October to November of 2015.

Gao Yufang，Executive Director of the Qomolangma Snow Leopard Conservation Center，said that the population of snow leopards in the area still cannot be determined，but researchers will come up with more specifc protection plans for the species after collecting additional information on their population，prey and habitat.

Snow leopards，one of China's class-A protected animals，are usually found in the Himalayas in central and south Asia at altitudes between 3，000 and 5，500 meters.Worldwide，less than 10，000 snow leopards are estimated to be living，with about 2，500 to 3，500 in China.

Space Probe

A Long March 2-D rocket carrying the SJ-10 satellite blasts off at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China's Gansu Province on April 6.

The retrievable scientifc research satellite will aid scientists back on Earth in studying microgravity and space life science.

Intern Exchange

China and France have launched an exchange scheme under which 1，000 young people in China can apply for internships in enterprises in France.

Under an agreement reached by the two countries in November 2015，Chinese enterprises will also accept 1，000 French interns for up to six months，according to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.

The program is open to Chinese students with three years of higher education，or those who have held a diploma for under a year.

This is the frst intern exchange between China and France，the ministry said.

Record Maker

An expert introduces The Zhou Village，an oil painting by master artist Wu Guanzhong，during a preview of Poly Auction's spring sale in Hong Kong on April 2.

The painting was sold for HK$236 million （$30.42 million） on April 4，setting a new high among contemporary Chinese oil paintings.

Growing Bank Cards

The total number of bank cards issued by China's banking institutions reached 5.44 billion at the end of last year，putting average per capita bank card ownership at 3.99，the latest data from the People's Bank of China showed on April 5.

Debit card issuance reached 5.01 billion and credit cards totaled 432 million.

As of the end of 2015，banking institutions had extended 7.08 trillion yuan （$1.1 trillion） in credit to credit card owners，increasing 26.4 percent year on year.

Credit card loans more than six months overdue accounted for 1.23 percent of the total credit loans outstanding，down 0.3 percentage points from the ratio seen a year earlier，the central bank said.

Dismissing Downgraded Rating

ln response to lowering the outlook on China's sovereign credit rating from stable to negative by Standard & Poor's （S&P） and Moody's，China's Vice Finance Minister Shi Yaobin said on April 1 that rating agencies have overstated China's economic diffculties.

S&P on March 31 said that China's sovereign credit rating had slipped to negative because excessive government spending and debt may curb growth.lt did，however，maintain the rating at AA-，saying the government's reform agenda was on track，albeit at a slower-thanexpected pace.

Moody's made a similar decision earlier in March，based on expectations that China's fscal strength would continue to decline，its forex reserve cuts and uncertainty about economic reforms.

“Rating agencies need not worry about China's economic restructuring，debt，state-owned enterprise reform and fnancial market risks.They need an in-depth and comprehensive evaluation of China's achievements and structural reform development，” Shi said.

Shi further promoted the economy's growth potential，strong resilience and ample leeway，saying that the ongoing supply-side reform，among other factors，will support a medium-high speed of growth.

New High-Speed Railway

A bullet train is ready for a trial run in Zhengzhou East Railway Station on April 5.

The 361.9-km-long railway，linking Zhengzhou，capital of central China's Henan Province，and Xuzhou of east China's Jiangsu Province，is designed to run bullet trains with speeds of 350 km per hour.The new railway will serve as a passenger trunk line to improve transport from east to west in China.

Land Sales Slow

Land sales slowed sharply in China last year，as the property market cooled and the country faced economic headwinds，the Ministry of Finance （MOF） said on April 5.

Land sales by local governments amounted to 3.37 trillion yuan （$517.8 billion），plunging 21.6 percent year on year，according to a statement posted on the MOF website.

Sales fell year on year by 23.6 percent in east China，by 17.3 percent in central China，and by 21.2 percent in the west.

Only a handful of cities and provinces saw sales growth，with southern city Shenzhen rising the most—36.9 percent year on year.

“Shenzhen's robust land sales were mainly due to its red-hot property market and the booming economy，which pushed land prices higher，” the statement said.

The northeastern port city of Dalian saw the biggest drop in land sales，falling 56.4 percent.Ningbo in east China's Zhejiang Province，and lnner Mongolia Autonomous Region were both down by more than half，according to the statement.

Fertilizer Investment Abroad

Chinese fertilizer producer Hubei Xinyangfeng has secured its frst allotment of farmland outside of China，after it purchased a farm in southern New South Wales，Australia.

The Chinese company has pledged to spend $50 million setting up a number of locations in Australia，beginning its operations by purchasing the farm for $4 million.

According to a spokesperson from the producer，the company hopes to further expand its international operations by openingup a number of Australian sites，including setting up a new watersoluble fertilizer project and farming business.

The purchase would ensure the Chinese company has a solid base for expansion in Australia.

Hubei Xinyangfeng is one of China's largest fertilizer producers.

Duty-Free Shop Opens

A duty-free shop located in Beijing's southeast suburb of Yizhuang starts business on April 3.

Consumers can buy quality goods imported from over 40 countries and regions with prices 10-30 percent lower than those offered by traditional retailers.

Driverless Cars

ln the race for driverless cars，Chinese lT giant Baidu is helping to lead the pack.ln the next fve years，the company aims to make the technology available to the public，according to Wang Jing，Senior Vice President of Baidu.

“ln three to fve years，we'll bring down the cost of radar sensors to below 20，000 yuan （$3，100），” Wang said in an interview on March 30.

The company will choose 10 cities to test driverless cars this year，encouraging greater safety based on data and analytics.ln three years，Baidu aims to commercialize the technology and mass production will be achieved in fve years.

By launching the project on self-driving cars in 2013，Baidu joined the race with lnternet giants and car makers in a crowded market.Companies such as Google and Tesla Motors are investing big in the feld，hoping the technology will disrupt the future of traveling，and so far are delivering.

Energy Use Target

China aims to keep total energy consumption at around 4.34 billion tons of standard-coal equivalent in 2016，with non-fossil fuel consumption rising to 13 percent，the National Energy Administration said on April 1.

Gas consumption will account for 6.3 percent of total energy consumption this year and the proportion of coal consumption will fall below 63 percent，according to a guideline issued by the administration.

On the supply side，the country is expected to produce 3.6 billion tons of standard coal equivalent in 2016，with crude output reaching 200 million tons and gas output standing at 144 billion cubic meters.

The country aims to reduce energy consumption per unit of GDP by at least 3.4 percent year on year in 2016，according to this guideline.

The administration called for efforts to promote clean energy and emission reductions，further optimizing the country's energy structure and strengthen international energy cooperation.

Property Profit Declines

Half of China's listed property developers saw their net profts decline last year，as the country's real estate market cooled.

Among 59 real estate frms that have disclosed their annual results，30 reported declines in net proft.From those，eight posted losses，the Centaline Property Agency said on April 5.

The 59 frms reported total revenues of 510 billion yuan （$78.8 billion），up 24.8 percent year on year.Their net income rose 9.4 percent on average，down from 10.5 percent a year ago.

Zhang Dawei，chief analyst at Centaline Property，said although many others have yet to disclose the results，they are expected to report proft declines too.

Meanwhile，many developers are trying to diversify their business to seek new growth drivers.Wanda，Greenland and Evergrande have launched fnancial services.

Su Xuejing，an analyst with China Securities Co.Ltd.，said the transition is in line with the country's efforts to adjust its economic structure and transform its growth model.

Solar Power Plant

The largest photovoltaic power station in north China is connected to the grid in Tianjin on March 31.

The new energy plant is expected to generate 180 million kwh per year，the equivalent of total annual electricity consumption of 68，000 families.