China: Daily Scan, May 27, 2022

Top legislator stresses legal safeguards for tranquil environment: Xinhuanet
May 26, 2022

Chinese top legislator Li Zhanshu on Thursday called for better laws and law enforcement to foster a “tranquil” environment for the people. Li, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, made the remarks at a symposium on the enforcement of the Noise Pollution Prevention and Control Law. Click here to read…

Li Xi elected Party chief of China’s Guangdong: Xinhuanet
May 26, 2022

Li Xi has been elected secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Li was elected to the post at the first plenary session of the 13th CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee on Thursday. Click here to read…

Xi meets representatives to meeting on handling public complaints: Xinhuanet
May 26, 2022

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday met with representatives to a national meeting on work related to the handling of people’s complaints. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, offered warm congratulations to the exemplary individuals and groups honored at the meeting, and extended sincere greetings to officials and people working in the system for addressing public complaints. Click here to read…

Chinese FM underlines “four upholdings” in ties with Pacific island countries:

Xinhuanet
May 27, 2022

Visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Thursday that China will continue “the four upholdings” in developing its relations with the Pacific island countries. At a joint press conference with Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele, Wang said the China-Solomon Islands relations have made unprecedented headway in recent years, which has brought tangible benefits to the people in the region. Click here to read…

China, Venezuela vow to strengthen communication between legislatures: Xinhuanet

May 26, 2022

Wang Chen, vice chairman of the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, met with Iris Varela, First Vice President of Venezuela’s National Assembly, via video link on Thursday. Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said the two countries firmly support each other’s core interests and major concerns. Click here to read…

China to advance efforts in joining CPTPP, DEPA trade pacts: Xinhuanet
May 26, 2022

China will continue to advance its accession into the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA), the commerce ministry said Thursday. Click here to read…

China vows all-out efforts to stabilize industrial, supply chains: Xinhuanet
May 26, 2022

China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOC) on Thursday said that the country will make all-out efforts to stabilize the industrial and supply chains of foreign trade enterprises. Logistics performance is gradually improving nationwide, and China will ensure the smooth transportation of foreign trade goods across the country, MOC spokesperson Gao Feng said at a news briefing. Click here to read…

Chinese official urges high-quality development of digital economy: Xinhuanet
May 26, 2022

A senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Thursday called for leveraging strategic opportunities to accelerate the high-quality development of the digital economy. Huang Kunming, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks while addressing via video link the opening ceremony of the China International Big Data Industry Expo 2022 held in Guiyang, southwest China’s Guizhou Province. Click here to read…

Chinese scientists design tiny, wriggling inspection robot: Xinhuanet
May 26, 2022

Chinese scientists have developed a tiny robot with “muscles” and “feet” that can wriggle its way around like an earthworm through pipes smaller than a centimeter in diameter. The 2.2-gram, 47-millimeter-long robot, powered by an electric tether, can be potentially used for inspecting complex, narrow pipelines inside aircraft engines or oil refinery machinery, according to the study published on Thursday in the journal Science Robotics. Click here to read…

Xin Changxing elected Party chief of China’s Qinghai: Xinhuanet
May 26, 2022

Xin Changxing has been elected secretary of the Qinghai Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Xin was elected to the post at the first plenary session of the 14th CPC Qinghai Provincial Committee on Thursday. Click here to read…

China continues to raise basic pension payments for retirees: Xinhuanet
May 26, 2022

China will raise the basic pension payments for retirees in 2022, the 18th consecutive year of increase, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security announced Thursday. The average monthly payment for pensioners of enterprises, government agencies and public institutions will be lifted by 4 percent from the 2021 level, said a circular jointly issued by the human resources ministry and the Ministry of Finance. Click here to read…

Hong Kong continues tracing COVID-19 through sewage surveillance: Xinhuanet
May 26, 2022

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government said Thursday that the COVID-19 virus continues to be detected in sewage samples from different areas in Hong Kong, indicating that there may be hidden cases in the premises in these areas. Click here to read…

More macro measures seen: Quishi
May 26, 2022

China has launched a new package of fiscal and monetary support to alleviate difficulties facing market players as part of the country’s policy mix that might further unfold in the coming weeks to offset a rise in economic challenges, experts said on Tuesday. Click here to read…

US is world’s No 1 bully, defense ministry says: China Daily
May 26, 2022

When it comes to bullying in international relations, the United States is the undisputed initiator and master, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense said on Thursday.
The spokesman, Senior Colonel Wu Qian, made the remarks at a news conference in response to some comments made by US senior military officials. Click here to read…

Provinces relaxing traffic restrictions to normalize shipping flows: China Daily
May 26, 2022

Many Chinese cities have eased traffic restrictions in response to measures recently rolled out by the State Council to boost the economy amid COVID-19 flare-ups on the mainland. The State Council, China’s Cabinet, rolled out 33 measures to stabilize growth earlier this week, including steps to cancel traffic restrictions for people from low-risk areas and ensuring free PCR tests are provided to passenger and freight transport drivers. Click here to read…

Insurance program launched in Beijing to encourage vaccination among the elderly: Global Times
May 27, 2022

The insurance industry in Beijing is making efforts to promote vaccination among the local elderly by launching an insurance program for vaccinated people aged 60 and above, the Beijing banking and insurance regulatory bureau told media. It will be paid by the government with a cap of 500,000 yuan ($74,200) in personal liability. Click here to read…

Blinken’s long-awaited China policy address ‘unexciting’: Global Times
May 27, 2022

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivered a speech on the country’s China strategy on Thursday, describing China as the “most serious long-term challenge to the international order” but stressed the US does not want a new Cold War. Click here to read…

China to champion multinationals’ setup of domestic big data R&D centers: Global Times
May 27, 2022

China will champion the overseas expansion of domestic big data firms while supporting the setup of big data research and development (R&D) centers by multinationals in the country, the minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Xiao Yaqing, said on Thursday at the opening of an annual big data expo in Guiyang, capital of Southwest China’s Guizhou Province. Click here to read…

U.S. poses biggest nuclear threat to world, says Chinese spokesperson: People’s Daily
May 27, 2022

A Chinese military spokesperson on Thursday refuted remarks by some U.S. military officials to hype up the so-called Chinese “nuclear threat” and “bullying behaviors,” saying the United States is the biggest nuclear threat to the international community and the one that undermines the rules-based international order.
Click here to read…

Global firms warn of sluggish China demand due to lengthy COVID curbs: Reuters
May 27, 2022

Two months into harsh COVID-19 lockdowns that have choked global supply chains, China’s economy is staggering back to its feet, but businesses from retailers to chipmakers are warning of slow sales as consumers in the country slam the brakes on spending. Click here to read…

U.S. to remain focused on China in the midst of Russia’s war, says Blinken: Kyodo
May 27, 2022

The United States views China as posing “the most serious long-term challenge to the international order” and will remain focused on Beijing even in the midst of Russia’s war in Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday. The United States, however, is not seeking to block China from its role as a major power, nor is it looking for conflict or a new Cold War, the top U.S. diplomat said amid growing tensions over Taiwan, a self-ruled democratic island Beijing views as its own. Click here to read…

Premier Li signals ‘clear urgency’ on reviving economy, but no change to zero-Covid: South China Morning Post
May 27, 2022

Premier Li Keqiang’s honest assessment of the stress facing China’s economy and rare warning of a potential contraction in the second quarter after two months of zero-Covid containment show Beijing is stepping up efforts to stabilise the economy, analysts say.
Li’s video conference with more than 100,000 government cadres on Wednesday also reinforced the pressure Beijing is putting on local authorities to prevent economic growth losing momentum. Click here to read…

Chinese mainland reports 80 new local confirmed COVID-19 cases: Xinhuanet
May 27, 2022

The Chinese mainland on Thursday reported 80 locally-transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases, of which 45 were in Shanghai and 22 in Beijing, the National Health Commission said Friday.
Click here to read…

Chinese scientists find gene for drought resistance in rice: Xinhuanet
May 27, 2022

A Chinese research team has found a new gene that can improve rice’s drought resistance, said a study recently published in Plant Biotechnology Journal. The gene OsRINGzf1 could reduce cell water loss by reducing water channels in cells, thus improving the rice plant’s ability to retain water under drought conditions, said the study. Click here to read…

Chinese premier stresses need for concrete efforts to ensure summer harvest: Xinhuanet
May 27, 2022

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Thursday underlined that solid efforts should be put into this year’s summer harvest. Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks at a national teleconference. Click here to read…