News Roundup

China

Five-Year plan on education

China will release its 13th Five-Year Plan on education this year to deepen reform and promote the modernization of education， the National Development and Reform Commission said. NGOs will be encouraged to invest in education and efforts will be made to promote the integrated development of education in urban and rural areas. The development of education in Chinas central and western regions will be accelerated during the 2016-20 period and teaching facilities will be improved in schools in poor areas for the nine-year compulsory education， said the NDRC. The five-year plan on education will also focus on bilingual education in ethnic minority areas， and education of left-behind children in rural areas and children of migrant workers in cities. The plan stresses the importance of expanding high school enrollment in Chinas central and western areas and minority areas.

China-Gambia

resuming diplomatic ties

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Gambian counterpart Neneh MacDouallGaye signed a joint communique in Beijing on March 17 on the resumption of bilateral diplomatic relations.

According to the communique， the Chinese Government supports the Gambian Government in its efforts to safeguard national sovereignty and develop the economy. The Gambian Government recognizes that there is only one China in the world， the Government of the Peoples Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China and Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinas territory. The Gambian Government undertakes not to establish any official relations or engage in any official contact with Taiwan， it says. The Chinese Government appreciates this position of the Gambian Government.

The two countries established formal diplomatic links in 1974， but China suspended the relations in 1995 when the Gambia resumed so-called “diplomatic” ties with Taiwan. The Gambia severed ties with Taiwan in 2013.

Kenya

Insurance program for Farmers

Kenya has launched an insurance program designed to address challenges that farmers may face when there are natural disasters， such as droughts and floods. The World Bank-backed Kenya National Agricultural Insurance Program is designed as a partnership between the government and the private sector. World Bank Country Director for Kenya， Diarietou Gaye， said in a statement on March 14 that one program line would focus on livestock insurance， while another would focus on maize and wheat insurance.“This program is aimed at improving farmers financial resilience to these shocks and will enable them to adopt improved production processes to help break the poverty cycle of low investment and low returns，” Gaye said. She said the majority of the poor in Kenya are farmers， thus the program has the potential to have a significant impact on Kenyas economic development.

China-Africa

protection of Wildlife

A strategic engagement between China and African nations to strengthen protection of iconic wildlife species is critical， the Executive Director of UNEP， Achim Steiner， said on March 2. Steiner said China is a critical partner in efforts to tackle threats facing Africas wildlife treasures.

“We commend Chinas efforts to curb illegal trafficking of ivory through better monitoring and screening mechanisms alongside public awareness， though Chinese demand and continued illegal trade of wildlife products into China still remains a challenge，”Steiner remarked. The Chinese Government has partnered with African countries to re-energize the war against poaching of endangered mammals like elephants and rhinos.

Africa

Uniting against Cybercrime

Participants at an international conference on cybercrime in the Senegalese capital Dakar in March urged African countries to coordinate their efforts in the fight against cybercrime.

“The strategy for digital security cannot be developed by a single country. It requires involvement of all countries. Cyberspace does not have borders，” said Dominique Riban， Deputy Director General of the French National Agency for Information Systems Security.

The United States estimates that $500 billion is lost annually throughout the world due to cybercrime. El Hadji Ndiogou Diouf， a director at Senegals Investment Promotion Ministry， said that cyber security is a major concern for the overall security of states. “The fight against cybercrime will guarantee state security， reinforce protection of Internet users， reduce all criminal acts and guarantee economic growth for all，” he added. The two-day Dakar forum brought together experts from African governments as well as international experts to discuss issues related to cybercrime and measures to secure information systems.

ZAmbiA

agricultural blueprint

The Zambian Government will launch a new agriculture policy that will drive the development of the sector. The policy， covering the period 2016-21， will form part of the countrys revised National Agricultural Investment Plan. Minister of Agriculture， Given Lubinda， said the policy will help reduce poverty through increasing investment， productivity and value chains in the sector. The policy will also look at putting emphasis on the challenge of lack of mechanization in order to improve productivity. This will be done through research， irrigation as well as support for infrastructures such as roads and bridges.

SoUTh Africa

Chinese language teaching

The process of formalizing the policy for teaching Chinese is at an advanced stage， according to South Africas Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga on March 7. There are 14 schools which are currently teaching Chinese and a list of 13 new schools has been proposed for 2016， according to the minister. “I am happy to announce that 2，000 textbooks will be donated by the Chinese Government to assist in teaching Chinese in schools until a South African textbook is developed. We are also looking at establishing e-learning classrooms for the pilot schools teaching Chinese，” the minister said. A dialogue on educational policy and research between China and South Africa is being planned in partnership with the Chinese National Institute of Education Sciences.

World Chess Champion

The 22-year-old Chinese chess star Hou Yifan has been crowned the new world champion after winning the Women World Chess Championship final match held in Ukraines western city of Lviv on March 14. Hou， who was dubbed the“Genius Girl” as she became a grandmaster at 14， is the young-est ever world chess champion in history.

She was the womens world chess champion in 2010-12 and in 2013-15 and a winner of the FIDE Grand Prix.

Speaking during the press conference after the match， Hou said she is not going to rest on her laurels and already has plans for the future.

mrs. world 2016

Mrs. South Africa Candice Abrahams was crowned Mrs. World 2016 at a glittering gala event in China on March 12. Women from 45 countries participated in the competition， with Abrahams walking away victorious after she and Mrs. Poland were named the top two finalists.“It has always been a dream of mine to win Mrs. South Africa and to represent my country on the international stage，” Abrahams said. She is working to get a number of projects off the ground including the supply of stationery to a group of 1，000 schoolchildren.

EAST Africa

open Skies agreement

Rwanda and Ethiopia have signed an air service agreement， where the two countries agreed to open their airspace allowing their national carriers to operate without restrictions. According to the agreement， signed between the Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority and Ethiopia Civil Aviation Authority， all air service operations will be conducted under the fifth freedom arrangement. The fifth freedom means an airline has the right to carry passengers from one country to another and from that country to a third country. This means that RwandAir， the flag carrier airline of Rwanda， can now fly to Addis Ababa without any limitations.

China

more Social Workers

China needs nearly 1 million more professional social workers by 2020 as rapid urbanization creates groups in need. Minister of Civil Affairs Li Liguo said that the country has produced 500，000 professional social workers and created more than 180，000 social work jobs. There are 4，686 private social work institutions in the country， Li said.

According to a blueprint on developing human resources in social work for 2011-20， the number of social workers is expected to reach 1.45 million by 2020. Li said poverty alleviation is the central task of professional social work. Professional social workers help with poverty reduction in rural areas， providing services to migrant workers and children， as well as the elderly left behind in the countryside respectively by parents or adult children seeking work in cities.

China

Urban Unemployment Stable

Chinas urban unemployment rate stayed at 5.1 percent throughout January and February， according to new research by the National Bureau of Statistics （NBS）.

The rate， based on a survey in 31 major cities， was unchanged from January and 0.05 percentage points below the same period last year， NBS chief Ning Jizhe said in a bylined article posted on the bureaus website in March. Although unemployment rose in some regions and sectors， the governments encouraging policies and emerging businesses helped stabilize the job market， Ning wrote.

With consumer prices also remaining stable and indicators starting to show better economic momentum， the country should push forward supply-side structural reform by implementing policies to prune overcapacity， reduce the inventory of unsold homes， curb government debt and ease businesses tax burdens， he said.