On a Different Note

A traditional opera show unfolds at the Sixth International Intangible Cultural Heritage Festival in Chengdu， capital of southwest Chinas Sichuan Province， on June 10， Chinas Cultural and Natural Heritage Day.

Ocean Research

China aims to build the worlds third ocean drilling research vessel and become a key leader in international deep-sea drilling scientifi c efforts by 2028， a senior government consultant said on June 12.

Wang Pinxian， a marine geologist from Tongji University， Shanghai， said this at a press conference to announce the successful conclusion of a China-led international drilling mission to discover how the South China Sea was formed millions of years ago.

The four-month mission was conducted on board the American vessel JOIDES Resolution as part of the 367th and 368th expeditions of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program （IODP）， an international collaboration on deep-sea geological scientifi c research that began in 1968. JOIDES Resolution docked in Shanghai on June 11， the fi rst time an international ocean drilling ves- sel visited a Chinese port. Japans Chikyu deep-sea drilling vessel was also used for the expeditions.

China joined the IODP in 1998 and participated in three drilling missions in the South China Sea in 1999， 2014 and 2017. The latest mission was proposed， designed and led by Chinese scientists. Over 60 researchers from more than 10 countries were involved.

Wang said the mission marked the fi rst step in a three-part strategy for China to engage in international ocean drilling activities.

China aims to drill seabeds in other oceans and set up the worlds fourth seabed rock database and a lab before attempting to build an ocean drilling vessel.

Jian Zhimin， co-lead of the IODP mission， said they dug 17 holes at seven sites in the South China Sea and samples including sedimentary and volcanic rocks were collected.

Study of the rocks indicates the South China Sea was formed differently than the Atlantic.

Jian said the newly discovered formation of the South China Sea is so unique that they might need to rewrite the textbooks on continental shelf break-up and ocean formation.

CCDI Inspection

Inspectors have found fake economic data and poverty-relief fund misuse in their latest round of inspection.

The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection （CCDI） of the Communist Party of China （CPC） said in a statement on its website on June 11 that re-examination of four provincial-level regions during the 12th round of inspection found some local governments and enterprises in Jilin Province had faked economic data.

The statement also criticized the local authorities of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region for weak implementation of the CPC Central Committees policies and decisions.

It further said that authorities in Yunnan had failed to thoroughly clean up the negative infl uence of corrupt offi cials， while there were complaints against Shaanxi authorities for problems in recruiting and promoting offi cials.

Inspection of the Party organization of the State Council Leading Group Offi ce of Poverty Alleviation and Development detected multiple violations in the use of poverty-relief funds.

It also exposed problems in construction project subcontracting and illegal intermediary services at the Party organization of China Railway Corp.

The Offi ce of the Central Leading Group for Cyberspace Affairs was criticized for its insuffi -cient work in implementing the CPC Central Committees major policies.

Inspectors also received reports about the formation of cliques in China Shipbuilding Industry Corp.

The 12th round of inspection is the last one during the term of the 18th CPC Central Committee.

Energy Conservation

A week-long campaign was launched on June 11 to raise awareness of energy effi ciency and promote green lifestyles.

The National Energy Effi ciency Promotion Week aims to promote an ecological civilization， resource conservation and recycling， and green and low-carbon development， a statement jointly issued by 14 government departments said.

June 13 was observed as National Low-carbon Day with the theme “Low-carbon Industrial Development.” The campaign featured events across the country to promote energy-saving technologies and products， green commuting and low-carbon industrial development.

China introduced the National Low-carbon Day in 2013 to boost awareness of climate change and low-carbon development policies， encourage public participation and facilitate the commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The day is observed on the third day of the National Energy Effi ciency Promotion Week every June.

Green development is a policy priority as China aims to cap its total energy consumption at the equivalent of 5 billion tonnes of coal by 2020， according to a government plan for 2016 to 2020. This will amount to a 15-percent reduction in energy use per unit of GDP by 2020.

Sci-Tech Awards

The Central Government has called for reform of the awards system for scientifi c and technological contributions to spur dedication and innovation among scientists.

The move is aimed at motivating sci-tech employees enthusiasm for innovation and breakthroughs amid efforts to transform the economy into an innovation-driven one， a State Council document published on June 9 said.

The reform should make the awards focus on encouraging innovation and ensuring fairness. Government authorities should not interfere in jury prize selections and the appraisal procedure should be transparent.

The government also called on academic institutes to supervise the selections， making scientifi c awards more credible and authoritative.

The Ministry of Science and Technology and the Legislative Affairs Offi ce of the State Council will be responsible for amending the regulation on national sci-tech awards and working out detailed reform measures.

Giant Panda

The oldest female giant panda in a breeding base in southwest Chinas Sichuan Province has died at the age of 34， the base announced on June 8. The panda， named Su Su， died on June 2 of multiple organ failure after a drop in activity and appetite since late May， according to staff with the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.

Her age at death was equivalent to about 100 human years. Five of her descendants living in a Japanese zoo are the largest panda family outside China.

The panda had developed oldage ailments， including high blood pressure and declining liver function， and was under treatment.

She had an eye missing when she was captured from the wild in 1986. In the following year， she went into shock for a day due to an anesthesia-related incident during a check-up.

The average lifespan of wild pandas is normally 20 years， but those in captivity usually live longer.

Hot From the Pot

A contestant makes a crayfi sh dish at a competition in Qianjiang， central Chinas Hubei Province， on June 9. Crayfi sh farms in Qianjiang cover over 43，000 hectares， with a yearly yield of 73，500 tons.

Space Station

China will open its space station to scientists worldwide after it is completed around 2022， an expert said at the 2017 Global Space Exploration Conference in Beijing on June 8.

Wei Chuanfeng， a researcher at the Institute of Manned Space System Engineering under the China Academy of Space Technology， said the China Manned Space Engineering Offi ce（CMSEO） has drafted a strategic framework with the UN Offi ce for Outer Space Affairs to offer opportunities to UN members to conduct scientifi c and technological experiments.

Chinas fi rst astronaut， Yang Liwei， who is also deputy director of the CMSEO， said the fi rst core module of the space station will be launched in 2019， followed by two experiment modules. The space station will enable astronauts to stay in space for up to six months.

At the conference， the space stations designers proposed possible technical approaches that could help scientists from other countries utilize and perform experiments in it. China will also help astronauts and payload specialists from developing countries enter space， Wei said.

The space station will also have three docking sites， enabling the Shenzhou manned spacecraft， the Tianzhou cargo spacecraft and other vehicles to dock and berth.

Flooded City

Rescuers push a stranded car on a fl ooded street in Guiyang， capital of southwest Chinas Guizhou Province， on June 12. The province has been receiving heavy rainfall since June 11.

Inflation Quickens

Chinas consumer price index （CPI）， a main gauge of infl ation， rose 1.5 percent year on year in May， the National Bureau of Statistics （NBS） said on June 9.

The CPI expansion in May is in line with estimates. It quickened from Aprils 1.2 percent， Marchs 0.9 percent and Februarys 0.8 percent.

On a monthly basis， however， the CPI declined 0.1 percent， according to the NBS.

Of the 1.5-percent CPI growth in May， 1 percentage point was contributed by the carryover effect of price increases last year， NBS senior statistician Sheng Guoqing said.

The NBS attributed the pickup in CPI partly to higher non-food prices， which grew 2.3 percent year on year in May.

At the same time， Chinas producer price infl ation continued to ease in May as commodity price declines dragged down factory-gate costs.

The producer price index （PPI）， which measures the cost of goods at the factory gate， rose 5.5 percent year on year last month， according to the NBS.

The pace retreated from the 6.4-percent growth registered in April and 7.6 percent in March. The index increased 7.8 percent from a year ago in February， the fastest since 2008.

Month on month， the PPI edged down 0.3 percent， narrowing from the 0.4-percent decline in April.

Factory-gate price declines in the ferrous metal mining and non-ferrous metal smelting industries widened to 4.1 percent and 0.9 percent from a month earlier， respectively， noted Sheng.

Chinas PPI has remained positive since September 2016， when it ended a four-year streak of declines， partly due to the governments successful campaign to cut industrial overcapacity， which benefi ted the wider economy.

Trade Growth

Chinas exports and imports surged in May， beating expectations， customs data showed on June 8.

Exports in yuan-denominated terms hit 1.32 trillion yuan（$194 billion） last month， up 15.5 percent year on year， higher than market expectations and the 14.3-percent growth in April， according to the General Administration of Customs.

Imports grew 22.1 percent in May， much faster than market forecasts and the 18.6-percent growth in April.

This led to a monthly trade surplus of 281.6 billion yuan （$41.4 billion）， in contrast with the 262.3 billion yuan （$38.6 billion） surplus in April. However， the May surplus declined 3.4 percent year on year.

Total foreign trade volume reached 2.35 trillion yuan （$345.8 billion） last month， up 18.3 percent year on year.

Mays data continued the growth in Chinas foreign trade since the beginning of the year.

In the fi rst fi ve months combined， exports increased 14.8 percent from a year ago to 5.88 trillion yuan（$865.2 billion）， and imports jumped 26.5 percent to 4.88 trillion yuan（$718.1 billion）， resulting in a 21.1-percent decline in the trade surplus.

During the fi rst fi ve months， trade with the EU jumped 16.1 percent from the same period last year to hit 1.6 trillion yuan （$235.4 billion）. The EU is Chinas biggest trade partner， accounting for 14.8 percent of the countrys foreign trade.

Meanwhile， trade with the United States， ASEAN and Japan increased by 21.1 percent， 23.2 percent and 17.5 percent， respectively.

On the Road

A total of 600 high-end made-in-China passenger buses are exported from Lianyungang Port， Jiangsu Province， to Saudi Arabia on June 12.

The buses were manufactured by Anhui Ankai Automobile Co. Ltd.， with a total value of 333 million yuan （$49 million）. Following the Belt and Road Initiative， the company has been devoted to exploring overseas markets， exporting products to countries including Algeria， Myanmar and Saudi Arabia.

Cooling Home Price

Chinas once-sizzling property market is cooling as home prices faltered in big cities， including Beijing， in May on the back of tightened policy controls.

Home prices in sampled major cities recorded average month-on-month growth of 1.11 percent last month， down 1.2 percentage points from April， according to a monthly report released by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences on June 12.