NEW UN UNDER SECRETARY GENERAL

Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin was appointed as the next UN under secretary general for economic and social affairs by UN Secretary General António Guterres on June 8 in New York， according to a statement issued by the Secretary Generals Offi ce.

The statement said Liu “brings to the position more than 30 years of experience in diplomatic service， with a strong focus on the promotion of bilateral， regional and global issues.”

Born in 1955， Liu earned a masters degree in law from Peking University in 1981 and started his diplomatic career in 1982.

He served as director general of the Foreign Ministrys Department of Treaty and Law from 2003 to 2006.

From 2006 to 2009， he served as deputy permanent representative and then ambassador of the Permanent Mission of China to the UN.

He has held the post of vice foreign minister since 2013.

Veteran Chinese diplomats Sha Zukang and Wu Hongbo assumed the under secretary general post in 2001 and 2012 respectively， and Liu takes over the role from Wu.

Migrant Childrens Rights

Guangming Daily June 12

There are 13 children living with their migrant worker parents in cities for every 100 children in China. Compared with the so-called “left-behind children” whose parents have left rural areas to work in cities， migrant children appear to be luckier since they can at least live with their parents. However， its not necessarily so in reality.

Most of these children can only attend schools for migrant workers children， which are often of lower quality. Owing to restrictions on them attending high schools in cities， they often have to return to their hometown to go to high school. They are caught in a dilemma： On the one hand， they have got used to the urban way of life； on the other hand， their social circle is limited to migrant workers children like themselves， and they often lack a sense of identifying with urban children， resulting in psychological problems.

A five-year survey of 1，493 students from 50 schools for migrant workers children in Beijing reveals that less than 6 percent of the students are now enrolled at universities.

Its urgent to take stock of the number and distribution of migrant children and ensure their right to attend schools like those of their urban counterparts. To fundamentally address the problem and enable migrant children to settle in cities along with their parents， the household registration system—which is tied to access to basic social welfare and public services—should be further reformed.

Every child is entitled to equal rights and a healthy growth environment. Cities should provide more opportunities for the marginalized migrant children to enable them to merge into urban life.

A Prestigious Universitys Decline

China Newsweek June 6

Lanzhou University， based in Lanzhou， capital of northwest Chinas Gansu Province， received a lot of favorable treatment from the Central Government during the planned economy era owing to citys role as a key heavy industry base.

For instance， as the development of the local petrochemical industry produced a high demand for professionals in related fi elds， the universitys chemistry department was designated as a key national body.

However， Chinas rapid economic growth since its reform and opening up began has widened the development gap between east and west China. Compared with universities in more developed east China， Lanzhou University receives less financial support from local government and has therefore lagged behind its eastern counterparts.

A large number of its teachers have been attracted to universities in coastal areas in east China， which offer higher pay and better career prospects.

The cause for the uneven development of Chinese universities is overreliance on the government for funds. Universities in developed regions receive more f inancial support from the local government than those in underdeveloped areas.

To solve the problem， higher learning institutions should strengthen cooperation with the private sector in order to secure more funding and improve their self-development abilities.

Illegal Online Accounts Shutdown

Legal Daily June 9

Online platforms such as Twitter-like social media service Weibo and instant messaging app WeChat were ordered to shut down a number of accounts for publishing vulgar content by the Beijing Cyberspace Administration on June 7.

Most of the closed accounts posted entertainment industry gossip， while some were owned by famous paparazzi. Some have expressed doubts about the move because it deprives fans of the opportunity to get information about their idols and reduces stars exposure. Such doubts are illfounded. Although stars are public fi gures， they have the right to privacy， and their privacy should not be exploited. Stars who take advantage of social media accounts to reveal private matters for personal gain have a negative impact on society and should be banned from doing so.

The Cybersecurity Law， which took effect on June 1， prohibits use of the Internet to engage in activities that damage others reputation， privacy， intellectual property rights and other legitimate rights； operators of online platforms should strengthen management of information published by their users， delete improper information once it is detected and report it to relevant supervisory departments. Online operators， which also benefi t from accounts with a large following， should not evade their responsibilities.

In addition， the revenue derived from these illegal accounts should be confi scated in order to create a healthy online environment.

ADVENTURE-SEEKING COUPLE

Zhang Xinyu and Liang Hong， a Chinese couple with a penchant for adventure， recently fi nished their over 80，000-km round-the-world trip that saw them pilot an aircraft to over 20 countries on fi ve continents including Antarctica.

It is the fi rst time that a Chinese-made plane has been used in a round-the-world trip. The aircraft， a Y-12 built by Harbin Aircraft Industry Group， is a twin-engine utility plane with a range of about 1，300 km. Liang also became the fi rst Chinese woman to fl y a Y-12.

The couple began their journey from Harbin， capital of northeast Chinas Heilongjiang Province， in January.

Born in Beijing in the late 1970s， the couple amassed a fortune through business and decided to travel around the world for 10 years because of their interest in adventure.

They have driven through war-torn Somalia and the radiationsaturated Chernobyl Exclusion Zone as well as sailed in the Pacifi c， Atlantic and Indian Ocean.

“As transportation between Hong Kong and cities on the western bank becomes more convenient， their interaction will become more active. This will help them better enjoy Hong Kongs advantages in finance and professional services， and its link to the outside world.”

Guo Wanda， Executive Vice President of China Development Institute， a think tank in Shenzhen， on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge， which is expected to open this year

“China should pay more attention to the nutritional status and policy guarantees for disadvantaged seniors， especially those living in rural areas.”

Zhang Yuhu， a professor at the China National Health Development Research Center， commenting on a study conducted by Peking University， which says up to 30 percent of Chinese aged 60 or above are malnourished

“China has maintained a high savings rate during its economic expansion， while the United States consumes a large amount of global products and services and has a very low savings rate. This kind of structural issue is one of the primary reasons behind the trade imbalance.”

Zhang Yuyan， Director of the Institute of World Economics and Politics under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences， at the U.S.-China Think-Tank Symposium in Des Moines， Iowa， on June 12

“Detailed planning for industrial development is vital while building new towns to support Chinas mass urbanization process.”

Lu Dadao， an economic geographer with the Chinese Academy of Sciences， at the China Industrial Park Innovative Development Conference in Langfang， Hebei Province， on June 11， cautioning against redundant infrastructure construction