On a Mission

Soldiers see off a naval ship at a port in Zhanjiang， south Chinas Guangdong Province， on July 11. The ship is part of a fl otilla that carries military personnel who will set up a support base of the Peoples Liberation Army （PLA） in Djibouti in Africa.

It was decided to establish the base after friendly negotiations and it accords with the common interest of the people from both sides， according to the PLA Navy.

The base will ensure Chinas missions such as escorting， peacekeeping and humanitarian aid in Africa and West Asia.

Startup Push

The central authorities have pledged to go further on innovation-driven development and entrepreneurship， with more policy incentives for entrepreneurship from overseas.

According to a set of guidelines released after a State Council Executive Meeting on July 12， China will establish an integrated digital business license registry and enable one-stop registration for foreign enterprises and their domestic counterparts within a given timeframe.

The government will simplify the work and residence permit application procedures for high-caliber foreign professionals and pilot integrated services in housing， schooling and medical care. International students in China who start new businesses can also apply for a residence permit with their diplomas.

Statistics from the State Administration for Industry and Commerce show that more than 13 million new enterprises were registered in China between March 2014 and February 2017， 94.6 percent of which were in the private sector. In the fi rst fi ve months of this year， 15，600 new enterprises were added daily on average.

The nation will also put in place programs to support the return of Chinese students overseas for business startups and innovation and to enable Chinese entrepreneurs from overseas and Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions to enjoy the same public services as local residents， according to the guidelines.

Judicial Reform

Chinese courts will advance trial-centered reform of criminal procedures and establish a multilevel criminal proceedings system with Chinese characteristics.

According to a document issued on July 11， criminal trial proceedings， especially court trials， will be standardized.

Noting that the quality of criminal trials and protection of human rights have improved， the document said courts nationwide will draw on the experience and lessons of reform to better protect the innocent from miscarriage of justice and bring the guilty to justice.

It also pledged to ensure that court trials and the contestation between prosecution and defense play a more substantial role in criminal proceedings.

Reforms regarding criminal summary judgments and procedures involving defendants pleading guilty will also be advanced.

In the fi rst six months of this year， the Supreme Peoples Court accepted 15，400 cases and concluded the trial of 9，594 cases， while local courts at all levels accepted 14.6 million cases and concluded more than 8.8 million.

Coast Protection

A coastal province is to appoint coast chiefs to fi ght pollution and illegal fi shing.

The Zhejiang Provincial Government said on July 11 that the arrangement will take effect on August 7 and by the end of this year， all sections of the coast in Zhejiang should have a chief.

Coast chiefs will be responsible for dealing with waste discharged into the sea， illegal fi shing gear， unlicensed fi shing boats， unauthorized use of coast， and illicit ship building， repair and recycling， the government said in a circular.

Among Chinas provinces and regions， Zhejiang has the longest coastline， stretching over 6，600 km.

Coast chiefs are regarded as an extension of the system of river chiefs， which is being introduced across the country after a successful trial in Jiangsu Province.

The responsibilities of river chiefs include water resource protection， pollution prevention and control， and ecological restoration. Their performance will be assessed， and they will be held accountable for environmental damage in the stretches of water they oversee.

Having fi rst tested the practice in 2008 and then expanded it across the whole province in 2013， Zhejiang now has some 61，000 river chiefs.

Duty Crimes

A total of 30，538 Chinese officials were investigated for work-related crimes in the first half of 2017，according to official figures on July 12.

The number， which marked a 19.6-percent year-on-year increase， came from 29 provinces， regions and municipalities excluding Beijing， Shanxi and Zhejiang， which are the pilot areas for a reform of the supervisory system.

Of the total， 1，505 at county level and another 224 at bureau level were investigated on suspicion of committing duty crimes， including bribery and misconduct.

Among the investigations， up to 1，650 were related to duty crimes in poverty alleviation work， up 81.7 percent on a yearly basis， as a result of the stronger action against such offenses over the past six months.

Some 495 offi cials were investigated and punished for work-related crimes that led to accidents with serious consequences.

Quantum Network

A quantum communication network， which boasts ultra-safe connections impenetrable to hackers， is expected to be put into commercial use in a city in east China by the end of August.

Jinan Institute of Quantum Technology announced on July 9 that the network in Jinan， capital of Shandong Province， had recently been tested， and the designers were satisfi ed with its performance， especially in secure communications.

Liu Hong， a professor at Shandong University who took part in the test， said the network has proved to be in a “very ideal” condition.

In the test， which involved over 50 programs， the network transmitted data with quantum encryption keys among nearly 200 terminals in the city. Between users， more than 4，000 keys were generated in just a second， said Zhou Fei， an assistant director of the institute.

Quantum communication uses quantum entanglement of photons to make sure that nobody can tap into the communication links without detection.

By means of the technology， two parties can exchange secret messages by sharing an encryption key encoded in the properties of entangled particles.

Zhou said the success of the test is a landmark in the development of quantum communication technology worldwide， paving the way for its commercial use fi rst in government and then in fi nance， energy and other sectors.

Underwater Extraction

The site of Chinas trial exploration of fl ammable ice in the Shenhu area of the South China Sea.

The 60-day non-stop mining operation， which ended on July 9， produced over 300，000 cubic meters of gas—mainly methane， according to the China Geological Survey. It set world records in both the length and total volume of extraction.

Sea Launches

China plans to launch commercial payloads on Long March rockets from launch pads at sea， according to an aerospace offi cial.

Tang Yagang， vice head of the Aerospace Division of the No.1 Institute of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp.， said the technology is not diffi cult and a sea launch platform can be built based on modifying 10，000-ton freighters.

The project will use solid fuel carrier rockets， which require fewer launch facilities and feature mature technology， Tang said， adding that key technology for the carrier rockets will be tested at sea later this year. The service is expected to be available for international users in 2018.

At that time， Long March launch vehicles will be able to lift satellites weighing 500 kg to a 500-km-high orbit， according to Tang.

Aged Handicraft

An archaeologist with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences shows a pottery article in Xinmi， central Chinas Henan Province， on July 10.

Carbon dating has confi rmed the age of the 3，800-year-old red pottery work unearthed at the ruins of the city of Xinzhai in Henan. The bird， 16 cm long and 7 cm tall， was painted red with cinnabar， which suggests it may have been an item of worship， according to researchers.

Xinjiang Hospitals

Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China will continue to invest billions of yuan to improve medical services for women and children this year， local authorities said.

The regions medical budget from the Central Government is about 250 million yuan （$36 million） for 2017， according to Xinjiangs Reform and Development Commission.

The money will be used to build 16 county-level hospitals for women and children and 20 disease prevention centers across Xinjiang， which has a population of over 23 million.

The regional government will also fork out money for local healthcare. Taking into account funds from elsewhere in China， Xinjiangs total medical investment this year will exceed 11.7 billion yuan （$1.72 billion）， an increase of 58.1 percent year on year， according to a regional plan.

Inflation Steady

Chinas consumer price index （CPI）， a main gauge of infl ation， rose 1.5 percent year on year in June， the National Bureau of Statistics （NBS） said on July 10.

The June expansion remained unchanged from Mays reading， and increased from Aprils 1.2 percent and Marchs 0.9 percent. On a monthly basis， however， the CPI declined 0.2 percent， according to the bureau.

The NBS attributed the monthly decline in the CPI to lower food prices， which dropped 1 percent month on month in June.

Fruit prices dropped 4.2 percent month on month in the same period. Pork and vegetable prices fell 3.4 percent and 1.1 percent， respectively. Year on year， food prices dropped 1.2 percent in June， while non-food prices rose 2.2 percent.

Jiang Chao， chief economist at Haitong Securities， said the CPI may rise mildly in July but on the whole， infl ation will hold steady.

The producer price index （PPI）， which measures goods prices at the factory gate， rose 5.5 percent year on year in June， fl at with the pace in May. In the fi rst half of 2017， the PPI averaged 6.6 percent， according to the NBS.

Month on month， the PPI edged down 0.2 percent in June， narrowing from the 0.3-percent decline in May， NBS data showed.

Factory-gate price infl ation in the ferrous metal and non-ferrous metal smelting and rolling industries expanded from a year earlier， while price increases eased for the coal mining and dressing， petroleum processing， and petroleum and natural gas extraction industries， according to NBS senior statistician Sheng Guoqing.

The steady price data reinforced views about stabilization of the Chinese economy. Chinas PPI has stayed in positive territory since last September， when it ended a fouryear streak of declines， partly due to the governments successful efforts to cut industrial overcapacity， which benefi ted the wider economy.

High-Flying

A Chinese homegrown jetliner， the ARJ21-700， is seen at the Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport in Sichuan Province on June 28， 2016.

The Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China （COMAC） said it obtained permission from the General Administration of Civil Aviation on July 9 to mass produce the ARJ21-700. The company plans to deliver fi ve ARJ21-700 jetliners by the end of this year.

COMAC has received orders for 413 of the aircraft from 19 clients.

Airbus Deal

China Aviation Supplies Holding Co. has signed an agreement to purchase 140 planes from Airbus， according to the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council.

The $22.8-billion deal involves 100 Airbus A320 planes and 40 A350 jets， the commission said in a statement on July 10.

In recent years， Chinas aviation market has expanded by about 10 percent year on year on average， the statement said.

China is set to boost the development of its civil aviation industry to create a market worth more than 1 trillion yuan （$147.2 billion） by 2020.

Charge Cancellation

The National Development and Reform Commission （NDRC） announced on July 10 that the countrys lenders will cancel or suspend charges on some fi nancial services to support the development of the real economy.

The move will reduce the fi nancial burden on bank clients by 6.1 billion yuan （$897.7 million） each year， the NDRC estimated.

Starting from August 1， commercial banks will no longer collect commission fees on individualsinter-city cash withdrawals from accounts held at the same bank， the NDRC said in a statement.

Six types of charges on cashiers checks and bank drafts will be suspended， according to the NDRC.

It said lenders should also waive account management fees and annual fees for clients who have only one account at a single bank.

Wanda Sale

Sunac China Holdings has signed a deal to buy hotels and projects from the Dalian Wanda Group for 63.2 billion yuan （$9.3 billion）， marking one of the countrys biggest property transactions.

Sunac will buy 76 hotels from Wanda and will acquire a 91-percent stake in the real estate and entertainment conglomerates 13 cultural and tourism projects， according to a joint statement posted on Wandas website.

The properties will continue to operate under the Wanda brand， with the company managing the design and quality control of the construction projects， it said.

Mushrooming Growth

A staff member picks mushrooms in an agricultural science and technology park in Weixian County， Hebei Province， on July 10.

Weixian has been developing the mushroom industry to raise local farmers incomes. The county has over 600 mu （40 hectares） of land for mushroom cultivation， increasing local per-capita annual income by around 20，000 yuan （$2，946）.

Shale Gas Boom

China produced more shale gas last year， as the worlds largest energy producer and consumer cleans up its coal-dominated energy mix.

Shale gas yield increased 76.3 percent year on year to a record high of 7.9 billion cubic meters in 2016， the Ministry of Land and Resources （MLR） said on July 10.

A total of 8.79 billion yuan （$1.3 billion） was spent prospecting for shale gas last year.

Breakthroughs in drilling techniques have made China one of the top shale gas suppliers in the world. Only a few countries are able to commercially produce the gas， including the United States， Canada and Argentina.

The China Geological Survey announced on July 7 that a shale gas reservoir has been discovered in Yichang City， central Chinas Hubei Province. The area is estimated to have over 500 billion cubic meters of gas reserves.

Chinas exploitable shale gas reserves are estimated at 21.8 trillion cubic meters， with proven reserves at 544.1 billion cubic meters.

It plans to raise the annual shale gas output to 30 billion cubic meters in 2020 and aims for 80 to 100 billion cubic meters in 2030.

The MLR statement also showed the output of coalbed methane， another unconventional natural gas， rose slightly from a year ago to 4.5 billion cubic meters. New proven reserves amount to 57.61 billion cubic meters.

The government plans to increase the proportion of natural gas in energy consumption to more than 10 percent from the current 5.9 percent by 2020， and to 15 percent by 2030.

Investment Return

Chinas sovereign wealth fund， China Investment Corp. （CIC）， said on July 11 that its overseas investment returned to profi t in 2016 despite uncertainties in the global investment environment.

CIC posted a U.S. dollardenominated net return of 6.22 percent in overseas investment last year， compared with a loss of 2.96 percent in 2015.

The year 2016 was extraordinary for the fund， CIC Vice Chairman and President Tu Guangshao said in the annual report.

Facing a complex global landscape fraught with uncertainties， CIC achieved encouraging results through internationalized， market-oriented and professional operations， Tu said.

The fund has seen a net cumulative annualized return of 4.76 percent in overseas investment since its establishment in 2007， according to the report.

Its total assets had grown to$813.5 billion by the end of last year.

In CICs overseas investment portfolio， public equity， fi xed income， alternative assets and cash products accounted for 45.87 percent， 15.01 percent， 37.24 percent and 1.88 percent， respectively.

For 2017， Tu cautioned that the global investment environment presented high volatility， citing rising uncertainties in global politics and policies.

Headquartered in Beijing， CIC was established as a vehicle to diversify Chinas foreign exchange holdings and seek maximum returns for its shareholders within acceptable risk tolerance.

Easier to Do Business

Local residents enquire about setting up business at a service center in the Shenyang area of China （Liaoning） Pilot Free Trade Zone on July 7.

Since its inauguration on April 10， the free trade zone has become home to 6，689 startups as a result of its simplifi ed approval procedures and trade facilitation measures.

Venture in Ethiopia

Ethiopia inaugurated on July 9 a Chinese-built $90-million industrial park in Kombolcha City， Amhara Regional State， 376 km north of its capital， Addis Ababa.

The industrial park is part of the Ethiopian Governments plan to make the country a manufacturing hub in Africa. It took China Civil Engineering Construction Corp. nine months to build the facility.

“Factories engaged in exportoriented business in Kombolcha will have an ideal setting to export their goods through the Port of Djibouti 480 km away，” said Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn at the inauguration ceremony.