TOP SCIENTIST HONORED

Radar expert Liu Yongtan has been awarded Chinas top science award at a ceremony on January 8， along with defense engineer Major General Qian Qihu.

President Xi Jinping presented the award to the two scientists for their outstanding contribution to scientific and technological innovation at the annual National Science and Technology Award Conference held in Beijing. The event honors distinguished scientists， engineers， and other research achievements.

Lius work has focused on domestic maritime radar technology， helping to establish full monitoring of the countrys seas. Qian set up the theoretical system for Chinas modern defense engineering and contributed to creating an underground defense infrastructure.

Liu was born in Nanjing， east Chinas Jiangsu Province in 1936. He attended the Harbin Institute of Technology in 1953 and went on to pursue his studies at Tsinghua University in 1956. He has taught at the Harbin Institute of Technology since 1958 and became a professor in 1985. In 1991， he was elected an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and in 1994， he was elected an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

Yangtze River Economic Belt

Peoples Daily January 7

It has been three years since President Xi Jinping hosted a top-level meeting in southwest Chinas Chongqing to promote the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

An outline of the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt was issued in March that year， highlighting Chinas long-term interests in the area.

The economic belt， covering 11 provinces and municipalities， accounts for over 40 percent of Chinas population and GDP.

The Yangtze River is hailed as Chinas mother river and promoting its development is a major strategic decision. Over the past three years， provinces and municipalities involved in the strategy have endorsed industrial transformation and upgrading while protecting the environment. The strategy has fundamentally changed the development of the region， with new growth drivers replacing old ones and new targets achieved.

Many provinces and cities along the river have altered their growth model to prioritize ecological preservation. Jingzhou City in central Chinas Hubei Province has cracked down on illegal sand mining by demolishing over 300 wharfs. The city has also carried out conservation projects recovering 22 lakes and increasing their area by 24 square km.

Ecological industries， such as bamboo， tea and tourism， have also been advanced， exemplified by Yibin City of southwest Chinas Sichuan Province.

Hi-tech industries have also thrived in cities such as Shanghai and Chongqing.

Shanghai Seeks Dominance In Internet Headquarters

Oriental Outlook January 10

Shanghai might have missed out on the opportunities brought by Chinas Internet industry boom in the past decade， but that is set to change.

Online e-commerce platform Pinduoduo and mobile content aggregator Qutoutiao， both headquartered in Shanghai， went public on the New York Stock Exchange in July and September 2018， respectively.

New Internet companies have emerged in Shanghai during the past years.

On the List of Top 100 Chinese Internet Companies in 2018 published by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology， 21 are from Shanghai， including streaming site Bilibili. These companies specialize in everything from food and clothing to transportation and entertainment， indicating that Shanghais Internet companies have become models for integrating advanced technologies and big data into urban life.

Shanghai has many advantages it can offer the Internet industry. Statistics show that 70 percent of AI talent is in Beijing and Shanghai. Moreover， as the national financial center， Shanghai offers ample financing channels for entrepreneurs.

Shanghai will continue to provide a world-class business environment in order to serve all types of Internet companies located in the city.

Museum Products Facing Challenges

Qianjiang Evening News January 8

Cosmetics including lipstick and eyeshadow initially launched by the Palace Museum on December 11， 2018， have been pulled from sale. The announcement was made by the museums offi cial sales account on Chinas social platform Weibo， known as Palace Museum Taobao， on January 5.

Previously， multiple products across the cosmetics range had been taken down one day after being publicized due to limited production capacity. People who ordered these products will not receive their package until the end of the Spring Festival holiday in early February.

In spite of the wide variety of cosmetics products available， customers have chosen those from the Palace Museum owing to their affi liation with Chinese culture and history. If the museum fails to learn from the incident， it will face deeper problems in the future.

It is far from enough to simply incorporate traditional culture elements in the design of cosmetics. The Palace Museum needs to improve the quality of their products in order to succeed in a competitive market. Substandard products will not only harm its economic interests but also its brand.

Problems regarding quality have resulted from the rapid expansion of its cultural and creative industry in recent years. The museum has encountered a number of diffi culties since starting to develop these products in 2008.

FATHER OF SUGAR BALL DIES

Scientist Gu Fangzhou passed away in Beijing on January 2 at the age of 92. He developed Chinas fi rst polio vaccines； in particular the Sugar Ball attenuated oral vaccine.

Gu started polio research in 1957 and created the Sugar Ball attenuated oral vaccine in 1959. To check the function on humans， he and his colleagues voluntarily became the fi rst group of people to take the vaccine. Implementation of a countrywide immunization strategy eradicated the indigenous polio strain by 1994. Poliomyelitis has since been effectively controlled， with China being declared polio-free by the World Health Organization in October 2000.

Gu， from Ningbo of east Chinas Zhejiang Province， graduated from todays Peking University Health Science Center in 1950. He was deputy director of the Institute of Medical Biology of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences （CAMS） from 1964 to 1971. Gu served as President of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College from 1985 to 1993 and Chairman of the Beijing Association for Science and Technology from 1991 to 1997.

“Consumption should better play a fundamental role in supporting growth， with policies to be rolled out to stabilize consumption of automobiles and home appliances.”

Ning Jizhe， deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission， in a media interview on January 7

“The visit honors a 29-year-old tradition of the Chinese foreign minister making Africa the destination of his first visit in the New Year and reflects the strong friendship built over the past decades.”

Xu Zhicheng， an associate professor at the School of Economics， Henan University， based in central Chinas Henan Province， who specializes in aid studies， commenting on Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yis visit to Africa on January 2-6

“Overseas Chinese in America have been participants in and contributors to the establishment of China-U.S. ties. It is important that the Chinese community continues to help bridge bilateral ties.”

Huang Ping， Chinese Consul General in New York， made the remarks in a meeting with representatives from the Chinese community in Philadelphia， the U.S. state of Pennsylvania， on January 6

“We will continue our strong cooperation with China， especially on transport-related issues and industries. The railway is one of the major industries where there is strong collaboration between Malaysia and China.”

Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook， speaking during a site visit to the rolling stock center of Chinese locomotives manufacturer CRRC in Batu Gajah， Malaysia， on January 3