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Giant panda Xin Xin crawls at the newly opened Jiawuhai Giant Panda Conservation and Research Park in Jiuzhaigou County， Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture， southwest Chinas Sichuan Province， on November 6. The park， which offi cially opened on the same day， will serve as the new home for four giant pandas from the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda.

E-Cigarette Ban

Chinese tobacco authorities have taken multiple measures to intensify oversight of online sale of electronic cigarettes （e-cigarettes）， according to the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration.

Recently， the administration and the State Administration for Market Regulation jointly released a notice to ban online sale of ecigarettes and reduce minorsexposure to the products.

Some e-cigarette fi rms have already closed sales links on their websites， and more than a dozen e-commerce platforms have removed related products， said an offi cial with the administration.

The administration has vowed to strengthen Internet monitoring and take tougher regulatory mea- sures to punish illegal production and sale of e-cigarettes， said the offi cial.

Cleaning Bohai

North Chinas Hebei Province has made progress in improving the seawater quality in the offshore area of the Bohai Sea via a series of measures， local environmental authorities said.

The provincial department of ecology and environment said in the fi rst three quarters of this year， measures， including reducing landsourced pollutants， improving the water quality of rivers that fl ow into the sea and restoring the marine ecosystem in the Bohai Sea， have seen satisfactory outcomes as the seawater quality in the offshore area meets the highest standard.

A system has been set up to monitor the water quality of 49 rivers across the province that fl ow into the sea， and the data has been reported and analyzed monthly to make sure the measures are fully implemented， according to the department.

To accelerate the restoration of the sea ecosystem， the government has regulated mariculture in intertidal and offshore areas， removing 200 hectares of illegal mariculture area.

A total of 26，000 tons of garbage and large algae were cleared out in Qinhuangdao， a coastal city in Hebei， along with the removal of over 1，400 illegal fi shing boats and 36，500 square meters of unauthorized or temporary buildings on the beach.

Preventing Game Addiction

Chinas National Press and Publication Administration has issued a notice on preventing minors from becoming addicted to online games.

The document emphasizes the shared responsibility of online game providers， government agencies and social forces in jointly managing and governing the issue， according to the administration.

The document asks all online game users to register with their identifi cation information and requires strictly limiting the window and total length of time for minors to access online games on a daily basis.

It also bans paid online gaming services for users under the age of 8 and puts a limit on the amount of money minors aged above 8 can pay for online gaming services on a daily and monthly basis.

Online game providers are asked to set reminders for users of different age groups， and any harmful content including pornography， violence and gambling is prohibited in games targeting minors.

Companies that fail to follow the rules will be asked to make changes or be punished， the notice said. Their business licenses could be revoked.

It also said parents， schools and other social forces should be guided to better perform their duties of guarding and protecting minors.

The administration said it will work together with the Ministry of Public Security to improve ID recognition in order to better supervise minor users online.

In October， Chinas top legislature started reviewing a draft revision to the Law on the Protection of Minors， which highlights new stipulations on cyberspace protection.

The provisions stress the management of minors time spent on online games and require online game suppliers to categorize their products， set reminders and take technical measures to keep minors away from games that are not suitable for them.

Xinjiang Railway

A record number of passengers were transported by railways in northwest Chinas Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region， the local railway authorities said.

Railways in the region handled more than 38.2 million trips from January 1 to November 3 this year， surpassing the fi gure for the whole of 2018， according to China Railway Urumqi Group Co. Ltd.

As a popular travel destination featuring ethnic culture， delicious cuisine and unique landscape， Xinjiang has attracted a growing number of tourists in recent years.

The number of tourists to Xinjiang exceeded 180 million from January to September this year， up 40.9 percent year on year， offi cial data showed.

The local railway authorities said they will accelerate the train speed and improve their service to offer a safe， fast and comfortable travel experience for passengers.

Medical Breakthrough

Geng Meiyu （left）， key inventor of the drug GV-971， checks an item at the Green Valley Institute in Shanghai on November 3. The home-grown medicine for treating Alzheimers disease， approved by the National Medical Products Administration， will hit the market after 22 years of research.

Elderly Care

Chinas National Health Commission and seven other authorities on November 1 jointly issued a new guideline on improving the elderly care system.

The guideline requires that over 80 percent of the countrys general hospitals， rehabilitation facilities， nursing homes and primary-level healthcare institutions should be age friendly by 2022.

More than half of Chin as secondary and tertiary general hospitals， which offer a larger number of beds and more comprehensive medical services in the countrys three-tier hospital grading system， should have geriatrics departments by 2022， according to the guideline.

The average life expectancy of Chinese people was 77 years in 2018， while research showed that the healthy life expectancy was 68.7 years.

“As many as 75 percent of aged people have at least one chronic disease and more than 40 million senior citizens are totally or partially disabled，” Wang Haidong， an offi cial with the National Health Commission， told a press conference on November 1.

Online Studying

A total of 79.6 percent of 1，652 respondents have watched “study live streams，” according to a recent survey conducted by China Youth Daily.

Of those surveyed， 44.5 percent were born between 1980 and 1989， 38.3 percent between 1990 and 1999， 10.3 percent between 1970 and 1979， and the rest between 1960 and 1969 or after 2000.

More than half of the respondents think live streams of people studying allow others to feel less lonely， while 46 percent believe that live streaming their study process helps relieve learners pressure.

Meanwhile， nearly 53 percent voiced concern that live streams of study may easily become a distraction for the learners.

China saw rapid growth in online education in 2018， with the number of users of such services rising 29.7 percent year on year to 201 million， accounting for 24.3 percent of total Internet users， according to a statistical report on Internet development.

Around 194 million people in China accessed online education via mobile phones， up 63.3 percent compared with 2017， said the China Internet Network Information Center report.

Joy of Learning

Children from a kindergarten learn about rice from their teacher in a rice fi eld in Lijiaxiang Township of Changxing County， east Chinas Zhejiang Province， on November 6. Based on local farmland resources， the kindergarten held a special class in the rice fi elds to help children learn about rice and experience the joy of harvest through outdoor activities.

SOEs on Track

Centrally administered state-owned enterprises （SOEs） have maintained a steady pace in upgrading and reforming as the economy shifts toward high-quality growth.

They registered upgrade in quality and effi ciency with their profi t growth outpacing revenue increases in 2017 and 2018， said a report released by the research center of the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council （SASAC）.

In 2018， central SOEs saw their operating revenue rise by 10.1 percent with a 16.7-percent growth in their profi ts.

“The high-quality development of SOEs， especially central ones， represents strong support for high- quality growth of the Chinese economy，” Li Mingxing， Director of the SASAC Research Center， said.

A total of 39 central SOEs have completed their restructuring process since late 2002， with the proportion of state-owned capital reaching 80.1 percent in key sectors including power generation and grid， petroleum and petrochemicals， transport， telecom and coal mining.

By the end of last year， the number of central SOEs personnel involved in scientifi c research and technical development had reached 1.58 million， contributing nearly 660，000 valid patents. In 2018， central SOEs spent nearly 500 billion yuan （$71 billion） on research and development.

A market-oriented management system has been basically established， the report said， adding that central SOEs have made steady progress in mixed-ownership reform， with diversifi ed participation of private capital.

Facing a complex and changing environment and new challenges， central SOEs need to make more efforts to guard against potential debt and safety hazards， according to the report.

It was released at the China Enterprise Reform and Development Forum held in Jinan City in east Chinas Shandong Province on November 2-4.

Connection Through Sea

Workers connect power cables to Nanji Island， the only unconnected town in Zhejiang Province in east China， on November 1. The laying of submarine cables offi cially began the same day. According to the plan， Nanji will have electricity before the end of the year， bidding farewell to diesel-generated power.

Digital Skills

Chinese fi rms are increasingly looking for professionals with digital skills to gain a competitive edge amid industrial upgrading， a report said.

The demand for talent with emerging skills is triple that for those with common skills， with digitalization-related qualifi cations prioritized， social networking platform LinkedIn said in the report based on an analysis of the recruitment information of its enterprise members.

Full stack development， artifi cial intelligence and blockchain knowhow are the most wanted technical skills. Compliance knowledge， digital marketing skills and risk management are also in high demand， the report said.

The growing demand for such skills echoes Chinese enterprisesdrive to transform their businesses with digital technologies and tools， according to Nancy Wang， head of talent solutions with LinkedIn China. It is also necessary to take a databased smart approach in talent recruitment and management， she added.

China is stepping up the integration of digital technologies with the real economy to support the growth of agriculture， manufacturing and consumption. Global market intelligence fi rm IDC expects the digital economy to account for 60 percent of global GDP by 2022， with the share in China higher at 65 percent.

Entrepreneurs Day

Tech hub Shenzhen in the southern province of Guangdong celebrated November 1 as Entrepreneurs Day to boost the entrepreneurial spirit and create a favorable environment for entrepreneurship.

On the day， Shenzhen held forums for entrepreneurs and reported on their achievements to support enterprises innovation and development.

According to data from Shenzhens federation of industry and commerce， the city has about 240 commercial entities and 150 enterprises per 1，000 people， ranking f rist in the country in terms of entrepreneurship density.

Private fi rms account for more than 90 percent of enterprises in Shenzhen. The number has maintained double-digit growth for many years， becoming an important driving force for the citys high-quality development.

Aviation Expo

People visit the Eighth Macao Business Aviation Exhibition in Macao Special Administrative Region， south China， on November 1， the opening day.

Small City Markets

Lower-tier cities in China are emerging markets for imports with huge growth potential， Chinese ecommerce giant JD.com said in a report.

The growth of the share of online orders was faster in lower-tier cities than in fi rst-， second- and thirdtier cities from 2016 to the fi rst three quarters of this year， the report from the JD Big Data Research Institute said， citing data from the companys e-commerce platforms.

Young people in towns also posted faster growth than their bigger city peers in terms of order transaction volume.

The United States， Japan and Germany were the top three import source countries in terms of transaction volume during the JanuarySeptember period， while overseas markets like Mexico， Portugal and Ireland registered robust sales growth.

Personal care， cosmetics and skincare， sportswear and gear were among the imports that enjoyed increasing popularity during the past two years， the report said.

JD.coms e-commerce platform for imports saw the number of new brands surge by over 150 percent since the First China International Import Expo in November 2018.

E-commerce has become a key driver of Chinas retail imports market. The volume of cross-border ecommerce retail imports expanded over 30 percent year on year during the fi rst nine months of 2019， data from the Ministry of Commerce showed.

Give Me Five

Three major Chinese mobile operators launched their long-awaited 5G service plans on October 31 with users in dozens of cities making a beeline for the new network.

China Mobile， China Unicom and China Telecom simultaneously unveiled their monthly 5G plans with prices ranging from 128 yuan （$18） to 599 yuan （$85）. Subscribers will be able to enjoy connections faster than 4G and less expensive data per gigabyte.

For example， China Unicoms 129-yuan service plan comes with a 30-gigabyte data cap， 500 minutes of voice talk and a 500-Mbps speed cap. Its 599-yuan plan allows 300 gigabytes of data and 3，000 minutes of voice talk， putting the speed limit at 1 Gbps.

5G commercial services are now available in 50 cities， including Beijing， Shanghai， Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

Shanghai had activated 11，859 5G base stations by mid-October， which will support the 5G network coverage across the citys key outdoor areas， the municipal administration of communications said on October 31.

The expectation for the new communication technology has long been high. The three major mobile operators registered over 10 million subscribers before the offi cial commercialization launch.

China is expected to have over 600 million 5G subscribers by 2025， accounting for nearly 40 percent of the global total， according to Sihan Bo Chen， head of GSMA Greater China.

Major handset makers are jumping on the broadband wagon. Eighteen 5G smartphone varieties were rolled out in the fi rst three quarters of this yea r， and some 787，000 5G handsets were shipped， according to a research institute with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Chinese tech giant Xiaomi unveiled two 5G smartphones in late September， while Huawei started selling its 5G-version MATE 30 series from November 8 with prices starting at 4，999 yuan （$712）.

Growth Engine

Workers assemble automobile parts in a factory of IMS Gear in Taicang in Jiangsu Province， east China， on October 31. Taicang has been improving its business environment through facilitating administrative procedures for enterprises including registration， project approval and tax registration. As a result， it has attracted investment from over 1，500 foreign enterprises.