HKSAR’S NEW TOP LIAISON OFFICIAL

HKSARS NEW TOP LIAISON OFFICIAL

Luo Huining was appointed top liaison offi cial for Hong Kong Special Administrative Region （HKSAR）， replacing Wang Zhimin， according to a statement by the State Council on January 4.

Luos appointment as director of the Liaison Office of the Central Peoples Government in HKSAR took effect immediately.

Born in 1954， he served as the Communist Party of Chinas Secretary in Qinghai Province， northwest China， from 2013 to 2016 and in Shanxi Province， north China， from 2016 to 2019. In December 2018， he led a delegation from Shanxi to Hong Kong to promote business cooperation.

In a statement on January 4， HKSAR Chief Executive Carrie Lam welcomed Luo to his new post and said she was impressed by his concern for Hong Kong during their talks in 2018.

Lam said she fi rmly believes under his leadership the Liaison Offi ce will continue to work with the HKSAR Government for the citys prosperity and stability and facilitate Hong Kongs integration into national development.

Electric Vehicle Battery Recycling

Peoples Daily January 3

In recent years， there has been a rapid increase in the production and sale of newenergy vehicles in China. As a result， the recycling of the batteries that power them is posing an increasingly prominent problem. If not addressed effectively， it will not only cause serious waste of resources and environmental pollution， but also take a toll on the development of the industry.

Balancing the interests of car owners and automakers is a tough job. Since the batter- ies are costly， many owners face a dilemma of whether to change the battery or buy a new car. According to regulations， automakers are responsible for battery recycling. However， they do not have enough resources to ensure every battery is disposed of in a proper way.

The government has made several attempts to tackle the problem. For instance， it issued a plan to pilot recycling programs in 2018 and launch a number of demonstration projects by 2020. In the short term， it is important to promote recycling through policy incentives. In the long run， however， all market players on the industrial chain， from sellers to technology developers， should be involved in building an efficient system under strict supervision.

Preserving History

Oriental Outlook January 9

Old city renovation is an issue for many countries in the world. In China， after pilot projects were conducted in 15 cities over two years， old compound renovation was started nationwide in 2019. The work involved over 170，000 old compounds and 100 million people.

Instead of demolishing old architecture and starting from scratch， the current project takes a different approach. In Guangzhou， capital of Guangdong Province in south China for instance， Enning Road， an important landmark of the historical city， is being renovated in a distinct way.

Guangzhou has been a gateway for Chinas foreign trade since the Qing Dynasty （1644-1911）. However， as the citys urban area expanded during its rapid economic expansion in the past decades， the old districts deteriorated.

Previously， the reestablishment plan was to demolish the old street and construct new buildings. However， it met with objections from local residents who were unwilling to move out. Also， demolition would damage the history and culture of the old street.

So a new mindset was adopted for the renovation. Yongqingfang， a section of the old street which had kept the original architecture and had few residents， was selected as a pilot. The Guangzhou Vanke Co. under leading real estate developer China Vanke， won the bid to renovate the area and was al-lowed to run it for 15 years before handing it back to the government.

After 10 months of renovation， the area opened to the public with a variety of business models including hotels， cultural shops and restaurants.

Yu Minfeng， Deputy General Manager of Guangzhou Vanke， said the renovation cost was three times the cost of constructing new buildings. “It seems that cultural heritage protection and GDP growth are contradictory. However， its what makes Guangzhou unique，” Yu said.

Feelings About Spring Festival

Beijing Youth Daily January 8

The Spring Festival， one of the most important festivals in China， is approaching. However， many young people who used to yearn for the festival when they were kids， especially those who work in large cities away from home， now have very mixed feelings about the holiday.

On the one hand， they want to return to their hometowns to reunite with their family. On the other hand， they are afraid of prying questions from relatives about their marital status and salary.

This phenomenon shouldnt be ignored because it shows that houses， salaries and the number of children one has have become the standards of success， which shouldnt be allowed to prevail.

The Spring Festival is a rare opportunity to unwind and have fun. Young people who return to their hometowns might want their relatives and friends to realize the improvement of their abilities and horizons. Therefore relatives and friends should stop asking questions about income， housing， cars and marital status.

As for young people， they dont need to be overly sensitive about such questions and should realize they are being asked out of love. Also they will become less troubled by these questions as long as they work hard and improve themselves.

CHINESE FOOTBALLER MAKES HISTORY

Trailblazing Chinese striker Wu Lei has added the mighty Barcelona， the professional Spanish football club also known as Barca， to his list of conquests.

Wu came off the bench to score a superb 88th-minute equalizer and grab his club Espanyol a 2-2 draw in a dramatic Catalan derby on January 5 Beijing time.

The goal made Wu the first Chinese player to hit the net in a competitive fixture against Barca and gave last-place Espanyol a much-needed point in its battle against La Liga relegation.

“I am so excited not only because the goal was against Barca but also because the point means a lot for our team at the moment，” Wu was quoted as saying on Espanyols website.

The goal was the 28-year-olds third in all competitions this season for Espanyol and sixth since he became the fi rst Chinese to permanently sign for a Spanish top-fl ight club in a reported 2-million-euro （$2.25-million） deal from Shanghai SIPG in January 2019.

“The chaos in the health product market continues… Regulatory authorities need to be vigilant and intensify ratification efforts to establish long-term mechanisms.”

Qin Chuan， a commentator with Peoples Daily， writing on January 8

“Since the Foreign Investment Law went into effect on January 1， the investment contract will be promoted effectively， and the legitimate rights and interests of investors will be protected on the premise of maintaining and guaranteeing foreign investment management in accordance with the law.”

Luo Dongchuan， Vice President of the Supreme Peoples Court， speaking to Economic Daily on January 2

“Australia has been deeply affected by climate change and the increase in sea levels. Yet to prove its ‘loyalty to the U.S.， the Australian Government criticized global efforts to combat it as interference in national sovereignty.”

Bu Yidao， a world news blogger， on his WeChat official account on January 7

“It was the first time I saw Zhao Shuzhen （the grandmother in the film）. We giggled [together] during the shooting…I understood from that moment that when you came back to the people you loved， even though you have totally different values， you also feel delighted.”

Awkwafina， star of The Farewell ， who won a Golden Globe Award in the lead actress film category， in an interview with The Beijing News on January 7