CITY-WIDE TESTING

A resident of Wuhan， the city in central China hit hard by the novel coronavirus disease outbreak， has her throat swab sample taken for nucleic acid test for the virus on May 15. Wuhan has conducted nucleic acid tests on all its residents to detect asymptomatic cases and control the disease.

Harvest Season

A farmer harvests wheat in a village in Bozhou， a city in Anhui Province in east China， on May 25.

Circus Show

Canadian entertainment company Cirque du Soleil announced on May 26 that it would reopen its resident show The Land of Fantasy in Hangzhou in east China on June 3， its Shanghai offi ce said.

This is the fi rst Cirque du Soleil production to be reopened since the company ceased worldwide operations due to the novel coronavirus epidemic.

Premiered last August in Hangzhou， The Land of Fantasy， is the only Cirque du Soleil resident show in Asia， co-presented with Chinese real estate enterprise Hangzhou Suntiandy Group.

The show tells the story of two fi ctional kingdoms， Petra and Aria， through multi-dimensional characters， a surreal storyline and highenergy action and acrobatics.

According to Diane Quinn， the chief creative offi cer of Cirque du Soleil， extra precautions are being taken to ensure the audiences safety. Besides disinfecting the entire theater twice a day， Cirque du Soleil also limiting the number of viewers per show and seating them apart to ensure social distancing.

Maiden Flight

The AR500C， Chinas fi rst unmanned helicopter for plateau regions， completed its maiden fl ight recently in the eastern province of Jiangxi on May 20， sources with the developer said.

After take-off and before landing， the vehicle fl ew for about 20 minutes， according to its developer， a helicopter research institute in Jingdezhen， Jiangxi Province， under the Aviation Industry Corporation of China.

Modeled on the unmanned helicopter AR500B， the AR500C has a maximum take-off weight of 500 kg， a take-off height of 5，000 meters and a service ceiling of 6，700 meters. It can fl y fi ve hours on a single charge， with a maximum level fl ight speed of 170 km per hour and a cruising speed of 165 km per hour.

It will be used for reconnaissance and communication relays. The AR500C also has a wide range of applications in fi elds such as electronic interference， search support and security and fi re control.

Government Platform

Chinas national integrated online government service platform has around 339 million registered users， according to a recent report.

Of the countrys 904 million netizens， about one in three has become users of the platform， said the report， based on a third-party assessment of the online governmentservice capabilities of provinciallevel governments and major cities.

The e-government service offi ce of the General Offi ce of the State Council entrusted the e-government service research center of the National Academy of Governance to compile the report.

Put into trial operation in last November， the platform has become an important channel through which members of the public and enterprises access government services.

The report also noted problems found in the online services offered by provincial-level governments， including insuffi cient regulations and a lack of synergy in providing services.

Environment Plan

Ecological and environmental protection will not be relaxed in the next fi ve years， Minister of Ecology and Environment Huang Runqiu said on May 25.

“In the 14th Five-Year Plan（2021-25） period， we will continue to improve ecological and environmental quality by reducing pollutant emissions， and vigorously promote ecological protection and restoration，” he said on the sidelines of the annual session of the national legislature.

The industrial structure would be further adjusted， the transformation toward low-carbon development advanced， a green lifestyle promoted， and the public would be provided with more eco-friendly products， he said.

Ecological and environmental protection goals set for the 13th FiveYear Plan period （2016-20） are being accomplished in a smooth manner， he added.

By the end of 2019， the average concentration of PM2.5， a major particle matter pollutant， in cities that previously did not meet air quality standards dropped 23.1 percent from the level of 2015， he said.

Disabled People

Guidelines have been issued on guaranteeing the basic wellbeing of disabled people amid normalized novel coronavirus disease（COVID-19） prevention and control， the China Disabled PersonsFederation said on May 25.

Jointly issued by the federation， the Ministry of Finance and three other authorities， the guidelines include specifi c requirements to guarantee disabled peoples basic livelihood and employment， as well as to help lift the economically disadvantaged out of poverty.

According to the guidelines， local authorities should keep a close eye on the living conditions of disabled people affected by the epidemic. They should also support local nursing institutions for people with disabilities as the latter resumes normal operations.

Local authorities have been asked to take a wide range of measures to help disabled people remain in employment. These include negotiating with employers and encouraging them to maintain working relations with disabled people.

Recycling Garbage

A circular economy base in Mentougou， a district in Beijing， on May 25. As Beijing has implemented garbage sorting， garbage reuse gets more attention.

Online Treatment

Health authorities have pledged to advance the development of online diagnosis and treatment as well as Internet-based hospitals.

Hospitals are required to introduce online diagnosis and treatment services for revisiting patients with common and chronic diseases and cooperate with third parties to provide drug delivery services， the circular issued by the general affairs offi ce of the National Health Commission said.

The online services are expected to ease the pressure of medical institutions offl ine and contribute to epidemic prevention and control.

The circular also stressed the importance of oversight of online medical service and called for the construction of provincial-level platforms to monitor the services. It also sought improved systems and measures to protect the privacy of patients seeking medical services online.

Undersea Railway

Offshore drilling has been completed in Zhejiang Province in east China for the construction of the countrys fi rst undersea high-speed railway tunnel.

Construction workers fi nished drilling on May 23， laying the foundation for the 16.2-km Jintang undersea tunnel linking the islets of Zhoushan and the coastal area of Ningbo， Shi Chao， project manager for the offshore drilling of the tunnel， said.

The tunnel is an important facility for the 77-km high-speed railway line connecting Ningbo and Zhoushan and will end the history of the Zhoushan islands being without railway lines.

According to the maritime affairs bureau of Ningbo， online approval and inspection were adopted amid the novel coronavirus epidemic to ensure the constructions progress.

Peak Posture

Chinese surveyors pose for a group photo atop Mount Qomolangma on May 27. The team summited the highest point of the planet to conduct a series of surveys.

The event marked a crucial step in Chinas mission to re-measure the height of the worlds highest peak. Scientists believe it will enhance human knowledge of nature and help boost scientifi c development.

Consumption Up

Consumption is on a recovery path in China and further measures are underway to boost consumption upgrade and optimize supplies， Ning Jizhe， Vice Minister of the National Development and Reform Commission， said at a press conference on May 24.

Earlier data showed Chinas retail sales of consumer goods went down 7.5 percent year on year in April， recovering from a drop of 15.8 percent in March.

“The data showed the trend of expanding consumption and optimizing structure had not changed， and I believe the retail sales data will be better in May，” Ning said.

As part of efforts to spur consumption recovery， China will further push upgrading of auto consumption and encourage circulation of used cars， with tax support policies for purchases of new energy vehicles， according to Ning.

More efforts will be made to boost service consumption in areas including tourism and elderly care. China will also quicken the pace to foster new types of consumption such as digital and information consumption and step up new infrastructure construction on 5G networks and data centers to support consumption growth in related areas， Ning said.

China will work to improve the consumption intent and capabilities of domestic residents and support the recovery and development of consumer service sectors， according to a government work report submitted to the national legislature for deliberation on May 24.

Port Project

A bulk carrier docks at a newly built coal berth of Caofeidian Port in Tangshan， Hebei Province in north China， on May 22. The coal wharf of Caofeidian Port is an important transport junction to ensure coal supply for power plants in south China. The fi rst part of the projects Phase Three has been put into use， with its annual transport capacity expected to reach 50 million tons after being fi nished.

Broadened Entry

Total assets of foreign banks and insurers in China had exceeded 5 trillion yuan （$702.2 billion） amid the expansion of a two-way opening up of the banking and insurance sector， Chinas top banking regulator said on May 24.

By the end of the fi rst quarter， foreign banks had established 41 foreign-funded corporate banks， 115 branches and 149 offi ces in China， with total assets reaching 3.58 trillion yuan （$501 billion）， data from the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission （CBIRC） showed.

During this period， overseas insurers had set up 64 foreign-funded insurance institutions， 124 offi ces and 18 insurance agencies in China， with assets amounting to 1.46 trillion yuan （$204 billion）.

The CSRC recently started to solicit public opinion on a special regulation， expecting to regulate IPO activities in the registration system of ChiNext， and protect the legitimate rights and interests of investors.

With the experience gained from a previous pilot at the sci-tech innovation board， the regulation is designed to enhance inclusiveness and fl exibility.

It includes targeted measures in terms of risk control and protection for small and medium investors and adds backup systems in case of major risks.

To boost the effi ciency of issuance， it retains the current IPO pricing mechanism， allowing IPOs of less than 20 million shares and with no share publicly offered by shareholders to set prices directly.

The CRSC pledged to promote the IPO issuance and underwriting system on the sci-tech innovation board， so as to improve cooperation and integration with different boards. China decided in late April to pilot the registration-based IPO system at ChiNext to replace its approval-based one in a bid to better cultivate new industry start-ups and bolster the real economy.

Nighttime Vitality

A bartender makes a presentation for live-streaming at a night fair of Sinan Mansions in Shanghai， east China， on May 24. The night fair with food stalls， an open air museum and art exhibitions has been opened to boost nighttime economy in the city.

Lower Costs

The CBIRC along with other fi ve departments unveiled a guideline to further reduce fi nancing costs for enterprises， according to an offi cial circular released on May 25.

The move aims to better facilitate the high-quality development of the real economy， while protecting companies right to be informed， make their own choices and trade fairly， the circular said.

Under the new guideline which came into effect on June 1， banks should further cut fees and specify charges to lower the fi nancial burden on enterprises. Practices such as forcing companies to deposit a part of their loans or make deposits as preconditions for credit， as well as bundling fi nancial products， are prohibited.

Banks are encouraged to carry out credit audits in advance to boost lending effi ciency， according to the document. In an effort to keep companies borrowing costs at an appropriate level， they shall not raise credit enhancement requirements or hike loan rates unreasonably.

The guideline emphasizes that banks should stop providing zombie enterprises with credit support and instead ensure suffi cient loans are accessible to companies with capital needs.

In addition， efforts will be undertaken to enhance the management of third-party institutions in the lending process， improve credit enhancement procedures and strengthen internal control and supervision.