CHINESE OLYMPIAN HEADS WTT COUNCIL

CHINESE OLYMPIAN HEADS WTT COUNCIL

Chinese table tennis chief Liu Guoliang has been tasked with promoting the sport on a global level with World Table Tennis （WTT） naming the former Olympic champion its new head.

The WTT was set up by the International Table Tennis Federation in August 2019 to modernize its commercial business activities and help table tennis compete with top-profi le sports.

“Mr. Liu Guoliang is an extremely well-respected leader within the world table tennis community， with the perfect caliber and the richest of career achievements，” a WTT statement said.

After a stellar playing career， in which he won the Olympic and World Championship golds， Liu has been head coach of the Chinese national team and president of the China Table Tennis Association.

“Table tennis has enriched my life in so many ways， and I have dedicated my life to this sport over many years，” the 44-year-old said.“Therefore， I am immensely proud and honored to have the opportunity to lead the WTT Council and help to make table tennis one of the leading sports in the world.”

Culture Demands Respect

Guancha.gmw.cn June 24

The Dragon Boat Festival， which fell on June 25 this year， brought a new wave of creative cultural products. Besides gift boxes containing zongzi， sticky rice dumplings， and other regular items， new products such as earrings in the shape of zongzi also emerged in the market. These triggered public debates. Some said product developers should respect culture and not commercialize it.

Today， over 20 Chinese museums have opened stores on e-commerce platforms， attracting more than 10 million consumers with various products to meet diverse demands. However， while pursuing profi t by selling creative cultural products， museums should adhere to their social responsibility to pass on traditional culture and profound Chinese history. That should also be their principle when developing new products.

Considering the differences between different museums ability in this regard， insiders suggest the authorities should formulate detailed standards to ensure the products show both quality and the culture principle.

Recycling Scrapped Appliances

Nanfang Daily June 24

Home appliances have long been a popular item on peoples shopping lists during shopping sprees. However， few of them know how to dispose of appliances they no longer use.

Recently， the National Development and Reform Commission （NDRC） and six other administrations released a plan to improve the mechanism to recycle and dispose of unwanted household electrical appliances in three years.

China is both the largest home appliance manufacturer and the largest consumer. According to the NDRC， China is in the peak period of producing household appliances scraps. The number of scrapped products reaches over 100 million each year， with an average annual growth rate of 20 percent.

It is estimated that nearly 137 million appliances need to be changed in 2020， which indicates the country still boasts a large consumer market. A perfect recycling mechanism will encourage people to update their household appliances， releasing the consumption potential.

The mechanism is also conducive to environmental protection. Today， only 10 percent of scrapped home appliances are recycled through after-sales services by manufacturers； 5 percent are sent to designated public institutions.

That means social channels， including individuals and private workshops， are the major forces for disposing of them. Since they lack professional knowledge about how to do it， they usually take these appliances apart and sell the components in good condition. The other parts are thrown away， resulting in a waste of resources.

Parts containing heavy metal and plastic can harm the environment. But scientific dismantling and recycling will lead to a sustainable use of some appliances， extending their lifecycle.

The plan also aims to multiply recycling channels， in which appliances manufacturers will play a better role. Unlike companies focusing on handling waste， they can utilize scrapped appliances.

Some major companies have launched activities where consumers return discarded products to get coupons for new devices. More businesses should follow the trend to expand their influence in the market and contribute to recycling.

Honesty and Transparency

Beijing Youth Daily June 25

In recent years， live-streaming has become an essential tool for consumption. Using advanced technology， businesses can reap high profi t at a low cost.

According to the China Internet Network Information Center， 560 million people， accounting for 62 percent of all netizens， avail of live-streaming services. Nearly half of them buy the products being promoted.

Though its a dynamic industry， some problems have been revealed， including exaggerating data of viewing and purchasing.

During the epidemic， live-streaming showed its value， stabilizing consumption and economic growth. According to industry insiders， the live-streaming industry will reach nearly 1 trillion yuan （$141.6 billion） this year. So there is no need to cheat the public on sale volumes or how many times a product has been viewed because it will have a detrimental effect on industrial development.

When the focus of businesses and anchors becomes data instead of product quality， consumers rights will be ignored.

Therefore， for the healthy development of the industry， anti-counterfeiting rules should be introduced to build a fair and transparent cyberspace emphasizing honesty and credit. It is also necessary to combine online and offl ine forces to ensure comprehensive supervision.

LONGEST-SERVING LAWMAKER PASSES AWAY

hen Jilan， Chinas longest-serving national lawmaker， passed away in Shanxi Province in north China on June 28 at the age of 91.

Shen hailed from a remote village in the mountains of Taihang， a revolutionary base of the Communist Party of China in Shanxi. She served in the National Peoples Congress（NPC）， the top legislature， as a deputy since its establishment in 1954.

Shen championed womens labor rights and advocated “equal pay for equal work” for men and women， which was written into the first Constitution of the Peoples Republic of China （PRC） in 1954. She also made many valuable proposals on rural development， education and anti-corruption.

She was awarded the Medal of the Republic， the highest state honor， ahead of the 70th founding anniversary of the PRC in 2019.

“It is natural for China to enact a law on national security in Hong Kong for it is a part of the country. There is no basis or reason for the U.S. to intervene in Hong Kong security legislation.”

Wang Wen， Executive Dean of the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies， Renmin University of China， in an interview with Russia Today on June 30

“The world needs a debt relief， restructuring and issuing of new special drawing rights in the framework of the International Monetary Fund. The role of China will be important in all the efforts to save and reform the global economy.”

Danilo Türk， former President of Slovenia， commenting on global economic recovery on China Global Television Network on June 27

“Some U.S. politicians have been trying to belittle Chinas contributions in the fight against the virus. It is clear that the U.S. lawsuits are aimed at containing Chinas peaceful rise.”

Liu Huawen， a researcher with Chinese Academy of Social Sciences， in an article published in China Daily on June 29

“Beijing has set a clear example that China will ward off a new wave of infections-domestic or imported-through prompt and refined epidemic control response. A second round of the epidemic in China is unlikely to occur.”

Zhang Wenhong， Director of the Infectious Diseases Department of the Shanghai Huashan Hospital， addressing a webinar held by China Central Television on July 1