ASTEROID NAMED AFTER CHINESE SCIENTIST

ASTEROID NAMED AFTER CHINESE SCIENTIST

An asteroid was named after Wu Rukang， a paleoanthropology scientist， according to the Chinese Academy of Sciences （CAS）.

A ceremony was held in Beijing on July 14 at the academys Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology to officially announce the naming of Asteroid Wu Rukang， which was approved by the International Astronomical Union （IAU）.

According to an IAU communiqué， the asteroid， coded 317452， was discovered in 2010 by astronomers with the NEO Survey Program at the Purple Mountain Observatory in east China.

Wu， a CAS academician， died in 2006 at 90. A pioneer in Chinese physical anthropology and paleoanthropology， he established the academic fi eld of neo-anthropology.

Asteroids are the only celestial bodies that can be named by their discoverers. According to the CAS， a total of 16 asteroids have been named after Chinese scientists， with joint support from the Hong Kong-based Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation and the academys Purple Mountain Observatory.

Science Popularization

Peoples Daily July 13

During the containment of the novel coronavirus disease （COVID-19）， the popularization of science has helped people discern rumors and learn more about the epidemic.

China has made remarkable progress in recent years. Since 2004， the China Association for Science and Technology （CAST） has held National Science Popularization Day activities for 15 consecutive years， with over 80，000 events for 1.5 billion people， according to the association. Moreover， through the efforts of many experts， people have more access to knowledge. New media has grown into a vital channel for popularizing science， bringing more content in multiple forms to audiences.

Bai Xi， head of the CAST Department of Science Popularization， told Xinhua News Agency recently， that in 2018， the proportion of scientifi c literacy of Chinese citizens reached 8.47 percent， a leapfrog from 1.36 percent in 2005. “But that is still a very low level compared to 25 percent in the United States in 2015，” he said.

China has set a compulsory goal of pushing the scientifi c literacy rate to 10 percent by 2020， and reaching an advanced global level by 2035， according to Bai. To complete this challenging task， along with those specializing in science popularization， writers， artists and science and technology practitioners will also be invited to join the cause.

Motivating the Public

Xinhuanet.com July 11

Volunteers in Jiangjin District of Chongqing， southwest China， attracted the publics attention recently with their activities to crackdown on illegal fishing and protect fish along the Yangtze River. Meanwhile， the reinforcement of a fi shing ban and the restoration of the rivers ecological environment has also become a hot topic.

China began a 10-year fi shing moratorium at the beginning of this year in 332 conservation areas in the Yangtze River basin， which will be expanded to all the natural waterways of the countrys longest river and its major tributaries starting no later than January 1， 2021.

However， it is a difficult task without the participation of the masses due to its wide area. In recent years， residents along the Yangtze River have worked to stop acts of environmental destruction and enhance awareness of ecological protection.

Many illegal fi shing cases were discovered and reported by the public， such as the volunteers in Jiangjin， the majority being fi shermen redeployed to other sectors who have strong emotional attachment and understanding of the river. Their participation has more effectively enforced the Yangtze fishing ban and prevented illegal fi shing.

In addition， although some local governments have ramped up efforts to develop civilian forces， there is a lack of financial support and other encouragement that can drain peoples enthusiasm. Moreover， without a standard reporting mechanism， volunteers do not have access to follow-up information， which can lead to distrusting enforcement departments.

To give full play to these volunteers， local governments can provide financial support by purchasing services with the guarantee of funds and equipment， making up for the lack of an official force. A comprehensive mechanism should also be created with information registration， timely feedback and incentives.

Emerging Industries

Guancha.gmw.cn July 10

Freelancers， such as e-sports players， have emerged as a new source of jobs for the record number of students graduating from Chinese higher education institutions this year， according to a document on nationwide employment data verifi cation for college graduates released by the Ministry of Education.

Today， although some freelancers have stable incomes， it cannot be regarded as a general industry standard. For example， there were over 600 We-Media bloggers who made 100，000 yuan （$14，300） a month on the social media platform WeChat in 2018， but the number of offi cial accounts exceeded 20 million in 2017.

However， the prospects of emerging industries still attract many people. In June 2019， the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security released a report on e-sports where it predicted the demand for e-sports talent would reach nearly 2 million. At the same time， 20 universities and over 200 junior colleges have begun providing relevant modules.

Since those industries have been officially included in employment data， it is necessary to establish a complete vocational education system. Administrations should guide these emerging industries on the track of healthy development by creating management mechanisms and industry norms， and stimulating their creativity.

CHINAS NEW UN DEPUTY PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE

Geng Shuang presented his credentials to the UN Secretariat on July 14， offi cially starting his tenure as Deputy Permanent Representative of China to the world body.

Geng was spokesperson and Deputy Director General of the Department of Information of Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2016 to 2020 before joining the Chinese UN mission.

The envoy was a staff member and attaché of the Department of International Organizations and Conferences， Ministry of Foreign Affairs， from 1995 to 1999， as well as attaché and third secretary of the Permanent Mission of the Peoples Republic of China to the UN from 1999 to 2003.

Geng made his debut at a Security Council virtual meeting on the work of the UN Offi ce for West Africa and the Sahel （UNOWAS） on July 9.

China will work with UNOWAS and the international community to help countries in the region combat COVID-19， maintain peace and stability， and achieve sustainable development， he said.

“Chinas sovereignty and relevant rights and interests in the South China Sea have been established in the long course of history （of over 2，000 years）， and solidly grounded in history and law.”

Hua Chunying， spokesperson for Chinas Foreign Ministry， firing back at U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeos statement regarding the South China Sea via tweets on July 14

“If we just let drugs and vaccines go to the highest bidder， instead of to the people and the places where they are most needed， well have a longer， more unjust， deadlier pandemic. We need leaders to make these hard decisions about distributing based on equity， not just on market-driven factors.”

Bill Gates， founder of Microsoft， said in a video on July 11 during a conference organized by the International AIDS Society， calling for COVID-19 drugs and an eventual vaccine to be made available to countries and people that need them most

“The Hong Kong Regional Government will cooperate with the educational sector to cultivate a sense of national identity in students and the younger generation， as well as an international perspective and a love of Hong Kong.”

Carrie Lam ， Chief Executive of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region， speaking at a summit on Hong Kongs education on July 11

“China has gradually established and improved a natural reserve system with national parks at the core， while achieving its goals in cataloging， assessing and sharing information on plant diversity.”

Ren Hai， Director of the South China Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences， a leading institute for plant and ecological research in China， talking about the achievement of the major strategic goals set in the Strategy for Plant Conservation （2010-20） on July 8