Lake of Tranquility

Lake of Tranquility

An aerial view of Nahai Lake in Luqu， a county in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Gansu Province， northwest China， on September 15. Thanks to a ban on herding and other efforts to restore the environment， as well as increased precipitation in the province in recent years， the lake has expanded and its ecology improved.

Enhanced Image

The main fi ndings of the 2019 China National Image Global Survey were released by the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies， a research institution affi liated to China International Publishing Group， in Beijing on September 15.

The survey showed Chinas overall image improved in 2019， with overseas youth， aged 18-35， having the best impression of the country. China scored 6.3 on a 10-point scale， 0.1 point higher than in the previous survey.

It also showed that other BRICS countries—Brazil， Russia， India and South Africa—have retained their good impression of China.

Regarding Chinas participation in global governance， more than half of the respondents said they expect it to play a bigger role in economic， scientifi c and technological fi elds.

The Belt and Road Initiative proposed by China has seen increasing popularity， with 23 percent of the overseas respondents acquainted with it， 3 percentage points more than in 2018. The top six countries with the highest awareness of the initiative were India， Japan， the Republic of Korea， Saudi Arabia， Russia and Germany.

More people， compared with the 2018 survey， thought that Chinese enterprises would bring along new capital and technologies， and create jobs in other countries. And fewer thought Chinese enterprises would impact local employment and affect the balance of the local industrial chain.

Those in developing countries expressed greater expectations for opportunities to emerge from Chinese enterprises presence in their countries， the survey found.

While infrastructure connectivity and unimpeded trade are the most praised areas， geopolitical confl icts， differences in political systems and trade protectionism are the major challenges faced by the countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative.

The survey was jointly conducted by the academy and Kantar Group， a marketing data， insight and consultancy company， with 500 respondents from each of 22 countries in Asia， Europe， North America， Oceania and Africa， from June to September in 2019.

COVID-19 Guideline

The National Health Commission on September 15 released the seventh novel coronavirus disease（COVID-19） prevention and control guideline， stressing that the disease is mainly transmitted via respiratory droplets and close contact. The latest version said there are risks of infection when people are exposed to contaminated objects or environments under certain conditions.

When fi ve or more cases are linked by the same location of exposure， it is to be regarded as an infection cluster， the guideline said. Previously， the occurrence of two or more such confi rmed cases was identifi ed as an infection cluster.

For the convenience of epidemiological investigations， the latest version gave specifi c criteria for imported cases， and new infections linked to imported cases.

After taking a COVID-19 test at ports of entry， those entering the Chinese mainland should spend seven days in isolation centers for medical observation and take another test before completing quarantine.

If the test result is negative， they should isolate themselves at home for another seven days before they can travel around.

Smart Expo

To promote global exchanges of smart technologies and international cooperation in the smart industry， the 2020 Smart China Expo Online was held in Chongqing Municipality in southwest China from September 15 to 17.

Co-hosted by Chongqing and Singapore， it saw over 550 companies and other participants， including foreign enterprises such as Intel， IBM and Siemens.

“Smart technologies are vital for the inclusive and sustainable future we want，” said Liu Zhenmin， UN Under Secretary General for Economic and Social Affairs， while addressing the opening ceremony via video link. “In the ongoing fi ght against COVID-19， smart technologies have been deployed to prevent， monitor and contain the spread of the pandemic， and to support recovery.”

“The creativity and innovation of industries is key to the advancement of smart technologies， while governments have a crucial and expanding effect on creating an enabling environment，” he added.

The expo， themed “Smart Technology： Empowering Economy， Enriching Life，” had 41 online forums on 5G， blockchain， industrial Internet and semiconductors.

A branch venue was set up in Singapore for the opening ceremony， which maintained real-time connection with the main venue in Chongqing.

AI Principles

Chinese institutions， universities and enterprises have jointly released principles governing the use of artifi cial intelligence （AI） by children.

The principles aim to reduce the possible negative impacts of AI on children while providing them with better education， Zeng Yi， Director of the Ethics and Security Center of the Beijing Academy of Artifi cial Intelligence （BAAI）， said at a conference organized in Beijing for announcing the release of the principles on September 14.

According to the principles， AI development should safeguard childrens dignity and protect and promote their free development and diversifi ed growth. AI products should help protect their privacy， promote their physical and mental health， and avoid potential risks.

The principles were released by BAAI， Peking University， Tsinghua University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences， together with enterprises that focus on AI development.

In recent years， with the increasing popularity of online courses， games and social media， children have more exposure to AI products， whereas their ability to identify risks and hidden dangers is insuffi cient， Zeng said.

More attention needs to be paid to the data protection， authorization and security of AI products. The formulation of related principles can ensure the healthy growth of children， he added.

Dental Health

Children learn how to brush teeth at a kindergarten in Jiapu， a township in Huzhou， Zhejiang Province in east China， on September 16， ahead of Teeth Care Day on September 20.

Online Literature

A total of 28 literary works have been shortlisted to compete in the 2019 online literature rankings.

The entries， announced by the online literature center of the China Writers Association on September 14， have three categories： online fi ction； online literature with infl uential intellectual property （IP）； and works with international infl uence.

Fourteen novels were shortlisted for online fi ction， including a novel whose title is translated as Vast and Mighty， revolving around college graduates starting their own businesses.

Ten literary works made the list of online literature with infl uential IP， including Zhu Xian， a popular fantasy that has been developed into online games.

Four other titles were shortlisted in the category of internationally infl uential works.

The public can vote on them between September 14 and 28， via Chinawriter.com.cn. The fi nal rankings， based on the voting results and expert appraisals， will be released on September 28.

Rice Race

A rice harvesting competition in Quanzhou， a county in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in south China， on September 15. Four teams consisting of 60 people each participated， reaping， threshing and weighing the rice within two hours.

Marrow Donations

The China Marrow Donor Program（CMDP） has facilitated 10，000 donations of hematopoietic stem cells（HSC） over the past two decades， with more than 2.8 million potential donors listed in its database， according to the Red Cross Society of China.

HSCs are stem cells from which all types of blood cells are formed. They are found in the bone marrow of adults and used to treat blood diseases such as leukemia.

The Red Cross Society of China presented a certifi cate to Lin Binbin， the 10，000th HSC donor， on September 15. The presentation took place in Beijing at an event marking the Sixth World Marrow Donor Day.

The CMDP， established in 1992， is a non-profi t organization affi liated with the Red Cross.

Steady Rebound

The recovery of the Chinese economy continued to gather steam with major economic indicators improving in August， according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics （NBS） on September 15.

Retail sales of consumer goods returned to growth for the fi rst time this year， rising 0.5 percent year on year in the month. The measurement of consumption fell 1.1 percent in July.

Industrial output increased 5.6 percent year on year， accelerating from the 4.8-percent rise in July. In the fi rst eight months， industrial output expanded 0.4 percent from one year earlier， compared with a decline of 0.4 percent in the January-July period.

Fixed assets investment edged down 0.3 percent year on year in the fi rst eight months， further narrowing from a fall of 1.6 percent posted in the January-July period.

Private fi xed assets investment， which accounts for more than half of total investment， fell 2.8 percent in the January-August period， compared with a decline of 5.7 percent in the fi rst seven months.

Exports grew at a faster-thanexpected pace in August， increasing 11.6 percent year on year， though imports edged down 0.5 percent from one year earlier.

NBS spokesperson Fu Linghui said the rebound in major indicators in August came as the economy extended its recovery. He predicted that the economic growth is likely to post “an evident acceleration” in the third quarter if recovery momentum continues in September.

Chinas GDP expanded 3.2 percent year on year in the second quarter， reversing a contraction of 6.8 percent in the fi rst quarter.

New Choices

Shoppers select commodities in a mall on the new extension of Nanjing Road in Shanghai on September 13， the day when the area opened to the public. With the fl agship stores of many Chinese and foreign brands located here， it has added to the appeal of the pedestrian commercial street.

Hainan Investment

A new batch of 151 projects started construction in the southern island province of Hainan on September 13， as part of its efforts to advance the free trade port program.

With a total investment of 40.3 billion yuan （$5.89 billion）， they include infrastructural facilities， the fi rst phase of an aircraft engine maintenance base in provincial capital Haikou， a high-end intelligent commodity manufacturing park in the Yangpu Economic Development Zone， and a yacht dock project in the tropical resort of Sanya.

On June 1， the central authorities released a master plan for the Hainan Free Trade Port， aiming to build the whole island into a globally infl uential high-level free trade port by the middle of the century.

Previously， the province had launched 221 projects in two groups， with a total investment of 77 billion yuan （$11.37 billion） in this year for building the free trade port.

By the end of this year， investment in these projects will reach 8 billion yuan （$1.18 billion）.

BMW Project

The second phase of a highvoltage battery center invested in by BMW Brilliance Automotive（BBA）， a joint venture between BMW Group and Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Ltd.， started production in the northeastern province of Liaoning on September 14.

The expanded center is the fi rst location in the BMW production network to manufacture fi fthgeneration high-voltage batteries.

“China is of high importance to BMW， both as a market and as a location for production and innovation，” Milan Nedeljkovic， member of the board of management of BMW AG， responsible for production， said. “With this new battery center， we will more than double our local battery production capacity in China.”

The expansion is concrete proof of BMWs commitment to continue investing in Shenyang， Liaoning and northeast China，according to BBA President Johann Wieland.

China is BMWs largest single market. BBA was founded in 2003. In 2019， its plants in Shenyang， the provincial capital of Liaoning， produced more than 530，000 vehicles for the Chinese market， an increase of more than 9 percent year on year. Maximum annual capacity of the two plants is expected to reach 650，000 units over the coming years.

The Smell of Profit

Workers make naan， a Uygur-style fl atbread， at a food industry park in Jiashi County， Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China， on September 12. The parks naan production involves 1，200 local residents， including 696 from impoverished households. As many as 300，000 naans are sold via online and offl ine channels a day.

P2P Regulation

The number of peer-to-peer （P2P） lenders in operation across China stayed at 15 at the end of August， down 99 percent from the start of 2019， Feng Yan， Deputy Director of the Department of Inclusive Finance of the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission， said at a press conference on September 14.

There had been an 88-percent decline in lenders and a 73-percent drop in borrowers， she said， adding that both the numbers of participants and P2P companies had fallen for 26 consecutive months.

Online P2P lending， where investors sidestep traditional lenders such as banks to lend directly to borrowers， was once seen as an important credit mechanism.

However， China has tightened its regulation and supervision over the sector in recent years to forestall fi nancial risks.

Regulators will continue to step up scrutiny of the P2P sector to reduce risks， Feng said.

Self-Driving Truck

FAW Jiefang has rolled out J7， a self-driving heavy-duty truck.

Equipped with seven cameras， 5-mm wave radars and one lidar， as well as an autopilot system， J7 is capable of automatic overtaking， lane changing， lane centering， adaptive cruise control， blind spot monitoring， obstacle avoidance and other maneuvers， the com- pany said.

The L3 self-driving truck was jointly developed by FAW Jiefang and PlusAI， an artifi cial intelligence startup in California， the U.S.

The autonomous truck will be mass manufactured and generate large amounts of data at a low cost during real operations to feed its L4 algorithm. With continuous autonomous learning and over-the-air technology upgrade， the L4 self-driving truck will be put into commercial operation in 2023， according to the company.

L3 automation only conditionally allows drivers to take their hands off the wheel or eyes off the road at low speeds， while L4 refers to a higher level of automation that generally requires no human involvement or oversight.

The cooperation will speed up the upgrade of smart trucks and contribute to Chinas intelligent automobile industry chain and intelligent transportation system， said Hu Hanjie， Chairman of FAW Jiefang.

Intelligent Solution

A visitor plays a video game with a 5G-connected virtual reality headset at the 10th China Smart City and Intelligent Economy Expo in Ningbo， Zhejiang Province in east China， on September 11. The four-day event showcased the latest products and technologies from 300 enterprises in the area.

China Lab

French beauty giant Clarins Group said it has opened a laboratory in Shanghai to better identify and meet the needs of Chinese consumers.

It is the fi rst lab Clarins has set up outside Paris.

Vitro experiments， sensory analysis and clinical tests will be conducted in the lab. Researchers can screen the active ingredients of products and verify their effi cacy， test and compare skin conditions before and after use of the products， as well as invite Chinese consumers for sensory evaluations.

Olivier Courtin-Clarins， Managing Director of Clarins， said the company has seen great possibilities for cooperation with its Chinese partners since their fi rst visit to China in 1999.

Courtin-Clarins said the company hopes to draw more inspiration from traditional Chinese medicine for product development.

The lab is expected to not only develop new products for the Asian market， but also bring innovation to Clarins global markets.