NEW HEAD OF NATIONAL RADIO AND TV ADMINISTRATION

Xu Lin recently was appointed as head of the National Radio and Television Administration， China’s broadcasting regulator， and no longer heads the State Council Information Office.

Born in Shanghai in 1963， Xu holds an MBA degree. He worked in Shanghai until June 2015， with a stint in Tibet Autonomous Region from May 1995 to May 1998.

From 2003 to 2007， Xu was head of the Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau.

Later， Xu also held positions in different departments， including the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee and the Cyberspace Administration of China. He was the minister of the Cyberspace Administration of China from June 2016 to July 2018.

Xu has been a deputy head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee since June 2016， and minister of the State Council Information Office since August 2018.

Economic Daily June 15

In 2021， wages accounted for 70 percent of the incomes of people who newly rose out of absolute poverty. In this sense， having a stable job is key to prevent these people from slipping back into poverty.

Several obstacles stand between rural workers and stable jobs： Only a small fraction of them is equipped with useful labor skills. Although working close to home will reduce living costs compared to in other provinces， most of the local job opportunities are seasonal and their incomes fluctuate. Battered by COVID-19， the service and manufacturing sectors in rural areas， which absorb a large amount of labor， have shrunk sharply and cannot provide sufficient employment opportunities.

Governments at various levels have produced an array of polices to help businesses out of this predicament. In the long run， it’s important to strengthen the technical training of people who were recently escaped absolute poverty. Stronger working capabilities will help this group transition from physical laborers to technical workers， making it easier for them to find stable and betterpaid jobs.

Outlook Weekly June 13

The key to food security lies in the nation’s production capacity for grain， which means enough grain is available when the demand arises. This requires China to maintain sufficient arable land and update its irrigation and water conservancy programs supported by modern agricultural machinery.

China’s 1.4 billion people consume 700，000 tons of grain， 98，000 tons of oil， 230，000 tons of meat and 1.92 million tons of vegetables every day. This huge demand for food suggests that the land for grain， oilseeds and vegetables must be kept at a minimum of approximately 2.4 billion mu or 160 million hectares. Even if some land can be repeatedly used in the same year， the bottom line is approximately 1.8 billion mu or 120 million hectares.

Currently， 95 percent of arable land is planted with seeds bred by China itself. Rising grain production in recent years is to large extent attributed to the development of improved crop varieties.

Sustainably stable grain production in recent years has ensured sufficient grain supply and grain stocks. China has managed to produce 95 percent of the grain need of its population.

Stable food supply and prices at a time of surging international grain prices act as a ballast in the country’s social stability and development. A high-quality food security system is taking shape， which will provide the Chinese with healthier and richer food choices.

Shenzhen Special Zone Herald June 15

The first vice principal in charge of food safety has recently taken office at a university in Shenzhen， Guangdong Province. Apart from conducting regular food safety reviews and training canteen workers on food safety， the vice principal will also invite parents to visit the school’s canteen and have meals there. To ensure all aspects of food safety for students， the vice principal will conduct regular assessments of canteen workers and the school’s food safety managers.

This is not a simple job. The vice principal must devote himself or herself to campus food safety， so as to win support from the students and their parents. The final goal is that all sides will participate in monitoring and ensuring food security on campus.

Food safety on campus affects the growth of the new generation and the lives of many families. A long-term mechanism to monitor and ensure campus food safety will be put in place and improved continuously to keep pace with the times.

Zou Jing， an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering （CAE）， passed away in Tianjin on June 9， at the age of 86.

She had been engaged in the research of photosensitive materials and functional thin film materials for most of her life. Her research results made China the fourth country in the world to develop and produce color films independently in the 1980s， after the United States， Germany and Japan.

Zou was born in 1936. She earned a bachelor’s degree in production engineering in the Soviet Union in 1960， and then started her career at the Baoding Cinefilm Manufacturing Factory in Baoding， Hebei Province， now known as China Lucky Group Corp. Zou was the company’s chief engineer from 1985 to 2000.

In 1994， Zou was elected to be among the first CAE academicians. She had been a professor at the School of Chemical Engineering at Tianjin University before passing away.

“China has been playing a more important role in safeguarding global and regional peace and stability.”

Kin Phea， Director General of the International Relations Institute at the Royal Academy of Cambodia， at the 19th Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on June 12

“It’s important to respect the diversity of civilizations… and make exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations a powerful bond for maintaining world peace and promoting common development.”

Xiao Qian， Chinese Ambassador to Australia， at the national conference of the Australia-China Friendship Society on June 11

“The Digital Silk Road is well-positioned to help African nations deal with corruption through the use of artificial intelligence.”

Djamel Ghrib， Director of Economic Affairs at the African Union Commission （AUC）， during the AUC-IMF High-Level Conference on June 14

“The only true path to energy security， stable power prices， prosperity and a livable planet lies in abandoning polluting fossil fuels.”

António Guterres， UN Secretary General， in his remarks delivered to the Austrian World Summit via video link on June 14