Innholdsfortegnelse for October 27, 2016 i Beijing Review

China-Europe Cargo Trains A safe, convenient and efficient system for China-Europe direct cargo trains will be established by 2020, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has said. It is estimated that there will be around 5,000 cargo trains running between China and Europe annually by 2020, according to a development plan issued by the NDRC. As a key component of the Belt and Road Initiative, direct cargo trains will connect a growing number of cities in China and Europe Demand for rail cargo service between China and Europe has exploded in recent years because it offers an alternative to slower and riskier sea freight and much costlier air cargo. The development plan shows that the cargo train service system will consist of three routes—an east route, a central…

Comments to wanghairong@bjreview.com The moment that the carrier rocket shed its fairing, a protective shell, Chen Dong caught his first glimpse of space. “It is very beautiful! So beautiful! Cool!” He exclaimed. Chen shared his amazement with fellow astronaut Jing Haipeng while on board the Shenzhou-11 spacecraft, which was hurtling toward its destination after blasting off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center earlier the same day, October 17. The two astronauts are the crew mem-bers of China’s sixth manned space mission. The mission’s objectives are to test spacecraft docking and return technologies, the space laboratory’s capabilities of supporting the life, work and health of astronauts, and the ability of astronauts to carry out flight missions, said Wu Ping, Deputy Director of China’s Manned Space Engineering Office, at a press conference…

Comments to baishi@bjreview.com Manila extended an olive branch to fix the discord with Beijing, as Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte chose China as the destination of his first international trip beyond the circle of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) member states since assuming office in late June. A large business delegation accompanied Duterte on the trip, which lasted from October 18 to 21. As has been widely reported, territorial and maritime disputes exist between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea. In recent years, China-Philippines ties have declined to their lowest level because of mounting tensions in disputed waters and repeated diplomatic rows. In particular, the then Philippine Government’s unilateral initiation of arbitration proceedings regarding the South China Sea issue at a tribunal in the Hague in January…

Comments to dengyaqing@bjreview.com Wang Limin, a 35-year-old engineer who lives in Beijing and owns a 71-squaremeter apartment in the city center, has seen his property appreciate by more than 2 million yuan ($296,700) in less than one year. “I could never live in such an apartment if I hadn’t sold my 49-square-meter apartment and spent the money as a down payment on this one at the end of last year,” said Wang, referring to Beijing’s skyrocketing property prices. Last December, Wang bought the apartment for 3.1 million yuan ($459,900). Now, though, he can expect to sell it for 5.6 million yuan ($830,700), and purchasers would line up to do the deal. “The old one was too small for a family of three people, so I made the decision to change…

Over 10,000 runners from eight countries took part in the 2016 Chengde Marathon on October 15. The event, held in the city of Chengde, north China’s Hebei Province, consisted of full, half and mini marathons. Ethiopian athletes Tigu Sefe Wendemu and Adimasu Amelework Gessesse won the men’s and women’s full marathons, respectively. In recent years, enthusiasm for the sport of running has swept China, and marathon races have thrived. According to statistics from the Chinese Athletic Association, 22 standard marathons were staged nationwide in 2011, but by 2015, that figure had risen to 134, with 2 million people participating in marathon events that year. In 2016, more than 200 such competitions are expected to take place.…

A gala commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of the Long March is held in Beijing on October 19. The Long March was a military maneuver carried out by the Red Army led by the Communist Party of China from 1934 to 1936. The performances, including singing and dancing, recalled the hardships that the Red Army endured during the period and showcased its courage and determination regardless of the sacrifice and suffering experienced. President Xi Jinping and other senior leaders joined over 3,000 spectators to watch the gala.…

IRAQ A government soldier stands guard at a military base near the northern city of Mosul on October 18. Iraqi security forces began a large offensive the previous day to liberate Mosul, the last major stronghold of the “Islamic State” radical group in Iraq SOMALIA Security personnel gather at a police station in Afgoye, 30 km south of the capital city of Mogadishu, on October 19, after an attack by Al-Shabaab militants killed at least 11 people BRAZIL Security personnel patrol outside the Agricola de Monte Cristo Prison in Boa Vista city, capital of Roraima state, after clashes between rival gangs left at least 18 inmates dead on October 16 MONTENEGRO Andrija Mandic, leader of the main opposition coalition, the Democratic Front, casts his ballot in the parliamentary election at…

October , 956 China’s irst ocket esearch n-stitute, he ifth cademy f he ational efense inistry, s ound-ed o pearhead he ountry’s pace xploration rogram. ian uesen s ppointed s ts rst irector.N November 6, 975 China successfully launches a remote-sensing satellite and recovers it three days later from orbit. It was the third country to develop this technology, which uses sensors to remotely collect data about extra- terrestrial objects. November 20, 1999 China launches its first unmanned experimental spacecraft, the Shenzhou-1. Over the next three years, China launches three progressively longer test flights as it seeks to build its capability for manned spaceflight. October 24, 2007 China launches the Chang’e -1, its first lunar probe, which maps the moon over a 16-month mission. 1955 Chinese-born, U.S.-educated aeronautical engineer Qian…

Comments to liuyunyun@bjreview.com China and Cambodia advanced their relation-ship during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent visit to the Southeast Asian nation. During the two-day trip on October 13-14, Xi and Cambodian leaders exchanged views on deepening the bilateral partnership. They also reached a broad consensus on international and regional issues of common concern. Xi said that China-Cambodia friendship serves as a model of friendly treatment and sincere cooperation between countries. After talks between Xi and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on October 13, 31 cooperation documents were signed in a wide range of fields covering economy, technology, infrastructure, efforts to curb human trafficking, taxation and maritime cooperation. Two major deals, a memorandum of understanding on the implementation of bilateral cooperation under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (Silk Road Economic…

Comments to wanghairong@bjreview.com Conspicuous red characters reading South Shaanxi Immigrant Relocation Project stand above two rows of white-walled and grey-tiled buildings in Shanyang County of Shangluo, Shaanxi Province. In front of the buildings stood Wang Wumei, a woman in her 50s chatting away with other silver-haired residents more senior than her. She moved into the six-story building last year. Now the family lives in a 120-square-meter apartment and has access to amenities such as tap water. “I used to live deep in the mountains, mak-ing a living on planting and picking traditional Chinese medicinal herbs,” Wang told Beijing Review. Evenings in the depths of the Qinling Mountains were pitch-black with wild boars roaming nearby, Wang recalled. It was also diffi-cult to see doctors, she added, which prompted her to…

The State Council has recently is-sued guidelines on market-oriented debt-for-equity swaps and reducing corporate leverage. China’s financial markets welcome the new documents, whose con-tent takes into consideration the opinions of various market participants as well as experience gained and lessons learned from debt-for-equity swaps conducted in the late 1990s. As long as the guidelines are well im-plemented in practice, we can be confident of satisfactory results. The two guidelines’ most significant stip-ulation is that corporate leverage reduction and debt-for-equity swaps must be carried out on a market-oriented basis. Within legal frameworks, market participants themselves, lenders in particular, will decide the specific details of debt-for-equity swaps and whether to engage in such transactions, and the gov-ernment will not force companies, banks and other financial institutions to transact such business. Only in…

Typhoon Sarika Several trees lie in the road, having been felled by typhoon Sarika in the coastal city of Qionghai in south China’s Hainan Province on October 18. The tropical cyclone, with maximum winds of up to 162 km per hour recorded in the eye of the storm, made landfall at Hele Town of Wanning on the same day. The storm was the most powerful and destructive one to hit Hainan in a decade, causing landslides in Hainan as torrential rain and gales lashed the island province. Classes were suspended in kindergartens and schools in eight counties in the province, and tourist sites were closed to the public. White Paper on Poverty Reduction The Chinese Government issued a white paper that hailed the efforts and progress made in poverty alleviation…

Comments to baishi@bjreview.com Leaders of the world’s top five emerg-ing economies ambitiously pledged to deepen cooperation, promote world economic growth and improve the global gov-ernance architecture. The consensus was met at the eighth annual BRICS summit held in Goa, India, between October 15 and 16. The heads of BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) held broad talks leading up to the Goa Declaration of the BRICS Leaders Meeting, issued on October 16. The Indian Government’s focus at the summit was to build institutions, implement commitments made at previous BRICS summits, and explore synergies among existing mechanisms. Furthermore, a dialogue was also held in Goa on October 16 between leaders of BRICS countries and members of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC)…

Comments to wanghairong@bjreview.com When Mureli Ajati opened the doors to his own home-based convenience store, it was the fulfillment of a life-long dream. The 34-year-old resident of Manas County, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, who has polio, has used the location of his street-facing family home to his advantage. This spring, Ajati, who lives with his mother and brother, was encouraged by the county’s federation of people with disabilities to set up the store. He was impressed by the speed and efficiency with which the operating license and other business documentation was processed and delivered to his door. The contact information of suppliers and how-to guidelines were also provided and the motivated entrepreneur’s operation is now running smoothly. Targeted measures Xie Yande, the newly appointed head of the…

Though nicknamed “the world’s factory” due to its manufacturing capacity, China has progressed steadily in scientific and technological development in recent decades by investing heavily in fundamental research. This year, such endeavor has borne fruit in many fields including space exploration and oceanography. How these achievements will eventually affect human life remains an open question. But, they will certainly contribute to efforts aimed at making our world a better place. The following recaps some of this year’s notable developments:  Largest Radio Telescope Shortly after noon on September 25, in a karst valley in Pingtang County in southwest China’s Guizhou Province, the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST)—the world’s largest and most sensitive radio tele-scope—was put into use. As the world’s largest single-dish telescope, FAST can accurately image twice as much of…

Dear Readers, Forum is a column that provides a space for varying perspectives on contemporary Chinese society. We invite you to submit personal viewpoints on past and current topics (in either English or Chinese). yanwei@bjreview.com Please provide your name and address along with your comments Recent years have seen the burgeoning growth of electronic sports (eSports) in China. The industry now has a multibillion dollar market, boasting some 100 million players. There are also various eSports competitions at both national and local levels. It therefore comes as no surprise that an announcement on the website of the Department of Vocational and Adult Education under the Ministry of Education declared on September 2 that eSports gaming and management will be one of the 13 new academic majors available in 2017 for…