THIS WEEK

HALLOWEEN JOYS

A teacher distributes candies to students during a Halloween activity at a primary school in Beijing on October 29. The children made pumpkin lamps, masks and costumes, experiencing the coming Western festival.

DING HAITAO

Deadly Attack

A car crash that occurred near downtown Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on October 28 was a “carefully planned, organized and premeditated” terrorist attack, according to the Beijing police.

The three attackers died during the incident and a further fve suspects have been detained, a police spokesman announced on October 30.

Usmen Hasan, his mother, Kuwanhan Reyim, and his wife, Gulkiz Gini, drove a jeep with a license plate belonging to northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and intentionally crashed into a crowd of people, before setting gasoline inside the vehicle alight, the spokesman said.

Police found gasoline, equipment full of gasoline, two knives and steel sticks as well as a fag with extremist religious content in the jeep.

Police have also found knives and at least one “jihad” fag in the temporary residence of the fve detained suspects.

JEWELRY FEST

The suspects caught in connection with the incident are Husanjan Wuxur, Gulnar Tuhtiniyaz, Yusup Umarniyaz, Bujanat Abdukadir and Yusup Ahmat. According to the police spokesman, they admitted that they knew Usmen Hasan and helped conspire the plan and carry out the attack.

Police said that the other two people killed in the attack were tourists—one Philippine woman and one man from south China’s Guangdong Province.

A further 40 people were injured during the attack, including three other Philippine tourists and one from Japan. All of them are receiving treatment in hospital.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on October 30 that China expresses its condolences to the victims, pledging to provide the necessary assistance to the relevant countries.

Further investigation into the case is under way.

Austerity Measures

The Communist Party of China has intensifed efforts to fght waste and extravagance among Party and government departments with the approval of new regulations on thrift practices by the Political Bureau of the Party’s Central Committee on October 29.

According to a statement from a Political Bureau meeting, the regulations aim to limit, supervise and punish various violations related to spending of public funds.

The regulations offer comprehensive stipulations that cover public fund management, domestic and overseas trips, business receptions, meetings and other offcial activities, the use of non-private vehicles and offces as well as resource savings.

According to the statement, departments at all levels should map out detailed measures under the framework of the regulations in accordance with the realities of their own work, ensuring strengthened supervision and harsher punishments for violators on a case-by-case basis.

Legislation Plan

China’s top legislature plans to discuss 68 bills in the next fve years, 11 of which are related to environmental issues.

The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the country’s national legislature, announced a fve-year legislation plan on October 30.

A total of 47 bills are to be discussed, including 33 draft amendments and 14 new laws, according to the plan.

There are also 21 bills being drafted that will be submitted for discussion when ready, the document said.

The bills on environmental issues include draft amendments to land management, environmental protection, air pollution and water pollution regulations as well as draft laws on soil pollution and nuclear facility safety measures.

Emission Reductions

Emissions of four major pollutants in China saw a year-on-year decrease of 2-3 percent in the frst half of 2013, according to the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

Figures in a ministry report released on October 25 showed that Chemical Oxygen Demand, a measure monitoring organic pollutants in water, stood at 11.993 million tons in the frst six months, representing a 2.37-percent drop year on year.

Emissions of sulfur dioxide, another major pollutant, dropped 2.48 percent from the previous year to 10.569 million tons.

Meanwhile, the total volume of ammonia nitrogen emissions reached 1.259 million tons and nitrogen oxide emissions totaled

11.675 million tons, registering yearon-year decreases of 2.15 percent and 3.02 percent, respectively.

According to the report, the ministry will issue more regulations on a number of other factors affecting the environment, including price evaluation of coal-fuelled generators and waste emissions limits for construction projects.

Medical Support

China has set targets for training of doctors in order to better serve the country’s large rural population, according to a plan made public by the National Health and Family Planning Commission on October 28.

The plan outlines improvements to the country’s education and training systems for rural doctors, in a bid to ensure that 60 percent of such doctors hold degrees from secondary technical schools or better by 2015.

In addition, all rural doctors are expected to be qualifed as medical practitioners by 2020, under the plan.

The number of rural health workers in China reached 1.2 million at the end of 2010, marking an 18.1-percent increase in comparison with the number in 2000, according to the commission.

Space Training

China is providing training for space professionals from developing economies, enhancing their capacity in satellite operations and space technology applications.

“Hundreds of space engineers and scientists from several countries including Pakistan and Nigeria have received training in China since 2005,” said Li Lan, Vice General Manager of the Communications Satellite Division of the China Great Wall Industry Corp., the country’s only commercial provider of international launch services and satellite in-orbit delivery.

The latest training was provided to 35 Bolivian space experts, who completed their studies on October 28.

The training was part of the Tupac Katari program signed in 2010 between the Bolivian Space Agency and the China’s Great Wall.

Disney in Shanghai

Shanghai will be home to the world’s largest Disney store by 2015 when the Shanghai Disney Resort opens to the public.

The Walt Disney Co. China announced on October 25 plans to build the frst Chinese Disney store in the city’s Lujiazui.

Set to open in early 2015, the 5,000-square-meter store will be located in Shanghai’s fnancial hub, and will feature a retail space and a Disney-themed outdoor plaza area.

Yang Xiaoming, General Manager of Shanghai Lujiazui (Group) Co. Ltd., said that the store’s innovative design, product and entertainment offerings will provide the Lujiazui area with a family-friendly destination.

Credit Tracking

People living in nine provinciallevel regions, including Beijing and Guangdong, can now look up their personal credit reports using an online inquiry service. This was made available from October 28.

According to a blue paper published by China Banking Association, the country’s fnancial institutions issued 330 million credit cards by the end of 2012, with annual trading of 10 trillion yuan ($1.63 trillion).

The database collected information on 820 million individuals, among whom 290 million had personal credit fles. The new platform is expected to draw public attention to personal credit records and help make credit management a part of people’s daily routine, said Chang Sheng, General Manager of Allwin Credit, a Beijing-based micro-fnance service provider.

DONG NAIDE

The system is another form of credit tracking in China and the service will be available to the whole population in the frst half of 2014, according to the central bank.

E-Commerce Boom

The size of China’s business-tocustomer (B2C) e-commerce market reached 162.4 billion yuan ($26.66 billion) in the third quarter, up 50 percent year on year, Internet market research company Analysys International said in a report on October 29.

The B2C market, gradually narrowing the gap with its customerto-customer (C2C) equivalent, has covered 39 percent of the country’s whole online retail market, said the report.

After several rounds of ferce price wars in the second quarter, China’s e-commerce giants were active in expanding new businesses by developing online fnancing enterprises and introducing multiple operations.

The report predicted that China’s B2C market would grow robustly in the fourth quarter, when major e-commerce enterprises will put much effort into the online-tooffine market.

Popular FTZ

The Shanghai pilot free trade zone (FTZ) has seen 208 newly registered enterprises since October 1, local authorities said on October 28.

小學(xué)語文素質(zhì)教育的中心任務(wù)就是培養(yǎng)學(xué)生的語文能力，而其能力的核心是掌握和運用語言文字的能力。要有較高的聽說讀寫能力，就要有豐富的知識和生活經(jīng)驗的積累。作為小學(xué)生，不可能有豐富的直接經(jīng)驗。因此，從書本中積累知識，從而獲得間接經(jīng)驗是積累的最佳途徑。東漢劉向就曾經(jīng)這樣說過：“書猶藥也，善讀之可以醫(yī)愚?！笨梢婇喿x對小學(xué)生而言何等重要。怎樣培養(yǎng)小學(xué)生閱讀品質(zhì)呢?這是擺在小學(xué)語文教師面前的一個不可回避的課題。筆者認為，培養(yǎng)小學(xué)生閱讀品質(zhì)，首先要搞清楚“閱讀品質(zhì)”的內(nèi)涵。所謂閱讀品質(zhì)，就是指閱讀行為、閱讀作風(fēng)上所表現(xiàn)的思想、認識等的本質(zhì)，它包括閱讀的興趣、閱讀的習(xí)慣、閱讀的價值觀、閱讀的感受和體驗等方面。

These include 188 domestic and 20 overseas-funded companies, according to the Shanghai Administration for Industry and Commerce.

Registered capital ranges from 30,000 yuan ($4,900) to 480.8 million yuan ($79 million), according to the administration.

Of the newly registered enterprises, trade and investment-asset management industries felded most registrations, with 122 and 36 respectively.

The Chinese Government offcially opened the 29-square-km Shanghai FTZ on September 29.

Tax Breaks

Enterprises involved in governmentled shantytown renovation are eligible for tax breaks if they meet certain conditions, authorities announced on October 28 in an effort to encourage participation in the project.

Renovation expenditure would be deducted from the taxes paid by enterprises engaged in governmentorganized redevelopment of remote mining and forestry areas short of public infrastructure, according to a circular released by the Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation.

The circular also specifed other requirements for the tax break, including the number of households in the shantytowns and the state of such areas. The policy will be retroactive to January 1, 2013.

Shantytown renovations are a crucial part of China’s efforts to provide low-income urban residents with affordable accommodations.

WANG HANZHI

Monopoly Fined

A court in south China’s Guangdong Province has ordered U.S. frm InterDigital Communications (IDC) to pay local technology giant Huawei 20 million yuan ($3.26 million) in compensation for monopolistic practices.

ln its fnal verdict on October 28, the Guangdong Provincial Higher People’s Court upheld the previous verdict issued by the municipal intermediate people’s court of Shenzhen, where Huawei is headquartered.

Patent prices offered to Huawei by IDC have often been hundreds of times higher than to other companies, according to the court. Asking for a higher price from Huawei is neither fair nor reasonable as its cellphone sales volume is far less than that of Apple and Samsung, the court stated.

The U.S. International Trade Commission initiated a Section 337 investigation into Huawei’s 3G and 4G wireless devices on January 31 for patent infringement. IDC, a wireless technology patent giant, was actively pushing forward the investigation.

According to the court, it was legitimate for the case to be heard in China as Huawei’s manufacturing is based in the country and IDC’s monopoly in U.S. markets and patent authorization could directly affect Huawei’s production in China as well as its exports.

Huawei sued IDC over its abuse of market monopoly on December 6, 2011 and asked for compensation worth 20 million yuan ($3.26 million). Both parties appealed to the court after its frst verdict was reached.

lIU QINlI

“I think our Chinese counterparts are active. They have shown high professionalism in their felds and are capable of raising constructive suggestions. Their comprehensive qualities are good. They have high aspirations for the future.”

Nicolae Banicioiu, Minister of Youth and Sports of Romania, said during the First Young Political Leaders Forum of China and Central and Eastern European Countries in Beijing on October 23

“Increased tension or even hostility is an accurate description of the current relationship between medical professionals and patients in China.”

Yu Miaoxiang, Deputy Director of the Bureau of Health in Wenling, Zhejiang Province, commenting on the recent stabbing of three doctors in a local hospital by a patient unhappy with a procedures he underwent

“It seems blue skies in Beijing only appear when winds are strong enough. Once large-area air pollution occurs, it could lead to positive feedback in atmospheric circulation patterns, resulting in more frequent occurrences of bad air.”

Lin Yanluan, an associate professor of the Center for Earth System Science at Tsinghua University

“We consider such forceful measures as Japan’s claim of ‘shooting them down’ a severe provocation and an act of war. We will respond with resolute counterattacks and the provocateur will bear all consequences.”

Geng Yansheng, spokesman for China’s Ministry of National Defense, responding at a news briefng on October 27 to a Japanese Government threat to shoot down Chinese drones conducting training and fying missions over the East China Sea

SCIENTIST ACKNOWLEDGED↓

Chinese glaciologist and climate scientist Qin Dahe has won this year’s Volvo Environment Prize for his cryospheric science and global climate change research. An award ceremony will be held in Stockholm, Sweden, on November 26. Involved in the preparation of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessment reports since 1998, Qin attracted wide attention last year with a report on how climate change leads to extreme weather events. The Volvo Environment Prize was established in 1988 and is awarded annually to people who have made outstanding scientific discoveries concerning the environment and sustainable development.

RECORD-BEAKING TENNIS STAR↓

Chinese tennis player Li Na reached the WTA Championship fnal on October 28, the frst for a regional player. Despite her loss to Serena Williams from the United States via a three-set fnal, Li, 31, showed that she is improving at an age when many players suffer a decline in performance. She achieved her best ever season-end world ranking of No. 3, a new high for Asian players. She rose to international prominence after clinching the 2011 French Open singles title and has won seven WTA singles titles.

Jack Ma’s Empire

Caijing MagazineOctober 21 This September saw a new landmark event occur at Alibaba Group led by Jack Ma. Its 12,000 staff members moved into the company’s new office building near Xixi Wetland, a famous scenic area boasting the frst and only national wetland park in China.

Ten years ago, Ma established the company in Hangzhou, capital of south China’s Zhejiang province, as the country’s biggest E-commerce corporation. In the following years, he explored businesses in felds such as fnance, logistics, tourism and agriculture. In addition, Yunfeng Capital, which Ma jointly established with other investors, has stretched its antennas to entertainment, media and even the gene feld. Ma is undoubtedly one of the most outstanding businessmen in China. As the idol of Alibaba, he has said on many occasions that what he expected was not an empire, but an ecosystem.

He once admitted that he was bad at dealing with public relations and tries to keep close ties with the government. But this can’t necessarily ensure him financial success. His ambition for the fnance industry might be one of his hidden weaknesses, according to outsiders. Although he has repeatedly said that Alibaba won’t establish banks, its new products do seem to be heading in that direction.

Ma is drawing increasingly closer to state-owned capital, which could bring new variables to his empire. Trouble could easily arise due to a bad relationship with state-owned shareholders.

Assault Against Doctors

people.com.cnOctober 29

The assault of medical staff in Wenling, Zhejiang province, on October 25, which killed one doctor and injured two, once again attracted national attention to doctor-patient conflicts.

Frequent assaults against doctors have made this profession dangerous. Doctors and patients should be allies in fighting illnesses instead of eyeing each other with suspicion. No matter how serious the conflict, resorting to violence can only make things worse. The assaults have caused extreme pressure on medical workers. According to a recent survey in China, 78 percent of participating doctors don’t want their children to study medicine.

The tension between doctors and patients are closely related to the larger social background wherein trust among people deteriorates amid increasing violence and crime. But the sudden surge of assaults against doctors is a result of weak punishment against lawbreakers. It is therefore high time for the public security departments to deter such violence by heavily punishing assailants in accordance with laws.

Hospitals should further facilitate the channel of communication between doctors and patients, enabling patients to complain when problems occur.

Due to the professional nature of medicine, asymmetric information does exist between both sides. This conflict is even more severe in China. The major reason is the underdeveloped healthcare system. Medical resources are distributed in an unbalanced way, with 80 percent of patients in rural areas and 80 percent of quality medical facilities in cities. To eliminate assaults against doctors, medical reform is necessary.

Divorce Rate Increase

The Beijing NewsOctober 30

Recently, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Civil Affairs revealed that in the past three quarters, 39,075 couples registered for divorce in the city, up 41 percent compared to the same period last year and beyond the average figure for the last four years.

The rise is partly a result of government real estate regulations. In February 2013, the Central Government levied an individual income tax on gains from selling real estate at 20 percent. The Beijing Municipal Government specifed that the transfer of a house that has been used over five years, and that is one’s only residential property, is exempt from personal income tax. In this light, many families with two or more houses chose to avoid the tax via fake divorce. And Beijing is not the only city to see such a phenomenon. Quite a number of big cities have followed suit.

Although such an irresponsible attitude toward marriage should be condemned, it has revealed the irrationality of such a policy. To control housing prices through high taxes only increases transaction costs, and can’t meet the increasing demand.

Getting Old Before Getting Rich

Oriental OutlookOctober 31 China is the only country in the world that has an aging population of more than 100 million. Statistics show that the population of the elderly reached 194 million in 2012, and the number is expected to exceed 200 million in 2013 and 300 million by 2015.

Offcials of the Ministry of Civil Affairs said that affected by factors such as longer life expectancy, sustained low birth rate, rapid urbanization and three baby booms, the pace of entering an aging society is speeding up and posing a big challenge to the country. China will become one of the countries with the heaviest burdens to provide for the aged.

A shortage in pension funds has developed over the past 30 to 40 years, which might take a similar amount of time to rectify. Reform of old age security has become a heated topic. Recently, the debates are centering on the suggestion of delaying retirement. And this suggestion has received mixed reactions.