China Releases White Paper on Nuclear Safety

The State Council released the white paper Nuclear Safety in China on September 3. The document states that China has always regarded nuclear safety as an important national responsibility， and integrated it into the entire process of nuclear energy development and utilization. China has always developed the nuclear industry subject to considerations of safety， implemented regulations in accordance with the strictest standards， and adapted to the new requirements of the nuclear industry. The development of Chinas nuclear industry has always maintained a good safety record， pursuing an innovationdriven path of nuclear safety with Chinese characteristics.

According to the white paper， the core of Chinas nuclear safety strategy is placing equal emphasis on four main points， known as the “Four Points of Emphasis”： Emphasis on development and safety， developing the nuclear industry in a context of guaranteed safety； emphasis on rights and obligations， promoting international nuclear safety on the basis of respect for the rights and interests of all countries； emphasis on independent efforts and coordination， seeking universal nuclear safety with a mutually beneficial approach； and emphasis on symptoms and root causes， comprehensively promoting nuclear safety by eliminating the root causes of risks.

Progress in Crackdown on Illegal Firearms

Police in 154 cities across the country recently destroyed 107，000 illegal firearms， explosives， and detonators that were confiscated from the beginning of last year.

In recent years， although gun- and explosives-related crimes have declined significantly as a result of police efforts， some cases have occurred sporadically around the country. In order to tackle the issue， the Ministry of Public Security， together with 23 other authorities， set up a ministerial-level meeting mechanism under which they will share intelligence in a timely manner and take the required action. In February 2018， they launched a twoyear campaign to crack down on firearm crime.

Since last January， police across the country have dealt with 16，000 such cases， uncovered 163 organized criminal operations， and detained 17，000 suspects. Between January and July， 2019， the number of gun and explosivesrelated crimes decreased by 20 percent compared with the previous year.

“China is one of the countries with the lowest number of gun- related crimes and is one of the safest countries in the world，” Vice Minister of Public Security Sun Lijun said. He added that police will work closely with relevant authorities to set up a preventive mechanism to curb such crimes at their source.

Strong Growth in the Robotics Industry

A report by the Chinese Institute of Electronics predicts that Chinas market for service robots may reach US $2.2 billion this year， which represents about a quarter of the global market. According to its estimate， with the rapid development in emerging fields such as parking robots and supermarket robots， Chinas market for service robots is expected to approach US$4 billion in 2021. During the 2014-2019 period， the global robot market has expanded by an average annual rate of 12.3 percent.

R&D Inputs Set New Records

Last year Chinas funding for research and development totaled RMB 1，967.79 billion， rising 11.8 percent over 2017 and maintaining a two-digit growth for three consecutive years. This sum accounts for 2.19 percent of the Chinese GDP， up 0.04 percent over the previous year， thus achieving a new record high. Since 2013， Chinas R&D investment has remained the worlds second largest.

Chinas fiscal spending on science and technology was RMB 951.82 billion last year， an increase of 13.5 percent over 2017.