PINDUODUO FOUNDER BECOMES CHINAS SECOND RICHEST MAN

Colin Huang， Chair and CEO of online discounter platform Pinduoduo， is Chinas second richest man， according to the Forbes Real-Time Billionaire Index on June 21.

Huang， with a net worth of $45.4 billion， has surpassed Alibaba founder Jack Ma， and follows another Internet heavyweight， Tencents CEO Pony Ma， who is worth an estimated $51.5 billion.

Huang， a computer science major， started his career at Google in the U.S. in 2004. Returning to China， as a serial entrepreneur he founded an online games company and an e-commerce platform for consumer electronics and home appliances before setting up Pinduoduo.

Established in 2015， Pinduoduo is one of Chinas largest online retail businesses. In 2018， it raised $1.6 billion in a U.S. initial public offering.

An Aging Society

Guangming Daily June 19

Chinas population aged 65 and above will hit 14 percent of the total population by 2022， according to a recent report by China Development Research Foundation， which suggests the country is fast becoming an aging society.

The quality of life of the elderly has always been a focus of the government. This years Report on the Work of the Government includes a plan to increase the basic pension for retirees and the minimum basic old-age pension for rural and nonworking urban residents.

Pensions have been rising each year since 2005， providing financial security for this group so that they can have a better life. Besides， increasing channels for their entertainment and cultural life， including colleges for seniors， have also enhanced their happiness.

However， there are many problems in the pension system still. For instance， some workers have not participated in the system. Also， with the population mobility between different regions growing and there being differences in regional systems， it is challenging to put in an overall plan.

Responding to the aging of the population， the government should promote a combination of medical and nursing care together with social forces and lead in building a social environment of filial piety and respect for the elderly.

Human Rights in Xinjiang

Xinhuanet.com June 20

On June 17， the White House announced that U.S. President Donald Trump had signed the so-called Uygur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020， which has triggered outrage in China. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs， the Standing Committee of the Peoples Congress of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China and other authorities have fi rmly opposed the so-called act.

It slanders and groundlessly criticizes the human rights situation in Xinjiang as well as its counter-terrorism and de-radicalization efforts that have ensured Xinjiangs stability and development.

Since the establishment of the autonomous region in northwest China on October 1， 1955， it has taken remarkable strides in economic and social development. Through efforts including establishing vocational education and training centers and fighting terrorism and extremism in accordance with the law， terrorist activities have been effectively curbed and peoples rights to life， health and development safeguarded.

In the past three years， per-capita income in Xinjiang has grown at an average annual rate of over 8 percent， exceeding other provinces， autonomous regions and municipalities in China. Since 2014， more than 470，000 new urban jobs have been added annually， with the registered urban unemployment rate below 4.5 percent. Normal religious activities have been protected in accordance with the law. People enjoy the right to use their ethnic languages and practice their cultures.

The real intention of the so-called U.S. act is to sow discord among the ethnic groups in China， harm Xinjiangs prosperity and stability， and contain Chinas development. It is a stain on justice.

Using Xinjiang-related issues as a tool to pursue selfish gains at the expense of other countries peace and development interests， the self-proclaimed “human rights defender” has become a stumbling block in the way of the cause of international human rights.

Minors Protection

Peoples Daily June 19

Nine administrations， including the Supreme Peoples Procuratorate， recently issued a document about building a mandatory reporting system to protect minors. It asks that cases in nine categories， including sexual abuse， bullying and trafficking， should be reported to the public security organs as soon as they are discovered. This is signifi cant for strengthening the juvenile protection system with a social prevention mechanism.

Violation of minors rights has its special characteristics， which requires law enforcement and judicial organs to treat it differently. For instance， compared to adults， juveniles lack awareness and self-protection ability. Some are afraid and unwilling to speak out or even do not know how to seek help after being abused.

The reporting system will ensure cases are discovered promptly and prevent criminals from escaping punishment because of loss of evidence. At the same time， it will raise peoples sense of responsibility and will help form a protection mechanism for minors combining prevention， timely detection and an effi cient emergency response and legal punishment.

Psychological intervention， judicial assistance and juveniles legitimate rights and interests are also included in the mandatory reporting system.

PHARMACY CHAIN BOSS JAILED FOR FAKE MASKS

Li Dong， Chair of Beijing Jinghai Kangbaixin Medicine， was sentenced to 15 years in prison for selling counterfeit face masks at the height of the coronavirus epidemic in China

In January， when the demand for masks soared， Li bought over 500，000 poor quality masks from individual vendors in Shandong Province， east China， and sold them in his chain of stores as U.S. brand 3M.

Local authorities began investigation on receiving complaints about the products and Li and his associates were arrested on February 1. They were charged with selling fake products and the drugstore issued a public apology. It also offered compensation thrice the price of the masks to buyers.

Li and his two associates， also sentenced to several years in prison， said they would appeal.

“The greatest threat we face now is not the virus itself， its the lack of global solidarity and global leadership... We cannot defeat this pandemic with a divided world.”

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus， Director General of the World Health Organization， calling for international cooperation during a video conference on June 22

“The Chinese Government and relevant departments were well-trained in their response to the COVID-19 cases in Beijing and took timely professional measures to bring this small wave of local epidemics under control.”

Andrey Denisov， Russian Ambassador to China， talking about Chinas response to the epidemic to Russias Sputnik News Agency on June 19

“Chinas reactions on terrorism are normal...The U.S. is also a victim of terrorist attacks like the September 11 incident. We have to say that the U.S. is viewing human rights differently.”

Pierre Bercis， President of New Human Rights League of France， commenting on the so-called Uygur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020 by the U.S. in an interview with CGTN on June 21

“If the Western countries， including the U.S. and the UK， did a sober calculation of their real long-term interests， especially their primary interest in revitalizing the global economy， they would realize that stability in Hong Kong and its continuation as a vibrant commercial and financial center could enable Western companies to get full benefit from Chinas growth.”

Kishore Mahbubani， a distinguished fellow at the Asia Research Institute of the National University of Singapore， to Global Times on June 18