Vietnamese artists perform during the opening ceremony of the 15th Asia Arts Festival in Ningbo， east Chinas Zhejiang Province， on September 23， when the event kicked off.

Left-Behind Children

As of the end of August， over 680，000 previously unsupervised“left-behind children” in rural areas have been placed in the custody of guardians， according to an offi ce affi liated to the Ministry of Civil Affairs（MCA）.

The term “left-behind children”refers to children whose parents have left their homes in rural areas to become migrant workers in towns or cities， leaving behind their children either unsupervised or in the care of relatives or neighbors.

Since November 2016， a total of 11，821 left-behind children who had dropped out of school have resumed their education， according to the offi ce under an inter-ministerial conference established by the government to protect these children.

Police nationwide have registered 125，377 left-behind children on the national household records that were previously unaccounted for.

Police also warned 90，822 parents for not fulfi lling their parental responsibilities. A total of 282 parents were warned， detained or fi ned by police， and 17 were deprived of their guardianship by courts， the offi ce said in a statement.

During the campaign， local governments prioritized the protection of left-behind children in their annual tasks， and were active in allocating funds for the childrens protection and providing them with assistance such as medical care and education， according to the statement.

The offi ce has requested police and government at all levels to make further efforts in the campaign， including more targeted measures to make sure no left-behind children are left without guardians.

As of November last year， China had 9.02 million left-behind children， according to a census jointly carried out by the ministries of civil affairs， education and public security from March 2016.

Tackling Jaywalking

Wuhan， capital of central Chinas Hubei Province， has joined other cities by installing facial recognition equipment at major intersections to ensure road safety.

On September 25， the equipment detected a middle-aged man crossing an intersection in Jiefang Road on a red light. His photographs were taken and put on the screen as a warning for his misconduct.

Meanwhile， the high-defi nition pictures were transferred to the provincial police department database， where it was compared with a data base of images and the jaywalker was identifi ed.endprint

According to Wu Gang of Wuhan Traffi c Management Bureau， the equipment will be used on more roads soon.

Frequent offenders will be added by the system to a list connected with credit-based services for government departments and banks.

Facial recognition is becoming increasingly common in China， where it has been installed in ATM machines， KFC restaurants and university dorms.

A number of Chinese cities now use the technology to catch jaywalkers.

Law Enforcement Cooperation

Police liaison offi cers stationed in Chinese embassies and consulates have helped arrest and return more than 1，000 criminal suspects back to China by 2016 year-end as part of a program to improve law enforcement cooperation with other countries， the Ministry of Public Security （MPS） said on September 24.

According to the MPS， so far China has sent a total of 64 police liaison offi cers to 31 foreign countries.

They have helped handle 4，460 cross-border cases， and helped crack a series of telecom fraud cases in Thailand and the Philippines.

The liaison offi cers also played a key role in safeguarding overseas Chinese lives and property， the MPS said.

Privacy Protection

Chinas 10 largest online service providers have improved their privacy policies and made them more transparent to users， authorities said on September 24.

The 10 platforms include the popular messaging service WeChat， Weibo， e-commerce giants Taobao and JD.com， taxi-hailing service Didi and Baidu Map.

The Cyberspace Administration of China， the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology， the Ministry of Public Security and the State Standardization Administration on September 24 announced the results of their latest assessment of the 10 platformsprivacy policies.

The authorities launched a probe into the platforms in late July in the hope of making them improve their privacy policies.

“All the platforms now explicitly state the rules they use in collecting and using users personal information and seek users explicit authorization，” said Yang Jianjun， an expert involved in the assessment.

WeChat， Taobao and other platforms now provide a one-stop solution for users to withdraw their authorization. Users could also correct or delete their personal information， or unsubscribe from services more conveniently， according to Yang.

The service providers will continue to improve their privacy policy and the authorities will conduct random checks， Yang said.endprint

Rural Industries

China should push for the integrative development of primary， secondary and tertiary industries in rural regions to modernize agriculture and increase farmers income， Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang said on September 22.

China should extend rural industrial chains， encouraging rural businesses in fi elds including tourism， culture and health care， Wang said at a meeting on the integrated development of rural industries in north Chinas Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

China should establish mechanisms that benefi t the farmers， such as rural cooperatives， and let the market play a bigger role to give full play to the creativity of business entities， he said.

Game of Strength

A contestant tries to turn over a tire at a tire-themed contest in Nanning， capital of south Chinas Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region， on September 23.

National Celebration

Tourists pose for pictures before a decorating parterre at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on September 25. Flowers have been set at the square to celebrate the National Day， which falls on October 1.

Cashless Society

About 84 percent of the Chinese people are accustomed to going out without any cash， according to a report of mobile payment usage in China released by Chinese mobile payment solution WeChat Pay.

The report， titled 2017 Mobile Payment Usage in China， was released on September 22 during the third Asia-Pacifi c Regional Forums on Smart Cities and e-Government which were held in the north suburb of Bangkok.

Based on statistics collected from 6，596 users around 324 Chinese cities， the report said 40 percent of Chinese go out with less than 100 yuan （$15.2） in cash， and 14 percent have already adopted a cashless lifestyle.

Only 4 percent were unwilling to leave their homes without cash， and 12 percent felt concerned to do so.

The report， conducted by Tencent， that developed the famous Chinese social media WeChat and WeChat Pay， said China is a good example in terms of mobile payment development.

“Tech companies in China today have built a holistic eco-system covering fi nancial services including third-party payments， monetary funds， insurance， online banking， credit rating， and consumer loans，”the report said， adding that these tools and services would offer a better and more convenient payment experiences to consumers， and offer more inclusive fi nancial services， thereby creating a more productive society.endprint

“We are beginning to see both Chinese solutions and models for digitalized fi nancial services increasingly adopted worldwide. Beginning with mobile payments， Chinese fi ntech companies will contribute to the global development of fi nancial technologies， and bring digital inclusive fi nance to all those who are in need，” the report put forward.

Joint Ownership Housing

Beijing on September 20 unveiled a scheme to introduce homes with property rights to be shared by the government and buyers.

According to a document issued by the citys housing authorities， individual buyers will be able to buy a share in such homes and still have the full right of use.

The policy has several restrictions. Buyers and their families cannot already own homes in their name. They should have no records of home transfers. Single people making purchases must be at least 30 years old. And a family can only apply for one home. The buyers enjoy equal rights in household registration and childrens schooling as do other home owners.

“The new model lowers the threshold for house ownership， makes housing more affordable for families and can cut government expenditure，” said Liu Hongyu， a real estate researcher at Tsinghua University.

New housing policies have also been piloted in other cities to stabilize the property market in accordance with instructions by central authorities that “houses are built to be lived in， not for speculation.”

Lake Attraction

Tourists visit Barkol Lake in Barkol Kazakh Autonomous County， northwest Chinas Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region， on September 24. The county， which boasts a large area of wetland and grassland， has developed its tourism industry to increase incomes for local residents.

Downgrade Rebuttal

China hit back at the S&P Global Ratings downgrade of the countrys sovereign credit rating， with the Ministry of Finance （MOF） calling it a“wrong decision” on September 22.

A statement on the MOF website described the decision as“perplexing.”

S&P said on September 21 that it had lowered Chinas long-term sovereign credit rating to A+ from AA- because a “prolonged period of strong credit growth has increased its economic and fi nancial risks.”

Calling the reasoning a “cliché，”the MOF said it was a pity that S&P had focused on credit growth and debt， but ignored Chinas distinctive fi nancing structure， the wealth-creating effect of government spending and its support for growth， as well as the countrys sound economic fundamentals and development potential.endprint

“The downgrade is a result of international rating agencieslong-standing mode of thinking and a misreading of the Chinese economy based on developed countries experiences，” read the MOF statement.

Addressing debt growth， the MOF said local government debt issues would be addressed through continued fi scal reform. S&P had claimed that local government fi nancing vehicles continued to fund public investment with borrowing that could require repayment by the government. The MOF insists that debt of local government fi nancing vehicles will be paid off by the companies themselves， and governments would not be liable.

Upbeat Forecast

The World Trade Organization （WTO） on September 21 revised its forecast for global trade growth this year to 3.6 percent from the previous estimate of 2.4 percent， citing a sharp acceleration in global trade growth in the fi rst half of the year.

According to WTO economists， stronger growth this year is attributed to a resurgence of Asian trade fl ows， as intra-regional shipments pick up and import demand in North America recovers after stalling in 2016.

Stronger growth， particularly in China and the United States， has boosted demand for imports， which spurs intra-Asia trade as demand is transmitted through regional supply chains， the WTO explained.

Chinese demand in the fi rst half of 2017 was driven by solid growth in industry and even stronger growth in services. Financial conditions in Asia have also improved compared to the volatile fi rst quarter of 2016， contributing to business and consumer confi dence， the WTO added.

Meanwhile， the WTO noted that the partial recovery of oil prices in 2017 also appears to have provided some support for investment in the United States， growth of which slowed abruptly in 2016， particularly in the energy sector， but picked up in the fi rst half of this year.

However， the WTO estimated that the rapid pace of trade growth this year is unlikely to be sustained， while expecting moderate trade growth in 2018 of around 3.2 percent.

Deep-Water Explorer

The worlds fi rst deep ocean mining vessel is under construction in a shipyard in Fuzhou， southeast Chinas Fujian Province.

The 227-meter-long vessel， upon completion， will be capable of working at depths of up to 2，500 meters and carrying 40，000 tons of ore. The construction of its hull has been completed， according to its builder， Fujian Mawei Shipbuilding Ltd.endprint

Freighters for Auction

Three Boeing 747-400 freighters will be publicly auctioned on Taobao. com， a shopping platform of Chinas e-commerce giant Alibaba.

It is the fi rst time Boeing cargo aircraft have been the subject of a Taobao auction. The auction will open on November 20， with a starting price ranging from 123 million yuan （$19 million） to 135 million yuan （$20 million） each.

The freight planes were owned by Jade Cargo International， the fi rst Chinese cargo carrier with foreign investment. The company was founded in 2004， but it fi led for bankruptcy in 2013.

The three Boeing freighters have been put up for auction offl ine six times since October 2015 but failed to fi nd buyers.

Almost all Chinese courts have registered on Taobaos judicial sales platform since the service was launched in 2012.

Mobikes U.S. Debut

Chinese bike-sharing company Mobike launched its service in Washington， D.C. on September 20， marking its U.S. debut amid a rapid global expansion effort.

Mobikes distinctive silver and orange bikes will be initially deployed at downtown locations， such as the D.C. Metro Station， university campuses and public parks.

People can use a mobile app to register for the service and then locate the nearest available bike thanks to its built-in GPS locator.

Bikes can be unlocked for riding by scanning the QR code on the frame.

The dockless nature of the service enables Mobike customers to park the self-locking bikes anywhere legal for bike parking after fi nishing their ride. This differs from services provided by other D.C. bike- sharing programs， including Capital Bikeshare， which use docks to park bikes.

Mobike charges $1 for a 30-minute ride， and payment is made electronically.

“Mobike is committed to developing a global bike-sharing culture by collaborating closely with cities， and the U.S. capital is key in achieving this，” said Hu Weiwei， the companys CEO.

Offi cially launching its service in Shanghai in April 2016， Mobike has since expanded its presence to 180 cities， including some in Thailand， Malaysia and the UK.

The company said it now operates more than 5 million smart bikes and supports over 20 million rides every day.

Autumn Harvest

Rice is gathered at Suibin Farm in Hegang， northeast Chinas Heilongjiang Province， on September 22.endprint

Huaweis Thai Presence

Chinese tech giant Huawei has put forward digital transformation plans for 10 major industries， such as city management， energy， agriculture and education， in Thailand in a bid to help the country fulfi ll its

ambition of Thailand 4.0， a new

economic development method put forward by the Thai Government to overcome the middle-income trap and to develop the kingdom into an innovation-driven， high-income country.

The company showcases its products and solutions， including Smart City， Smart Energy， Smart Parking， Digital Railway， Smart

Airport， Smart Government， Smart Agriculture at Digital Thailand Big Bang， the largest digital technology expo in Southeast Asia， held from September 21 to 24.

“This year， Huawei has been working on Embrace Digital Life， a new local strategy that is consistent with the theme of Digital Thailand Big Bang. Huaweis own development fi ts with the digitalization goal of Thailand， peoples aspirations for digital lives and the win-win goal of our business partners，” said Qiang Hua， Managing Director of Huawei Thailand.

The 10 industries being studied by Huawei were chosen as priority industries that Huawei recommends for pushing forward Thailand 4.0.endprint