Students from Laos practice at the Wuqiao Acrobatic Art School in Wuqiao County， north Chinas Hebei Province， on July 30. More than 400 foreign students have learned acrobatic skills in Wuqiao， known as “the home of acrobatics”in China， since 2002.

Vaccine Investigation

The Chinese Government has promised to establish a long-term institutional mechanism for safeguarding drug safety following the exposure of substandard vaccines made by a company in mid-July.

At a State Council Executive Meeting on July 30， an investigation team dispatched by the body reported its fi ndings on the case of illegal production of rabies vaccines by Changsheng Life Sciences Ltd.， which is located in Changchun， Jilin Province.

So far， the investigation has found evidence that the company， in producing rabies vaccines for human use， engaged in suspected criminal activities involving violations of approved production processes， the falsifi cation of production and in- spection records and the destruction of evidence， which severely violate national drug standards and regulations.

The meeting called for expeditious steps to impose stronger punishment and heavier fi nes on the company and those held accountable for the case in accordance with the law. Suspected criminals will be handed over to judicial authorities for prosecution. Those who gravely violated the law will receive jail sentences， and will be driven out of the pharmaceutical business for life.

At the same time， the government will speed up its sweeping inspections and checks on all 46 vaccine producers across China. The results will be made public in a timely fashion.

The meeting also called for a thorough investigation on possible misconduct in regulation and supervision. Any dereliction of duty will be investigated and once established， severely punished. There will be zero tolerance for law-breaking activities such as bribe-taking and illegal transfer of benefi ts.

Veterans Welfare

China is considering drafting a law on military veterans welfare and a guideline on the work related to veterans in the new era， Minister of Veterans Affairs Sun Shaocheng said on July 31.

The Ministry of Veterans Affairs is reviewing all policies and regulations regarding veteran affairs since the founding of the Peoples Republic of China in 1949， Sun told a news briefi ng by the State Council Information Offi ce.

China has decided to issue plaques of honor before May 1， 2019 to tens of millions of families who had or have loved ones in military service， Sun said. The plaques were originally reserved only for families of national heroes or soldiers who lost their lives in the line of duty and volunteer military personnel.

The ministry will help more than 80，000 ex-servicemen and women and nearly 40，000 veterans fi nd jobs this year， the minister said.

The ministry， which was inaugurated in April， is a new establishment in the wide-ranging Communist Party of China and state institutional reform.

According to a circular issued by the Ministry of Veterans Affairs and the Ministry of Finance， pension allowances for disabled soldiers， police offi cers， state offi cials and militia members， as well as for family members of national heroes and deceased soldiers would increase by 10 percent on August 1， Chinas Army Day.

Barrier-Free Renovation

Nearly 2.1 million homes of disabled Chinese people have been renovated since August 1， 2012， when the regulation on constructing a barrier-free environment was issued， according to the China Disabled Persons Federation.

During the 13th Five-Year Plan（2016-20） period， barrier-free renovation of the homes of impoverished severely disabled people was listed as a signifi cant way to lift them out of poverty， said Zhou Jian， an offi cial with the federation.

Over the years， the construction of barrier-free facilities has gone from the construction of the physical environment to that of the social environment， and includes intangible content such as regulations and public awareness， Zhou said.

“The construction of barrierfree facilities is a symbol of progress and the basis for disabled people to integrate into society，” he said.

According to Zhou， there are still 3.3 million homes to be renovated.

Legal Aid Services

Legal aid services across China handled 645，000 cases in the fi rst half of this year， helping about 708，000 people， according to the Ministry of Justice.

At a recent national workshop of justice department chiefs held in the city of Shenzhen， Guangdong Province， the ministry said as part of efforts to improve legal aid in the criminal justice system， a guideline has been formulated to strengthen its quality control.

More than 2，500 legal aid workstations have been set up in detention centers and another 3，400 in courts， the ministry said， adding that the aim was to expand such workstations to cover all centers and courts.

The ministry has also launched two separate programs to enhance aid services to the rural population and the disabled. Its website directs people to the appropriate services. More than 100 college students have been recruited to work as volunteers at understaffed community-level offi ces in poor and remote regions in west China.

Mobile Reading

Mobile reading was the most timeconsuming activity among Chinese people in the fi rst half of the year， a report showed on July 31.

Chinese mobile Internet users spent an average of 39 minutes each day reading and 34 minutes watching videos and social networking in H1， according to a report from mobile big data monitoring platform Trustdata.

The report showed that of the 70 million respondents， about 26.4 percent of Chinese mobile phone users spent about two to four hours each day on their smartphones.

Tencents social networking service WeChat was the most popular mobile app in terms of the number of monthly active users.

With a robust community of daily active users， Meituan continued to dominate the food delivery market by making up 59 percent of total market transaction volume in H1. The company unveiled a platform to promote autonomous delivery services using unstaffed vehicles in July as part of its efforts to leverage hi-tech delivery technologies to improve effi ciency and reduce costs.

A Decade of High Speed

An attendant helps passengers on a Beijing-Tianjin intercity train on July 31. On August 1， 2008， Chinas fi rst high-speed railway line was launched between Beijing and Tianjin. More than 250 million passenger trips were made on the line in the past decade.

Green Agriculture

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs publicized on July 25 a guideline for promoting environmental protection in agriculture and rural areas to coordinate the efforts of local authorities.

“The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has prioritized rural environmental protection amid rural economic development，” Liao Xiyuan， head of the ministrys technology and education division， said at a press conference on July 26.

In 2015， China set a goal to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides to ensure zero growth by 2020. As of 2017， the amount of pesticide use had dropped three years in a row， and that of chemical fertilizer for two consecutive years.

“The goal of zero growth was realized three years in advance，” Liao said， adding that China will continue to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

In the future， China will also step up building an environmental pro- tection policy system for agriculture and rural areas to ensure lasting effects， including mechanisms for green development， pollution control and fi nancial input， he said.

To pursue green development， China will introduce a negative list for investment in the agricultural sector， implement crop rotation and recycle livestock excrement， according to the offi cial.

He added that the country would also promote the innovation of agricultural technology to save more reso urces and energy.

Robot Master

Contestants adjust robots during the 2018 World Robot Contest Finals in Wuhan， central Chinas Hubei Province， on July 27.

The contest， which kicked off on July 27， attracted more than 5，000 contestants from both home and abroad.

Energy Consumption

Chinas energy consumption in the fi rst half of this year grew at a faster pace compared to the same period last year as the use of renewable energy posted steady momentum， offi cial data showed on July 30.

Nationwide coal consumption rose 3.1 percent year on year， Li Fulong， an offi cial with the National Energy Administration （NEA）， said at a press briefi ng.

Chinas use of petroleum remained steady in the fi rst half， up 2.5 percent year on year， while the use of natural gas saw an increase of 16.8 percent year on year， according to the NEA.

“Chinas energy mix has continued to improve， with the acceleration of greener growth and a low-carbon model，” said Li.

According to Li， the share of clean energy has been increasing， and investment in overcapacity industries slowed.

In the fi rst half， the increased installed capacity of renewable energy， including nuclear power， wind power and solar power， accounted for 66.1 percent of Chinas total increased installed power generation capacity， according to the NEA.

Pond Treasures

Farmers pick lotus seed pods in Matou Town， Linyi City， east Chinas Shandong Province， on August 1. The former brick factory land was reclaimed for lotus and fi sh farming， attracting an increasing number of customers to make purchases. The seeds are used in Asian cuisine and traditional medicine.

YTO Supercenter

A total of 12.2 billion yuan （$1.79 billion） will be invested by YTO Express Co. Ltd. in building a megacenter for shared transportation and business in Jiaxing， Zhejiang Province， the Shanghai-based express delivery fi rm announced on July 30.

The global aviation logistics hub located at the Jiaxing Airport will be a supercenter for shared transportation and business distribution for the Yangtze River Delta region as well as for China， according to the strategic investment agreement signed between YTO and the Jiaxing Municipal Government.

The fi rst phase of the project， involving a 7.3-billion-yuan （$1.07 billion） investment， will occupy 600，000 square meters， including an aviation cargo hub， an aircraft maintenance area， a global express delivery operational center， an intelligent logistics park and an offi ce area.

The project is expected to kick off construction this year and go into operation by 2021.

Yu Weijiao， Chairman of YTO， said the Jiaxing hub will play a positive role in Chinas express delivery sectors global development.

YTO looks to operate a cargo fl eet of 50 and to reach an aviation cargo capacity of 1.1 million tons by 2030， and further expand it to 2.4 million tons by 2050.

WeChats Silver Lining

More Chinese senior citizens are becoming active users of WeChat， Chinas leading messaging and social media app， according to a recent study.

The study conducted by the Tencent Research Institute and Shenzhen University aimed to learn about the digital life of people above the age of 55 by analyzing their use of WeChat， based on 3，051 cases from 956 families across 58 cities.

In September 2016， the number of active WeChat users over the age of 55 was 7.68 million， and in September 2017， the number surged to 50 million.

The report showed that elderly users spend around 1.37 hours on WeChat every day and have 104 WeChat friends on average.

Compared with other age groups， elderly users focus more on information and articles about cooking and health issues； at the same time， they are also more susceptible to Internet rumors.

The report also suggested that many use WeChat to have more interaction with family members. For elderly users， 23.1 percent of their WeChat friends are family members， higher than both the young （9.7 percent） and middle-aged groups（16.1 percent）.

The report said 50.3 percent of senior users learned how to use WeChat from their children or grandchildren. It also suggested that family members should be more patient when introducing new technology to help the elderly enjoy a better digital life.

Tencent， owner of WeChat， said in May that the monthly active users of WeChat reached over 1 billion for the fi rst quarter this year， up 10.9 percent year on year.

Convenient Shopping

Staff members collect vegetables according to customers online orders at a convenience store in Beijing on July 26. Haidian， Xicheng and Chaoyang districts have introduced a new type of convenience store which allows customers to shop online and then pick up their orders at stores.

SOE Asset Supervision

Chinas state asset regulator released a document on July 30 aimed at avoiding state asset losses with an accountability mechanism to punish illegal business operations and investments by centrally administered state-owned enterprises （SOEs）.

The document specifi ed the scope， standard and treatment procedures in cases of illegal management and investment of state assets， providing a basic framework for keeping track of such offenses， according to the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council（SASAC）.

Through the move， the regulator hoped to push state fi rms to foster a clearer and more effective operation system to avoid state asset losses.

The document detailed 72 responsibility-tracking scenarios in 11 areas， including risk control， fi xed asset investment， mergers， restructuring and overseas investment.

It also categorized the cases into three groups regarding the losses incurred： losses of less than 5 million yuan （$734，500）， losses between 5 million yuan and 50 million yuan（$7.35 million）， and those above 50 million yuan.

Based on the losses and the nature of illegal practices， the SASAC will hold those found responsible accountable for their actions.

As central authorities have prioritized curbing fi nancial risks， the SASAC has put the capital structure， fi nancing leverage， investment and risk of central SOEs under greater scrutiny in recent years.

China currently has 96 centrally administered SOEs， down from 117 fi ve years ago， as the Central Government has been restructuring central SOEs to improve their effi ciency and competitiveness.

Earlier official data showed combined profits of Chinas central SOEs totaled 887.79 billion yuan （$130.36 billion） in the first half of this year， up 23 percent from a year earlier.

Saving the Ocean

Volunteers clean up trash near a beach as part of an event calling attention to marine ecology protection at the Golden Dream Bay in Qinhuangdao， north Chinas Hebei Province， on July 27.

Industrial Growth

Chinas offi cial manufacturing purchasing managers index （PMI）， a measure of industrial activity， edged down to 51.2 in July from 51.5 in June， but analysts said that since it remained above 50—the level separating expansion from contraction—industrial growth should remain stable and there will be little risk of a major economic downturn in the coming months.

The July performance， based on a survey of purchasing managers and released by the National Bureau of Statistics （NBS） on July 31， was hit by weather and seasonal factors as well as growing Sino-U.S. trade frictions， said Zhao Qinghe， a senior NBS statistician.

Despite the slight month-onmonth slowdown， the manufacturing PMI had been above the 51 mark for fi ve consecutive months.

“The index remains in expansionary territory， and the economy has largely maintained its growth momentum，” said Zhao.

Indexes measuring exports and imports， however， dropped to 49.8 and 49.6， respectively， both below the crucial 50 level， largely due to the ongoing Sino-U.S. trade confrontation， data showed.

Chinas economic growth may face downward pressure in the second half. There will be great uncertainties arising from the trade disputes between China and the United States， said a research note from CITIC Securities. The tightening of real estate sales and credit controls may also add to downward pressure， it said.

But China may properly adjust its fi scal and monetary policies， as shown by the statement released after the State Council executive meeting on July 23， which may lead to rising infrastructure investment and credit growth， the research note added.

“The countrys economic growth will hopefully remain stable in the second half and there will be little risk of a major downturn，” the note said.