FAMOUS ARCHITECT AWARDED JULY 1 MEDAL

　　Wu Liangyong， a famous architect， educator and founder of the science of human settlements， was recently awarded the July 1 Medal for outstanding Party members by the Communist Party of China （CPC） Central Committee.
　　Born in 1922 in Nanjing， Jiangsu Province， Wu graduated in 1944 with a bachelor’s degree from the Department of Architecture at the National Central University in Chongqing. Projects under Wu’s instruction won several awards on the national level， a gold medal from the Asian Architects of Regional Council Award for Architecture， and the UN World Habitat Award.
　　The July 1 Medal， established by the CPC Central Committee， is the highest honor in the Party. In general， it will be granted every five years to celebrate major anniversaries of the founding of the CPC. This year， the CPC Central Committee will award the July 1 Medal to outstanding Party members for the first time as the CPC celebrates its centenary.

Child Welfare

　　Guangming Daily May 27
　　China plans to reshape its child welfare service structure and fully complete the reform process by 2025， shifting the focus of the service system to the protection of minors， the Ministry of Civil Affairs said at a press conference on May 22.
　　Child welfare services in China are dedicated to sheltering and supporting children whose guardianship has been assumed by civil affairs authorities， said the ministry， noting that many facilities now lie idle as the number of orphans has dropped 66 percent from the 2012 figure， down to 190，000.
　　In contrast to the declining number of orphans， children living with serious illnesses or disabilities are still in need of professional care， of which existing child welfare facilities fall short.
　　In addition to sheltering and raising unattended children， the new facilities will work to improve public awareness about the protection of minors； carry out care campaigns for left-behind children in rural areas， orphans and children facing predicaments； and provide county-level government departments and community centers with guidance.

Race to the Peak of Carbon Dioxide Emissions

　　China News Week May 31
　　Interim rules for carbon dioxide emissions trading management took effect in February， a key step forward in pursuit of China’s national emissions trading system. 　　Earlier in 2020， China announced that it would peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060， thus prioritizing the missions in 2021.
　　As the world’s second-largest economy and the biggest investor in renewable energy sources， China is walking the talk on its carbon neutrality pledge. The country has been shouldering its responsibility of tackling climate change and fulfilling its commitment to carbon neutrality.
　　“Peaking carbon dioxide emissions and achieving carbon neutrality will bring about a sci-tech revolution， resulting in major changes across the economy and society， which is no less important than the three previous industrial revolutions，” Wang Zhigang， Chinese Minister of Science and Technology， said at the Xiangshan Science Conferences in Beijing in April.
　　Coal-fired power remains a major energy source. According to an industrial report released by the China National Coal Association， the country’s annual coal output will stand at no higher than 4.1 billion tons by the end of the 14th FiveYear Plan （2021-25） period.
　　During the period， the country will implement stricter carbon emission control measures， further develop non-fossil energy， improve the absorption capacity of photovoltaic， wind power and other new energy， and develop advanced technologies and industries， such as hydrogen production， from renewable energy.

Virtual Currency

　　China Youth Daily May 28
　　Bitcoin mining and trading-related activities will be under stricter supervision， according to a statement from a meeting held recently by the Financial Stability and Development Committee under the State Council.
　　The meeting also stressed lowering credit risks and strengthening regulations on financial activities of platform enterprises.
　　China has enhanced its supervision of virtual currencies to further fend off financial risks and anticipate any speculation in virtual currency businesses. Seen as tightened regulatory scrutiny， the new statement sets the targets for supervision expanding from bitcoin trading to mining. This is deemed as conducive to crackdowns on the virtual currency transaction hype.
　　Financial institution members， payment institutions and other agencies shall not use virtual currency to price their products or services. Also， online enterprises shall not provide services for virtual currency-related business activities， according to the announcement.

SCIENTIST ELECTED AS VICE PRESIDENT OF CAST

　　Chen Wei， a 55-year-old researcher with the Institute of Military Medicine under the Academy of Military Sciences， was elected vice president of the China Association for Science and Technology （CAST） on May 28.
　　Together with her team， Chen developed a nasal spray that helped protect medical staff against the SARS virus in 2003， and developed a vaccine for Ebola in 2014.
　　Chen has completed major achievements in COVID-19-related basic research and the development of a vaccine and protective medicine. In March 2020， the adenovirus vector vaccine developed by Chen’s team started its phase-one clinical trials， the first in the world.
　　In September 2020， Chen was awarded the national honorary title of the People’s Hero for her outstanding contributions to the country’s fight against COVID-19.
　　“No one can benefit from a volatile South China Sea. The agenda of the South China Sea region should not be defined by any geopolitical game.”
　　Wu Shicun， President of the National Institute for South China Sea Studies， at the opening ceremony of the Second China-EU Experts’ Meeting on Maritime Security in Beijing on May 26
　　“Finger-pointing and the blame game serve no one right now， as this will not head toward cooperation to really solve the problems of the pandemic. Sadly， but not surprisingly， that warning is not being heeded in Washington.”
　　Anthony Moretti， an associate professor with the Department of Communication and Organizational Leadership at Robert Morris University， commenting to CGTN on June 1
　　“China is a constructive power on the globe. And by the way， it is an indispensable power on the globe， because all the global challenges we are facing as mankind can only be solved by cooperation， and that includes China.”
　　Rudolf Scharping， former German Defense Minister， in an interview with CGTN on June 1
　　“Looking back over the 100 years of history， always staying with the people is the secret of the Communist Party of China’s great achievements in the annals of history.”
　　Yukio Hatoyama， former Japanese Prime Minister， in a written interview with Xinhua News Agency on June 1