TOP EPIDEMIOLOGIST WINS MEDAL OF THE REPUBLIC

　　Zhong Nanshan， 84， a prominent infectious disease expert， has been awarded the Medal of the Republic. President Xi Jinping signed a presidential order on August 11， awarding four people for their outstanding contribution to fighting the novel coronavirus disease （COVID-19）.
　　The Medal of the Republic was first awarded last year， the 70th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China.
　　Zhong is a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and director of the National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease in Guangzhou， Guangdong Province， South China.
　　He has made distinguished contributions in areas including prevention and control of the epidemic， treatment of severely ill patients and related research.
　　The other three who received the honorary title People’s Hero are Zhang Boli， also a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and president of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine； Zhang Dingyu， head of Wuhan’s designated coronavirus-treating Jinyintan Hospital； and Chen Wei， a scientist at the Academy of Military Medical Sciences who made major achievements in COVID-19-related basic research and the development of a vaccine and protective medicine.

Welcome to Hubei

　　The Beijing News August 8
　　The area hardest hit by COVID-19， Hubei Province in central China， opened its nearly 400 scenic spots to tourists for free on August 8. The policy was to express gratitude for the assistance the province received from across the country and to showcase safety as social and economic development is revived.
　　The offer will continue through the end of the year， including the National Day holiday in early October. Visitors from low-risk areas can sightsee abiding by regular methods of prevention and control， such as making reservations and having their temperatures taken.
　　Compared to the document on tourism recovery released on May 1 by the provincial government， which provides preferential treatment for medical personnel， this policy is much more expansive.
　　As the tourism season goes into full swing， it is driving economic recovery. The measure will help eliminate people’s worries about safety and encourage them to travel to Hubei. But it also faces challenges due to the pressure of epidemic containment. The provincial government， together with the scenic spots， should assess their reception capacity. It is also essential to design plans for emergencies， ensuring regular epidemic prevention and control.

Farmers’Cooperatives

　　People’s Daily August 11
　　Farmers’ cooperatives are economic organizations established and managed by farmers based on the household contract responsibility system. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China held in November 2012， the organizations’ functions have been enhanced， providing more services at higher quality. Today， there are over 2.2 million farmers’ cooperatives in China， which have grown into modern agriculture organizations and are a leading force for farmers amid market competition at home and abroad.
　　President Xi Jinping attaches great importance to the development of farmers’cooperatives. During his recent inspection in Jilin Province， northeast China， he encouraged the development of farmers’ organizations suited to local conditions across the country and the continued promotion of their experience， calling for more efforts to explore other ways to develop specialized cooperatives nationwide.
　　Through organizing agricultural activities among farmers， cooperatives can improve their work efficiency and competitiveness. Besides producing cotton， grain， meat and eggs， the organizations have also established primary， secondary and tertiary industries， increasing people’s income. They are an active channel for farmers to adjust their operations and develop modern agriculture technology. That is a step forward for sustainable production on a large scale， with a focus on innovation.
　　Farmers’ cooperatives have also explored new businesses in rural tourism and e-commerce， building a complete industrial chain in some villages. Today， there are over 40，000 e-commerce cooperatives and 13，000 cooperatives engaged in leisure agriculture and rural tourism. Thanks to this mechanism， they have attracted a large number of college graduates and migrant workers returning to their hometowns to start businesses and contribute to the cooperatives’ development.

Consumption Season

　　Beijing Youth Daily August 10
　　The consumption season kicked off on August 8 in Beijing， with live-streamed concerts and a sports consumption festival， as well as 2.8 million consumer vouchers issued by the municipal government.
　　People’s bottled-up enthusiasm for consumption， suppressed by the novel coronavirus epidemic， is being unleashed. Measures taken by local governments to boost consumption have been well-received， but Beijing’s efforts are outstanding for their magnitude. 　　New activities will attract more participants， while vouchers will bring more benefits to consumers and merchants， increasing consumption’s contribution to economic growth.
　　In terms of expanding domestic demand， Zhong Shan， Minister of Commerce， said at a press conference in May that consumption has been the biggest driver of economic growth for six consecutive years and will be stimulated by the development of more services. For instance， the ministry supports the development of catering across the country and greener， healthier and safer development of the sector. Another focus is the housekeeping sector， which connects rural areas with cities.
　　This year， many cities have launched activities to stimulate future consumption. However， some of them cannot afford to subsidize consumption due to limited fi nancial resources. In this case， innovative activities can serve as an excellent method to make more use of what is available.

NEW MINISTER OF CULTURE AND TOURISM

　　Hu Heping， former Governor of Shaanxi Province in northwest China， was appointed the new minister of culture and tourism at the 21st Session of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People’s Congress on August 11.
　　Hu majored in hydraulic and hydropower engineering from Tsinghua University and served there after graduation in 1986 until he left for the University of Tokyo to study engineering in 1992. After three years， he joined the Japanese firm Institute of New Architecture and in 1996， returned to Tsinghua， where he worked for 17 years. He became secretary of the Communist Party of China （CPC） Tsinghua University Committee in 2008.
　　In 2013， he became chief of the Organization Department， the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee. He was then appointed to Shaanxi for five years as governor in 2016， and secretary of the CPC Shaanxi Provincial Committee in 2017.
　　Since July， Hu has also been deputy head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee.
　　“The assertion that the U.S. policy of engagement with China has failed is just a rehash of the Cold War mentality. It turns a blind eye to all that has been achieved in China-U.S. relations over the past decades， shows ignorance of the historical process and lack of respect for the Chinese and American peoples.”
　　Wang Yi， Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister， commenting on U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s speech at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library， in an interview with Xinhua News Agency on August 5 　　“I tried to convey the idea that the current American failure doesn’t narrowly reflect national character or values but， rather， a collapse of system： a crisis of leadership and institutional structures.”
　　Peter Hessler， a U.S. writer of narrative nonfiction and author of several books on China， in his article How China Controlled the Coronavirus published in The New Yorker on August 10
　　“Social stability is like fertile soil， which can enable the big tree of Hong Kong’s financial market to continue to thrive.”
　　Christopher Hui Ching-yu， Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government， in an interview with Xinhua News Agency on August 7
　　“In our business， China is actually up compared to last year’s period， so we’ve seen higher numbers in demand than we used to see pre-crisis.”
　　Joe Keaser， CEO of Siemens， telling CNBC on August 6 that between April and June， Chinese orders increased by 6 percent from a year ago while all the other jurisdictions where Siemens operates， apart from Germany， recorded a drop in orders