TWO VETERANS HONORED AS ROLE MODELS

　　Two veterans， Sun Jingkun and Xu Zhenming， have been honored with the title “Role Model of Our Time” for their contributions during the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea（1950-53）.
　　Sun， 96， born in Dandong， Liaoning Province in northeast China， took part in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea in 1950 as a volunteer and received eight medals. After the war he returned to his hometown and took up farming.
　　Xu， 95， born in Jiangsu Province， east China， fought in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression （1931-45）. He also participated in the ensuing War of Liberation（1945-49） and the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea.
　　In 1958， he became a guard at the cemetery of General Yang Jingyu， a heroic anti-Japanese fighter who was killed in battle in 1940. It was his tribute to the Chinese soldiers’ sacrifice in the resistance war against the Japanese.
　　The honors were announced on the 70th anniversary of the Chinese People’s Volunteers’ participation in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea.

Flu Vaccine Problem

　　Beijing Youth Daily October 19
　　Following the news that vaccines for the novel coronavirus disease （COVID-19） are in an advanced stage of clinical trial， there is also an upsurge in the interest in influenza vaccines.
　　In the past， fluctuation in demand discouraged flu vaccine producers. They worried about sales due to the low flu vaccination rate. So now facing a rising demand for flu vaccines this year， it is difficult for them to adapt to such a drastic market change immediately.
　　Sales and prices are determined by market conditions. It is necessary to resume production when there is a strong demand while vaccine manufacturers face risks or even losses when the demand goes down.
　　It is necessary to find a balanced method to manage this contradiction； specifically， to make an accurate forecast for demand in the vaccine market and then seize the initiative to produce flu vaccines. Market survey statistics and big data can help predict the demand for flu vaccines and vaccine producers can be prepared.
　　Vaccine production and supply capacity depends not only on output capacity but also on adaptability. The establishment of an early warning mechanism will help resolve the problem and production and supply of flu vaccines can become more stable and orderly.

Cosmetics Consumption

　　People.com.cn October 16
　　The cosmetics market in China has maintained rapid growth in spite of the impact of COVID-19. An online live-streaming promotion can sell products worth tens of millions of yuan. However， new trends must be taken into account for the industry to achieve robust growth.
　　The younger generation is becoming the main consumer force of this industry， with their burgeoning demand for higher quality and healthier products. Also， they like choosing products based on their own preferences rather than being influenced by branding strategies.
　　For example， when buying a skin care product， they try it out before buying， check out other buyers’ comments， and study its ingredients. Statistics show that consumers tend to choose products with natural ingredients or plant extracts， which are healthier than chemicals.
　　The Chinese Government has put in place regulatory measures that clarify enterprises’ responsibility for the quality and safety of the cosmetics they make and sell. The enterprises have begun to add tracing codes on products so that a prospective buyer can find out more about the production process.
　　China is the world’s second largest cosmetics market with retail sales reaching 299.2 billion yuan （$44.76 billion） in 2019. The cosmetics industry should devote time to improving the quality and safety of its products to meet buyers’growing expectations.

Personal Information Protection

　　Gmw.cn October 14
　　Lawmakers have been deliberating on a draft personal information protection law that will define regulatory responsibilities and set legal liabilities for personal information protection.
　　The security of personal information is a major concern in today’s information society. Various online programs require customers to register and login with their personal information. While bringing convenience， they also give rise to the risk of information leaks.
　　Insufficient regulations and law enforcement capacity and low public awareness have compounded the problem. If a piece of personal information is obtained and sold illegally， it might lead to crank calls， junk messages or even telecom and online fraud.
　　Therefore， multi-pronged measures need to be taken， such as improving individual awareness of information security， strengthening legislation and law enforcement， and clarifying legal boundaries.
　　Rule of law is the most effective approach to governance. The information security legislation will not only deter attempts to abuse personal information， but also help tailor China’s legal system to the needs of the digital age.

BASKETBALL STAR ON PRINCE WILLIAM’S PRIZE COUNCIL

　　Chinese basketball star Yao Ming has been named a member of the Earthshot Prize Council. The award was instituted by the United Kingdom’s Prince William on October 10.
　　Yao， a former Houston Rockets player， was elected chair of the Chinese Basketball Association （CBA） in 2017， where he is involved in the reform of the sport’s management in China.
　　Besides， his Yao Ming Foundation is involved in building schools in impoverished areas.
　　The 50-million-pound （$66 million） Earthshot Prize is meant for innovative projects to minimize the damage to the earth and environment. It will be awarded each year for the next 10 years.
　　Jack Ma， founder of e-commerce giant Alibaba and 10 other leading figures from the fields of the environment， philanthropy， business， sports and entertainment are also on the council.
　　“An increased role by China in the international arena should be expected and considered logical. Everybody should more or less accept that this would be the case.”
　　Georgios Iliopoulos， Greek Ambassador to China， in an interview with South China Morning Post on October 17
　　“Despite worsening U.S.-China tensions， U.S. foreign direct investment in China rose…banking on the growth of China’s consumer demand and responding to Beijing’s measures to further open up the economy， including its financial sector.”
　　Louis Kuijs， head of Asia economics of Oxford Economics， in an article in China Daily on October 21
　　“The ban [on Huawei and ZTE telecom equipment announced by Sweden] leaves network operators with less options and risks slowing the rollout of 5G in markets where competition is reduced.”
　　Ben Wood， chief of research at CCS Insight， a mobile communications research and advisory company， in an interview with Reuters on October 20
　　“Despite the global second waves[of the novel coronavirus pandemic] and still contracting global demand， it looks like Chinese exports have been outperforming.”
　　Qu Hongbin， chief China economist at HSBC， in an interview with Financial Times on October 19