NEW CHINESE AMBASSADOR TO UK

China’s new ambassador to the UK， Zheng Zeguang， delivered his first message to British and Chinese citizens residing in the UK on June 7. Closer exchanges and cooperation between China and the UK will serve the interests of both sides， and contribute to world peace， stability and prosperity， according to Zheng.
　　Zheng， 57， born in Guangdong Province， was appointed ambassador after his predecessor， Liu Xiaoming， concluded his term earlier this year.
　　Zheng started his diplomatic career in 1986. He has largely concentrated on U.S.-related issues since 1990， when he took up office in the Foreign Ministry’s Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs and in China’s embassy in the U.S.
　　He became assistant minister of foreign affairs in 2013 before being promoted to the post of vice minister. He also served as vice mayor of Nanjing， capital of Jiangsu Province， between 2010 and 2013.

Commercial Endowment Insurance

　　Economic Daily July 7
　　At a recent meeting of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee， members stressed the importance of implementing policy measures that actively address the aging of the population during the 14th Five-Year Plan （2021-25） period.
　　The country’s retirement pension system is based on state-run social security programs， commercial pension insurance programs and private deposit insurance programs. However， the commercial pension insurance program has not been given full play.
　　Developing insurance products focusing on the elderly has been a key strategy of commercial insurance institutions in recent years. This comes in response to an increasing demand amid increasing social development， encouraging commercial insurance institutions to explore the blue ocean.
　　Doing so requires institutions to design insurance products from the perspective of economic and social development. Authorities should pay attention to this field with a long-term vision.

Brilliant Bronze Civilization

　　Lifeweek June 7


　　Archaeologists working at one of China’s most historically significant sites recently unearthed a bronze statue that offers further clues about the ancient civilization that created it. The Sanxingdui Ruins in Sichuan Province are believed to have originated during the ancient Kingdom of Shu dating back at least 4，800 years， however features of the statue show characteristics of the Shang Dynasty （about 1600-1100 B.C.）， which existed in China’s central plains during the same period. 　　With its protruding eyes and enlarged ears， the recently unearthed statue is a typical example of those unearthed at the Sanxingdui Ruins. However， the statue holds a zun， an ancient bronze ritual vessel for holding water or wine， on the head. The shape and pattern of the vessel were determined to belong to Shang Dynasty， indicating a degree of connection between the Shang and the ancient Kingdom of Shu.
　　Based on the discovery of the statue， scholars now believe the Sanxingdui culture to be a branch of the bronze civilization of the Shang Dynasty.
　　Bronzeware and its features offer important insights to researchers examining this period in China’s history and that the influence of central plains culture can be seen in Sanxingdui and other sites demonstrates the strength the culture exerted.
　　The Sanxingdui Ruins were one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the 20th century and were uncovered accidentally by a farmer digging a ditch in the 1920s. Authorities placed the site under state-level protection in 1988.

Manners in the Digital Era

　　People’s Daily June 7
　　The Internet， big data， artificial intelligence and other technologies have together built a digital platform that has revolutionized the way we interact with one another， seek entertainment and how we shop. However， our increasing reliance on this platform presents challenges that must be addressed.
　　Ethical issues surrounding the Internet and big data have aroused public attention as more and more people begin to consider the regulations and requirements that should be imposed on the development of digital technologies， as well as their utilization and management. Issues for enterprises that arise from this development include the ways to avoid abusing technology and the improper collection of user data while creating positive social values， and issues for individuals include the prevention of Internet addition and ensuring users can distinguish reality from the virtual world.
　　Today， short video addiction has become a problem for many people due to a lack of understanding， ethics and laws amid accelerating technological innovation. Therefore， authorities should strengthen supervision of companies that behave improperly or break relevant laws. Society should also help enterprises and individuals navigate digital ethical issues through measures that highlight values and morals in order to realize collaborative governance in the digital era.

FINA’S FIRST FEMALE VICE PRESIDENT

China’s first Olympic champion diver Zhou Jihong was voted to become vice president during the International Swimming Federation （FINA） General Congress 2021 in Doha， Qatar， on June 5. She subsequently became the first female vice president in FINA history.
　　Zhou， 56， broke the duck for China by clinching the women’s 10-meter platform title at the 1984 Olympics. In 2017， she became chairwoman of the Chinese Swimming Association. At present， she is also the leader of the China’s National Diving Team.
　　She was hailed as one of the principal architects of China’s formidable diving team， also known as the Dream Team， which collected an unprecedented haul of 40 gold medals from the previous nine Olympic Summer Games.
　　“There are a lot of substandard and falsified COVID-19 products being commercialized out there. The advice of the WHO is that countries use vaccines that have received emergency listing.”
　　Mariangela Batista Galvao Simao， Assistant Director General for Access to Medicines and Health Products of the World Health Organization， during a press conference on June 7
　　“The relations [between China and ASEAN] will become stronger as China is playing a bigger role in regional issues and the RCEP would further foster regional cooperation.”
　　Abdul Majid Ahmad Khan， former Malaysian ambassador to China， at a meeting on the 30th anniversary of dialogue relations between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations（ASEAN） and China on June 7
　　“Biden administration’s decision to bar U.S. investors from pursuing financial interests in Chinese companies is neglectful and self-defeating. The wasteful strategy cannot maintain the technological dominance of the U.S. in any way.”
　　Bobby Naderi， a London-based journalist， commenting to CGTN on June 8
　　“Western theories on multilateralism and its efficacy are based on the cooperation among homogeneous countries. But the rise of emerging countries such as China and India posed challenges to these countries， which began complaining that the world order had been compromised.”
　　Zhang Yun， an associate professor at National Niigata University in Japan， in an article published on China Daily on June 7