NURSE DIES AFTER MEDICAL ASSISTANCE MISSION

　　Zhang Jingjing， a pulmonary and intensive care nurse， passed away on April 6. She was a member of the fi rst medical team from Shandong Province in east China to Wuhan in Hubei Province， central China.
　　During her stint in Wuhan， Zhang compiled handbooks to help medical staff overcome diffi culties with regional dialects. The team returned to Jinan， Shandong’s capital， on March 21 after two months’ medical assistance.
　　Zhang underwent 14 days of routine quarantine and tested negative for the coronavirus three times. But just before she was to return home， Zhang suffered a heart attack and passed away despite medical intervention.
　　Her husband was working on a construction project in Sierra Leone when the news reached him. Flights between the two countries had been suspended because of the pandemic. With the help of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Shandong Provincial Government， Zhang’s husband was able to take a charter plane back to China.

Smart Cities

　　Xinhuanet.com April 1
　　During a visit to Hangzhou on March 31， President Xi Jinping said that major cities could become more intelligent by using big data， cloud computing and artifi cial intelligence technology to modernize urban governance.
　　As an important aspect of social governance， urban management needs to adopt measures according to the local context. At the same time， it should maintain an inclusive attitude and promote innovation.
　　Hangzhou， capital of Zhejiang in east China， has made progress in building a smart city. It launched the City Brain project in 2016， a platform aimed at improving urban management.
　　This same technology has been applied in the investigation of cases amid the novel coronavirus outbreak. The Hangzhou Municipal Government has also launched measures to help enterprises resume work and production， ensuring people’s livelihoods with innovations such as using QR codes for health screening.
　　The epidemic has presented a serious test for city governance and the authorities. It has also reinforced the notion that urban management should be people-oriented， giving priority to bettering people’s lives， boosting their happiness and increasing their sense of security.

Green Consumption

　　People’s Daily April 4
　　On March 31， the State Council announced three measures to stimulate the automotive industry. Subsidies and tax exemptions for new-energy vehicles will continue for another two years. In areas such as the BeijingTianjin-Hebei region， diesel trucks that fail to meet emission standards will be phased out， with fi nancial support from the Central Government. 　　These approaches， with their focus on ecological protection， send a clear signal from the government that future consumption should emphasize green development.
　　A decline in consumption caused by the novel coronavirus outbreak has presented diffi culties for some industries. Measures to revive the economy are being implemented gradually at every level of government.
　　It was suggested that during this crisis authorities needn’t prioritize green concepts when formulating economic policies. When retail returns to normal， plans can be adjusted to highlight ecology. Yet in the long run， consumption should not be promoted at the expense of sustainable development.
　　A sound ecological environment is integral to improving people’s wellbeing. Without incorporating principles of green development， consumption can have a detrimental effect on the environment， and do further harm to people’s health. Stimulating consumption can work in an environmentally friendly way， with a balance between economic and social progress.
　　Green consumption can also help change modes of production as well as lifestyles. When local governments step up their approaches to boost consumption， they can provide preferential policies for eco-friendly industries such as culture and tourism. They can also encourage enterprises to continue green production and growth.
　　This year， China will reach its goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects， which will also raise requirements on production and the environment. With more efforts toward sustainable development， a balance between economic growth and environmental protection can be achieved.

Platform Economy

　　China Youth Daily April 3
　　On March 31， China’s Ministry of Veterans Affairs signed an online agreement with four companies to secure 55，000 jobs for ex-service personnel. The corporations involved are China’s leading ride-hailing platform Didi Chuxing， courier service provider SF Express and e-commerce giants JD.com and Alibaba Group.
　　The Internet platforms can overcome the limitations of geography， thus providing more opportunities for employment. Ridehailing platforms， for example， can boost employment in automobile production， sales and maintenance， in addition to drivers’ income.
　　Last August， the State Council released a guideline for promoting the stable and healthy development of the platform economy. According to the guideline， the platform economy， as a new growth engine which has contributed to the creation of jobs， should be utilized in the wake of the epidemic. 　　Governments at every level should facilitate the growth of platforms to maximize their recruitment capabilities. The State Council requires policies that support the platform economy to be implemented promptly.
　　At an executive meeting on March 17， the State Council reiterated its support of the platform economy in the creation of more jobs and new professions. Besides alleviating current pressures on employment， the innovation of the platform economy can improve the relationship between government and market.

COVID-19 VACCINE VOLUNTEER IN WUHAN

　　Ren Chao， one of the volunteers participating in the fi rst clinical trial of a novel coronavirus vaccine in China， completed his 14-day quarantine for clinical observation on April 2. The 36-yearold veteran in Wuhan， Hubei Province in central China， said everything is fi ne.
　　The trial for a recombinant novel coronavirus vaccine was registered on March 17. The vaccine has been jointly developed by the Institute of Biotechnology， the Academy of Military Medical Sciences of the People’s Liberation Army and Tianjin-based CanSino Biologics Inc.
　　Ren underwent a rigorous physical examination on March 18 and was given the vaccine two days later.
　　After leaving the army in 2007， he began working in security at Wuhan University. As his hometown emerged as the center of the epidemic， Ren volunteered to give lifts to medical staff and carry supplies for hospitals.
　　As of April 2， 108 volunteers had been vaccinated in the fi rst clinical trial， 18 of whom had fi nished quarantine. They will continue to participate in follow-up surveys and physical examinations over the next six months.
　　“As the U.S. epidemic situation worsens， the Trump administration will seek to improve its relations with China in the short term since China is indispensable to the U.S.”
　　Wang Wen， Executive Dean of the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies， a think tank at the Renmin University of China， told Guancha.cn， a China-based online news and comments aggregator， on April 7
　　“The Chinese Government can restart some long-delayed projects with low short-term returns， including land rectification， urban municipal utilities and urban greening， to create more jobs to address the unemployment problem caused by the epidemic.”
　　Liu Ge， a finance commentator with China Central Television， wrote in an article in Global Times on April 3
　　“The control of the epidemic worldwide does not depend on countries that have seen the best effects or made the earliest move. Instead， it will be determined by the countries which have had less success in controlling the epidemic…We need to unite to support such countries with insufficient medical resources.”
　　Zhang Wenhong， Director of the Infectious Disease Department of Huashan Hospital in Shanghai， told World Insight， a CGTN program， on April 7
　　“Although China is maintaining a lot of measures， they are not seeing a rebound even though they are sending people back to the factories and schools. If we see a big rebound there， then it would seem almost impossible to control the epidemic.”
　　Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates told Trevor Noah， The Daily Show host， in an online interview on April 3