A pedestrian walks past a graffi ti artwork in downtown Beijing’s Dashilar on November 8. Artists from China and France created graffi ti artworks together during a cultural festival of Paris Hip Hop in Beijing.


　　Xi’s Book on Governance
　　The second volume of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s book on governance has been published in both Chinese and English， the publisher said on November 7.
　　The second volume of Xi Jinping： The Governance of China collects 99 of Xi’s speeches， conversations， instructions and letters， as well as 29 photos of the Chinese leader， between August 18， 2014 and September 29， 2017， the Foreign Languages Press said in a statement.
　　The articles are divided into 17 topics， and the book also adds some annotations necessary to improve readers’ understanding， according to the statement.
　　Over the three years since the pub- lishing of the first volume in September 2014， Xi， also General Secretary of the Communist Party of China （CPC） Central Committee， has continued to put forward a series of new concepts， thoughts and strategies， enriching the CPC’s theories， it said.
　　The second volume depicts the practices of the CPC Central Committee， with Xi at the core， in uniting and leading the Chinese people to uphold and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics in a new era， the statement said.
　　It refl ects the development and main contents of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.
　　The newly published volume is also expected to help the international community better understand the path， concept and model of China’s development， it added.
　　An amendment to the CPC Constitution， approved at the Party’s 19th National Congress last month， has made Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era a new component of the Party’s guide for action.
　　By August， 6.42 million copies of the fi rst volume of Xi Jinping： The Governance of China， printed in 21 languages， had been distributed in more than 160 countries and regions.
　　Financial Crime
　　The Ministry of Public Security has told police to step up the crackdown on fi nancial crime， with a focus on illegal fundraising， Internet fi nance， securities and futures.
　　A ministry document said that China faced a high incidence of fi -nancial violations that could involve large numbers of people， creating signifi cant risk for the fi nancial sector. It said fi ghting such crime would prove a tough task. 　　The ministry called on the police to check for fi nancial risks and improve early warning and prevention.
　　It also said police must give reports and suggestions to the Party and government departments to help the early discovery and handling of any fi nancial risks.
　　The ministry called for coordinated efforts with government agencies to investigate and deal with illegal fi nancial activities and to improve laws and regulations.
　　Live Streaming Risks
　　Live streaming video online has become increasingly popular in China. However， some people worry that it may lead to problems including leakage of private information.
　　According to a survey conducted by China Youth Daily， 78.4 percent of the 2，001 people interviewed worried about the risk of privacy leaks when they were involved in live streams.
　　“One of my friends was live streaming about fi rst-year college students at the beginning of the new semester. He suddenly turned the camera on me and introduced me to the audience，” said Zhang Lin， a university student， who previously appeared in live streams hosted by others. “I was so embarrassed to be involved.”
　　According to the survey， over 40 percent of those interviewed had appeared in other people’s live streams.
　　“The audience may be able to obtain my personal information， like my name， address or phone number， if they have my picture. That’s why I don’t want to take part，” Zhang said.
　　However， some people said they would be happy to be invited to participate in live streams.
　　“I will join in a live stream if someone invites me and actively interact with the audience，” said Yue Xiaobo， who also hosts his own live streams.
　　However， only 21 percent of the people surveyed said they would be happy to take part in a live stream if someone turned the camera on them. Over 70 percent said they would refuse to take part.
　　Migrant Workers
　　The State Council， China’s cabinet， has started an overhaul of measures to protect the rights and interests of migrant workers.
　　The items under review include employment， entrepreneurship， labor rights， urban public services and permanent urban residence status， according to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.
　　Six teams have been dispatched to Chongqing Municipality and the provinces of Anhui， Fujian， Gansu， Guangdong and Liaoning.
　　The inspection is divided into two phases—self-inspection and fi eld supervision. Local governments must rectify problems found during the inspection. 　　To expand urbanization， the cabinet announced last year that 100 million migrants will be settled in cities by 2020.
　　Fox Hunt
　　Some 3，317 fugitives wanted by China in over 120 countries and regions were detained and extradited by local authorities in the past fi ve years， according to the Ministry of Public Security （MPS）.
　　The Fox Hunt campaign targets suspects who have fl ed overseas to avoid answering for their alleged economic crimes.
　　Inter-agency cooperation and the use of new technology boosted the effi ciency of tracking those who had changed their identity or undergone cosmetic surgery， the MPS said on November 7.
　　During the past fi ve years， Greece， Bulgaria， Italy and other countries and regions extradited a total of 16 suspects at China’s requests. Some 17 suspects voluntarily returned to China.
　　Firefighting Education
　　A fi refi ghter and a volunteer help a boy put on a fi refi ghter’s uniform at Hongzhan School in Cixi， east China’s Zhejiang Province， on November 7 in a fi refi ghting educational activity ahead of National Fire Prevention Day on November 9.


　　World’s Highest Planetarium
　　Southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region will start construction on its fi rst， and the world’s highest， planetarium in 2018， local authorities said.
　　The planetarium will have the region’s largest optical astronomical telescope， with a 1-meter-diameter lens， and become a major regional base for astronomical research and public science education， according to the Science and Technology Department of Tibet.
　　The telescope will be jointly developed by the planetarium and the National Astronomical Observatories and will be used for variable star observation and time domain astronomy， according to the department.
　　“The installment of the device will enable the planetarium to carry out professional astronomical research，” said Wang Junjie， deputy head of the department.
　　“The planetarium will become a‘perfect window’ for the public to get to know the stars and explore the universe， thanks to little air or light pollution in the region，” Wang said.
　　Planned for completion in 2019， the planetarium will be built within the Tibet Museum of Natural Sciences in the city of Lhasa， according to the department.
　　Dubbed the “Roof of the World” on account of its position around 4，000 meters above sea level， Tibet has superb clear skies， which are ideal for astronomical observation. 　　Job Hunting
　　Job seekers throng a recruitment fair for graduates in Beijing on November 5 which promoted some 15，300 job vacancies.


　　Massive Tax Cuts
　　China’s value-added tax （VAT） reform has reduced taxes for enterprises by more than 1 trillion yuan（$150.61 billion） since its nationwide launch in May 2016.
　　By the end of September this year， the reform saved 1.06 trillion yuan （$160 billion） in taxes for business owners by replacing business taxes with VAT to cut the tax burden and improve the business environment， according to the State Administration of Taxation （SAT）.
　　As the most signifi cant tax overhaul for two decades， the VAT reform is a key part of China’s supply-side reform. It was fi rst piloted in Shanghai in 2012 and later expanded nationwide in May 2016.
　　The expansion of the VAT reform has not only resulted in massive tax cuts， but also encouraged the development of the services sector， supported manufacturing upgrades and stimulated consumption， the SAT said.
　　“The VAT reform has made China’s division of labor more professional amid the ongoing globalization， which in turn has spurred the development of the modern services industry，” said Lin Jiang， deputy head of a free trade zone research institute at Sun Yatsen University in Guangdong.
　　China is counting on services， particularly high value-added services in fi nance and technology， to lessen the economy’s traditional reliance on heavy industry and investment.
　　In a move to further the reform， the State Council recently approved a draft on abolishing the provisional regulations on business tax and on revising the provisional regulations on VAT.
　　Higher Efficiency
　　A 30-megawatt solar power facility located on a fi sh farm in Huanghua， north China’s Hebei Province.


　　Current Account Surplus
　　China continued to see a “reasonable” current account surplus in the fi rst three quarters， while imports and exports both rose steadily， the nation’s foreign exchange regulator said on November 6.
　　The current account surplus stood at $106.3 billion in the fi rst nine months， accounting for 1.2 percent of national GDP， according to the State Administration of Foreign Exchange （SAFE）.
　　The non-reserve fi nancial ac- count recorded a surplus of $60.8 billion， according to a SAFE report. 　　“The data suggest China’s crossborder capital fl ows have further stabilized， and the foundation for a balanced international payments sheet will be more solid，” the report said.
　　There had been concerns over capital fl owing out of China in the second half of 2016， when the economy was facing downward pressure and the yuan was in the middle of a losing streak against the U.S. dollar.
　　In January， China’s foreign exchange reserves plunged below$3 trillion， but as the economy now stands on a fi rmer footing and the yuan has continued to stabilize， the stockpile has increased steadily since February.
　　Industrial Internet
　　China has set a clear timetable for integration of industry and the Internet， or the “industrial Internet，” a senior offi cial said on November 3.
　　By 2025， construction of an industrial Internet infrastructure network covering all regions and sectors will be basically completed， said Chen Zhaoxiong， Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology.
　　By 2035， China will lead the world in key sectors of the industrial Internet fi eld. By the middle of the century， China should be among the top countries in terms of overall industrial Internet strength.
　　“The industrial Internet is a new concept that matters to the whole world，” said Han Xia， another offi cial from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.“Compared with developed countries， China still lags behind.”
　　A recent State Council executive meeting approved guidelines on developing the industrial Internet， promising streamlined administration and fi scal support. Market access will be widened and companies encouraged to seek private funding.
　　Businesses must improve security against cyberattacks， while specialized network security systems for key manufacturing sectors such as automobiles and aerospace will be put in place.
　　In line with overall economic restructuring， billions of yuan are expected to fl ow into technology projects related to the Made in China 2025 strategy， a blueprint for improving the manufacturing sector.
　　Busy Winter
　　A farmer in Yichun， east China’s Jiangxi Province， picks ripe mandarin oranges on November 7， which this year marked the Beginning of Winter in the traditional Chinese lunar calendar.


　　New IPOs Approved
　　China’s securities regulator approved on November 3 IPO applications from fi ve companies which intend to raise up to 5.4 billion yuan （$814 million） in the A-share market. 　　Two companies will list on the Shanghai Stock Exchange； one， on the Shenzhen small and medium enterprise board； and two， on the ChiNext， also in Shenzhen， according to the China Securities Regulatory Commission （CSRC）.
　　The fi rms and their underwriters will confi rm the IPO dates and publish prospectuses following discussions with the exchanges.
　　Under the current IPO system， new shares are subject to approval from the CSRC. China is gradually switching from an approval-based to a more market-oriented IPO system.
　　Since suspending IPOs between July and November 2015， China has sought to normalize the capital formation mechanism by giving approvals at a faster pace to raise fi nancing effi ciency and direct more money into the real economy.
　　Airport Rail Transit
　　Construction work on a high-speed railway linking south Beijing to the city’s upcoming new airport began on November 6.
　　The 41.36-km new airport line will carry trains running at speeds of up to 160 km per hour. Passengers will be able to check in for their fl ights at Caoqiao Station， which will be situated on the South Third Ring Road. From there， the journey to the airport terminal will take just 19 minutes.
　　The three-station line， funded and constructed through a public-private partnership， will open together with the new airport in 2019， according to the state-owned Beijing Urban Construction Group.
　　Beijing’s new airport， currently under construction in the southern Daxing District， will ease the traffi c at Beijing Capital International Airport.
　　The new airport， which is yet to be offi cially named， will have four runways and manage up to 620，000 fl ights per year by 2025. It will eventually handle 100 million passengers and 4 million tons of cargo annually.
　　Drone Delivery
　　Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba announced on November 7 that it had used unmanned aerial vehicles， commonly known as drones， to deliver packages across a body of water for the fi rst time.
　　Three drones carrying a total of six boxes of passion fruit with a combined weight of around 12 kg fl ew from Putian， east China’s Fujian Province， to nearby Meizhou Island on October 31， the company said.
　　Flying into a strong wind， the drones took nine minutes to make the 5-km crossing.
　　The drones， each able to carry up to 7 kg， were jointly developed by Alibaba’s delivery arm， Cainiao Network， the company’s rural shopping platform， Rural Taobao， and a domestic technology fi rm.
　　Zeng Jinmei， an online store owner based on Meizhou Island， said the drone delivery service will cut the transportation time by half and save logistics costs.
　　Alibaba plans to use drones to deliver high value-added products such as fresh food and medical supplies over stretches of water in the future.
　　Use of drones to deliver packages has increased in recent years. Rival Chinese e-commerce platform JD.com started conducting trial drone deliveries in 2016. Smaller drones are also being used in Xi’an， northwest China’s Shaanxi Province， and in Suqian， east China’s Jiangsu Province.
　　Challenging Construction
　　On November 6， the excavation of the Qinghuayuan tunnel， one of the most important sections of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou high-speed railway， gets underway in Beijing.