Financial Institutions Take Lead in Supporting Rural Revitalization

　　Policy-backed financial institutions have been instrumental in assisting poverty alleviation projects.
　　Under the guidance of the National Development and Reform Commission （NDRC） and other assorted ministries and commissions， the China Development Bank recently issued a notice to further intensify follow-up financial support for people lifted out of poverty through relocation. It promised to provide loans of preferential interest rates for the follow-up projects， to accelerate the use of sub-loans for supporting business activities of relocated communities， and to integrate their development into rural revitalization. Besides， it will innovate financing models and provide overall support to leading industries， industries of local features， and supporting infrastructure.
　　The Agricultural Development Bank of China recently launched 11 preferential measures for 52 poor counties， including easing guarantee requirements and relaxing bad loan ratio for these areas.
　　Policy-backed financial institutions are nourishing new forms of business in rural areas. By the end of the first quarter of this year， the China Development Bank had granted an additional RMB 2.7 billion in loans for follow-up development of relocated rural communities in 92 counties.

More Policy Support for the Transformation of Old Industrial Bases

　　Recently， the General Office of the State Council announced a reward that would be given to 10 cities which had undergone effective transformation and upgraded their old industrial bases， with an amount of RMB 20 million set for each.
　　The NDRC said it would prioritize support to the 10 selected cities in carrying out major reforms and policies to revitalize their old industrial bases， and increase investment in them. The Ministry of Commerce also said it would expand the opening up of the central and western regions and old industrial bases and give more policy support to these regions as well， thus encouraging more foreign investors to go there.
　　In the process of transforming and upgrading old industrial bases， local governments have paid attention to highlighting their industrial advantages， strengthening upstream and downstream industrial chains， and building new industrial clusters.
　　Experts say that old industrial cities and natural resourcebased cities are destinations for factories which have moved from coastal areas and key localities for the industrialization of innovative achievements. Supporting them is of great significance to optimizing regional economic layout and maintaining the stability of industrial and supply chains.

Researchers to be Granted Ownership of On-the-Job Scientific Achievements

　　According to a plan issued by nine central departments including the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Education， a pilot program will be implemented that grants researchers the ownership or long-term use rights of their on-the-job research achievements.
　　According to the plan， 40 universities and research institutions will be among the first places to implement the program. The plan aims to stimulate the enthusiasm of researchers for innovation and to promote the transformation of scientific and technological achievements into actual use.
　　The pilot institutions can grant their researchers the rights to their on-the-job achievements for no less than 10 years. Researchers or their teams should first apply for such rights with a plan for the transformation of those achievements into actual use. The term of the use right can be extended provided that the researchers have fulfilled the agreement signed， application of their research results has been going on smoothly， and good revenue is generated.
　　Meanwhile， a mechanism for profits distribution should be established， so as to make the income of the researchers match their contribution.

China Exports Anti-Epidemic Materials Worth RMB 134.4 Billion

　　Data from the General Administration of Customs showed that China’s exports of epidemic prevention materials totaled RMB 134.4 billion from March 1 to May 16. Since April， China’s export of such materials has shown significant growth， with the average daily export value rising from about RMB 1 billion in early April to more than RMB 3.5 billion recently.
　　To be specific， the main export items for epidemic prevention include： 50.9 billion face masks； 216 million pieces of protective clothing； 81.03 million sets of goggles； 162 million COVID-19 detection kits； 72，700 ventilators， including 63，900 non-invasive ventilators； 177，000 patient monitors； 26.43 million infrared thermometers； and 1.04 billion pairs of surgical gloves. The main export destinations included the United States， Germany， Japan， France， and Italy.
　　“China’s export of epidemic prevention materials has provided support and guarantees for the international community to jointly fight COVID-19， demonstrating its sense of responsibility as a major country，”an official from the General Administration of Customs said. In the future， customs will continue to strengthen the investigation and punishment of illegal export of epidemic prevention materials to ensure orderly and reliable export.