CAS ACADEMICIAN WINS QUANTUM PRIZE

　　Ye Jun， professor of the University of Colorado Boulder， won the 2020 Micius Quantum Prize for breakthroughs in quantum precision measurement， particularly the development of the ultra precise optical atomic clocks， a Chinese foundation announced on December 10.
　　He received the honor jointly with Hidetoshi Katori from the University of Tokyo.
　　Ye’s research focuses on the frontiers of light-matter interactions. In November 2017， he was elected a foreign academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
　　The Micius Quantum Prize invites international experts as judges and awards scientists who have made outstanding research in fields including quantum communication， quantum simulation， quantum computing， and quantum precision measurement. Each winner gets 1.25 million yuan （$191，100） in prize money and a gold medal.
　　The foundation was established in 2018 and receives donations from private entrepreneurs in China.

Digital Currency

　　Beijing Youth Daily December 14
　　In October， Shenzhen in south China， in partnership with the People’s Bank of China， the central bank， launched a pilot program to promote the digital renminbi by distributing 50，000 “red packets” worth 200 yuan （$30） each via a random draw.
　　Two months later， Suzhou in east China rolled out a similar measure on the eve of the online shopping festival Double 12 to bolster consumption.
　　The next step is to build on the momentum by introducing online payment and offl ine wallet functions， which allow users to make a direct payment without having to go through the Internet.
　　The successful adoption of the digital currency in the Guangdong-Hong KongMacao Greater Bay Area followed by a favorable outcome in the Yangtze River Delta makes it predictable that the next targeted area will be Xiongan， the third major urban cluster identifi ed in 2010 by the State Council.
　　While payments today hinge on the mobile network， a central bank digital currency（CBDC） can be used by downloading an app which does not require network signals.
　　Besides， the CBDC can help merchants reduce business transaction costs. Today， they need to pay a percentage of their income to use payment platforms， but the CBDC is different. This can attract more people to participate， laying a good foundation for future promotion.

Travel Goldmine

　　Economic Daily December 13
　　With the upgrading of consumption， China’s tourism market is developing and senior tourism， also known as silver tourism， has become a new growth point. Unlike other consumer groups， the elderly have more time to travel， supported by their better consumption capability than young people. 　　However， problems come with the potential. In the silver travel market， infringement on the legitimate rights and interests of elderly travelers sometimes happens with unreasonable scheduling， creating additional expenses and less protection for seniors. Some travel agencies trick consumers with false information about tourism products. These problems have affected the tourism consumption experience and market， making senior travelers discouraging.
　　To activate the silver tourism market’s potential， travel companies should design tours according to the physical and mental conditions of the elderly. Besides， traveling products should meet their diversifi ed and personalized needs.
　　At the same time， the regulators need to address the market’s problems. They need to clarify accommodation， catering， shopping and medical service details in silver tourism， and the traveling market standards must be regulated to provide a healthy consumption environment for senior travelers so that they can enjoy their old age better.

Education Dilemma

　　Guangming Daily December 11
　　Higher vocational education enrollment expanded by 1.16 million in 2019， exceeding expectations and this year too， expansion is underway. China has established the world’s most extensive vocational education system. According to the government work report of 2020， recruitment will be expanded by 2 million jobs this year and the next.
　　In addition， the enrollment of postgraduates and undergraduates upgrading from junior colleges is also increasing. According to the Ministry of Education， about 1 million people had access to postgraduate studies， increasing 189，000 year on year.
　　The move is a boon for the graduates. It indicates a growing opportunity for employment and is conducive to ease their burden as well as improve their education background， laying a solid foundation for higher quality employment in the future.
　　However， some also doubt its effectiveness， claiming that it’s hard to guarantee the quality of education after expansion. It is not sustainable but a short-term method to relieve the pressure of fi nding jobs. Therefore it will lead to an imbalance between the educational structure and social demand， causing waste of resources and depreciation of education.

GROUNDWATER APP FOUNDER WINS UN AWARD

Ren Xiaoyuan， founder of MyH2O， a data platform that charts groundwater quality across rural China， is among the seven recipients of the Young Champions of the Earth 2020， UN’s highest environmental award. 　　The app tells residents where to fi nd clean water and connects communities with private companies and non-profi t organizations that provide potable water solutions. Since its launch in 2015， MyH2O has helped provide clean water to about 1，000 villages.
　　The 29-year-old became interested in environmental advocacy as a teen. She went on to earn dual master’s degrees in environmental engineering and technology and policy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
　　“The MyH2O network and platform that Ren Xiaoyuan has pioneered addresses the root causes of deteriorating water quality whilst safeguarding water resources in underprivileged communities. UN Environment Programme （UNEP） encourages such bottomup approaches and through this award， we hope that MyH2O can inspire many others，” Joakim Harlin， head of UNEP’s freshwater unit， said.
　　“We stand ready to work with other countries to advance vaccine research and development and contribute to vaccine accessibility and affordability in the world， in particular developing countries so the world can vanquish the pandemic at an early date.”
　　Wang Wenbin， Foreign Ministry spokesperson， addressing a daily news briefi ng on December 16
　　“What we’re going to have to see is more negotiations as to what types of rules are acceptable and will be broadly observed or not. There are areas where the U.S. and China can cooperate on developing rules for challenges we face like the nuclear non-proliferation area.”
　　Joseph Nye， University Distinguished Service Professor， Emeritus and former Dean of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government， to Global Times on December 14
　　“The U.S. Government’s bans leave Huawei no choice but to accelerate research and development to build an open tech ecosystem of its own， from hardware to software for smartphones. It is a tough journey but Huawei must go through it to survive and thrive.”
　　Charlie Dai， principal analyst at market research company Forrester， commenting that Huawei plans to expand its in-house operating system HarmonyOS to all of its self-developed products， in China Daily， on December 16
　　“A new modern infrastructure has appeared， the living conditions of people have improved significantly. This success demonstrates the unity of the Communist Party of China and the state power with the people.”
　　Uzbek journalist and political observer Sharofi tdin Tulaganov， commenting on China’s eradication of absolute poverty in an interview with Xinhua News Agency on December 15