An alumni art troupe performs at the 110th anniversary gala of Tsinghua University on April 25. As one of China’s most esteemed institutions of higher learning， the university has cultivated pioneers in diverse fields ranging from politics to art. Tsinghua is the only Asian institution listed in the top 20 of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2021.

Ecological Preservation

　　Photo taken on April 20 shows Tibetan antelopes in Hoh Xil， in the Sanjiangyuan region of Qinghai Province. The name Sanjiangyuan means the source of three rivers， namely the Yangtze River， Yellow River， and Lancang （Mekong） River. In recent years， Qinghai Province has been promoting ecological protection in the region， resulting in an increasing number of wild animals.

Big Bone Disease

　　China has seen no new child cases of Kashin-Beck disease， also known as “big bone disease，” for two consecutive years， according to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. KashinBeck disease is a bone and joint disorder endemic to China that causes pain and can lead to disabilities.
　　During the conference， Li Bin， deputy head of China’s National Health Commission， said that China still has 179，000 patients with symptoms of Kashin-Beck disease， and that between 2019 and 2020， patients suffering from the disease had received over 130，000 treatments through medication and 802 had undergone surgeries.
　　“All 379 infected regions across China have met the criteria necessary to qualify as having eliminated the disease，”Li said， adding that the cause of the disease is still unknown and that the commission will further prioritize disease-stricken areas with policies， funds and personnel to support treatment.
　　Lin Jianhao， an orthopedics expert with the Peking University Arthritis Institute， called for efforts to revise diagnostic criteria， stipulate guidelines for clinical treatment and carry out scientific research with cutting-edge technologies.

Live-Streaming Regulation

　　Chinese authorities have rolled out a trial guideline to regulate the country’s booming livestreaming marketing industry， according to the Cyberspace Administration of China （CAC）.
　　The guideline， jointly issued by the CAC and six other authorities， aims to protect the rights and interests of consumers and minors， and prevent risks including false advertising， selling counterfeit items and selling substandard goods. 　　The guideline sets the minimum age for live-streaming operators and salespersons at 16， with minors above 16 required to obtain a guardian’s consent to enter the industry.
　　Live-streaming platforms are required to handle complaints from consumers in a timely manner and provide necessary evidence when disputes occur.
　　The guideline will take effect on May 25.
　　China has been the world’s largest online retail market for eight consecutive years and， according to official data， had more than 24 million livestreaming marketing activities take place in 2020. A legion of leading online influencers have become household names through their sales success.

Tibet Tourism

　　To celebrate the 70th anniversary of its peaceful liberation， China’s Tibet Autonomous Region has launched seven “red tourism”routes， covering historical sites of revolutionary significance.
　　The first tours following the new routes will be launched on China Tourism Day， which falls on May 19 each year.
　　“Against the backdrop of rural vitalization， promoting the integrated development of red tourism and rural tourism will provide support for consolidating the achievements of poverty alleviation and provide more platforms for people to increase their income，” said Wang Songping， Director of the regional department of tourism development.
　　Data showed that during the 13th Five-Year Plan period （2016-20）， Tibet received more than 157.6 million tourists from home and abroad， generating nearly 212.6 billion yuan （$32.7 billion） in tourism revenue.

Survey of Parents

　　More than 92 percent of Chinese parents expect schools to organize safe and rewarding after-school programs for their children， Xinhua News Agency reported on April 24. The finding was the result of a survey conducted by China Youth Daily.
　　The survey polled 1，605 parents and found that afterschool tutoring and on-site Q&A activities were favored by approximately 73 percent of the respondents.
　　Specifically， about 70 percent of the parents hoped that teachers could help students with their homework， 56.2 percent expected their children to pursue their hobbies and 50.8 percent preferred that sports activities would be offered.
　　The after-school programs are expected to better suit the needs of working parents who are not able to collect their children immediately after school.

Technological Innovation

　　Workers assemble engines on an assembly line at a workshop of the Weichai Group in Weifang， Shandong Province， on April 22. Weichai Power Co. Ltd.， a state-owned enterprise founded in 1946， has developed China’s first high-speed and high-power engine with independent intellectual property rights， ending China’s long-term reliance on foreign technologies for heavy commercial vehicles.

Doping Tests

　　China carried out over 14，000 doping tests on athletes in 2020 despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic， Xinhua reported on April 22.
　　Although the cancellation of a large number of sporting events has led to a decrease in the overall number of the tests， the China Anti-Doping Agency（CHINADA） managed to complete 14，072 tests， of which 12，026 were urine tests and 2，046 were blood tests. In 2019， CHINADA conducted 20，314 tests.
　　According to a report released by CHINADA on April 20， a total of 25 cases of doping rule violations were found during domestic doping control activities， with an overall violation rate of 0.18 percent.
　　CHINADA said it was able to find a number of solutions to the problems posed by the pandemic in the past year， in addition to formulating its own pandemic prevention measures.
　　Instead of using the usual practice of sending doping control officers （DCOs） from Beijing to locations around China to complete the necessary doping control activities， CHINADA stationed its DCOs in sports training bases around China.

Experiencing TCM

　　International students from the China University of Petroleum in Qingdao， Shandong Province， learn to weigh traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） under the guidance of doctors at the TCM hospital in Huangdao District， Qingdao， on April 23. The hospital has collaborated with local universities to establish a base to enable international students to experience TCM culture.

Permafrost Thaw

　　Chinese researchers have recently completed an assessment of potential thaw settlement hazards in the permafrost regions of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau， known as “the roof of the world，” Xinhua reported on April 21.
　　Thaw settlement is a phenomenon that occurs when newly liquefied water drains from the recently thawed permafrost， reducing its volume and leading to settling and potential instability of the land. “The results of the study provide valuable references for engineering， construction and maintenance，”said Wu Tonghua， a researcher at the Northwest Institute of Ecoenvironment and Resources under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. 　　The study also provides an insight for early warning systems and ways to adapt to permafrost thaw settlement on the plateau， Wu added.
　　The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is the world’s highest and largest low-and-middle-latitude permafrost region. The permafrost on the plateau is characterized by its relatively high temperature， high ice content and environmental vulnerability.
　　More than 40 percent of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau permafrost faces medium-high settlement risks.
　　The warming climate exacerbates thaw settlement hazards in the permafrost regions of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau， and threatens the stability of engineering infrastructure there. However， the risks associated with permafrost thaw settlement have rarely been assessed until now.

Coal Cuts

　　The share of coal in China’s energy mix will drop to less than 56 percent this year， a guideline released by the National Energy Administration （NEA） on April 22 read.
　　The proportion was 56.8 percent in 2020， and 57.7 percent in 2019.
　　In 2021， China plans to further replace coal in final energy consumption with the electricity equivalent of 200 billion kWh， the document said.
　　Meanwhile， its energy production is expected to reach the equivalent of 4.2 billion tons of standard coal this year， while the outputs of oil and natural gas are projected to stand at around 196 million tons and 202.5 billion cubic meters， respectively.
　　The country will also strive to bring the installed capacity of non-fossil energy to 1.1 billion kW and cut energy consumption per 10，000 yuan （$1，540） of GDP by around 3 percent in 2021.
　　China will further strengthen its control of the total coal consumption， drive forward the efficient and clean use of coal， encourage the use of comprehensive energy services and enhance energy-efficiency management， according to the NEA.

Aviation Recovery

　　The civil aviation industry in the first quarter （Q1） of the year saw continuous recovery across major indices， according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China.
　　The total transport turnover was 20.3 billion ton-km， a 22.8-percent year-on-year increase.
　　It handled 102 million passenger trips and 1.78 million tons of freight， up 37.5 percent and 28.7 percent， respectively.
　　Approximately 1.05 million flight movements were recorded， up 23.7 percent.
　　In March， the number of domestic air passenger trips hit 47.68 million， exceeding the level during the same period of 2019.

Growing Profit

　　The software and information technology （IT） service industry collected 237.1 billion yuan（$36.51 billion） in profit during Q1 of the year， surging 25.9 percent year on year， data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology （MIIT） showed.
　　Revenue of the software sector came in at 1.9 trillion yuan（$292 billion）， up 26.5 percent. The growth rate accelerated from the 21.3-percent increase registered in the first two months.
　　Thanks to the rising demand stemming from the digitalization of the manufacturing industry， revenue of industrial software products expanded 20.9 percent， to 47.9 billion yuan （$7.3 billion）， up 2.5 percentage points over the January-February period.
　　The application of new information technologies such as cloud computing and big data continued to speed up in Q1， generating a revenue of 170.6 billion yuan （$26.2 billion）， up 26.6 percent.
　　MIIT data also showed revenue from e-commerce platform technology services climbed 33.2 percent to 159.9 billion yuan（$24.6 billion）， while that from integrated circuit design rose 38.5 percent from January to March.
　　Software exports remained fast expansion， rising 15.4 percent year on year to $11.1 billion.

Fintech Growth

　　Financial technology （fintech） has experienced rapid growth in China due to a favorable environment fostered by the wide use of mobile devices and the Internet， a strong digital payment ecosystem， and the government’s promotion of technological and financial innovation to support economic growth， according to a report from credit rating firm Fitch Ratings on April 20.
　　Financial institutions have actively embraced fintech to protect their franchises and broaden business opportunities， enhance credit risk management， and improve efficiency.
　　“The trend has been accelerated by the COVID-19 epidemic as consumers today still increase their use of online services and purchases，” the report said.
　　However， the risks associated with the rapid growth prompted regulators to step up their inspections， aiming to ensure a more sustainable development of the sector.
　　Fitch Ratings believes tightened regulations might pose short-term challenges to several industry participants while protecting a number of industry incumbents. Nevertheless， the trend of rising fintech investment and innovation should swell given the benefits it entails.

Rural Loan

　　The Asian Development Bank （ADB） and CD Finance Management Co. Ltd. （CD Finance）， a Chinese rural microfinance service provider， signed a loan deal on April 23， for a total sum in yuan equivalent to$40 million， in a bid to support China’s rural development. 　　Through the service provided by CD Finance， the loan will support farmers and micro businesses over the next five years， according to the deal.
　　“Accelerating access to rural finance， particularly for women， and bridging the gaps in financial services are key to achieving sustainable rural development，”Ashok Lavasa， ADB’s Vice President， said.
　　At least 60 percent of the loan targets female borrowers and is expected to benefit over 30，000 women. Meanwhile， a gender action plan will support both financing and other services for women， including financial education and life skills training.“CD Finance is delighted to work with the ADB in support of rural vitalization， facilitate productive activities of rural households， and improve their livelihoods，” Liu Dongwen， CEO of the company， said.

Securities Holdings

　　In the first three months of the year， overseas investors’ net purchases of Chinese stocks and bonds totaled around $73.7 billion， the State Administration of Foreign Exchange （SAFE） said at a press conference on April 23.
　　Mainland investors’ net purchases of Hong Kong-listed shares through stock connect programs amounted to 311.1 billion yuan （$47.91 billion） during the same period， according to SAFE.
　　The figures show that international payments and twoway cross-border investment are basically in balance， SAFE spokesperson Wang Chunying said.

Industrial Internet

　　Late March saw the interconnection of a total of 73 million industrial equipment items courtesy of China’s industrial Internet platforms， with more than 590，000 industrial apps in use， according to the MIIT.
　　Firms witnessed a digitalization rate across key processes of 52.1 percent， and a penetration rate of digital tools for research and development of 73 percent.
　　China will develop its industrial Internet to help medium-sized， small and micro enterprises improve their innovative capacities， according to this year’s government work report.

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