2020 TOP SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AWARDEE

　　Gu Songfen， a Chinese fighter jet designer， received China’s 2020 top science and technology award for his outstanding contributions to scientific and technological innovation on November 3.
　　Born in 1930 in Jiangsu Province， Gu graduated with a degree in aeronautical engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University. He is a research fellow with the Aviation Industry Corp. of China， an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering.
　　Gu oversaw the aerodynamic design of the Shenyang JJ-1， China’s first jet trainer， and of the Shenyang J-8 and J-8-II， China’s first high-speed， highaltitude interceptors. He established the country’s aircraft aerodynamic design system， pioneered the independent development of fighter aircraft， and continued his aviation strategic research， making a significant contribution to China’s aviation science and technology.
　　The award is given out annually to honor distinguished scientists， engineers， and research achievements. The other awardee of 2020 is Wang Dazhong， a reputed nuclear scientist born in 1935.

Promoting Films Overseas

　　Guangming Daily October 27
　　On October 17， Beijing Normal University and the China National Film Museum jointly issued a report on the global online influence of Chinese movies. Currently， most English reports on Chinese films are created and published by the overseas platforms of domestic media outlets， which do not gain as much traction as those by mainstream foreign channels.
　　With increasing channels for international communication， China’s film industry needs to integrate various dynamisms， including celebrated overseas cinema chains， film industry alliances， distributors and social platforms to create a modern and international communication mechanism.
　　At times there is no way to avoid ideological or cultural differences in movies. This requires production teams to adjust their original creation according to the cultural traditions of the targeted viewership. Cooperation with foreign directors is also an effective way to present Chinese stories to the world.

Enhancing Foreign Trade Attraction

　　Outlook Weekly November 1

　　The Fourth China International Import Expo（CIIE） was inaugurated in Shanghai on November 4. The six-day event on global trading demonstrates China’s role as an engine in boosting the global economy. 　　The world’s first exhibition themed on import at the national-level witnesses China’s pace in expanding its opening up and proactive import endeavors. It also serves as the epitome of the country’s efforts to transform itself into a trading power through coordinating imports and exports.
　　China has become the largest trader of goods since 2013 and had ranked second in terms of trade in services for seven consecutive years by 2020. Its trade in goods totaled 32 trillion yuan （$5 trillion） that year， ranking first in the world.
　　Yet the country still has a long way to go before turning into a full-fledged trading power. Taking service trade as an example， its proportion in China’s foreign trade is about half that of the U.S.， which ranks first in said field.
　　Today’s international trade faces many uncertainties， including trade frictions between China and the U.S. and the rising global protectionism. The outbreak of COVID-19 has propelled rapid changes in global supply and industrial chains. Those conditions further complicate China’s foreign trade environment.
　　Under such circumstances， China needs to continuously enhance its foreign trade attractiveness by developing high-tech， highquality and high-value-added products.

An Emerging Industry

　　People’s Daily October 29
　　Robot research and application are important indicators to measure a country’s level of technological innovation and high-end manufacturing. Via unique advantages in several sectors， robots can replace humans to operate in dangerous environments such as under extreme temperatures.
　　In recent years， China’s robotic industry has realized remarkable growth， with its products employed in 129 sectors nationwide. In the first eight months of this year， the output of industrial robots in the country increased by 63.9 percent year on year.
　　The achievements made in the domestic robotic industry should be attributed to the support of the market. The integration of advanced technologies， such as cloud computing and bionic sensing systems， empowers robots by enhancing their ability to receive feedback and learn. Today’s huge market demand and rich application scenarios consistently boost the industry’s continuous upgrade and innovation.
　　However， it should also be noted that China’s robot industry is still in its early stages of development， requiring the reinforcement of basic research and swifter breakthroughs in core technologies.

PHILOSOPHER DIES AGED 91

　　Li Zehou， a famous Chinese philosopher， died on November 3 at the age of 91.
　　Born on June 13， 1930， in Changsha， Hunan Province， Li graduated from the Department of Philosophy at Peking University in 1954. He was a researcher with the Institute of Philosophy at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and further held an honorary doctorate in the humanities from Colorado College in the United States.
　　Li mainly engaged in the study of philosophy， aesthetics and intellectual history. He authored The Critique of Critical Philosophy—A Review of Kant， The Course of Beauty， among others， which all wielded a great deal of influence over the field of philosophy.
　　As one of the most significant contemporary philosophers， Li inspired many people during his lifetime.
　　“With several bumper harvests， China’s growing wheat stocks are sufficient to meet consumer demand for a year and a half. Mounting grain reserves can ensure China is basically self-sufficient in grain with the supply of staple food absolutely safe.”
　　Qin Yuyun， Director of the Food Reserve Department with the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration， at a press conference on November 3
　　“Hong Kong must continue to enhance logistics information flow and intermodal operations while taking advantage of the financial hub’s extensive network and connectivity to fully capitalize on the opportunities offered by the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.”
　　Carrie Lam， Chief Executive of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region， at the 11th Asian Logistics， Maritime and Aviation Conference， on November 2
　　“China had to introduce a zerotolerance and zero-transmission policy， as the current Delta variant spreads fast and replicates very quickly. It is expensive to pursue such a policy， but the cost will be higher when we ignore it and let it spread.”
　　Zhong Nanshan， China’s top epidemiologist， in an interview with CGTN on November 1
　　“The record highs in the turnover and profits of member companies of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China are an epitome of the vitality of the Chinese economy and the positive effects of China’s endeavors to deepen opening up and optimizing the business environment.”
　　Wang Wenbin， spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry， at the ministry’s regular press conference on November 3