BEIDOU CHIEF DESIGNER GIVES FIRST CLASS

　　Xie Jun， Chief Designer of BeiDou’s third-generation satellite， spoke about the role of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System （BDS） in epidemic prevention and control and in people’s daily lives in the 2020’s First Class， a program to celebrate the start of the academic year held by the Ministry of Education and China Central Television on September 1.
　　The 68-year-old Xie has been engaged in the aerospace industry since he graduated from the National University of Defense Technology in 1982. His connection with BeiDou began in 2003 when he was appointed the second-generation satellite’s chief designer.
　　The last BDS satellite was launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan Province in southwest China on June 23， marking the completion of BDS after the last satellite reached its intended geostationary orbit on June 30.
　　The program， which was launched in 2008， brings leaders in different aspects to talk about the most important current topics to students across the country.

New Trend in Tourism

　　Beijing Youth Daily August 29
　　In July， the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism announced 10 city walk routes for tourists to have a diverse sightseeing experience. The administration also issued a regulation for tourism services in the hutongs， the narrow alleys with their traditional one-storied courtyard houses， to improve the facilities and services and create a better environment.
　　This is an excellent response to people’s new choice of short but in-depth trips at a slow pace in recent days， called micro tourism， which provides them with a unique angle to discover hidden beauty and sceneries. Instead of traveling afar， they prefer to explore new experiences in and around cities.
　　For instance， Shanghai’s tourism agencies have designed many half or one-day tours themed on fashion， history， culture and hiking， integrating local life into tourism.
　　To fans of micro tourism， different places’ distinctive culture and life are more attractive than regular scenic spots. It refl ects the upgrading of people’s concepts in this aspect. Also， it then becomes easier to implement epidemic prevention and control and at the same time help the recovery of tourism.
　　In addition， the trend offers new opportunities for regions lacking scenic spot resources to utilize their cultural， historical， entertainment and other features to create unique tours. By creating brands with respective characteristics and high quality services， they can benefit from the development of micro tourism.

Food Security

　　Economic Daily August 31
　　Drought and floods did not affect this year’s grain production， which remains stable and positive， according to a Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs offi cer. There will be a bumper harvest if no major disasters occur for the rest of the year.
　　China’s agricultural production has reached a historically high level with 1.3 trillion tons of grain produced for five consecutive years. Today， the Chinese people’s per-capita grain supply is more than 470 kg， besides a guaranteed supply of meat， eggs， vegetables and fi sh.
　　China has set a minimum purchase price for wheat and rice since 2004， meaning the government will buy grain from farmers at the state-set price if the market price drops below it. Thanks to the policy， by the end of 2019， wheat， corn and rice inventories exceeded 280 million tons， which ensures complete self-sufficiency as the average annual consumption of grain hovers above 200 million tons. The early rice and summer grain will replenish the stock and stabilize prices.
　　However， from a long-term perspective， challenges to food security remain.In the course of industrialization and urbanization， some farmland will be occupied. So it is necessary to follow a food crop production strategy based on farmland management and application of technology. That is a signifi cant way to increase grain yield， reduce production cost and improve agricultural effi ciency.
　　Incentives should be designed for farmers. In the new era， they should be equipped with advanced knowledge and business modes.

Refi ning Garbage Disposal

　　People’s Daily August 31
　　By the end of 2020， garbage sorting will be mandatory in over 40 cities. However， problems in collection， transportation and other processes have emerged， which require improved governance to serve the public better and ensure the policy is effective.
　　The staff working in communities should refi ne their plans and methods according to residents’feedback. For instance， how to take care of offi ce workers’ garbage disposal needs as collection of trash is allowed only at fi xed times and places. Some communities have made progress by introducing robots to do the sorting.
　　The staff also needs to promote awareness of garbage sorting and help people get used to this new rule.
　　Problems in transportation and disposal have also hampered garbage disposal. Recently， the National Development and Reform Commission released a plan to strengthen garbage sorting and treatment facilities in urban areas. It has asked cities to build a mechanism including collection， transportation and treatment according to different categories of trash before 2030 to improve the garbage disposal chain.

CHINESE SCIENTIST WINS TOP BIODIVERSITY PRIZE

　　Chen Huai， a scientist on wetland biodiversity with the Chengdu Institute of Biology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences， has been awarded the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation （APEC） Science Prize for Innovation， Research and Education， also known as the ASPIRE Prize， for this year.
　　“I am honored to receive the ASPIRE award and share more about our work on wetlands. Knowledge knows no borders and I am proud to work with a team of international researchers as we advance our efforts in the Asia-Pacifi c，” Chen said.
　　He was named the region’s top early career researcher， the APEC Policy Partnership on Science， Technology and Innovation said in a statement.
　　“Wetlands conservation contributes to important work in climate change mitigation as one of the most effective carbon sinks. Dr. Chen’s findings lead to a better understanding of these wetlands including protecting， developing new generation models for methane emissions and enhancing assessment of carbon storage and ecological value，”the statement said.
　　Chen was selected from 12 fi nalists， each nominated by an APEC member economy. The nominees， all under 40， were assessed based on their commitment to excellence in scientifi c research as evidenced by scholarly publication and cooperation with scientists from other APEC economies.
　　“It would send a positive signal to the world that， despite some negative impact of the COVID-19 epidemic， states like China are still able to pursue the way toward economic recovery， international cooperation and foreign trade， particularly in the sector of services， which is a very important part of the global economy.”
　　Jan Zahradil， Chairman of the EU-China Friendship Group in the European Parliament， commenting on the China International Fair for Trade in Services that opened on September 4
　　“Younger generations， including those born in the 1980s and 90s， are very different from the traditional middle class. They believe the world belongs to them. They like goods from everywhere in the world and hope to find joy from them.”
　　Alvin Liu， Alibaba’s vice president， in an interview with CGTN on membership-based model of e-commerce on August 31
　　“The U.S. diplomacy today has stooped to intimidation， lies and sanctions. The top U.S. diplomat is making a living on attacking and smearing China and spreading rumors day after day. With their focus placed on the wrong thing， I believe they are now walking on an erroneous and dangerous path.”
　　Hua Chunying， spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs， in response to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s statement
　　“The action by India has severely violated China’s territorial sovereignty， and severely damaged peace and stability at the China-India border. China strongly opposes this faithless act of repudiating past promises.”
　　Zhang Shuili， spokesperson of the People’s Liberation Army Western Theater Command， urging India to retract its border forces that had trespassed into Chinese territory at the southern bank of Pangong Tso Lake in Tibet Autonomous Region， southwest China， in a statement on August 31