Hong Kong Defenders

　　A national flag-raising ceremony is held at the Ngong Shuen Chau barracks of the Hong Kong Garrison of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army in Hong Kong on August 30. The flags were raised at around 7 a.m. simultaneously at the barracks of the garrison， which completed its 22nd rotation since 1997 the day before.

Grand Celebration

　　A grand gathering to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China will be held in Beijing on October 1， National Day， followed by a military parade and mass pageant， according to Wang Xiaohui， Executive Vice Minister of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China（CPC） Central Committee.
　　President Xi Jinping， also General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and Chairman of the Central Military Commission， will deliver an important speech at the event， Wang said at a press conference on August 29.
　　At an evening gala on the same day in Tiananmen Square， Party and state leaders will join the public to watch performances and a fireworks show.
　　Xi will also present the Medal of the Republic， Medal of Friendship and national titles of honor to outstanding individuals at an awards ceremony to be held at the Great Hall of the People.
　　In addition， on September 30， Martyrs’ Day， people from various sectors， including Party and state leaders， will pay tribute to deceased national heroes at the Monument to the People’s Heroes at Tiananmen Square.
　　The military parade is an important part of National Day celebrations and is not aimed at any country or specific situation， Cai Zhijun， deputy head of the office of the leading group for the military parade， said at the press conference.
　　The parade is expected to showcase China’s achievements in building its national defense and armed forces in the past 70 years and reflect the reform of the people’s armed forces， according to Cai.

Macao SAR Chief Executive

　　Ho Iat Seng was appointed the fifth-term chief executive of Macao Special Administrative Region （SAR） by the State Council on September 4.
　　Ho was elected the fifth-term chief executive-designate of Macao SAR on August 25.
　　His tenure will start on December 20， 2019， according to a decision made at a State Council meeting presided over by Premier Li Keqiang. 　　Li told the meeting that the election was completely in line with the Basic Law of Macao SAR and all other relevant laws， and reflected an open， fair and just principle.
　　This year marks the 20th anniversary of Macao’s return to the motherland. Li said the central authorities will continue to implement the Basic Law and the principle of “one country， two systems，” under which Macao people govern Macao and the SAR enjoys a high degree of autonomy， supporting the improved livelihood and harmony of the region.

Nuclear Safety

　　The highest safety standards are upheld in China’s development of nuclear energy， a senior environment official said on September 4.
　　“China’s supervision and management of nuclear safety is transparent， internationalized and recognized by international organizations，” Liu Hua， Vice Minister of Ecology and Environment and Director of the National Nuclear Safety Administration， told the press.
　　Ranking among the highest of all countries in terms of nuclear power safety operation indicators， China has long maintained a good nuclear safety record， according to the Nuclear Safety in China white paper released on September 2.
　　China’s safe use of nuclear technology continues to improve， its control of nuclear material is strong， and public health and environmental safety are fully guaranteed， the white paper said.
　　China has issued a general technical requirement， which has been well received by the International Atomic Energy Agency， Liu said.
　　“China’s nuclear power plants will not cause environmental disasters，” Liu added.
　　Currently， nuclear power accounts for only 4 percent of electricity in China， below the level of some other countries， according to the official.

Sporting Plan

　　A new plan， titled Outline for Building a Leading Sports Nation， was issued by the General Office of the State Council， aiming to develop China into a modern sports power by 2050.
　　It targets wider public engagement in sports， better competitive sporting performances， a stronger sports industry， a more vibrant sports culture and enhanced sports exchanges.
　　According to the document， residents will have easier access to sports facilities that will provide better public services. By 2035， 45 percent of the population is expected to get involved in regular exercise， up from 33.9 percent in 2018.
　　There is also an emphasis on establishing a modern sports competition system， promoting professional sports and raising the level of competitive sports in a bid to help Chinese athletes to perform better on the global stage. The document highlights the development of the sports industry， which should become one of the pillars supporting China’s economic progress， as well as developing sports culture across the country and enhancing sports exchanges.

A Doctor From Far Away

　　Cao Yong， chief physician of the Neurosurgery Department at Beijing Tiantan Hospital， examines a patient at the No. 2 People’s Hospital of southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region in Lhasa on August 31. He was part of a team of neurological experts from Beijing who arrived at the hospital to offer free examinations to ailing local residents.

Polar Observance

　　A remote sensing satellite will be deployed into orbit for polar climate and environmental observation in September， according to its developers.
　　The Ice Pathfinder （Code： BNU-1）， which weighs only 10 kg， is equipped with high-resolution cameras that can achieve full coverage of the Antarctic and Arctic in five days and strengthen monitoring of sea ice drifts and ice shelf calving.
　　In addition， it has an automatic identification system for vessels to navigate through parts or the entirety of polar regions.
　　The polar-observing microsat satellite was initiated by scientists from Beijing Normal University， developed by Shenzhen Aerospace Dongfanghong Development Ltd. and will be operated by the Chinese University Corporation for Polar Research.
　　With a design life of one year， it will improve China’s polar remote sensing capability. Its data will also be used to study global climate changes and develop Arctic shipping routes， according to Cheng Xiao， lead scientist of the project.
　　In the past， Chinese scientists conducted polar studies mainly based on data collected by vessels and research stations. The use of remote sensing satellite technology will enable them to monitor and obtain imagery and data of difficultto-access areas.
　　“The satellite will make up for China’s lack of polar observation data and reduce its dependence on other countries for this technology，” Cheng said.
　　The Ice Pathfinder is the first of China’s polar observation satellite constellation， which will have a total of 24 satellites， which are designed to provide 24/7 all-weather polar observation.
　　The satellites will also monitor the middle or lower latitude areas， playing a key role in the research of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the Third Pole region in the future.

Drumming Up Cooperation

　　A businessman plays a hand drum at the Fourth China-Arab States Expo held in Yinchuan， capital of northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region， on September 8. 　　The expo， themed New Opportunity， New Future， explored cooperation opportunities in areas such as trade and investment， Internet Plus， cross-border e-commerce， infrastructure and industrial capacity cooperation.

Auto Sales

　　Auto sales in China are expected to rebound for the rest of 2019 as producers seek to improve consumption demand.
　　In July， the retail sales of auto businesses above the designated size fell 2.6 percent to 305.62 billion yuan （$43.12 billion） from a year ago， according to the National Bureau of Statistics （NBS）.
　　The reading slid from a 17.2-percent surge in June， when carmakers and dealers enhanced the promotion of cars that could not meet the new emissions standards before they went into effect in July.
　　“The slowdown was much better than expected， indicating strong market demand despite the temporary disruption in June，” securities firm Shenwan Hongyuan Securities said in a research note.
　　The State Council recently announced 20 measures to boost consumption. Restrictions on car purchases will be eased to support auto sales.
　　Regions with limits on vehicle purchases should roll out measures to relax or lift the restrictions and support the purchase of new-energy vehicles， according to a guideline issued by the State Council.
　　Other supportive measures in the guideline include applying new technologies to promote the circulation of products， improving the infrastructure of commercial streets and accelerating the development of chain convenience stores.
　　With the earlier structural cuts of individual tax and value-added tax gradually taking effect， improved consumption demand is expected in the latter half of the year， Shenwan Hongyuan Securities said.
　　The growth rate of auto sales is expected to rebound to about 4 percent， it added.
　　Retail sales of consumer goods climbed 7.6 percent year on year， with the pace of growth down 2.2 percentage points from June， NBS data showed.

Power-Sharing

　　Staff of an electricity subsidiary of Shandong Energy Group Co. Ltd. work in an economic development zone in Erdos， north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region， on August 31. Initiated on May 24， 2017， the project will transport electricity generated in Inner Mongolia to east China’s Shandong Province.

Methanol Vehicles

　　Carmakers will be encouraged to enhance their capacity to manufacture methanol automobiles to meet market demand， according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology （MIIT）.
　　The government is considering including methanol vehicles into the management methods of passenger cars and new-energy vehicles to support the sector， the MIIT said.
　　Efforts will also be made to promote methanol-diesel compound combustion technology and develop a variety of models， including methanol cars for commercial use.
　　According to the ministry， developing methanol vehicles will utilize China’s coal resources and promote the transformation and upgrade of traditional industries.
　　Since the MIIT started piloting methanol-fueled vehicles in five provincial-level regions of Shanxi， Shanghai， Shaanxi， Guizhou and Gansu in 2012， over 1，000 methanol cars have been put into operation.
　　Also， 20 methanol filling stations have been constructed， with a series of methanol-related technology standards released.
　　Methanol， widely considered a clean fuel for engines， can reduce harmful auto emissions and improve environmental quality， especially when heavy vehicles use it instead of diesel.

Natural Gas

　　Natural gas consumption in China will maintain a growth trend until 2050， a report released on August 31 said.
　　The apparent consumption of natural gas will reach about 310 billion cubic meters in 2019， up about 10 percent over last year， according to the report.
　　In 2018， the apparent consumption of natural gas reached 280.3 billion cubic meters， up 17.5 percent year on year. The daily peak gas consumption exceeded 1 billion cubic meters， and 10 provincial-level regions each reported natural gas consumption of over 10 billion cubic meters.
　　China’s natural gas industry is facing strategic opportunities， the report said. From the international perspective， natural gas accounts for 23 percent of the world’s energy consumption， and it still has growth potential.
　　From the domestic perspective，the reform of the oil and gas system is accelerating and steady economic and social development will drive the sustained growth of energy demand， according to the report.
　　Increasing the use of natural gas and promoting the development of high-quality natural gas are strategic measures for China’s energy transformation and upgrading， Li Ye， an official with the National Energy Administration， said.