Satellite helps measure gravitational wave

Huiyan, or Insight, China's first Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope, put into orbit on June 15, helped define the energy level of a newly discovered gravitational wave - tiny ripples in the fabric of space-time caused by violent cosmic events. Scientists at the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory in the United States announced on Oct 16 that they had discovered the first-ever gravitational wave created by the collision of two neutron stars, superdense remnants of massive stars, on Aug 17. Detectors from the US and Europe also found the collision had produced a short gamma ray burst - extremely energetic explosions often regarded as the brightest electromagnetic event in the universe. This is the first time scientists have discovered gravitational waves and a gamma ray burst from the same event, which is important because scientists might be able to directly see the event, thanks to visible light.

Jinan closes most construction sites

Jinan is closing most construction sites in a move to cut pollution in coming months, according to a notice over the weekend from the city's urban and rural construction committee. The city is the capital of coastal Shandong province and home to more than 7 million people. Only a few construction projects will be spared, such as the city's ongoing subway development.

Jinjiang to host Gymnasiade 2020

Jinjiang in Fujian province has won the bid to host Gymnasiade 2020 in a secret ballot of executive committee members of the International School Sport Federation, becoming the second Chinese city to host the popular event after its 11th edition in Shanghai in 1998. The Gymnasiade 2020 is an international multisport event for teens organized by the ISF.

Chinese submersible sets records

An underwater glider developed by Chinese scientists has set records for the country, working continuously for the longest time and completing the longest journey in a single mission. Haiyi 1000, developed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Shenyang Institute of Automation, was recently plucked out of the South China Sea after completing its underwater mission to collect ocean data on a journey of 1,884 kilometers over 91 days. The new endurance mark doubled the achievement of past Chinese gliders and makes China the only country besides the United States with the ability to conduct ocean monitoring and surveillance lasting more than three months in a single mission, according to a report by China Central Television. The successful mission of Haiyi 1000 suggests that China can create a new-generation network for monitoring the ocean's environment, the report said.

Beijing's new airport getting roof, glass

The roof and glass at the main terminal building of Beijing's new airport are being installed, with crews attempting to seal off the building from weather by the end of this year or soon thereafter, airport spokesman Zhu Wenxin said on Oct 16. As of the end of September, more than 90 percent of the earthwork had been completed, and 95 percent of supporting projects, such as bridge foundations, were finished, he said. The new airport is to begin trial operations in October 2019. The new facility is located between Beijing's Daxing district and Langfang, Hebei province. It is 46 kilometers from Tian'anmen Square, 67 km from the capital airport and 85 km from Tianjin Binhai International Airport. It will be accessible via public transportation, including high-speed rail, intercity railway, subway and freeway.

Hybrid rice delivers a record yield

A world record for a single crop of rice was set in North China's Hebei province this year by a hybrid strain that delivered an annual yield of 17.2 metric tons of rice per hectare of farmland. The high-yield hybrid rice, called Xiangliangyou 900, was developed by a team led by Yuan Longping, who developed the world's first hybrid strain in the 1970s. In a three-year test, the rice was planted on a 6.8-hectare field in Guangfu town, Handan. This year's yield was the highest to date, according to Hebei Guigu Fertilizer Co, which cooperates with Yuan's team in managing the field. "This is the highest yield in the world, and much higher than the world average," Yuan said on Oct 15 when this year's yield was estimated. Yan said the high-yield strain needs to be carefully cultivated, from planting seedlings to transplanting, fertilizing and pest control. He added that organic silicon fertilizers used during the growth phase can overcome contamination from soil and improve soil conditions, allowing the rice to grow smoothly.

Sex abuse suspect sent back to US

A suspected child sexual abuser from the United States who fled to China was sent back by Chinese police on Oct 16, the Ministry of Public Security said. According to the ministry, the police handed the suspect over to US law enforcement officials at Shanghai Pudong International Airport, where officers from the US Justice Department took him into custody to escort him back to the US to face trial. The suspect, whose name was withheld, is a US citizen and came to China on a tourist visa, the authorities said. The repatriation is the latest example of cooperation between the two countries to hunt down fugitives since the first round of dialogue on law enforcement and network security earlier this month, according to a statement by Chinese authorities.

People's Daily app now in English

With the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China opened this week, People's Daily, the official newspaper of the CPC Central Committee, announced on Oct 15 the launch of its English language news app, marking a key step to advance the integration between traditional media and new media and better "connect China and the world". People's Daily launched a Chinese news app in 2014; it now has 200 million users.

Online crimes continue to rise

A total of 710 people were charged with online crimes in the first nine months of 2017, up by 80.7 percent year-on-year, the Supreme People's Procuratorate said on Oct 16. It handed down indictments in 334 cases in the same period, an increase of 82.5 percent year-on-year, according to spokesman Wang Songmiao.

Fastest amphibious vehicle being developed

China is developing the world's fastest amphibious multi-role vehicle, which can be used in personnel and supply transportation at sea as well as for special warfare. The four-wheeled vehicle is being developed at the China North Vehicle Research Institute in Beijing's southwestern suburbs. The facility is one of the biggest institutions under China North Industries Group Corp, the country's largest maker of land armaments. The vehicle uses a V-shaped hull to minimize the hydraulic drag. It is propelled by compact pump jets in water with the wheels retracted. With a weight of 5.5 metric tons, the proof-of-concept vehicle reached a top speed of 50 kilometers per hour as it traveled through calm waters during a test earlier this year, the institute says. This bested the world's fastest amphibious vehicle of its kind, made by the British company Gibbs Amphibians, which has a maximum speed of 48 km/h in water.

Trump's trip to Beijing scheduled for Nov 8

United States President Donald Trump is scheduled to embark on his first state visit to China on Nov 8. It is a trip that both Beijing and Washington expect will bear bountiful fruit and lead to new impetus in the development of relations between the world's two largest economies. Trump's itinerary was announced by the White House on Oct 16. He will be the second US president to make a state visit to China in the first year of his presidency, following the November 2009 visit by then-president Barack Obama.

3rd national land survey to begin

China will start its third national land survey this year, according to a statement by the State Council on Oct 16. The survey aims to collect data on the country's land resources, including acreage, distribution and the condition of different types of land. It will focus on the condition and changing status of "permanent basic farmland", arable land on the outskirts of urban areas and land used for farming near traffic routes. Preparation will begin in the fourth quarter, and the survey is scheduled to be completed by 2020.

Model volunteers to be honored

China will select and honor its best volunteers in a bid to encourage the public to perform more volunteer services, according to a notice released by central authorities. A total of 100 volunteers, 100 volunteer organizations, 100 volunteer projects and 100 neighborhoods providing volunteer services will be selected. The annual event, launched in 2015, calls on the public to learn from the spirit of Lei Feng, a soldier who was known for selflessly devoting his time and money to those in need.

University offers weight-loss course

A course offered at a university in Jiangsu province will link students' weight loss directly to their marks in a bid to curb student obesity. The course from Zhou Quanfu, a teacher at the Nanjing Agricultural University, aims to encourage overweight students to control their diets and increase their exercise. Zhou says 60 percent of a student's grade will be determined by their weight loss. If they shed 7 percent of their original weight, they can pass the course. According to Zhou, only students with more than 30 percent body fat or a body mass index over 28 can sign up for the course.

Ceramic fair opens in porcelain capital

Nearly 1,000 porcelain businesses from more than 10 countries and regions are attending the 2017 China Jingdezhen International Ceramic Fair, which started on Oct 17 in Jiangxi province. This year's fair is to be held until Oct 21 with 1,900 standard booths. Special display areas for international porcelain brands, creative ceramics, high-tech ceramics and fine Chinese ceramics have been set up. The fair features activities such as a potting competition and a ceramic auction, as well as seminars and forums on the ceramic industry. The host city, Jingdezhen, is known as a world famous "ceramics capital".

China gains ground in ranking of research

Academic research papers from China garner the second-most worldwide citations, after those from the United States but ahead of those from the United Kingdom, according to a new study conducted by Amsterdam-based information and analytics company Elsevier and commissioned by the UK's Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. Elsevier assessed the performance of the UK's research base between 2010 and 2014 and compared it with seven other countries: China, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US. The analysis found that in 2014, research papers originating in China accounted for 18.1 percent of all citations, a sharp increase from the 11 percent it had in 2010. In comparison, the UK's share in 2014 was 10.7 percent, which was slightly down from the 11 percent it garnered in 2010. The US saw its share slip from 39.4 percent in 2010 to 35 percent in 2014. In 2014, China accounted for 19.6 percent of the world's most heavily cited articles, while the UK produced 15.2 percent.

Punctuality improves at mainland airports

Nearly three-fourths of passenger flights in September landed or departed on time, an official from the Civil Aviation Administration of China said on Oct 17, representing a significant improvement over the previous months. Airports across the Chinese mainland handled 436,588 flights last month - including a record 15,323 on Sept 29, the day before the National Day holiday - with an overall punctuality rate of 73 percent, Zhang Chunzhi, Party chief of the administration's operation and monitoring center, said at a news conference. In August, 55 percent of flights were on time, while in July the rate was only 50 percent, figures from the administration showed. The authority said 53 percent of the delays were caused by weather, and almost 27 percent by airspace congestion. Air-traffic control accounted for 7.8 percent of the delays.

Private companies to monitor water

Private companies have been put in charge of collecting and analyzing water samples for quality in a bid to prevent interference from local authorities, the Ministry of Environmental Protection said on Oct 16. According to a plan from the ministry's China National Environmental Monitoring Center, starting this month third-party agencies will collect samples from rivers, lakes and reservoirs before delivering them to independent labs for random analysis. The data on water quality will be directly uploaded to the center, which will then release the results to the public, the ministry said. Previously, provincial and city environmental protection bureaus were responsible for the entire process.

Astronaut unit receives honors

The Central Military Commission held a ceremony to honor the military unit of astronauts. An order signed by President Xi Jinping, also chairman of the commission, was read at the ceremony and a certificate of honor was presented to the unit. Established in January 1998, the unit has selected 21 astronauts and was honored as a "heroic unit of astronauts" for completing the country's first manned space mission in 2003. Five more manned space missions have been completed since then.

Overseas tourism market continues growth

China's overseas tourism market is growing and the momentum will continue, according to the Annual Development Report of China's Tourism 2017. The report said that 122 million overseas trips were made by mainland tourists last year, up by 4.3 percent from the year before. A total of $109.8 billion (93 billion euros; ￡83 billion) was spent during these trips, an increase of 5.1 percent from 2015. The report, released by the China Tourism Academy in Beijing, said a majority of Chinese tourists who traveled overseas were middle-and high-income consumers. Those who spent 5,000 yuan ($755; 640 euros; ￡570) to 20,000 yuan on each overseas trip accounted for three-fourths of all Chinese tourists traveling abroad. They preferred medium-priced or budget hotels and tended to choose self-planned, customized travel itineraries, the report said.

World Bank backs Belt and Road

The World Bank supports the Belt and Road Initiative and will work with countries to leverage the initiative's full benefits, said Jim Yong Kim, president of the 189-member global body. "I think two things that the world needs very much right now are strong leadership and an embrace of multilateral approaches to solving difficult problems, and the BRI is both of those things," Kim told a discussion that was part of the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 10/20/2017 page2)