Grand Party on Horseback

The Ice and Snow Nadam Festival began at Xilin Gol League in north Chinas Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on January 6.

Cultural activities and a series of competitions will be held during the month-long event. Among them， a Mongolian winter costume competition， archery， wrestling and horse racing are the most popular.

National Supervisory Commission

China will establish a national supervisory commission as part of efforts to reform the state supervisory system， according to an official communique released on January 8.

The communiqué was released after the seventh plenary session of the 18th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China， held from January 6 to 8.

China has begun to pilot supervisory system reform in Beijing Municipality and the provinces of Shanxi and Zhejiang.

The pilot work will see the establishment of local supervisory commissions at three levels—provincial， municipal and county—in order to form an integrated supervi- sion system that will be “unified， authoritative and efficient，” the communiqué said.

The new supervisory system will integrate the functions of current supervision authorities， corruption prevention agencies， and departments for handling bribery and dereliction of duty cases or the prevention of duty-related crimes under procuratorates at various levels， it said.

Green Five-Year Plan

The Central Government issued a comprehensive plan on energy conservation and emissions reductions for the 2016-20 period on January 5. The plan listed 11 detailed measures to push forward Chinas energy saving and emissions reduction work， including reducing the coal consumption rate， promoting energy consumption in key areas， intensifying pollutant emissions control， developing the circular economy， improving technological support， increasing financial policy support and enhancing management.

According to the plan， Chinas total energy consumption will be capped at the equivalent of 5 billion tons of coal by 2020. This will translate into a 15-percent reduction of energy use per unit of GDP by 2020.

Chinas GDP grew 6.7 percent in the first three quarters of 2016， on track to achieve the governments goal， but the country is also confronted by challenges， including environmental degradation.

Nearly 62 percent of the 338 Chinese cities monitored by the Ministry of Environmental Protection suffered from air pollution on January 4. Coal is the main energy source in China， accounting for 64 percent of total energy consumption in 2015.

Many Chinese cities have suffered from frequent winter smog in recent years， triggering widespread public concern. Emissions from coal are cited as a source of the high concentration of breathable toxic particulate matter， known as PM 2.5， which causes smog.

Medical Reform Plan

Chinas State Council issued a plan on January 9 on medical reform during the 13th Five-Year Plan （2016-20） period.

Signed and approved by Premier Li Keqiang， the plan includes diagnosis and treatment systems， hospital administration， medical security， medical supplies， and a regulatory system.

A multi-tiered diagnosis and treatment system commensurate with Chinese conditions should be basically in place by 2020， encouraging patients to go to community clinics for initial diagnosis and treatment.

An “efficient and well-regulated”modern hospital administration system with “clear-cut responsibilities”should also be established by 2020.

An efficient medical security system that covers the entire population is needed with an improved fundraising mechanism， reform of insurance payments， portability of the basic medical insurance across different localities， and improved insurance for major diseases.

The plan also stressed a“streamlined and orderly” medical supply system.

R&D Spending

Chinas investment in research and development （R&D） is expected to reach 1.54 trillion yuan （$223 billion） in 2016， accounting for 2.1 percent of GDP， according to Science and Technology Minister Wan Gang.

Last years R&D expenditure was estimated to have increased by 9 percent over that of 2015， with over 78 percent of the spending coming from enterprises， Wan announced at a national work conference on science and technology held on January 10.

Wan said initial figures showed the value of technology transactions in China was anticipated to amount to more than 1.14 trillion yuan （$165.08 billion）， and the scientific and technological progress contribution to the countrys economic growth in 2016 had increased to 56.2 percent.

He said that China was a world leader in invention patent applications， ranking third， with over 1 million invention patents.

At the conference， Wan also announced that China had begun working on implementation plans of key projects that involved quantum communication and computing， brain science and brain-related research， deep sea stations， and spaceground integrated technology.

Wan said more projects， including ones on deep earth exploration and artificial intelligence， were in the pipeline.

Fire Death Toll

A total of 312，000 fires occurred across China in 2016， killing 1，582 people and injuring 1，065 others， the Ministry of Public Security said on January 10.

The fires resulted in direct economic losses of 3.72 billion yuan（$537.2 million）， the ministry said in a statement.

The number of fires， fire casualties and economic losses caused by such disasters all decreased by more than 10 percent compared with 2015， according to the statement.

No fire claimed more than 10 lives in 2016， a first since 1949， it said.

Violating electrical installation provisions， careless use of fire and smoking were the top three causes of the disasters， it said.

Lawyer Population

The number of lawyers operating in China has surpassed 300，000， growing at an annual average of 9.5 percent in recent years， statistics from the All China Lawyers Association showed on January 9.

The lawyers deal with about 3.3 million lawsuits every year in addition to nearly 1 million non-litigation cases， according to a document released at a seminar on the development of lawyers associations.

Lawyers also handle half a million legal assistance cases each year.

Meanwhile， the number of law firms is also expanding. There are more than 25，000 law firms operating in the country， maintaining an average annual growth rate of 7.5 percent， according to the document.

Anti-Graft

A senior anti-graft official said on January 9 that 240 centrally administered officials have been investigated， with 223 receiving punishments， since November 2012. Wu Yuliang， Deputy Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection （CCDI） of the Communist Party of China （CPC）， told a press conference that over four years， more than 1.16 million corruption cases have been filed and nearly 1.2 million people have been punished for violating CPC and government rules.

According to the official， 2，566 fugitives have been extradited or repatriated since 2014， with assets worth about 8.6 billion yuan （$1.3 billion） recovered.

During the past year， 57，000 Party members took the initiative to confess to wrongdoing， said Xiao Pei， Vice Minister of Supervision.

Wu also revealed that the National Peoples Congress Standing Committee will formulate a supervision law， in essence pushing forward national legislation on anticorruption.

Chinas anti-corruption campaign shifted up a gear following the 18th CPC National Congress in late 2012.

A survey by the National Bureau of Statistics has revealed that about 92.9 percent of those surveyed were satisfied with the anti-graft efforts and work on clean governance in 2016， increasing from the 75 percent recorded before the key meeting convened in 2012.

Going Into Service

A huge floating crane weighing 3，600 metric tons is launched in Qingdao， Shandong Province， on January 9. The crane has the largest lifting capacity and highest lift height of any crane in the country.

Measuring 118.9 meters long and 48 meters wide， the crane has a four-story building on its deck and a main lifting hook that can reach as high as 110 meters above the water level.

It will first be utilized in the construction of the Pingtan crossstrait highway-railway bridge.

A Helpful Hand

Fisherman Liu Qiang （left） gets his train ticket back home for the Spring Festival which is bought on his behalf by Dong Haibo， a marine policeman in Yantai， east Chinas Shandong Province， on January 10.

Marine policemen visit fishing grounds to provide legal education and other services to local residents.

2016 GDP Growth

Chinas economy is expected to have grown about 6.7 percent in 2016， a senior official with the countrys top economic planner said on January 10.

GDP is predicted to exceed 70 trillion yuan （$10.1 trillion） for 2016， an increase of 5 trillion yuan （$722.5 billion）， Xu Shaoshi， Minister in charge of the National Development and Reform Commission， said at a press conference in Beijing.

The estimate falls within the government target of between 6.5 and 7 percent for the year. In the first three quarters of 2016， the economy expanded 6.7 percent year on year.

Steady growth and the performance of new sectors have discredited predictions that Chinas economy will collapse or face a hard landing， and its growth rate is remarkable among major economies， Xu said.

Citing a report by the International Monetary Fund， he said that China is likely to remain the top engine of global growth by contributing 1.2 percentage points， or over 30 percent， of the worlds economic growth in 2016， while the United States is expected to account for 0.3 percentage points.

China is confident and capable of maintaining a reasonable growth rate thanks to its economic structural reforms and new emerging sources of growth， Xu said.

Digital Jobs

The digital economy is predicted to create over 400 million jobs in China by 2035， a new report said on January 8.

The Internet-based economy could be worth $16 trillion by then， according to a Boston Consulting Group report， released at a new economy summit sponsored by Alibaba Group.

Alibaba， Chinas largest online trader， is expected to generate over 100 million of those jobs， with 30 million created in 2016.

As jobs are created， digital technology like cloud computing and artificial intelligence will replace more and more manpower， the report said.

Meanwhile， 20 percent of the worlds population will become self-employed or freelance via the Internet in the next decade， Alibaba Vice President Gao Hongbing predicted at the summit.

The digital economy will surpass the manufacturing sector in scale and account for a quarter of the worlds economy， Gao said.

Trade Frictions

Chinese exporters suffered a record number of 119 trade remedy probes initiated by 27 countries or regions in 2016， a 36.8-percent increase year on year， the Ministry of Commerce said on January 5.

The 91 anti-dumping and 19 anti-subsidy investigations as well as nine safeguard measures involved$14.34 billion， up 76 percent from 2015 levels， ministry spokesperson Sun Jiwen told a press conference.

Sun noted that almost half of the probes， or 49 investigations initiated by 21 countries or regions involving $7.895 billion， targeted Chinese steel products.

Other products such as ceramic tiles， tires and photovoltaic products also faced restrictions from a number of countries or regions， Sun said， adding that trade frictions were being further politicized， and trade measures taken by those countries or regions were increasingly extreme in 2016.

Sun said that trade remedy measures are a double-edged sword， and in face of a weak world economic recovery， China hopes that all countries would use them in a prudent， restrained and standard way.

Chinas foreign trade volume for the first 11 months of 2016 dropped 1.2 percent from a year earlier to 21.8 trillion yuan （$3.16 trillion）， while its trade surplus shrank 5.8 percent to 3.1 trillion yuan （$449.4 billion）.

Tunnel Breakthrough

The Liaoxi Tunnel on the Beijing-Shenyang high-speed railway is bored through on January 10 in Lingyuan City， Liaoning Province. The 13.2-km-long tunnel， constructed by the China Railway 12th Bureau Group， is the longest of its kind in northeast China.

McDonalds Deal

CITIC Ltd.， CITIC Capital， the Carlyle Group and fast food giant McDonalds have formed a strategic partnership and set up a new company as the master franchisee responsible for McDonalds businesses on the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong for a term of 20 years， according to a press release on January 9.

CITIC Ltd. and CITIC Capital will hold the controlling stake in the new entity.

It is expected that the new company will open over 1，500 restaurants on the Chinese mainland， particularly in small and mediumsized cities， and Hong Kong over the next five years as well as improve menu and retail offerings.

Steve Easterbrook， McDonalds CEO， said that the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong were an enormous opportunity.

McDonalds in May 2015 decided to re-franchise 4，000 restaurants by the end of 2018， with the longterm goal of becoming 95-percent franchised. The company had over 2，400 restaurants on the Chinese mainland and more than 240 in Hong Kong at the end of 2016.

Consumer Prices

Consumer inflation reported faster growth in 2016， the National Bureau of Statistics （NBS） said on January 10， as a price rebound in commodities gradually drove up prices.

The consumer price index （CPI）， a main gauge of inflation， rose 2 percent in 2016—up from 1.4 percent in 2015—the same rate as 2014， according to an NBS statement.

The figure was below the governments 3-percent target set for the whole year.

In December 2016， the CPI increased 2.1 percent from a year ago， slightly down from Novembers 2.3-percent rise.

NBS senior statistician Sheng Guoqing attributed last Decembers slowdown to a high base in the same period of 2015 and weak price increases in vegetables and fruit.

The NBS also released figures on Chinas industrial inflation. The producer price index （PPI）， which measures costs for goods at the factory gate， rose 5.5 percent year on year in December 2016， the highest since September 2011.

PPI for the whole of 2016 dropped 1.4 percent year on year， compared with a 5.2-percent drop in 2015.

Lunar New Year Shopping Spree

Customers buy traditional decorations for the upcoming Lunar New Year in a mall in Yinchuan， Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region， on January 10.

This years Lunar New Year will fall on January 28.

Encrypted Service

The Postal Savings Bank of China（PSBC） announced on January 10 that it has become the first Chinese bank to use blockchain database technology.

A PSBC asset management system using blockchain allows real-time information sharing and enhanced scrutiny among stakeholders.

Blockchain is a digital ledger system that uses sophisticated cryptographic techniques to create a permanent， unchangeable and trans- parent record of every transaction.

“Blockchain improves financial transaction efficiency，” said Lu Jiajin， head of the PSBC.

Blockchain， the underpinning technology of digital currency， is expected to revolutionize the financial sector and is part of Chinas 13th FiveYear Plan （2016-20） for information technology.

Tourism Revenue

The tourism industry earned about 3.9 trillion yuan （$563.6 billion） in 2016， up 14 percent year on year， official statistics showed on January 9.

Domestic tourists made 4.44 billion trips in 2016， an increase of 11 percent over 2015， the China National Tourism Administration（CNTA） said.

Inbound trips rose 3.8 percent on an annual basis to 138 million and outbound trips increased 4.3 percent on an annual basis to 122 million.

The nations tourism service trade surplus rose 11.5 percent year on year to $10.2 billion， the data showed.

The CNTA has attributed the sectors growth momentum to upgraded domestic consumption.

Domestic tourism is expected to increase 10 percent year on year to 4.88 billion trips in 2017， with revenue rising 12.5 percent to 4.4 trillion yuan （$635.8 billion）， according to CNTA estimates.

China plans to raise tourism revenue to 7 trillion yuan （$1.01 trillion） by 2020.

The nation will work to develop tourism into a major driver of economic transformation and upgrading. By 2020， investment in tourism is expected to grow to 2 trillion yuan （$289 billion）， and the sector will contribute more than 12 percent of GDP， according to a fiveyear tourism development plan issued by the State Council， Chinas cabinet.

Homegrown Ballpoint Pen Tips

Special steel wire used for ballpoint pen tips is showcased at the exhibition hall of Taiyuan Iron & Steel （Group）， or TISCO， in north Chinas Shanxi Province on January 10.

TISCO said it has mastered the production of steel components for pen tips which requires over 20 processes after five years of research.

China-made pen tips will soon be mass-produced， ending the countrys long-term reliance on imported ones.

China is the worlds largest manufacturer of ballpoint pens.