OUTSTANDING WORK

A section of model workers and exemplary individuals pose for a group photo in front of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on November 24.

A total of 1，689 people were honored as national role model workers and 804 as exemplary individuals this year.

Navigation Conference

Visitors look at the products of a navigation company at the 11th China Satellite Navigation Conference in Chengdu， Sichuan Province in southwest China， on November 23.

Farewell to Poverty

Absolute poverty has been ended in China before the December 2020 deadline and despite the disruptions caused by the novel coronavirus disease. The last nine impoverished counties， all in Guizhou Province in southwest China， have eliminated absolute poverty， the provincial government announced on November 23.

At the end of 2019， 52 counties in the northwest， southwest and south remained on the poverty list out of the total 832 registered impoverished counties.

In November， Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region， Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region， Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region， as well as the provinces of Yunnan， Sichuan and Gansu announced that all their poor counties had moved out of poverty.

“Delisting all poverty-stricken counties indicates China has resolved the millennia-old issue of extreme poverty，” Gao Gang， a researcher with the Guizhou Academy of Social Sciences， said.

In the new development stage， more rural vitalization efforts should be made to consolidate poverty reduction achievements， Gao said.

Nutrition Program

Nearly 9.5 million children in poverty-stricken areas have benefi ted from the nutrition improvement program over the past eight years， Xinhua News Agency reported on November 24.

The program covered all the 832 poor counties as of 2019， a substantial increase from 100 in 2012 when the program was launched， He Jinguo， an offi cial with the National Health Commission， said.

As part of the program， free nutrition packages are provided for infants aged 6 to 24 months.

Help for Seniors

A plan has been announced to help the elderly use smart technologies and reserve traditional way of services for those unable to use new technology， Xinhua reported on November 24.

The plan for 2020-22 focuses on seven types of services such as day-to-day traveling， medical treatment， recreational activities and civic services.

Improvements will include optimizing the health screening procedure that requires QR codes produced with a mobile app before entering public places， and offering basic services to senior citizens staying at home.

Efforts will be made to help the elderly make medical appointments by providing diversifi ed channels and improving the way online appointments are made. It also underscores the importance of retaining traditional fi nancial service modes while making online consumption more convenient for this group.

To improve the technological competence of the elderly， measures will be taken to increase the supply of senior-friendly products， redesign Internet applications， and enhance technology training for them.

Supercomputer Hub

A new national supercomputing center in Zhengzhou， capital of Henan Province in central China， has passed offi cial appraisal and will serve as a new driver for innovation， local authorities said on November 24.

It is Chinas seventh national supercomputing center， joining its counterparts in the cities of Tianjin， Changsha， Shenzhen， Jinan， Guangzhou and Wuxi， according to the Henan Provincial Department of Science and Technology.

The center is equipped with the latest high-performance computers.

It will develop applications in the digital economy， social management， environmental governance， high-end equipment manufacturing and artifi cial intelligence to support the economic and social development of Henan and its surrounding areas.

Upcoming Museum

The central Chinese city of Anyang started construction on November 23 on a museum for the World Heritage Site Yinxu， or the Yin Ruins， the archaeological remnants of the ancient city of Yin， the last capital of the Shang Dynasty（1600-1046 B.C.）

The museum is scheduled to open at the end of 2022. Visitors can learn about the history of the Yin Ruins， oracle bone scripts and jade and bronze wares.

The Yin Ruins were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2006.

The oracle bones discovered within the ruins are considered to be the oldest Chinese inscriptions.

Since the founding of the Peoples Republic of China， 1 million relics have been unearthed from the Yin Ruins. Over 50，000 of them are considered to be precious.

Smallest Dragonfly

A picture of the worlds smallest dragonfl y. The adult specimen has a body length of about 15 mm. The sample is from more than 10 collected in August in Sichuan Province in southwest China and identifi ed as those of the Nannophya pygmaea， commonly known as the scarlet dwarf.

Robot Miners

Coal-rich Shanxi Province in north China is encouraging its mining companies to use robots as a replacement for human workers in dangerous jobs， local authorities said on November 24.

After decades of intensive mining， the province has seen its coal mines deepened and mining conditions become complicated， increasing the urgency to use more intelligent equipment to reduce safety risks and improve effi ciency.

Shanxi has issued a guideline on modernizing its coal mining sector and piloted the use of robots and automated equipment in some coal mines.

In some of the pilot projects， robots have helped slash production-related accident rate by 10 percent while downsizing the staff engaged in dangerous tasks by 60 percent， according to data from the Department of Industry and Information Technology.

Zhang Xiaolei with the department said Shanxi will continue to promote research， development and application of robots in mining， transportation， safety control and rescue in coal mines.

Wild Leopard

An infrared camera has captured six photos and a short video of a wild leopard in a nature reserve in Shaanxi Province in northwest China， Xinhua reported on November 24.

The Changqing National Nature Reserve set up the camera in a pine forest in April and retrieved the data on October 25. Workers of the reserve found the images of the leopard captured at around 8 p.m. on July 19， according to the provincial forestry bureau.

In the 10-second video clip， the leopard was seen crouching in the grass before it sprang to its feet， apparently alerted by a fl ying bird or insect.

It is the sixth time that leopards have been spotted in the reserve since infrared cameras were set up in 2008. By comparing the spots on the bodies of the big cats， experts have concluded they were different adults or sub-adults. It indicates that there is at least one stable leopard group in the reserve.

Located in Yangxian County， the nature reserve was established mainly to protect the habitat of wild giant pandas.

Hello Robot

A visitor interacts with a robot at the China Robot Industry Development Conference in Qingdao， Shandong Province in east China， on November 23.

Jade Workshops

Ten jade processing workshops that date back around 5，000 years have been unearthed， providing key materials for studying the origin of Chinese civilization， Xinhua reported on November 25.

The scale of the 10 workshops， excavated in the Huangshan ruins in Nanyang， a city in the central province of Henan， can be counted as a large jade processing base， according to archaeologists.

The discovery fi lls in the blank of the jade workshop remains in the Neolithic Age in the central plains and middle reaches of the Yangtze River， said Ma Juncai， leader of the excavation project under the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Heritage and Archaeology.

Brand New Factory

Hitachi ABB Power Grids has inaugurated a new surge arrester factory in the city of Xiamen， Fujian Province in southeast China， to meet the demands for safe and reliable energy.

The factory boasts an investment of some 150 million yuan （$22.86 million） and features automated production lines to increase capacity， while ensuring safe and environmentally sustainable operations.

The company has more than 75 years of experience in designing and manufacturing surge arresters. In China， it has produced more than 3 million surge arresters.

“The investment will strengthen our capabilities to support Chinas development toward a sustainable energy future，” Zhang Jinquan， Executive Vice President， head of Greater China， Hitachi ABB Power Grids， said.

Financing SMEs

Several Chinese banking， insurance and credit institutions have been criticized for charging excessive fees for loans to small and micro businesses， in violation of regulations aimed at lowering fi nancing costs for the fi rms.

Targeted inspections by the General Offi ce of the State Council and China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission （CBIRC） found that some branches of both the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and China Minsheng Bank had charged fees that should have been eliminated.

An inclusive fi nancing company under Ping An Insurance （Group） Co. of China Ltd. and Industrial Bank Co. Ltd. bundled insurance sales when extending loans to businesses to charge high service fees， according to a statement by the regulator.

The CBIRC urged fi nancial institutions to enhance support for businesses to help fi rms get over diffi culties， and not to attach unreasonable conditions.

The regulator vowed to act against practices that fl out regulations.

Smart Exhibition

A visitor takes pictures of equipment models on display at an exhibition during the China 5G + Industrial Internet Conference in Wuhan， Hubei Province in central China， on November 19. The event lasted three days， hosting forums and dialogues and the signing of major projects.

Brighter Futures

Overseas investors will soon have access to trade in palm oil futures contracts in China， according to the China Securities Regulatory Commission （CSRC）.

The trading of onshore palm oil futures contracts will open to foreign investors on December 22 this year on the Dalian Commodity Exchange（DCE）， CSRC spokesperson Gao Li announced at a press briefi ng on November 20.

The futures will become Chinas seventh internationalized commodity futures product available to overseas investors， marking another step in the countrys fi nancial opening up in the global commodity market.

Palm oil futures contracts were listed on the DCE in 2007， and with more than a decades development， the exchange has developed into the worlds largest trading platform for palm oil futures.

According to the DCE， China relies heavily on the import of palm oil and is currently the worlds second largest importer and the third largest consumer of the commodity.

In 2019， China consumed over 6.4 million tons of palm oil， data from the commodity exchange showed.

Aerospace Progress

The number of Chinese enterprises in commercial aerospace industries has exceeded 160， according to an international aerospace forum held in Wenchang， Hainan Province in south China， on November 24.

The enterprises encompass manufacturing rockets and satellites， satellite tracking and control， operation services of communications satellites and remote sensing satellites， as well as other industries， Wan Yanhui， head of the assets management department of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. said at the Wenchang International Aviation & Aerospace Forum.

China has carried out more than 50 international commercial launches and completed the delivery of 14 satellites into orbit， Wan added.

The company also plans to turn Wenchang into an international spacecraft launch center and an exchange and cooperation platform for aerospace to develop commercial aerospace industries.

Banking in Africa

The Bank of Communications， one of Chinas largest commercial banks， has opened a branch on November 20 local time in Johannesburg，South Africa， the fi rst branch established by the bank in the African continent， according to its headquarters in Shanghai.

As China and South Africa have deepened their mutual aid in the fi nance， trade and tourism sectors， the branch aims to provide comprehensive， convenient and high-quality fi nancial services to clients of both countries.

The new branch has brought the total number of the banks overseas fi nance institutions to 23， covering 18 countries and regions.

By the end of September， the asset value of these overseas banking institutions had exceeded 1.3 trillion yuan （$198 billion）， accounting for more than 12 percent of the banks total assets.

Automobile Star

Press members take pictures of an FAW-Toyota Allion sedan at the 18th Guangzhou International Automobile Exhibition at the China Import and Export Fair complex in Guangzhou， Guangdong Province in south China， on November 20. The 10-day exhibition opened on November 20 with the participation of international carmakers and auto parts suppliers.

Greater Connectivity

The Chinese Government will strengthen its cooperation with Singapore to promote greater fi nancial connectivity， according to offi cials. Chen Yulu， Vice Governor of the Peoples Bank of China （PBC）， made the remarks at the China-Singapore（Chongqing） Connectivity Initiative Financial Summit 2020 held in Chongqing Municipality， southwest China， on November 24.

“As an important part of ChinaSingapore strategic connectivity initiative， fi nancial cooperation between the two countries has played a unique and important role in promoting the development and opening up of west China and expanding economic and fi nancial cooperation between China and Singapore as well as other Association of Southeast Asian Nations （ASEAN） members，” Chen said.

The PBC will further coordinate with the Monetary Authority of Singapore， the countrys central bank， to create better conditions for effective collaboration between both sides fi nancial institutions and bolster the connectivity of fi nancial markets， he added.

Huang Hong， Vice Chairman of the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission， vowed that the commission will continue to open up the banking and insurance industry and promote in-depth cooperation as the two countries embrace emerging opportunities amid challenges.

Along with efforts to foster new institutions for a higher-level open economy， China and the ASEAN should expand two-way opening up under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement and deepen fi nancial support under the Belt and Road Initiative， he added.

China welcomes foreign institutions with expertise in risk management， pension management， consumer fi nance， wealth management and health insurance， Huang said.

Teaming Up in 5G

China Mobile and China State Construction Engineering Corp. on November 24 signed a strategic cooperation agreement to enhance the complementarity of resources， technologies and markets.

The two giants seek to continue integrating 5G technology into the construction sector to push the innovative development of the two industries.

Major project construction， new infrastructure construction， overseas services， telecommunication and informatization are among the areas marked for deeper cooperation in the agreement.

China Mobile， one of the countrys leading telecom operators， has built more than 385，000 5G base stations.

5G connections in China are expected to reach 200 million by the end of 2020， more than 85 percent of the global total， according to a recent analysis by GSMA， an international association of mobile operators.

In China， 5G is taking on a crucial role， particularly in stabilizing investment， promoting consumption and fostering new drivers of economic development.

Increasing Assets

Engineers install a smart sewing machine in a workshop in the Lintong Production Base of the China Typical Industries Group Co. Ltd.， a state-owned enterprise， in Xian， Shaanxi Province in northwest China， on November 18. According to the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of Xian， assets of municipal state-owned enterprises of the city increased 20.51 percent year on year to 2.12 trillion yuan （$317 billion） by the end of October.