A volunteer shows a special protective suit he received as a souvenir in a community in the Urumqi Economic and Technological Development Zone， Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China， on August 21.
　　By August 26， Xinjiang had 107 confirmed novel coronavirus disease （COVID-19） cases and 38 asymptomatic cases， all in regional capital Urumqi， according to the regional health commission. From July 15 to August 26， a total of 719 COVID-19 patients were discharged from hospital after recovery.
　　Volunteers are participating in COVID-19 prevention and control in Urumqi and taking care of those in need.

Sports Fun

　　A bicycle motocross lover rides into Donghu Lake in Wuhan， Hubei Province in central China， on August 22.

CPPCC Meeting

　　The National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference （CPPCC）， China’s top political advisory body， on August 25 opened its 13th Standing Committee session on economic and social planning for the next fi ve years.
　　Wang Yang， a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China （CPC） Central Committee and chairman of the CPPCC National Committee， attended the opening meeting.
　　State Councilor Wang Yong said while delivering a report at the meeting that goals and tasks should be meticulously set for the 14th FiveYear Plan （2021-25） for national economic and social development.
　　During the session， political advisors held discussions on a range of topics including high-quality economic growth， rural vitalization， ecological conservation， innovationdriven development and people’s livelihood.

Organ Transplant

　　China has enforced updated regulations on human organ transplants starting from August 24， replacing the version introduced in June 2006， the National Health Commission said.
　　In line with the progress in medical services and increasing demands， the latest regulations extend guidance for transplantation from liver， kidney， heart and lung to pancreas and small intestine， the commission said.
　　The health authority has revised provisions concerning requirements for medical facilities， surgeons， technical protocols and training in organ transplantation to better monitor the medical practice. 　　Instead of generally restricting organ transplantation to medical facilities up to a certain grade， the latest version sets specifi c requirements for qualifi ed hospitals. Such institutions must now possess an organ transplantation and ethics committee and meet standards on operating rooms， medical equipment and facilities， among other requirements.
　　The new version scrapped a former provision limiting such operations to surgeons who have performed a certain number of diffi cult surgeries.
　　It also adjusted mandatory preoperative tests and put in place measures to hold medical facilities responsible for the outcomes of transplant surgeries.
　　An organ transplant should be reported via the unifi ed China Organ Transplant Response System within 72 hours after the surgery is fi nished， the new regulations said.

More Gazelles

　　The national nature reserve of Qinghai Lake， China’s largest inland saltwater lake in Qinghai Province， has seen an increased population of Przewalski’s gazelles， also known as Procapra przewalskii， China Daily reported on August 26.
　　The population of this animal near Qinghai Lake currently exceeds 2，700， up from over 300 in 1994， data from the Qinghai Lake National Nature Reserve Administration showed.
　　To better protect the Przewalski’s gazelles， the nature reserve’s administration set up a protection station in 2004， stepping up efforts to rescue and breed the species， Wu Yonglin with the station said.
　　The Przewalski’s gazelle used to be found across northern and western parts of China， including Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region， Gansu and Qinghai provinces， as well as Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.
　　However， the animal is now seen only near Qinghai Lake. The species was listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species and is under fi rst-class national protection.
　　From July 10 to August 5， 15 Przewalski’s gazelles were born in the protection station.

Social Assistance

　　The general offi ces of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council have recently released a directive on reforming and improving the social assistance system.
　　The document aims to build a tiered and classifi ed social assistance system with Chinese characteristics for both urban and rural areas in about two years.
　　It stresses promoting basic living assistance， calling for improving the subsistence allowance system as well as the mechanisms for adjusting basic living assistance standards. 　　Social assistance for special purposes， such as healthcare， education， housing and employment， are underscored.
　　It also highlights the need for the improvement of social assistance in emergencies and disasters， including relief work for members of disadvantaged groups amid public emergencies like major epidemics.

Tap Water

　　Tap water has reached more than 80 percent of the rural population of China， and the water quality has improved signifi cantly， an offi cial said on August 21.
　　China had basically solved the problem of rural drinking water safety at the end of the 12th Five-Year Plan period （2011-15）， Tian Xuebin， Vice Minister of Water Resources， said.
　　After that， the rural drinking water safety consolidation and improvement project was implemented during the 13th Five-Year Plan period（2016-20） and by the end of July this year， the water supply security of 256 million rural people had been consolidated and improved， Tian said.

Birds’ Dance

　　Egrets fl y above a wetland in Xuyi， a county in Jiangsu Province in east China， on August 24.

Rehab Aid

　　Some 6，000 physically or mentally challenged children have received government aid in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China through a rehab assistance program since late 2018.
　　Basic rehab training， surgery and adaption to assistive devices are offered to needy children no older than 6， under the program that is aimed at easing the burden of families and improving social security.
　　The program， compared with previous initiatives， covers more disabled kids and enjoys broader fi scal support， Zhao Xuelian， a local offi cial with the disabled persons’federation， said on August 24.
　　Xinjiang will boost investment to set up more rehab centers and train more professionals to take care of disabled children， Zhao said.
　　Some 123，500 disabled persons benefi ted from rehab services in 2019， including 3，713 children aged 6 or below， offi cial data showed.

Dinosaur Research

　　An international research team has discovered that dinosaurs developed yearly growth lines on their bones throughout their lives， a fi nd that sheds light on growth patterns of the ancient animals， Xinhua News Agency reported on August 27.
　　Scientists from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences， together with the China University of Geosciences and the George Washington University， conducted the study and published it in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 　　Most modern mammals grow rapidly in their early years but develop dense lines of arrested growth in adulthood， a sign of cessation of growth. Modern reptiles， on the other hand， grow more slowly and keep growing throughout their lives， developing tree ring-like growth lines on their bones every year.
　　According to the new research， dinosaurs may have followed growth patterns similar to those of modern reptiles.

Festival for Sweethearts

　　Young people wearing traditional clothes celebrate the Qixi Festival in Xi’an， Shaanxi Province in northwest China， on August 25. The festival， also referred to as Chinese Valentine’s Day， is celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar.

R&D Progress

　　China’s spending on research and development （R&D） hit a record high at 2.23 percent of its GDP in 2019， 0.09 percentage point higher than the previous year， data from the National Bureau of Statistics （NBS） showed on August 27.
　　Total expenditure on R&D amounted to 2.2 trillion yuan （$321.3 billion） last year， up 12.5 percent year on year， according to a report jointly released by NBS， the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Finance.
　　The fi gure has seen doubledigit growth for four consecutive years， with the growth pace last year quickening by 0.7 percentage point from the previous year， said Deng Yongxu， an NBS statistician.
　　Investment in basic research stood at 133.56 billion yuan （$19.4 billion） last year， accounting for 6 percent of the total spending.
　　Expenditure on R&D by enterprises rose 11.1 percent year on year to 1.69 trillion yuan （$254.4 billion）， accounting for 76.4 percent of the tot al.
　　Meanwhile， R&D spending by institutions of higher learning went up 23.2 percent from a year earlier to 179.66 billion yuan （$26.1 billion）， accounting for 8.1 percent of the total expenditure on R&D.
　　The steady increase in corporate R&D spending has provided a solid foundation for high-quality development， Deng said.

Consumer Finance

　　China’s consumer fi nance fi rms reported a steady expansion in their client base as small and convenient loans continued to gain popularity， according to an industry report.
　　By the end of June， 26 consumer fi nance fi rms were serving some 140 million clients， up from 24 companies serving 100 million in September last year， according to a report released by the China Banking Association （CBA） on August 19. 　　By the end of June， the total assets of consumer fi nance fi rms stood at about 486.2 billion yuan （$70.35 billion）， with outstanding loans reaching 468.6 billion yuan （$67.8 billion）.
　　Consumer fi nance companies refer to non-banking fi nancial institutions approved by the regulator to offer consumer loans to individuals. They are not allowed to absorb public deposits.
　　The report said it expects demand for consumer fi nance to increase rapidly after the epidemic tapers off， as pent-up consumption demand gradually recovers. Young consumers， the major client group of consumer fi nance services， were hit particularly hard by the virus in terms of employment and income.
　　Meanwhile， consumer fi nance companies are strengthening efforts to contain fi nancial risks via ways such as tightening the nonperforming loan （NPL） standards and raising the industry’s average provision coverage ratio.
　　The average NPL ratio for consumer fi nance fi rms was 2.63 percent in 2019， slightly lower than the 2018 level.

Steady and Fast

　　A crane loads containers at a logistics base in Lianyungang， Jiangsu Province in east China， on August 23. Lianyungang saw 370 China-Europe freight trains in the fi rst seven months of 2020， up 43.97 percent year on year. During the COVID-19 epidemic， the freight trains have played an important role in helping stabilize the international logistics supply chain.

Digital Trade

　　Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southwest China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations （ASEAN） rolled out a plan on August 18 to build the ChinaASEAN Digital Trade Center for boosting regional digital economic cooperation.
　　Headquartered in Nanning， capital of Guangxi and the permanent venue of the China-ASEAN Expo， the center is designated as a digital economy development park with offi ces， digital creative industries， platform operations， big data and the Internet of Things. The project is also important for the construction of the China-ASEAN information harbor.
　　The regional government said on August 25 that the center will be built in two phases. By the end of 2021， 5 billion yuan （$724 million） will be invested in the center， so that it can accommodate 4，000 enterprises， with more than fi ve overseas warehouses and exhibition centers in ASEAN countries.
　　Between 2022 and 2025， another 20 billion yuan （$2.9 billion） will be invested， so that it can nurture more than 10，000 digitaltrade market entities， 10 of which will each have a turnover of more than 1 billion yuan （$114.6 million）， while another 100 will have a turnover of more than 100 million yuan （$14.5 million） each. 　　Li Changguan， Chairman of the Guangxi Committee of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade， said China and ASEAN countries are highly complementary in the fi eld of digital economy and have great potential for cooperation.

Rural Tourism

　　Tourists dine at a yard of a homestay in Xijingyu Village of Jizhou District， Tianjin in north China， on August 21. Over the past years， the village has been vigorously promoting rural tourism， characterized by homestay， agritainment and folk lifestyle photography.

Interest Rate Ceiling

　　The judicial protection ceiling on private lending interest rates should be set at four times China’s one-year loan prime rate （LPR）， according to a revised regulation made public on August 20 by the Supreme People’s Court （SPC）.
　　The new ceiling on private lending interest rates is 15.4 percent based on the latest one-year LPR， which came in at 3.85 percent on August 20. In the past， the ceiling was between 24 percent and 36 percent.
　　A signifi cant reduction of the ceiling will promote a healthy and stable development of Internet fi nance and private lending， He Xiaorong， a senior offi cial with SPC， said， adding that the move also provides more specifi c criteria for handling private lending disputes.
　　The National Interbank Funding Center will calculate and release the LPR on the 20th day of every month， or the next working day. Currently， the LPR consists of rates with two maturities， i.e. one year and over fi ve years.

Revenue Surge

　　Chinese e-commerce platform Pinduoduo posted 67-percent yearon-year revenue growth in the second quarter （Q2） of 2020， with a soaring number of active buyers.
　　Total revenue in Q2 was 12.2 billion yuan （$1.7 billion）， according to its unaudited fi nancial results released on August 21.
　　The non-GAAP （generally accepted accounting principles） net loss from April to June was 77.2 million yuan （$11.2 million）， narrowing signifi cantly compared with 411.3 million yuan （$59.5 million） in the same quarter of 2019.
　　In the 12 months ending June 30， the number of active buyers was 683.2 million， an increase of 41 percent from the 12-month period up to June 2019. The number of new active buyers during Q2 reached 55.1 million， a record high since the company went public.
　　Founded in 2015， the ecommerce platform is known for offering bulk purchase deals with big discounts and enjoys a huge consumer base in rural areas and small cities. It started trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market in July 2018.

New Model

　　The Hongqi H9， a new model of First Automotive Works Group， is launched in Changchun， Jilin Province in northeast China， on August 23. The model is priced at 309，800-539，800 yuan （$44，797-78，055）.

Manufacturing Edge

　　The manufacturing sector has weathered the novel coronavirus disease（COVID-19） epidemic and China’s status in the global manufacturing industry will remain fi rm， the Ministry of Commerce said on August 20.
　　With abundant high-quality labor resources， sophisticated supporting facilities and infrastructure for industrial development， and a huge market with a population of 1.4 billion， China still has a competitive edge in the global manufacturing industry， Gao Feng， spokesperson for the ministry， said at a press conference.
　　Noting that some fi rms had adjusted their global industrial layout in recent years due to cost concerns， Gao said that such moves are normal under market economy rules.
　　China remains an attractive investment destination for global investors， Gao said， citing data on foreign investment this year.
　　Foreign direct investment （FDI） into the Chinese mainland， in actual use， expanded by 15.8 percent year on year in July， marking the fourth consecutive month of positive FDI growth.
　　China will step up efforts to implement various policies amid the containment of COVID-19 and continue to promote a higher level of opening up to the outside world. It will improve the business environment， and continue to play its role in stabilizing the global industrial chain and supply chain， Gao said.