91-YEAR-OLD GRANDMA HELPS POOR STUDENTS

　　Wu Litian， a retired teacher of pingtan， an old art form that combines singing and storytelling， lost her way in a railway station recently. When the police found the 91-year-old and took her home， they found the words “Giving will reap the greatest harvest” pinned on her door and， subsequently， discovered her story.
　　Eight years ago， Wu came across a decrepit primary school in the mountains in Guizhou Province in southwest China. She decided to create a better environment for the students and donated almost all her savings to the school.
　　Two years later， she sold her sole property in an urban district of Shanghai and donated that money to construct a primary school in a village in east China， relocating to Shanghai’s neighboring province Jiangsu.

No Need to Panic

　　Beijing Youth Daily January 25
　　The center for disease control and prevention in Liangxi District in Wuxi， Jiangsu Province， east China， announced on January 22 that a box of imported cherries had tested positive for the novel coronavirus. However， other samples from the same batch all tested negative.
　　In recent times， some cold chain products have been found to contain the virus， which has made people avoid imported food. But so far， there has been no report about consumers getting infected from imported food.
　　To ensure that cold chains remain infection-free， enterprises and e-commerce platforms should fulfill their responsibility for prevention and control in accordance with regulations. They should trace the source of foods， monitor their employees’ health and disinfect the workplace frequently.
　　The authorities should conduct extensive tests and respond swiftly once the virus is detected by seizing the products and testing and quarantining the people who handled them. Also， they should foster a prudent public attitude toward the pandemic while releasing information in a timely and transparent way.

Online Medical Care

　　Oriental Outlook January 21
　　


　　The novel coronavirus disease epidemic has become a milestone in the development of online medical care in China. Patients with chronic disease can have their regular health checks without having to go to hospital，which reduces the risk of infection. With the government’s encouragement， public hospitals， in particular， have stepped up efforts to develop online treatment for patients’ greater convenience. 　　Since February 2020， the Central Government has issued several policies to support the online medical care industry， and people have increasingly recognized its advantages. But online medical care in remote regions and less developed urban areas still has a long way to go. In such places， the services should focus on basic public health demands， such as disease prevention.
　　During the process， the differences between communities in cities and villages should be taken into consideration. Getting experts’ guidance for doctors at the community level should be another highlight， as well as sharing the resources of top hospitals.
　　As some groups， such as senior citizens， find it difficult to cross the digital gap， hospitals should retain offline services while accelerating online business. They should also take care to protect patients’ privacy. Experts say online diagnosis and treatment should be regulated by setting industry standards and enhancing supervision.

Choosing Knowledge Rationally

　　Economic Daily January 25
　　Along with a growing awareness that one needs to pay for knowledge online， people’s attitude toward its consumption has changed. Instead of subscribing to as many courses as possible， they now make demand-oriented decisions in a more rational way， opening their wallets only for quality content.
　　Successful companies such as popular audio-sharing platform Ximalaya have expanded their business， targeting consumers’ needs， from audio and video courses to content with entertainment features， such as Internet games. But this experience is not suitable for startups. They should carve a niche in the market based on their own strengths.
　　Quality content does not mean specialized academic courses alone as people hope to learn with ease and pleasure. So platforms should design products to meet the needs of different user groups. It is a test of platform operators’ business acumen and requires communication with users.

AMBASSADOR LEAVES OFFICE AFTER 11 YEARS IN BRITAIN

　　The Chinese Ambassador to the UK， Liu Xiaoming， hosted a farewell reception online due to the novel coronavirus pandemic prior to leaving office after 11 years in the post. “These 11 years have seen tremendous changes in both China and the world，” Liu said.
　　Liu was appointed China’s 11th ambassador to the UK in December 2009 and is the longest-serving ambassador in the history of China-UK relations.
　　In his speech， Liu spoke of the growing common interests between both countries on issues including climate change， multilateralism and free trade， and highlighted the importance of continued cooperation and mutual respect. 　　“Thanks to the concerted efforts of people from all walks of life in both countries， China and the UK have deepened mutual understanding and cemented public support for bilateral relations，” he said.
　　“Chinese vaccines’ capability remains almost as effective in neutralizing the new variants of the virus that emerged in Europe， South America and the U.S. in the first half of 2020.”
　　Shao Yiming， a member of the Product Development for Vaccines Advisory Committee of the World Health Organization， to Global Times
　　“We believe the vast majority of countries in the world are sharp-eyed as they have an objective and fair assessment of Xinjiang’s development.”
　　Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian at a press conference on January 27， commenting on the Japanese Government not giving credence to a so-called U.S. panel saying China committed “genocide” in its northwestern autonomous region
　　“Local governments in China do not have to adopt a one-size-fits-all approach to stop residents from returning to their hometowns for Spring Festival reunions.”
　　Zhao Chenxin， a spokesperson for the National Development and Reform Commission， at a press conference on January 27
　　“The economic fortunes of countries are interconnected， especially when things such as supply chains and consumer markets span multiple countries. When one major economy is hurt， others are hurt， too.”
　　Tom Fowdy， a British political and international relations analyst， in an article in China Daily on January 28， stressing decoupling from China would only serve to alienate the U.S.