Students read the Constitution in a school in Hefei， capital of Anhui Province， east China， on December 4.
　　The current Constitution was adopted on December 4， 1982 and the day began to be observed as Constitution Day from 2014. During a month-long publicity campaign， the Chinese pay tribute to this momentous document by attending lectures and events to understand it better.

Supporting Bookstores

　　A customer reads at the Sanlian Taofen Bookstore in Beijing on November 28. In 2019， the municipal government invested nearly 100 million yuan （$14.2 million） to support the development of bookstores in the capital， with 239 bookstores receiving support funds.

Regrettable Move

　　The Hong Kong-related act recently passed by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by U.S. President Donald Trump is “completely unnecessary and unjustifi able，” Hong Kong Special Administrative Region（HKSAR） Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on December 3.
　　At a media briefi ng before the weekly Executive Council meeting， Lam said the HKSAR Government strongly rejects the so-called Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019， and regards it as a very regrettable move by a foreign legislature and administration to interfere in Hong Kong affairs.
　　Stressing that the human rights and freedom of Hong Kong residents are well protected by the HKSAR Basic Law， Lam pointed out，“We enjoy a high degree of freedom in many respects， including freedom of the press， freedom of assembly and demonstration， as well as religious freedom.”
　　Lam said major U.S. chambers of commerce strongly oppose the act， adding that it may bring harm to U.S. companies， considering that there are more than 1，300 U.S. enterprises that operate or have regional headquarters in Hong Kong.
　　Regarding the suspension of application reviews for U.S. military ships and aircraft to visit Hong Kong， and the sanctions against some U.S. non-governmental organizations announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on December 2， Lam said the Central Government is responsible for foreign affairs related to HKSAR， which will cooperate and follow up in accordance.

A Promising Delta

　　The Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council jointly issued an outline on the integrated regional development of the Yangtze River Delta （YRD） on December 1. 　　As one of China’s most economically active， open and innovative regions， encompassing Jiangsu， Zhejiang and Anhui provinces and Shanghai Municipality， it boasts strategic signifi cance in the country’s modernization and further opening up.
　　Tasks specifi ed in the outline include establishing a coordinated innovative industry system， enhancing infrastructural connectivity， strengthening environmental protection， advancing public services and using high standards to build the China （Shanghai） Pilot Free Trade Zone.
　　The document details development goals to be achieved by 2025 and offers insight into 2035.
　　By 2025， the YRD is to see substantial development and realize basic integration in the science and innovation industry， infrastructure， environment and public services， said the document.
　　To fulfi ll integrated development in the science and innovation sector by 2025， the ratio of the region’s research and development spending to its GDP should top 3 percent， while its output of hi-tech industries should account for 18 percent of total industrial output.
　　In the same period， infrastructural connectivity will be represented by improvements in railway and expressway density and a 5G network coverage of 80 percent.
　　The outline also lays out environmental standards to be met by 2025 in terms of PM2.5 density and energy consumption per 10，000 yuan （$1，420） of GDP.
　　It calls for a unifi ed market system of openness and free fl ow of resources.
　　Looking further into the future， the outline envisions the YRD as the most infl uential and robust driving force of the nation’s development by 2035.

New Railway Star

　　The high-speed railway line connecting Beijing and Zhangjiakou in Hebei Province， north China， started test runs on December 3， according to China Railway Beijing Group Co. Ltd.
　　During the test runs， high-speed railway trains ran at 385 km per hour and bullet trains ran at 350 km per hour， meeting the requirement that the highest test train speed be 10 percent higher than the designed speed.
　　The Beijing-Zhangjiakou HighSpeed Railway is 174 km long， 70.5 km in Beijing and 103.5 km in Hebei， with a maximum designed speed of 350 km per hour.
　　The railway line is a major project for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Expected to be put into operation by the end of 2019， it will cut the travel time between the two cities from more than two hours to an hour.

Flavor in Winter

　　A staff member works at a preserved meat factory in Anchang Town in Shaoxing， Zhejiang Province， east China， on December 3. As an ancient town with a history of over 1，000 years， Anchang keeps the traditional custom of making preserved meat in winter.

Unveiling History

　　After a year and a half of excavation， archaeologists have unearthed thousands of relics and the remains of ancient houses and ash pits in the Dajinshan ruins in Jilin Province， northeast China.
　　With the help of radiocarbon dating， the relics are believed to date back to between the Warring States Period （475-221 B.C.） and the early Western Han Dynasty （206 B.C.-A.D. 25）.
　　The ruins， around 150 meters long and 100 meters wide， are located on a sand dune near Dajinshan Village in the city of Shuangliao， according to the School of Archaeology affi liated with Jilin University.
　　Fang Qi， the archaeologist who headed the excavation， said more than 60 ancient houses， four tombs and more than 300 ash pits have been discovered. And more than 2，400 pieces of relics， including pottery， bone， stone and bronze wares， were also unearthed at the 1，400-square-meter site.
　　Experts believe the excavation will provide important archaeological materials on the living and working conditions， and social structure of ancient people during the Bronze Age in the Eastern Liaohe River basin.
　　The ongoing excavation， starting in July 2018， was jointly launched by researchers from China， France and the U.S.， among others.

Power in Space

　　China plans to accomplish a 200-ton megawatt level space-based solar power station by 2035， according to the China Academy of Space Technology （CAST）.
　　The power station will capture the energy from Sun that never makes it to Earth， said Wang Li， a CAST research fellow with the program， at the Sixth China-Russia Engineering Technology Forum in Xiamen in Fujian Province， southeast China， on November 25-26.
　　The energy will be converted to microwaves or lasers and then beamed wirelessly back to Earth’s surface for human consumption， Wang said.
　　“We hope to strengthen international cooperation and make scientifi c and technological breakthroughs so that humankind can achieve the dream of limitless clean energy soon，” Wang said.
　　Compared to traditional fossil energy sources， which are being exhausted and cause severe environmental issues， space-based solar power is more effi cient and sustainable. It can provide power for satellites and disaster-hit or isolated areas on Earth， Wang said. 　　The concept of collecting solar power in space was popularized by science fi ction author Isaac Asimov in 1941.
　　China has proposed various sunlight collecting solutions and made a number of major breakthroughs in wireless energy transmission since it listed spacebased solar power as a key research program in 2008.
　　Research in the fi eld can spur the country’s space science and innovation in emerging industries like commercial space transportation， Wang said.

A Helping Hand

　　A sales assistant helps customers at a supermarket in Xi’an， Shaanxi Province， northwest China， on December 2. The store currently offers suitable job opportunities and skills training to six people with mental illness.

Reform in FTZs

　　Enterprises in pilot free trade zones（FTZs） are enjoying more benefi ts from the efforts to further streamline approval procedures， according to the top market regulator.
　　China started the pilot reform to separate business operation permits from business licenses in all 18 pilot FTZs on December 1， with a negative list-based management system as one of the highlights of the reform， Tang Jun， deputy head of the State Administration for Market Regulation， said on December 4.
　　For all items not on the list， permit requirements will be lifted to help build a stable， fair and transparent market environment， he said.
　　Before the reform， enterprises had to get operation permits before getting their business licenses， which could be time-consuming.
　　Through the reform， China will cut the approval procedures concerning all 523 items related to business operation permits set by the Central Government， according to Tang.

Payment Supervision

　　The People’s Bank of China （PBC） has been tightening supervision on payment institutions to ensure quality development of the sector， Vice Governor Fan Yifei said at a forum on November 28.
　　Since the adoption of measures such as paying the full amount of reserve funds to the PBC， licensed institutions have refrained from violating the rules， and chaos in the payment market has been effectively rectifi ed， Fan said.
　　The PBC will crack down on unlicensed institutions， sta ndardize innovation， control cross risks and stay vigilant about nesting fi nancial products around payment business， according to him. 　　The regulatory system should be strictly enforced to prevent licensed institutions from carrying out business beyond their scopes and without permission， and the realname account system should be effectively implemented， he added.
　　China currently has 236 payment institutions.

Rail Wonder

　　A bridge above the Yarlung Zangbo River in Sangri County， Tibet Autonomous Region in southwest China， on December 1. Track-laying on the 4，615-meter bridge， part of the Lhasa-Nyingchi Railway， completed that day. The construction of the 435-km railway， 75 percent of which is bridges and tunnels， began in 2015 and is expected to be completed in 2021.

An Attractive Market

　　China will remain attractive to investors worldwide amid global economic growth slowdown and uncertainties， a UBS economist said. The increased index weighting of China’s A shares in the global benchmark MSCI will motivate global investors to slant their portfolios more toward the Chinese stock market， the second largest in the world， said Hu Yifan， chief China economist of UBS Global Wealth Management.
　　Hu pointed out that China still stands out among emerging markets because trade uncertainties have very limited impact on listed companies， which rely heavily on the domestic market.
　　China’s bond market will likely become a major magnet for foreign capital in the next three to fi ve years as the Chinese currency is expected to stay strong， according to Hu.
　　Hi-tech sectors like fi ntech and 5G， as well as consumption-related industries， are all attractive areas for overseas investment， she added.
　　UBS estimated global economic growth would hit 3 percent in 2020， down from 3.1 percent this year， while the growth rate for emerging markets will edge up to 4.6 percent from 4.2 percent.

NEV Plan

　　Sales of new-energy vehicles （NEVs） are expected to make up about 25 percent of the total new car sales in China by 2025， according to a draft plan by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
　　The sector’s competitiveness should be enhanced with major technological breakthroughs made in power battery， drive motor， onboard operating system and other fi elds， it said.
　　A major target starting from 2021 is that new cars running in the country’s ecological conservation pilot zones and public areas in regions tasked with reducing air pollution should be NEVs. 　　NEV sales posted doubledigit growth in China in the fi rst 10 months of the year despite a sluggish automobile market. They accounted for less than 5 percent of total new car sales during this period.
　　China also aims to promote intelligent connected vehicles （ICVs） by lifting the share of their sales in total automobile sales to about 30 percent by 2025.
　　Highly autonomous ICVs might achieve commercial use in certain regions and scenarios， the plan said.

Sweet Fruits

　　Newly harvested apples are washed in a workshop in an agricultural science and technology park in Aksu， Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China， on November 28. Aksu is a major apple-growing area in the country.

Foreign Retail Up

　　Foreign retail companies expanded their businesses in China with more storefronts and new brands in 2019， said the Ministry of Commerce（MOFCOM） on November 28.
　　Since the beginning of the year， a slew of international companies including Adidas， Nike and Lego have opened new fl agship stores in major Chinese cities， while German supermarket chain ALDI entered the Chinese mainland market and Lawson convenience stores swept across small cities and towns， said MOFCOM spokesperson Gao Feng.
　　“China’s retail market is marked by openness and rapid growth，” he added.
　　The country’s upgrading con- sumption structure is gravitating the retail industry toward an emphasis on convenience， diversity and handson experience， according to Gao.
　　The country will continue to improve the business environment for all market participants.

PPP Projects

　　The National Development and Reform Commission （NDRC） has launched a national information monitoring and service platform for public-private partnership （PPP） projects.
　　The platform enables economic planning departments nationwide to search for project information， release supervision reports and receive warning on abnormal projects， according to the NDRC.
　　By early November， around 7，000 projects had been registered on the platform， with a total investment of about 9 trillion yuan （$1.28 trillion）.
　　In breakdown， the provinces of Guizhou， Anhui， Guangdong， Shandong and Zhejiang ranked as the top fi ve in terms of project number， accounting for 35 percent of the national total while attracting 31 percent of the overall investment. 　　The sector of urban infrastructure saw the most PPP projects， reporting 2，734 projects with a total investment of 4.18 trillion yuan（$594.5 billion）， followed by agriculture， forestry and water conservancy， social affairs， transportation and environmental protection.
　　Projects in the top fi ve sectors accounted for 86 percent of all projects nationwide and covered 89 percent of the overall investment.

Image Survey

　　Chinese Internet companies secured the best image among Latin American respondents， according to a survey based on 133 Chinese enterprises running business or selling products there.
　　As high as 94 percent of respondents from the fi ve Latin American countries of Argentina， Brazil， Chile， Mexico and Peru gave recognition to them， said the Latin America version of the 2019 Chinese Enterprise Global Image Survey Report released in Beijing on December 3.
　　Coming second and third in terms of the rating on corporate image were the auto industry and home appliance sector， respectively.
　　Latin American respondents said they welcome Chinese companies bringing them advanced technologies， the survey said， showing that an average of 51 percent expect cooperation in biotechnology and 49 percent in the infrastructure sector.
　　The survey was conducted by the China Report magazine in partnership with the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies and the London-based market research fi rm Kantar from June to August.
　　A total of 2，500 people from the fi ve Latin American countries rated the images of the polled Chinese enterprises whose lines of business spanned 13 sectors including energy， transportation， construction， automobile and home appliances， the survey said.

Automatic Operation

　　Automated guided vehicles operate at the second phase of the automatic dock of the Qingdao Port in Shandong Province， east China， on November 28. The new facility uses technologies independently developed by the port.