PROMOTER OF DUNHUANG CULTURE AWARDED

　　Fan Jinshi， Honorary President of Dunhuang Academy， received the Touching China 2019 award for her dedication and study of Dunhuang culture on May 17. The annual award， presented by China Central Television， honors Chinese people for their tenacity， bravery and wisdom.
　　Fan， 81， first trekked to the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes in Gansu Province， northwest China， in July 1963， shortly after graduating from college， and remained there for more than 50 years.
　　She was the fi rst to suggest the Digital Dunhuang concept and implemented the largest comprehensive protection program in the grottoes’ history， the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes Protection and Utilization Project.
　　Fan is an active promoter of Dunhuang culture， and has helped organize multiple successful Dunhuang art exhibitions both at home and abroad.

Garbage Sorting

　　People’s Daily May 20
　　Beijing launched its citywide household garbage sorting program on May 1.
　　The government， enterprises， residents and other parties should coordinate to build a long-term social mechanism to foster the habit of garbage sorting.
　　Given the difficulties ahead， the government needs to play a leading role in transforming the activity from industrial management to social governance.
　　Garbage sorting is a national quasipublic good， and the joint efforts of the government and the market can create an industrial chain that goes from classification to recycling. Thus， this environmental protection activity should also accord with economic law.
　　There is a huge market in such fi elds as garbage collection and transportation and kitchen waste disposal. This calls for simultaneous development between enterprise innovation and industrial development.

Refl ection After Fire

　　China Comment May 14
　　Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province， southwest China， experienced another fi re on May 7， a month after a fi re in the prefecture’s Xichang City and Muli County. The State Council， China’s cabinet， has dispatched a steering group to help curb the high incidences of deadly forest fi res in the region.
　　In China， the vast majority of forest f ires today are caused by human activities， among which ancestor worship， farming and smoking are the top three. Local governments have tried various approaches to educate people. However， in remote areas， the work should be organized in a way the local people accept. Borrowing experience from containing the coronavirus epidemic in communities in general， hanging warning banners， giving out leafl ets and broadcasting through loudspeakers can be helpful. 　　Lack of firefighting facilities is one of the reasons for recent forest fi res. Some experienced fi refi ghters have said it is rare to see reservoirs in areas that are prone to fi res. In addition， automatic sprinklers， which can be operated promptly， are needed. And more helipads should be built.
　　In remote forest areas， patrols require a lot of time and labor. Therefore， a risk warning and monitoring system for forest and grassland fi res takes on great importance. Video surveillance systems should be built in key forest zones to support a comprehensive pattern of monitoring and early warning system.

Reviving the World

　　Beijing Youth Daily May 17
　　The United Nation released a document titled the World Economic Situation and Prospects as of Mid-2020 on May 13， stating that against the backdrop of a raging and devastating pandemic， the world economy is projected to shrink by 3.2 percent this year.
　　However， the resilience and potential of China’s economy can be further stimulated as the country gradually resumes normal activity with the easing of the pandemic situation. The prevention and control of the novel coronavirus in China has created a sound environment for the recovery of exports and foreign direct investment.
　　According to a recent report on Asia’s economic prospects and integration process in 2020 released by the Boao Forum for Asia， the continent’s economic aggregate is expected to surpass 50.2 percent of the world’s total. This indicates that Asia’s role in the global economy is increasing， which is inseparable from China’s strength as the largest regional economy.
　　Global economic recovery needs long-term efforts. Therefore China， which has achieved initial progress in controlling the pandemic， should continue to fi nd a balance between disease containment and economic development to help other countries tide over these diffi cult times.
　　It can also promote further economic integration of Asia to cope with the possible restructuring of global value chains after the pandemic. Thus， existing cooperation mechanisms and organization such as the Belt and Road Initiative， Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership should be further developed to boost economic growth.

SCI-FI WRITER FOR CHILDREN DIES

　　Ye Yonglie， one of the best known Chinese science writers， died on May 15 at the age of 80.
　　While majoring in chemistry at Peking University at the age of 20， Ye was one of the main writers of 100，000 Whys， a series that has been part of Chinese children’s lives for decades. The books， which explain questions in various fi elds that pique children’s interest， were published in 1961， and are the most infl uential and bestselling popular science books in China. 　　Ye’s sci-fi novel Xiao Lingtong’s Travels in the Future， published in 1978， also won success， further establishing him as a science fi ction writer for young readers.
　　“China’s defense policy is defensive in nature and its defense spending is proportionate and restrained in terms of total size， per-capita expenditure and proportion of GDP.”
　　Zhang Yesui， spokesperson for the annual National People’s Congress meeting， refuting doubts on covert military spending at a news conference on May 21
　　“If education is done wrongly， its damage and severe consequences are beyond imagination. So， I appeal to all stakeholders in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region （HKSAR） to help preserve the value of education for the sake of our younger generation.”
　　Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor， HKSAR Chief Executive， in response to the controversy surrounding a question in an exam for university admission on May 19
　　“I think it’s important to put this on the table： This virus may become just another endemic virus in our communities and this virus may never go away.”
　　Michael Ryan， Executive Director of the WHO Health Emergencies Program， talking about the novel coronavirus disease at a press conference in Geneva on May 13
　　“Picking on China while shirking and bargaining away its own international obligations to World Health Organization （WHO）， the U.S. has obviously miscalculated the situation and made a mistargeted move.”
　　Zhao Lijiang， spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs， commenting on U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to pull funding and potentially withdraw the U.S. from WHO at a regular press conference on May 19