A China-developed CH-5—Caihong （Rainbow） 5—unmanned aerial vehicle prepares to land at an airport in north China’s Hebei Province on July 14 after a test fl ight， the model’s fi rst following the start of its mass production.
　　Unveiled in 2016， the CH-5 can conduct reconnaissance， surveillance， patrol， target positioning and strike missions， according to its developer， the China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics. It can also be used for civilian purposes such as resource surveys， marine environmental protection， disaster surveys， marine law enforcement and emergency response.


　　Pollution Crackdown
　　Data from the top environmental protection watchdog show that more environmental pollution cases were addressed across China in the fi rst half of this year than in the same period in 2016.
　　From January to June， China investigated and dealt with 17，169 violations of environmental protection laws and regulations， according to the Ministry of Environmental Protection （MEP）.
　　Fines amounting to over 610 million yuan （$89.95 million） were issued in 503 cases where violators must pay daily fi nes until they address their wrongdoings， up 131 percent and 64 percent， respectively， year on year.
　　Meanwhile， 1，294 cases were transferred to public security departments， rising 54 percent year on year.
　　This is the third year the MEP has launched a nationwide inspection on violations of environmental protection laws and regulations.
　　Reform Progress
　　China expanded the number of cities piloting healthcare reform to 200 in 2016， according to a report issued by the healthcare reform leading group under the State Council on July 18.
　　It also revealed that more than 2，300 public hospitals nationwide participated in healthcare reform last year.
　　The report said 92.6 percent of prefectural cities have adjusted medical service costs， and drug expenses as a percentage of outpatient and hospitalization fees have dropped compared to 2015.
　　Currently， 1.34 billion Chinese people are covered by various public medical insurance systems， accounting for up to 98.8 percent of the population.
　　In addition， the country has more than 440，000 non-public medical institutions and nearly 20，000 licensed doctors practicing at multiple sites， said the report.
　　Online Legal Services
　　Minister of Justice Zhang Jun said on July 16 China will build a unifi ed online platform to offer “one-stop”legal services and legal aid. 　　Zhang made the announcement at a symposium in Harbin in northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province.
　　Zhang called for the use of modern technology， such as Internet Plus and social media app WeChat， to boost the accessibility of the platform.
　　The platform will provide legal consultations， dispute settlement， legal aid to people in need， and access to more complicated legal services， according to Zhang.
　　For the consultation services， qualifi ed lawyers， notaries and judicial appraisers will answer questions on behalf of organizations， said Zhang.
　　China began efforts to set up a legal aid system in 1994. More than 5 million legal aid cases have been handled and over 28 million people have received services since 2013.
　　Re-elected Prosecutors
　　A total of 228 prosecutors of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate（SPP）， including Procurator General Cao Jianming， took an oath of allegiance to the Constitution on July 17 as part of their re-election in a judicial reform aimed at promoting professional selection of the body’s legal team.
　　The 228 prosecutors， with an average age of 47， have an average of 23 years’ work experience in law. Some 135 （59.2 percent） hold postgraduate degrees， and 56 possess doctoral degrees.
　　They have undergone rigorous selection procedures， and those who have been punished for violating the code of conduct and whose punishment has not come to an end， as well as those whose spouse and offspring have emigrated overseas， were all disqualifi ed.
　　“The selected prosecutors should be working in frontline roles handling cases and taking lifetime responsibility for the cases they deal with，” said the SPP.
　　Previously， China’s judicial selection and management system took reference from the public servant management system， which did not suit the profession’s characteristics well.
　　China has taken measures to foster a strong team of prosecutors， including improvements to the professional threshold， the establishment of a selection mechanism for judges and prosecutors， and the encouragement of exchanges between legal practitioners and researchers.
　　More than 87，000 competent prosecutors across the country have been selected in the judicial reform.
　　Integrated Care
　　China is looking to improve the integration of healthcare and elderly care services by encouraging more cooperation mechanisms for healthcare and elderly care institutions， an offi cial said on July 14. 　　Wang Haidong， an offi cial with the National Health and Family Planning Commission， made the remarks at a press briefi ng on a guideline on elderly care services published by the State Council in early June.
　　China aims to have over 80 percent of its medical institutions set up green channels in 2017 for the elderly to enjoy more convenient medical services， while more than 50 percent of elderly care institutions will be able to provide various medical services for their customers， Wang said.
　　Elderly patients will be a priority for family doctor services， which are expected to offer the elderly basic medical and customized healthcare services. The goal stands that by the end of 2017， 60 percent of China’s elderly will have contractual family doctors.
　　The Ministry of Civil Affairs（MCA） will push forward public fi nance to provide subsidies for all elderly with fi nancial diffi culties or disabilities， said Meng Zhiqiang， an offi cial with the MCA.
　　Issues such as elderly care facilities， senior education services， and health management for the elderly were also discussed and overviewed at the press briefi ng.
　　The Joy of Flame
　　People of the Yi ethnic group light torches during the annual Torch Festival in Zhaojue County， southwest China’s Sichuan Province， on July 17. The traditional event takes place from the 24th to the 26th day of the sixth lunar month every year， when the Yi people engage in a variety of celebratory activities.


　　Medicine Consumption
　　China has become the second largest consumer of medicine in the world， as well as the world’s biggest exporter of bulk pharmaceuticals， according to the China Food and Drug Administration （CFDA）.
　　The main business income of China’s 5，000 pharmaceutical companies has reached 2.5 trillion yuan（$370 billion）， said Wu Zhen， Deputy Director of the CFDA.
　　Up to 50 of the companies are certifi ed in Europe or the United States， and their export volume has surpassed $13.5 billion， Wu said.
　　Wu said the CFDA’s efforts to speed up the process of new drug approval and clear the backlog of applications have paid off.
　　Archaeological Park
　　A park will be built at the excavation site of a species of prehistoric human discovered in central China’s Henan Province.
　　The park will be located in Lingjing Village in Xuchang City， where cranial fossil remains of Xuchang humans from around 100，000 years ago were fi rst unearthed in 2007， according to the city government. 　　Designed for preservation， research and tourism， the park is expected to open in 2020 with an area of 2.2 square km.
　　Xuchang humans lived between Peking Man （about 200，000 to 700，000 years ago） and early modern humans in north China（about 40，000 years ago）， proving the continuity of human evolution in north China.
　　Studies on the cranial remains found that Xuchang humans might have been hybrids of the indigenous population and Europeans and were very likely direct ancestors of modern northern Chinese， according to a report published in Science magazine in early March.
　　The discovery was the fi rst time fossils bearing Neanderthal characteristics had been found in East Asia. So far， 45 pieces of cranial remains have been excavated from an area of 500 square meters at the site.
　　The park will be Henan’s fourth state-level archaeological park.
　　Emergency Rescue
　　Rescuers transfer trapped tourists from Nanpeng Island， some 35 km east of Zhapo， Yangjiang City， south China’s Guangdong Province， on July 16.
　　A total of 49 tourists who had been stranded on Nanpeng Island in the South China Sea by typhoon Talas were picked up and moved to safety in the operation， authorities said.


　　Regulatory Priority
　　The top banking regulator said on July 17 it will place more priority on proactively preventing and defusing fi nancial risks.
　　The China Banking Regulatory Commission （CBRC） said in a statement it will focus on guarding against risks in liquidity， credit， shadow banking and other major areas.
　　The commission will make planned and step-by-step efforts to tighten the regulation of interbank investment and fi nancing， leveraging and off-balance-sheet business， according to the statement.
　　Reforms of the banking sector will be accelerated to improve lenders’ corporate governance and introduce private capital into the industry in an orderly way， the statement said.
　　It noted that the CBRC will work under the leadership of the new committee on fi nancial stability and development of the State Council， and strengthen coordination with other regulatory agencies and local governments.
　　The statement came after the two-day National Financial Work Conference that ended on July 15， which unveiled reform plans to improve the fi nancial sector’s capabilities to serve the real economy while guarding against systemic risks. 　　Road in Deserts
　　A section of the Jingxin Expressway in Bayan Nur City， north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
　　Three new sections of the freeway， mostly in desert areas， were put into use on July 15， marking the completion of the 2，768-km passageway between Beijing and northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It will cut more than 1，300 km off the journey from Beijing to Urumqi， the capital of Xinjiang.


　　Bank for Startups
　　A bank went into operation on July 15 in Beijing’s Zhongguancun area to support startups and innovation.
　　The Zhongguancun Bank， which gained regulatory approval in December 2016， is co-sponsored by 11 listed companies in this area. It has a registered capital of 4 billion yuan（$590 million）.
　　The lender mainly provides fi nancial support to small and microsized scientifi c and technological fi rms. “Supporting science and technology is our most prominent feature，” said Guo Hong， Chairman of the bank， at its opening.
　　Every year， more than 20，000 tech companies are set up in Zhongguancun. More than 60 unicorn fi rms valued at over $1 billion emerged in this area in the past two years.
　　Copyrighted Software
　　China recorded more than 400，000 new software copyright registrations in 2016， a year-on-year increase of 39.48 percent， according to a report released on July 14.
　　Eastern regions accounted for 80 percent of the total registrations in 2016， while western areas saw the fastest increase of 43.68 percent year on year， said the report issued by the Copyright Protection Center of China.
　　The number of software copyright registrations in south China’s Guangdong Province overtook those registered in Beijing to become top in the country for the fi rst time in 2016， the report said.
　　Registrations for fi nancial software in 2016 increased 100.53 percent while registrations for game， education， medicine and cloud computing software saw growth of more than 40 percent year on year， said the report.
　　China began to register software copyrights in 1992 in a bid to protect the rights of software owners.
　　U.S. Debt Holding
　　China increased its holding of U.S. Treasury securities for the fourth consecutive month in May， the latest data from the US Treasury Department showed on July 18.
　　China added to its treasuries holding by $10 billion in May， with the total holding up to $1.1022 trillion. 　　China’s foreign exchange reserves rose for the fi fth month in a row in June， indicating easing capital fl ight pressure， according to data from the People’s Bank of China， the country’s central bank.
　　China’s foreign exchange regulator， the State Administration of Foreign Exchange， attributed the rise of forex reserves in June to stable cross-border capital fl ow and the relative appreciation of non-U.S. dollar assets.
　　Japan， which overtook China as the largest holder of US treasuries last October， raised its holding by$4.4 billion to $1.1113 trillion in May.
　　By the end of May， overall foreign holdings of U.S. Treasury securities rose to $6.1236 trillion from April’s $6.0737 trillion.
　　Responsible Firms
　　Chinese enterprises operating overseas have devoted themselves to shouldering more social responsibility in their overseas investments，according to the Center for China and Globalization （CCG）.
　　A CCG report， released on July 13， said many companies have warmed to the idea of win-win cooperation with local communities， using company development strategies.
　　The overseas brand image and infl uence of Chinese enterprises have increased in recent years. Statistics from CCG show that 43 percent of 2，922 companies surveyed regard promoting brand infl uence as a major driver to go global.
　　Small and medium-sized private companies also participated in the overseas market， with a total investment volume of $154.9 billion in 395 projects in 2016， the report said.
　　Fast Food on Fast Trains
　　A deliveryman hands over a meal to railway stewardesses at Xi’an North Railway Station in Xi’an， northwest China’s Shaanxi Province， on July 17.
　　Starting from that day， 27 major railway stations across China launched a pilot on-demand food delivery service for high-speed trains.


　　Electric Taxis
　　Electric taxis manufactured by Chinese vehicle maker BYD have been put into use in Belo Horizonte， capital of Brazil’s southeastern state of Minas Gerais.
　　The environment-friendly taxis， which can travel up to 400 km on a single battery charge， have power equal to a standard car running on fossil fuel.
　　Belo Horizonte’s public transit system already has a fl eet of BYD electric buses and minibuses， whose success led to the decision to expand the network to taxis.
　　According to the manufacturer， the electric vehicles are not only green， but also economical， representing savings of up to 85 percent in operational costs， compared to conventional gas-guzzling cars. 　　BYD has established operations in Brazil’s biggest city Sao Paulo， and expects to sell some 2，000 electric vehicles in the country by the end of 2018.
　　Singaporean Deal
　　A Chinese consortium announced on July 14 that it will buy Singaporean warehouse operator Global Logistic Properties （GLP） for 15.9 billion Singapore dollars （$11.6 billion）.
　　The consortium includes Shenzhen-based real estate developer Vanke， GLP CEO Ming Z. Mei， private equity fi rms Hillhouse Capital Management and Hopu Investment Management， and Bank of China Group Investment.
　　The deal needs further approval from a GLP shareholders’ meeting and the Singaporean regulator.
　　GLP owns or operates warehouses and logistics facilities in China， Japan， Brazil and the United States， with a combined area of 55 million square km.
　　Vanke’s Board Chairman and CEO Yu Liang said the deal will allow Vanke to become GLP’s important shareholder and assist the company’s expansion in the logistics sector.
　　He said Vanke and GLP will create a new global business model that covers real estate， logistics， commerce and asset management.
　　An Emerging Industry
　　Visitors look at products made of attapulgite clay in an industrial park in Xuyi County， east China’s Jiangsu Province， on July 18.
　　Xuyi， with China’s largest identifi ed reserves of attapulgite clay， has attracted more than 20 scientifi c research teams to study and develop the resource.


　　Jet Orders
　　Boeing has received more than 60 orders and commitments from China for its newly launched 737 MAX 10， a member of the 737 MAX single-aisle aircraft family， according to Boeing China on July 15.
　　The orders come from emerging airlines such as Ruili Airlines， as well as all-Boeing-fl eet airlines such as Xiamen Airlines， OK Airlines and Donghai Airlines， said Boeing China.
　　It is noteworthy to see Chinese clients become launch customers of Boeing’s new aircraft model， said Darren Hulst， Managing Director of Marketing for Northeast Asia at Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
　　Boeing launched the 737 MAX 10， the largest member of the 737 MAX aircraft family， at the 2017 Paris Airshow in June.
　　Installed with CFM LEAP-1B engines， the 737 MAX 10 is capable of fl ying a maximum range of 5，955 km.
　　It can carry up to 230 passengers with a single-class layout in an all economy-seat version. The aircraft has a body length of 43.8 meters.
　　The 737 MAX 10 will better serve Chinese airlines to meet the surging demand in high-density air routes with large passenger fl ows and tense fl ight schedules， Hulst said.
　　The 737 MAX aircraft family continues to be the fastest-selling airplane in Boeing history， gaining more than 3，800 orders from 88 customers worldwide.