CHINESE ASTROPHYSICIST PASSES AWAY

　　Zhou Youyuan， an astrophysicist and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences， passed away in Beijing on March 12 at the age of 82.
　　Zhou made outstanding contributions to research in the fields of active galaxies， nuclear and cosmology， and large-scale structures of the universe. He was one of the earliest scholars in China to conduct such research and create a corresponding research group.
　　In 2018， the Small Celestial Body Nomenclature Committee of the International Astronomical Union approved the asteroid coded 120730 to be named Asteroid Zhouyouyuan. Asteroids are the only celestial bodies that can be named by their discoverers subject to rules.
　　Zhou was engaged in education， with more than 50 years of teaching experience in Chinese universities. He was also a researcher at the National Astronomical Observatory.

Tax-Cut Policies

　　Economic Daily March 14
　　Tax and fee cuts to support the real economy during the 13th Five-Year Plan （2016-20） period totaled about 7.6 trillion yuan（$1.2 trillion）， data from the State Taxation Administration showed. The cuts last year alone exceeded 2.6 trillion yuan （$400.6 billion）. The tax-to-GDP ratio decreased from 18.1 percent in 2015 to 15.2 percent in 2020.
　　In 2021， tax cuts will continue and valueadded tax reform will be deepened to ease the burden on enterprises and ordinary people. A tax policy will be issued in due time， and the policies rolled out last year will be extended wherever appropriate.
　　It’s still an arduous task to help market entities stand firmly on their feet and thrive. Inclusive tax-cutting measures should be strengthened to boost their vitality. Measures should also be taken to curb arbitrary charges and fines on enterprises. The efficiency and quality of proactive fiscal policies should be improved to make them more sustainable.
　　In 2021， government debt management will be improved and the macro leverage ratio of government departments kept basically stable. The necessary support for economic recovery will be maintained while policy space will be reserved for future response to risks and challenges.

International Order

　　China Newsweek March 15 The world is struggling to find an efficient way to tackle the rising tide of problems and forge a more stable and prosperous future due to COVID-19. 　　Countries need to stay committed to the international law and rules that have been jointly formulated and widely accepted by the global community.
　　The international community needs to adhere to the spirit of extensive consultation. That means global affairs should be jointly addressed through everyone working together， instead of being dominated by just one or a handful of major powers. To uphold multilateralism in the new era， countries need to work together to reform global governance.
　　In the economic field， an open， transparent， inclusive， rule-based and nondiscriminatory multilateral trading regime is essential to expand the global market， keep the global industrial and supply chains running steadily and boost high-quality and sustainable development.
　　Over the past half century， China has safeguarded the UN-centered international system， and the international order underpinned by international law. As a responsible major country， it has engaged in global cooperation to improve global governance so that the world community as a whole can better handle global challenges.
　　Given the evolution of the international situation， the international community is expecting the UN to keep pace with the times and improve itself through reform. The way to address the various challenges in the world is for countries to uphold true multilateralism.

Hollywood Films in China

　　Guancha.gmw.cn March 17
　　Recently two animated Hollywood films， Tom and Jerry and Raya and The Last Dragon， were screened in China. However， neither of them performed as well as expected， especially compared to the boxoffice records during the Spring Festival.
　　In recent years， the market share of Hollywood films in China has declined. In 2004， the box office of domestic films surpassed Hollywood films’ for the first time. In 2019， only two Hollywood films were in China’s top 10 list.
　　The government has introduced favorable policies for the application of technologies like cloud computing， big data and artificial intelligence in the film industry in recent years. In addition， both the themes and special effects of domestic films have become world class. In fact， there is not much difference between Chinese and Hollywood films in the level of film production.
　　Besides， domestic films can resonate better because they reflect the core common values shared by the Chinese audience and can better demonstrate China’s rich history and culture.

NEW HONORARY CURATOR FOR WUDANG MUSEUM

　　Shan Jixiang， who served as the curator of the Palace Museum between 2012 and 2019， has been appointed honorary curator of the Wudang Museum on March 11.
　　Shan， who called himself the gatekeeper of the Palace Museum， reinvigorated the former imperial palace and made it more popular with young people by carrying out a series of innovative changes during his term.
　　The Wudang Mountains are a small mountain range in Shiyan， Hubei Province in central China. They are renowned for magnificent ancient buildings， profound traditional Taoist culture and Wudang kung fu. In 1994， the Ancient Building Complex in the mountains was listed by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site.
　　The Wudang Museum， a national second-class museum， receives about 600，000 visitors per year. Its objectives are to increase the public’s understanding of kung fu， Taoism and local customs.
　　“Sanctions based on lies could be interpreted as deliberately undermining China’s security and development interests... We want dialogue， not confrontation.”
　　Zhang Ming， head of the Chinese Mission to the European Union， warning the bloc against sanctions over Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region， northwest China， in a video conference on March 17
　　“By opening up its market to the rest of the world， China is certainly facing the typical challenges carried by participation in globalization but it has eventually recognized that the advantages of an open and inclusive economy prevail over the negative effects of protectionism and isolation.”
　　Matteo Giovannini， a finance professional at the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China in Beijing， in an article published on the CGTN website on March 16
　　“China has lost some of its advantages in mid- and low-end manufacturing due to the soaring costs of labor and natural resources. Chinese enterprises should promote technology innovation to meet market demand and add more value to their products.”
　　Jia Kang， head of China Academy of New Supply-Side Economics， on China’s manufacturing industry in an article published on the China Daily website on March 17
　　“China has taken advantage of its exposure to global markets and beneficial trade relations， using these to drive productivity gains. This is an example that other countries can seek to emulate.”
　　Elliott Harris， United Nations chief economist， commenting on China’s poverty alleviation in an interview with Xinhua News Agency on March 16