On Aug.5, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China is willing to work with the U.S. side to make full preparations to ensure the success of Chinese President Xi Jinping's historic state visit to the United States in September.

 

The visit will not only make further arrangements for mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields and push forward the new major-country relations between the two countries, but will also jointly send positive signals to the international community, Wang said at a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on the sidelines of the ongoing ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting.

 

Wang said China is ready to step up cooperation with the United States in the fields of investment, military, climate change, finance, economy and trade, energy, hunt of corrupt officials, justice and public health.

 

China also wishes to join hands with the United States in strengthening coordination and collaboration on regional and international issues concerning the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, Iran nuclear program, Middle East, counter-terrorism and Afghanistan so as to play a constructive role in safeguarding world peace and stability.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

According to the Xinjiang Daily, China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region will introduce a unified system for issuing and managing passports. Passport application requirements and handling procedures will be simplified, and all residents in the region will enjoy equal treatment. The new policy quickly became a heated topic in Xinjiang society, and a highly welcome one.  

 

From:Global Times

 

 

Over half of Chinese white-collar workers sit all day in offices without getting any exercise, and one-third work an extra five hours a week, according to a survey by Zhaopin.com, a Chinese recruitment services website.

 

The website's report shows that many white-collar employees are under heavy pressure due to continuous meetings and a lack of exercise.

 

From: Ecns.cn

 

 

China's Ministry of Education issued a guideline concerning the development of mental consulting services in primary and secondary schools, as reported by thepaper.cn on Aug.11.

 

The guideline requires services to keep students mentally fit should be established and regulated in the country's schools.

 

From: CRI Online

 

 

China and the United States have held the 19th Human Rights Dialogue here to discuss the human rights situations in both countries and exchanged views in a candid and professional manner, the Chinese delegation said on Aug.16.U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Chinese ambassador to the U.S. Cui Tiankai delivered opening speeches.

 

The two sides exchanged views in depth in a candid and professional manner on the new developments in the human rights situations in both countries, legal and conceptual perspectives of human rights, multifaceted cooperation in the human rights sphere, rights and commitments of the freedom of speech, religious freedom, anti-racism, counterterrorism and fighting violent extremism, among other things, the delegation said in a news release.

 

Human Rights issue should not dominate the meeting next month between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Barack Obama, said Li Junhua, director-general of the Department of International Organizations and Conference of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the 19th China-US Human Rights Dialogue.

 

"China shows an open-mind attitude toward human rights issue. We have both consensus and disagreements on this issue, but it should not be the whole picture of China-US relations. The two countries should be farsighted and focus on cooperation in handling the differences," Li said.

 

Li said that China-US relations, as the most important bilateral relations in the world, have an impact on the whole world. He believed that the meeting between the two heads of state next next month will contribute to building a new type of great power relationship, deepening comprehensive cooperation between the two countries as well as the global stability and development.

 

From: Chinahumanrights.org

 

 

More than 142 billion yuan (22.1 billion U.S. dollars) was allocated to student assistance programs in 2014, up 19.92 percent year on year, according to a report released by the Ministry of Education on Aug.18.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

On August 7th, 2015, the Annual Report on China’s Human Rights No.4 (2014)(Blue Book on China’s Human Rights) compiled by the China Society for Human Rights Studies (CSHRS) was awarded second prize in the Excellent Blue Books Competition at the 16th Annual National Meeting on Papers sponsored by the Chinese Academy of Social Science(CASS) and co-organized by the Social Sciences Academic Press(SSAP) and Hubei University. The blue book was also granted the right to use the title”Innovative Academic Publishing Project of CASS” in 2016.

 

From: chinahumanrights.org

 

 

On Aug.19, the Ministry of Finance announced that it has allocated 860 million yuan (136.5 million U.S. dollars) to fight flood and drought.

 

Of the total, 615 million yuan will be sent to regions hit by typhoons, rainstorms and floods, while the remaining 245 million yuan will go to drought-hit areas.

 

Flooding has resulted in the deaths of 232 people with 55 people still missing nationwide this year, with southern China reporting the majority of victims, said the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters on Aug.18.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

China has lifted more people out of poverty than anywhere else in the world: its per capita income in increased fivefold between 1990 and 2000, from $200 to $1,000. Between 2000 and 2010, per capita income also rose by the same rate, from $1,000 to $5,000, moving China into the ranks of middle-income countries. Between 1990 and 2005, China’s progress accounted for more than three-quarters of global poverty reduction and is the reason why the world reached the UN millennium development goal of halving extreme poverty. This incredible success was delivered by a combination of a rapidly expanding labour market, driven by a protracted period of economic growth, and a series of government transfers such as the above urban subsidy, and the introduction of a rural pension.

 

From: The Guardian

 

 

An official pardon is being considered for prisoners who meet a certain criteria, according to a draft decision submitted to China's top legislature on Aug.24.

 

In the spirit of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, four categories of prisoners who are not deemed a threat to society may become eligible for amnesty, Li Shishi, director of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee's legislative affairs commission, told a bimonthly session that started on Aug.24.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

On Aug.22, China published its first national guideline on organ donation to better regulate the process and further raise public awareness.

 

The guideline will be handed to all the country's coordinators to help them explain the principles and policies to relatives of dead patients and to receive their approval for organ donations.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

Chinese legislators are working on a law specifically for domestic violence that highlights prevention and introduces habeas corpus, bringing traditionally silent victims under protection of law.

 

From:Xinhua

 

 

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for more attention to teenage development on Aug.25, saying their development bears upon the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

China has topped Asian countries in organ donation numbers, with average organ donation being 2 per 1 million population (PMP), said Huang Jiefu, head of a national human organ donation and transplant committee in Guangzhou on Aug.22, People's Daily Overseas Edition reported.

 

China published its first national guideline on organ donation on Aug.22, which is aimed at raising the public's awareness and understanding of the cause. The guideline expounds on the country's principles and polices in the field, including ethics, standards to judge death and standards on extraction and distribution of organs.

 

From: People's Daily Online

 

 

Sex with underage prostitutes might be considered rape in the third reading of amendments to China's criminal law next week, reports said on Aug.27.

 

The draft amendments will be tackled by China's top legislature, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, when it meets from August 24 to 29.

 

From: Global Times

 

 

On Aug.29, China's top legislature adopted an amendment to the Air Pollution Control Law that will restrict various sources of smog and make information on environmental cleanliness more readily available to the public.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

 

On Sept.3,Chinese President Xi Jinping said all countries should draw lessons from the history of World War II and stick to peaceful development.

 

Xi made the remarks while addressing a reception after a grand military parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

China will cut the number of its troops by 300,000, President Xi Jinping announced on Sept.3.

 

Xi made the announcement while addressing the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the victory of Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

On Sept.6, China issued a white paper on Tibet ahead of the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the ethnic autonomous region.

 

Titled Successful Practice of Regional Ethnic Autonomy in Tibet, the white paper said that since the democratic reform was carried out in 1959 and that the regional ethnic autonomy came into practice in 1965, Tibet has established the new socialist system and achieved historic leaps and bounds in its economic and social development.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

An online course designed to help children protect themselves from sexual assault and molestation will be offered for the first time in the upcoming semester to fourth-and fifth-grade students in Shanghai primary schools.

 

The course, created with cartoon images and interactives, provides simulations to educate children on appropriate responses should someone try to touch or talk to them inappropriately, offer them rides or introduce them to pornography.

 

The course also includes an introduction to puberty and the physical and mental changes children undergo.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

National flags fly atop office buildings and from the windows of many homes. Red lanterns hang from electrical poles. Red banners with slogans in Chinese and Tibetan languages cover the railings of overpasses in the streets.

 

on the morning of Sept.8,the capital of the Tibet autonomous region is ready for a grand ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the region's founding.

 

Top political adviser Yu Zhengsheng arrived in Lhasa on Sunday at the head of a 65-member delegation from the central government to attend the ceremony and other festivities. The delegation will be at the ceremony in front of the Potala Palace on Sept.8.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

On Sept.7, More than 70,000 orphans were given free health insurance as a new-school year gift.

 

The children, from Sichuan Province in southwest China, and Guangdong in south China, are the latest beneficiaries of a Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA) and China Children Insurance Foundation (CCIF) program launched in July 2009.

 

The insurance, which is covered by donations and lasts for at least 12 months, is for underprivileged children and MCA-registered orphans. More than 440,000 orphans have benefited from the program since its conception, according to CCIF managing director Heidi Hu.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

Over one third counties and one fourth rural students at the compulsory education level have been benefiting from the nutrition improvement plan since its start three years ago, according to a report on the plan released by the Ministry of Education on Sept.6.

 

By the end of April 2015, a total of 133,800 schools nationwide have been piloting this plan, covering over 32 million rural students according to the report. 91,400 rural schools in compulsory education in 699 poor-stricken counties have piloted the plan, benefiting more than 21 million rural students.

 

64,828 schools in pilot regions have opened cafeterias since 2012, with the number of school cafeterias increasing to 65.98 percent.

 

From: chinahumanrights.org

 

 

In its effort to clean up polluted urban rivers, China will give more weight to public opinion in determining which rivers are given a clean bill of health and removed from a listing of polluted waters.

 

At least 60 percent of respondents to a government survey must conclude that a river or pond is polluted to have it included in the list of rivers that are polluted and to be remedied.

 

Only when more than 90 percent of residents who live near those rivers are satisfied that a river or pond is clean can the government then declare that river clean and remove it from the list of polluted rivers.

 

Additionally, the government will establish a monitoring platform to release updated information to the public in a timely manner on its pollution control efforts.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

Health officials seeking to curb the country's fast increasing cancer rate are implementing a three-year nationwide plan that expands cancer screening, registration and prevention while reducing smoking.

 

Cancer has become a major public health problem, with some 2 million people dying of cancer every year and more than 3 million new cases reported annually, the National Health and Family Planning Commission said.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

Convicted criminals on death row will be entitled to free legal representation under a new rule drafted by the Ministry of Justice, a ministry source told China Daily.

 

The ministry will assign lawyers to condemned prisoners who cannot afford one during the review of their sentences to ensure equal access to justice, according to the source.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

Attaining full human rights for people is a shared goal of the humanity, President Xi Jinping said in a congratulation letter to the Beijing Forum on Human Rights, which began on Sept.16.

 

More than 100 officials and human rights experts from more than 30 countries and regions will attend the two-day forum.

 

The theme of the forum, "peace and development: victory of World Anti-Fascist War and human rights advancement" is quite fitting as the world is celebrating the 70th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War, Xi said in the letter.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

The annual Beijing Forum on Human Rights, which focused on peace and development, was wrapped up on Sept.17.

 

The two-day event attracted more than 100 officials and human rights experts from more than 30 countries and regions. The discussions centered on the relationship between the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War and the progress of human rights.

 

Forum subjects including the lessons drawn from the war. China's contribution to human rights and world peace were also discussed at the event.

 

The attendees exchanged views through speeches and group discussions. They also paid a visit to the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in Beijing on Sept.17

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

Abducted children rescued by police can now be legally adopted, instead of being left stranded at welfare institutions waiting for their parents to find them.

 

According to the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security, children can be adopted after a 12-month search fails to locate their parents or other guardians. The ministries announced the decision in a jointly released notice.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

China has issued a regulation on safeguarding the rights of lawyers.

 

The regulation was made by the Supreme People's Court (SPC), the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP), the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of State Security and the Ministry of Justice.

 

The regulation says those organs should respect lawyers, improve their systems to ensure lawyers' rights, and safeguard lawyers' rights to know, the rights of application, petition, and other rights of meeting defendants, reading files, collecting evidence, debating, raising questions and others.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

China has released the full text of an integrated reform plan for promoting ecological progress on Sept.21.

 

The plan, which consists of 56 articles, was released by the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the State Council, or China's cabinet.

 

The plan was approved at a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on September 11.

 

The document said the plan was worked out in order to build a beautiful China and handle the relationship between humankind and nature, and solve serious ecological and environmental problems.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

China issued a white paper on gender equality and women's development on Sept.22, providing a comprehensive overview of the country's policies for women and the unremitting efforts made in this regard.

 

Gender equality and women's development in China not only show the country's own progress, but also constitute a historical contribution made to global equality, development and peace, said the white paper, which was released to mark the 20th anniversary of the UN's Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

On Sept.24, China issued a white paper on ethnic equality, unity and development in Xinjiang, stating that the development and progress in Xinjiang mark the successful implementation of China's system of ethnic regional autonomy in the region.

 

The white paper, titled "Historical Witness to Ethnic Equality, Unity and Development in Xinjiang" and issued by the State Council Information Office, stressed that implementing regional autonomy in areas where ethnic minorities live in concentrated communities is a basic political system of China and is an important step on the correct path of handling ethnic issues in a Chinese manner.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

On Sept.27, Chinese President Xi Jinping made a four-point proposal on further advancing women's rights worldwide while addressing a high-level summit at the United Nations (UN) headquarters.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

On Sept.28, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for elimination of poverty and conflict to address the European refugee crisis.

 

Meeting with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, Xi said that the root of the current refugee crisis troubling the Europe lies in unbalanced development and social instability.

 

In addition to humanitarian aid, the international community should find an effective solution for poverty and social instability and especially eliminate the cause of conflicts in the refugees' countries in order to cope with the crisis, Xi noted.

 

According to the UN refugee agency UNHCR, over 42,000 people, mostly refugees, reached Greece by sea in the first five months of 2015.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

On Sept.28, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced a series of major actions in support of the United Nations (UN) and its peacekeeping efforts.

 

Addressing the UN General Assembly, he said China will join the new UN peacekeeping capability readiness system, take the lead to set up a permanent peacekeeping police squad, and build an 8,000-strong standby peacekeeping force.

 

Also, China will establish a 10-year, 1-billion-U.S.-dollar China-UN peace and development fund to "support the UN's work, advance multilateral cooperation and contribute more to world peace and development," he added.

 

In addition, Xi said, China is to provide a total of 100 million dollars of free military aid for the African Union in the next five years to support the establishment of the African Standby Force and the African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crisis.

 

From: Xinhua