More than 20 million people living under China’s poverty line shook off poverty through ecological poverty-relief programs, according to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (NFGA).

 

The country has so far completed all tasks of its ecological poverty-relief programs while coordinating poverty alleviation with ecological protection, NFGA deputy director Li Chunliang told a press conference on Dec. 1.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to a meeting held by the United Nations (UN) on Dec. 1 to observe the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

 

In his message, Xi pointed out that the Palestinian issue, as a root problem in the Middle East, bears on regional peace and stability, on international equity and justice, and on human conscience and morality.

 

From: CGTN

 

 

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said on Dec. 3 that China has accomplished its poverty alleviation target of the new era as scheduled and achieved a significant victory that impresses the world.

 

Through eight years of sustained work, China has lifted all rural poor population under the current standard out of poverty and nearly 100 million poor people have shaken off poverty, Xi made the remarks while presiding over a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

Persons living with disabilities are among the worst affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Dec. 3 as the world marked the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. 

 

In his message, Guterres called for the involvement of persons living with disabilities in the world’s quest to emerge from the effects of the pandemic which had ravaged the world for the better part of 2020.

 

From: CGTN

 

 

With government help, more than 3.18 million people in southwest China’s Yunnan Province have found jobs in other regions, a move that will help them shake off poverty, officials said on Dec. 8.

 

A labor transfer policy was initiated in 2015 to lift impoverished households out of poverty by obtaining employment in other regions, Wang Yubo, acting governor of Yunnan, told a press conference in the provincial capital of Kunming.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, the world was confronted with the daunting tasks of combating poverty, reducing inequality and curbing discrimination, problems that are detrimental to the promotion of human rights worldwide.

 

With the cataclysmic pandemic continuing across the globe, the plight of the vulnerable is only being exacerbated. Human Rights Day, which falls on Dec. 10, is a timely reminder for the international community to meet the promise of protecting human rights with more substantial efforts. The most immediate task to guarantee human rights is to beat the pandemic as fast as possible.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

China’s targeted poverty alleviation efforts have played an effective role in helping its disabled people out of poverty, with supportive measures covering almost all of the 85 million people with disabilities.

 

At a press briefing on Dec. 11, Xie Hongde, head of the office of poverty relief at the China Disabled Persons’ Federation, introduced China’s efforts in eradicating poverty for the disabled over the past eight years. The targeted supporting measures include subsistence allowance, concentrated nursing services and employment guidance, Xie said.

 

From: Xinhua

 

China helps accelerate process of international poverty reduction 

China is willing to work with all countries to promote international poverty reduction and build a community with a shared future for humanity, said Chinese President Xi Jinping in a congratulatory letter to the International Forum on Sharing Poverty Reduction Experience, which opened in Beijing on Dec. 14.

 

In the letter, Xi also expounded on the historical process, great achievements and international contribution of the efforts made by the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese government in poverty alleviation.

 

From: People’s Daily online

 

 

The Chinese government will roll out plans and policies to improve the salary of technical workers, rendering them a part of middle-income groups in the following five years, officials of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MHRSS) said at a news briefing on Dec.18.

 

The move comes at a time when skills gap and worker shortage is particularly acute for blue-collar jobs. Official data shows that though the country has more than 200 million technical workers, which includes 50 million high-skilled technical workers, the number compared with that of developed countries is pretty small. In China, the proportion of manual laborers accounts for only 26 percent in the job market.

 

From: CGTN

 

 

A seminar on human rights discourse was held in north China’s Tianjin municipality on Dec. 19, 2020. Over 50 experts and scholars from human rights research institutes across the country attended the event in person or via video conference.

 

The event, jointly hosted by China Society for Human Rights Studies and the human rights research center in Tianjin-based Nankai University, coincided with the 10th anniversary of the release of the report on China’s human rights development, or the annual human rights blue book.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

Average life expectancy in the Tibet autonomous region rose to 70.6 years at the end of 2019 from 35.5 years in the 1950s, Xinhua News Agency reported on Dec. 21. In the interval between 2012 and 2019, average life expectancy in the region rose by 2.4 years.

 

Tibet has also witnessed significant improvements in key health indicators, including mortality of infants and children, maternal mortality and the hospital delivery rate over the last five years.

 

Infant mortality declined from 13.87 percent 1,000 in 2016 to 8.9 percent 1,000 at the end of last year. In the same period, maternal mortality dropped to 63.68 percent 100,000 at the end of 2019 from about 110 percent 100,000 in 2016.

 

From: chinadaily.com.cn

 

 

Against the accusations made by certain Western media outlets, officials and religious people from northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region say rumors like “forced labor” in Xinjiang and local government installed cameras “to supervise religious people” are purely “slander.”

 

Elijan Anayit, spokesperson for the Information Office of the People’s Government of Xinjiang, said on Dec. 21 at a news briefing that the accusations of so- called “forced-labor” and “oppression” couldn’t be further from the truth.

 

From: CGTN

 

 

China has decided to rid the recruitment process of all sorts of discrimination based on gender, ethnicity and religious beliefs. The task will be accomplished through a set of new regulations issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security on Dec. 23. These rules will take effect from March 1, 2021.

 

From: CGTN

 

 

Chinese legislators and courts pledged over the weekend to intensify the fight against sexual assaults of children in an effort to strengthen juvenile protection and provide them with a better legal environment.

 

The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, China’s top legislature, adopted an amendment to the Criminal Law on Dec. 26 that stipulates heavier punishments for those who sexually assault girls.

 

The amended law will take effect on March 1.

 

From: China Daily

 

China offers 8 million beds for elderly care: ministry 

China has accelerated the development of its elderly care services, with more than 8 million beds available for the elderly, a 7 percent increase from last year, said the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

 

There were 254 million people aged 60 or above in China at the end of 2019, and the number will grow to 300 million in 2025, said Li Jiheng, minister of civil affairs, at a national conference on civil affairs work on Dec. 26.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

The coronavirus crisis will not be the last pandemic, and attempts to improve human health are “doomed” without tackling climate change and animal welfare, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) chief said in a video message on Dec. 27, marking the first International Day of Epidemic Preparedness.

 

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also condemned the “dangerously shortsighted” cycle of throwing cash at outbreaks but doing nothing to prepare for the next one.

 

From: CGTN

More human rights education bases set up in China  

 

Six national education and training bases on human rights were set up in China recently, bringing the total number of such bases to 14.

 

The institutions newly authorized to serve as national education and training bases are human rights research centers at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Jilin University, Northwest University of Political Science and Law, Central South University, Southeast University, and Beijing Institute of Technology.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

Civil affairs departments showed “zero tolerance” to any senior care staff member’s behavior of mistreating senior citizens, a senior civil affairs official said on Dec. 29.

 

“We’ve heard of some staff members at senior care centers abuse or assault elderly people. For such behaviors, we insist on the ‘zero tolerance’ principle and will strongly oppose and crack down on such behaviors,” Gao Xiaobing, vice-minister of civil affairs, said at a news briefing held in Beijing.

 

From: chinadaily.com.cn

 

 

 

China’s Civil Code officially takes effect on Jan. 1, replacing the country’s previous standalone civil laws.

 

The Civil Code was passed on May 28, 2020 at the third session of the 13th National People’s Congress, China’s top legislature.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

China’s Civil Code, which came into force on Jan. 1, will help people be braver in saying “no” to things that disturb their private lives, including prank calls and spam messages, as it strengthens protection of their privacy and personal information, legal professionals said.

 

Regarded as an encyclopedia of social activities and a key legal instrument to safeguard people’s civil rights, the code is the first law called a “code” since the People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

In the first three days of the new year, 32 villagers from rural areas of Nakarze county in Southwest China’s Tibet autonomous region moved into a new healthcare center, marking the launch of Tibet’s first healthcare center in an extreme high-altitude area.

 

From six rural villages in Puma Changthang township, they are the first batch of villagers to benefit from the project. Their average age is 45, with the eldest 74 years old, and the youngest 2.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

Two Chinese researchers have rebutted the lies of Adrian Zenz, an anti-China figure supported by the United States to fabricate so-called report on northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

 

In their research article published on Jan. 4, Zuliyati Simayi and Zhang Yaxi at Xinjiang University refuted the allegations of Adrian Zenz while presenting the truth of Xinjiang’s demographic situation.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

China will make more efforts to cut carbon emissions in the industrial sector and roll out plans for key sectors to achieve the goal of peaking carbon emissions, an official said on Jan. 4.

 

Efforts will be made to strictly control new production capacities in heavy and chemical industries, and to cut the output of crude steel to ensure it falls year on year, said Minister of Industry and Information Technology Xiao Yaqing in an interview.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

Individuals or organizations engaged in the internet information services industry are prohibited from fabricating or spreading rumors to disturb public order on events such as epidemics, according to a new draft regulation.

 

The revised draft, jointly made by the Cyberspace Administration of China, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Ministry of Public Security, was released by the administration on its website to solicit public opinion on Jan. 8.

 

The administration clarified they amended this legal document not only to promote healthy and orderly development of the industry, but also to protect people’s legitimate rights and maintaining national security and public interests.

 

From: chinadaily.com.cn

 

 

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for more substantial efforts to be made in advancing high-quality judicial, procuratorial and public security work based on “systematic and law-based approach.”

 

Specifically, he stressed the need for preserving the country’s “political security,” while continuing the work on combating gangs and organized crime and advancing trial programs for the modernization of social governance at the municipal level, while speaking at a central conference on political and legal work that convened in Beijing on Jan. 9.

 

From: CGTN

 

 

The Shanghai Women’s Federation will propose to increase the days of parental leave to the city’s annual legislation and political advisory sessions scheduled for late January.

 

The proposal, which was revealed during a news conference in Shanghai on Jan. 14, also includes mandating that fathers take no less than one-third of this parental leave.

 

From: chinadaily.com.cn

 

 

China’s job market remained generally stable in 2020 thanks to stepped-up efforts to ensure employment as the country has steadily emerged from the virus-induced economic slump.

 

In 2020, the surveyed unemployment rate in urban areas stood at 5.6 percent, below the government’s annual target of around 6 percent, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed on Jan. 18.

 

A total of 11.86 million new urban jobs were created for the whole year, completing 131.8 percent of the target set for the whole year, said the NBS.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

China’s top legislature will draft more laws related to people’s livelihoods this year, according to legislators.

 

The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress plans to put laws related to housing, education, healthcare, nursing, insurance, food safety and the environment on its 2021 work agenda, Zang Tiewei, spokesman for the committee’s Legislative Affairs Commission, told China News Service on Jan. 18.

 

From: China Daily 

 

 

China’s per capita disposable income reached 32,189 yuan (about 4,961 U.S. dollars) in 2020, more than double the level in 2010, official data showed on Jan. 19.

 

The figure represents a 2.1-percent year-on-year increase in real terms after deducting price factors, said Fang Xiaodan, an official with the National Bureau of Statistics.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

Millions of Chinese physicians are expected to see an increase in professional protection mechanisms and take on more responsibility in medical treatments due to Chinese lawmakers’ decision to amend the Practicing Physicians Law — the country’s law for this professional group. The revision marks the first substantial change on this piece of law since its application in 1999.

 

The draft version of the physician law was presented on Jan. 20 during the 25th session of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People’s Congress.

 

From: CGTN

 

 

Parents or guardians should not use violence as a way to teach children lessons, a draft law said on Jan. 20.

 

The draft family education law also said they should not discriminate against children based on their gender or physical condition, or coerce, lure, incite or use minors to violate laws, regulations or social morality.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

Doctors must report cases of infectious diseases, emergency cases of diseases with unknown causes and abnormal health incidents as soon as they are identified, according to draft amendments to a law submitted to China’s top legislature for deliberation on Jan. 20.

 

The government should ensure the legitimate rights of doctors, including creating a good environment for them to practice medicine and take effective measures to prevent and fight legal violations targeting doctors, the draft said.

 

From: China Daily global

 

 

China’s top court has called on courts nationwide to offer psychological, economic and educational support to children when hearing cases involving violence and sexual assault.

 

The requirements are in a guideline on handling juveniles cases in a new era and was issued by the Supreme People’s Court on Jan. 20.

 

From: chinadaily.com.cn

 

 

Chinese lawmakers are considering specific penalties for those who steal the identities of others to enroll in a school or college.

 

The draft amendment to the nation’s Education Law was presented on Jan. 20 to the lawmakers for the first reading at the ongoing session of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

At a meeting of the State Council’s Leading Group for Promoting the Development of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises on Jan. 21, Vice-Premier Liu He stressed the need for a better development environment for SMEs as well as policies and services to help them overcome the challenges they face. In particular, Liu called for easier financing for SMEs and better protection of their rights and interests.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

On Jan. 25, Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the World Economic Forum (WEF) Virtual Event of the Davos Agenda and delivered a special address via video link. President Xi attended the WEF for the first time on Jan. 17, 2017, when he firmly called for globalization and building a community with a shared future for human beings. His calls have demonstrated his deep thinking on human development as the leader of a major country.

 

From: CGTN

 

 

Beijing will issue an action plan to provide better services for older people this year, the city’s working committee for the elderly population said on Jan. 25.

 

According to the draft three-year plan, the city will improve services in nine fields including public services, transportation and intelligent applications to provide better public resources and cultural environment for the elderly.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

More than 253,000 unattended children in China had received living stipends by the end of last year, a civil affairs official said on Jan. 25.

 

Each of the children, whose parents were absent and unable to take care of them for various reasons, received a monthly subsidy of 1,140 yuan ($176), said Ni Chunxia, deputy director of the Ministry of Civil Affairs’ child welfare department.

 

The measure was taken after 12 ministries and departments, including the Ministry of Civil Affairs, published a notice on strengthening the protection of de facto unattended children, which came into effect in January last year, she said.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

China has adopted targeted measures to ensure the well-being of children and the elderly left behind during the upcoming Spring Festival, said an official from the Ministry of Civil Affairs on Jan. 27.

 

As China has called on all residents to minimize travel during the traditional holiday to prevent the spread of COVID-19, many children and senior citizens will not be able to reunite with their families.

 

Local officials are required to regularly visit children and the elderly with no one taking care of them to learn their needs and provide help in a timely fashion, said Guo Yuqiang, director of the ministry’s child welfare bureau, at a press conference.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

A slew of ministry-level departments, including those responsible for civil affairs, education, and market regulation have responded recently to matters of public concern.

 

Grassroots-level authorities should understand the situation of children in rural areas whose parents have to skip returning home for the Spring Festival holiday due to COVID-19 and ensure that they have entrusted caregivers, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said on Jan. 29.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

The cotton textile enterprises in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region all understand the importance of responsible business conduct and have increased supply chain transparency, a social responsibility report on the industry said.

 

As China’s top cotton growing region, Xinjiang has boosted its labor-intensive textile industry since 2014 to create more job opportunities for local people, especially women. The industry plays an important role in creating jobs and increasing people’s incomes and social status, said the report, which was released by the Xinjiang Textile Industry Association on Jan. 31.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

Experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) have visited the Huanan seafood market and two hospitals in Wuhan, the epicenter of China’s coronavirus outbreak last year, according to a Chinese health official on Jan. 31.

 

They’ve also met with frontline medics and talked with early patients, said Mi Feng, spokesperson for the National Health Commission, at a press conference.

 

From: CGTN