Foreign diplomats think highly of Xinjiang’s development after touring around the region, and have called for more global cooperation rather than defamation, unilateralism and hegemonism.

 

Amid the attacks from some Western countries on claimed human rights grounds, the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous regional government held talks in Urumqi on April 2 with more than 30 foreign diplomats on the region’s development.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

China’s State Council Information Office on April 6 issued a white paper titled “Poverty Alleviation: China’s Experience and Contribution.”

 

The white paper was issued to record the course of the Chinese people’s great fight in eliminating extreme poverty, introduce China’s approach, and share its experience and actions in poverty alleviation.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

The 8,993 proposals which were submitted to China’s annual legislative session this year were transferred to relevant departments for research and handling, a vivid example of Chinese democracy transforming people’s voices into concrete plans and actions.

 

The National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee has set 22 priority topics, which can be categorized into six aspects including ensuring the livelihoods of the people, planning the work of the NPC Standing Committee, accelerating the development of a modern industrial system, comprehensively advancing rural vitalization, implementing the regional development strategies and promoting green development, according to the data made public on April 6.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

The Education Ministry has issued a draft guideline designed to protect minors from sexual harassment, assault and bullying at primary and secondary schools and has asked schools to adopt a zero-tolerance approach to such incidents.

 

The detailed regulation on protecting minors at schools also bans romantic or sexual relationships between teachers and students. It forbids teachers from molesting, giving verbal or physical sexual suggestions and showing obscene materials to students.

 

The guideline, issued on April 6, is open for public comment until April 23.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

China plans to recruit 84,330 college graduates as teachers in rural primary and middle schools in 2021 as part of efforts to promote rural vitalization, the Ministry of Education said on April 7.

 

The recruitment is mainly for the once-impoverished areas and those inhabited by ethnic minorities to consolidate the results of poverty reduction, according to a notice issued by the ministries of education and finance on carrying out rural specialpost teacher recruitment program this year.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

The International Conference on the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Progress on Human Rights in China was held in Changchun, capital of northeast China’s Jilin Province, on April 8.

 

It was joined by more than 100 representatives from over 20 countries and international organizations, who gave a high evaluation on the CPC’s efforts to strive for, respect and safeguard human rights in its 100-year history.

 

From: People’s Daily

 

 

China’s surveyed urban unemployment rate stood at 5.3 percent in March, 0.6 percentage points lower than the same period last year, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed on April 16.

 

A total of 2.97 million new jobs were created in urban areas in the first quarter(Q1), said the NBS.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

China has made remarkable progress in promoting gender equality and women empowerment, effectively ensuring women’s rights in areas including politics, economy, culture and social life, a senior official said on April 16.

 

Yang Wenzhuang, an official with China’s National Health Commission, made the remarks during the launch of the State of World Population 2021 report in Beijing, released by the United Nations Population Fund.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

China has launched the second phase of a national language resources protection project. It aims is to promote standard written and spoken Chinese and protect dialects and languages of ethnic minorities, the Ministry of Education said on April 19.

 

More than 350 colleges, universities, and research institutions have participated in the project so far, involving over 4,500 professionals.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

China has released a new standard for national basic public services to ensure equal access for all people and improve people’s basic livelihood, a leading official at the country’s top economic planner said on April 21.

 

The standard, issued by the National Development and Reform Commission and 20 other departments, covers 80 public services in nine categories, including education, employment, social security, housing and medical services.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

China is expanding medical insurance accounts to enable them to be shared among immediate family members rather than reserved for personal use.

 

Set up in 1998, the State-level medical insurance system allows only insured employees to use their personal account to cover their own expenses at medical institutions.

 

Under a reform guideline released by the General Office of the State Council on April 22, immediate family members-including spouses, parents and children-will be able to use the personal account of the insured.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

China on April 26 released a guideline on improving urban drainage to safeguard people’s lives and property and support sound economic and social development.

 

The guideline, introduced by the General Office of the State Council, highlighted systematically constructing drainage and waterlogging prevention systems, strengthening urban emergency management, and improving urban planning.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

China’s child welfare institutions will offer professional social work services and see each social worker is responsible for a maximum of 40 children.

 

The Ministry of Civil Affairs on April 27 said it has approved the release of a guideline for the social work services of child welfare institutions, which, for the first time, clarifies requirements for institutions carrying out social work.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

China spent more than 5.3 trillion yuan (around 817 billion U.S. dollars) on education in 2020, up approximately 5.65 percent from 2019, showed statistics released on April 27 by the Ministry of Education.

 

The statistics indicated that about 4.3 trillion yuan, or over 80 percent of the total spending, came from government budgetary spending.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

Chinese authorities on April 27 launched a nationwide campaign to enhance the public awareness of fraudulent practices, along with a month-long publicity drive to combat telecom and internet frauds.

 

It is better to prevent the crime in advance than to crack down on it afterward, said Du Hangwei, vice minister of public security, calling for active public participation from all walks of life in the country’s efforts against such illegal activities.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

The State Council, China’s Cabinet, unveiled on April 27 a high-level leading group to coordinate work related to the protection of minors among various government agencies, as well as judicial and other bodies.

 

Led by Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan, the cross-departmental group was created to better implement the newly revised Minors Protection Law, said a circular on the website of the State Council.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

China’s nationwide maternal mortality rate was 16.9 per 100,000 in 2020, down 15.9 percent than 2015, said a health official on April 29.

 

The infant mortality rate was 5.4 per 1,000 in 2020, a decrease of 33.3 percent compared with 2015, said Song Li, head of the division of women and children of the National Health Commission at a news briefing.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

Chinese lawmakers on April 29 passed an amendment to the Education Law,aimed at ensuring fairness in education by mandating tougher punishment for those who steal the identity of others to enroll in a school or college.

 

Impostors will have their admission qualifications revoked and slapped with a ban from relevant national examinations for two to five years, according to the amendment, which was approved at the 28th session of the 13th National People’s Congress Standing Committee.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

China’s top legislature passed a law on April 29 to promote the national rural vitalization strategy with provisions ranging from attracting talent to boosting rural industries to preserving ecology.

 

The law will come into force on June 1. It came after a draft of the 10-chapter Rural Vitalization Promotion Act was submitted on April 26 to the National People’s Congress Standing Committee for a third review.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

 

China will further promote stable grain production and enhance its ability to ensure food security, a State Council executive meeting chaired by Premier Li

Keqiang decided on May 6.

 

Thanks to a succession of bumper harvests in recent years, the country has enjoyed an ample supply of major agricultural products and ensured basic selfsufficiency in cereal grains and absolute grain security.

 

From: CGTN

 

 

China has made positive achievements in vigorously developing higher education and eliminating illiteracy among young adults over the past 10 years, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on May 11.

 

The education level of the population has continuously improved, said Ning Jizhe, head of the NBS, citing data from the seventh national census released on May 11.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

China will extend certain pro-employment policies that will help to reduce the burden on businesses until the end of this year, and will further support flexible employment, the State Council’s Executive Meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang decided on May 12.

 

The policy of refunding unemployment insurance premiums to help businesses maintain stable employment will remain in place.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

A nutrition and health guide for Chinese children and adolescents released on May 15 calls for improvement in children’s diets and efforts to strengthen childhood nutrition education.

 

The guide, published by the Chinese Association for Student Nutrition and Health Promotion, underlined the need to address undesirable eating patterns among children despite major progress in childhood nutrition and fitness in the country.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

Chinese State Councilor Wang Yong on May 16 called for improving the quality of life of the disabled and enhancing the protection of their livelihood.

 

Wang, director of State Council Working Committee on Disability, made the remarks when attending a series of activities marking China’s 31st National Day for Helping the Disabled in Beijing.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

A seminar was held in Beijing on May 19 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the peaceful liberation of Tibet.

 

The seminar was co-organized by the China Society for Human Rights Studies, the China Association for Preservation and Development of Tibetan Culture (CAPDTC), and the China Tibetology Research Center.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

The average salary of China’s urban employees saw growth in 2020 despite the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, official data showed on May 19.

 

In non-private sectors, the real growth of the average salary for urban employees, adjusted for inflation, rose by 5.2 percent to 97,379 yuan (about 15,155 U.S. dollars), according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

China will work to ensure the supply of commodities and keep their prices stable, to maintain steady economic performance, the State Council’s Executive Meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang decided on May 19.

 

Assistance will be provided to help market entities, especially micro and small businesses and self-employed individuals, cope with rising costs and other difficulties in their production and operation.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

China on May 21 announced several new measures to help developing countries tackle the COVID-19 pandemic and its sweeping impacts, pledging to contribute $3 billion in the next three years and provide more vaccines.

 

Addressing the Global Health Summit via video link, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged the world’s leading economies to remedy deficiencies, close loopholes and strengthen weak links in fighting “the most serious pandemic in a century.”

 

From: CGTN

 

 

Infrastructure construction in Southwest China’s Tibet autonomous region has greatly boosted social and economic development in the area and enhanced local people’s livelihoods, the region’s top leaders said.

 

In the past seven decades, the central government has invested 1.63 trillion yuan ($ 253.3 billion) in Tibet to boost the region’s development, and more than one-third of the investments — over 590 billion yuan — was allocated to major infrastructure projects, including the Sichuan-Tibet Highway, Qinghai-Tibet Railway and Lhasa Gongga International Airport, which have effectively promoted the economic and social development of Tibet, according to Wu Yingjie, the region’s Party secretary.

 

He made the remarks at a news conference held by the State Council’s Information Office on May 21.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

China’s State Council Information Office on May 21 issued a white paper on the peaceful liberation of Tibet and its development over the past seven decades.

 

The white paper, titled “Tibet Since 1951: Liberation, Development and Prosperity,” reviewed Tibet’s history and achievements, and presented a true and panoramic picture of the new socialist Tibet.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

A modern education system covering preschool, basic, vocational, higher, continuing and special education has been basically established in southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region after seven decades of efforts, said a senior local official on May 22.

 

The rights and interests of people of all ethnic groups in the region have been fully ensured, said Qizhala, chairman of the Tibet regional government, at a news conference on the economic and social development of Tibet held by the State Council Information Office in Beijing.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

China’s top political advisor Wang Yang on May 24 called for consolidating and extending the achievements of poverty alleviation, and fully implementing the rural vitalization strategy.

 

Wang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference National Committee, made the remarks while attending a special consultative conference in Beijing.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

The number of orphans dipped 66 percent between 2012 and 2019, from about 570,000 to 190,000, a Ministry of Civil Affairs official said on May 25.

 

Zhao Yong, deputy head of the ministry’s child welfare department, said 59,000 of them are reared in the country’s sprawling orphanage network, down 30 percent from 86,000 in 2017, and more than 70 percent of county-level orphanages have less than 10 children.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

Chinese Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan on May 25 called for more support for retired military personnel and veterans with disabilities and illnesses during an inspection to East China’s Shandong province.

 

Sun, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, visited veteran communities, a veteran service center, and a

hospital for veterans during the inspection.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

President Xi Jinping called on May 26 for joint efforts and urgent global action to build a beautiful home with harmony between humans and nature, adding that China is standing ready to cooperate with other nations and international organizations to promote global ecological and environmental governance.

 

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remark in a congratulatory letter to the World Judicial Conference on Environment.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

China’s Tibet Autonomous Region has achieved significant economic and social development. Its human rights causes have made comprehensive progress and historic achievements over the past 70 years since its peaceful liberation, experts attending an international seminar said on May 26.

 

The seminar on Tibet’s human rights progress and development over the past seven decades took place in the southwestern Chinese municipality of Chongqing.

Experts and scholars from countries including China, Russia, and Nepal participated in the seminar.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

Scholars from China, Korea, Vietnam, Singapore and the U.S. have participated in a webinar on anti-Asian discrimination in the United States.

 

Over 300 people watched Saturday’s event online. They discussed the impact of hostile relationship between China and the U.S. on anti-Chinese prejudice, and the possibility of joint efforts on addressing anti-Black racism alongside prejudice against Chinese and ethnic minorities.

 

From: CGTN

 

 

Chinese authorities have called for improving moral education, sports and cultural activities for primary and secondary school students as well as  pre-school children in rural areas.

 

At a video conference on May 31, authorities noted that minors are the future of the country and stressed the need to cultivate moral character and a fine lifestyle among rural children and young people.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

Procuratorial authorities will fully meet their responsibilities to protect minors and prioritize the quality and effectiveness of such work, an official from China’s highest prosecution agency said on May 31.

 

Shi Weizhong, head of the ninth division of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, was addressing a news briefing a day before revisions to the Minors Protection Law and the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency Law came into force.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

China has reinforced human rights protection in death sentence review and tightened the conditions applicable to the death penalty in recent years, a top court official said on May 31.

 

Defendants who render significant meritorious services shall generally be granted leniency and be exempted from the death sentence if possible, Li Xiao, a senior judge with the Supreme People’s Court (SPC), told a press conference.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

China has accomplished all its targets for improving people’s human rights in the past five years, including lifting all people out of extreme poverty, further protecting women’s and children’s rights, overturning wrongful convictions and promoting the development of ethnic groups, senior officials and experts on human rights said at a press conference on May 31.

 

More than 170 indexes on various fields related to human rights set under the National Human Rights Action Plan of China (2016-2020) have been accomplished, with Chinese people’s sense of happiness and security being greatly improved, said Li Xiaojun, director of the publicity department of the Human Rights Bureau in the State Council Information Office of CPC.

 

From: Global Times

 

 

The past five years have been the best for the development of human rights in China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, a Chinese official said on May 31.

 

People’s living conditions have improved remarkably and great achievements have been made in the fight against poverty in Xinjiang, Li Xiaojun, an official with the State Council Information Office, told a press conference.

 

From: Xinhua