China’s ambassador to the United Nations on Oct. 1 called on all countries to strengthen solidarity and achieve vaccine equity at an early date to overcome the “vaccine nationalism” that has left many developing nations short of COVID-19 vaccines.

 

In a joint statement made on behalf of 78 countries, including Mexico, Pakistan and South Africa, Zhang Jun, China’s permanent representative to the UN, noted that vaccines are a powerful weapon against viruses. However, as “a global public good”, their equity in terms of distribution is “far from being reached”, and their accessibility and affordability “need to be solved urgently”.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

A Chinese envoy on Oct. 4 called on all countries to heighten their attention to poverty alleviation and develop strategies to reduce poverty based on their national situation.

 

Addressing a side-event of the ongoing 48th session of the UN Human Rights Council, Chen Xu, China’s permanent representative to the UN Office at Geneva, also called upon nations to make concrete efforts to improve people’s livelihood and strengthen social security, in order to make sure that the development outcomes benefit the populace in a fair manner.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

A Chinese envoy said on Oct. 7 that the best answer to China’s human rights situation is found in people’s happy life and smiling faces.

 

“The best answer to China’s human rights situation lies in the happy life and smiling faces of the Chinese people,” Zhang Jun, China’s permanent representative to the United Nations (UN), told the General Debate of the Third Committee of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA).

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

Through an increasing effort to combat pollution, China has achieved remarkable results in pollution control, according to a white paper released on Oct. 8 by the State Council Information Office.

 

Having announced a battle against pollution, the country has improved the quality of air, water and soil, said the white paper titled “Biodiversity Conservation in China.”

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

Over 300 scholars and government officials from 14 countries and eight international organizations including the UN attended a forum on global ecological civilization construction in southwest China’s Yunnan Province on Oct. 9, according to local authorities.

 

At the forum themed on jointly building an ecological civilization and protecting the beautiful planet, guests said countries in the world are closely linked and it is essential to together face ecological and environmental problems.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

Multilateralism and international cooperation are essential tools to protect human rights and create a fair international order, experts and leaders of social organizations said at a seminar in Beijing on Oct. 13.

 

The seminar on global human rights governance is a side event of the 48th Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council and has attracted nearly 20 experts, academicians and leaders of social organizations from China and other countries.

 

From: CGTN

 

 

Experts attending a counter-terrorism and de-radicalization symposium in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou have called for international cooperation on counter-terrorism and joint efforts to tackle risks and challenges.

 

Held both online and offline on Oct. 13, the fourth global symposium on counter-terrorism, de-radicalization and human right protection attracted officials, experts, scholars and representatives from non-governmental organizations from countries including China, the United Kingdom, the United States, Sweden, Italy and Pakistan.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

In an instruction to a national working meeting on aging on Oct. 14, Premier Li Keqiang underlined the need to focus on elderly people’s needs in social security, elderly care and healthcare services, as part of efforts to tackle the aging trend and improve the group’s sense of gain, happiness and security.

 

He added that more efforts should be devoted to developing community-based elderly care services and mobilizing the whole of society to meet diverse demands for elderly care.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

China has made great progress in terms of human rights protection, and the Communist Party of China (CPC) will continue its efforts in advancing the cause of human rights, officials said on Oct. 15 at a symposium marking the 30th anniversary of the country’s first white paper on human rights, “Human Rights in China.”

 

Over 70 people, including officials, representatives from grass-roots organs, scholars and experts, attended the symposium, which was held by China’s State Council Information Office.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

China’s path of human rights development, explored by its people under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, is in essence a concrete manifestation of the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the field of human rights, a senior official said on Oct. 15.

 

The fundamental goal of the path is to protect people’s rights and interests and to promote the all-round development of the people, said Jiang Jianguo, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang underlined the importance of harvesting and sowing work this autumn and winter to ensure food security and stable prices on Oct. 20.

 

At an executive meeting of the State Council, Li also heard a report on energy supplies for the winter, and called for scaled up policy support for micro, small and medium-sized firms.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

Chinese and foreign experts and scholars held in-depth discussions on China’s experience in poverty eradication and international cooperation on poverty reduction at a seminar on Oct. 21.

 

The seminar was jointly hosted both online and offline by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC).

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

Members of the China Committee on Religion and Peace (CCRP) on Oct. 21 expressed its willingness to promote ecological conservation and green development 

together with international counterparts.

 

Religious and environmental protection personnel from over 20 countries joined an online meeting held by the CCRP to discuss religious culture and ecological civilization.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

China is considering raising the standard of qualifications required for teachers in a proposed revision to the Teachers Law, Minister of Education Huai Jinpeng said on Oct. 21.

 

Teachers will have higher education requirements, Huai stated when delivering a report to the ongoing session of the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

The Third Global Women’s Development Forum is held in Qianhe village, Jiande county-level city in Hangzhou on Oct. 23.

 

The village is the birth place of the slogan “Women hold up half the sky,” which has inspired generations of Chinese people since the 1950s.

 

Over 150 attendants from home and abroad discussed the slogan’s power in the new era and the village’s successful practices in supporting female entrepreneurs.

 

From: www.ehangzhou.gov.cn

 

 

Foreign envoys spoke highly on Oct. 25 of China’s tremendous contributions as a member of the United Nations, saying that the presence of the People’s Republic of China in the UN since 1971 has made it the most universal and representative international organization with the greatest authority.

 

They made the remarks as they gathered in Beijing for a conference marking the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the People’s Republic of China’s lawful seat in the UN.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

The domestic job market has been running smoothly over the past nine months thanks to government efforts to improve jobseeker’s working skills, crack down on companies in arrears of wage payments and implement campaigns to help college graduates land jobs.

 

The latest figures from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security on Oct. 27 show that around 10.45 million people landed jobs in urban areas from January to September. That figure is 95 percent of the nation’s target of creating 11 million new jobs in urban areas this year.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

China’s trade council on Oct. 29 released commercial mediation rules for the settlement of foreign-related intellectual property rights (IPR) disputes, the first of their kind in the country. The rules will take effect on Nov 1.

 

Issued by a mediation center under the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, the rules detail regulations on applications, personnel, modes and fees related to the mediation of IPR disputes.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s speech at the Group of 20 (G20) leaders’ summit reflects China’s “very deep concern” for global community, rallying all nations to address key issues including sustainable development, climate change and the global fight against the pandemic, analysts said.

 

In a speech delivered on Oct. 30 via video link, Xi said the world is “faced with changes and a pandemic both unseen in a century”. He encouraged members of the G20, as the premier forum for international economic cooperation, “to shoulder its due responsibilities, bear in mind the future of humanity and the welfare of the people, uphold openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation, practice true multilateralism, and promote the building of a community with a shared future for human beings”.

 

From: chinadaily.com.cn

 

 

 

The Beijing Municipal Barrier-Free Environment Construction Regulation, which allows the visually impaired to be accompanied by a guide dog in public places and even use public transport, came into effect on Nov. 1.

 

The regulation will be of immense help to the visually impaired, because guide dogs can help them navigate the streets and use public transport with less trouble.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

On Nov. 1, the Personal Information Protection Law was officially implemented. Combined with the Data Security Law that came into effect on Sept. 1, the legal framework in the field of data security is being established and improved.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

China is endeavoring to promote a broader and deeper opening-up of the intellectual property rights sector to boost international IPR cooperation during the 14th Five Year Plan period (2021-2025), said the IPR authorities at a press conference on Nov. 1.

 

The IPR authorities have drafted three major moves targeted to make breakthroughs in IPR global cooperation, Gan Shaoning, deputy head of the National Intellectual Property Administration (NIPA), said at the press conference.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

China’s drug insurance regulatory reforms in the past few years have greatly eased the financial burden of patients while boosting access to advanced and innovative medications, according to a blue paper released on Nov. 2.

 

The country has rolled out a number of major medical insurance policies since 2018, including regular updates of its drug reimbursement list, price negotiations with drugmakers and national bulk-buy programs.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

Sixteen ministry-level departments, including transport and public security, jointly released a guideline to protect the rights of truck drivers.

 

The guideline, released on Nov. 3, aims to create a better working environment for truckers and protect their legal rights. It includes measures for building more rest stations for truckers and offering property insurance to ease their troubles.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

An exhibition, titled `Promoting Shared Prosperity for a Peaceful Future, was jointly hosted by the Chinese Mission in Geneva, the UN Office in Geneva and Xinhua News Agency. Li Song, charge d`affaires of the Chinese Mission in Geneva on Nov. 4, together with dozens of UN officials and ambassadors from other countries, visited the photo exhibition.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

China aims to promote the training of professional social workers to assist grassroots level governance, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

 

Last month, a record 829,000 applicants sat for an annual national examination for social worker’s certification, a year-on-year increase of 36 percent, Chen Jun, deputy director of the charity promotion and social work department of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, told a news conference on Nov. 5.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

China will include screening for depression in student health checks amid efforts to prevent the mental disorder among teenagers, according to a statement released on Nov. 9 by the Ministry of Education.

 

The statement was released in response to a proposal on preventing depression among teenage students put forth by the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, China’s top political advisory body, during its fourth session from March 4 to 10 this year.

 

 

 

Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccines have helped some emerging countries achieve impressive vaccination rates, in some cases faster than richer economies, said 

a British research report on Nov. 10.

 

The Economist Intelligence Unit, research and analysis division of Economist Group, said in its latest report that more than seven billion shots have been administered around the world as of late October. However, developed countries have succeeded in vaccinating large percentages of their populations, while many developing states have made only negligible progress.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

The Cyberspace Administration of China on Nov. 14 issued a set of draft management regulations on protecting internet data security to solicit opinion from the public.

 

According to the regulations, the country shall establish a category- and classbased data protection system.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

China has adopted a series of measures that effectively eased pressure on the supply of electricity and coal, and the country’s future energy supply is guaranteed, Premier Li Keqiang said on Nov. 16.

 

While addressing the World Economic Forum Special Virtual Dialogue with Global Business Leaders, Li said that China will consider its national conditions and push forward the low-carbon transition in a balanced and orderly way on the premise of ensuring the steady and safe supply of energy.

 

From: China Daily Global

 

 

A State Council executive meeting on Nov. 17 reviewed and approved a plan to digitalize government services nationwide during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025).

 

China will accelerate the construction of a digital government to improve administrative services, according to the meeting, which was chaired by Premier Li Keqiang.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

Forest cover in China increased 26.5 million hectares from 2007 to 2020, contributing about 95 percent of the total increase among all 21 members of the APEC, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration said on Nov. 17.

 

The administration also said the forest cover of the Asia-Pacific region grew by a total of 27.9 million hectares during the same period, achieving the goal of increasing forest cover of the region by at least 20 million hectares of all types of forest by 2020.

 

From: chinadaily.com.cn

 

 

Common goals with diversified approaches showcase exactly what diplomats are doing in various domains in Geneva, because civilizations are rich and diverse, and so is democracy, a senior Chinese diplomat said on Nov. 18.

 

Li Song, charge d’affaires of the Chinese Mission in Geneva, said at the opening of a webinar titled “Democracy and Human Rights: Common Goals with Diversified Approaches” that democracy is not something that could be mass produced.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

China’s Ministry of Education (MOE) has launched a month-long recruiting program starting from Nov. 20 to help the country’s over 10 million new college graduates in 2022 secure a job.

 

Together with 12 major job-hunting agencies, the MOE will hold online recruitment activities and organize at least 10 large-scale national job fairs for key regions, key industries and key groups.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

China will impose high penalties on violations that may jeopardize its groundwater resources with a new regulation, as it strives to address excessive exploitation and pollution of the resources, a senior official said. 

 

Wei Shanzhong, vice-minister of water resources, made the remarks in a news conference organized by the State Council Information Office on Nov. 22, following the publication of a recent regulation on groundwater management.

 

From: chinadaily.com.cn

 

 

Chinese courts will be criticized and held accountable if they are found to not have filed new cases because they are handling existing disputes, China’s top court said on Nov. 23.

 

Since 2015, courts nationwide have been ordered to file cases immediately after receiving plaintiffs’ registrations and ensuring their materials are sufficient, “but we’ve still discovered some courts have refused to accept new cases at the end of a year because they have been under pressure to solve existing disputes,” said Qian Xiaochen, head of the Case Filing Tribunal with the Supreme People’s Court.

 

From: chinadaily.com.cn

 

 

The Shanghai municipal government released details of a regulation on indemnificatory housing, which includes government-backed rental housing for qualified new residents, young people and other groups, at a news conference on Nov. 23. According to the regulation, the increase in the rent for indemnificatory housing should be limited to 5 percent a year.

 

On Nov. 24, the Beijing Municipal People’s Congress reviewed a draft on indemnificatory housing, and decided that the deposit rental housing agencies collect from tenants should not exceed a month’s rent. The congress also authorized the Beijing government to better regulate the rental housing market.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

China’s practices of ensuring that people can have equal access to justice and supervise administrative powers in accordance with the law are valuable lessons for other countries, two Chinese human rights experts said during the third session of the United Nations’ Forum on Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law.

 

The forum, focusing on equal access to justice for all, was held in Geneva, Switzerland, on Nov. 23 and Nov. 24.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

Democratic systems used to protect human rights are diversified and should be appropriate to each country’s own situation, experts on law, politics and public affairs from China and overseas said at an international seminar on Nov. 24.

 

The experts made the remarks at an international webinar on “The Diversity of Democracy: Systems and Practices across States”, which was led by the China Society for Human Rights Studies and hosted by Central South University’s Human Rights Center in Changsha, Hunan province.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

China will promote breastfeeding over the next five years by improving hospitals’ consultancy services, public support facilities and protecting women’s working rights during lactation.

 

A plan released by the National Health Commission on Nov. 24 said breastfeeding is of great importance to promote a new-born’s growth, and can also reduce the morbidity risk to mother and baby.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

Parents in Shanghai will be able to enjoy more time with their newborns and extra annual child care leave after a revision to the municipal population and family planning regulation was passed by the city’s legislature on Nov. 25.

 

The revision was approved by the standing committee of the Shanghai Municipal People’s Congress to bring the local regulation into line with the amendment of China’s Population and Family Planning Law in August.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

Young people in Zhejiang will get more time to care for their aging parents, according to a newly released regulation from the Zhejiang People’s Congress on Nov. 25. 

 

For families with only one child, if one of the child’s parents is over 60, the child can take five days off to accompany their parents every year, with the child’s salary, bonuses and other social benefits remaining, according to the regulation.

 

From: chinadaily.com.cn

 

 

China rolled out a guidance on Nov. 30 to better safeguard the rights of workers from emerging businesses in the transportation industry, such as ride-hailing, requiring operators to improve income distribution mechanisms and guarantee rest periods for drivers.

 

The move came after Chinese regulators told 10 companies in the delivery and ride-hailing sectors, including Meituan, DiDi Global, Alibaba Group’s Ele.me and Tencent Holdings, to better protect their workers in September.

 

From: CGTN

 

 

China spent more than 5.3 trillion yuan ($832 billion) on education last year, up 5.7 percent from 2019, according to the national education expenditure report released on Nov. 30.

 

The report, jointly released by the Ministry of Education, the National Bureau of Statistics and the Ministry of Finance, said government budgetary spending on education totaled about 4.3 trillion yuan last year, up 7.2 percent year-on-year.

 

From: chinadaily.com.cn