China’s conversion of farmlands to forests and grasslands has contributed more than 4 percent to the growth of global green areas, according to a release from the National Forestry and Grassland Administration published on Feb. 3.

 

Since 1999, China has launched two projects returning 14.2 million hectares of farmland to forests and grasslands, with the central government investing more than 570 billion yuan ($84 billion) to the cause, the administration said.

 

From: chinadaily.com.cn

 

 

Authorities have pledged to continue to prioritize seniors and young children in rural areas as the group that needs the most protection against COVID-19, even though the virus had subsided nationwide.

 

The weeklong Spring Festival holiday, which officially ended on Jan. 27, didn’t cause a spike of COVID-19 infections in thinly resourced rural areas as experts had feared, and the risk for the virus to further spread among farmers was described by a senior agricultural official on Feb. 3 as low.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

The Red Cross Society of China said that it will send the Turkish Red Crescent and the Syrian Red Crescent cash to help with disaster relief and rescue operations after strong earthquakes shook Turkiye and Syria on Feb. 6.

 

Each organization will receive $200,000, the society said.

 

From: chinadaily.com.cn

 

 

Schools and universities can establish positions for sports coaches to offer guidance to students and alleviate the shortage of sports teachers, a new guideline said on Feb. 10.

 

The guideline, issued by the General Administration of Sport and three other departments, said primary, middle, high schools, secondary vocational schools and universities can all establish such full-time or part-time posts.

 

From: CHINA DAILY

 

 

The Communist Party of China Central Committee and State Council on Feb. 13 unveiled the highly anticipated “No 1 Central Document” for the year, which pledged to advance the national strategy of rural vitalization with the whole of the Party’s strength and accelerate the modernization process in rural regions, according to Xinhua News Agency.

 

In a summary of the document published by Xinhua, central authorities said the CPC Central Committee has agreed work related to agriculture, rural villages and farmers will be the most important among the Party’s key tasks, and cannot risk any mistakes.

 

From: chinadaily.com.cn

 

 

Entitled “Promoting Innovative Development of Higher Education with Digital Transformation”, a parallel session on higher education was held in Beijing on Feb. 14 during the World Digital Education Conference.

 

The session was a way for participants from different countries to share their experience in the digital transformation of higher education, promote the rebuilding of higher education and serve its innovative development.

 

Almost 3,000 representatives from international organizations, government institutions and universities attended the session online and off at Tsinghua University.

 

From: chinadaily.com.cn

 

 

Serious violent crimes have fallen in number and proportion to total crimes, with the number of prosecutions dropping by 27.8 percent compared with the previous five years, according to the Supreme People’s Procuratorate.

 

The number of prosecutions for violent crimes such as homicide, robbery and kidnapping in 2022 was the lowest in the past two decades, and the proportion of prosecutions for serious violent crimes among total crimes dropped from 25 percent in 1999 to 3.9 percent in 2022, according to statistics released by the SPP at a news conference held on Feb. 15.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

China is encouraging drugstores nationwide to integrate with the reimbursement system for outpatient services under the country’s medical insurance schemes.

 

The move will enable those covered by medical insurance schemes to have their medicine bills incurring at drugstores reimbursed by medical insurance funds, according to a circular released by the National Healthcare Security Administration on Feb. 15.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

China released its survey results on the integrated risk of natural disasters on Feb. 15, the first of its kind in the country aiming to help prevent disasters in the future.

 

Zheng Guoguang, secretary-general of the National Disaster Reduction Commission, told a news conference that the results reveal hidden risks posed by natural disasters and disaster resistance capacity in some key regions.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

The government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has continued to firmly uphold the rights and freedoms enjoyed by Hong Kong residents following the implementation of the National Security Law for Hong Kong, and law enforcement actions in national security cases are evidence-based and in strict accordance with the law, a delegation from the Hong Kong government told a recent UN meeting.

 

The government delegation, which was led by the Permanent Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Gracie Foo Siuwai, attended the meeting of the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on Feb. 15 and Feb. 16, to respond to the committee’s concerns on the human rights situation in Hong Kong.

 

From: CHINA DAILY

 

 

A high-level Chinese delegation participated in the third review of its implementation on the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) ON Feb. 15 and Feb. 16.

 

The Chinese delegation consists of representatives from Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the United Front Department of the CPC Central Committee, the Supreme People’s Court, Ministry of Education, National Ethnic Affairs Commission, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Civil Affairs, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, National Health Commission, National Religious Affairs Administration, National Disease Prevention and Control Administration and National Working Committee on Children and Women under the State Council, as well as the governments of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Macao Special Administrative Region.

 

The delegation was led by Ambassador Chen Xu, Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations Office at Geneva.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

Over the past years, China has made “a great leap forward” in protecting all Chinese people’s economic, social and cultural rights “in a coordinated manner,” said Chen Xu, China’s permanent representative to the United Nations Office at Geneva, on Feb. 16.

 

While briefing the media on the country’s human rights development following a two-day review of its report on the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), Chen said China follows a people-centered development philosophy, strives to meet the people’s aspirations for a better life, and keeps promoting economic and social development to improve the people’s welfare.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

China’s top court issued a guideline on Feb. 17 aiming to help the country achieve its climate targets of peaking carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and realizing carbon neutrality before 2060 through legal services.

 

The 24-article guideline made by the Supreme People’s Court highlights the significance of putting the environmental restoration first, clarifying that judges should balance the relationship between development and emission reduction of enterprises in case handling.

 

From: chinadaily.com.cn

 

 

Experts said reducing emissions is an urgent task in mitigating climate change at a seminar held by the National Climate Center in Beijing on Feb. 20.

 

Luo Yong, professor from the Department of Earth System Science at Tsinghua University, said adaptation to climate change cannot replace reducing emissions as a way to deal with the fact the world will face more changes due to global warming.

 

From: chinadaily.com.cn

 

 

Southwest China’s Tibet autonomous region has announced plans to invest 13.7 billion yuan (about $1.99 billion) this year in initiatives aimed at improving the well-being of local residents.

 

The initiatives include providing livelihood subsidies for border residents, supporting medical professionals in aiding Tibet, and upgrading the oxygen supply facilities in border counties and townships located in areas 3,500 meters above sea level, the regional government said on Feb. 21.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

Chinese people’s mental health was generally good last year, with about one in 10 adults at risk of depression, according to a report released on Feb. 23.

 

The rate of those prone to depression was slightly lower than the level recorded in 2020, researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Psychology said.

 

The decrease is partly attributed to the increasing accessibility of mental health services in recent years.

 

From: chinadaily.com.cn

 

 

As of last year, China’s transportation network has grown to cover more than 6 million kilometers, the minister of transport said recently.

 

From 2018 to 2022, China’s transportation sector saw investments of 17 trillion yuan ($2.44 trillion) in fixed assets, Minister Li Xiaopeng said at a news conference on Feb. 23.

 

China’s railway network covers 155,000 km, of which 42,000 km are high-speed railways, accounting for more than two-thirds of the world’s high-speed railways.

 

From: chinadaily.com.cn

 

 

China’s top emergency management watchdog on Feb. 24 ordered immediate safety rectifications at the nation’s coal mines to eliminate major risks after a coal mine collapsed in Alxa League, North China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on Feb. 22.

 

Comprehensive inspections and rectifications should be conducted to root out the major hidden safety hazards in key sectors and fields, said the Ministry of Emergency Management, calling for efforts to resolutely prevent major accidents from happening, in order to safeguard people’s lives and property and maintain social stability.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

China’s top internet regulator issued a guideline on Feb. 24 aiming to better protect personal information by specifying procedures and requirements for providing such information overseas.

 

The 13-article guideline, which requires personal information processors to sign standard contracts with the information receivers overseas, has been disclosed on the website of the Cyberspace Administration of China, with a sample contract attached available for download.

 

From: chinadaily.com.cn

 

 

The 52nd regular session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) began at the Palais des Nations in Geneva on Feb. 27, with Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addressing the opening ceremony.

 

The session will last through April 4, starting with a high-level segment from February 27 to March 2, and dignitaries representing more than 125 Member States addressing the Council.

 

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang will address via video link at a high-level segment on February 27, comprehensively introduce China’s vision and measures on human rights, elaborate on China’s proposals on global human rights governance, and contribute Chinese wisdom to the sound development of the international human rights cause, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning on Feb. 27.

 

From: CGTN

 

 

China will build major medical centers and increase the number of teams to handle health emergencies and contagious diseases following its experiences battling COVID-19, officials said on Feb. 27.

 

The nation also plans to increase its stockpiles of emergency medical materials, Guo Yanhong, head of the National Health Commission’s medical emergency department, said at a news briefing. The COVID-19 epidemic highlighted the significance of the country’s emergency medical treatment capacity as other public health threats continue to emerge, Guo said.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

The United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council held a high-level meeting on Feb. 28 and March 1 to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development, stressing that the landmark declaration was a ground-breaking achievement.

 

“The time had come to recognize the right to development as a human right — on a par with other human rights and fundamental freedoms,” said Amina J. Mohammed, UN deputy secretary-general and chair of the UN Sustainable Development Group.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

The upcoming reform of the institutions of the Communist Party of China and the State will seek to tackle some difficult major issues of public concern and exert significant influence over socioeconomic development, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, said on Feb. 28.

 

The reform will give priority to key sectors and areas and come up with targeted and strong measures that are wide-ranging and touch upon deeply vested interests, he added.

 

From: chinadaily.com.cn

 

 

An increasing number of people who participated in State-sponsored mass relocation projects, aimed at curbing some of China’s most entrenched poverty, have landed jobs near their new homes, with their income rising much faster than the average for rural residents nationwide, authorities said.

 

The employment rate of the 9.6 million people who moved out of their isolated hometowns to live closer to factories and schools during the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) period, as part of the nation’s sweeping poverty-alleviation drive, reached 94.46 percent by the end of 2022, up 2.54 percentage points year-on-year, Xinhua News Agency reported on Feb. 28.

 

From: CHINA DAILY

 

 

 

Chinese prosecutors have been taking a prudent approach to handling criminal cases involving juveniles, delivering targeted services to help them mend their ways and successfully re-enter into society.

 

Procuratorates have been implementing the policy of education, persuasion and redemption in handling juvenile delinquency cases, said Tong Jianming, deputy procurator-general of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate (SPP), at a press conference on March 1.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

China’s job market had a good start in the first two months of 2023 and is expected to stay stable this year as the country’s economy continues to recover, with fundamentals remaining sound and the government taking effective measures to support employment.

 

“The job market’s performance in the first two months was better than expected,” Wang Xiaoping, minister of human resources and social security, said at a news conference in Beijing on March 2. “Migrant workers looked forward to resuming work during the Spring Festival holiday in January, and companies launched recruitment campaigns to help them resume production soon after the holiday.”

 

From: China Daily

 

 

Elderly people in China will have the opportunity to continue their education in a national-level university from the 2023 spring semester onwards.

 

The establishment of The Seniors University of China (SUC) for the aged is a concrete measure to address population aging in China and an important milestone in the reform and development of education for the elderly, said China’s Minister of Education Huai Jinpeng, at the inauguration ceremony on March 3.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

China’s judicial authorities have stepped up protection of the rights and interests of women and children, dealing with domestic violence with stronger measures and taking a zero-tolerance stance for crimes against minors.

 

Over the past five years, nearly 9 million marriage- and family-related cases were concluded across the country, and 13,000 personal protection orders were issued, according to a report submitted by the top court to the national legislature for deliberation on March 7.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

The boarding school system in Tibet has maximized education opportunities for the children of farmers and herdsmen in remote areas of the region, and decades of practice have fully proved that, said Talo, director of the social and economic research institute of China Tibetology Research Center.

 

“As one of the universal teaching models in the human history of education, boarding schools are commonplace in both Chinese and European history. We should not deny this educational model just because astonishing tragedies once happened in colonial-era residential schools in Canada, Australia, and the United States,” he said.

 

Talo made the remarks on a side session held by the Society for Human Rights Studies on March 9 at the 52nd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

 

From: chinadaily.com.cn

 

 

China’s basic medical insurance fund recorded an accumulated balance of 4.25 trillion yuan (about $610.15 billion) at the end of 2022, statistics from the National Healthcare Security Administration showed on March 9.

 

The income and expenditure of the fund hit nearly 3.07 trillion yuan and 2.44 trillion yuan, respectively, in 2022, according to the administration.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

The forest coverage rate in China has reached about 24 percent, with 231 million hectares of forests. And 265 million hectares of grassland cover about 50 percent of the country’s land areas, according to a report released by the National Afforestation Committee on March 12.

 

The day marks the 45th National Tree Planting Day.

 

From: chinadaily.com.cn

 

 

China is empowering women by amending protection laws and eliminating discrimination to promote gender equality and social progress, experts said at a sideline event of the ongoing 52nd session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland on March 13.

 

From: chinadaily.com.cn

 

 

China’s food security is well guaranteed on the whole, and China will make sure that the rice bowls of its 1.4 billion people will always be firmly held in their own hands, Premier Li Qiang said on March 13.

 

The annual grain output in China has remained steady at over 650 million tonnes for eight years in a row, Li told a press conference.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

China will continue implementing its employment-first policy to stabilize the job market, and the growing “talent dividend” brought by increasing schooling years for laborers will boost the nation’s economic development, according to the premier.

 

Premier Li Qiang said at a news conference on March 13 in Beijing that employment is the foundation of people’s livelihood, and the fundamental way to tackle employment issues is to develop the economy.

 

From: chinadaily.com.cn

 

 

Representatives from international and non-governmental organizations from China and abroad attended a forum in Geneva on March 14 to discuss the participation of non-governmental organizations in the promotion of human rights protection and global development.

 

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the 52nd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council. Co-hosts included the China NGO Network for International Exchanges, the Geneva Agape Foundation, the Chinese Association For International Understanding, the China Foundation for Rural Development and the Peaceland Foundation.

 

From: chinadaily.com.cn

 

 

China’s top health authority has released its first regulation on home nursery care providers as part of its efforts to develop various childcare services to alleviate pressure on parents and lift birthrates.

 

The National Health Commission published a trial rule on home nursery care providers — agencies that transform residential places into nursery care facilities for children aged three and under — on March 15. The document is soliciting public opinion until April 14.

 

From: China Daily

 

 

Chinese courts at all levels concluded 32,000 first-instance cases related to online shopping contract disputes in 2022, a significant increase from the 12,000 in 2018, according to the Supreme People’s Court (SPC) on March 15.

 

Over the past five years, courts across China concluded 99,000 cases of first instance arising from disputes over online shopping contracts, and 23,000 concerning service contract disputes, He Xiaorong, vice president of the SPC, told a press conference.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

China has consolidated its legal system for cyberspace governance over the years, providing a strong institutional guarantee for building the country’s strength in cyberspace, officials said while introducing a white paper.

 

Titled “China’s Law-Based Cyberspace Governance in the New Era”, the paper was issued by the State Council Information Office on March 16.

 

From: chinadaily.com.cn

 

 

Democracy, a model of governance that reflects and responds to the needs of its citizens, is significant and beneficial to sustainable development, experts and scholars agreed at an international forum on democracy held in Beijing on March 22.

 

“Democracy is a method of governance in which all people participate to ensure the interests of the majority are met,” Jiao Shixin, professor of China studies at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences told the 2nd International Forum on Democracy: Shared Human Values.

 

From: chinadaily.com.cn

 

 

The gross enrollment ratio in China’s higher education reached 59.6 percent in 2022, up 1.8 percentage points from 2021, the Ministry of Education said on March 23.

 

There were over 46.55 million students at higher-educational institutions including universities, colleges and vocational education facilities across the country as of 2022, the ministry told a press conference.

 

From: Xinhua

 

 

A seminar on Chinese democracy and human rights protection was held on March 26 in Changsha, capital of central China’s Hunan Province.

 

More than 30 experts and scholars from research institutions and related organizations attended the meeting.

 

From: Xinhua