ina to evaluate China’s market access and business environment for foreign investors in a “comprehensive, objective and fair” way.
The economy has stayed on the track of steady gro
owth. We have the confidence, conditions and capability to mee
t the projected targets for economic and social deve
lopment this year,” Yuan told an NDRC news conference on Thursday in Beijing.
Data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed China’s economy grew at a faster-than-e
xpected 6.4 percent year-on-year in the first quarter, remaining at the to
p end of the government’s projected growth range of 6 to 6.5 percent for this year.
The growth was unchanged from that in the fourth quarter of 2018.
Zhang Chenghui, former director at the finan
cial research institute of Development Research Center of the State Cou
ncil, said despite the downward growth pressure, China will see many positive factors in the economy this year.
growth of PM.5 tiny particulate matter concentration tha
that could at least double the readings,” Zhang said. He added that this could help explain the o
ccurrence of heavy PM2.5 pollution that lasts for an extended period of time in certain regions.
Zhang said the interaction of air pollution and meteorologic
al conditions could be triggered when PM2.5 density reaches 100 micrograms per cubic meter in ma
ny of the monitoring points of a region. In such situations, more solar radiation wil
l be reflected back into the space, resulting in temperature inversion and further stabilizing the ground atm
osphere. And the height of the mixing layer could decrease to only one-third of that w
hen pollution processes begin, exacerbating particulate concentration levels even further.
The center’s research also showed that global warming is increas
ing the number of days with a stable surface atmosphere in n
orthern China, especially in the cluster, making smog more likely to develop.
Top economic planner bullish on reaching annual growth
China’s economy, despite headwinds, has enjoyed a good start in the first quarter of 2019, and the country has the confide
nce to achieve the annual projected growth goal, said the country’s top economic planner.
“The first quarter’s stable economic development has laid a solid foundation for the an
nual growth,” said Yuan Da, spokesperson with the National Development and Reform Commission.
“The economy has stayed on the track of steady growth. We have the confidence, conditio
ns and capability to meet the projected targets for economic and social development this year.”
Yuan made the remarks at the NDRC press conference on Thursday in Beijing.
According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, China’s economy expanded at a faster-than-expected 6.4 perce
nt year-on-year in the first quarter. The growth was unchanged from that in the fourth quarter in 2018.
Paris fire sends alarm on relics protectionhedral in Pa
An inferno that destroyed the spire and a large portion of the wooden roof structure of the 12th-century Notre Dame Cathedral in Pa
ris on Monday reinforced a cautionary message to Chinese authorities about the need to better protect vulnerable heritage sites.
The National Cultural Heritage Administration held a staff meeting on Tuesday night at wh
ich officials discussed the Paris fire and six major fires that have taken place at Chinese cultural heritage sites this year.
“The fire at Notre Dame in Paris rang the warning bell for us,” Song Xi
nchao, deputy director of the administration, said in an interview on Tuesday.
“The safety of cultural heritage sites is a red line that can never be crossed. It’s a global issue,” he said.
The six fires were in Sichuan, Fujian, Jiangxi, and Zhejiang provinces, officials said.
On Jan 6, a hall at Yunyan Temple in Jiangyou, Sichuan province, burned down. On
Feb 2, a wooden family temple from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) in Nanchang, Jiangxi, was destroyed by fire.
Lu Zhenwang, CEO of Shanghai-based Wanqing Consul
ltancy, said: “The lawsuit against Liu will bring damages to the image and reputation of JD, hav
e an impact on investors’ confidence, and cause fluctuations in its share price. Moreover, emp
loyees’ trust in the company may also be affected as the Beijing-based tech heavyweight is laying off staff to cut costs.”
Shen Meng, director of boutique investment bank Chanson & Co, said Liu’s case won’t chan
ge his actual control over JD, which is now making some innovations to reassure investors. Liu owns
15.8 percent of JD’s stock and controls nearly 80 percent of the company’s voting rights.
Liu was detained in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on suspicion of criminal sexual c
onduct on Aug 31 and later released without charge or bail. He returned to China on Sept 3.
In December, Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, the prosecutorial office handling the case announced that no sexual as
sault charges would be brought against Liu as prosecutors could not prove his guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
From January to March, government tax income inc
creased by 5.4 percent year-on-year, 11.9 percentage points lower than that in the first quarter 2018.
Individual income tax decreased by 29.7 percent, the largest drop among three major tax item
s. Value-added tax growth has already slowed to 10.7 percent, down from 20.1 percent a year earlier.
Local government income from land sales fell 9.5 percent in the first three months, the Ministry of Finance said.
As the central bank has taken a pause in monetary easing, fiscal policy should remain pro
active to stabilize economic growth and ensure the recent rebound is not just a seasonal fluke, said economists.
Xu Xianchun, a former deputy director at the National Bureau of Statist
ics, said that fiscal policy should be implemented “with proper intensity and at the right time”, t
o prevent large fluctuations in the investment growth rate and negative impact on economic stability.
Its partial loss is a terrible blow to a proud country
and to the world more widely,” said Macfarlane, the King’s College historian.
A woman identified only as Marie, who has lived in Paris for 20 years, said: “This is a monument b
uilding that belongs to the story of Paris, to the story of France. … Notre Dame is our story, our culture, our spirit.”
An experiment conducted by Chinese and US scientists on improving monkeys’ cognitive function has been
found to follow international animal rights standards, according to the Chinese research institute.
The study implanted 11 rhesus macaque monkeys with copies of the human MCP
H1 gene, which scientists believe is crucial for humans’ brain development and evolution.
The project is led by researchers from the Kunming Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Acade
my of Sciences, who are working with researchers from the University of North Carolina.
The two sides can help jointly find solutions to glob
and bilateral issues despite remaining difficulties in bilateral relations, he said.
The thawing of ties between China and Japan was marked by Li’s visit to the country in
May, the first by a Chinese premier in eight years, and the visit by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to China in October.
The economic dialogue between the two countries was launched in 2007,
and deteriorated relations due to disputes over a number of issues resulted in an eight-ye
ar hiatus until last April, when the two sides restarted with the fourth round of dialogue in Tokyo.
China said on Monday that the Belt and Road Initiative is open to economic cooperation with
other countries and regions, and it does not become involved in territorial disputes of relevant parties.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said at a daily news briefing tha
t although the initiative was proposed by China, it is an international project for the public good.
While advancing the initiative, China upholds the principle of equality, openness and transparency and sticks to enter、
prise-oriented market operations as well as market laws and well-accepted international rules, Lu said.
He noted that since the first Belt and Road Forum for
International Cooperation two years ago, more countries and inter
