MACAO SAR CHIEF EXECUTIVE-DESIGNATE

MACAO SAR CHIEF EXECUTIVE-DESIGNATE

Ho Iat Seng was elected chief executive-designate of Macao Special Administrative Region （SAR） of China on August 25. He was the only candidate.

If appointed by the Central Government， Ho is set to take the helm of the Macao SAR Government at the end of the year.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Chinas resumption of the exercise of sovereignty over Macao. At the conclusion of the voting， Ho said he will spare no effort to uphold the principles of “one country， two systems，” “Macao people governing Macao，”and “a high degree of autonomy.”

Born in Macao in 1957， Ho has rich experience in the business and political fi elds. He served as a member of the Executive Council of Macao SAR from 2004 to 2009. In October 2013， he was elected president of the Legislative Assembly of Macao SAR and was re-elected in October 2017.

He had also been a deputy to the National Peoples Congress（NPC）， Chinas top legislature， and a member of the NPC Standing Committee.

Sound Public Order

Qilu Evening News August 27

Kunming， capital of southwest Chinas Yunnan Province， is planning to ban subway passengers from activities producing excessive noise such as playing audio or video clips on their mobile devices with the speakers on. The rule is in the process of soliciting public opinion.

Talking loudly， listening to music and watching videos without wearing earphones are common not only on the subway but also in restaurants， buses and high-speed trains. Many people believe it is acceptable to do so since there is no law prohibiting them. However， such conduct disturbs others.

Although the right to a quiet environment is not enshrined in the law， more and more people hope to enjoy this right and not be disturbed by excessively loud noises. The ban by Kunming is an attempt to maintain sound public order and many other cities in China are following suit.

It is essential to be considerate of others feelings and not disturb other people in public places. This not only concerns a persons level of civility but also social harmony since there have been multiple media reports of disputes caused by people making loud noises in public places.

New Land-Sea Corridor

Outlook Weekly August 26

China is building a new land-sea corridor in its western region to accelerate opening up and promote international economic and trade cooperation， according to a plan unveiled by the National Development and Reform Commission recently.

The New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor， which passes through Chongqing Municipality and Sichuan Province in the southwest and Beibu Gulf in south Chinas Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region， shortens the shipping time between Chongqing and Singapore from 25 to just seven days. The new infrastructure will add wings to the development of west China. For example， the Beibu Gulf Economic Zone， which was established in 2006 and comprises six cities in Guangxi， had no major industrial projects 10 years ago. Now an industrial cluster incorporating electronic information， metallurgy， petrochemicals， food processing and light manufacturing has taken shape.

The corridor will also boost the growth of international trade， cross-border logistics， e-commerce， finance， and convention and exhibition services.

Its notable that the plan has gone beyond west China to include south Chinas Hainan Province. The closer collaboration and interaction between different regions will signifi cantly add to the vitality of the regional economy.

Moreover， the corridor showcases the Chinese Governments resolve to expand opening up and balance regional development. It will not only enable west China to integrate into the world economy but also increase the resilience of the overall Chinese economy.

Equal Employment

Guangzhou Daily August 27

Employment discrimination against women has once again come under the spotlight after a recent survey showed that 24.7 percent of the respondents complained that employers are reluctant to hire women who have not yet had children. Moreover， many women who already have a job may encounter inappropriate treatment at work.

Women are not inferior to men in terms of professional capabilities. However， many employers prefer men to women because the latter often need to take maternity leave and their work effi ciency may be affected during pregnancy. In order to reduce possible costs， many employers choose men over women. Moreover， most of the current legislation on employment in China is general and lacks detailed regulations， which increase the diffi culties of law enforcement.

Joint efforts need to be made in order to ensure equal employment opportunities for women. The government should formulate policies to alleviate employers related costs， such as offering tax cuts and birth subsidies and rewards.

It is also necessary to improve laws and regulations on employment and establish departments on gender equality issues. Efforts should also be made to streamline complaint channels for employment discrimination and tighten punishment for malpractices.

In addition， public services， especially kindergartens and nurseries， should be improved to enable women to join the workforce without any concerns.

NEW FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION CHIEF

Chen Xuyuan was elected president of the Chinese Football Association （CFA） at its 11th membership conference at the Xianghe National Football Training Center in north Chinas Hebei Province on August 22.

The 63-year-old former president of Shanghai International Port Group， which owns the Chinese Super League （CSL） club Shanghai SIPG， had served as head of the preparation team for the CFA election since May 24.

In an interview with Xinhua News Agency following his election， Chen vowed to carry out the football reform plan published by the Chinese Government in 2015， which envisions China would aim to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in the short term， and become a football powerhouse by 2050 in the long term.

The conference also elected three CFA vice presidents and a 35-member executive committee with representatives from CSL clubs， media， schools， local football associations and other football-related sectors.

“Based on the previous policies to improve the consumption system and mechanism， the reform and innovation measures are bolder steps covering a wider range， which are conducive to further optimizing the effective supply in circulation.”

Guan Lixin， a researcher with the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation， speaking of the 20 consumption-boosting measures unveiled by the Chinese Government on August 27

“5G technology guarantees the clarity and continuity of transmitted videos and photos， as well as the stability， reliability and safety of the surgery.”

Jiang Wenxue， head of orthopedics at Tianjin First Central Hospital， commenting on a remote robotic surgery conducted on August 27 by doctors at Beijing Jishuitan Hospital on a patient more than 130 km away in Tianjin

“More and more young people are joining the express delivery industry as couriers， but the turnover rate of this job remains high， mainly due to lack of career planning and social recognition.”

Jiang Bo， Deputy Director of the Jiangsu Provincial Postal Administration， in response to the establishment of Chinas first courier college at Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications on August 27

“China has over 300 million households， but less than 5 percent of them use smart locks. Compared to over 70 percent in Japan and the Republic of Korea， China has huge market potential.”

Xia Mingxian， Chairman and General Manager of the Chongqing Mexin （Group） Industry Co.， during the 2019 Smart China Expo in Chongqing from August 26-29