JIN LIQUN REELECTED PRESIDENT OF AIIB

JIN LIQUN REELECTED PRESIDENT OF AIIB

Jin Liqun has been elected to a second term as president of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank （AIIB） by the banks board of governors during its fi fth annual meeting on July 29. Jin was elected as the inaugural president for a term of fi ve years when the bank started operation in 2016.

“It has been a tremendous privilege to lead the AIIB during its foundational years，” Jin said. Under his leadership， the AIIB has grown from 57 founding members to over 100 approved members from around the world.

Headquartered in Beijing， the AIIB is a multilateral development bank with a mission to improve social and economic outcomes in Asia. It aims to expand investments from core infrastructure to tomorrow-infrastructure that will tackle climate change， enhance connectivity within Asia and the rest of the world， mobilize private capital， and bridge digital divides.

Further Ban on Plastic Products

Nanfang Daily July 21

Starting January 1， 2021， provincial and municipal governments are required to phase out non-degradable plastic bags in places such as shopping malls， supermarkets and restaurants， according to a document jointly issued by nine administrations， including the National Development and Reform Commission and Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

Compared to the guideline issued in 2008， which focuses on charging for plastic bags and encouraging people to use eco-friendly products， the latest policy calls for more forceful measures and aims to establish a long-term mechanism for reducing plastic pollution. It bans the production and sale of disposable plastic straws， tableware and other items. And it covers all aspects of plastic products， from production and use to recycling and disposal.

However， the circular makes certain exceptions to meet special needs. For instance， plastic products are allowed for packing fresh and cooked food in the market.

Besides the retail and catering industry， the ban also covers delivery services and exhibitions. Today， e-commerce， delivery and other emerging businesses have grown into primary sources of plastic pollution. Regulating plastic product usage in the delivery industry is a good starting point to promote sustainability.

Green Games on Track in Beijing

China Daily July 31

Five years since winning its bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics， Beijing has stepped up its efforts to host a green Games with sustainability at the core of preparations.

With China resuming normalcy in all walks of life after the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak， Beijing has picked up its preparation for the 2022 Olympics with construction and renovation of facilities， with planning for Games-time management and designs for postevent operation well on track， according to organizers and construction regulators.

“Weve resumed all preparatory work and are on schedule. We are confi dent that all competition venues needed for the Games will be done within this year，” Ding Jianming， Deputy Director of the Beijing Major Projects Construction Headquarters Offi ce， said on July 30.

Selected on July 31， 2015 as the worlds only city to host the Winter Olympics after having staged the Summer Games， the Chinese capital is sparing no efforts to deliver on its promise to host sustainable Games with lasting legacies in all three zones—the citys downtown area， its northwest Yanqing District and co-host Zhangjiakou， Hebei Province.

As a highlight of the sustainable approach， Beijing has taken advantage of the 2008 Gameslegacy to re-purpose five venues used for the Summer Olympics downtown， such as the iconic National Aquatics Center， to host competitions and ceremonies in 2022.

The aquatics center， built for swimming in 2008 and known as the “Water Cube，” has been transformed into an “Ice Cube” for curling after a yearlong renovation project， which involves fi lling the main pool with removable steel structures and making ice sheets above.

Rural Salespersons

Peoples Daily July 27

Accurate information about supply and demand is helpful for farmers to find a good market. However， most farmers in Hainan Province， south China， work and sell farm produce individually. Its difficult for them to get accurate information about the market and sell highquality products at reasonable prices without effi cient promotion.

To bridge farmers and buyers， the Jiazi Township Government in Haikou， capital city of the province， hires rural salespersons to collect information about local farm produce and promote them online and to local supermarkets.

Although some celebrities and local offi cials in China have participated in live-streaming promotions for farm produce， problems persist. For instance， the hosts do not know all the features of products， and the quality of products and after-sales services cannot be ensured. Therefore， they need to spend more time studying agricultural products and select quality ones. In this regard， rural salespersons know much more about farmers and their produce.

PRINCIPALS FREE EDUCATION CAMPAIGN FOR RURAL GIRLS

Zhang Guimei， Principal of Huaping Senior High School for Girls in Lijiang， Yunnan Province， southwest China， has been fi ghting the inequality and prejudice girls face in the mountains for a long time.

Born in northwest China， Zhang came to Yunnan at the age of 17 to study in Lijiang Teachers College and became a teacher in the province. In 1994， she volunteered to teach in a remote school in Huaping County， where she got a lot of help and care from local people.

In the county， she found many rural girls were not enrolling for high school education as it is not part of the nine-year compulsory education. Therefore， she decided to establish a senior high school for rural girls， providing free education.

With the support of local governments， the school was built and put into operation in 2008. Zhang prefers to call the students “mountain girls” instead of girls from poor families， to protect their self-esteem.

“China and the U.S. at least need to manage some ‘cold peace. Given the advanced technologies they are in possession of， maintaining proper communication and avoiding military conflicts due to lack of trust will be crucial for peace in the future.”

Shen Dingli， a professor with Fudan University， talking about Sino-U.S. ties in an article in China Daily on July 29

“Given the huge economic problems caused by the pandemic and the U.S.-China trade war， it is imperative that the EU and China make progress toward an investment agreement.”

Fraser Cameron， Director of the EU-China Center， a Brussels-based think tank， sharing his views on the Eighth China-EU High-Level Trade and Economic Dialogue via video link on July 28

“We have not found that bats in Wuhan or the wider Hubei Province carry any coronaviruses closely related to SARS-CoV-2. U.S. President Trumps claim that the virus was leaked from our institute totally contradicts the facts.”

Shi Zhengli， a scientist from the Wuhan Institute of Virology， refuting U.S. President Donald Trumps claim about the source of the epidemic in an interview with Science on July 24

“At some point， the UK will come back to China and be more open toward a relationship with the latter as five years ago for China is on the rise.”

Martin Jacques， a former senior fellow at Cambridge University， commenting on China-UK relations in an interview with Global Times on July 22