Society

Tibet White Paper Issued

China on September 6 issued a white paper on Tibet， reaffirming the current regional ethnic autonomy policy ahead of the 50th anniversary of the foundation of Tibet Autonomous Region.

Entitled “Successful Practice of Regional Ethnic Autonomy in Tibet，” the white paper affirmed that since democratic reform was carried out in 1959 and regional ethnic autonomy came into practice in 1965， Tibet has established a new socialist system and achieved historic leaps in its economic and social development.

Tibets traditional culture is conserved and promoted， and freedom of religious belief respected. The regions ecological environment is also protected， the white paper said.

As part of the Chinese nation， the Tibetan people fulfill the right to participate equally in the management of state affairs； they are thus managers of local social affairs and masters of their own destiny， creating and sharing the material and spiritual wealth of Tibet.

“Tibet is now in its golden age，” the paper said.

Action Plan for Greener Buildings and Cities

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Ministry of Housing and Urban-rural Development jointly promulgated an action plan to stimulate the production and application of green building materials. The plan sets the goals of increasing the share of green building materials in the revenues of primary businesses of the building material industry to 20 percent by 2018， and decreasing the industrys energy consumption per unit of added value and emissions of nitrogenoxide and dust by eight percent of the 2015 level. It also envisions that up to 30 percent of materials in new buildings will be“green，” and their share in eco-friendly buildings， demonstrative buildings， and renovation of existing buildings will be 50 percent， 70 percent， and 80 percent respectively.

Fixed Assets Platform Tested

The Ministry of Land and Resources recently instructed local authorities to declare their fixed assets on an online platform for a test run in the second half of this year， which is expected to cover the whole nation by 2017. Information on the platform will be shared by public security， finance， and taxation departments.

The fixed assets registered include land， house， grassland， forest， and the sea. The ministry has requested an overhaul and incorporation of various kinds of fixed assets data， information platforms at different levels， software， and other Internet resources. Registration archives can thus be shared in real time among national， provincial， municipal， and county authorities， and updated with changes， such as examination and approval procedures of relevant departments， and transactions. The website will run on the ministrys cloud service.endprint

China formally launched the fixed assets registration system on March 1， 2015.

More Small Businesses Eligible for Tax Breaks

An executive meeting of the State Council， presided over by Premier Li Keqiang， ruled that businesses with an annual taxable income of no more than RMB 300，000 （US $46，900） will be eligible for a 50 percent reduction in business income tax. The policy will be effective through to the end of 2017. Eligible companies will pay a 20 percent tax rate， five percentage points lower than peer businesses.

It is the second time this year that the State Council has raised the income threshold for businesses to qualify for the tax reduction. In February， the government raised the threshold for small and micro companies from RMB 100，000 to RMB 200，000.

In addition， the recent State Council meeting decided to extend through to 2017 the exemption of value-added tax and sales tax for small businesses and individually owned businesses that earn no more than RMB 30，000 in monthly sales. The exemption had originally been set to expire at the end of the year.

Tax breaks for small and micro businesses in China totaled RMB 61.2 billion last year， according to the State Administration of Taxation. At least RMB 10 billion of business income tax has been reduced， and more than 2.46 million businesses have benefited， the administration said.

Activity

BBC Frozen Planet in Concert

Date： October 1-2， 2015

Place： Shanghai Childrens Art Theatre

Price： RMB 80/180/280/380/480

The BBC documentary series Frozen Planet highlights melting polar glaciers and showcases the creatures living on the frozen wastes. During the concert， the film will be shown on a 150 sq m LED screen to the accompaniment of live music performed by the Shanghai Opera House symphony orchestra thus presenting a feast for both eyes and ears.

Yang Lipings Ambush on All Sides

Date： October 7-9， 2015

Place： Hangzhou Theatre

Price： RMB 280/480/680/1080/1280/1680

Eminent Chinese dancer Yang Liping has loved dancing since childhood. She joined the Song and Dance Troupe in Xishuangbanna， Yunnan Province in 1971. In 1986， she created a solo dance that depicts the spirit of a peacock. Her performances have won her great fame. Over the decades， Yang has toured a good number of countries to perform and carry out cultural exchanges. The film Sun Bird， created， directed and played by Yang herself， won the Special Grand Prix of the Jury at the Montréal World Film Festival.endprint