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OFFICIAL PUNISHED FOR NEGLIGENCE IN COVID-19 PREVENTION
Feng Zhiqiang， Deputy Director of Gaocheng District in Shijiazhuang， Hebei Province in north China， was given a disciplinary warning for lack of oversight in terms of arranging and supervising the novel coronavirus disease （COVID-19） prevention and control measures.
The city’s top anti-corruption authority announced on January 6 that three officials in the district had received punishment for negligence in the epidemic intervention. They failed to prevent further transmission of the virus after a resident tested positive.
Feng was held responsible after one Liujiazuo Village resident went out to see a doctor after testing positive on January 3.
The district was designated a high-risk area for virus infection on January 6 after it had reported locally transmitted cases for four consecutive days.
High-Standard Farmland
Economic Daily December 29， 2020
The annual Central Economic Work Conference， held from December 16 to 18， 2020， proposed to strengthen the development of high-standard farmland， the most important task in improving the quality of China’s cultivated land.
The drought and flood resistant farmland is suitable for agricultural mechanization， and will increase grain production. The country also seeks to develop 100 million mu （6.67 million hectares） of such land in 2021 and achieve 1 billion mu （66.7 million hectares） by 2022 to guarantee food security.
As the creation of high-standard farmland involves such arenas as engineering and agronomy， the cost of time， materials and labor shall only go up in remote areas with inferior conditions. Without effective management and protection as well as continued supervision and punitive measures in place， the actual results of many initially well-structured projects shall be affected.
Except for an increase in government spending， the pursuit of developing highstandard farmland across China requires a variety of approaches to encourage the participation of private capitals， such as fiscal subsidies， investment subsidies， as well as the cooperation between government and private enterprises.
Young Internet Influencers
China Newsweek December 28， 2020
The arrival of social media in China a decade ago， together with ever-increasing Internet access， has allowed many “everyday” youngsters to become online celebrities. In recent years， several newcomers across northeast China have rocked cultural circles with their art or influence built up through live-streaming and short videos published on online platforms such as Douyin and Kuaishou. Data from consulting company iResearch prove that the commercialization of the short video industry has reached full maturity after years of development.Overall income for said industry in China was expected to reach 211 billion yuan（$32.64 billion） by the end of 2020. Furthermore， short video content has become one of the most affordable and effective channels for advertising.
Taking to the Internet in their local dialects and witty vernacular， they chose to share their life experiences online. The people of northeast China have long been regarded as both straightforward and optimistic， with the courage to embrace their own vulnerability—and turn it into comedy. These influencers’ content has attracted even more viewers since the outbreak of COVID-19， when people had to stay indoors for the purposes of epidemic prevention and control.
According to the statistics of TalkingData， a mobile big data service platform， users with more leisure time in non-first-tier cities showcase stronger connections with short videos as of early 2019. A total of 56.6 percent of people residing in China’s northeastern areas use such platforms. When those viewers find that the producing and sharing of short videos does not only connect them with others， but also increases their personal influence and generates some extra income， they happily enter the online business.
New Professions
People’s Daily December 30， 2020
Bolstered by innovative business models， an onrush of new occupations， such as drone camera operators or community health assistants， have sprouted across China， bringing a new range of options to those scouring the job market.
However， certain surveys now show that many young employees in these new fields share a few concerns， such as a lack of stability in terms of future career development， the inadequate protection of labor rights and a lack of education and training. To some extent， these factors combined may weaken the professional identity and capacity of those involved and limit the actual advancement of these new professions.
In light of China’s booming new industry， a State Council executive meeting which took place in September 2020， stated that actions would be taken to extend social security coverage to individuals active in new business models， and reinforce the safeguarding of more flexible employment. Authorities also issued policies on the multi-channel support of modern employment types， carrying out specific training， the optimization of human resource services， and the protection of the rights and interests of this emerging crop of professionals.
FORMER HUARONG CHAIRMAN SENTENCED TO DEATH
Lai Xiaomin， former board chairman of China Huarong Asset Management Co.， was sentenced to death on January 5 for accepting 1.79 billion yuan （$275 million） in bribes， the Second Intermediate People’s Court of Tianjin announced in a statement. The 58-year-old was also sentenced to 11 years in prison for embezzlement and one year in prison for bigamy. The court decided to issue the death penalty and confiscate all of his personal assets， according to the statement.
Lai took advantage of the different positions he held from 2008 to 2018， including serving as director of the general office of the China Banking Regulatory Commission， Party secretary and chairman of Huarong Asset Management， and as secretary of the Party committee of Huarong Xiangjiang Bank Co.， to make illegal profits for both companies and individuals.
“Pakistan and China share a strong bond of friendship， which is also a factor [in Pakistan’s] procurement of the vaccine from China， but the primary reason for the decision is the good quality of the vaccine offered by the Chinese company.”
Chaudhry Fawad Hussain， Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Science and Technology， in an interview with Xinhua News Agency on December 31， 2020
“China firmly opposes the United States’ acts of politicizing economic and trade issues， and abusing its state power and the concept of national security to groundlessly suppress Chinese companies.”
Hua Chunying， spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs， in response to the U.S. plan to delist three Chinese telecom companies on January 4
“I don’t feel that China will be pulling back from the global market. I think they will be encouraging businesses to invest further into the China market， both in some of the provinces， but also nationally as well.”
Steven Lynch， Managing Director of the British Chamber of Commerce in China （BritCham China）， in an interview with CGTN on January 1
“We would like this as a way of reminding for both our own people as well as the international community that we learn from past mistakes and we don’t want to have any more of these sufferings.”
Pansy Ho， daughter of Macao billionaire Stanley Ho who bought a bronze horse head sculpture， one of 12 Chinese zodiac sculptures looted in 1860 from the Old Summer Palace and donated it to the country， in an interview with China Daily on January 3