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People mourn deceased quake victims on April 27 in Baoxing County， Ya’an City in southwest China’s Sichuan Province. A 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit Ya’an on April 20.
Public mourning took place on April 27 in Sichuan. Transportation vehicles sounded their sirens at 8：02 a.m.， the time of April 20’s devastating first tremor， followed by a silent tribute of three minutes.
The quake claimed at least 196 lives.
Mental Health Law
A mental health law that requires consent from mentally ill patients before they receive inpatient treatment took effect in China on May 1.
The law was adopted by the Standing Committee of the 11th National People’s Congress last October after three readings.
The law says mentally ill people， with the exception of those with a severe mental illness or who have the potential to harm themselves or others， should only receive inpatient treatment on a purely voluntary basis.
It also requires medical institutions to respect patient rights to demand discharges.
The law has attracted a great deal of attention since its draft was first submitted for discussion， as reports of people being wrongly institutionalized have increased.
According to the law， there should be no infringement upon the dignity， personal safety or property of mentally ill people.
Institutions and individuals must protect the privacy of mentally ill people by preventing leaks of private information， such as their names， addresses and employment status， unless the sharing of such data is necessary for institutions and individuals in order to exercise their lawful duties.
Terrorists Captured
Eleven suspected terrorist fugitives linked to a deadly attack on April 23 in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have been captured， local police sources said on April 29.
A violent clash occurred between the terrorists and authorities in a town at Kashgar’s Bachu County， some 1，200 km southwest of Urumqi， leaving 21 people dead.
Eight suspects were captured on the day of the clash. According to the Xinjiang police， the terrorist group， headed by Qasim Muhammat， was founded in September 2012.
They had planned to “do something big” in densely populated public areas in Kashgar in the summer， the police said.
The group members were spotted making explosives on April 23 by local police and community workers， which led to the deadly clash. Vice Minister of Public Security Meng Hongwei said on April 29 that the police have tracked down a batch of homemade explosives， lethal weapons， and flags of “East Turkistan” terrorists after the April 23 clash.
H7N9 Update
From April 24 to May 1， a total of 19 new cases of H7N9 bird flu were confirmed on the Chinese mainland， bringing the total number of human infections to 127， according to the National Health and Family Planning Commission.
Among the 19 cases， 16 were founded in eastern provinces of Jiangsu （3 cases）， Zhejiang （4）， Jiangxi （5）， Fujian （3） and Shandong（1）， while three were found in central provinces of Hunan （2） and Henan （1）， according to the commission.
The virus had killed 26 people in the mainland， while 26 infected people had recovered as of May 1， the commission said.
Consumer Rights
A draft amendment to China’s consumer rights law was published by the top legislature on April 28 in order to solicit public opinion.
The draft provides clarification regarding the protection of personal information and suggests heavier punishments for commercial fraud.
The draft also includes regulations pertaining to online shopping， as China’s booming e-commerce market is not sufficiently covered by the current version of the consumer rights law.
The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress deliberated the draft amendment during a bimonthly session last month， marking the first time changes have been considered since the law was implemented in 1994.
Anti-Piracy Efforts
Since October 2012， governments at different levels in China have legally purchased 3.06 million sets of software worth 1.94 billion yuan（$313 million）， according to a report published by the National Copyright Administration of China on April 26.
The Chinese Government began paying due attention to the issue in 2001， when an inter-ministerial meeting mechanism was set up， since adopting a series of efforts to correct wrongdoing at central and local levels， the report says.
BABY TIGERS
A trio of tiger cubs cuddle at a zoo in Shenyang， northeast China’s Liaoning Province， on May 1. The 1-month-old triplets met the public for the first time since their birth
So far， 17，782 large companies in China have been confirmed to be using genuine software in their offices. To help increase awareness of copyright protection， 1，494 training courses have been held across the country， covering a total of 84，100 office workers.
Historical Findings
Archaeologists have unearthed more than 30 pits believed to have been used by Neolithic humans as trash dumps 5，000 to 6，000 years ago in north China’s Hebei Province.
The pits， various in size， shape and depth， were unearthed nearby an ancient village relic site within the Jialu Village territory in Hebei’s Zhaoxian County， according to Han Jinqiu， Director of the Prehistory Archaeological Research Department of the Hebei Provincial Cultural Relics Institute.
Archaeologists found that the pits were not located at the center of the New Stone Age ancient village but nearby， said Han.
A well， a shallow gutter and large quantities of pottery and stone fragments with distinct Neolithic features were also unearthed at the site.
The New Stone Age， or Neolithic Era， was the last period of the Stone Age. Marked by carefully polished stone artifacts， ancient China’s Neolithic Era started about 12，000 years ago.
Waste Treatment
Beijing is speeding up the construction of garbage treatment facilities， hoping to bring the city’s daily household waste handling capacity to 24，000 tons by the end of 2015.
In the meantime， the city will increase the proportion of waste treated through incineration or biochemical means to more than 70 percent， in a bid to leave less than 30 percent of such waste in landfills， according to a three-year plan recently released by the municipal government.
It is estimated that Beijing’s more than 20 million residents produce about 17，700 tons of household garbage every day， 50 percent of which ends up in landfills.
By 2015， Beijing will have overhauled 253 informal landfills， according to the plan.
Also， Beijing will further strengthen waste control regulations in rural-urban fringe zones and build up a specialized team of garbage collectors in rural areas.
Services for Seniors
Senior citizens exit a community service center in Jin’an District of Fuzhou， capital of Fujian Province on April 27.
Home and neighborhood-based eldercare services will be available in all of China’s urban communities and half of its rural areas by the end of 2015， the Ministry of Civil Affairs said on May 1. Busy Buying A Home
A local resident visits a housing project during the Fifth West China House-Auto Expo on May 1 in Yinchuan， capital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. Over 50 housing projects were showcased by 30 attending property developers.
Expansion Slows
China’s Purchasing Managers’Index （PMI） for the manufacturing sector fell to 50.6 percent in April from 50.9 percent in March， the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing （CFLP） said on May 1.
It was the seventh consecutive month that the PMI figure stayed above 50 percent， which demarcates expansion from contraction， according to a statement of the CFLP.
Although the PMI remains generally stable， the slight retreat indicates slower growth in the manufacturing sector and the need for a stronger momentum in China’s economic growth， according to the statement.
The April PMI showed the foundation for China’s economic recovery is not solid enough， said Zhang Liqun， an analyst from the Development Research Center of the State Council， China’s cabinet.
The decline in orders caused a fall in the inventory level， and a sharp drop in the sub-index for purchasing prices of raw materials suggests the corporate confidence was undermined， Zhang said， stressing that efforts should be made to stabilize domestic demand.
The HSBC Flash China Manufacturing PMI also slowed to a two-month low of 50.5 in April， according to figures released by HSBC on April 23.
Joining Hands
Alibaba Group， China’s largest ecommerce company， has spent $586 million for an 18-percent share of Sina Weibo， the Chinese equivalent of Twitter， in an attempt to monetize the hugely influential social media platform.
The deal was expected to combine Alibaba’s e-commerce strength with Sina Weibo’s user base to explore social commerce and develop marketing solutions to merchants.
The two companies said in a statement on April 29 that Alibaba has an option to boost its stake in Sina Weibo to 30 percent.
The transaction put the value of Sina Weibo at $3.26 billion. The market capitalization of Nasdaqlisted Sina Corp. was $3.67 billion on April 29. Sina’s American depository shares rose by 9 percent to $55.03 on that day.
Hangzhou-based Alibaba Group， which Yahoo holds about a 23-percent stake， is the largest e-commerce empire in China. Beijing-based Sina Weibo started as an imitator of Twitter， but it developed features tailored to Chinese users. By November 2012， the number of registered users had exceeded 400 million.
The two companies said the deal is expected to generate approximately $380 million in advertising and revenues from social commerce services for Sina Weibo over the next three years.
Job Market Stable
The population of China’s employed increased by 3.42 million in the first quarter， while the registered urban unemployment rate stood at 4.1 percent.
The employment situation has been favorable in the first three months， said Yin Chengji， spokesman for the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.
The urban unemployment rate from January to March remained unchanged from 4.1 percent in 2012， and it may contribute to realizing this year’s target of keeping the unemployment rate at or below 4.6 percent.
However， employment pressure is increasing as the number of job seekers has continued to rise， especially among college graduates， Yin said.
The employment of college graduates will continue to be a focus of government efforts in the coming years， he said.
China will see a record-high 6.99 million people graduate from college this year， up 2.8 percent from a year ago.
Tax Scraped
China’s taxation authorities announced on April 26 that they will scrap two taxes on interest paid on local government bonds， hoping to make the bonds more attractive to domestic investors.
The Ministry of Finance （MOF） and the State Administration of Taxation said in a joint document that companies and individuals will be exempt from corporate and individual income taxes on the interest they collect upon purchasing local government bonds issued in 2012 and later.
The preferential tax measures will only apply to those bonds issued by the MOF on behalf of the local governments of provinces， autonomous regions， municipalities and cities with independent budgetary status， according to the document.
Local governments are not allowed to float bonds directly in China， but they can ask the MOF to issue such bonds after obtaining approval from the State Council， China’s cabinet.
About 350 billion yuan （$56.3 billion） in local government bond sales have been planned by the MOF for 2013， according to the government budget report. Local government bonds issued in 2012 totaled 250 billion yuan （$40.63 billion）. Explosive growth in local debt has raised concerns over the financial health of the Chinese economy， making the Chinese Government vigilant against financial risks this year. The most recent data available from the National Audit Office show that local debt had totaled 10.7 trillion yuan （$1.74 trillion） by the end of 2010.
Increasing Presence
China’s direct investment in the United States showed strong momentum in the first three months despite a weak fourth quarter of 2012 and the negative impact of alleged “national security” concerns on some deals.
During the first quarter， Chinese companies concluded eight mergers or acquisitions（M&As） and nine green field investments— those involving construction of factories or offices—worth a total of $2.2 billion， according to a report released on April 30 by Rhodium Group， a New York firm that tracks Chinese investment in the United States.
Chinese acquisitions in the United States now under discussion or awaiting regulatory approval have a total value of over $10 billion， the highest ever for the category， according to the report.
The report also found that privately held Chinese companies have increased their investments. Over the past 15 months， they spent more on U.S. deals than in the previous 11 years combined.
National security remains a dominant topic in the U.S.-China investment relationship， the report said.
Cui Tiankai， China’s new ambassador in Washington， expressed concern over barriers to Chinese investment in the United States. Cui said the United States has historically been a strong advocate of liberalized trade and investment and pressured China to be the same， but“what has been preached to us is not always practiced.”
Travel Time
Tourists flock to the Taishan Mountain， east China’s Shandong Province， on May 1. Over 180，000 tourists visited the famous tourist resort from April 29 to May 1， during the three-day International Labor Day holiday.
Public mourning took place on April 27 in Sichuan. Transportation vehicles sounded their sirens at 8：02 a.m.， the time of April 20’s devastating first tremor， followed by a silent tribute of three minutes.
The quake claimed at least 196 lives.
Mental Health Law
A mental health law that requires consent from mentally ill patients before they receive inpatient treatment took effect in China on May 1.
The law was adopted by the Standing Committee of the 11th National People’s Congress last October after three readings.
The law says mentally ill people， with the exception of those with a severe mental illness or who have the potential to harm themselves or others， should only receive inpatient treatment on a purely voluntary basis.
It also requires medical institutions to respect patient rights to demand discharges.
The law has attracted a great deal of attention since its draft was first submitted for discussion， as reports of people being wrongly institutionalized have increased.
According to the law， there should be no infringement upon the dignity， personal safety or property of mentally ill people.
Institutions and individuals must protect the privacy of mentally ill people by preventing leaks of private information， such as their names， addresses and employment status， unless the sharing of such data is necessary for institutions and individuals in order to exercise their lawful duties.
Terrorists Captured
Eleven suspected terrorist fugitives linked to a deadly attack on April 23 in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have been captured， local police sources said on April 29.
A violent clash occurred between the terrorists and authorities in a town at Kashgar’s Bachu County， some 1，200 km southwest of Urumqi， leaving 21 people dead.
Eight suspects were captured on the day of the clash. According to the Xinjiang police， the terrorist group， headed by Qasim Muhammat， was founded in September 2012.
They had planned to “do something big” in densely populated public areas in Kashgar in the summer， the police said.
The group members were spotted making explosives on April 23 by local police and community workers， which led to the deadly clash. Vice Minister of Public Security Meng Hongwei said on April 29 that the police have tracked down a batch of homemade explosives， lethal weapons， and flags of “East Turkistan” terrorists after the April 23 clash.
H7N9 Update
From April 24 to May 1， a total of 19 new cases of H7N9 bird flu were confirmed on the Chinese mainland， bringing the total number of human infections to 127， according to the National Health and Family Planning Commission.
Among the 19 cases， 16 were founded in eastern provinces of Jiangsu （3 cases）， Zhejiang （4）， Jiangxi （5）， Fujian （3） and Shandong（1）， while three were found in central provinces of Hunan （2） and Henan （1）， according to the commission.
The virus had killed 26 people in the mainland， while 26 infected people had recovered as of May 1， the commission said.
Consumer Rights
A draft amendment to China’s consumer rights law was published by the top legislature on April 28 in order to solicit public opinion.
The draft provides clarification regarding the protection of personal information and suggests heavier punishments for commercial fraud.
The draft also includes regulations pertaining to online shopping， as China’s booming e-commerce market is not sufficiently covered by the current version of the consumer rights law.
The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress deliberated the draft amendment during a bimonthly session last month， marking the first time changes have been considered since the law was implemented in 1994.
Anti-Piracy Efforts
Since October 2012， governments at different levels in China have legally purchased 3.06 million sets of software worth 1.94 billion yuan（$313 million）， according to a report published by the National Copyright Administration of China on April 26.
The Chinese Government began paying due attention to the issue in 2001， when an inter-ministerial meeting mechanism was set up， since adopting a series of efforts to correct wrongdoing at central and local levels， the report says.
BABY TIGERS
A trio of tiger cubs cuddle at a zoo in Shenyang， northeast China’s Liaoning Province， on May 1. The 1-month-old triplets met the public for the first time since their birth
So far， 17，782 large companies in China have been confirmed to be using genuine software in their offices. To help increase awareness of copyright protection， 1，494 training courses have been held across the country， covering a total of 84，100 office workers.
Historical Findings
Archaeologists have unearthed more than 30 pits believed to have been used by Neolithic humans as trash dumps 5，000 to 6，000 years ago in north China’s Hebei Province.
The pits， various in size， shape and depth， were unearthed nearby an ancient village relic site within the Jialu Village territory in Hebei’s Zhaoxian County， according to Han Jinqiu， Director of the Prehistory Archaeological Research Department of the Hebei Provincial Cultural Relics Institute.
Archaeologists found that the pits were not located at the center of the New Stone Age ancient village but nearby， said Han.
A well， a shallow gutter and large quantities of pottery and stone fragments with distinct Neolithic features were also unearthed at the site.
The New Stone Age， or Neolithic Era， was the last period of the Stone Age. Marked by carefully polished stone artifacts， ancient China’s Neolithic Era started about 12，000 years ago.
Waste Treatment
Beijing is speeding up the construction of garbage treatment facilities， hoping to bring the city’s daily household waste handling capacity to 24，000 tons by the end of 2015.
In the meantime， the city will increase the proportion of waste treated through incineration or biochemical means to more than 70 percent， in a bid to leave less than 30 percent of such waste in landfills， according to a three-year plan recently released by the municipal government.
It is estimated that Beijing’s more than 20 million residents produce about 17，700 tons of household garbage every day， 50 percent of which ends up in landfills.
By 2015， Beijing will have overhauled 253 informal landfills， according to the plan.
Also， Beijing will further strengthen waste control regulations in rural-urban fringe zones and build up a specialized team of garbage collectors in rural areas.
Services for Seniors
Senior citizens exit a community service center in Jin’an District of Fuzhou， capital of Fujian Province on April 27.
Home and neighborhood-based eldercare services will be available in all of China’s urban communities and half of its rural areas by the end of 2015， the Ministry of Civil Affairs said on May 1. Busy Buying A Home
A local resident visits a housing project during the Fifth West China House-Auto Expo on May 1 in Yinchuan， capital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. Over 50 housing projects were showcased by 30 attending property developers.
Expansion Slows
China’s Purchasing Managers’Index （PMI） for the manufacturing sector fell to 50.6 percent in April from 50.9 percent in March， the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing （CFLP） said on May 1.
It was the seventh consecutive month that the PMI figure stayed above 50 percent， which demarcates expansion from contraction， according to a statement of the CFLP.
Although the PMI remains generally stable， the slight retreat indicates slower growth in the manufacturing sector and the need for a stronger momentum in China’s economic growth， according to the statement.
The April PMI showed the foundation for China’s economic recovery is not solid enough， said Zhang Liqun， an analyst from the Development Research Center of the State Council， China’s cabinet.
The decline in orders caused a fall in the inventory level， and a sharp drop in the sub-index for purchasing prices of raw materials suggests the corporate confidence was undermined， Zhang said， stressing that efforts should be made to stabilize domestic demand.
The HSBC Flash China Manufacturing PMI also slowed to a two-month low of 50.5 in April， according to figures released by HSBC on April 23.
Joining Hands
Alibaba Group， China’s largest ecommerce company， has spent $586 million for an 18-percent share of Sina Weibo， the Chinese equivalent of Twitter， in an attempt to monetize the hugely influential social media platform.
The deal was expected to combine Alibaba’s e-commerce strength with Sina Weibo’s user base to explore social commerce and develop marketing solutions to merchants.
The two companies said in a statement on April 29 that Alibaba has an option to boost its stake in Sina Weibo to 30 percent.
The transaction put the value of Sina Weibo at $3.26 billion. The market capitalization of Nasdaqlisted Sina Corp. was $3.67 billion on April 29. Sina’s American depository shares rose by 9 percent to $55.03 on that day.
Hangzhou-based Alibaba Group， which Yahoo holds about a 23-percent stake， is the largest e-commerce empire in China. Beijing-based Sina Weibo started as an imitator of Twitter， but it developed features tailored to Chinese users. By November 2012， the number of registered users had exceeded 400 million.
The two companies said the deal is expected to generate approximately $380 million in advertising and revenues from social commerce services for Sina Weibo over the next three years.
Job Market Stable
The population of China’s employed increased by 3.42 million in the first quarter， while the registered urban unemployment rate stood at 4.1 percent.
The employment situation has been favorable in the first three months， said Yin Chengji， spokesman for the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.
The urban unemployment rate from January to March remained unchanged from 4.1 percent in 2012， and it may contribute to realizing this year’s target of keeping the unemployment rate at or below 4.6 percent.
However， employment pressure is increasing as the number of job seekers has continued to rise， especially among college graduates， Yin said.
The employment of college graduates will continue to be a focus of government efforts in the coming years， he said.
China will see a record-high 6.99 million people graduate from college this year， up 2.8 percent from a year ago.
Tax Scraped
China’s taxation authorities announced on April 26 that they will scrap two taxes on interest paid on local government bonds， hoping to make the bonds more attractive to domestic investors.
The Ministry of Finance （MOF） and the State Administration of Taxation said in a joint document that companies and individuals will be exempt from corporate and individual income taxes on the interest they collect upon purchasing local government bonds issued in 2012 and later.
The preferential tax measures will only apply to those bonds issued by the MOF on behalf of the local governments of provinces， autonomous regions， municipalities and cities with independent budgetary status， according to the document.
Local governments are not allowed to float bonds directly in China， but they can ask the MOF to issue such bonds after obtaining approval from the State Council， China’s cabinet.
About 350 billion yuan （$56.3 billion） in local government bond sales have been planned by the MOF for 2013， according to the government budget report. Local government bonds issued in 2012 totaled 250 billion yuan （$40.63 billion）. Explosive growth in local debt has raised concerns over the financial health of the Chinese economy， making the Chinese Government vigilant against financial risks this year. The most recent data available from the National Audit Office show that local debt had totaled 10.7 trillion yuan （$1.74 trillion） by the end of 2010.
Increasing Presence
China’s direct investment in the United States showed strong momentum in the first three months despite a weak fourth quarter of 2012 and the negative impact of alleged “national security” concerns on some deals.
During the first quarter， Chinese companies concluded eight mergers or acquisitions（M&As） and nine green field investments— those involving construction of factories or offices—worth a total of $2.2 billion， according to a report released on April 30 by Rhodium Group， a New York firm that tracks Chinese investment in the United States.
Chinese acquisitions in the United States now under discussion or awaiting regulatory approval have a total value of over $10 billion， the highest ever for the category， according to the report.
The report also found that privately held Chinese companies have increased their investments. Over the past 15 months， they spent more on U.S. deals than in the previous 11 years combined.
National security remains a dominant topic in the U.S.-China investment relationship， the report said.
Cui Tiankai， China’s new ambassador in Washington， expressed concern over barriers to Chinese investment in the United States. Cui said the United States has historically been a strong advocate of liberalized trade and investment and pressured China to be the same， but“what has been preached to us is not always practiced.”
Travel Time
Tourists flock to the Taishan Mountain， east China’s Shandong Province， on May 1. Over 180，000 tourists visited the famous tourist resort from April 29 to May 1， during the three-day International Labor Day holiday.