“Mobike,” “AlphaGo” and “emoji package” were among the most frequently used new words in Chinese media in 2016, according to a report released Tuesday.

Other popular terms included “Long March spirit,” “South China Sea” and “Tiangong-2,” said the report released by China’s Ministry of Education and the State Language Commission.

The annual report, which was the 12th of its kind, was compiled based on information from the language database of the National Language Resource Monitoring and Research Center.

According to the report, “rule,” “small goal,” “change” and “Belt and Road” were the most popular terms of the year.

Linguists noted that media frequently used the word “rule” to express the citizens’ increasing awareness of abiding by regulations under changing circumstances.

The popularity of “small goal” was a demonstration that the Chinese people are positive and practical. “Change” and “Belt and Road” represented citizen’s common aspirations for interconnectivity and win-win cooperation, said linguists.

Widely used terms in “bullet screens” and car stickers were also included in the report. Terms such as “baby onboard” reflected changing values and sentiments of the public, the report said.

Experts noted the emergence of low-brow terms in “bullet screens” and car stickers, calling for stronger guidance and supervision.

Members of China’s research team set up an ocean profiling float at a short-term data acquisition location near the icebreaker Xuelong, or Snow Dragon, in the Arctic Ocean, Aug 18, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

The Chinese icebreaker Xuelong, or Snow Dragon, will set sail on Thursday for a research mission to discover the extent of acidification in the Arctic Ocean.

It is internationally acknowledged that acidification — mainly caused by carbon dioxide emissions into the sea — is rising in the ocean and already covers a larger area, according to Xu Ren, deputy director of the Polar Research Institute of China.

“It may trigger environmental disasters and affect marine biodiversity,” he said at a media briefing on Tuesday. “Ocean acidification is a major issue facing the international community, along with global warming and marine pollution.

“Although the situation in the Arctic Ocean is not as bad as other oceans, it will deteriorate with global warming and the decrease of sea ice in the Arctic,” added Xu, who is team leader of this year’s 83-day expedition.

China has pledged to conduct an annual Arctic expedition to make long-term and systematic scientific observations, and strengthen its position on the world stage regarding international governance of the Arctic region.

China has issued new rules to strengthen the management of non-state-owned museums, forbidding private museums to distribute property among founders and sponsors when they are shut down.

According to the regulation issued by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, the residual property should be used for the public interest. Other museums with similar services have priority to receive remaining collections.

Non-state-owned museums are required to make public information about their collections, exhibitions, the management and use of assets and donations, according to the rules.

China’s non-state-owned museums have undergone what insiders called “unchecked, barbaric growth.”

In 2015, the State Council issued a regulation to address problems in private museums, including slack management and supervision, weak infrastructure, improper preservation and the illegal trade of ancient relics.

China supports the political settlement of the Palestinian issue on the basis of the two-state solution, President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday.

China supports Palestine to build an independent, full sovereignty state along the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, Xi said in his talks with visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

China expanded the number of cities piloting health care reform to 200 in 2016, according to a new report.

More than 2,300 public hospitals nationwide participated in health care reform last year, according to a report issued by the health care reform leading group under the State Council on Tuesday.

The report states that 92.6% of prefectural cities have adjusted the price of medical services, and drug expenses as a percentage of outpatient and hospitalization fees have dropped compared to 2015.

Currently, 1.34 billion Chinese people are enrolled in various public medical insurance systems, accounting for up to 98.8% of the population.

In addition, the country has more than 440,000 non-public medical institutions and nearly 20,000 licensed doctors practicing at multiple sites, says the report.