Tag Archives: China

A young woman in Zhuzhou, central China’s Hunan Province had her cellphone stolen on Feb. 3 while shopping with her friend, whose candid photos happened to record the theft taking place. [Photo: zznew.gov.cn] Victim Xiaojia said she and her frie… read more

China’s top-ranking tourist attractions should be equipped with unisex toilets to meet higher standards, said a top tourism official on Feb. 4.

As part of a “toilet revolution” scheme that aims to boost tourism through cleaner and better-managed public conveniences, China will build 271 unisex toilets and renovate 333 at the country’s 5A scenic spots, according to Li Jinzao, head of the China National Tourism Administration.

As an alternative to gender segregated restrooms, unisex toilets are installed for people with disabilities, the elderly, the young and anyone who may require the assistance of someone of another gender.

A typical unisex restroom is equipped with a 45-centimeter toilet, a 70-centimeter safety pole, a clothes hook and an emergency call button to meet the needs of different people.

China is making steady progress to improve toilet sanitation nationwide since the “revo-loo-tion” began in 2015.

A total of 50,916 toilets have been installed or upgraded so far, 89.33 percent of the official target the government announced for the three years through to 2017, said Li.

As of 10 a.m. on Feb 1, the middle route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project had supplied Beijing with over 2 billion cubic meters of water, of which nearly 70 percent are for drinking. Water plants got 1.369 billion cubic meters, accounting… read more

A total of 671 major projects in high-tech and sophisticated industries were registered in Beijing last year, according to the annual work meeting of the city’s investment promotion bureau.

In the same period, the bureau managed to attract 747 foreign-funded projects, with a combined value of US$7.02 billion, up by more than 10 percent year on year. Newly registered enterprises paid 15.2 billion yuan (US$2.22 billion) in total in tax last year,

“Since 2016, the investment promotion bureau has been endeavoring to remove the city’s non-capital functions to make the city more livable,” said Zhou Weimin, director of the Beijing Investment Promotion Bureau.

Zhou said these endeavors were the reason that the bureau put a priority over high-tech industries, high-end and high-quality service industries, and high-value cultural industries last year.

The business sector’s growing willingness to invest in Beijing reflects the perfect, amicable business environment of the Chinese capital. In particular, the city’s business administration, tax, finance, among other government agencies are exploring innovative, new measures that could provide good templates for other cities to follow.

For example, among the 40 innovative, new measures in the city’s service sector, there is China’s first aircraft maintenance company formed by a joint-venture and China’s first joint-venture tourism agency dealing with Chinese citizens’ overseas trips.

While the city keeps promoting cutting-edge industries and projects, local enterprises have accelerated their pace in going overseas. Data shows that in the first three quarters of last year, foreign direct investment (FDI) totaled US$13.75 billion, a 94-percent year-on-year increase. The FDI figure was basically on par with US$12.62 billion, the amount of investment Beijing attracted over the same period.

Zhou Weimin said that in 2017, the investment promotion bureau will continue to serve the city’s objective of developing the service-based economy, knowledge-based economy, green economy and headquarters economy, helping control the city’s population, contribute to stable growth and facilitate private investment.

Beijing Mayor Cai Qi vowed to remove Beijing’s non-capital functions at a symposium with state media on Sunday.

Cai said that to remove non-capital functions of Beijing is to do the supply-side structural reform, to make structural adjustments and transform the economical growth pattern, as well as to clear out outdated industries and fill in advanced industries.

The task also entails improving the quality of urban development and living environment as well as the ease of tensions between population, resources and environment, Cai added.

He said Beijing will perform better as the capital and make headway in development through the move.

Beijing will remove non-capital functions for optimization of economic and spatial structure, stepping on a new path featuring sound structure, high quality and efficiency.

For the next step, Beijing will focus on scientific and technological innovation and boost sophisticated industries.