Zhao Kezhi was appointed minister of public security in accordance with the decision by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) at a bi-monthly session, which closed on Saturday.

Zhao replaced Guo Shengkun, currently secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee under the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.

Zhao was previously the secretary of CPC Hebei Provincial Committee.

After the Standing Committee concluded its session, Zhao attended an oath-taking ceremony to pledge his allegiance to the Constitution.

Premier Li Keqiang pledged his support on Friday to further promote nuclear energy cooperation between China and the United States and develop safe and reliable breakthrough technologies.

The premier spoke during a meeting with Bill Gates, chairman of TerraPower and founder of Microsoft, in Beijing.

Li spoke positively of the cooperation the two nations have had in research and development on new-generation nuclear power technologies. He said he was exhilarated to know about the establishment of a joint R&D venture on traveling-wave reactors, a new breakthrough in the field.

Li emphasized that safety is an essential prerequisite for developing nuclear power and that the new technology must be reliable and secure.

The premier also said that the new industrial revolution is proceeding to a higher level while the internet provides vital support. He said that China is carrying out innovation-driven development and making use of the Internet Plus Initiative, both of which involve promoting new technologies and integrating them with traditional industries to accelerate economic transformation and upgrading.

“We wish to further international cooperation and achieve technological breakthroughs by developing China’s advantage in rich resources in talent and using internet-based platforms,” he said.

New-generation nuclear power technology is vital for mankind to develop energy in the future and the energy supply must be kept clean, safe and reliable, Gates said. He said he appreciates the cooperation with Chinese companies and is willing to make the wishes a reality with an open attitude.

A traveling-wave reactor is a fourth-generation technology that can directly process depleted uranium, natural uranium, thorium, spent fuel from light water reactors or combinations of these materials, which allows the reactor to use fuel in a more efficient way.

China National Nuclear Co signed an agreement with TerraPower in September 2015 to jointly develop traveling-wave reactors, the first time such cooperation has been undertaken since 1985, when China and the US signed a cooperative agreement in nuclear energy. A joint venture was established by the two companies and some other Chinese energy suppliers this September.

The joint venture aims to build and operate small, medium and large power plants using traveling-wave reactors in the next 20 years, which are expected to reduce costs by 20 percent from existing, third-generation nuclear power plants.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday instructed the armed forces to improve their combat capability and readiness for war.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), made the remarks while inspecting the CMC joint battle command center as its commander in chief.

“The CMC should lead the armed forces to be ready to fight and win wars, and to undertake the missions and tasks of the new era entrusted to them by the Party and the people,” said Xi, in military uniform.

The capability to win is strategically important in safeguarding national security, and strengthening that capability and combat readiness in the new era would provide strategic support to the realization of the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation, according to Xi.

Xi called on the military to closely follow the situation of national security and to ensure military preparedness in all directions and all fields.

Innovation should be made in studying and planning for combat to adapt to the trend of military evolution, said Xi.

Xi demanded progress in joint operation command systems, especially in efficiency at regional theater command level.

Troops were ordered to conduct training under combat conditions.

During the inspection, Xi had video chats with troops at frontier posts and a newly established support base in Djibouti.

Xi encouraged those stationed in Djibouti to help promote international and regional peace and stability.

A Chinese-made dredging vessel, the largest of its kind in Asia, started water testing in east China’s Jiangsu Province Friday.

The 140-meter-long vessel, with the designed capacity to dredge 6,000 cubic meters per hour, can dig as deep as 35 meters under the sea floor.

The vessel named “Tian Kun Hao” was funded and designed by Tianjin Dredging Co. Ltd. associated with China Communication Construction Co. Ltd. (CCCC) and was built by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industry Co. Ltd.

“The electronic vessel is able to dredge an area the size of a soccer field with a depth of one meter within one hour,” said Wang Jian, deputy chief engineer of CCCC Tianjin Dredging.

He said on sea floor with rocks, the vessel’s 6,600-kilowatt dredging equipment can mince hard rocks and pump the silt into the vessel, where it can be automatically blown out as far as 15,000 meters away.

The vessel is expected to be delivered in June next year.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s (HKSAR) Chief Executive Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said Friday that Hong Kong can serve the Belt and Road Initiative well in different areas including fund-raising and infrastructure development.

Speaking at the Belt and Road Innovation and Development Forum on Friday, said that the Belt and Road Initiative is the new driving force of the global economy over the next few decades, with strong emphasis on international cooperation.

“It will attract more international interactive trading systems and investment flows. Now is the time for us to awaken to the Belt and Road chimes. I believe with us jointly acting together, the Initiative will materialize into reality,” Lam said.

Hong Kong handles some 70 percent of global Renminbi transactions, providing a wide range of Renminbi services and products, with a deep and multilingual financial talent pool, the chief executive said.

“Hong Kong is, in short, ideally positioned to serve as the Belt and Road’s fund-raising and risk-management capital,” she added.

Lam mentioned that infrastructure development is the driving force of the Belt and Road Initiative and Hong Kong has much to offer in professional service areas such as consultation, planning, design, construction, project development, operation management and capacity building.