China’s national observatory on Sunday issued a blue alert for typhoon Merbok, which is expected to hit the southern Guangdong Province on Monday.

At 5 p.m. Sunday, the eye of Merbok, this year’s second typhoon, was above the South China Sea some 600 km to the east of Shanwei City, packing winds of up to 18 meters per second, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said in a statement.

The NMC forecast that Merbok would move northwestward at a speed of 20 km per hour toward Guangdong and make landfall on the coast between Shenzhen and Shantou in late afternoon through the night Monday.

But the center expected the typhoon to weaken and disappear quickly after its landfall.

From Sunday evening to Monday evening, parts of South China Sea and the eastern coast of Guangdong will experience strong winds, while storms with up to 60 mm of precipitation are expected to affect parts of southeast Guangdong.

The NMC suggested local governments take precautions against possible geological disasters, and ships in affected areas should go back to ports.

China has a four-tier color-coded system for severe weather, with red being the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

A China Eastern Airlines plane, MU736 heading for Shanghai, returned after an engine fault was detected shortly after its take-off from Sydney Sunday night. No one was injured.

The company said a damage on the air inlet of the aircraft’s left engine was “timely” noticed by the crew, and the captain “decisively” made the decision to return. The plane landed safely.

An investigation continues while the airline is taking good care of the passengers.

Innovative talent education in China should look beyond mere knowledge accumulation, and protect curiosity and imagination and cultivate sound values in students, said Qian Yingyi, counsellor of China’s State Council in Beijing on June 9.

In a lecture, Qian, who is also the dean of School of Economics and Management at Tsinghua University, said the innovation-driven development of a nation requires innovative talents with creative thinking, with this quality dependent not only on knowledge but also curiosity and imagination.

Qian’s remarks came in the wake of China’s annual national entrance exam, in which a record 9.4 million students took part this time,

He said that, though China is the most populous country in the world and educates the world’s largest number of students, its achievements in science and technology, arts and humanities, new products, brands and business model remain scanty.

“Why is there the shortage of innovative talents under our education system?” Qian reiterated the question which was once raised by Qian Xuesen, Father of the Chinese missile program, 25 years ago. The answer was that the education of innovative talents required an innovative approach of its own.

He highlighted several critical factors – curiosity, imagination and sound values for future educational reform to reflect on.

In his view, the notion “knowledge is power” seems to prevail however, education does not equal knowledge. He quoted a few sentences from the world-renowned physicist Albert Einstein, to highlight the factors that he thought should be valued in education reform, namely: “I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious” and “imagination is more important than knowledge’. He Illustrated the thought in a formula “creativity = curiosity /imagination * knowledge.” Qian said knowledge invariably accumulates with time, but it is not the same case when it comes to curiosity and imagination, which depend more on the educational environment and methods.

The curiosity and imagination so intense during childhood may fade away with time or under pressure, especially under exam-oriented education, so student curiosity and imagination should be protected to become innovative talents, he stressed.

In the lecture, Qian also emphasized the cultivation and guidance of sound values in students under innovative talent education. He said that innovative education should guide students to have a “purpose” and even a “higher purpose” to overcome any anxiety about achieving quick success and gaining instant benefits.

Only by educating students to uphold sound values can there be more innovations, and, indeed, more revolutionary innovations, he emphasized.

China’s manned submersible Jiaolong will conduct two dives in the Yap Trench on Sunday and Tuesday.

The upcoming dives will be the final dives of China’s 38th oceanic scientific expedition that started on Feb. 6, according to scientists on the ship.

Before reaching the Mariana Trench and the Yap Trench in June, Jiaolong had successfully completed two stages of operation in the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea.

Jiaolong descended to 6,488 meters in the Yap Trench on Friday, which was its 150th dive since August 2009.

Jiaolong reached its deepest point of 7,062 meters in the Mariana Trench in June 2012.

A Tibetan delegation of the National People’s Congress (NPC) of China has informed Japanese officials and friendly groups about the current situation in Tibet and called upon Japan to properly handle Tibet-related issues.

During a five-day visit that concluded on Saturday, the delegation met with former President of Japan’s House of Councilors and Chairman of Japan-China Friendship Center Satsuki Eda, Chief Secretary of Japan-China Parliamentary Friendship Association Yoshimasa Hayashi, as well as Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Shunsuke Takei.

Heading the Tibetan delegation, Duoji Ciren, member of the standing committee of the People’s Congress of Tibet Autonomous Region, said China has been sticking to the principle of developing bilateral relations with Japan based on the four political documents and the four-point principled agreement between the two countries and in the spirit of taking history as a mirror while looking forward to the future.

He stressed that Tibet-related issues concern China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, urging Japan to respect China’s core interests and major concerns on related issues and properly handle such issues.

Duoji also said Tibet has been developing fast since it was liberated over half a century ago, with the full support of the central government, help from the whole nation and efforts of all ethnic groups of Tibet.

Currently, Tibet is working toward the goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects along with the whole nation, with all social undertakings thriving and people of all ethnic groups living and working in peace and contentment in the autonomous region, he added.

Eda, for his part, said it is important to maintain the friendship between the two countries as well as the two peoples. The Japanese parliament has established a regular exchange mechanism with the NPC, and the Japan-China Friendship Center has also invited Chinese youth to visit Japan on a regular basis to promote mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples.

Hayashi and Takei said the visit of the Tibetan delegation provided a good opportunity for the Japanese side to learn more about the situation in Tibet, and Japan is willing to deepen communication and cooperation with China in all areas so as to further improve bilateral ties.

The delegation also held seminars with Japanese scholars and overseas Chinese in Japan during the visit.