Chinese authorities on Friday publicized five typical cases involving fraud or blackmail conducted by fake journalists.

The National Office Against Pornographic and Illegal Publications said in a statement that law enforcement authorities have launched a special campaign against such violations.

In one case in Hebei, a total of 19 suspects have been held by the police. They were found to have pretended to be journalists and blackmailed enterprises or individuals by threatening to publish negative reports.

The suspects were also believed to have forged fake press cards for others.

In another case in Hainan, investigators found that the suspect falsely claimed to be a journalist and swindled over 200 rural families out of at least 1.5 million yuan (218,000 U.S. dollars) in the name of collecting deposits for poverty relief materials.

Eight villagers died while cleaning a sewage discharge outlet Friday in Dalian, a port city in northeast China’s Liaoning Province, local authorities said.

The accident happened at around 8:30 a.m. in Yanchang Village of Longtou Community in Lushunkou District, the press office of the district’s Party committee said in a statement.

It said the cause of the deaths is under investigation.

Exposure to toxic sewer gas such as methane and hydrogen sulfide can be fatal.

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with heroes and role models from public security departments across the country on Friday, stressing loyalty to the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, called for those working in the country’s public security departments to serve the people, promote impartiality in law enforcement, and remain disciplined.

Premier Li Keqiang and Liu Yunshan, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, also joined the meeting.

Xi said that the heroes and role models are not only models for the public security system, but also the whole of society.

Hailing the public security forces as a team with a glorious tradition and excellent work, Xi said they have made remarkable contributions in safeguarding national security and social stability.

They have forged an “indestructible iron wall” for national security, public security and the safety of people’s lives and property, with their sweat, and even blood and lives, the president said.

Xi said he was deeply moved by stories of public security officers risking their lives when carrying out missions, adding that he also felt sorrow for those who lost their lives during missions.

The great spirit of heroes and role models should be carried forward in the entire country in cultivating and practicing the socialist core values, said Xi.

Xi called on public security forces to devote their utmost efforts to safeguarding national security and social stability, so as to meet the public needs and create a safe and stable social environment for the upcoming 19th National Congress of the CPC later this year.

CPC committees and governments at various levels were also urged to support public security forces and take care of police officers.

A total of 615 public security units and 1,320 individuals were honored at Friday’s meeting.

The director of a Harbin hospital said she has been glad to see traditional Chinese medicine becoming more popular. But in this case, the new patients are not Chinese, but Russians who cross into the border province of Heilongjiang for treatment.

“Our center received its first patient from Russia in 2001, and since then the number of Russian patients has been increasing,” said Wang Yan, director of the rehabilitation center of Second Hospital Affiliated with the Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine.

“During the peak seasons between April and October they come in groups of 50 or 60, and they sometimes have to make an appointment to be able to see a doctor.”

Many patients are children or teenagers with difficult and chronic conditions such as brain-related illnesses or injuries, she said. Doctors provide comprehensive TCM treatment, such as herbal drugs and acupuncture.

“We found many Russian patients have more confidence in TCM than Chinese patients,” she said. “We have employed some Russians as translators to facilitate communication.”

Iuliia Matreninskaia, 38, from Russia, took her son to the hospital for treatment this month for the fifth time.

She said she first took her 10-year-old son, Daria, who has cerebral palsy, to Wang’s hospital in 2012, and her son’s brain function has since improved and he is able to move better.

Matreninskaia considers the medical facilities better and costs lower in Heilongjiang than at private hospitals in Russia.

Wang Hailin, president of Mishan Cardiovascular Diseases Hospital in Mishan, Heilongjiang, said many Russian patients seen by the hospital have conditions such as arthritis and varicose veins whose symptoms can be worsened by cold weather.

“TCM has proved to be effective in these diseases,” he said. “We plan to work with hospitals in Russia and tourism agencies this year to attract more Russian patients.”

Shao Zongbo, a manager at Mishan Qianshou Tourism Agency, said more than 200 Russians have used to agency to arrange for healthcare visits to the province every week this year. Most of them come from Russia’s eastern areas, such as Vladivostok and Ussuriysk, he said.

“In the beginning, most of them came here for treatment of diseases, but now many of them also come for other health-related services such as massage,” he said.

TCM institutions across China provided 910 million services in 2015, accounting for 15.7 percent of all medical services in China, compared with 14.3 percent in 2009, according to a report released by the State Council Information Office in December.

China has succeeded in collecting samples of combustible ice in the South China Sea, a major breakthrough that may lead to a global energy revolution, Minister of Land and Resources Jiang Daming said Thursday.

This is China’s first success in mining flammable ice at sea, after nearly two decades of research and exploration, the minister said at a trial mining site in the Shenhu area of the South China Sea Thursday.

Combustible ice usually exists in seabed or tundra areas, which have the strong pressure and low temperature necessary for its stability. It can be ignited like solid ethanol, which is why it is called “combustible ice.”

One cubic meter of “combustible ice”, a kind of natural gas hydrate, is equal to 164 cubic meters of regular natural gas.

China found flammable ice in the South China Sea in 2007.

International scientific circles have predicted that the natural gas hydrate is the best replacement for oil and natural gas.

According to Zhong Ziran, head of the China Geological Survey Bureau, combustible ice is more environmentally friendly and large reserves exist.

Mining of combustible ice started in the 1960s, but China began research in 1998.

Trial mining of combustible ice in the Shenhu sea, about 320 kilometers southeast of Zhuhai City in Guangdong, started on March 28. Experts first tapped the natural gas hydrate at a depth of 1,266 meters underwater last Wednesday.

An average of 16,000 cubic meters of gas with high purity was extracted each day.

Experts believe that the success shows China has mastered combustible ice mining technology.

Natural gas hydrate is an efficient, abundant and clean energy and is also strategically important for future global energy development, the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council said in a congratulatory letter.

The success marks a historic breakthrough after nearly two decades of continuous efforts and independent innovations by China in theory, technology, engineering and equipment for natural gas hydrate exploration and exploitation, according to the letter.

It is a great technological breakthrough in accessing the deep sea, deep-sea exploration and exploitation, said the letter.

It is another landmark achievement by Chinese people to bravely scale new heights of science and technology, and will have a profound impact on driving the revolution in energy production and consumption.

However, this is merely a critical step in a very long journey, with a daunting task ahead, said the letter, encouraging the staff to promote the industrialization of natural gas hydrate exploration and exploitation.

“Many countries along the Maritime Silk Road have a demand for combustible ice mining,” said Qiu Haijun, director of the trial mining commanding headquarters.

“With the advanced technology we could help resolve the energy resource problem and boost economic development and exchanges between countries,” Qiu said.