China created 13.14 million new jobs for urban residents last year, exceeding the official target, but the country faces challenges this year to create jobs for a historic high of almost 8 million university graduates.

University graduates attend a job fair in Shanghai early this month.[Photo/Xinhua]

The registered unemployment rate in Chinese cities stood at 4.02 percent at the end of last year, down from 4.04 percent three months earlier, Lu Aihong, an official with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, told a news conference on Monday.

He said the country has “obtained obvious achievements” in promoting entrepreneurs to create jobs through the construction of incubation bases, and the government has also encouraged migrant workers to start businesses in their hometowns.

The government pledged to keep the whole-year registered unemployment rate below 4.5 percent and create at least 10 million jobs last year.

According to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, China created 13.12 million jobs in 2015, and the registered unemployment rate in cities stood at 4.05 percent.

“The employment situation this year is stable, but there is also something to be worried about,” Lu said.

Though the Chinese laboring population has been declining since 2012, some laborers entered the market comparatively late due to educational reasons, which will keep the demand for jobs high in cities this year, and the rural laborers who are entering cities for work also increase the demand, he said.

He said employment pressure also comes from the task of re-employing workers laid off from a reduction in capacity and the downward pressure on the economy.

Meanwhile, Lu said he is expecting more jobs to be created as the country reforms its economy amid the acceleration of urbanization and the promotion of the Belt and Road Initiative.

This year, there will be 7.95 million university graduates－300,000 more than last year.

Lu said the ministry will encourage graduates to work in grassroots organizations and encourage them to start their own businesses.

Chen Yang, 27, a senior postgraduate at the School of Government, Nanjing University, said he thinks the employment situation this year will be “not that bad”.

“As far as I am concerned, one-third of the 2017 graduates have guaranteed themselves a job, though they are still several months away from graduating,” he said.

Chen, who hasn’t found a job yet, doesn’t show much interest in working for grassroots organizations, though it’s “possible” that there might be good opportunities there, he said.

China’s first high-resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite has passed all its in-orbit tests and is now operational, according to the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense on Monday.

Released photo shows the image of east China’s Hongze Lake, which is received from China’s first high-resolution synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite on Aug. 15, 2016. (Xinhua/State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense)

The Gaofen-3 satellite, which is accurate to one meter in distance, was launched in August 2016.

Tong Xudong, a senior engineer with the administration, said the satellite covers the globe with an all-weather, 24-hour observation service and will be used for disaster prevention and reduction, ocean monitoring, and the protection of maritime rights.

Gaofen-3 is China’s first low orbit remote sensing satellite to have a long lifespan.

With 12 imaging modes, Gaofen-3 has the most imaging modes in the SAR imaging satellite family. The high-definition observation satellite is capable of switching freely between various imaging modes, taking wide pictures of both earth and bodies of water, and detailed photographs of specific areas.

Gaofen-3’s spatial resolution ranges from one meter to 500 meters and its largest viewing swath is 650 kilometers.

According to the administration, Gaofen-5 hyerspectrual satellite is planned to be launched in September 2017.

One of China’s most wanted economic fugitives has been sentenced to life imprisonment for corruption.

Chinese police escorting Li Huabo (C), second of the list of China’s “100 most wanted economic fugitives” after he arrived at Beijing Capital International Airport. May 9, 2015. [Photo / Xinhua]

Shangrao Intermediate People’s Court on Monday awarded life imprisonment to Li Huabo, 55, the second on the list of China’s ‘100 most wanted’ economic fugitives who had fled overseas.

The former local government official from Poyang County, east China’s Jiangxi Province, was accused of embezzling 94 million yuan (about USD 14 million).

Li escaped to Singapore in 2011, where he funneled 29 million yuan (about USD 5.2 million) through Singaporean banks before fleeing the country.

He was sentenced to 15 months in jail by a Singaporean court for “dishonestly accepting stolen property” in July, 2014.

In May 2015, Li was repatriated to Beijing after serving 10 months of his sentence.

Li was the first of China’s “100 most-wanted economic criminals” to be returned from overseas.

He was repatriated as part of the “Sky Net” campaign, which aims to return corrupt officials and economic fugitives who have fled the country.

Shanghai police have detained 83 people, who illegally earned 6 million yuan (873,000 U.S. dollars), in connection with the fake auctioning and unlicensed authentication of antiques.

A gang led by a man surnamed Xiao charged antique holders high commissions by faking auctions, with the clients later told their collections were unsold, a police officer with Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau said Sunday.

Collaborating with two other companies, the gang was also found to illegally authenticate antiques, issuing fake reports and charging high authentication fees of 15,000-30,000 yuan per piece.

Police started investigating the case in July 2016 when three fake auctions were reported in Putuo District.

Around 100 people had been caught as of mid-December, with 83 to face criminal charges, the police officer said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping Sunday attended a gathering in Beijing and extended Lunar New Year greetings to people from non-Communist parties, the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, and those without party affiliation.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, called on non-Communist parties and personnel to uphold the leadership of the CPC and give suggestions for CPC governance.

Senior leaders Yu Zhengsheng and Zhang Gaoli also attended the event.

After listening to a speech by a representative of non-Communist parties, Xi expressed appreciation for the CPC’s united front work and contributions made by non-Communist parties last year.

He also stressed the importance of consensus and joint efforts among the CPC and the non-Communist parties, the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, and those without party affiliation.

Xi expressed hope that non-Communist parties and personnel would support creating a good environment for the 19th National Congress of the CPC, which is scheduled for this year, and pool wisdom and strength for the implementation of the CPC Central Committee’s decisions.

He called on relevant people to give suggestions for the country’s reform and development and ensure stability, as well as those that related to public concerns.

He further noted the importance of the proper selection of personnel and officials in non-Communist parties.

He said that CPC committees at all levels should support non-Communist parties and people without party affiliation in carrying out their duties.

Moreover, he said the ruling party should be open-minded in following others’ good suggestions, and it was an important duty for non-Communist parties to let voices from across spectrum, including criticism, be heard by the ruling party and to give their advice truthfully.