XI: CHILDREN ARE KEY TO NATION'S DEVELOPMENT

President Xi Jinping called on children across the country on Sunday to study hard, firm up their ideals and beliefs, and train themselves to be both physically and mentally stronger to work to realize the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remark while extending his greetings to children of all ethnic groups throughout the country ahead of International Children's Day, which falls on Monday.

Saying children nationwide have experienced a special period during the country's fight against COVID-19, Xi pointed out that they have also witnessed the great feats of the Chinese people standing united and rising to challenges.

The children have followed the call of the Party and the government to support the anti-epidemic efforts with their concrete actions, demonstrating their fine spirit, Xi said.

He stressed that if China's young people are vigorous, the nation is prosperous. He described children today as witnesses to the realization of the country's first centenary goal as well as a new force in achieving the second centenary goal of building China into a great modern socialist country.

China has set two centenary goals. The first is to complete the building of a moderately prosperous society in all aspects by the time the CPC celebrates its centenary in 2021, and the second is to build China into a modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced and harmonious by the time the People's Republic of China celebrates its centenary in 2049.

Xi urged Party committees and governments at all levels, as well as society, to care for children and create favorable conditions for their growth.

Xi has always attached great importance to work related to children and paid a lot of attention to their upbringing. Since becoming general secretary of the CPC Central Committee in November 2012, he has sent his greetings to children across the country every year ahead of International Children's Day.

HENAN HAS LARGEST POTENTIAL FOR URBANIZATION, REPORT SAYS

Henan province in Central China has the largest potential for urbanization, according to a Sunday report from news outlet Yicai.

In general, regions showing the greatest urbanization potential tend to be those with an urbanization rate of less than 65 percent and having the most rural population, said the report.

Henan has the largest registered population and rural population in the country, standing at over 100 million and 45.11 million, respectively. Meanwhile its current urbanization rate is only 53.21 percent, far below the national average.

Urbanization serves as an important driving force for China's economic development. In 2019, the country's urbanization rate for the first time exceeded 60 percent to 60.6 percent in terms of its permanent resident population, an increase of 1.02 percentage points from the end of the previous year.

Shandong province in East China and Sichuan province in Southwest China are in second and third place, respectively, both having rural population of over 38 million and a lower urbanization rate (61.51 percent and 53.79 percent, respectively).

Others with the most potential among the 31 regions in the Chinese mainland are Hebei, Hunan, Anhui, Yunnan, Guangxi, Hubei and Jiangxi.

According to the report, Shanghai, Beijing and Tianjin are regions with the highest urbanization rate in the country, all surpassing 80 percent.

SECURITY LAW IN HK BACKED BY COUNTRIES

Various countries have expressed their support for China's decision on national security legislation for Hong Kong and condemned external interference on the issue.

In a recent letter to President Xi Jinping, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic wrote his country supports China's National People's Congress in adopting the decision to establish and improve the legal system and enforcement mechanisms to safeguard national security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

As an independent and self-reliant country, Serbia opposes the act of interfering in the internal affairs of a sovereign state, Vucic said.

Serbia firmly supports China in safeguarding its national sovereignty, territorial integrity and national security, supports China's "wise and resolute decision" on Hong Kong affairs, and condemns all attempts to undermine China's reunification, the letter said.

Deputies to the 13th NPC voted on Thursday overwhelmingly in favor of the decision at the closing meeting of the country's top legislator's annual session.

The Foreign Ministry of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea said it is a legitimate step that China has adopted the decision, which is based on the Constitution of the People's Republic of China and the Basic Law of the HKSAR.

On Saturday, the official Korean Central News Agency quoted a spokesperson for the ministry as saying that a difficult situation was being created in Hong Kong in recent years that threatens the "one country, two systems" principle and the national security of China.

"This is the product of a plot by ... (an) external force and its vassal forces that seek the division and disintegration of China by tarnishing the image of a socialist country and fomenting and escalating social disorder," the spokesperson said.

"Since the Hong Kong issue is one pertaining thoroughly to the internal affairs of China, any country or force has no right to say this or that about it. We categorically oppose and reject foreign interference detrimental for the security and the social and economic development of Hong Kong," the report continued.

Pakistan has also expressed support to China's stance on Hong Kong issues. A spokesperson for Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said on Friday that Hong Kong issues are China's internal affairs and reiterated Pakistan's commitment to international law and the principle of non-interference.

"Cuba condemns interference in China's internal affairs and supports its right to ensure the well-being of all its citizens", Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez wrote on Twitter on Thursday.

"We welcome China's decision to consolidate development, recover from COVID-19 and strengthen institutions, legality and national security in its entire territory," he tweeted.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has previously said on Tuesday that Hong Kong affairs fall within China's domestic affairs and Washington's threat to impose sanctions on China fully expose its sense of superiority and impunity, which is not conducive to effective dialogue between the US and China on other issues.

In a statement released on May 24, the Iranian Foreign Ministry emphasized the importance of respecting the one-China policy, and it condemned any foreign interference in China's internal affairs and any harm to its national sovereignty and territorial integrity. The statement stressed the need for enforcing law and keeping order for the stability, welfare and security of people of Hong Kong.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Friday that the decision on the national security legislation for Hong Kong is China's internal affairs and that China would take necessary countermeasures if external forces interfered in Hong Kong affairs.

SHENZHEN TO COMPLETE MICROCHIPPING ALL DOGS IN 2020

The southern Chinese city of Shenzhen plans to complete installing microchips inside all dogs by the end of this year to better manage the pets, according to the city's urban administration and law enforcement bureau.

A preliminary survey showed that Shenzhen has more than 200,000 dogs, of which about 90 percent are registered, according to Feng Zengjun, deputy director of the bureau.

The microchip is about the size of a rice grain and placed underneath the dog's skin between the shoulder blades. The process can be completed in a few seconds, according to a veterinarian who undertakes the procedure.

Authorized personnel can scan the code and get its basic information from the management authority, including the name and breed of the dog, as well as the name and contact information of the owner.

Shenzhen has rolled out a series of regulations to improve pet management since 2019. The city started an electronic system in May 2019 that allows citizens to apply online for a certificate to have a dog.

OVER 95% OF MIGRANT WORKERS RESUME WORK

The number of rural workers finding jobs in urban areas nearly doubled in the past two months, authorities said, providing momentum to the sweeping effort to stamp out poverty in the country this year.

More than 26 million rural residents had arrived at workplaces, old or new, by the end of April, according to poverty relief authorities.

That meant 95.4 percent of migrant workers — up 43.4 percentage points from March 6 — had resumed work, based on the migrant worker population recorded last year, China's top poverty relief body, the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, said.

It said more workers from the 52 counties still labeled as poverty-stricken had found urban jobs, exceeding last year's total by almost 3 percent. Meanwhile, another two million people wanting to leave villages across the country to earn more money had yet to find jobs.

Migrant workers contribute two-thirds of many rural families' earnings, poverty relief officials said.

Widespread travel bans and production stoppages triggered by the novel coronavirus outbreak earlier this year left many migrant workers without income and threatened to push many rural residents into poverty.

To pull vulnerable families through the difficulties, the central authorities expanded the coverage of State benefits and other relief packages and introduced programs to boost employment.

The authorities gave early approval to the reopening of "poverty relief factories and workshops", which employ a large percentage of impoverished migrant workers. China also devised a "point-to-point" transportation program to carry migrant workers back to jobs on chartered trains or buses to avoid infection risks during travel.

China has entered the last leg of its poverty elimination campaign and is determined to deliver the zero-poverty promise by the end of this year despite the blow the pandemic has dealt to the economy.

The central government has adopted a mix of monetary and infrastructure standards to track the campaign's progress. To escape absolute poverty, the rural poor first need to cross a per capita annual income threshold, first set in 2010, which the office said would reach 4,000 yuan ($564) this year.

In addition, rural families need to prove they have access to basic healthcare, secure housing, safe drinking water and no school-age children not attending school before their poverty label can be removed.

Meanwhile, nine eastern provinces have bought farm products worth more than 4.8 billion yuan from impoverished areas since February as part of a broader effort to help western regions eliminate poverty through the promotion of rural specialties, the office said.

CHINA-EUROPE FREIGHT TRAIN SERVICE IN YIWU UP 72%

As of May 31, China-Europe freight trains running from Yiwu, Zhejiang province carried out 200 trips this year, transporting 16,672 containers, a growth rate of 72 percent year-on-year, according to China Railway Shanghai Group Co Ltd.

With air and sea transportation coming to a near stop due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, freight trains leaving Yiwu recorded a surge in the number of trips and shipment volume from a year earlier, and around 1,000 trips are projected for the whole year.

China-Europe freight trains departing from Yiwu connect five cities in eastern China and 36 countries in Europe, including Spain, Denmark, Switzerland and France, achieving the cross-border mail delivery of over 2,000 tons.

To help world combat the COVID-19 epidemic, the majority of cargo transported are epidemic prevention supplies, general merchandise and daily necessities, which have not only boosted confidence of European nations to fight against the virus, but also ensured the smooth running of global supply chain.

CHINESE SHARES SOAR ON MONDAY

Chinese stocks surged on Monday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index up 2.21 percent at 2,915.43 points.

The Shenzhen Component Index closed 3.31 percent higher at 11,102.15 points.

The ChiNext Index, China's NASDAQ-style board of growth enterprises, rose 3.43 percent to close at 2,158.22 points.

SMART WEARABLES SELL AS CONSUMERS RIDE TECH

Smart wearables are gaining traction in China as more and more tech-savvy consumers are willing to pay for such gadgets to embrace a more convenient and tech-driven life.

In face of the COVID-19 pandemic, a rising number of consumers, stuck indoors due to restrictions on outdoor movement, had to exercise at home. So, they bought digital bands to track fitness data.

"I now wear a small fitness band almost all day. Not only can it help me to track fitness data but it also monitors my health data, including sleep, heartbeat and blood pressure," said Li Wenqiang, a 28-year-old financial clerk in Beijing.

Smart watches for kids are also becoming popular as they offer features like fancy voice-activated wireless earbuds. Technological advances have enriched wearables' functions and enhanced their appeal.

Last year, 99.2 million wearable devices were shipped to local markets across China, up 37 percent year-on-year, according to market research company International Data Corp.

Jitesh Ubrani, research manager for IDC's mobile device trackers, said the rise of smart, voice-activated virtual assistants in home appliances and phones has increased demand for wearables that can connect with these assistants.

"The wearables market is well on its way to becoming a mass-market device category rather than one that primarily caters to health and fitness," Ubrani said.

Surging demand is also prompting Chinese tech giants Xiaomi Corp and Huawei Technologies Co to foray into international markets for new growth engines.

Xiaomi launched its next-generation fitness tracker called the Mi Band 4 last year. Featuring a nearly 40-percent bigger display compared to its predecessor, the gadget supports Xiao AI voice assistant that can be used for controlling Xiaomi's IoT, or internet of things, products.

According to a report by Gizmo-China, the Mi Band 4 is said to be smashing sales records in Japan after its launch in the country. The smart band became the No 1 wearable in the activity tracker category on e-commerce platform Amazon Japan.

"Several years ago, tech giants jumped the gun before the hardware was able to catch up with the initial design of smart wearables, triggering weaker market results than the industry had expected," said Xiang Ligang, director-general of the Information Consumption Alliance, a telecom industry alliance.

"But as technology advances, some problems are quietly going away, and people are increasingly willing to accessorize their smartphones. This is happening not only in China but globally," he said.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

You can clutch the past so tightly to your chest, that it leaves your arms too full to embrace the present. - Jan Glidewell