XI SAYS CHINA READY TO WORK WITH GERMANY, EU TO CREATE MORE GLOBAL CERTAINTY

President Xi Jinping said Wednesday that China stands ready to work with Germany and the European Union (EU) to strengthen strategic cooperation, uphold multilateralism, tackle global challenges, and jointly add certainty to the current world of uncertainty.

In a telephone conversation in the night with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Xi noted that it was the third time since the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak that he and Merkel had spoken over the phone, which reflects the deep political mutual trust and close strategic communication between the two sides.

The Chinese side appreciates the German government's objective and rational stand as well as its respect for science on the pandemic issue, Xi said.

He added that China is ready to work with Germany to support the work of the World Health Organization (WHO), promote international cooperation within such frameworks as the United Nations and the Group of 20, help African countries fight the coronavirus disease, and contribute to safeguarding global public health security.

Stressing the need to coordinate epidemic control and economic and social development, Xi said the general trend of the Chinese economy towards stable long-term growth with a sound momentum remains unchanged.

China, he added, will stay committed to further opening up to and expanding cooperation with the rest of the world, and continue to create a favorable environment for German enterprises to increase investment in China.

The recently launched China-Germany "fast track" arrangement will help enterprises in both countries to speed up business resumption and maintain the stability of international industrial and supply chains, he said.

The Chinese president said he is confident that China-Germany cooperation will play its due role in helping pull the world out of the economic recession at an early date.

With China and Germany maintaining a stable and sound cooperative relationship, China stands ready to continue dialogue and exchanges with Germany, Xi said.

Noting that Germany is to take over the rotating presidency of the European Union (EU) for the second half of this year, he added that China appreciates Germany's willingness to actively promote the development of China-EU ties.

As a series of significant events of China-Germany and China-EU political exchanges are now under discussion, China is willing to keep close communication and coordination with Germany and the EU to ensure the success of these events and lift China-Germany and China-EU relations to higher levels, he added.

For her part, Merkel said that Germany attaches importance to the economic and social development plan made in China's "two sessions," and stands ready to work with China to promote work and production resumption without compromising outbreak control and continuously deepen bilateral economic cooperation.

Germany highly appreciates the announcement made by Xi that China's COVID-19 vaccine will be made a global public good, she said, adding that under current circumstances, to enhance international solidarity and multilateralism is crucial to the global fight against the pandemic.

The chancellor said Germany is willing to strengthen exchanges with China and continue to support the WHO playing its important role, so as to promote international public health security cooperation.

GOVT TO ALLOW MORE INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS

China will allow domestic and overseas airlines to increase the number of international passenger flights in and out of the country if the epidemic risks are controllable, said Civil Aviation Administration of China on Thursday.

Domestic and overseas airlines that have been operating international passenger flights under restrictions imposed on March 29 will still stick to the previous plan, with domestic airlines flying one flight a week on one route to any country and foreign airlines operating one flight a week to China, the administration said.

Foreign airlines with no international passenger flights to the country will be allowed to operate one flight per week starting June 8, it added.

The administration will also have a reward and circuit breaker mechanism in place to contain the number of imported cases of the novel coronavirus.

If the number of passengers who have a positive nucleic acid test stands at zero for three consecutive weeks on the same route, airlines will be allowed to add one additional flight per week on the route as a bonus, it said.

But the airline will suspend the operation of the route for one week if five or more passengers test positive for the coronavirus. If the number exceeds 10, the airline will suspend flights on the route for four weeks, it said, adding that it could resume operation after the "circuit breaker" period.

The administration also noted that it will allow certain eligible countries to increase the number of international passenger flights in and out of the country if the epidemic risks are controllable.

SECURITY LEGISLATION FOR HKSAR WILL NOT AFFECT RIGHTS, FREEDOMS

The national security legislation for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region will not affect the various rights and freedoms of local residents as it will only target a very small number of people whose criminal acts endanger national security, a senior official said on Wednesday.

Vice-Premier Han Zheng, who heads the coordination group of Hong Kong and Macao affairs of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the central government, made the remark during a meeting with Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor in Beijing to hear opinions from the SAR government on the legislation.

Han reiterated that the central government is determined to fully and faithfully implement the "one country, two systems" principle and safeguard national security.

The national security legislation for the Hong Kong SAR has the fundamental purpose of safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests as well as the enduring peace and long-term prosperity and stability of the region, he said.

It will also ensure the sound and sustained implementation of "one country, two systems", he added.

He underscored that the opinions of all sectors in Hong Kong society will be taken into consideration during the lawmaking process.

During a news briefing in Beijing following the meeting, Lam said the SAR government will fully support the legislative process, adding that it is in accordance with the central government's constitutional obligation and showed its care for Hong Kong.

She urged Hong Kong communities to voice their opinions on the proposed law and pledged to relay these opinions to the central government in a timely manner.

The central government plans to collect more opinions from Hong Kong society, such as other SAR government officials, the president of the SAR's legislature and legal experts, as well as the deputies to the National People's Congress and members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference from the city, she said.

It will also invite representatives from different sectors in Hong Kong to discuss the issue at seminars in Shenzhen and Beijing, she said.

EXPERTS SAY IT'S GROUNDLESS TO HOLD CHINA ACCOUNTABLE FOR COVID-19

Chinese law experts say the country has always abided by international rules and carried out its international obligations during the novel coronavirus outbreak, and there is "no legal basis" to demand it be held responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Blaming China and holding the country accountable for the outbreak has no legal support, because the current international laws provide no basis for holding a state responsible for a pandemic," said Huang Jin, a law professor specializing in international law at China University of Political Science and Law in Beijing.

Demands that China be held liable for the pandemic and compensate the world raised the question of who should be held responsible for an epidemic such as H1N1 influenza, commonly known as swine flu, which first appeared in North America, he said.

Calling the novel coronavirus a common enemy of mankind, he said China had followed the International Health Regulations and implemented a series of effective measures since the outbreak started.

"What we've done is strictly obey the international rules and fulfill our international obligations," Huang said. "For example, we took the initiative to evaluate the pandemic situation and reported it in a timely fashion to the World Health Organization as well as other countries and regions, and we also accepted inspections from the WHO.

The Foreign Ministry also said on Wednesday that an Associated Press report, which claimed that China delayed sharing information on COVID-19 with the WHO, is totally untrue.

Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a daily briefing that the report is "seriously inconsistent with the facts", adding that China's efforts to tackle COVID-19 have been open for the whole world to see and will stand the test of time.

China has maintained close and good communications and cooperation with the WHO and its China office since the outbreak started and will continue to support the WHO's leading role in combating the pandemic, Zhao said.

Zhu Wenqi, a law professor at Renmin University of China, said there was no need for a country to accept any responsibility in international relations if it had not committed any internationally wrongful act.

An internationally wrongful act, under international law, means a state violating its international obligations, he said, and only in those circumstances could it be accused of bearing "state responsibility".

CHINESE MAINLAND'S UNIVERSITIES SECURE TOP 2 SPOTS FOR FIRST TIME IN THE'S ASIA UNIVERSITY RANKINGS

Universities from the Chinese mainland have for the first time secured the top two spots in Times Higher Education (THE)'s Asia University Rankings since it began in 2013, according to the latest rankings released Wednesday.

Tsinghua University, the first Chinese university to achieve top place in last year's rankings, maintains its position at number one this year, while Peking University rises from 5th to 2nd.

This year's rankings also saw Chinese mainland's universities claiming three of the top 10 positions for the first time, with the University of Science and Technology of China and South Korea's Sungkyunkwan University tied for 10th.

The dominance continues into the top 50, with 13 Chinese mainland's universities ranking 50th or higher.

With nine more universities qualifying compared to 2019, the Chinese mainland records its largest-ever number of participants this year with 81, ranking second among all Asian countries. The first comes Japan with 110 universities, and the third India with 56.

A total of 78 out of a record 489 institutions included in this year's rankings are debutants, with Macao's Macau University of Science and Technology ranking 32nd, the highest.

Chinese mainland's dominance is truly cemented by achieving the top two spots for the first time in the rankings, said THE's Chief Knowledge Officer Phil Baty.

"Despite a record total of universities qualifying for the ranking, Chinese mainland continues to demonstrate the growing strength of its higher education system to the rest of the world," he said.

"China has been ahead of a lot of Asian nations in prioritizing the knowledge economy, prioritizing investment in great universities, that included of course financial investment to very very high levels, but also reform to make sure that academics, scholars of China are incentive eyes focused on producing high quality work," he said.

The world will see more Chinese scholars producing researches at the highest level in leading journals, which will further improve Chinese universities' rankings, he added.

Baty predicted that the geopolitical implications of the COVID-19 pandemic response, coupled with dramatic changes to the international flow of students and academic talents, will benefit Asian universities and accelerate their competition with the best institutions in the world.

MILITARY TO RECRUIT MORE COLLEGE GRADS

The Chinese military has decided to recruit more university students this year by streamlining recruitment procedures and offering more benefits, according to a new notice.

The document, jointly issued by the Ministry of Education and the Central Military Commission's National Defense Mobilization Department, said the move is intended to boost the modernization efforts of military personnel, enhance military units' combat capability and send more talented people to the armed forces.

Work will be done to further optimize recruitment of university students and increase the quotas for graduates, the notice said, urging local authorities to make specific guidelines and use more favorable policies to attract more graduates.

It stipulated that local governments should set up permanent physical examination stations for applicants to make sure that university students, especially graduates, are given access to such examinations as soon as they file an application. Governments should also continue to facilitate other application procedures for university students.

Priority should be given to those who have taken part in the fight against COVID-19 and their children−especially children about to graduate from university−as long as they wish to join the military, according to the document.

It requested local recruitment offices to make a thorough and comprehensive deliberation when they select applicants from universities and review military units' needs of professionals.

"Students and graduates should be assigned to units that need their specific knowledge and expertise as long as the applicants accept such assignments," the notice explained. "This can ensure that the right people go to the right places and their talents can be fully utilized."

Furthermore, starting in 2021, a total of 8,000 retirees who were university students or graduates before joining the military will be given priority when they apply for postgraduate programs. Currently, 5,000 veterans can benefit from the measure each year.

Starting in 2022, retirees with associate degrees will be eligible for exam-free admission to undergraduate courses, the notice said.

SUPERVISION OF LABS TESTING FOR COVID-19 TO TIGHTEN

China plans to tighten supervision over laboratories running nucleic acid tests and enhance training of lab workers in order to ensure the quality of testing amid the COVID-19 epidemic, according to a notice released on Wednesday by the State Council's Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism.

The new measures are being rolled out as the country implements routine epidemic control work and local authorities step up infrastructure construction and boost testing efficiency, leading to swelling numbers of nucleic acid tests, according to the notice, which was published on the website of the National Health Commission.

"Local governments should attach great significance to the quality control of nucleic acid tests, ensuring a sufficient amount of tests will be launched to meet public demand while guaranteeing that test results are correct and reliable," it said.

It stressed that laboratories providing testing services should abide by relevant regulations and register with local health authorities.

Quality control officials on the national or provincial level will carry out regular examinations on laboratories. All laboratories will soon be arranged to undergo quality checks in batches, and those found to yield problematic test results or fail evaluations on working conditions will be banned from running tests, the notice said.

Meanwhile, more training and guidance will be provided to testing personnel in order to curb false-negative results.

Training will be comprehensive, but some key steps, such as the collection and handling of samples, should be highlighted so that laboratory workers will become dexterous in enforcing standards and taking proper biosecurity precautions.

Hubei's provincial capital Wuhan, the city hit hardest by the virus in China, recently completed a massive campaign to test nearly all residents in the city from May 14 to June 1. No confirmed cases were reported, but 300 asymptomatic cases were detected out of the nearly 10 million people tested, according to the provincial government.

The Chinese mainland added one new confirmed case on Tuesday, an imported infection detected in Guangdong province, and one new suspected case found in an incoming traveler in Shanghai, according to the National Health Commission.

Four new asymptomatic cases were reported on Tuesday. A total of 357 symptom-free individuals were under medical observation as of Tuesday.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

No one is ever a failure when he has friends. - Unknown