XI STRESSES JOINT PLANNING FOR RECOVERY

President Xi Jinping called for stronger coordination and synergies in macro policies between China and France to promote economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic as well as expansion of collaboration in emerging sectors while tapping the potential of cooperation in traditional areas.

Xi made the remark in a phone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday night. He also spoke by phone with his Costa Rican counterpart, Carlos Alvarado Quesada.

In talks with Macron, Xi underlined the importance for both nations of planning exchanges at various levels and conducting dialogues in a steady, orderly and flexible manner after the pandemic.

Xi said the Chinese market remains open to France, and it is his hope that France will take advantage of the "fast lane" opened for business exchanges to China to facilitate the reopening of French businesses in China. He also expressed hope that France would create a fair and unbiased business environment for Chinese businesses.

With the pandemic still raging globally, Xi highlighted the need for solidarity and cooperation, saying that the two countries must continue to jointly support the international community in uniting to fight the pandemic.

Institutions from both countries must move forward with joint research programs, and the two nations must support international cooperation in the research and development of vaccines and pharmaceuticals, he said.

He called upon the two nations to bolster support for the World Health Organization and promote more joint cooperation between China, France and African nations to support the coronavirus response in the world's less developed regions, including Africa.

China is willing to step up strategic coordination with the European Union to further the major political agendas between them and jointly cope with global challenges such as public health, climate change and the protection of biodiversity, he added.

Macron said France is willing to work with China to implement the consensuses of the World Health Assembly, support the WHO playing an important role and step up cooperation with the organization.

Relevant departments between the two countries should maintain dialogue and exchanges, deepen mutual understanding and move forward with key cooperation programs, with the top priority now being accelerating the reopening of business, he said.

In the call with Alvarado, Xi said China regarded Costa Rica as an important partner to carry out cooperation in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America.

China will continue to provide firm support and assistance within its capacity according to Costa Rica's needs, Xi said, vowing China's resolve to uphold the legitimate rights and interests of medium and small-size developing countries.

He also called on the two nations to respect each other's core interests and major concerns, plan together for bilateral cooperation after the pandemic and deepen practical cooperation in various areas under the framework of jointly building the Belt and Road.

As Monday marked the 13th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Costa Rica, Alvarado said his country will adhere to the one-China principle and is willing to strengthen communication and cooperation with China in such areas as public health, infrastructure and culture.

CAPITAL WILL LOWER HEALTH EMERGENCY RESPONSE LEVEL

Beijing will lower its public health emergency response from the second to the third level starting on Saturday, with adjustments expected in activity restrictions and nearby Tianjin and Hebei province expected to also make changes.

Under the third level, residential areas will continue with code inspections and information registration, but body temperature checks won't be required.

People who return to Beijing from Hubei won't need a 14-day quarantine. A second nucleic acid test can be dropped for returnees from Wuhan if their first test is negative, Chen Bei, deputy secretary-general of the Beijing municipal government, said at a news conference on Friday.

Public spaces such as libraries, museums, parks and scenic spots are opening with visitors limited to 50 percent of normal. Tourist groups will be allowed to travel to Beijing gradually, except for those from high-risk areas in the nation and other countries, Chen said.

"Under high-standard prevention and control measures, the epidemic has seen no abnormal rebound since the city lowered the emergency response from the top level to the second level in late April," said Chen.

Beijing's districts had reported no new locally produced COVID-19 cases for over 90 consecutive days as of Thursday, longer than three virus-incubation periods, Chen said. "Frequent and high-density activities such as resumption of schools, holidays and the two sessions didn't cause new infected cases and an epidemic rebound."

Since the beginning of May, the number of new imported cases on the Chinese mainland has dropped greatly, most days in single digits, Chen said.

"However, measures on lowering infection risks from imported cases and efforts to avert a rebound of local cases will not be eased," Chen said, adding that nucleic acid tests and medical observation are required for overseas passengers and people from domestic medium and high-risk areas.

Similar measures have been adopted by Tianjin and Hebei in lowering their response from the second to the third level.

Only Hubei province is maintaining its public health emergency response at second-level, while others have lowered it to third or fourth level, the Beijing News reported.

The Chinese mainland confirmed five cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, all imported, with four in Shanghai and one in Sichuan province, according to the National Health Commission.

Some places are strengthening their screening measures. Mudanjiang in Heilongjiang province, for example, has enhanced its efforts to screen for infections by expanding tests to over 690,000 people as of Thursday, Xinhua News Agency reported.

SOIL TECHNOLOGY HELPS RECLAIM DESERT IN XINJIANG

A desert research team from Chongqing Jiaotong University has been conducting experiments to build arid desert ground into soil that can grow plants in Hotan prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Located on the southern edge of the Taklamakan Desert, China's largest, Hotan has suffered from wind and sand erosion for generations.

"It is common sense that the desert is characterized by lack of water, but there is another factor. The sands cannot retain water and nutrients, so only desert plants can survive," said Yi Zhijian, the leader of the team.

Since coming to Hotan in 2017, the experts have been using plant fiber adhesive to turn sand into soil. They simply scatter the adhesive on the surface using tractors and then stir it up with a little water.

Eventually, the desert sands will be able to sustain a variety of plants at a cost of only 2000 yuan ($281) to 3,000 yuan per mu, Yi said. There are 15 mu in one hectare.

The team invented the fibrous adhesives in 2013. They form an elastic bond between the grains of sand, turning them into a sort of net that can grow plants.

Armed with this technology in 2017, Yi's team turned about 133 hectares of desert into decent soil. In 2018, the team has grown more than 40 kinds of crops on the 200 hectares of amended desert soil.

Now, after almost four years of experiments, the team has expanded to more 660 hectares of desert, and the crops grown there provide feed for livestock on nearby farms.

The team said the technology has been applied in many places, including Hainan and Sichuan provinces and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region. The experimental area encompasses more than 1,300 hectares nationwide, with Hotan being the largest single area.

"This year, we will see if we can enter the stage of industrializing the technology. Perhaps one day it will provide a way for controlling desertification in Hotan," Yi said.

CHINESE PANGOLINS GIVEN TOP LEVEL OF PROTECTION

The Chinese government recently raised the protection level of Chinese pangolins to the top level, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration announced on Friday.

The species, which used to be at the second level under state protection, is now listed among the top-protected animals.

According to a national wildlife survey conducted by forestry authorities in the 1990s, there were some 60,000 Chinese pangolins in 11 provinces, including Yunnan, Hunan, Guangdong, Sichuan and Zhejiang provinces. In past decades, the species' population has witnessed a sharp decline due to habitat destruction, rampant poaching and smuggling.

In 2017, the International Union for Conservation of Nature placed Chinese pangolins on the Red List of Endangered Species, as a team of experts believed the population had dropped by 90 percent over the previous decade.

CHINA UNVEILS MASCOTS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

China on Friday unveiled a pair of mascots for ecological and environmental protection in celebration of World Environment Day.

The pair of cartoon characters, in green and blue and named Xiaoshan (Little Hill) and Xiaoshui (Little Water), respectively, were unveiled at a national event held in Beijing, with the Ministry of Ecology and Environment as one of the sponsors for observing the Day in China. World Environment Day is held on June 5 each year.

The design combines elements such as green leaves, flowers, clouds and water patterns to embody the principle that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets, said a source of the ministry.

China started soliciting designs for the mascots in November 2019. The winners were chosen from more than 2,400 works after nearly seven months of submissions, expert evaluation, online voting and other processes.

After the unveiling of the mascots, anyone working on welfare activities related to ecological and environmental protection may use them free of charge, the ministry source added.

STRONGER PROTECTION URGED FOR YELLOW RIVER

Chinese courts along the Yellow River have been told to give stronger legal protection to the basin's environment and ecology, with harsher punishments against polluters and better services for regional economic and social development.

The Supreme People's Court issued a guideline on Friday, ordering courts in seven provinces and two autonomous regions along the river, including those in Gansu, Shaanxi and Shanxi, to fight pollution-related crimes and strengthen case hearings related to local industrial transformation and upgrading.

The document aims to implement the central leadership's requirements on boosting the basin's environmental and ecological protection and promoting high-quality development of the local economy, according to Tao Kaiyuan, vice-president of the top court.

To fulfill the goal, courts along the river should abide by the guideline," cracking down on pollution with tougher punishments as well as providing comprehensively environmental governance on the basin's mountains, forests, lakes, soils and grasslands," she said.

"Meanwhile, we should uphold the idea of innovative development, intensifying case hearings on various sectors related to the basin's industrial improvements, such as livelihood, finance, bankruptcy and intellectual property rights," she said, requiring judges to build a sound business environment and contribute to the Belt and Road Initiative.

Highlighting the significance of fighting pollution-related crimes, Wang Xuguang, head of the top court's tribunal for environment and resources, noted that courts along the river should pay attention to water resources utilization, regulating the use of the water and electricity, and urging government departments to play a supervisory role in environmental and ecological protection.

He welcomed some achievements made by the courts along the river over the past year, but called for them to strengthen the sharing of case information with each other and boost judicial cooperation in areas where pollution is serious or where special protection is needed, such as in the pilot national giant panda park and Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve.

According to the top court's statistics, courts along the river basin have solved 908 pollution-related criminal cases since 2019, of which 808 have been concluded.

"Among the crimes, people who privately discharged pollutants and illegally dumped hazardous or solid waste into the river, as major offenses to be fought, were given heavier penalties," Wang said.

"We also asked these courts to improve the quality, professionalism and capacity of their case hearings," he said, adding that 246 judicial teams specializing in handling environmental cases have been established in the courts.

ADIDAS BUSINESS IN CHINA RETURNS TO GROWTH IN MAY

The world-leading sportswear brand Adidas has seen a strong recovery in the Chinese market in May, as its revenue growth turned positive this month followed the reopening of its stores.

In China, the company's first major market on the road to recovery, all own- and partner-operated stores – more than 12,000 ---have been open since mid-April. Its store traffic remained below the prior year level in May, and its efforts to revitalize retail have led to sequential improvements since stores reopened, said Adidas.

Its traffic shortfall was more than offset by an increase in conversion rates and the rapid growth in the company's e-commerce business.

As a result, overall revenue growth in the country turned positive for the month of May. Following the earlier-than-expected return to growth, Adidas now expects sales for the second quarter in China to be around the prior year-level, according to the company.

Last month, Adidas has pledged to invest more to enhance its supply chain capacity in China, as the company signed an agreement to establish a new automated distribution center in Suzhou for its Asia-Pacific market. Adidas said it is fully confident in the development of the Chinese sports industry and will continue its investments in China in the future.

ZHEJIANG REGULATOR WANTS MICROFINANCE TO BENEFIT SMALLER COMPANIES

China's banking and insurance regulator in Zhejiang province want to expand the reach of microfinance to smaller companies that have never received bank loans before by promoting government's sharing of data on small businesses with banks and insurers.

"Based on our past experience, the main problem of microfinance is information asymmetry. Although some micro and small business owners have beautiful dreams and qualities of a good entrepreneur, it still takes time for banks to know them, not to mention that there are many cases of entrepreneurial failure," said Bao Zuming, head of the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commision's Zhejiang office.

The biggest challenge facing many micro- and small-sized startups is to search for funding while banks are most cautious about issuing loans to this type of companies. "From the banks' perspective, the key to satisfying startups' financing needs is to solve the problem of information asymmetry. That's why we endeavor to build a platform of comprehensive financial services, which allows banks and businesses to communicate based on the same set of financial statements," Bao said at a news conference on Thursday.

The banking and insurance regulator in Zhejiang launched an online provincial-level platform of comprehensive financial services on Nov 13. The platform gathered a large amount of data from 54 provincial government departments, which accounted for 70 percent of the information on a business that loan officers need to know when they conduct investigations before making a lending decision.

By the end of April, the platform had covered more than 8,000 outlets of 193 banking institutions across the province. During the process of loan issuance, these banks had made more than 5 million data queries on nearly 300,000 companies. Over 140 billion yuan ($19.8 billion) of credit granting was completed directly based on the platform. The credit line of 70 percent of the loans is less than 3 million yuan per loan.

Since the beginning of this year, banks in Zhejiang province have seen a rapid growth of small business borrowers that have never received bank loans before. The number of this type of new clients reached 12,500 in the first quarter, Bao said.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

There is never enough time to do everything, but there is always enough time to do the most important thing. - Brian Tracy