XI'S THOUGHT ON DIPLOMACY SHARES VISIONS

As the international situation becomes increasingly uncertain, diplomats and experts said Xi Jinping Thought on diplomacy−which puts the building of a community with a shared future for mankind and the building of a new type of international relations featuring fairness, justice and win-win cooperation at its core−is of great significance in coping with global challenges.

The theoretical achievements in China's diplomatic work that were developed following the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012, when Xi Jinping became general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, have become the fundamental guideline for the country's diplomacy, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday.

Xi's thought on diplomacy, taking the perspective of the progress of humanity, considers a synergy between China's development and that of the rest of the world, and also the alignment of the interests of the Chinese people with those of people from other countries, Wang said at the launch ceremony of a research center on Xi Jinping Thought on diplomacy in Beijing.

It goes beyond traditional theories on international relations, which find it harder to interpret today's world as views such as the zero-sum game ideology don't conform with the trend of the times, he added.

The research center was established by the Foreign Ministry to coordinate nationwide academic resources to have an in-depth study of Xi's thought on diplomacy to make it better serve the country's diplomatic work.

Since becoming general secretary of the CPC Central Committee in November 2012, Xi has used bilateral or multilateral diplomatic occasions to propose a series of ideas and visions on what kind of relationship China should have with the rest of the world and how it will work to build such a relationship.

XI AFFIRMS SUPPORT FOR ZAMBIA, PALESTINE

President Xi Jinping reaffirmed on Monday China's commitment to doing its best to support African countries such as Zambia in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and restoring social and economic development.

Xi made the remark during a phone conversation with Zambian President Edgar Lungu. He also spoke over the phone with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday night.

Xi said China and Africa have stood firmly together in the face of the pandemic, supporting and fighting alongside each other.

African countries including Zambia offered China precious support in the early stage of China's coronavirus response, and China felt Africa's pain after the pandemic broke out in the continent, he said.

He noted that China was among the first countries to have extended a helping hand to Africa both in terms of materials and sharing experience.

Xi said he has made repeated appeals to bolster support for African countries, and China is expediting steps to carry out measures in this regard.

He expressed his belief that Zambia will continue to guarantee the normal life and work of Chinese citizens and businesses in the country, saying that solidarity and cooperation between the two sides have continued to move forward despite obstacles created by the pandemic.

Both countries must step up coordination to safeguard international fairness and justice, uphold multilateralism and defend the legitimate rights of developing countries, he said.

Lungu said he appreciates the support from China for Africa's fight against the pandemic, and he believes that China's epidemic containment experience and its outcomes in vaccines and pharmaceutical development will serve to boost the confidence of African countries and contribute to their fight against the virus.

Zambia will continue to firmly adhere to the one-China policy and support the correct position and measures of the Chinese government over issues involving the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, he added.

Xi said in his conversation with Abbas that China and Palestine are good brothers, friends and partners who have always trusted each other and offered each other steadfast support on issues concerning their respective core interests and major concerns.

China will continue to share its anti-epidemic experience without any reservations and do its best to provide support in materials and technologies, he said.

It has been China's consistent and clear position on the Palestinian issue that it firmly supports the righteous aspirations of Palestine and endorses all endeavors that help to resolve the issue, he added.

Abbas said the record has shown once and again that China remains the most trustworthy friend of the Palestinian people, and his country will firmly support China's legitimate position over issues that concerns its core interests, including those related to Hong Kong and Xinjiang.

PBOC SIGNALS SLOWER PACE OF POLICY EASING

Monetary authorities in China are slowing down the pace of policy easing amid signs of a strong economic recovery with more targeted measures likely to be rolled out during the third quarter of this year to sustain economic growth.

The nation's benchmark lending rate, the loan prime rate (LPR), has remained unchanged for three consecutive months. The People's Bank of China, the central bank, maintained the one-year LPR at 3.85 percent and the five-year or longer tenure LPR, which pertains to mortgage loan rates, at 4.65 percent on Monday.

The last time the central bank effected a rate cut was on April 20, when it cut the one-year LPR by 20 basis points and the longer term rate by 10 basis points, at a time when the economy had started to recover from the novel coronavirus epidemic.

Unlike its global peers, the PBOC did not have to make sweeping monetary changes as the world's second-largest economy saw a 3.2-percent year-on-year expansion in GDP versus a 6.8-percent decline in the first three months and deep contractions in some developed economies.

Instead of cutting the major interest rates or reducing the reserve requirement ratio, the bank reserves that must be maintained with the central bank, the PBOC opted for open market operations and used the medium-term lending facility to maintain liquidity at ample levels, said experts.

"In the second half of this year, the monetary policy may shift to a more normalized status, focusing on targeted easing to support manufacturing and smaller businesses," said Wen Bin, chief researcher at China Minsheng Bank.

The growth in property price inflation, especially in some tier-2 cities, has also slowed the monetary policy easing to some extent. Local authorities in cities like Shenzhen and Ningbo have maintained strict control on property sales to keep prices in check and prevent potential property bubbles, said the experts.

Although the upturn in China's economy is likely to continue in the second half of the year also, some economists expect sectors like retail sales and exports to still remain weak.

PBOC officials had earlier this month hinted that they would phase out the special measures deployed to mitigate COVID-19 shocks and stimulate the economy at an appropriate time and the interest rate level would match the potential economic growth rate while being in line with the recovery speed.

The PBOC injected 400 billion yuan ($57 billion) of funds under the MLF scheme for banks last week, at a rate of 2.95 percent, which has been unchanged since April 15. This month, about 690 billion yuan of the MLF loans are due to expire. The market expects the PBOC to adopt additional measures to roll over the loans.

MINISTRY URGES CHECKS ON PAST PRIZE WINNERS

The Ministry of Education has asked organizers of national competitions for primary and secondary students to double-check the authenticity and originality of past prize winners after a third-place finish by a sixth-grader at a national science competition for research on colorectal cancers caused public outcry after it was determined the boy's project was the result of heavy involvement from his father.

National competitions should not far exceed students' cognitive abilities, and parents and others should not participate in the competitions on behalf of the contestants, the ministry said in a notice on Monday.

The ministry will continue to strictly scrutinize national competitions, and organizers that are found to be seriously violating regulations will be removed from competition white lists and not be allowed to host competitions again, it said.

Further, competition results are not allowed to be used to decide student admission to primary and middle schools, nor should any entry tests be given to such students. Rather, admission should be solely based on the proximity of their homes to the schools, the notice said.

High schools should also not use the results of competitions as bonus points to count toward student admission, it said.

On July 1, the ministry published a white list featuring 35 approved national contests for primary and secondary school students for this year and next year.

The move aims to eliminate unregulated and exam-oriented competitions that have placed extra academic pressure on students.

A Grade 6 student surnamed Chen from Kunming, Yunnan province, was at the center of a recent controversy after his research paper won him third prize in the China Adolescents Science and Technology Innovation Contest. That same paper had netted him first prize at the provincial-level innovation contest in Yunnan.

The student claims he made use of gene-editing, animal models and clinical sample analysis to find a mutant gene, C10orf67, and analyzed its role in colorectal cancers. He claimed that just three days after he looked up the definition of "gene" on the internet, he was researching it.

An investigation by the organizing committee of the Yunnan competition found that "the research report has far exceeded the cognitive ability and writing skills of the student, and it is impossible for the student to have written the report by himself".

2.5-DAY WEEKEND PILOTED TO BOOST CONSUMPTION

Many cities in six provinces and regions as of Monday have adopted a flexible weekend policy, or 2.5-day weekend, to boost consumption and tourism as the COVID-19 outbreak has been largely controlled in the country.

These cities are in Hubei, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Anhui and Gansu provinces, as well as the Inner Mongolia autonomous region. Yichang, Central China's Hubei province, became the latest city to carry out the policy on Monday.

In 2015, the State Council, China's cabinet, issued a guideline to encourage introduction of flexible weekend policies to boost tourism, but few cities implemented then. However, the pandemic has provided new motivation for the measure.

According to regulations in relevant cities, employees in Party organs, government departments, State-owned enterprises and public institutions will be allowed to leave work at noon on Fridays.

The new measures will be put in place in cities such as Yichang of Hubei province and Shengzhou of Zhejiang province from July to the end of the year, and Hulun Buir of Inner Mongolia between June 10 and Sept 30.

Employees who enjoy the 2.5-day weekend should work longer on other workdays to fulfill the standard requirement for weekly working hours.

CHINESE CINEMAS REOPEN AFTER 6-MONTH HIATUS

Box office receipts broke 3 million yuan ($429,300）and 129,100 tickets were issued by Monday evening — the day cinemas in most parts of the Chinese mainland reopened — ending six months of closure due to the outbreak of COVID-19, Securities Daily reported on Tuesday.

The box office performed within expectations at the first day of the reopening of cinemas, said Securities Daily, citing Shi Yedong, a senior industry insider. Currently, the main audience is die-hard fans and film practitioners, Shi added.

So far, 43 films have been scheduled for release, mainly older films.

The moviegoers are mainly in first- and second-tier cities, who are more concerned about what's on the screen when they watch films at the cinema, an industry insider said to Securities Daily. Due to a shortage of new releases and most re-releases being available online, audiences have little incentive to go to the cinema at the moment.

The overall domestic box office during August to September will be 20 percent to 30 percent of the same period in previous years due to attendance limitations for the COVID-19 prevention and control and the absence of quality films. But as the Chinese National Day holiday approaches and the COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control measures are optimized, attendance is expected to return to the same levels of past years. Moreover, the backlog of high-quality films from the first half of the year will pile up, and the film sector is expected to usher in a consumption boom, according to a report from brokerage Hua'an Securities.

COVID-19 TEST A MUST FOR ALL OVERSEAS FLYERS TO CHINA

All passengers taking inbound flights to China from overseas will be required to have a nucleic acid test within five days before their flights in an effort to curb the cross-border spread of COVID-19 and ensure the safety of international travel, said the country's top civil aviation regulator.

According to a notice jointly issued Tuesday by multiple departments including the Civil Aviation Administration of China and General Administration of Customs, all passengers, whether Chinese citizens or overseas travelers, should take the nucleic acid test at medical institutions designated by Chinese embassies.

Passengers who are Chinese citizens are required to take photos of and upload the nucleic acid test results via an epidemic prevention mini program on the Chinese instant messaging platform WeChat, it said.

Overseas travelers need to apply for a declaration of health status from the Chinese embassy with a valid written report of a negative test result, it added.

Airlines will check the health QR code or health declaration ahead of boarding, and those failing to produce such documents will be denied boarding, it said, adding that passengers who provide false certificates and information shall bear the corresponding legal liabilities.

AIRPORTS SHOW RECOVERY AFTER EPIDEMIC SLOWDOWN

Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport ranked first in terms of passenger handling capacity during the first half of the year, 21st Century Business Herald reported.

In the first six months, the airport saw its passenger capacity exceed that of China's three airport hubs, namely Beijing Capital International Airport, Shanghai Pudong International Airport and Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport.

Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport also had better performance during the same period, rising to fourth place from ninth at the end of last year.

Beijing Capital International Airport and Shanghai Pudong International Airport both saw obvious declines between January and June. The former fell to fifth place from first, while the latter came in at sixth place down from second.

COVID-19 had a bigger impact on the aviation industry in the first six months. Though some airports began to resume their capacity in May, bigger declines still remained compared with the same period last year, the newspaper said.

If the epidemic could be better in control in the second half, Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou airports could experience a strong rebound. In the long term, there is no fundamental change in the roles the three airports play in domestic aviation market.

The top 10 airports handled a total of 128 million passengers in the first half of 2020. In terms of growth rate, the top 10 saw a decline of 52.68 percent, slightly lower than the national 54.2 percent drop.

According to figures released by the Civil Aviation Administration of China, in the first half of the year air passenger numbers came in at 150 million, equivalent to 45.8 percent of the volume seen during the same period last year.

Domestic routes saw 140 million passengers, while international routes reported 8.52 million, equivalent to 48.6 percent and 23.5 percent of the respective volume seen for the same period last year, the data showed.

Amid further containment of COVID-19, China's civil aviation industry gradually recovered in June.

Last month, Chongqing Jiangbei Airport resumed as best among the top 10, recording a decline of 19.7 percent year-on-year, also the only one which saw a decline lower than 20 percent. Except for Beijing Capital International Airport, the remaining airports reported narrowing declines.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. – Mark Twain