A staff member packs unfinished food after a wedding banquet at a restaurant in Nanning, the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, on Jan 27. Liu Jun / Xinhua

Society

Rewards for diners who leave nothing

Diners will receive rewards if they eat all their food in restaurants or take away their leftovers, as part of the efforts to reduce food waste in China.

Minister of Commerce Chen Deming told a conference in Beijing on Jan 28 that some restaurants have introduced such a policy, while others are handing out coupons or awarding membership points to diners who do not squander their food.

"All these methods have proved effective and can be promoted," Chen said.

The conference, organized by the ministry and the National Tourism Administration, focused on measures to eliminate food waste. Chen said restaurants and catering services should come up with ideas to avoid food waste, and said restaurant associations can reward restaurants or individuals that contribute to reducing such waste.

Development

Call for new body to oversee reform

The new leadership in China should consider setting up an institution to oversee reform and redefine the function of government, allowing it to focus more on maintaining growth, a leading economist said at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss resort of Davos.

"Only through decisive reform and clearly defining the role of government can China overcome difficulties at home," said Fan Gang, director of the National Economics Research Institute of the China Reform Foundation.

Fan said it is crucial to set up an institution to coordinate the reform agenda, which is mainly implemented through the efforts of the National Development and Reform Commission.

China had a ministerial-level institution just under a decade ago to carry out this task. This was under the direct supervision of the government and the premier.

Currently, the reform institution (a department of the commission) has faced mounting difficulties to coordinate the interests of each ministry. This is mainly due to its diminished authority, said Fan.

Trade

Shanghai wants multinationals

Shanghai is looking to attract 150 more foreign multinationals to set up regional headquarters in the city by 2020, in addition to the present 403, as part of its efforts to nurture more domestic multinationals, Acting Mayor Yang Xiong told the local people's congress on Jan 27.

Transforming the city into an international economic, financial, trading and shipping center has been the focal point of Shanghai's 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15) as it pursues innovation-driven economic transformation.

Yang pointed out that "openness represents Shanghai's biggest advantage" in realizing its international goals. The city's major objectives for the next five years are to become a world-renowned base for service trade and a major import-export hub.

Finance

Era of increased spending ends

Government procurement may have peaked last year as tougher regulations mean that huge increases in public expenditure are a thing of the past, a government official said.

The procurement budget will stay around 20 billion yuan ($3.2 billion; 2.4 billion euros), an amount similar to the 20.5 billion yuan budget for 2012, said Wang Lida, director of the Central Government Procurement Center.

The 2012 figure represented a jump of 20 percent year-on-year, but such increases are unlikely in the future, Wang said.

The procurement budget has grown nearly 30-fold from when the center was established 10 years ago. Tougher measures on spending, especially regarding the purchase of government vehicles, are now in force, he said.

Environment

Joint effort urged to clear the air

Thick smog and haze shrouded large areas of China on Jan 29 for the fourth time this month, provoking more debate about government measures that seem ineffective.

Tackling air pollution requires input from individuals as well as officials, experts say, though an environmental NGO points the finger at the economic structure.

The latest air pollution covered an area of 1.3 million sq km in central and eastern areas, including Beijing and Hebei, Shandong, Shanxi and Jiangsu provinces, according to the Satellite Environment Center of the Environmental Protection Ministry.

In a recent survey of 7,000 people from 31 provinces, conducted by China Youth Daily, more than 90 percent of respondents believed that air pollution had a major effect on their lives. About 85 percent of respondents expected emergency plans to be initiated by the government.

Tourism

Maiden voyage marks industry breakthrough

Luxury cruise liner Henna left the southern resort island province of Hainan for its maiden voyage on Jan 26, marking what experts say is a breakthrough for the cruise industry in China.

The three-day, two-night voyage saw the vessel travel from Sanya Phoenix Island International Port to Halong Bay in Vietnam. A further 39 voyages to Vietnam are planned for the first cruise season, from January to April.

It marks the opening of the domestic cruise business and indicates a booming market potential, with annual cruise industry growth reaching more than 8 percent since the 1980s, much stronger than the global tourism industry's 4 percent, according to the China Cruise and Yacht Industry Association.

The association said China received 262 international cruise ships in 2011, a year-on-year increase of 17.5 percent, and 504,582 cruise travelers.

China Daily

(China Daily 02/01/2013 page2)