The first H7N9 bird flu patient in Beijing, a girl surnamed Yao, with her parents, receives a certificate from Ditan Hospital commending her for her behavior as a patient. Yao was discharged on April 17. Wang Jing / China Daily

Health

International experts coming

An eight-strong international team of experts is expected to arrive in China soon to help with investigations and treatment of the H7N9 bird flu epidemic.

Song Shuli, a spokesperson for the Chinese National Health and Family Planning Commission, told a news conference in Beijing that the group involves experts from the US, the EU, Australia and the World Health Organization, and will focus mainly on virus identification and disease studies, according to a report on Xinhua News Agency.

A source with the commission, who refused to be named, said talks between the team and Chinese representatives will be held. The experts will then visit areas hit by the virus and carry out outbreak assessments to help guide any intervention efforts. (See more on Page 3)

Policy

New rules for NGOs on cards

Revised administrative regulations that are likely by the end of this year will remove what is arguably the biggest obstacle to launch an NGO on the mainland, a senior official from the Ministry of Civil Affairs said.

The legislative amendment is expected to assist the registration of hundreds of thousands of NGOs.

The amendment will also articulate rules for overseas NGOs to set up branches, and for expatriates to launch NGOs on the Chinese mainland, Wang Jianjun, director of the Bureau of Administration of NGOs under the ministry, said in a recent interview.

Wang said the number of calls and visits to the bureau for inquiries has tripled since the State Council pledged early last month to boost the development of civil societies as part of its plan to restructure and transfer more government functions.

Administration

Reshuffle rejuvenates leadership

A reshuffling of the leaders of China's 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions has been completed, with the average age dropping from 58 years and 6 weeks a decade ago to 57 years and 26 weeks.

The reshuffling of Party secretaries and governors started after the Party's 18th National Congress in November. The reshuffling continued at this year's session of the National People's Congress in March, during which leaders of the central government and its departments were elected.

Of the 62 provincial Party secretaries and governors, 41 were transferred from other posts after 2012, according to the central government. Fifteen of the officials from 10 provinces were newly appointed after the NPC session, which ended on March 17.

About 85.8 percent of the 62 officials were born in the 1950s, and nearly 60 percent were born between 1953 and 1957.

Culture

Stars come out for film festival

The Beijing International Film Festival, now in its third year, will have a competition section this year.The festival, which opened on April 16 in the capital's Tiantan Park, will give out 10 Tiantan Awards, including prizes for the best film, director, actor and actress.

Among the 15 nominated films are two local productions: Feng Xiaogang's disaster epic Back to 1942, and Wang Jing's emotional drama Feng Shui.

Mike Newell's Great Expectations and Carlos Sorin's Gone Fishing have also been shortlisted for the awards. The renowned Russian director Nikita Mikhalkov leads the jury, which also includes Ivor Benjamin, chair of the Directors Guild of Great Britain; Cameron Bailey, the artistic director of the Toronto Film Festival; and veteran Chinese directors Gu Changwei and Zhang Yibai.

During the festival, which runs until April 23, some 260 films made at home and abroad are being screened in 28 cinemas in Beijing.

Trade

Iceland leads the way for Europe

After six years of negotiations, Iceland on April 15 became the first European country to sign a free trade agreement with China.

The agreement and the great benefits it will bring mark a breakthrough that is likely to give a strong impetus to China's FTA talks with the European Union and other countries in the region, experts said.

Premier Li Keqiang and his Icelandic counterpart Johanna Sigurdardottir officiated at the signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People.

Li said the agreement not only serves as a milestone in bilateral ties, but also sets an important example for China-Europe trade ties. Beijing and Reykjavik should beef up cooperation in clean energy, including geothermal, as well as in geologic, oceanic and arctic studies, he said.

Sigurdardottir told Li her country is proud of being the first European country to have such an agreement with Beijing.

China Daily

(China Daily 04/19/2013 page2)