Chinese peacekeepers attend an English training program, co-organized by China's Peacekeeping Affairs Office and the UK's Ministry of Defense, in Beijing on June 17. Wang Jing / China Daily

JF-17 fighter debuts at air show in Paris

The JF-17 fighter, co-developed by Aviation Industry Corp of China and Pakistan's Air Force, made its debut at the Paris International Air Show, which opened on June 15, attracting more than 30,000 visitors from 47 countries.

During five minutes of aerobatics the aircraft went through an impressive display of its capabilities, which delighted the watching crowd.

More than 50 JF-17s, an all-weather multiple-role light fighter, have been delivered to Pakistan's Air Force, the corporation's vice-president Li Yuhai said at a joint news conference. In China the fighter is named FC-1 Xiaolong, and in Pakistan it is the JF-17 Thunder, he said.

Nansha reclamation to end soon, as planned

China will complete its land reclamation project on some islands and reefs in the Nansha Islands in coming days as planned, the Foreign Ministry said on June 16.

It will then start building facilities "to meet relevant functional requirements", Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said.

"Apart from satisfying the need for necessary military defense, the main purpose of China's construction activities is to meet various civilian demands and to better perform China's international obligations and responsibilities."

London gold fix gets a Chinese touch

Bank of China became the first Asian firm to join the auction process that sets gold prices in the London market.

The bank, along with seven other lenders, will participate in the twice-daily electronic auction, according to the London Bullion Market Association. The bank became part of the auction process on June 16.

China is the world's largest producer and consumer of bullion, yet it has never played a major role in setting the price of gold.

"Bank of China joined LBMA as an initial member in 1987, and has been actively participating in the gold trading business in London for over 40 years," said Yu Sun, general manager of Bank of China's London branch.

Military investigates graft in projects

The military has opened an inquiry into building projects and property management and is moving closer to establishing long-term regulations for military construction as part of China's sweeping anti-graft drive.

The inquiry, begun this month, was closely followed by the military's announcement on June 16 that two senior officials were removed for "serious discipline violations", which usually means corruption cases. It is the first time that a senior member of the armed police force has been named publicly as a suspect.

Electrically propelled satellite planned

China is developing electrically propelled satellites and plans to send the first one into space around 2020, a senior satellite designer at the China Academy of Space Technology says.

"We have commanded the most advanced propulsion technology through our own research, following the United States, Russia, the European Space Agency and Japan," said Wang Min, deputy chief designer of communications satellites.

"We plan to send the country's first electrically propelled communications satellite into orbit around 2020, providing a broadband communication data transmission service to China and neighboring regions,"

China urged to put environment first

China needs to put the environment at the center of its coming 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020) and fully implement existing laws and regulations to control pollution, a German environmental official says.

China and Germany have great potential to work together on broad environmental issues, said Jochen Flasbarth, state secretary of the German federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety.

"We have many ongoing cooperation programs. Environmental protection in the areas of air, soil, water or waste management, as well as climate protection, are priorities within our bilateral cooperation."

Zambian trade zone receives $29m loan

The China Development Bank has agreed to loan $29 million to the Zambia-China Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone to improve infrastructure.

Upgrading the zone's Lusaka Park will provide a better development platform for enterprises, said Zhu Liqun, president of the bank's Jiangxi branch. CDB signed its first loan agreement with the zone and Bank of China Zambia Ltd in August. The multi-facility economic zone is the first declared by Zambia, and is the first Chinese economic and cooperation zone in Africa.

Dutch, Chinese establish think tank

With the cooperation of Erasmus Graduate School of Business of Netherlands, Beijing Jiaotong University has established a think tank to provide consultation services, especially in transport field, for government and companies.

The Institute of Global Supply Chain and Logistic, established on June 17, will focus on business opportunities brought by the Chinese government's strategy of reviving the ancient Silk Road.

The Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, as the initiatives are officially termed, are a land-based route from China via Central Asia and Russia to Europe, and a strategic path through the Strait of Malacca to India, the Middle East and East Africa. The initiatives began to take shape in 2014 with a focus on infrastructure.

Officers investigated over cover-ups

Law enforcement officers involved in aiding or covering up environmental crimes will come under increasing scrutiny from prosecutors, the top prosecuting agency said on June 16.

Dereliction of duty and malpractice in ecological and environmental protection have caused 15 deaths and 1.3 billion yuan ($209 million; 186 million euros) in economic losses since last year, the Supreme People's Procuratorate said.

"To seek huge benefits and enhance GDP performance, some local officials and law enforcement officers have abused their power to cover up such crimes or reduced lawbreakers' punishment," said Li Zhongcheng, a senior official at the SPP's malfeasance and infringement investigation department.

Regional road map to combat air pollution

Beijing has drafted the first regional road map for the control and prevention of air pollution in the area that includes the capital and neighboring Tianjin and Hebei province, the municipal environmental authority says.

The medium- and long-term plan has set harder goals for cutting major airborne pollutants emissions by 2030. That will take the region beyond the current period set in the Action Plan on Air Pollution Control and Prevention, which set goals for 2017, said Li Lixin, head of regional coordination with the Beijing Bureau of Environmental Protection.

Based on the current action plan, by 2017 the concentration of PM2.5, airborne particles smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter that can penetrate the lungs and harm health, would be reduced by 25 percent in the region.

Alibaba set for streaming launch

An online video streaming service is being launched by e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, similar to products offered by Netflix and HBO.

The move is part of Alibaba's ambitions to build a digital entertainment empire in China, where about half a billion viewers are eager for new amusement channels.

Alibaba Pictures, a film affiliate of the company, whose headquarters are in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, said the platform will be a subscription product, with 90 percent of content available only for viewers who pay.

The new platform, to be named Tmall Box Office, will be launched in about two months, he company said.

Monks from Shaolin Temple, renowned for martial arts, harvest wheat from a field near the temple in Henan province. Chen Liang / For China Daily

(China Daily European Weekly 06/19/2015 page2)