IN BRIEF (Page 3)

Space

Takeoff puts country on target for station

Shenzhou X and three astronauts blasted off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, Gansu province, into a clear blue sky on Tuesday, bringing the nation one step closer to setting up its own space station in 2020.

Two men, mission commander Nie Haisheng and Zhang Xiaoguang, and China's second female astronaut, Wang Yaping, are expected to stay in space for 15 days.

Shenzhou-X, China's fifth manned spacecraft, will perform one automatic and one manual docking test with the orbiting space lab module Tiangong-1, launch center spokeswoman Wu Ping said. Space rendezvous and docking are crucial for building a space station, which China plans to accomplish in 2020.

The trip is the country's fifth manned space mission, 10 years after the country's first astronaut, Yang Liwei, went into space in 2003.

Investment

Pledge to look after foreign businesses

China will maintain stable and healthy economic growth and accelerate opening-up to solve problems that hinder development, Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli said at the opening ceremony of the Fortune Global Forum in Chengdu, Sichuan province on June 6.

"We welcome global leading enterprises investing in China. We will strengthen protection for investors' legal rights and improve services for foreign business," Zhang said. He described the country's economic growth as stable and said the proactive fiscal and prudent monetary policies, control inflation, and prevent unemployment from rising.

China to strengthen Mekong region links

China is expanding investment and business cooperation with five countries in the Mekong River region, officials and entrepreneurs said at the China-South Asian Expo in Kunming, Yunnan province.

During the five-day Expo, which ended on June 10, participants from China, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia presented suggestions for further exchanges, media liaison, supply chains and regional integration.

Chinese companies signed contracts at the expo worth more than 3.2 billion yuan ($507 million; 382 million euros) with counterparts from Laos, Cambodia and Thailand in transportation and energy.

Society

Green light for rise in Beijing taxi fares

Beijing raised taxi fares from June 10 in an effort to improve drivers' income and address complaints about poor service and cab shortages during peak times.

The starting fare increased from 10 to 13 yuan ($1.60 to $2.11; 1.23 to 1.60 euros) for the first 3 kilometers, and the fare per subsequent kilometer rose from 2 to 2.3 yuan. The reservation fee is 6 yuan when passengers book four hours in advance and 5 yuan within four hours, while the fuel surcharge is 1 yuan per ride.

Authorities said the changes will boost operation efficiency, as well as the number of taxis on the road in rush hours. Cabbies are expected to get an annual income increase of 1,400 yuan, the Beijing Development and Reform Commission said, and passengers will pay an extra 3.3 yuan a ride on average.

Arrest puts focus on teacher recruitment

Parents with children at international schools have raised questions over their recruitment process after an American teacher at Shanghai French School was arrested on suspicion of molesting six students.

Police have identified the suspect, who was arrested on June 6, only by his surname, McMahon.

The incident is alleged to have taken place at the school's campus in Pudong.

A female student and her parents reported to police on May 12 that she had been molested several times by the 32-year-old English-language teacher since September.

Technology

High-tech marine sector steams ahead

China is looking to advanced marine technology to ensure the sustainable and environment-friendly development of the country's maritime economy, with the first batch of high-tech bases expected to be established this year, a senior expert said.

Liu Rongzi, an economist with the China Institute for Marine Affairs, the policy-consulting unit of the State Oceanic Administration, said the location of the bases will be selected from Shandong, Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang and Tianjin.

China Daily

(China Daily Africa Weekly 06/14/2013 page3)