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Xi calls on civil affairs authorities to improve public’s livelihood Prudence

By XU WEI Beijing on Tuesday. reform and innovations, better It is also important for them to tance of giving more play to the role urged amid [email protected] Xi said work related to civil assume their responsibilities in better meet the needs of the elderly, of the private sector so that services affairs is related to the public’s well­ ensuring the well­being of the pub­ those with disabilities, the sick, and such as eldercare and nurseries can President Xi Jinping called upon being and the hearts and minds of lic, improve governance at the pri­ children living in difficult circum­ blossom to enrich the supply of stock market civil affairs authorities to focus the people, and it is also fundamen­ mary level and provide basic social stances, he said, adding that basic social services and create more their efforts on meeting the tal work that extends a helping services. social services should be better jobs. requirements of poverty reduction, hand to those most in need. Premier Li Keqiang met with the developed to help the public better The premier also called for better enthusiasm special groups and matters of pub­ Party committees and govern­ participants of the national confer­ address their problems. development of charity work and lic concern in an instruction ments at various levels should stay ence on Tuesday. The reform to streamline admin­ further promotion of a spirit of vol­ By SHI JING in Shanghai released on Tuesday. committed to a people­centered He appealed to the civil affairs istration, enhance compliance unteerism to make society warmer and HU YUANYUAN in Beijing The remark by Xi, also general approach and improve their capaci­ authorities to prioritize efforts to oversight and improve government and more harmonious. secretary of the Communist Party ties in civil affairs services at the pri­ meet the basic needs of the people, services should be deepened so that The conference also highlighted The early spring chill over the week­ of China Central Committee and mary level, he said. extend assistance to those most in the public can more easily access the achievements of work in the end did not dispel the hundreds of chairman of Central Military Com­ He also urged civil affairs author­ need and build an even more tightly administrative services, the pre­ sector since the 18th CPC National individual investors standing along mission, came as the 14th National ities to enhance their Party build­ woven safety net for the public’s mier said. Congress in 2012, and made downtown Shanghai’s Guangdong Conference on Civil Affairs began in ing, stay committed to advancing livelihood. He also highlighted the impor­ arrangements for future work. Road, a gathering place for three dec­ ades for stockholders eager to discuss the performance of A shares and seek out tips to better their portfolios. The spot began winning fame among shareholders as an informal place to share thoughts on the securi­ Rice project ties market in the early 1990s. Most are individual investors aged above 50. They form small groups each after­ noon on trading days, and the throngs grow even bigger on weekends when investors have had a chance to digest has benefited the trading week’s developments. Regular visitors to the spot say they hope to follow in the footsteps of investors like former taxi driver turned tycoon Liu Yiqian, who built his wealth on what he learned talk­ 18 countries ing stocks with fellow investors on Guangdong Road. Varieties lead to average increase in “You can see smiles on people’s faces these days, while the crowds output of 20 percent, scientist says were so morose last year,” said Zhu Xinglong, who has been going to the By WANG XIAOYU Yorobe said on­site studies have spot for over 20 years. [email protected] shown that the varieties introduced The groups were largely lugubri­ to the Philippines through the Green ous last year as the benchmark A decadelong agricultural project Super Rice project are capable of Shanghai Composite Index slumped spearheaded by Chinese scientists thriving in harsh environments and 24.59 percent, which was the second­ has helped alleviate the poverty of maintaining steady yields. Residents take hada, white silk scarves that signify goodwill and purity, to a funeral home in largest annual decline after the plum­ more than 1.6 million farming house­ “After Typhoon Haiyan swept Xichang, Sichuan province, on Tuesday to pay tribute to the 30 victims who died when fighting a met in 2008. Individual investors lost holds in 18 Asian and African coun­ through Leyte island in the central recent forest fire in a nearby area. ZHANG CHAOQUN / XINHUA on average 100,000 yuan ($14,899) tries by cultivating high­yield, Philippines in November 2013, we last year, as calculated by Shanghai­ resilient rice strains. found that the Green Super Rice vari­ based market tracker Wind Info. The Green Super Rice project, led ety was one of the few that was still But confidence has been rekindled by the Chinese Academy of Agricul­ growing when submerged in saline Highest alert follows deadly fire since the beginning of this year, as tural Sciences, has generated 78 rice water,” he said. “Local farmers were the index had gained 25 percent by varieties that have outputs 20 per­ elated and regained hope.” Friday, reviving enthusiasm for the cent higher per hectare on average In West Africa, six Green Super By HUANG ZHILING in Chengdu grasslands”, Yang Xiaodan, chief It is the first red alert for forest streetside stock chats. while also minimizing the use of fer­ Rice varieties with high­yield poten­ [email protected] forecaster of the National Meteoro­ fire risks this year, with the last one “It is certain that market perform­ tilizers, pesticides and irrigation, said tial and strong tolerance to drought, logical Center’s Public Information issued in March 2016, the center ance will remain strong in the first Li Zhikang, a professor and research­ salinity, and iron toxicity have been China issued a red alert, the Center, said on Tuesday. said in a statement. half of this year as the launch of the er of rice breeding at the academy, developed, and about 14.5 metric tons highest level, for forest fire risks The alert was issued based on The red alert was announced af­ science and technology innovation and a leading member of the project. of such seeds were distributed to local in arid northern and southwest­ comprehensive considerations, ter the deadly high­altitude forest board approaches. My prediction is The total area cultivated with the rice breeders, according to Baboucarr ern regions, including Sichuan including the persistent dry weath­ fire broke out on Saturday in the that the Shanghai Composite Index high­yield, resilient strains in target Manneh, a researcher at the African province, where a forest fire er, strong winds and high tempera­ Liangshan Yi autonomous prefec­ will hover around 3,300 points, but countries has expanded to 6.12 mil­ Rice Center in Cote d’Ivoire. broke out on Saturday, leaving 27 tures, and also the coming Tomb ture, engulfing around 15 hectares those who have invested heavily dur­ lion hectares as of the end of last year, “Moreover, about 500 scientists, firefighters and three others Sweeping Day, which falls on Fri­ of forest. ing the past two years are predicting including about 3.4 million hectares technicians and farmers have been dead. day, when thousands will travel to it will reach 4,000 points,” said in the Philippines, 1.3 million hec­ trained in fields such as breeding, Beijing, Tianjin, and the provin­ ancestors’ grave sites and in some See Blaze, page 3 Zhang Huaping, another Guang­ tares in India and 1.1 million hectares seed production and crop manage­ ces of Hebei, Shanxi and Sichuan, cases, burn offerings. dong Road frequenter. in Vietnam, he said on Tuesday. ment through the project. The train­ will see the risk of forest fires stay “Recent satellite data has shown Inside Great Wall Securities recently said “Instead of solely emphasizing ing helps increase farmers’ at the highest level until Monday, areas of heat and fire were much it expects the new board to begin higher output, the Green Super Rice capabilities and achieve sustainable and “under the red alert, no open more numerous than average lev­ • See more, page 3 trading in June at the earliest. project is intended to guarantee sta­ future growth,” he said. fires are allowed in forests and els in recent years,” Yang said. • Editorial, page 9 Liu Yuhui, chief economist at TF ble yields while also beefing up crops’ According to Li, the project has Securities, said the launch of the new resistance to drought, flooding and recently drawn to a close as sponsor­ tech board will probably help disease,” Li said. ship from the Bill & Melinda Gates A­share indexes reach higher levels, “Thus, farmers are able to save a Foundation ended as planned. Nansha Bridge to bolster Greater Bay Area with the leading listed securities large amount of resources, such as “However, more green super rice firms reaping the most benefits. fertilizers and water, to fight against strains are expected to be rolled out “But the indexes are unlikely to these issues,” he said. thanks to funds from the Belt and By ZHENG CAIXIONG jump dramatically,” Liu said. The sustainable notion is welcomed Road Initiative and the South­South in Guangzhou Michelle Qi, chief investment offi­ by Philippine agricultural researchers Cooperation.” [email protected] cer for equities at Eastspring Invest­ and farmers, according to Jose Yorobe Gary Atlin, a senior program offi­ ments in China, said that the recent Jr, a consultant with the International cer for the Bill & Melinda Gates A new bridge across the Pearl surge of A shares is helping recover Rice Research Institute in the Philip­ Foundation, said the project demon­ River estuary officially opened on losses seen last year that resulted pines. He attended a meeting in Bei­ strates a new collaboration model Tuesday, and it is expected to play from the “unnecessary panic” of the jing on Tuesday about the project’s where rice scientists from different an important role in accelerating market. So the recent rise cannot be conclusion with dozens of representa­ countries can work together to economic cooperation and infra­ defined as the true beginning of a tives from participant countries. understand local needs, and then structure connectivity among cit­ bull market. “Because of climate change and develop solutions on a global basis. ies in the Guangdong­Hong Kong­ Experts are upbeat about the new population growth, developing coun­ “The expertise of Chinese scien­ Macao Greater Bay Area. tech board’s influence on the A­share tries are now pressured to increase tists in rice breeding and cultivation The Nansha Bridge is the first market. Analysts at China Interna­ rice productivity,” he said. “Some is a tremendous resource for the innovative megaproject to begin tional Capital Corp wrote in a report high­yield modern varieties are still developing world,” he said. “I believe service after the central govern­ that listed companies in emerging vulnerable to inclement weather, it will continue to have an impact for ment unveiled development industries and securities firms will pests and disease.” years to come.” plans for the Bay Area in Februa­ register growth in the short term. ry, according to Liu Xiaohua, gen­ The Nansha Bridge, as shown from an aerial drone, is officially Zhao Peng, vice­president of China eral manager of Guangdong opened on Tuesday. LIANG XU / XINHUA Life Insurance Co, one of the largest Provincial Communications institutional investors in the country, Group Ltd. class Bay Area in the coming years. Guangzhou’s Nansha district voiced optimism about the capital “It is a major passageway that “Completion of the bridge also where Nansha Port is located, to markets this year, though uncertain­ links the large cities of Shen­ marks a milestone in expressway Shatian in Dongguan, known as ties remain. zhen, Dongguan and Huizhou in construction in Guangdong prov­ “the world’s factory”. the eastern part of Pearl River ince, one of the country’s econom­ Drivers transporting goods can Contact the writers at Delta to Foshan, Zhuhai, Zhong­ ic powerhouses,” Liu said. shorten their travel by at least 10 [email protected] shan, Jiangmen and Zhaoqing Guangdong, the nation’s first km, or 30 minutes, when they in the western part,” Liu said at area to launch reform and open­ drive from Guangzhou’s southern the launching ceremony on ing­up, now has over 9,000 kilo­ areas via the Nansha Bridge to Tuesday. meters of expressways in service, Dongguan, Liu added. © 2019 China Daily The central government’s devel­ thus taking the lead in expressway Construction of the massive All Rights Reserved opment plan for the Bay Area construction on the mainland, he project started about five years A member of the Vol.23 — No. 6837 Asia News Network encourages Guangdong province said. ago, and has cost more than 11 bil­ cities, plus Hong Kong and Macao, The Nansha Bridge connects lion yuan ($1.64 billion). Chinese agricultural experts and African farmers visit a rice field in to further expand their cooperation Guangdong’s expressway net­ Mozambique in 2012. GAO YONGMING / FOR CHINA DAILY and exchanges to become a world­ work — from Dongchong in See Bridge, page 3