A Good Start
China’s central authorities have accomplished their main targets and tasks for last year and made a good start on the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), according to a government work report submitted to the national legislature for deliberation on March 5.
China secured new and major achievements in the country’s development during 2021, with its economy continuing to recover and grow, innovation capacity enhanced, and economic structure and regional development priorities refined, said the report.
Last year, China’s gross domestic product grew 8.1 percent year on year to reach 114 trillion yuan ($18 trillion), while national fiscal revenue exceeded 20 trillion yuan ($3 trillion), according to the report.
Major advances were registered in research on core technologies in key fields, it said.
China also deepened reform and opening up, enhanced ecological conservation, and raised its people’s living standards in 2021.
The report said overall COVID-19 response had been consolidated, adding that the implementation of control measures is now routine and over 85 percent of the population has been fully vaccinated.
Emergency measures will be taken to protect 48 critically endangered wild animal species, including the Siberian tiger, and 50 wild plant species with extremely small populations, such as the Abiesbeshanzuensis , a fir tree species, the administration said.
The country will strive to ensure a 10-percent increase in its total area of important habitats during the period, build a breeding base and gene bank for rare and endangered wild animals, and launch the ex-situ conservation of plants with low populations.
In recent years, China has made consistent efforts to protect wild animals and their habitats, and boost the in- and ex-situ conservation of wild plants.
The number of wild giant pandas has grown from 1,114 to
subsidiary of AVIC, signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Everbright Financial Leasing Co. Ltd. on March 3 to jointly boost research and development of the AG600 and its future operation, said AVIC.
As a special-purpose aircraft, the AG600 has been developed by AVIC to meet the needs of firefighting and marine-rescue missions, as well as other critical emergency-rescue operations.
It successfully completed its maiden flight in 2017, its first take-off from a water reservoir in 2018, and its maiden flight over the sea in 2020.
For 2022, the AG600 project has set the target of seeing three new aircrafts enter the final assembly phase and three aircrafts to take maiden flights, according to AVIC. with International Women’s Day.
China stands firmly opposed to domestic violence and strictly punishes abusers in accordance with the law, read a work report of the Supreme People’s Court (SPC).
The top court, jointly working with the All-China Women’s Federation, issued a total of 3,356 personal safety protection writs to fully strengthen the protection of women and children in 2021, the SPC report said.
It also highlighted the severe punishment imposed on crimes related to sexual harassment against, plus abduction and trafficking of women or children, as well as buying those women and children abducted or trafficked, showcasing the reinforced judicial protection, read the report.
Protection of women and children was also underscored in the Supreme People’s Procuratorate (SPP) work report. The SPP pledged to take a tough stance in prosecuting suspects involved in human abducting and trafficking, according to the report.
Those buying abducted women or children, refusing to rescue victims, or preventing others from rescuing them will face penalties, said the SPP in the report, which highlighted cross-department efforts in fighting these crimes.