Criminal age lowered to 12
China’s age of criminal responsibility has been lowered to 12 in special cases to prevent serious offenses by very young individuals, per a Criminal Law amendment effective from yesterday.
Children aged 12 to 14 shall be held criminally liable for intentional homicide by extremely cruel means or intentional injury by extremely cruel means leading to death or severe disability if prosecution is approved by the Supreme People’s Procuratorate.
The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress adopted the amendment in December.
CHINA yesterday urged Australia to create favorable conditions for practical cooperation between the two countries.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remarks at a press briefing in response to a query on a study conducted by an Australian institution that showed dwindling Chinese investment in Australia.
China’s direct investment in Australia fell by 61 percent to US$783 million in 2020, a record low in six years, according to the study by the
East Asian Bureau of Economic Research, Australian National University.
The figures can well reflect some real problems in ChinaAustralia relations, Wang said in Beijing.
The essence of bilateral economic and trade cooperation is mutually beneficial and features win-win results, the spokesperson added. Chinese companies’ investment in Australia has made great contributions to local economic development and people’s livelihood and employment.
While China’s overall overseas direct investment increased by 3.3 percent last year,
Chinese direct investment in Australia fell drastically, Wang said, calling on the Australian side to seriously reflect on the reasons behind this.
Wang said, in recent years, the Australian side has repeatedly abused the concept of “national security” to veto investment by Chinese enterprises in Australia, and frequently imposed unwarranted restrictions on normal exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in various fields.
“Such moves have seriously affected the confidence of Chinese enterprises in investing in Australia,” he added.
The practice of politicizing economic and trade issues runs counter to market rules and the principle of free competition that Australia has flaunted, and also damages its own interests and reputation, according to the spokesperson.
“The Australian government should take measures to provide a fair, open and non-discriminatory investment environment for foreign investors, including Chinese companies, and create convenient conditions for practical cooperation between China and Australia in various fields,” Wang said.