China

HAIKOU -- China's southern island province of Hainan plans to add 25,000 new energy vehicles (NEVs) this year in its latest effort to build a national pilot zone for ecological conservation. All new buses and government vehicles including those slated to be replaced this year must use new energy, except for special use vehicles, noted a plan recently released by the provincial government. Over 80 percent of the taxis to be added or replaced this year must also be NEVs, the plan added. Hainan plans to build 10,000 charging stations for electric vehicles this year and continue to subsidize the private purchase of NEVs. The scenic island province has been promoting the use of clean energy vehicles, aiming to completely phase out the sales of conventional fuel-based vehicles by 2030. Hainan had more than 64,000 NEVs by the end of 2020, accounting for 4.2 percent of the province's total number of vehicles, ranking fourth in the country, according to the provincial department of … [Read more...] about China’s Hainan plans to add 25,000 new energy vehicles

BEIJING -- China's new rules governing school disciplinary methods come into force on Monday, banning physical punishment and verbal abuse in primary and secondary schools. Educators are prohibited from carrying out disciplinary procedures that would inflict direct physical pain on students, according to the trialed regulations released by the Ministry of Education last December. Other forbidden disciplinary methods include verbal abuse that could harm students' mental health, forcing students to stand still or assume physically uncomfortable positions for excessive amounts of time, and covert forms of punishment such as intentional isolation. In addition to demarcating prohibited areas for teachers, the new regulations also clarified the conditions under which educators need to intervene and introduced a three-tiered disciplinary regime. Students who commit minor offenses should only receive minor punishments such as being required to make oral or written apologies or … [Read more...] about China enacts new regulations banning corporal punishment, verbal abuse in schools

Ruoxi's mother found her daughter, then 6, lying on the sofa when she got back home after work one day. The daughter had a fever, refused to eat dinner, cried in a silent way and said she would not go to school the next day. The mother then learned that due to Ruoxi's poor performance on a Chinese exam, her teacher had yelled at her and threatened to expel her from school. Ruoxi was frightened. She had studied hard daily until about 9 pm as a grade-one student but achieved low grades in Chinese compared with her peers. When scolded by the teacher, she felt overwhelmed by helplessness. Several years later, during a discussion on helping children with dyslexia, which Ruoxi was later diagnosed with, her mother was still seized by sorrow when talking about her experience. The story is told in a three-episode documentary, titled The Chosen One, which shows the struggles of three children with dyslexia and their families. Produced by China Media Group's TV series and documentary … [Read more...] about TV documentary in China seeks to raise awareness on dyslexia among schoolchildren

BEIJING: The US and Chinese militaries must keep communication channels open and take steps to prevent conflict even as ties worsen, an influential Chinese government think tank said on Tuesday (Jun 23), with one adviser suggesting an invitation to a major US drill. Relations between the two largest economies have nosedived in recent months as they argue over everything from trade to the coronavirus, with China also angered by US military activity in the disputed South China Sea and near Chinese-claimed Taiwan. In a report, China's National Institute for South China Seas, struck a more moderate tone than recent denunciations of Washington by Beijing, warning that worsening military ties would boost the possibility of armed conflict or crisis. The Trump administration has said it is in a "great-power competition" with China and has steadily increased the number of soldiers stationed in the Asia-Pacific region to 375,000, including 60 per cent of its Navy ships, the report said. … [Read more...] about China think tank calls for US to keep military communications open

SYDNEY: The leader of small but strategically located Kiribati has won a closely watched presidential run-off after campaigning on a pro-China platform, in a setback to Taiwan's hopes to reestablish ties with a country that ditched it for Beijing last year. The result, confirmed to Reuters by the island nation's High Court, came after a fierce campaign that pitted the pro-Beijing leader against ally-turned-rival Banuera Berina, who is sympathetic to Taiwan. China has taken an increasingly assertive role in the Pacific, to concern in Washington and Canberra, which tend to view the region as their backyard. READ: Taiwan wades into hotly contested Pacific with its own COVID-19 diplomacy Taneti Maamau secured another four-year term with 26,053 votes compared with his rival's 17,866, results showed, amid high voter turnout for the strategically located central Pacific nation. Maamau won the most votes in 16 of the 23 island constituencies. Opposition spokesman Rimon Rimon told … [Read more...] about Kiribati’s pro-China leader wins reelection in blow to Taiwan