Two students from the China Central Academy of Fine Arts create a mud sculpture and a painting on April 26 for a man who won the title of "Model Worker" in Beijing for the May Day. More than 200 students and 100 "model workers" attended the event. Provided to China Daily

Friendship seen as force for joint development

Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Equatorial Guinea's President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo on April 28. They pledged to raise the bilateral relationship to an all-round partnership featuring equality, mutual trust and win-win cooperation.

Lauding Obiang as a good friend of the Chinese people, Xi said the friendship between the two nations was stronger and deeply rooted in the hearts of their peoples.

Xi said China will work together with Equatorial Guinea to turn their traditional friendship into a driving force for their common development and to further advance the relationship.

In addition, he suggested the two sides continue supporting each other on their core interests and issues of major concern, maintain the momentum of high-level interaction and boost cooperation in various fields and on various levels.

China will encourage appropriate Chinese enterprises to invest in Equatorial Guinea, assisting the African country with infrastructure construction, Xi told the president.

Algeria looks to new strength in relationship

Top political adviser Yu Zhengsheng met Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal in Beijing on April 28, pledging to upgrade the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

Sellal, who is in Beijing for a four day official visit, is the first Algerian head of government to visit China since the North African country won independence in 1962.

Yu, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, praised the profound friendship, solid political foundation and fruitful cooperation between both countries over the years.

China hopes to cement the comprehensive strategic partnership and substantial cooperation alongside Algeria, he said.

Sellal will also visit Shanghai.

Donation to Senegal a dramatic gesture

China's ambassador to Senegal, Xia Huang, on April 23 donated maintenance equipment for Senegal's Grand National Theater that was constructed in Dakar by China.

The materials, built in Dakar by China, comprise wireless microphones, projectors and a professional lighting system valued at 120 million CFA Francs ($198,000), Senegal's Culture Minister Mbagnick Ndiaye said after receiving the equipment in Dakar.

"They will improve the conditions of the Grand National Theater," he said, urging the theater's administration to ensure proper use of the equipment.

Xia said the donation was a way of helping Senegal to make better use of its cultural infrastructure.

He promised that another donation of equipment for the Grand National Theater in Dakar would be made in June.

Incoming president receives best wishes

China on April 28 congratulated Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on his election to a new term in office and vowed to promote new progress in cooperation between China and Sudan.

"As a good friend of Sudan, China respects the Sudanese people's choice and will firmly support Sudan's efforts in maintaining stability, developing its economy and improving people's livelihood," said Foreign Ministry representative Hong Lei at a regular press briefing.

Al-Bashir was re-elected as Sudanese president after winning 94.5 percent of the vote in the country's presidential election, the Sudan National Elections Commission said on April 27.

Tax cut to boost spending

Tariffs on imported consumer goods will be cut in parts of China by the end of June to fuel domestic consumption, stabilize economic growth and reduce the outflow of spending by Chinese tourists.

An executive meeting of the State Council, presided over by Premier Li Keqiang, decided on April 28 to increase imports of overseas products favored by Chinese consumers, in a move to woo those whose shopping lists during overseas travel have expanded from luxury brands to daily consumer goods.

More duty free stores will open at Chinese borders, with a higher purchasing cap for each individual tourist and more categories of products. Easier tax refund procedures will be promoted, accompanied by reinforced efforts in customs clearing checks to curb smuggling, the meeting decided.

A statement released afterward said the policies are part of the government's efforts to boost consumption, sustain growth and restructure the economy.

Chinese tourists spend an average of about 12,000 yuan ($1,934) on tours and 7,000 yuan on shopping, according to the China National Tourism Administration. But more Chinese are willing to travel overseas, with shopping high on their agendas, driven by a stronger yuan, favorable visa policies and growing wealth.

A recent HSBC report shows that Chinese are buying about 40 percent of luxury goods sold in France and account for 35 percent of such sales in Italy and 25 percent in Britain. Their interest in daily consumer goods surged following the frenzied buying by the Chinese of electronic toilet seats and rice cookers in Japan during the Spring Festival holiday.

Cities' innovation ranked

Patent volume is a main indicator in identifying cities' capacity for innovation. Through the analysis of patents issued in the past three decades, 10 cities have been named the most innovative in China by a report from the Chinese edition of Forbes magazine and Patsnap, a consulting company researching intellectual property. Beijing and Shanghai display strong innovation in the telecommunications, media and technology, biotechnology and medicine, automobile and nanometer materials fields, according to the report. Shenzhen is the most innovative in telecommunications, media and technology, with invention patents concentrated in three technology companies - ZTE, Huawei and Hon Hai Group.

Chinese president values hard work

President Xi Jinping urged the country on April 28 to value hard work and innovation, and to teach children to do the same.

He made the remarks in Beijing as nearly 3,000 outstanding workers from around the country were feted at the Great Hall of the People in honor of International Labor Day, also called May Day.

All seven members of the standing committee of the political bureau of the Communist Party of China's Central Committee appeared on the rostrum. Premier Li Keqiang presided over the ceremony.

"We shall all carry forward the spirit of model workers... to gather powerful positive energy for China's economic and social development," Xi said in a speech.

"All of society should be proud of working hard and be ashamed of idleness. No one at any time should look down on ordinary workers and seek a life of reaping without sowing," he said. "We are living in a great and inspiring era; we have no predecessors of the great cause."

China has a tradition of honoring outstanding workers ahead of the May 1 holiday.

Antelope habitat is Heritage contender

A field survey on the habitat of the Tibetan antelope in the Hoh Xil area of China's Qinghai province has started, in another step toward its 2017 application as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site.

A team, consisting of more than 20 experts from various fields, will conduct extensive research on the area's natural resources, biodiversity, and geological and meteorological complexity, said Kang Xuelin, an official from the Qinghai Application for World Heritage office.

"Through the survey, we hope to understand the situation in the planned area for the application, and the heritage value of its natural resources, which will help designate the final area for the application," Kang said on April 28.

Located in the border area of the Tibet autonomous region at an average altitude of 4,600 meters, Hoh Xil National Nature Reserve, or Kekexili, is China's largest stretch of uninhabited land and has long been a paradise for wildlife. Covering about 45,000 square kilometers, it is home to more than 230 animal species, 20 of which are under State protection, including the wild yak and Tibetan antelope.

Designated as a national nature preserve in 1995, it was put on China's tentative World Heritage list in January.

Administrative lawsuits made easier

Administrative proceedings have seen a rapid increase in the first quarter of this year, surpassing the total for 2014, and are expected to increase further after the implementation on May 1 of a revised system for lawsuit registration, according to a senior judge.

Li Guangyu, deputy chief judge of the administrative court of the Supreme People's Court, said on April 27 that the revised Administrative Proceedings Law - the first amendment since the law's implementation 24 years ago - will help remove obstacles to filing, hearing and executing proceedings.

Administrative proceedings occur when people or companies believe their interests have been violated by government departments and file a lawsuit.

More senior care programs

Ministries are encouraging higher education institutions to open more senior care programs as the elderly population increases.

The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Civil Affairs have taken guidance on the development of senior care programs.

Civil Affairs Minister Li Liguo said in March the ministry will cooperate with higher education institutions and open more senior-care-related programs to train more young professionals.

According to the ministry, nearly 300,000 people work in the senior care sector, but only 50,000 are licensed professionals.

The ministry says senior care programs are mainly provided at the higher vocational education level.

Sixty-three vocational colleges now have senior care programs nationwide, compared with just three colleges before 2004, according to Zou Wenkai, president of the Beijing College of Social Administration.

People's Liberation Army in Moscow debut

China's top envoy in Russia has confirmed that the People's Liberation Army will, for the first time, send a contingent to take part in a major parade in Moscow in May.

Russia plans to hold grand celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War - its term for World War II - on May 9, including a military parade in Red Square.

Li Hui, the Chinese ambassador to Russia, said in an interview with Xinhua News Agency on April 27, "It will be the first time that China has dispatched a marching contingent to take part in the military parade in Red Square."

China's participation in the parade demonstrates fully the strategic coordination between the two countries, the envoy said.

Seaplane will protect maritime rights

China will be able to use its first domestically developed amphibious plane to enhance its operational capability at sea and safeguard its maritime interests, according to the aircraft's chief designer.

"The primary uses of the AG-600 will be forest fire control and maritime search and rescue," Huang Lingcai told China Daily on April 27. "But it can also play an important role in law enforcement tasks at sea and other maritime operations that protect our rights and interests."

The plane is due to make its maiden flight in the first half of 2016. Huang was speaking after a ceremony in Hanzhong, Shaanxi province, marking the delivery of its rear fuselage.

The 17.5-meter section was manufactured by the Shaanxi Aircraft Corp, a subsidiary of Aviation Industry Corp of China, the company that designed and is building the plane.

China sees surge in China's 4G users

4G users in the world's second-largest economy continued to surge, and charges for the telecom service are expected to fall in the future, official data showed on April 28. China added about 60 million 4G clients in the first quarter, including 23.8 million in March, to reach 162 million, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Wen Ku, an official from the ministry in charge of telecommunications, expects the country's total 4G users to reach 250 million by the end of the year.

By the end of March, China had 1.29 billion mobile phone subscriptions, up 3.6 percent year-on-year.

Small cities are big for jobs

Fast-growing satellite cities in China are becoming more attractive to jobseekers from lesser-developed and first-tier cities, according to a recent survey.

The number of people who want to shift their work to first-tier cities, such as Beijing, dropped by 10 percent year-on-year in the traditional job-hunting season that started in February, according to the survey by Zhaopin, a Chinese human resources website.

At the same time, the number of people seeking to shift their jobs to second-or third-tier cities, increased by 10 percent year-on-year.

Navy launches micro blog

The People's Liberation Army navy has started a micro blog, becoming the first branch of the Chinese military to do so.

Senior Captain Shen Liqing, director of the publicity department at the navy's Beijing headquarters, said the micro blog on people.com.cn, the flagship website of People's Daily, aims to improve the navy's communication and publicity capabilities, improve transparency, provide a platform for exchanges between the service and the public and respond to hot issues concerning the PLA navy.

The blog will publicize important navy events and provide information, publish recruitment notices, and outline the history, achievements and etiquette of the service, Shen said.