Society

Low-altitude Airspace to Open Wider

The State Council issued in May guidelines for the development of general aviation（GA） in China. They state that the country will build 500 or more GA airports by 2020. All cities above prefecture level， therefore， will have GA airports or airports offering general aviation services.

According to Wang Xia， secretary-general of China Air Transport Association GA branch， there are less than 100 GA airports registered with the Civil Aviation Administration of China （CAAC）. This means 400 or more are to be built in the coming four years.

The decree also expresses support for mergers and innovation among mediumsized and small businesses to develop advanced GA equipment and systems. It moreover encourages local governments to introduce innovative incentives to attract public capital. Whats more， lowaltitude airspace is to be further opened up， and flight approval procedures simplified to promote such operations.

New Soil Pollution Action Plan

China recently released a national action plan to curb soil pollution. The document specifies goals in three phases： a preliminary check on deterioration of soil pollution by 2020； maintenance of soil quality at stable levels， while securing an improvement trend by 2030； and overall amelioration by 2050.

If these targets are met as planned， 90 percent of contaminated farmlands， or 4.67 million hectares， may be safely used by 2020， with this proportion exceeding 95 percent by 2030. It is estimated the action plan could add RMB 2.7 trillion to the nations GDP， and create more than two million jobs.

Government data show that the soil of more than 16 percent of selected samples is contaminated. This figure breaks down as 19.4 percent of farmlands， 10 percent of forestlands， and 10.4 percent grasslands.

Drafting of the action plan began in May 2013， and it has been amended through 50 rounds， after soliciting opinions from relevant organs of the State Council and regional governments.

Worrying Online Information Leaks

A 2015 study by the Internet Society of China reports that as many as 63.4 percent of netizens in China have had personal information exposed， including names， family addresses， ID card numbers， and employers. Such breaches put people affected at risk of being targeted by spam text messages and telephone scams， and even of putting property and personal security at risk. The report said that last year， personal information theft， spam messages and telephone scams caused monetary losses in China totaling RMB 80.5 billion nationwide， or RMB 124 per person.

Website security loopholes are the prime cause of user information breaches， according to the report. Website security monitoring platform 360.cn scanned 2.312 million websites in 2015， and found vulnerabilities in 1.015 million websites， with 308，000， or 13 percent， at high risk.

Marked Progress in Preserving Biodiversity

Since China set up its first nature reserve on Dinghu Mountain in Guangdong Province in 1956， the country has in the ensuing 60 years established a complex of nature reserves that feature a comparatively full range of functions and types， with well-planned distribution.

There are now 2，740 nature reserves in China， covering 1.47 million sq km， accounting for 14.83 percent of its land territory， higher than the world average. They cover more than 90 percent of Chinas terrestrial ecosystems， 89 percent of wild fauna and flora species， and the majority of significant natural heritage. In these sanctuaries， certain endangered species have been pulled back from the verge of extinction. The population of giant pandas， for instance， exceeds 1，800， which elevates it from the ED （endangered） group to the VU （vulnerable） class.

Yet Environment Minister Chen Jining cautioned that the problem of overdevelopment at the cost of nature reserves persists in certain regions， and the authorities of such reserves are hampered by the lack of law enforcement power. Whats more， the reserves are not evenly distributed， and relevant laws are yet to be imposed. The Regulations on the Administration of Nature Reserves are regarded as too vague， and the punishments prescribed too mild.

Activity

Ton Koopman and the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra

Date： July 3， 2016

Place： Guangzhou Opera House

Price： RMB 80/180/280/480/680/880

Ton Koopman was born in Zwolle， the Netherlands in 1944. He founded the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra in 1979， followed by the Amsterdam Baroque Choir in 1992. The Baroque Orchestra consists of internationally renowned baroque musicians who consider each concert as a new experience. Koopmans boundless enthusiasm for the art guarantees an unforgettable performance.

Sarah Brightman 2016 China Tour

Date： July 31， 2016

Place： Suzhou Sports Center

Price： RMB

380/580/880/1，280/1，680/2，016

Sarah Brightman made her London West End musical theater debut in Cats in 1981. She went on to star in several West End and New York Broadway musicals， including The Phantom of the Opera in which she played the leading role of Christine Daaé. Over the decades， she has remained one of the most sought-after sopranos in the world.