TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY VICE PRESIDENT RESIGNS

Shi Yigong， well-known biologist and professor at Tsinghua University， has announced his resignation as vice president of the prestigious institution. Shi will become president of the upcoming Westlake University in Hangzhou. However， he will continue his research and teaching work at Tsinghua.

Shi， born in 1967， received his bachelors degree with honors from Tsinghua University in 1989 and his Ph.D. in biophysics from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in 1995. Declining an offer to be an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute， he returned to Tsinghua University in 2008. Shi has received several important international awards in biology. He is also an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a foreign fellow of several U.S. and European science academies and organizations.

In 2015， Shi and nine other renowned scientists took the initiative to build a new university for quality scientific research. The Westlake University is set to open this year.

Promoting Driverless Vehicles

Peoples Daily January 8

Beijing recently announced its fi rst road for testing unpiloted vehicles， with a view to promoting self-driving vehicles. Although the autonomous vehicle technology is becoming increasingly mature， whether these vehicles can cope with complicated road conditions is hard to say. Hence Beijings traffi c authorities have issued new guidelines to standardize road tests for these vehicles. This， for the fi rst time， formally confi rmed the legality of autonomous vehicles and paved the way for furthering this technology.

The wide application of the self-driving technology depends on lab and road testing， and also on government support in the form of both software and hardware. Currently， both the central and local governments are lending a hand for the development of selfdriving technology. Policies and regulations are anticipated to catch up with the rapid progress of technology.

Still at the research and development stage， this technology is now confronted with various challenges. So there should be no hurry to move too fast. Also， since Beijings guidelines and regulations for autonomous vehicles are suitable only for the capital， other cities must not copy them. In order to ensure safety and the thriving of an emerging industry， governments， businesses and society should work hand in hand.

Strict PPP Checks

China Newsweek January 8

The Central Government has been encouraging public-private partnership （PPP） to promote private investment in infrastructure and public projects since 2014.endprint

The investment and projects under various PPP arrangements experienced a boom across China in the years that followed. As of September 2017， the number of PPP projects under planning and development had reached 6，778， with a total investment of 10.1 trillion yuan （$1.55 trillion）. China has become the largest PPP market in the world.

But the PPP boom has also brought problems. Some local governments are simply using PPPs as a means of fi nancing， not taking full advantage of the new pattern to advance supply-side reform. The risk of debt is rising， especially， due to a lack of supervision.

Against this backdrop， the Ministry of Finance issued a new policy in November 2017 to regulate PPP arrangements and improve the quality of PPP projects. It is expected that policymakers will shift their focus from the number of PPP projects to quality. Watchdogs will strengthen regulation and supervision of PPP arrangements and projects in 2018.

According to the ministry， the watchdogs will tighten risk control and enhance supervision of governmental payments for PPP projects as well as taking measures to contain the debt of businesses.

In the short run， with the prospect of tightened supervision， industrial capital and fi nancing organizations will slow down their investment moves and the number of PPP projects will correspondingly decrease. But in the long run， strict supervision will help the healthy growth of the PPP market and private enterprises will play a more important role in PPP projects.

Bigger Role for Traditional Culture

Guangming Daily January 8

The outside worlds knowledge of Chinese culture has long been limited to things like tea， porcelain and silk. In the era of globalization， we need to enrich the content of Chinas reputation in the world.

The central authorities recently issued a document， urging special support for intangible cultural heritage like the Chinese language， Chinese martial arts， traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， Chinese cuisine and traditional festivals.

Chinese is one of the most widely used languages in the world. TCM embodies Chinese peoples wisdom of using natural materials to remedy illnesses. Artemisinin， the compound derived from the sweet wormwood plant， is making a great contribution in the fi ght against malaria. Martial arts not only help to build up a strong physique， but also promote morality.

All these are windows through which the outside world can see China better. To make good use of these cultural resources so that they act as a bridge between China and the rest of the world， therefore， is an urgent task.endprint

While Chinas economic contribution to the world is striking， there still exists a lot of misunderstanding about the country itself. Although some countries have in-depth political and economic cooperation with China， yet a lack of cultural communication obstructs further cooperation in other fields.

Today， the world is showing more and more interest in China and wishes to better understand China. To spread knowledge of the Chinese civilization， Chinese language， TCM， martial arts and other cultural facets will be an effective way to achieve this goal.

EX-CHIEF OF STAFF UNDER GRAFT PROBE

Fang Fenghui， 66， former member of Chinas Central Military Commission （CMC） and exchief of staff of the CMC Joint Staff Department， is under investigation on suspicion of offering and accepting bribes， Xinhua News Agency reported on January 9.

Fang enlisted in the Peoples Liberation Army （PLA） in 1968 and moved up the ranks in multiple units over more than 30 years. In 2007 he became commander of the former Beijing Military Command. Two years later， he became the commander in chief of the 60th National Day parade in Beijing.

In 2012， he was named chief of the former General Staff Headquarters and was promoted to a member of the CMC. In early 2016， he became the PLA chief of staff. Fang was replaced by General Li Zuocheng in August 2017.

Over the past fi ve years， the anti-corruption campaign has brought down over 100 offi cers of the rank of major general or higher， according to the militarys disciplinary watchdog.

“Strengthening international cooperation in artificial intelligence （AI） will not only promote interdisciplinary research， but also help build a platform for creative talent.”

Wu Fei， Director of the AI research institution of Zhejiang University， speaking about the establishment of an alliance for AI research between Chinese and French universities， in Hangzhou on January 9

“China has the ambition to develop its aviation in both the civil aviation and manufacturing sectors. For Airbus， it is win-win cooperation and development.”

Francois Mery， Chief Operating Officer of Airbus Commercial Aircraft China， speaking during French President Emmanuel Macrons three-day visit to China from January 8 to 10

“The Standard Gauge Railway， built by China， has reduced the travel time for imports and exports out of the East African region.”

Lilian Awinja， Executive Director of East African Business Council， speaking to Xinhua in Nairobi on January 10

“Internet commerce has restructured production and logistics in rural areas and also helped farmers raise their income， particularly in west China.”

Mao Risheng， a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences， speaking about Alibabas digital economy report on January 10endprint