Health

Officials issue flu-shot warning

Health specialists have urged more people to get flu shots this winter, as the killer virus continues to sweep the country.

Although influenza cases are "well within the normal range compared with last year", China's top health specialist Shu Yuelong warned that the number of people receiving vaccinations is still far lower than international levels, potentially putting lives at risk. Only about 2 percent of people on the Chinese mainland get flu shots each year, the director of the National Influenza Center, under the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said on Jan 15.

A total of 360 cases of H1N1 flu were reported between Dec 1 and Jan 6, including two people in Beijing who died. Shu warned that outbreaks will last into March, "which might mean more deaths, particularly among children and the elderly," the most vulnerable groups. H1N1 and H3N2, the two most prominent flu strains this season, may have even claimed more lives, he said.

Transport

New airport cleared for takeoff

The State Council has approved the construction of a new international airport in the Chinese capital, Beijing airport spokesman Li Shengbo said on Jan 13. Li, however, declined to give further details, such as when construction would start or on the looks of the new airport.

The rapidly increasing number of passengers has forced the existing international airport in Beijing to run at near-full capacity. A second airport is needed to divert passenger flow.

Beijing Capital International Airport has been ranked as the world's second-busiest airport for three consecutive years.

According to CAAC News, a newspaper affiliated with the aviation administration, large-scale construction will begin next year, and the airport is due to open before the end of 2018.

Policy

Visa for 5 years to be on offer

Multiple-entry visas, valid for up to five years, will soon be on offer in a bid to attract more top talent. The Exit and Entry Administration Law, which comes into effect in July, will also introduce a six-month visa for short-term hires.

Zhang Jianguo, director of the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, said on Jan 15 that foreigners must already be employed to apply for the visa. "We hope the visas will encourage more international experts to work here," Zhang said. He declined to elaborate on the eligibility criteria.

Liu Guofu, an immigration law specialist at Beijing Institute of Technology, said the government is targeting key groups with the new visas. These include candidates with management experience at leading multinationals, specialists in science-related fields and renowned figures in culture and sport.

Family planning policy unchanged

China will stick with its current family planning policy to maintain the country's low birthrate but will make an effort to fine-tune it, the country's population planning chief said. Wang Xia, minister of the National Population and Family Planning Commission, made the remarks at a national conference in Beijing on Jan 14 amid widespread speculation that the one-child policy on the Chinese mainland might soon be relaxed.

Maintaining a low birthrate will still remain a top priority for the government this year and beyond. Local situations will, however, be considered before the policies are implemented, she said.

China has maintained a low birthrate for about 20 years. Many people, including academics, have called for the policy to be relaxed to better meet new demographic challenges such as a rapidly aging society and rising labor shortage. But others said the country's current low birthrate is not stable and would rebound sharply if the family planning policy were to be abandoned.

China Daily

(China Daily 01/18/2013 page2)