Economy

Sea level continues to rise

China's sea level hit a record high last year due to global warming and land subsidence, threatening millions of coastal residents, a government report says. The report, published by the State Oceanic Administration on Feb 26, said that last year, the sea level rose 122 millimeters more than the average level from 1975 to 1993, about 53 mm higher than it was in 2011.

"The rising temperatures from increasing greenhouse gas emissions and land subsidence nationwide led to the high seas," said Liu Kexiu of the National Marine Data and Information Service.

Last year, average air temperatures in coastal areas rose 0.4 degree above the average from 1975 to 1993, and sea temperatures rose 0.3 degree, the report said.

Pharma

Partnership to track counterfeits

Internet search giant Baidu has teamed up with China's top drug authority to help crack down on counterfeit drugs and illegal websites trading shoddy products.

The alliance means Chinese netizens, of whom there are 560 million on the mainland, will have access via Baidu to basic information, authorized by the State Food and Drug Administration, about more than 180,000 kinds of drugs including the producer, description and dosage, said Zhu Guang, vice-president of Baidu.

Baidu will identify online drug stores approved by the administration in related search results, to help consumers make the right choices, he said.

Organ donor system expanded

The pilot organ donation network will be extended across China by the end of the year, said Zhao Baige, executive vice-president of the Red Cross Society of China.

Led by the Ministry of Health and the society, the organ donation program aims to establish viable systems to share the information of dead organ donors and people waiting for donations, and to match donations between the two across the country. The pilot program began in March 2010, and 19 provinces have already adopted it. By Feb 22, the 19 provinces had procured 1,804 organs from 659 dead donors, Zhao said.

Education

System to reduce dropouts

A planned nationwide education accountability system aims to reduce the number of students who drop out because of closures and rural-school mergers, the Ministry of Education said.

Du Kewei, a ministry official in charge of basic education, said local governments have been asked to work out plans for their rural elementary and junior high schools for the next three years.

The plans must be submitted to central education authorities by the end of June. No closures or mergers will be allowed until the new local plans come out, Du said at a news conference.

Society

Technology used to combat graft

The government has improved the way it deals with corruption and is increasingly using technology to combat graft, but experts say preventing the technology from being abused need to be considered. The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences published a report on China's rule of law on Feb 25, which stated that the country's disciplinary authorities at every level have developed and applied technology to their anti-corruption work, such as online approval platforms and bribery record systems.

China Daily

(China Daily 03/01/2013 page2)