NEW HEAD OF CASS

NEW HEAD OF CASS

Shi Taifeng is the new president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences（CASS）.

Shi was born in September 1956 in Yushe， Shanxi Province. In 1978， Shi embarked on his studies at the Law School of Peking University and obtained a masters degree in jurisprudence. In 1985， he started working at the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China （CPC）. In 2010， he left the school to work first as a Party official in Jiangsu Province， and in 2016， became the governor of that province. He then held posts in Ningxia Hui and Inner Mongolia autonomous regions. As secretary of the Inner Mongolia Regional CPC Committee from October 2019 to April this year， he pushed forward local anti-corruption measures in coal-related fields， bringing down scores of corrupt senior officials.

Established in May 1977， the CASS is the countrys premier academic organization and comprehensive research center in the fields of philosophy and social sciences.

Just Say No

Nanfang Daily April 29

When recruiting new staff， some Chinese companies blatantly tell their applicants to “forget about the concept of a basic salary and a two-day weekend，” or “young people should devote their lives to work.”

The younger applicant is not against putting in the extra hours， but their sense of indignation stems from the fact corporate culture tries to justify， even glorify， its excessive and unpaid ways.

Objectively， if the basic salary does not fall below local minimum wage standards， its not in violation of the law. However， to publicly demand job applicants forget about “the concept of a basic salary” is by no means in line with the labor law. Fortunately， more and more young job hunters today are just saying“no” to this rather outdated corporate thinking.

Top Priority Of Hainan

Outlook Weekly May 2

The island province of Hainan has been making headway in its ecological protection efforts in a bid to forge a template of harmony between mankind and nature.

The 2021 data show that the water quality in all of the islands crucial water sources has reached the highest standards， while polluting factors in its offshore waters have been wiped out. Based on this overall success， new measures will now start targeting specific water bodies across the island.

The island has issued effective local regulations on the use of plastics. Disposable plastic products are being gradually replaced by greener alternatives. Projects to reclaim land from the sea， or enclosing the sea， have been canceled. Tropical forests are Hainans most important ecological defense barrier. About one seventh of the islands land area is part of the national park reserve， keeping many endangered species and a vast biodiversity well-preserved.

China proposed establishing a free trade zone in Hainan in 2018 and began construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port two years later. Over recent years， a large number of foreign companies have settled there. The free trade port is set to introduce island-wide customs clearance operations by 2025.

Out With the Old

Qianjiang Evening News April 29

Nanjing University recently announced it will no longer be using foreign academic indexes like the QS World University Rankings， an annual publication of university rankings by Quacquarelli Symonds， or the Science Citation Index（SCI）.

In February 2020， Chinas Ministry of Education and Ministry of Science and Technology already issued an official paper discouraging the use of the SCI as a framework for the assessment of research performance.

While these foreign indexes had inspired and pushed Chinese universities forward for years， they also brought about negative influences because these rankings were directly linked to the amount of state funding schools could receive as well as their attractiveness to prospective students.

The question now beckons： How can Chinas universities establish a general education standard and assessment system？ This will require a detailed and long-term outline， one that steers away from the conventional system overemphasizing a schools number of published academic papers and is based on the national conditions.

TEAM CHINA MAKES A COMEBACK

Ye Jinguang， or Brandon Yip， captain of the Chinese team， stormed through the 2022 Ice Hockey Mens World Championship Division II Group A in style. Team China secured the gold after just three games courtesy of a 5：1 win against host and bronze winner Croatia on April 29. The championship title also secured a spot for Team China in Division I after a 15-year absence.

Ye was born to a Chinese-Canadian family in Vancouver， Canada， in 1985. With National Hockey League experience in Canada， he currently plays for HC Kunlun Red Star of the Kontinental Hockey League. During the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022， Ye served as captain of the Chinese team.

“Though the team still has a long way to go， we hope we can plant the seed of ice hockey in the hearts of more Chinese children，” Ye said.

“Economic and trade ties， especially those in agriculture， are the ballast of China-U.S. relations.”

Qin Gang， Chinese Ambassador to the U.S.， in an article published by The Des Moines Register， an Iowa newspaper

“The outcome of half a century of bilateral relations between China and the Caribbean has been very positive in the economic and trade fields.”

Eduardo Regalado， a senior researcher with the International Policy Research Center of Cuba， in a recent interview with Xinhua News Agency

“The labor market is extremely tight， and inflation is much too high.”

Jerome Powell， Chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve（Fed）， at a press conference on May 4. The Fed raised its benchmark interest rate by a half percentage point that day， marking the sharpest rate hike since 2000

“Any potential solution should not lead to an additional financial burden for member states， especially developing countries.”

Dai Bing， Chinas Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN， at the resumed session of the Fifth Committee of the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly on May 3