NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY ENGINEER DIES AT 91

On March 6， Mao Yongze， a nuclear technology engineer and an academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering （CAE）， passed away in Beijing at the age of 91.

Mao was born in Ningbo， Zhejiang Province， in 1930. In 1949， he was accepted by Shanghai Jiao Tong University as a chemical engineering major.

Later， he pursued further studies at the Department of Chemical Engineering at Peking University， and then at Tsinghua University.

After graduating from Tsinghua in 1953， he was assigned to the Institute of Modern Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He participated in the creation of technologies for China’s first nuclear test.

He was selected as a CAE academician in 1995.

Guangzhou Daily March 7

Young people today prefer to work in sectors like food delivery， e-business， live-streaming， etc.， and feel increasingly reluctant to do factory work. This phenomenon has led to a shortage of 22 million workers in the manufacturing sector in 2020， and the gap keeps widening. In contrast to factories losing 1.5 million people every year in the past five years， the express delivery sector has rounded up more than 10 million couriers.

Moreover， as rural areas are starting to prosper， some young people choose to engage in organic farming， or operate online shops or indulge in agritainment. Even agriculture’s appeal today outshines that of the industrial sector.

Manufacturing makes up a country’s industrial foundation， playing a crucial role in economic growth and international competition. The Chinese economy， and the nation’s future for that matter， demands the injection of new blood into this sector.

To attract the young， factories must improve working conditions， raise wages and give them opportunities to grow into their most skillful and capable selves.

China Newsweek March 7

In 2022， China’s primary economic undertaking is to maintain stable growth. Governments at various levels should take responsibility in stabilizing the macro-economy， while new policies， too， should focus on the goal at hand.

The lingering COVID-19 pandemic casts the biggest uncertainty. As long as it has not completely ebbed into oblivion， it might still cause economic shockwaves. This year’s 5.5-percent growth target was calculated based on the global COVID-19 situation， and will change as the pandemic changes.

Employment is crucial. One GDP percentage point rise represents an increase of 1.8 million jobs.

China， as a major economy， possesses the capability to self-adjust and maintain stability. It needs to make judgments and decisions based on international capital flows， the global industrial chain， as well as trade and value chains.

A coordination of fiscal and monetary policies is vital in the quest for stable growth. China’s currency policy features much room for adjustment， and will not be exclusively tied to the U.S. dollar policy. China’s monetary policy for 2021 was tight on the whole. This year， the country needs to return to a stable monetary policy， meaning the growth of total social financing should move toward the nominal GDP growth rate.

China Women’s News March 8

Female workers took to the streets of Chicago on March 8， 1909， demanding fairer pays， shorter working hours and the right to vote. On March 8， 1911， this date would henceforth be known as International Women’s Day. China granted International Women’s Day the status of legal holiday in December 1949. The concept of “women hold up half the sky”has encouraged generations of Chinese females to cherish the spirit of self-respect， self-confidence， and independence. March 8 marks a celebration of women around the world， very different from the “Goddess Day” or “Queens Day”hailed by many Chinese businesses and e-commerce platforms.

The date reminds society to respect women and safeguard their legitimate rights， reject job discrimination， curb domestic violence， eradicate the trafficking of women and say no to gender discrimination. This objective should never deviate toward the goal of entertainment—or shopping.

The best way to celebrate is to create more opportunities for women to realize their own personal and professional dreams and help them cope with life’s various difficulties. Labeling it “Queens Day” or “Goddess Day” will be of no use in this regard.

Jiang Mengnan， a doctoral candidate at Tsinghua University in Beijing， was honored as an inspirational role model at this year’s Touching China awards， China Central Television announced recently.

Jiang was born in Mangshan， a Yao ethnic township in Chenzhou， Hunan Province. She was diagnosed with nerve deafness at only six months old. She subsequently lost the ability to hear or speak. Despite her disabilities， she studied hard and worked her way up. After graduating from the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Jilin University with a master’s degree in 2018， Jiang was admitted to Tsinghua， one of China’s most prestigious universities， as a bioinformatics major.

Another nine prominent figures received the title， including Nobel Prize-winning physicist Chen-ning Yang and Su Bingtian， the first Chinese sprinter to compete in the men’s 100m sprint final at the Olympic Summer Games Tokyo 2020.

“We cannot emerge from the pandemic with the clock spinning backward on gender equality…We need to turn the clock forward on women’s rights. The time is now.”

UN Secretary General António Guterres， in a video message for International Women’s Day on March 8

“The Belt and Road Initiative projects will be the major contributors to Cambodia’s economic growth in the post-pandemic era.”

Neak Chandarith， Director of the Cambodia 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Research Center， in a recent interview with Xinhua News Agency

“The right way forward lies in greater solidarity and cooperation under the banner of multilateralism and joint efforts to build a community with a shared future for humanity.”

Wang Yi， Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister， at a press conference via video link on the sidelines of the Fifth Session of the 13th National People’s Congress on March 7

“We once again urge the U.S. side to fully clarify its biological military activities both at home and abroad， and accept multilateral verifications.”

Zhao Lijian， spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry， during a news briefing on March 8