Internet regulation

    President Xi Jinping called on December 16 for governments to cooperate in regulating Internet use and said the international community should respect the “Internet sovereignty*” of individual countries.

    Speaking at a government-organized conference attended by executives of global and Chinese Internet companies, which opened on December 16 in Wuzhen in eastern Zhejiang Province, Xi called for creating a global “governance system” to reflect the “wishes and interests of all countries.”

    Limits on Taiwan biz

    China will further ease restrictions* for Taiwanese doing business on the mainland, enabling them to share many development opportunities, an official said on December 16.

    From January 1, the mainland will open 24 sectors, including advertising, packaging, and clothing, to individual entrepreneurs from the island, Ma Xiaoguang, spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said on December 16. Previously Taiwanese businesspeople were only allowed to explore retail and catering opportunities on the mainland.

    Sino-Thai rail project starts

    Chinese and Thai companies started to build the first standard-gauge* railway in Thailand on Saturday, applying China’s technology, standards and equipment, the China Railway Corp. (CRC) said.

    Earlier on Saturday, a launching ceremony was held at Chiang Rak Noi Station in central Thailand’s Ayutthaya province, according to the CRC. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, sent each other congratulatory messages on the commencement of the cooperation project. The 845-km railway will allow trains to operate at top speeds of 180-250 km per hour.

    Longer leave

    Lawmakers are considering amending the family-planning law to allow couples to have two children amid efforts to counter shrinkage* of the work force and an ageing population.

    “The State advocates that one couple can give birth to two children,” according to a draft amendment submitted for review at the bimonthly session of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, which opened on Monday.

    (SD-Agencies)