New FTZs

    A group of seven new free trade zones (FTZs) are slated* for inauguration* in China, as the country looks to accelerate reforms in more test beds.

    A draft guideline for Chongqing FTZ has been presented to the State Council and is waiting for final approval, the Economic Information Daily reported on Monday. Preparations in Henan and Shaanxi provinces are also moving into the final stages. The Central Government approved applications for the third batch of FTZs in August last year, including Liaoning in the northeast, Zhejiang in the east, Henan and Hubei in Central China, and Sichuan and Chongqing in the southwest.

    T-shirt sales

    The Chinese Embassy in Germany has again called on a German online retailer to apologize and stop selling T-shirts with slogans insulting Chinese.

    The openness and diversity the company has said about its products in its apology statement fail to justify the harm, the Chinese embassy said on Saturday. It complained that rather than apologizing, the company’s statement defended its indulgence* in insult and discrimination*.

    Real names for drones

    The head of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has said that the government will introduce new rules to regulate China’s drone industry as unregulated flights have been causing problems.

    The CAAC will introduce a real-name system to regulate the operation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to counter threats to the country’s air safety, Feng Zhenglin, head of the CAAC, was quoted as saying by the Beijing News on Monday.

    “Our priority is to have UAVs registered with the owners’ real name and to supervise operators,” Feng said. The CAAC will build electric fences around airports to keep drones away from airplanes, according to Feng.

    Senior population

    China’s senior population — those aged 60 and above — is expected to reach 255 million by 2020, according to a State Council plan.

    By 2020, senior citizens will account for 17.8 percent of the total population, and the number of people aged 80 or older will reach 29 million, said the plan on the development of the elderly during the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020) period.(SD-Agencies)