Rural vitalization

China on Sunday unveiled its “No. 1 central document” for 2021, stressing the efforts to comprehensively push forward rural vitalization and accelerate the modernization of agriculture and rural areas.

As the first policy statement released by the central authorities each year, the document is seen as an indicator of policy priorities. Work on agriculture and rural areas has been high on the agenda for 18 consecutive years since 2004. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), the Communist Party of China will regard work concerning agriculture, rural areas and farmers as its top priority, said the document.

COVID-19 vaccination

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Chief Executive (CE) Carrie Lam and some senior officials of the HKSAR Government on Monday received their first shots of the COVID-19 vaccine ahead of a mass rollout starting later this week.

“I feel good and as you can see there is no adverse effect,” Lam said at a press briefing shortly after getting the shot. Chief Secretary for Administration Matthew Cheung, Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng and Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan of the HKSAR Government were among the officials receiving the vaccine on Monday.

Truth on border clashes

The country has published relevant reports and revealed the truth on the border clashes with India, which would help people understand the truth and the rights and wrongs of the events, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said in Beijing on Friday.

Hua made the remarks when asked to comment on a comprehensive report published by China’s PLA Daily on Friday which confirmed that during the border conflict between China and India in June last year, four Chinese officer and soldiers died and one regiment commander was seriously injured.

Gold mine fire

Six people were killed after a fire engulfed a gold mine in East China’s Shandong Province last week, local authorities said.

The fire broke out while workers were conducting equipment maintenance at the Caojiawa Gold Mine in the city of Zhaoyuan, according to sources with the municipal government of Zhaoyuan. Ten miners were immediately trapped under the shaft by the fire. Four were rescued and have been sent to a hospital for medical treatment. (SD-Agencies)