China's wetland protection bears fruit over the past 5 years

15:08, December 24, 2020

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  China's natural shoreline projects bear fruits

  JINAN, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- For more than a decade, Hu Xiaowen barely opened the windows of her apartment near the coal-handling areas of Rizhao Port in East Chinas Shandong Province."After opening the windows for a while, the floor would be covered with coal soot," recalled Hu, adding that "even if I didnt open the windows, there would still be layers of coal soot indoors in a few days."Aerial photo taken on May 6, 2019 shows part of the vacated area at Rizhao Port, east Chinas Shandong Province. (Photos: Xinhua)Rizhao City has a coastline of 168.5 km. A natural deepwater port for coal export, Rizhao Port was opened in 1986. Currently, it has grown to be a comprehensive world-class port with two major port areas and an annual cargo throughput of over 400 million tonnes.However, as the citys urban areas have expanded in the past 30 years, the coal handled by the port has had a serious impact on the ecological environment and lives of nearby residents.In addition, the bustling areas in the north of the port where coal is processed are close to a renowned coastal scenic spot, which disrupted the tranquil coastal landscape.In order to resolve the conflict between the development of the port and the city and improve the ecological environment, in 2015, Rizhao City decided to launch a port renovation and reconstruction project.Aerial photo taken on Nov. 8, 2019 shows part of the vacated area at Rizhao Port, east Chinas Shandong Province.In June 2016, the project, with a total investment of 15 billion yuan (around $2.3 billion), was approved by the national financial and marine authorities, and was recognized as Chinas first industrial port restoration and reconstruction project.Nationwide, since 2016, China has implemented a series of projects for marine ecological protection and restoration, involving 1,200 km of coastlines and 23,000 hectares of coastal wetlands.According to the project, the Shijiu Port Area of Rizhao Po...

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  Zambia officials hail reciprocal Zambia-China ties

  CHONGWE, Zambia, Dec. 28 -- The 56 years of friendship between Zambia and China continues to bear tangible fruits and has brought about social and economic benefits that are too visible to ignore, Zambian officials say. The construction of the memorial park, which started last year, intends to comm

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  China to improve childcare in next 5 years: official

  File photo: agenciesBEIJING, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- China has over 47 million children under the age of three and the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) will seek improved childcare service in the next five years, an NDRC official said Sunday.Raising children brings families under financial strain and affects parents career, which has been a focus of society, Ou Xiaoli said at a forum organized by the China Family Planning Association.To address the problem, the National Health Commission (NHC) is working with other departments to improve policies, regulations, standards and supply childcare services, said Yu Xuejun, deputy head of the NHC.Yu also pledged strengthened policy support to make childcare services more universally available to society.China will reduce the cost of childbirth, parenting and education in the coming five years, and promote the balanced development of its population in the long-run, according to the Communist Party of China Central Committees proposals for formulating the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), which was made public in early November.