Top searches on Wechat 06/06: COVID testing lab, Military aircrafts, Shenzhou-14 spaceship
Top searches on Wechat 06/06: COVID testing lab, Military aircrafts, Shenzhou-14 spaceship
China is dead serious about space exploration, and meticulous plans are made for every step
Today's review of the top searches on WeChat covers a wide range of topics, from the hero driver that spent his last moment saving passengers on board, China's official response to the recent interactions between the military aircraft of China and Canada, to the exciting space exploration programs and its latest updates.
Another search that almost made the list, Gaokao, the college entrance examination. Starting from June 7, the three-day examination with 11.93 million students signing up, a record high, would be the top concern for countless families in China.
Hopefully, today's newsletter will give you a taste of the hot topics of the Day in China.
Monday's top 10 trending searches on Wechat as of 7:00 p.m. (1100 GMT):
#1 Seven employees related to the Beijing Pushi Medical Laboratory Co were arrested
北京朴石医学检验室7人被批捕
#2 Working group formed to investigate Luo Chongmin's speech
云南成立工作组调查罗崇敏言论
Luo Chongmin, former minister of education in southwest China's Yunnan Province, insulted Quyuan (a Chinese patriotic poet [c. 340 BC – 278 BC] ) on the internet and claimed that the Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, is "a day promoting suicide". His speech may violate China's law on the Protection of Heroes and Martyrs, so a working group quickly came together to further investigate the matter. Luo was expelled from the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 2017 due to serious disciplinary issues.
#3 Ministry of National Defense responds to the provocation of Canadian military aircraft
国防部回应加拿大军机挑衅
#4 Luo Yonghao responds to resumed execution of debt worth 29.17 million yuan (about 4.4 million U.S. dollars)
罗永浩方回应被恢复执行2917万
"The debt is paid, the court resumed execution simply to close the case," said Luo on his Weibo. Luo is the founder of Bullog.cn, a now defunct blogging website, and also the founder and CEO of Smartisan Technology Co. And his livestream debut on Douyin in 2020 attracted over 200 million followers. Over the years, Luo has done something phenomenal, but he was losing money as well. In 2019, Luo was barred from taking flights or high-speed train travel, as well as any sort of lavish spending, due to unsettled debt issues.
#5 Ningbo University responds to a teacher's sexist speech
宁波大学回应教师歧视女性言论
A teacher from School of Education, Ningbo University posted sexist speech on social media, saying that "women are troublesome, no wonder employers don't want female employees". In his post, the teacher used vulgar words to complain about the extra workload on him due to his coworkers' needs to take care of children. The authority of the university took it seriously and suspended his work. In the latest notice, Ningbo University decided to terminate the employment relationship with the teacher, effective immediately.
#6 State council: No tattoo service for minors
官方:不得向未成年人提供文身服务
State Council issued a requirement on Monday forbidding any enterprise, organization and individual from providing tattooing services to minors, and coercing or luring teenagers to get tattoos is strictly prohibited. The requirement also urged market regulators, parents and social guidance to join forces and protect the health of teenagers.
#7 Masses spontaneously bid farewell to D2809 driver Yang Yong
群众自发送别D2809司机杨勇
The public paid tribute to Yang Yong, a quick-thinking high-speed train driver who took emergency braking measures in five seconds, a timely move that secured all passengers' safety (with eight injured), but the heroic driver died unfortunately. According to China State Railway Group, two carriages of Train D2809 came off the the railway near Rongjiang Station in southwest China's Guizhou Province, and the train slid for more than 900 meters after going off the track. China's Netizens widely expressed their gratitude to Yang and grieved for the loss of a true hero.
#8 Another Russian general killed in Donbass, Ukraine -- BBC
俄军又一名少将在顿巴斯阵亡
#9 A man in Harbin killed three people on the street
哈尔滨一男子当街行凶致3死
A man in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, killed three people on a pedestrian street. The local police have arrested him and the case is under further investigation. The homicide resulted from relationship conflicts, said the police report.
#10 Shenzhou-14 astronauts enter Tianzhou-4 cargo craft
神十四航天员顺利进入天舟四号
#1, #3, #10
#1 Seven employees related to the Beijing Pushi Medical Laboratory Co were arrested
Seven people of Beijing Pushi Medical Laboratory Co were taken into custody on June 6 for the crime of obstructing the prevention and control of infectious diseases. Beijing's public security bureau, and the city's market supervision department have filed cases against the lab.
According to the government website of Beijing's Fangshan district where the company is located, the local health commission has revoked the license of the lab due to the fact that the number of samples tested by the lab was obviously smaller than the number of samples collected. -- Chinadaily
Since May, rounds of regional nucleic acid screening have been conducted, and Pushi Medical Laboratory, as a third-party testing institute, has taken on the testing task for a large area in the district and that has been going on for a relatively long time.
Not just Fangshan district, Pushi Medical Laboratory also undertook nucleic acid screening in other areas of Beijing, such as Shijingshan District, one not included in the key screening areas, where residents only did the test as they wished.
According to the official notice, the original samples collected were significantly less than the number of samples tested indicates that there might exist "false negative" test results (the results are out while the tests are not done), leading to possible hidden community transmission.
"When the actual testing capacity of third-party testing organizations can not keep up with the speed of large-scale nucleic acid screening requirements, or the head of the testing agency took samples but did experiments less than the samples to make profits, such situation will occur. This requires local regulatory authorities to further consolidate regulatory responsibility," said an official from the local CDC testing department.
This is not the first problem raised by third-party testing institutes. On April 23, the CDC of Hefei, capital of east China's Anhui Province, decided to terminate cooperation with two testing labs due to false results scandals.
The National Health Commission has strengthened the supervision on third-party testing institutes. An inspection center has strengthened up to evaluate testing labs on a monthly basis. In the meantime, in large-scale nucleic acid screening, quality supervisors will be assigned on site to ensure the authenticity of testing results. -- yicai [in Chinese]
#3 Ministry of National Defense responds to the provocation of Canadian military aircrafts
Defense spokesperson answers press question on Canadian military's hype of aircraft encounters -- China Military Online
On June 6, 2022, Senior Colonel Wu Qian, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, answered the reporter's question on the recent China-Canada military aircraft encounters.
Reporter: The Canadian Ministry of Defence recently issued a statement saying that Chinese military aircraft have repeatedly "buzzed" Canadian military aircraft flying in a UN-sanctioned mission imposed against the DPRK in international airspace, and Chinese military aircraft’s behaviour was unprofessional and risky. What is your comment on this?
Senior Colonel Wu Qian, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense: Recently, Canadian military aircraft have stepped up close-up reconnaissance and provocations against China under the pretext of implementing the United Nations Security Council Resolutions, which endangers China's national security and the safety of front-line personnel of both sides. China firmly opposes this provocative behavior of the Canadian side.
In response to the provocative acts and unfriendly and unprofessional operations by the Canadian military aircrafts, the Chinese military took reasonable, effective, safe and professional actions and meanwhile, has made solemn representations to the Canadian side through diplomatic channels.
The Chinese military urges the Canadian military to face up to the seriousness of the situation, strictly discipline its front-line troops and must not conduct any risky and provocative acts, otherwise, all serious consequences arising therefrom should be borne by the Canadian side.
Regarding the recent interactions between the aircraft of the two countries, the Canadian Armed Forces published a statement on June 1 and the Ministry of National Defense of China responded when answering a reporter's question at the press conference.
#10 Shenzhou-14 astronauts enter Tianzhou-4 cargo craft
After successfully stationing in China's space station core module Tianhe, the Shenzhou-14 crew opened the hatch of the Tianzhou-4 cargo craft and entered it at 12:19 p.m. (Beijing Time). -- Xinhua
Screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on June 5, 2022 shows three Chinese astronauts, Chen Dong (C), Liu Yang (R) and Cai Xuzhe, saluting after entering the space station core module Tianhe.
A good start has been made, but there is still much to do for the crew down the road.
The Shenzhou-14 manned mission is the second flight in the construction phase of China's space station, following the Tianzhou-4 cargo mission last month, which sent supplies for the taikonauts. It's the first crewed mission in the phase. ...
During their six-month stay, they will welcome the two lab modules Wentian and Mengtian, the Tianzhou-5 cargo spacecraft and the Shenzhou-15 manned spaceship to dock with the core module, and rotate with the Shenzhou-15 crew in orbit before returning to Earth in December 2022.
The Shenzhou-14 crew members will be the first to enter the two lab modules. They will help make the environment suitable for the taikonauts' stay and install a dozen scientific experiment cabinets in the two modules.
They will exit from the Wentian lab module to carry out extravehicular activities (EVAs). The previous Shenzhou-12 and Shenzhou-13 crews all went outside the Tianhe core module to carry out EVAs.
Altogether, the Shenzhou-14 crew will conduct two to three EVAs over the next six months, during which they are expected to operate the big and small robotic arms.
They will also give science classes from the Wentian lab module for the first time. In addition, the team will carry out daily maintenance tasks and various scientific experiments in the space station. -- CGTN
The Shenzhou-14 crewed mission has both experienced and new astronauts, Chen Dong (the commander), Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe. Chen Dong used to be a member of Shenzhou-11 mission. And Liu Yang is China's first female astronaut to reach space in 2012. Accompanying them is Cai Xuzhe, a newcomer to space.
China’s first human spaceflight mission, Shenzhou-5, reached orbit in October 2003. The spotlight of the day, the Shenzhou-14 spacecraft, marks the fourteenth flight of the Shenzhou program, and the ninth crewed Chinese spaceflight.
Shenzhou-13 and its three astronauts just came back from outer space about two months ago, China sent another three up there. So now you see that China is dead serious about space exploration, and meticulous plans are made for every step. GRR's last post covered a detailed analysis on China's space exploration plans from the present to 2030, check it out if you want to know more, Population, Industrial Upgrade and Taiwan: Some predictions for China in 2030 - Part 2.
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