Hello and welcome to the 3st issues of Beijing Review. 

Photo by XINHUA

COVER STORY    

A New Age for Sino-French Relations is about new strides in Sino-French relations during an official visit by French President Emmanuel Macron who made his first stop China’s ancient capital of Xi’an. There, he spoke about encouraging Europe in taking part in the Belt and Road Initiative and sharing in the global trade network. Exchange and dialogue between President Xi Jinping and President Macron brought billions of dollars’ worth of economic cooperation deals.

NATION

Necessity and Invention focuses on news of China’s highest scientific honor given to two of the country's most esteemed scientists, a virologist and an ordnance specialist. The State Preeminent Science and Technology Award, sometimes called China’s Nobel Prize, was awarded to Wang Zeshan, who made breakthroughs in the science of explosives and contributed to improving China’s missile range, and to Hou Yunde for his breakthrough in control and prevention of major infectious diseases.

NATION

War Against Air Pollution is a story about Beijing’s war against air pollution and gains in air quality. In 2017, the area reached 226 days with good air, a combination of measures undertaken to reduce fine airborne particulate matter, or PM2.5 as it is commonly called, and good meteorological conditions. Experts put the success more to the pollution actions than weather, actions which include new gas thermal power plants replacing coal-fired ones, eliminating old polluting vehicles and closing or moving polluting companies out of the area.

Copyedited by Pamela Tobey   

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