Age of Smart Sensors

Caixin Century Weekly

October 20

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has listed the Internet of Things, the interconnection of uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices within the existing Internet infrastructure, as one of the new industries supported by the government during the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15).

Sensors are frequently used in the Internet of Things and constitute its basis. From each of the years from 2011 to 2013, the scale of China's sensor industry reached 90.5 billion yuan ($14.8 billion), 125 billion yuan ($20.4 billion) and 167 billion yuan ($27.3 billion), respectively. The first smart sensor technology platform, which was completed and put into operation in Wuxi, east China's Jiangsu Province, provides hundreds of sensor producers with design, manufacturing and test services.

However, the development of China's sensor technology has lagged behind that of Western countries. While the ability of sensors to receive information is weak, their intelligence level remains low. In addition, as sensors are not widely used in China, they are often high-priced, making the industry even less competitive.

In order to put the Internet of Things into wide use, low-cost sensors that can receive multiple kinds of signals should be developed. As the golden age of sensors is still on the horizon, Chinese companies still have opportunities to improve.

Anti-Graft Bid Enters New Phase

South Reviews

October 21

The anti-corruption campaign put in place by the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012 has made remarkable progress. A number of corrupt officials have been sacked as a result, further deterring officials from accepting bribes. Now, the push against illegal behavior is entering its second phase. In this phase, serious corruption cases will continue to be discovered and exposed, further intimidating officials from partaking in similar offences.

However, corruption cannot be rooted out simply by relying on solving individual cases; a transformation must come over the country's anti-corruption system as a whole. Ongoing efforts to improve provincial political ecology and pursue corrupt officials who have fled overseas show that China's anti-graft drive is beginning to sail into uncharted waters.

In a keynote speech delivered at an event marking the 60th anniversary of the founding of the National People's Congress, President Xi Jinping said one of the criteria for judging whether or not a country's political system is democratic is whether power has been effectively restricted and supervised. In the second half of China's anti-corruption bid, it's necessary that a system to restrict and supervise power be established. Only when power comes under public scrutiny can corruption be prevented. To achieve this, the rule of law should be endorsed as the fundamental way through which to achieve wide-reaching change.

Foster Care Receives Needed Regulation

Legal Daily

October 27

A new regulation on foster family management was released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs on September 26. Compared to the regulation formulated in 2003, the new version also sets stricter standards for families applying to take in a foster child.

China's foster care system allows children who are under the custody of the government to be taken into the care of families. The new regulation brings with it two advantages: First, it has expanded the scope of children who can be fostered; and second, it has raised the thresholds for foster families, thus ensuring that children in their care will receive better care.

Because the foster care system is not widely known and very few families take part, some have expressed concern that now that the standards for fostering children are raised, the number of families applying to take in these children may become even lower. Yet the revision of the regulation is not meant to discourage families from taking part, but to bring more families into the charitable activity.

In order to attract more caregivers for orphaned children, more needs to be done. For instance, the government should increase awareness of the system in order to attract more capable families. Also, those accommodating a foster child should be given priority in starting businesses or receiving educational benefits.