Pay Rise

Over 40 million civil servants and employees of government-sponsored institutions will be given, on average, a monthly salary increase of about 300 yuan ($48), a senior official said on January 23.

"The increase is not big," said Li Zhong, spokesman of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, at a press conference, who added previous media reports of a 60-percent pay raise were not accurate.

The adjustment coincides with efforts to unify the pension system for private-sector employees, civil servants and employees of government-sponsored institutions, according to the spokesman.

Pension reform aims to replace the current system, which sees non-public employees paying into their own pensions while civil servants and staff of government-sponsored institutions enjoyed pensions without contributing anything.

The adjustment plan, which will see the first basic salary increase since 2006, also aims to optimize the salary structure by merging some additional allowances or merit payments into the basic salary, Li said.

The basic salary had constantly accounted for a decreasing proportion of civil servant's incomes since 2006, which Li said was unreasonable.

Sky Burial Legislation

Tibet Autonomous Region will make a law to better protect sky burials, a traditional ritual that has drawn controversy after guides began leading tour groups to view the ceremony.

Sky burial is a Tibetan and Mongolian tradition in which bodies are fed to vultures and other predatory birds. It is regarded an act of generosity and a ritual that allows the soul to ascend to heaven.

The Tibet Regional People's Congress, the local legislature that concluded its annual session on February 23, passed a bill to better regulate sky burials, covering issues like management of the site, environmental protection and qualifications of ritual hosts.

Online Population

China's netizen population, the world's largest, reached 648 million at the end of 2014, 16 million more than in June, according to an industry expert.

Jin Jian, Deputy Director of the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), said that online economy accounts for 7 percent of the nation's GDP, up from 3.3 percent in the previous year.

Chinese consumers are eager to spend online. Internet retail sales totaled 331 billion yuan ($52.54 billion) in the first 10 months in 2014, up a stunning 55.6 percent over 2013.