BEAUTIFUL MEETING: Chinese and foreign children show up at a ceremony to launch the International Horticultural Expo 2011 in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, on April 28. The event will conclude on October 22 (LIU XIAO)

Headcount Results

China's population has grown to 1.3397 billion according to its latest census, the National Bureau of Statistics said on April 28.

China held its sixth population census on November 1, 2010.

The figure is 73.9 million more than that of 2000, when China did its fifth census, according to figures released by the bureau.

It represents an annual growth of 0.57 percent over the past decade (2000-10), indicating a slow population increase, said the bureau.

Fighter Testflight

The Ministry of National Defense held its first regular press conference in Beijing on April 27.

In response to questions on the second testflight of China's J-20 stealth fighter jet, spokesman Geng Yansheng said it is normal for China to develop and upgrade its weaponry and equipment in tandem with advancing technologies, which is the common practice of all countries aiming to modernize their armed forces.

He said the outside world should view China's weaponry and equipment tests rationally and objectively without too much interpretation and guesswork.

The regular press conference of the Ministry of National Defense is to be held during the last week of each month.

Space Station

China began soliciting the name and logo for its first manned space station on April 25. The activity will take place over several months around the world. Participants can submit suggestions and vote on candidate options on websites such as cmse.gov.cn or by sending e-mails or mailing discs or written materials to organizers.

According to the China Manned Space Engineering Office, the 60-ton space station, due to be completed around 2020, will consist of a core module and two others on which experiments will be conducted. It will be the world's third multi-module space station. A cargo spaceship to transport supplies will also be developed.

Big Giving

Social donations in China reached an unprecedented 70 billion yuan ($10.7 billion) in 2010, more than double the figure in 2009, said a report on Chinese philanthropy published by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences on April 26.

Donations worth 1 million yuan ($153, 558) or above added up to 33.6 billion yuan ($5.16 billion), or nearly half of the total amount, according to the report. It also said an increasing number of wealthy entrepreneurs donated to disaster relief funds.

The report said the number of China's social philanthropic organizations increased from 431,000 in 2009 to 439,000 by the end of 2010, with the number of volunteers exceeding 31.24 million.

In addition, a government-run lottery raised 48.9 billion yuan for public welfare funds, up 5.6 percent from the previous year, according to the report.