BEIJING TÊTE À TÊTE: Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping and visiting U.S. Vice President Joe Biden inspect ceremonial troops in Beijing on August 18. Biden's China tour is the first in a series of reciprocal visits scheduled to take place between them (HUANG JINGWEN)

Supporting RMB Growth

The Chinese Government has unveiled new plans to boost Hong Kong's development.

Speaking at a forum in Hong Kong on August 17, Vice Premier Li Keqiang said the Central Government will "actively support the growth of the renminbi (Chinese currency) market in Hong Kong," expand renminbi circulation channels between Hong Kong and the mainland, and support the innovation and development of offshore renminbi financial products in Hong Kong.

He also announced measures including expanding cross-border trade settlement in renminbi to cover the whole country, launching pilot projects for foreign banks to replenish capital with renminbi and supporting Hong Kong enterprises' direct investment on the mainland in renminbi.

Elders' Insurance

China's urban and rural senior citizens will all enjoy pension insurance by 2015, said the State Council, China's cabinet, on August 17.

By 2015, China's population aged over 60 is estimated to increase from the current 178 million to 221 million, making up 16 percent of the total population.

The government would also move to make elderly care services available throughout the country, the State Council said.

Wage Default

China's labor union organizations helped 934,000 migrant workers claim 2.26 billion yuan ($353.81 million) in unpaid wages in the first seven months of this year, said the All-China Federation of Trade Unions.

China has an estimated 242 million migrant workers, most of whom work in construction sites, restaurants and other service sectors.

Water in Tibet

China will spend more than 11.6 billion yuan ($1.82 billion) on irrigation and drinking water projects in Tibet Autonomous Region from 2011 to 2015, local authorities said on August 16.

The money will fund 16 different categories of water programs covering irrigation, drinking water, flood prevention and hydropower.

When completed, all Tibetan farmers and nomads will have access to clean drinking water.

Neutrino Discovery

Scientists with a lab at the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station in south China's Guangdong Province have found neutrinos through two detecting instruments, which is likely to provide clues to solving the mystery of why there is more matter than antimatter in the universe.

The Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences announced the breakthrough on August 15, which was achieved by more than 250 researchers from six countries and regions.

The two neutrino detectors are installed underground 360 meters away from the nuclear plant at a depth of 100 meters.

Scientists believe that matter and antimatter were created in equal amounts during the Big Bang, but the disappearance of antimatter remains a mystery.

A neutrino is an elementary particle that is able to pass through ordinary matter almost unaffected, which makes it extremely difficult to detect.