China's food and drug watchdog announced on January 15 that it will reward people and organizations for reporting violations to authorities.

Whistleblowers could receive up to 300,000 yuan ($48,256) per case, according to a circular publicized by the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA).

The move aims to "encourage the public to report illegal activities so as to determine, control and eliminate potential safety risks concerning food and medicine," the SFDA said in the circular.

Depending on the accuracy of information provided and intensity of a whistleblower's engagement in the investigation, the organization or individual behind a tip-off could receive 1 to 6 percent of the value of the food or medicine involved as a reward, according to the circular.

The new reward rule will replace the one released on November 27, 2003, which only set down conditions for rewarding those who report illegalities concerning medicine and fixed the award ceiling at 50,000 yuan ($8,043).

Mapping Diaoyu

China is to survey the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea as part of a program of mapping its territorial islands and reefs, it was revealed on January 15.

The first stage of the island surveying and mapping was launched in 2009 and has finished the monitoring of islands located within 100 km of the coastline, according to a statement released by the National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geoinformation.

The second stage will cover islands including the Diaoyu Islands, the statement said.

It added that this program is part of the country's efforts to safeguard its maritime rights and interests.

As of the end of last year, China has completed charting about 6,400 islands and more than 4,900 island maps of three different scales.

Standardizing TCM

China will accelerate the establishment and revision of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) standards in order to promote the tradition overseas, a health official said on January 10.

Wang Guoqiang, Vice Minister of Health and Director of the State Administration of TCM, said at a national TCM work conference that the standardization of TCM will enhance its development and guarantee its quality.

Wang said that the Chinese Medical Association has established 195 standards regarding TCM thus far.

Official statistics indicate that the Central Government spent 3.34 billion yuan ($537 million) to support TCM development in 2012.

TCM originated in China more than 2,000 years ago. Practitioners use herbs, acupuncture, massage and other methods to treat a wide range of illnesses.

Art Bridge

The Second Seminar on China-U.S. Cooperation on Performing Arts kicked off in New York on January 11.

Zhu Kening, Executive Vice Chairman of the Association of China Performing Industry, said at the forum that China has become one of the biggest performance stages in the world with 2 million to 3 million performances each year, including thousands by foreign troupes.

The association is open for more troupes from the United States.