Weekly News Collection

ECONOMY

China, Africa trade relations continue to improve
China’s position as the trade partner of Africa continued improving in 2014 according to the Annual Report on Development in Africa (2015-2016) released by the Institute of West-Asian and African Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences on Aug. 23 in Beijing. The report suggests the growth of African exports was slower than that of global exports, while African import growth was approximately in sync with global imports. China’s exports to Africa in 2014 amounted to about $106 billion, accounting for about 17 percent of Africa’s imports. And China’s imports from Africa in 2014 amounted to about $117 billion, accounting for about 21 percent of Africa’s exports. The report also advises related enterprises to pay more attention to resolving the problems encountered in commerce and prioritize the enterprises social responsibility when doing business in Africa.

TOURISM

Regional disparities in tourism industry narrow

Regional disparities in terms of the tourism industry are narrowing, according to the China Annual Report on the Regional Development of Tourism 2016 released by the China Tourism Academy under the China National Tourism Administration on Aug. 22 in Beijing. According to the report, a region’s potential to produce outbound tourists was positively correlated with its development level. Generally speaking, 70 percent of all the domestic tourists were from the nation’s highly developed eastern core, while 20 percent were from central China and 10 percent were from the less-developed western regions. The report also suggested that the eastern part of China received nearly 4 billion domestic tourists, accounting for about 39 percent of the total domestic tourists, while the northeastern part of China received only 666 million, the least of all areas, accounting for about 6.7 percent of the total domestic tourists.

GEOGRAPHY

Harmony between man, nature highlighted at IGC
The 33rd International Geographical Congress was held on Aug. 21 to 25 in Beijing. The theme this year is “Shaping Our Harmonious Worlds,” highlighting the pursuit of harmony between humankind and nature as well as a balance between the needs of the environment and those of society. Aimed at developing harmonious approaches to the world’s hazards and conflicts, the congress this year attracted more than 5,000 scholars from over 100 countries. Qin Dahe, chairman of the Scientific Committee of the IGC and academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that modern geography should play a significant role in understanding and reshaping the planet surface while promoting sustainable development in various spatial scales. The traditional wisdom of pursuing the harmony between people and nature may provide a way for geographical solutions to global conflicts.

EDUCATION

Comparative dialectics of education explored
The 16th World Congress of Comparative Education Societies was held at Beijing Normal University on Aug. 22 to 26. Themed “Dialectics of Education: Comparative Perspectives,” the congress attracted more than 1,000 scholars and specialists from over 70 countries. Liu Chuansheng, party secretary of Beijing Normal University, said comparative education played a unique role in promoting personnel exchange and deepening the mutual understanding of cultures among different countries and regions. Carlos Alberto Torres, president of the World Council of Comparative Education Societies, said comparative education today underwent an identity crisis. Scholars should understand the ways in which social environment pertains to education while establishing comparative advantages for comparative education in resolving the educational problems faced by all countries in education admission, educational fairness and equality, he said.