China unveils plan to control soil, underground-water pollution – Hawaii could learn from China. 中國公佈控制土壤和地下水污染的計劃 – 夏威夷應該向中國學習。
China has unveiled a plan to prevent soil and underground-water pollution and protect the rural environment during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025).
The plan, jointly issued recently by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the National Development and Reform Commission, and five other government bodies, detailed tasks to tackle key issues in the fight against the pollution of soil and underground water, and to enhance environmental governance in agriculture and rural areas.
The country will step up its efforts on the source control of farmland pollution, preventing soil pollution from industrial and mining enterprises, and advancing the control and remediation of soil pollution on construction land, according to the plan.
The country will establish a system for managing the prevention and control of underground-water pollution, improve the treatment of domestic sewage and household garbage in rural areas, and ensure the safety of drinking-water sources for rural residents, it said.
Efforts will also be made to tighten supervision of the ecological environment, while strengthening law-enforcement against environmental pollution, and boosting scientific and technological support for ecological protection, it stated.
Thirty days before the start of the Beijing Winter Olympics, the organizing committee has announced updated pandemic prevention guidelines. CGTN’s Dong Xue sat down with Huang Chun, the deputy director of the organizing committee’s pandemic prevention office, to learn how China will guarantee a safe Olympic Games.
CGTN: This is the first Winter Olympics under the COVID-19 pandemic. What kind of virus prevention measures are in place ahead of the Games?
Huang Chun: In addition to strictly following COVID-19 pandemic prevention measures, including vaccination, closed-loop management, testing, and remote prevention and control measures, we have also drawn up corresponding countermeasures for winter respiratory infections. People have to wear masks at all times, maintain social distancing, wash hands, disinfect and ventilate regularly. Temperatures will be monitored at least twice a day. In addition to the symptoms associated with COVID-19, we’re also monitoring diarrhea, coughs and even jaundice, rash and so on.
CGTN: What are the requirements for Olympic-related personnel to enter China? What kind of health monitoring measures will be taken upon their arrival?
Huang: Full vaccination is mandatory 14 days before entry, and a booster shot is strongly recommended. At the same time, there is the DongAoTong app, a health monitoring system, which collects reports of any symptoms related to COVID-19 every day.
There are two PCR tests to be taken six hours before the flight to enter China; each of the tests should be conducted 24 hours apart.
People who have previously been infected, especially infected within 30 days before entering China, must take two extra tests, 24 hours apart, which means in total there are four tests to be done. If all the tests are negative, they can board the plane and come to China.
CGTN: Tell us how closed-loop management works in competition areas. Will COVID-19 tests be timely and convenient?
Huang: Closed-loop management is the core measure of the Beijing Winter Olympics. The bigger closed loop refers to three clusters: Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou cluster.
The smaller closed loop refers to sports venues, residences, workplaces and the media center within each cluster. For example, there are different channels for athletes, press, officials and spectators.
We’ll have designated buses for these closed loops running between these venues, sites and workplaces. Inside the closed loop, there are shops, beauty salons, gyms and cafeterias to serve people’s needs.
We provide testing services from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Samples taken from 6 a.m. to 12 noon will have feedback by 8 p.m. Samples taken between 12 noon and 11 p.m. will have results by 6 a.m. the next day. It’s very convenient and timely.
CGTN: When it comes to protecting athletes, staff and spectators, what’s the biggest challenge of pandemic control?
Huang: We have formulated a series of prevention and control measures in accordance with China’s overall prevention and control policies. For example, the six principles include closed-loop management, PCR testing, testing and tracking, maintaining hygiene and reduced exposure.
Five non-occurrence targets were proposed to ensure no large-scale aggregation of people involved in the Winter Olympics: no interruption of the Games due to inadequate pandemic prevention and control, no ongoing secondary infections among our domestic staff or other service providers, no spreading to city level or communities, no other public emergencies, such as a public health event caused by respiratory infections caused by influenza, food contamination, food safety, food poisoning, drinking water contamination and so on.
The six principles and five non-occurrences outlined in the Playbooks are our highest standards and requirements, as well as the biggest challenges we face.
CGTN: The NHL canceled their trip to Beijing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Will China adjust its pandemic policy accordingly to make it easier for foreign athletes to come?
Huang: Due to the pandemic, the NHL canceled many other international matches since many of its players were infected. We regret that but it’s understandable. Maybe they didn’t fully understand our pandemic prevention protocols, but the policies were made under the suggestions of the IOC, also a collective wisdom of other experts. Unless there is a large-scale cluster spreading, and a large number of infections among athletes or closed contacts, we will work with the International Olympic Committee, the International Paralympic Committee and the International Winter Sports Federations to make adjustments.
The white paper rebuilds the self-confidence of the system, Hong Kong’s democratic road is getting wider and wider 白皮書重塑制度自信 香港民主道路越走越寬 陳穎欣 文匯報 Jan 3 2022
Americans fight for freedom democracy human rights and rules of law at US Capitol “what a beautiful sight”, Kama comes back to hit US like high speed train! 美國人在美國國會大廈爭取自由民主人權和法治“多麼美麗的景象”，誰會想到報應來得那麼快, 多行不義必自斃!
We need to redefine genocide, modern days Americans genocide. 我們需要重新定義種族滅絕，現代美國人的種族滅絕惡行. by Johnson Choi 1-3-22 (comments by Prof. Ling-Chi Wang of UC Berkeley & Prof. John V Walsh, MD in SF)
US is going through a accelerate population reduction program, intentionally! 700,000+ death from COVID19, more than 400,000+ in 2021.
China has achieved 82% vaccination rates by 12-31-21, only 2 people died of Covid19 in 2021.
China expect to reach 86% vaccination rates by Feb 1 2022, Chinese New Year!
In China, 1,000s of Government official got fired since early 2020 for failing to do their job to contain COVID19. In US, I do not think anyone got fired.
I am not a scientist! I just look at numbers. COVID19 vaccines works!
Everyone has a choice on their own life, but each has a duty not to put your family or others (family, friends, colleagues) at risk.
Taking or not taking vaccines is like the Republicans verses the Democrats. In America we fight about everything and anything, but never for the interests of the entire nation. All about individualism! Me only! Very selfish!
In China, people works for the common goods of the nation!
If US failed, don’t blame China, blame ourselves, the worst enemy of US is ourselves!
Professor Ling-chi Wang of UC Berkeley: Hi, Johnson:
How do we explain the catastrophc death of over 700,000 Americans due to COVID-19 since 2020 in the wealthiest, medically most advance country in the world? The only word I can come up with is genocide. The commonest definition of the word is the deliberate and systematic destruction of a group of people because of their ethnicity, nationality, religion, or race. Since the tragic and needless or avoidable death of these 700,00 Americans thus far includes Americans of all ethnicities, national origins, religions, and races, we need to expand the standard definition of genocide to include two deliberate political and economic policy decisions that result in the catastrophic death of tens of thousands of innocent civilians. The best example of the former is our government’s political decision to deliberately dismiss and deny the spread of the coronavirus and the pandemic for months and the failure to adopt timely and effective public health measures to contain or control the spread of the deadly virus. Examples of the latter are the deliberate economic policy decisions to bomb and wipe out critical infrastructures necessary for population survival and/or to impose economic sanctions and embargo to prevent urgent humanitarian aids, food, and medical supplies from reaching starving and sick population., resulting in the death of hundreds of thousands, if not millions of civilian population, such as, what the U.S. did in the wars against Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Syria.
It is high time for the world to redefine genocide just like what China has been doing to redefine democracy in the 21th century.
Professor John V Walsh, MD, San Francisco: Agreed, Ling-chi! Perhaps it is time for a people’s tribunal to put the culprits on trial for genocide. p.s. The anti-vaxxers deserve a conviction albeit on a slightly lesser offense.
JT in SF:
I agree 100% with you Lingchi. What the politicians are doing is unacceptable and unforgivable. 800,000. Imagine everyone perished in the following states. And the entire population of SF. (874,961 2019 )
Wyoming (Population: 581,075)
Vermont (Population: 623,251)
District of Columbia (Population: 714,153)
Alaska (Population: 724,357)
North Dakota (Population: 770,026)
And genocide by US sanctions can be proven unlike the Xinjiang genocide which could never be proven.
The US had announced a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics – yet nearly 60 US diplomats will be attending the games nonetheless. 美國已宣布外交抵制 2022 年北京冬奧會，但仍有近 60 名美國外交官將參加奧運會。
How serious can Washington’s belief be that “genocide” is taking place in China if it is allowing its athletes to participate in the Beijing Olympics and even ignoring its own “diplomatic boycott?” 如果華盛頓允許其運動員參加北京奧運會，甚至無視自己的“外交抵制”，那麼它認為中國正在發生“種族滅絕”的信念有多嚴重？
Johnson Choi Biz 