May 19: Tax cut for new-energy cars and ships; 250 billion yuan railway project unveiled
Politics and Policies
China announced that new-energy cars and ships would be exempted from vehicle and vessel taxes, in a bid to save energy and combat pollution. (Xinhua)
As part of its anti-corruption effort, the Communist Party has expanded asset declaration requirements to officials at "section level", or the most junior official rank in China, in about a dozen of provinces. (Southern Metropolis Daily)
The former energy bureau chief of China's Jiangsu province stood on trial yesterday for taking bribes. The biggest bribe he allegedly received was from CR Power, whose parent company China Resources has already been mired in corruption scandals under Xi Jinping's anti-graft campaign. (thepaper.cn)
The Chinese embassy in Thailand dismissed swirling rumours of a proposed joint construction of the Kra Canal that cuts through southern Thailand. It said that the Chinese government was playing no role in the project. (China Daily)
Diplomacy & Defence
Economy
China's leading reform authority will announce plans to reform the nation’s taxi industry, as it embraces taxi-hailing apps and comes under constant criticism over being highly monopolised. (The Beijing News)
Society
The number of private museums in China jumped from 328 in 2009 to 982 by the end of last year, as the government encouraged the collections of items related to folk customs. Private museums account for about 22 per cent of all 4,510 museums across the country. (Xinhua)
Shenzhen's customs authority recently intercepted 14 batches of packaged mail containing 2,936 insects, most of them spiders and centipedes. The critters were mostly bought online from countries like Poland and Germany by Chinese citizens seeking pets. (CCTV)
Tech
Xiaomi, China's biggest smartphone seller, opened its online store for the US and European market, with four accessories up for grabs via flash sales. (Chinainasia.com)