Nation braces for 1.96 million holiday flights

China is preparing to handle 1.96 million domestic air passenger trips a day during the upcoming eight-day National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, up 17 percent from the figure recorded during the same period in 2019, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said on Friday.

There will be 14,000 domestic flights made each day of the holiday period, which starts on Sept 29, up 18 percent from 2019, administration official Jin Junhao told a news conference in Beijing.

It is estimated that over 21 million people will travel by air either domestically or internationally over the eight-day period, reflecting robust demand for holiday trips, Jin said, citing presale data.

The administration said it is working on resuming international passenger flights. Currently, the number of weekly international passenger flights is 52 percent of the 2019 level, the administration said.

National project aims to improve land use

China has decided to launch a four-year pilot project to improve land use efficiency in 43 cities across 15 provincial-level regions and municipalities, including Beijing, the Ministry of Natural Resources said in a notice published on Sept 14.

The pilot project will focus on the utilization of reserve land, improving the efficiency of land use, and promoting the high-quality integrated development of urban and rural areas, the notice said.

For a long time, land used for construction in many towns and rural areas, including urban villages, has been poorly distributed and used improperly.

According to the notice, pilot cities are required to explore innovations that will enable a more rational and optimized spatial layout of national land with improved functions and facilities. During the process, diversified needs for economic growth, people's daily lives and ecological conservation must be taken into consideration, it said.

Counterfeit products destroyed in big event

Authorities on Sept 14 destroyed massive quantities of counterfeit and inferior goods, including anti-epidemic materials, food, drugs, cigarettes, wine, cosmetics and pirated publications, at an event held simultaneously across 21 provinces and cities, according to the State Administration for Market Regulation.

A total of 4,734 metric tons of counterfeit products valued at 830 million yuan ($114 million) were destroyed in an environmentally friendly way, the administration said.

The event, part of the efforts to publicize China's policies on promoting fair competition, aims to enhance the protection of intellectual property rights and to better ensure the quality of products made in the country.

Fewer areas affected by water, soil erosion

The amount of land affected by water and soil erosion decreased last year to 2.65 million square kilometers, down by 85,500 square kilometers compared with 2018, Yao Wenguang, an official with the Ministry of Water Resources said at a news conference in Beijing on Sept 13.

According to Yao, the ministry will establish soil and water conservation plans for construction projects and strengthen supervision over the entire process.

Based on the remote-sensing monitoring of soil and water, any illegal and irregular activities detected will be strictly investigated and dealt with in accordance with the law, Yao said.