Departments and ministries under the State Council, China’s Cabinet, have responded to a series of public concerns in the past week, including on ecological civilization construction, business system reform, the innovation demonstration district, national medical insurance network, and reporting lost train tickets.

Ecological system

The general offices of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council have issued an assessment and examination method for ecological civilization construction. Related departments have established a green development system and an ecological civilization construction evaluation system as the basis of annual and five-year assessments. The assessments will mainly focus on energy conservation and emission reduction, air pollution control and cultivated land protection.

Commercial reform

Zhang Mao, chief of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, recently told the media that China will further propel business system reform in the next year. To reduce the systematic cost of market access, online business registration will be achieved by the end of 2017. Meanwhile, enforcement of antitrust and anti-unfair competition laws will be strengthened, and law enforcement in key sectors such as medicine and food will also be enhanced.

Promoting innovation

Vice Minister of Science and Technology Xu Nanping recently responded to the newly released construction plan for innovation demonstration areas in China, part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. According to Xu, 10 national innovation demonstration areas are expected to be constructed during the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-20), and the areas are expected to explore the new mechanism for the integration of technological innovation and social development.

Medical service

The Ministry of Human Resource and Social Security has made progress in building a national network of basic medical insurance covering citizens who are hospitalized away from their place of residence. According to the ministry, the national network of basic medical insurance will be complete by the end of the year. Work will then begin on direct settlement of retirees’ inpatient costs in non-residential places and is expected to be gradually achieved over the following years.

Rule for lost train tickets

A new train ticket loss-reporting rule will take effect on Jan 1. According to the new rule, if passengers lose their train tickets before they get on the train, they can report the loss at any time before ticket sales cease. Passengers who lose their train tickets should provide relevant ticket purchasing information and valid identification documents. If passengers lose their train tickets on the train or before they leave the station, they should report the loss to a conductor or station.