BYTEDANCE CEO TO STEP DOWN

　　Zhang Yiming， the founder of ByteDance， a privately-held startup offering global creation and interaction platforms， will step down as CEO later this year as the company gears up for unprecedented changes， both at home and abroad.
　　In a recent internal letter to employees， 38-year-old Zhang， who previously founded several successful apps like TikTok， said he is making the transition to spend more time on “long-term strategy， corporate culture， and social responsibility.”
　　“Although the business has been developing well， we hope that the company will continue to make greater innovations and breakthroughs， and become more creative and meaningful，” he said.
　　According to the company， Liang Rubo， currently head of human resources of ByteDance， will take over as CEO and Zhang will move into a key strategy role by the end of this year.

Garbage Sorting

　　Economic Daily May 25
　　A year after the implementation of compulsory garbage sorting in Beijing， the household waste of China’s capital city has been reduced significantly. However， residents and communities living in this metropolis are still trying to acclimatize to the new recycling system.
　　In the first four months of 2021， average daily volume of household garbage in Beijing was 20，600 tons， a decrease of 25.6 percent from 2019， with a daily reduction of more than 7，100 tons. The participation of Beijing’s residents in waste sorting reaches 90 percent.
　　However， the biggest challenge in implementing waste classification is getting residents to develop the habit and fully participate. More specific measures should strengthen people’s awareness and spur them on to take the initiative.
　　Meanwhile， there is still great potential to reduce waste from being produced， like decreasing food waste， the use of take-out lunch boxes and general packaging.
　　In the future， both government and community units will look to further improve services to better respond to citizen complaints regarding waste removal and transportation， daily maintenance of garbage stations， and the random stacking of large and construction waste.

Shanghai’s New Journey

　　Outlook Weekly May 24

　　From developing the Pudong financial district to launching a pilot free trade zone， Shanghai has been a symbol of China’s openness and economic development. Now， the city is among the most vibrant urban centers in all of Asia. 　　Major achievements should be made regarding Shanghai’s positioning as a world leading economic， financial， trade， shipping and technology center by 2025， according to Shanghai’s proposal for the 14th Five-Year Plan （2021-25） and its development goals for 2035 released last December.
　　During the period， Shanghai has pledged to further open up its doors to let the world share the benefits of its highquality growth. The city will improve its overall core competitiveness and advance a new round of opening up.
　　The plan envisages Shanghai to gain the required competitive edge to be a hub for international trade. It also endeavors to make the city a major import and export distribution center connecting the Yangtze River Delta region and serving the entire country.
　　High-end resources from around the world are likely to gather in Shanghai at a faster pace in the next five years， further elevating the city’s global influence. The city should also have more development drivers.
　　In addition， a modern infrastructure system in line with Shanghai’s role as a megacity should be in place by 2025. Both tangible and intangible networks should collaborate so that Shanghai can become a core hub connecting the rest of the world.

Marriage Registration

　　Guancha.gmw.cn May 20
　　China will pilot an inter-provincial arrangement to save its growing migrant population from having to return to their hometowns for marriage registration.
　　The pilot will be first introduced in Liaoning， Shandong， Guangdong， Chongqing and Sichuan， among other provincial-level regions， from June 1， 2021 to May 31， 2023， the Ministry of Civil Affairs （MCA） announced on May 19.
　　Under current regulations， marriages must be registered within the household registration area of either the bride or groom.
　　The change being trialed will enable people living outside their place of household registration to register their marriage in the areas where they have resided for a continuous period of at least six months， the ministry said.
　　An average of 10 million new marriages is registered annually in China， while nearly 4 million divorces are handled across the country， MCA statistics show.
　　The pilot regulation has become feasible thanks to the digitalization of the marriage registration system. A national marriage information database is now in place and can be shared between civil affairs departments across the country.

TOP LIVER SURGEON DIES AT 99

　　Wu Mengchao， founder of hepatobiliary surgery in China and former vice president of Shanghai-based Second Military Medical University， passed away at the age of 99 in Shanghai on May 22.
　　In 1991， Wu was elected an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. In 2005， he became the first physician to receive the State Preeminent Science and Technology Award， China’s highest academic accolade， for raising the success rate of hepatic surgery for liver cancer patients in China from 16 percent to over 98 percent. Wu completed over 16，000 surgical operations throughout his 75-year-long career.
　　As the first Chinese doctor to establish a theoretical basis for liver surgery， he was responsible for more than 30 major medical achievements through independent innovation.
　　“In the more than 70 years since the founding of the People’s Republic of China， China has never initiated a war， and is the only country in the world that has written peaceful development into its constitution.”
　　Wang Yi， Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister， stressing at the Munich Security Conference on May 25
　　“The developmental path of socialism with Chinese characteristics offers a new way of thinking and developmental direction， as well as a point of view for global governance.”
　　Socorro Gomes， President of the World Peace Council， adding that Chinese people are the creators of history， during an interview with CGTN on May 25
　　“The past 70 years prove that China-Pakistan friendship and cooperation are not only in the fundamental interests of the two countries and peoples， but also conducive to maintaining regional and world peace， stability and development.”
　　Nong Rong， Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan， in an article published on China Daily on May 25
　　“Any so-called ‘verdict’ or ‘ruling’ of the ‘tribunal’ is nothing more than a wasted piece of paper... It’s a pseudo-court set up to attack Xinjiang and interfere in China’s internal affairs.”
　　Xu Guixiang， spokesperson for China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region， denouncing the so-called “Uygur tribunal” as a trampling of international law at a press conference in Beijing on May 25