UFC CHAMPIONSHIP DEFENDED

　　Zhang Weili， China’s fi rst and only Ultimate Fighting Championship （UFC） world champion， successfully defended her strawweight title at the UFC 248 in Nevada， the U.S.， on March 8. She is also the fi rst East Asian champion in UFC history.
　　The UFC is a U.S. mixed martial arts organization based in Nevada. The strawweight category is for contestants weighing between 48 kg and 52 kg.
　　Zhang defeated Polish Muay Thai specialist Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
　　Before the game， Jedrzejczyk posted a mocking poster on social media that depicted her wearing a gas mask while standing behind Zhang， accompanied by laughing emojis.
　　“I don’t like trash words in the cage. We should be a model for the later generations，” 30-year-old Zhang said following her victory.
　　“It’s been a very hard way coming here since the novel coronavirus outbreak. My country and my people are fi ghting against the virus bravely. Since the virus is spreading worldwide， I just want to say we can win this fight. And together we will，” she added.

Controlling Imported Infections

　　China Youth Daily March 4
　　Although the spread of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 （COVID-19） has slowed down in China， governments at all levels should continue prevention and control on high alert as the global challenge of the contagious disease is increasing.
　　With the number of patients growing in other countries， imported cases of infection have become a new challenge for China.
　　For instance， seven imported cases from Italy were found in Qingtian， a county in Zhejiang Province， east China， on March 2. Although the number of imported COVID-19 cases is far less than the domestic confi rmed ones， they will defi nitely affect the improved situation in China without timely countermeasures， and could result in a new round of outbreaks.
　　The local authorities must make comprehensive plans for possible imported cases， including detection， quarantine， diagnosis and treatment. At the same time， it is necessary to adopt some preventive actions. They should not let down their guard before the epidemic is eliminated globally.

A Good Start

　　People’s Daily March 6
　　This year and the next will mark a decisive period for completing building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. Some more tough tasks must be undertaken relating to agriculture， rural areas and rural residents.
　　China’s development agenda gives priority to addressing these issues. To minimize the negative effects of the novel coronavirus disease， agricultural activities should be fl exible and based on a scientifi c analysis of the current situation as spring is a crucial farming season. 　　Farmers should follow a multi-level targeted approach to epidemic prevention and control. They should avoid mass gatherings during work. Agricultural technicians can provide online guidance instead of on-site instruction. E-commerce platforms can provide special channels to sell agricultural products. Coordination between epidemic control and agricultural development work will produce win-win results.
　　China’s grain output has exceeded 650 million tons for fi ve consecutive years. But it still has problems such as an unbalanced product supply and demand structure and unreasonable allocation.
　　As food security is a priority， China will secure supplies of important agricultural products and ensure stability in grain planting areas and output this year. It will also work on breakthroughs in core agricultural technologies and promote independent innovation in livestock breeding， heavy agricultural machinery and smart agriculture.
　　This year’s first policy statement released by the central authorities lists eight measures to strengthen weak areas in agriculture， rural areas and farmers. They include infrastructure and safe drinking water. Rural environmental protection and education should also be improved.

Cloud Interviews

　　Beijing Youth Daily March 6
　　Cloud recruiting， which is being used in the job market after many companies resumed production， provides a new idea for this year’s school admission tests during the epidemic.
　　This method can support school recruitments including postgraduate and art admission tests. Moreover， it can promote enrollment reform， making it more transparent， credible and low-cost.
　　Today， the video interview technology is relatively mature. However， the public， especially students and parents， still have doubts about this format. For example， how can students without access to the Internet take the exam？ Can the system guarantee that interviewers will grade students fairly？
　　Schools should know students’ condition in advance and work with the local education authorities to solve their problems. They can also provide shuttle services for students and create a better environment for cloud interviews.
　　Cloud interviews have many advantages. Students have to answer questions and record and upload the videos within a limited time. All interview videos can be checked and reviewed in the system and monitoring can prevent students from cheating.
　　Hopefully， cloud interviews will be widely applied in enrollment tests and promote their reform.

NEW KMT CHAIRMAN

　　Chiang Chi-chen took offi ce as chairperson of the Kuomintang （KMT） in Taiwan on March 9， two months after his predecessor Wu Den-yih resigned. The 48-year-old， who has a doctorate from the University of South Carolina in the U.S.， said he would carry out reform and innovation in the KMT.
　　The Chinese mainland expects the KMT under its new chairman to make efforts to maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits， Zhu Fenglian， spokesperson of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Offi ce， said.
　　Calling the current cross-Straits relations complex， Zhu hoped the KMT， under Chiang， would cherish and maintain the political foundation between it and the Communist Party of China （CPC） and play a role as a bridge in cross-Straits communication.
　　For years， the CPC and the KMT have strengthened mutual trust， promoted the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations， and improved the interests and wellbeing of compatriots across the Straits on the common political foundation of upholding the 1992 Consensus and opposing “Taiwan independence，” Zhu said.
　　“In times of international crisis， playing the nationalist card is the easiest and crudest form of domestic politics. But in the cold light of day， it doesn’t fix a single problem. Only effective global coordination can do that.”
　　Kevin Michael Rudd， former Prime Minister of Australia， in a signed article for Project Syndicate， a provider of syndicated columns， on March 6
　　“The development of 5G technology in China is offering industrial capabilities to the world...China has provided innovative models in 5G terminal， solution and commercial development， and has become an exporter of such capacities.”
　　Yang Tao， Vice President of Huawei’s China Carrier Business Department， at an online press conference on March 9
　　“I think it [fighting COVID-19] is an issue for the world， not only for China...It’s really important to control and stop its spread right at the beginning， that’s why we think early detection and isolation is the most important thing.”
　　Zhong Nanshan， renowned Chinese respiratory specialist， in a video call with Anita Simonds， Vice President of the European Respiratory Society， on March 4
　　“Bad news have come from the economic sector such as the oil price fall and a circuit breaker in the U.S. stock market. If these， along with the epidemic outbreak， cause a worldwide economic crisis， China won’t be immune... China should give more attention to putting its economy in order.”
　　James Liang Jianzhang， co-founder and Executive Chairman of online travel giant Ctrip， on his Toutiao account on March 11