BEIJING -- China's Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) Friday criticized Changchun city in northeast China's Jilin Province for not doing enough to cope with air pollution.In the first 10 months of this year, air quality in Changchun saw continuous degradation, with the amount of time with serious pollution increasing by 7 days compared to the same period last year, while days with good air quality decreased by 22, according to an MEP statement.The inspectors found some of the city's air quality indicators were "extremely high" for a long period of time.Changchun was criticized for outdoor straw burning and not implementing emergency responses strictly, the statement said.Several companies in the city were also criticized by the ministry for breaching emission rules.Additionally, 25 development zones in the city lagged behind in upgrading coal-fired boilers and some companies in the zones lacked desulfurization facilities.The city should submit plans to address the problems to the inspectors within 20 working days, the ministry said.China is intensifying efforts to fight pollution and environmental degradation after decades of growth left the country saddled with problems such as smog and contaminated soil.A total of 6,471 officials in eight provincial-level regions were held accountable for environmental damage after inspections by central authorities from August to September.Tackling pollution has been listed as one of "the three tough battles" that China aims to win in the next three years, according to the Central Economic Work Conference, which concluded earlier this week. rainbow wristbandblack rubber wristbandsthe wristband factory
Visitors look at a model of the Chinese-built C919 passenger plane at the 17th China Aviation Expo in Beijing on Tuesday. WANG ZHUANGFEI/CHINA DAILY China is working with Ukraine on an industrial park to build aircraft engines, a joint venture expected to extensively boost China's research, development and production capabilities in that area, according to project insiders. Chongqing Skyrizon Aero-Propulsion Industrial Park, which broke ground in late 2015, will cover 5 square kilometers in the Chongqing Liangjiang New Area, and involves an investment of 20 billion yuan ($3.04 billion). The industrial park's investors are Beijing Skyrizon Aviation Industry Investment Co, the only private aeronautical engine company in China, and Ukraine's Motor Sich Joint Stock Co, one of the world's largest aircraft engine manufacturers. In the park's initial stage, they will jointly produce Ukrainian-designed engines there. Later on, the companies will use the park to jointly develop and manufacture new engines such as turboshaft, turboprop and turbofan models, said Wang Guangqiu, executive vice-president of the Skyrizon Innovation Institute, Skyrizon's research wing. The first engine-testing equipment in the park has been installed and is ready for trial operations. The first assembly plants have been built, which means the first phase of construction has finished, he told China Daily in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the 17th China Aviation Expo, which opened in Beijing on Tuesday. Aircraft engines involve a high-tech and sophisticated industry that requires a long time for growth. There were two reasons we wished to cooperate with Motor Sich. First, we want to learn its expertise and experience in design and production via our collaboration, Wang said. Maybe in three to five years, we will be able to play a bigger role in the joint venture's development of new engines. In the long run, we will be capable of designing engines on our own, Wang said. The second reason is that Ukrainian engines have been used by Chinese planes and helicopters for decades - the first Chinese-made trainer aircraft was driven by an engine of Motor Sich, he said. The Chinese company intends to replicate its Ukrainian partner's success in engine upgrades and aftersales service, he added. Skyrizon began collaborating with other Chinese and Ukrainian aviation enterprises in 2014, becoming the first Chinese private company that has worked with a foreign aircraft engine company, according to Skyrizon. In 2015, the company established a strategic cooperation partnership with Motor Sich in personnel training, research and development, and production, it said. Liu Feiyang, deputy director of international cooperation at Skyrizon, said Ukrainian engineers are as good as their Western counterparts when it comes to aeronautical engines. The Chongqing project will bring some of Ukraine's most advanced design theories and methods as well as manufacturing processes to China. Our introduction of foreign technologies, techniques and professionals will strengthen the overall capability of the Chinese aircraft engine sector, Wang said. Vyacheslav Boguslaev, president and general designer at Motor Sich, said his company is working with Skyrizon to set up a joint design center in the Chongqing industrial park and the two are also planning to establish a joint maintenance center there. Wang Yanan, editor-in-chief of Aerospace Knowledge magazine, said the cooperation between Chinese and Ukrainian aeronautical engine enterprises will help to diversify the market and offer more options to users, thus benefiting the whole aviation industry in China. [email protected]
