Public transport, 'superfungi' and university enrollments on agenda

Several ministry-level departments, including those for transport, education and health, have responded recently to issues of public concern.

Plan seeks to reduce use of private vehicles

Chinese authorities will boost the development of sustainable transport in the next three years, with measures to increase the supply of public transport and reduce the use of private vehicles, according to an action plan published on May 31.

The plan, jointly issued by the Ministry of Transport and 11 other government departments, called for public transport to offer better service and be more efficient to increase the popularity of sustainable transport.

The development of urban rail transit networks will be accelerated, and intercity transport networks will be made more efficient and convenient, the plan said.

The authorities will offer incentives to car owners who switch to public transport. For areas plagued with frequent congestion, the government will explore traffic control measures that will only allow private vehicles on the road at certain times or in specified locations.

Parking management will also be bolstered, with the use of mobile payment to be promoted at public parking lots.

National network to monitor fungal diseases

The National Health Commission said on May 30 that a national monitoring network for fungal diseases will be established to improve the ability of medical institutions to treat them.

The commission said in a notice that the network will carry out regular checks on the pathogen spectrum and drug resistance of fungal infections, and monitor the clinical application of special or restricted anti-fungal drugs.

A nationwide network of medical institutions will conduct real-time monitoring of high-risk pathogenic fungi and fungal outbreaks and be responsible for issuing early warnings and adopting measures to prevent and control major infections.

The commission also required members of the network to report cases as soon as high-risk pathogens and drug-resistant "superfungi" are detected in routine tests.

Peking Union Medical College Hospital will be responsible for the planning and daily management of the network, the commission added.

The World Health Organization has listed antimicrobial resistance — the ability of bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi to resist medicines — as one of 10 threats to global health this year.

Regulation to protect children's personal data

The Cyberspace Administration of China unveiled a draft regulation on May 31 to beef up the protection of children’s personal information and prevent cases of illegal disclosure.

The regulation, published to allow public feedback this month, said that before network operators collect and use children’s personal information, they must first inform the children’s guardians in a clear manner and obtain their consent.

They are also required to clarify the purpose, scope, method and duration of collecting, storing, using, transferring or disclosing the child's personal information, and the personal information collected, stored and used by network operators must be deleted in a timely manner if a request is made by a child or a guardian.

Operators must initiate an emergency response plan if they find that information has been disclosed, damaged or lost. If the damage is severe, they must report it to the authorities and affected children and their guardians.

Transparency ensured for college entrance exam

The Ministry of Education has urged university enrollment watch-dogs at the provincial level to ensure transparency and fairness in enrollment procedures.

The ministry said in a statement on May 31 that it has signed responsibility agreements with provincial authorities to ensure a transparent college enrollment process. China’s national college entrance exam begins on June 7.

The ministry warned university enrollment authorities against wrongdoing such as lowering enrollment thresholds for individual students.

The agreements also define the responsibilities of university enrollment authorities and education authorities at the provincial level in work related to the upcoming entrance exam.