Photo taken on Dec. 2, 2016 shows the landscape of the Palace Museum in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua/Zhi Kai)
Good day!
Here's what you need to know about China:
BEIJING -- A total of 720 people were detained and 6,454 held accountable in China for environment-related wrongdoing in 2016, as the country continues with its efforts to fight pollution and environmental degradation.
Through public tip-offs and random checks, inspectors looked into 33,000 cases and imposed fines totalling 440 million yuan (about 63.6 million U.S. dollars) after the central government's inspections to several provinces and municipalities including Beijing and Shanghai, according to information disclosed at a national environment work conference.
Partly due to those efforts, Chinese cities reported less PM2.5 pollution in 2016, with the average density of PM2.5 in 338 cities falling by 6 percent.
- - - -
ABUJA -- Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said Wednesday that his country attaches great importance to its relations with China and hopes more Chinese enterprises would join in its economic development when meeting with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
The Nigerian government also reaffirmed its commitment to One-China policy in a joint statement issued between Wang and his Nigerian counterpart, Geoffrey Onyeama.
"The government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria recognizes that there is only one China in the world, that the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China, and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory," the statement said.
- - - -
LHASA -- A "toilet revolution" will begin this year with heavy investment in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region to improve sanitary conditions and boost tourism.
The region will spend 1.2 billion yuan (173 million U.S. dollars) in building and renovating 2,000 toilets in 2017, said Losang Jamcan, chairman of the regional government.
- - - -
BEIJING -- A naval formation consisting of aircraft carrier Liaoning passed through the Taiwan Strait Thursday morning en route to drills in the South China Sea, said a spokesperson with the People's Liberation Army Navy.
Liang Yang said the Liaoning and other naval vessels in the formation were scientifically organized and meticulously operated during the navigation.
- - - -
MOMBASA, Kenya -- Kenya has received six locomotives from China, which will run on a China-funded standard gauge railway (SGR) due to start trial operation in June.
Kenyan Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, James Macharia, said the delivery of the first batch of locomotives marked a major milestone "in the journey to complete the Mombasa-Nairobi SGR project."
The 472 km railway links Mombasa to the capital Nairobi and will extend to the country's western border. China finances 90 percent of the project.