A file photo of the People's Liberation Army Navy honor guard. [Photo/VCG] Emerging plan may feature nation's second aircraft carrier, new destroyer China will host a multinational naval activity on April 23 in Qingdao, Shandong province, to honor the 70th birthday of the People's Liberation Army Navy, according to a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense. Senior Colonel Ren Guoqiang, deputy head of the ministry's information office, told reporters at a news conference on Thursday afternoon that the activity has been approved by the Central Military Commission, and detailed information about it will be published later. The PLA Navy said in a statement on Thursday that it welcomes reporters to cover the activity and that a media center in Qingdao will start receiving journalists on April 20. Sources close to the Navy told China Daily that the activity is highly likely to comprise a massive sea parade of major ships, submarines and aircraft from the Navy, along with vessels from other countries, noting it is also likely to be even larger and more spectacular than the sea parade in the South China Sea on April 12, 2018, that involved more than 10,000 Navy personnel, 48 ships and submarines and 76 naval aircraft. Wu Peixin, a defense industry observer in Beijing, said the April 23 activity will be a good occasion for the Navy to showcase the latest hardware delivered during the past year. I am looking forward to seeing the participation of the second aircraft carrier, the Type 055 destroyer and the latest aircraft, he said. However, whether the second aircraft carrier will be ready for this parade - which is likely to be its public debut - depends on its sea trial schedule. China's second aircraft carrier - the first to be designed domestically - is reported to have begun its fifth sea trial earlier this week. Observers have speculated that the new carrier will be commissioned before April 23 so it can appear in the unprecedented demonstration of the country's naval prowess. The Chinese military said the colossal vessel displaces more than 50,000 metric tons and will have stronger fighting capability than the CNS Liaoning, the Navy's first carrier, which was refitted from an unfinished Soviet Union vessel. Meanwhile, if the Type 055 guided-missile destroyers, widely believed to be the mightiest of its kind in the world, can take part in the coming parade, they will be further testament to the PLA Navy's growing strength. The 10,000-ton destroyer, usually designated as a cruiser by foreign observers, is equipped with what are believed to be the most advanced radars and missiles in the world and has more than 100 vertical launch cells capable of firing various kinds of projectiles. At least four Type 055 ships have been built, while the first of them is said to be very close to being commissioned. An insider in China's military shipbuilding industry who asked not to be named said he hoped the electromagnetic railgun being tested by the Navy could be displayed in the coming parade. If it can show up in the parade, it will tell the world that we are the first to have deployed this state-of-the-art weapon, which will have the power to reshape the future of naval warfare, he said. silicone wristband usb flash drivesilicone bracelets customsilicone medical bracelets canadarubber band holder braceletsilicone wristband
Nobel Prize laureate Kurt Wuethrich of Switzerland receives a permanent residence card along with five others in Shanghai on Monday. [Photo/China News Service] Shanghai streamlined the procedures on Monday for highly skilled foreigners working in the municipality to get their residence permits within three working days through an online application, the municipality's latest measure to attract such overseas workers. High-level professionals identified by national or Shanghai authorities who manage human resources or foreign experts affairs will only need to go to crj.police.sh.cn and submit documents, according to the Exit-Entry Administration Bureau of the Shanghai Public Security Bureau. They can retrieve their permits at exit-entry offices after three working days. High-end professionals employed by the 8,818 enterprises on a list seen as key leaders in Shanghai's quest to become a global technological innovation hub by 2030 will also become beneficiaries of the new measure, said Xin Wenke of the information office of the Exit-Entry Administration Bureau. The enterprises include high-tech and new technology companies or those in finance and strategic emerging fields, regional headquarters of multinational companies, and research and development centers that include foreign investment. The initiative in Shanghai, the first and the only one in the country, simplifies application procedures and assists the establishment of a talent system that is globally competitive, the bureau said. Before the measure was unveiled, applicants had to visit exit-entry offices and go through the formalities in person. The offices sometimes required interviews or supplementary materials. The procedure from start to finish typically took seven working days. Measures were unveiled in Shanghai in 2015 aimed at attracting talented people from overseas. In January, application requirements for permanent residency were further eased for the core foreign members of top scientific research teams and outstanding foreign university graduates who had worked in the city for three straight years. Also on Monday, Shanghai granted a permanent residence card, known as the Chinese green card, to a Nobel Prize laureate for the first time. The recipient was Kurt Wuethrich from Switzerland, who won the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 2002 and is a chaired professor at ShanghaiTech University. Shanghai police declined to reveal the number of expats holding Chinese green cards in the municipality. According to the Ministry of Public Security, in 2016 alone 1,576 foreigners became permanent residents in China, up 163 percent year-on-year. Chinese green cards became machine-readable in July to make foreign permanent residents' daily lives and work easier. Similar to second generation Chinese citizens' ID cards, the smart cards contain a chip in which the foreigner's identity information is kept, and the information is shared with railways, airlines, hotels and banks.
