China's Gaming Regulation Draft Sparks Discussion, Major Game Stocks Plummeted
China’s Gaming Regulation Draft Sparks Discussion, Major Game Stocks Plummeted
The National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA) on Friday released a draft regulation on the management of online games with a focus on setting restrictions on excessive use of and high spending on games. The draft rule is currently soliciting public opinion.
According to the draft regulation, online games should not offer inducement rewards such as daily login rewards, first-time recharge rewards, or continuous recharge rewards.
The draft has sparked intense discussion within the industry. The proposal caused shares in the biggest Chinese gaming companies, Tencent and NetEase, to plunge in Hong Kong.
Stakeholders said, since it is a draft for soliciting opinions, all sectors can express their views at this stage in order to make the draft rule practical and more refined.
The new draft rule represents another step taken by China to regulate the gaming market, following proactive measures by regulatory authorities to address online gaming addiction among minors in 2021.
China Sets the Overall Targets for Grain Production in 2024
On December 24, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China announced that in 2024, the overall targets for grain production is focusing on increasing unit yields of key crops in large areas and staying the grain output above 650 billion kilograms.
Analysts noted that food security will still be among China’s most fundamental interests, and rural work will be focusing on strengthening food security, including increasing the area of farmlands and grain yield, accelerating invigoration of the seed industry, and intensifying research on core technologies.
China emphasized the importance of maintaining the area of farmlands, which it has set a red line of no less than 1.8 billion mu (120 million hectares). Efforts have also been made to prevent farmland from becoming non-agricultural use. China’s President Xi Jinping said to advance Chinese modernization, the country must make unremitting efforts to strengthen the foundation of the agricultural sector and advance rural revitalization across the board. It’s a consensus in the Chinese government from top to bottom that food security is an essential foundation for national security.
Zhu Ling, Victim of Unsolved Thallium-Poisoning Case, Dies At 50
Zhu Ling, the victim of a nation-wide shocking thallium poisoning case which took place at one of China’s top universities 29 years ago, died at age 50 on Friday.
Zhu’s case has remained a focal point of discussion in China for nearly three decades. Zhu, who majored in chemistry at the prestigious Tsinghua University, started to experience stomach pain, hair loss and other strange and debilitating symptoms in late 1994. She sunk into a coma four months later.
In April 1995, Zhu’s high school classmates sought help through the internet, describing her symptoms in English. The overwhelming response suggested thallium poisoning, a metal element known for its severe toxicity.
In 2013, the Beijing police issued an official response to the case, stating that the reason for the unresolved status of the case was the significant delay between Zhu showing poisoning symptoms and the police receiving the case report, which was nearly six months. By that time, criminal traces and physical evidence had been lost.
The death of Zhu has triggered widespread mourning among the Chinese netizens. With her case remaining unsolved decades later, many people are calling for justice for Zhu.