Biogas Production to Be Increased

A guideline document issued by the central authorities， including the National Development and Reform Commission， has set the goal of increasing Chinas annual production of biogas to 10 billion cubic meters by 2025， and 20 billion cubic meters by 2030. According to Chinas Natural Gas Development Report 2019， during the years from 2007 to 2018 the countrys natural gas imports grew at a year-onyear rate of 10.79 billion cubic meters.

Biogas is a biofuel that is naturally produced from the decomposition of organic waste. When organic matter， such as corn stalks， food scraps， or animal waste break down in an anaerobic environment （an environment absent of oxygen） they release a blend of gases， primarily consisting of methane and carbon dioxide.

During the 2016-2020 period， the demand for natural gas in China soared， making the country more dependent on imported gas. Development of biogas can reduce this dependence. Whats more， biogas can replace coal used by rural families for cooking and heating， boost large-scale treatment of organic waste， and hence contribute to the production of high-quality organic fertilizer and organic circular agriculture， said an official of National Energy Administration.

AI Service Launched to Combat Online Fraud

An artificial intelligence service designed to prevent people from being defrauded was unveiled on December 16， 2019， after a successful pilot program.

Called the AI Robot， the online service， released by the criminal investigation bureau of the Ministry of Public Security and designed by the Internet giant Alibaba， can warn people about suspicious online activity through its voice or text system.

“The AI technology can help us save manpower and improve our work efficiency，” said Liu Zhongyi， the bureaus head.

The service has successfully aided police in preventing more than 3，000 people each day from being swindled since the pilot program was launched in some public security bureaus on November 15.

“If residents ignore the robots warning or do not believe the robot， well call the potential victims via our telephone number to save them from the fraud，” said Zhao Wei， a police officer from an anti-fraud center under the Beijing Public Security Bureau.

Fighting telecom and online fraud as well as infringement of personal information has been a priority for public security departments in recent years. Since 2016， police nationwide have solved about 162，000 cases related to telecom or online fraud and caught 139，000 suspects， up 42 percent and 93 percent yearon-year respectively.

Improved Utilization of Fertilizer and Pesticide

China will boost agricultural innovations and expand the use of advanced pest and weed control technologies to make its use of fertilizer and pesticide more productive.

The 2019 data shows that the utilization rate of fertilizer to grow rice， corn， and wheat– the amount of nutrients these crops can absorb – now stands at 39.2 percent， up by 1.4 percentage points from 2017， according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. The application of pesticide reached 39.8 percent last year， up by one percentage point from 2017.

The smarter use of fertilizers and pesticides has helped cut RMB 1.4 billion worth of urea output – a major component of traditional fertilizer， as well as RMB 1.7 billion worth of pesticide output.

Estimates from experts have shown that the more efficient application of fertilizer has helped cut emissions equivalent to that of 650，000 metric tons of coal.

As China is edging closer to the goal of achieving a utilization rate of 40 percent for both fertilizers and pesticides by the end of 2020， more efforts will be devoted to phasing out outdated sprayers and promoting wider adoption of advanced agricultural machinery. It will also step up research in developing fertilizers and pesticides that are more efficient and less toxic.

Import Tariffs Adjusted

China adjusted import tariffs for a range of products starting January 1， 2020 to promote highquality development of trade.

Temporary tariff rates apply to more than 850 items of imported goods， which are lower than the most-favorednation tax rates， to increase imports and optimize the import structure.

For frozen pork， the tariff rate has been temporarily reduced from 12 percent to eight percent， a measure to increase the pork supply and tame pork prices in the domestic market.

The rate for some raw materials of medicines for asthma and diabetes has been lowered to zero.

From July 1， 2020， China will cut the most-favored-nation tax rates for 176 items of information technology products， and adjust some products temporary tariff rates accordingly.