April 8, 2008
Headline: Beijing traffic police test new traffic violation notification system
The system is intended to stop people using other drivers’ plate numbers to avoid fines.
Olympic torch marches ahead
Against all odds, the Paris section of Olympic torch relay concluded yesterday, “triumphantly”.
The big photo on the front page shows the heavily guarded Olympic torch passing the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Along with the photo, an article clarifies that the flame was not “forced” by seemingly ever-present “Tibetan separatists” to be extinguished as some West media wrongly reported. Instead, the flame was turned off by the escort team for safety reasons.
The headline has the words triumphant return (凯旋) in quote marks; it’s a pun on the Chinese name for the Arc de Triomphe (凯旋门).
Also on the front page
• China and New Zealand signed a free trade agreement yesterday. The agreement is China’s first such pact with a developed country.
• An advertorial on the right side of the front page shows that Ping An Insurance (平安保险) dropped the price of auto insurance.
The high price of China’s compulsory auto insurance has recently caused some controversy. On March 27, a lawyer requested the China Security Regulatory Commission to investigate Ping An Life Insurance, one of the biggest players in the auto insurance market (see item in this Danwei post). The advert reflecting lowered prices is likely a response to the disgruntlement of the public.
• The Department of Commerce (商务部) is asking citizens for their opinion on a draft bill: If the bill pass, retailers who provide customers with free plastic bags will face fines of up to 10,000 yuan.
Two front page stories about air travel
• According to a regulation released by Civil Aviation Administration of China, lighters and match are banned from being taken aboard of planes. The new regulation will take effect from today. Liquid items, including watery fruits like coconut（see earlier report on Danwei), were banned last month.
• China Eastern Airlines admitted that the March 31 incident in which pilots went on strike by returning to base was caused by “man-made factors”. An earlier explanation from the CEA said it was the bad weather that caused the airplanes to return base midway through their flights (see earlier Danwei story).