China Lets Couples Have a Third Child; Former Outbreak Epicenter Gets New Governor; New Law Against School Bullying

Here’s today’s ranking of the top 10 most-read domestic stories in China, in economics, finance and current affairs. We want to help you get a sense of what’s trending in the Chinese language sphere.

Internet users continued to closely follow the case of a man who went on a rampage that left eight people injured in the eastern city in Nanjing. They also showed great interest in the announcement of China’s three-child policy and the latest elevation of Wang Zhonglin as governor of Hubei province, the epicenter of the country’s Covid-19 outbreak in early 2020.

1. Man held after hit-and-run, stabbings in Nanjing

Police in Nanjing, East China’s Jiangsu province, have detained (external source, in Chinese) a suspect who witnesses saw late Saturday run over six people in two separate incidents. He also stabbed two people, including one he had hit with a car.

2. Leading scientist Zhong Nanshan said that Covid-19 vaccine coverage will be at 80% by the end of the year in China

Zhong Nanshan, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, predicted in an interview (external source, in Chinese) that by the end of this year, China’s vaccination rate for Covid-19 will reach 80% of the population, though the country’s vaccine production capacity will need to be strengthened.

3. China’s inactivated Covid-19 vaccine technology can quickly respond to mutations of the new coronavirus

Shao Yiming, a researcher at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said in an interview (external source, in Chinese) that China has been studying new vaccines to tackle variants of the coronavirus and the technical route of current inactivated vaccines is “particularly suitable” for rapid response to mutated strains.

4. Fewer than one in 10,000 have had a severe adverse reaction to China’s Covid-19 vaccines, research shows

Data released by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention showed that the reported incidence rate of adverse reactions to Chinese Covid-19 vaccines was 11.86 per 100,000, with severe reactions accounting for just 17% of those. Experts have said the data show that the public can be assured that the vaccines are safe.

5. Wang Zhonglin elected governor of Hubei province

Wang Zhonglin was elected (external source, in Chinese) governor of Central China’s Hubei province during the sixth session of the 13th Provincial People’s Congress on Sunday.

6. Government promises to cover losses resulting from wild elephant migration

On Friday, a herd of wild elephants in the southwestern province of Yunnan began migrating north. As the herd made its way through farmland, the animals began eating and trampling crops, resulting in around 6.8 million yuan ($1 million) in damages (external source, in Chinese). The government has agreed to compensate the farmers for their losses.

7. China decides couples can have three children

China has decided to let couples have up to three children, a significant change to the country’s family planning policy after the latest national census showed a low fertility rate under the current “two-child policy.”

8. Schools are required by law to immediately report serious bullying

China’s newly revised law on the protection of minors took effect (external source, in Chinese) Tuesday. Under the law, schools are required to establish a mechanism to prevent school bullying and report serious bullying in a timely manner.

9. China passes 600 million administered vaccine doses

China’s National Health Commission announced Saturday that more than 600 million doses (external source, in Chinese) of Covid-19 vaccines had been administered nationwide, with the last 100 million vaccinations being administered in just five days.

10. Changes in China’s newly revised law on the protection of minors

The newly revised Minors Protection Law added 60 articles with some specific measures for government agencies such as establishing a database of known child abusers, appointing specialized judicial personnel to handle cases involving minors and controls on what content and services social media and online operators can provide to children.

Read the top 10 global news on the same day.

Translated by reporter Wang Xintong.

The daily ranking of most read news stories among Chinese people, about China and global affairs, is jointly provided to you by Caixin Insight and HANA Data, an artificial intelligence technology team.

The key indicators calculated on the list are based on mass data sourced from China’s mainstream social media platforms and online news websites. Click here for a detailed introduction of our methodology.