Development accelerates for Xiamen's software sector

The CIFIT organizing committee announced last week that the countries of Brazil, Qatar and Serbia are this year's guest countries of honor. The fair kicks off in Xiamen on September 8. Nearly 1,000 domestic and international business organizations and enterprises are registered to attend this year's China International Fair for Investment and Trade.

The 23rd rendition of the China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) will premiere a new Business Environment Forum this year, according to the CIFIT organizing committee. The forum will be entitled as the Institutional Opening-Up Enhances Internationalization of Business Environment. Participants are expected to spotlight recent developments in business environment optimizations.

Representatives of the Xiashang International Transaction Center of Seafood, Xiamen's largest whole sale seafood market, announced recently a surge of locally-caught fish in the wake of the resumption of commercial fishing in area waters. Local officials noted that all seafood transactions are weighed and processed and subject to snap inspections by safety officers.

The market is a regional center for seafood sales, serving purchasers from throughout Fujian. Daily hauls of up to 750 tons per day have pushed down local prices for seafood. Common items from area waters include staples such as shrimp and crab.

The Shitang Sports Park hosted its first Chinese Tennis Association (CTA) Tour match last weekend. The two-day event featured women's and men's matches as well as mixed doubles. More than 200 athletes participated. Xiamen will host a CTA Tour event for each of the next five years.

Su Rixu and Ying Boyuan of the Xiamen Binbei primary school recently earned a Song Qingling Children's Invention Award for their design of a high-rise escape ladder. The third graders worked on their invention with the assistance of the Xiamen Xiaowaybang Education and Technology Company.

The motorized  escape ladder can be set up on a balcony and is triggered by warning systems such as an apartment's smoke sensor or fire extinguisher system. It can double as a laundry rack when not in use.

Representatives of the Xiamen City's First Beautiful Countryside Photography Competition announced last week that it is now accepting submissions from amateur and professional photographers.

The competition encourages submissions that focus on local villages and scenery. Event representatives said that the goal of the competition is to encourage artists to turn an eye toward the countryside and to demonstrate the practical achievements of Xiamen's rural revitalization.

Competition organizers include the Rural Revitalization Office of the Xiamen Municipal Party Committee, the city's Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs as well as its Bureau of Culture and Tourism and the Xiamen Federation of Literary and Art Circles. The competition will last through November.

Yundang subdistrict officials recently announced that all of the area's sorting points are fully monitored. Officials said that the coverage is facilitating the use of AI to optimize garbage sorting.

Community workers and supervisors in the subdistrict use insights gleaned from video coverage to conduct door-to-door campaigns to promote proper garbage sorting and to improve the accuracy of garbage classification.

Local officials last week proposed a series of measures designed to encourage young entrepreneurs and workers from Taiwan to obtain employment and start up businesses in Xiamen. The proposals will be discussed by the National People's Congress and would become China's first regional legislation to target Taiwan youths.

The Ministry of Ecology and Environment recently released an air quality assessment for July covering 168 Chinese cities. Xiamen ranked third nationally in terms of air quality. The ranking is another indicator in which Xiamen has fared well nationally in terms of its ecological environment.

Gulangyu recently hosted the opening of the fifteenth Cross-Strait University Campus Singer Invitational Tournament. The Fujian Provincial Student Federation and the Xiamen City Student Federation organized the event, which was sponsored by the All-China Students' Federation and the Chinese Youth International with support from the All-China Students' Federation and the city of Xiamen.

Competitors include students from Peking University, Tsinghua University and universities in Taiwan. A total of 63 musicians joined the initial rounds. 

The Xiamen Transportation Bureau announced that it is nearing the end of a campaign to inspect all of the 85 bridges under its purview. The review wraps up this month and includes the Aoguan, Shangtang and Xuxi bridges.

The inspections cover elements that can impact safety and stability such as carrying loads, erosion, weather, and general wear and tear. The inspections also include searches for evidence of potential safety hazards.

Local officials announced recently that the upcoming Xiamen Olympics Center Egret Stadium has now entered the final completion acceptance stage. Located on Xiangan's waterfront, Egret Stadium is the first facility in China (and third globally) built specifically to host both professional soccer and track and field events.

Covering 180,600 square meters, the project features ocean views from the stadium seating. Scheduled events include annual editions of World Athletics Diamond League events.