Gas shortage About 5.6 percent of villages in North China’s 28 cities have reported short natural gas supply for winter heating, an official inspection* found. Inspection teams in these cities in or near the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region found that 426,000 households in 1,208 villages had faced natural gas shortages after their homes were heated with gas instead of coal, the Ministry of Environmental Protection said in an online statement. Officials had taken measures, such as increasing gas supply or temporarily heating the homes with coal, to ensure all the residents in these villages enjoy a warm winter as of Wednesday night. Maiden flight China’s first large amphibious* aircraft AG600 completed its maiden flight in Guangdong Province on Sunday. State television showed live images of the AG600, code-named “Kunlong,” lifting off from the Jinwan airport in the city of Zhuhai at 9:39 a.m. It returned about an hour later and taxied to its stand accompanied by martial music and greeted by crowds waving Chinese flags. “The maiden flight makes China among the few countries capable of developing a large amphibious aircraft,” said Huang Lingcai, chief designer of AG600. Drone market China has released new guidelines on the civilian unmanned aerial* vehicle (UAV) industry, expecting the market value of the industry to rise 40 percent year on year on average to 60 billion yuan (US$9.1 billion) by 2020. The market value would be tripled to 180 billion yuan by 2025, according to the guidelines made by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Quality growth The Chinese economy will focus on quality, a shift from the rapid growth the country has been known for over the past decades since the reform and opening-up policy was introduced. At the country’s most important annual meeting on economic work, senior leaders said China’s economy will be characterized by more innovative manufacturing, a more secure financial system, a more open and green economy, more affordable housing and better life for the people. (SD-Agencies) | 