Water, soil erosion area CHINA’S water and soil erosion area decreased last year amid the country’s efforts to restore the ecological environment, the Ministry of Water Resources said Sunday. The country’s water and soil erosion area stood at 2.65 million square km in 2022, down 20,800 square km, or 0.78%, compared with 2021, according to the results of national monitoring of soil and water loss. New satellite CHINA sent a new Earth observation satellite into space from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China yesterday. It will be used in a variety of fields, including land surveys, urban planning, road network design, crop yield estimation and disaster relief. Commemorative coins CHINA on Sunday issued a set of commemorative coins featuring the Sanjiangyuan National Park and the Giant Panda National Park. The set of six coins, all legal tender in China, includes two gold coins, two silver coins and two two-color copper alloy coins, according to the People’s Bank of China. One gold coin, one silver coin and one two-color copper alloy coin feature the landscape of the Sanjiangyuan National Park, and typical animals and plants in the park such as the Tibetan antelope. The other three coins feature the giant panda and the landscape of the Giant Panda National Park. | 