Briefs | Guangzhou reports better air quality

Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province, saw better air quality last year, the city’s ecology and environment bureau said this week. The average concentration of PM2.5 was 30 micrograms per cubic meter last year, meeting the country’s air quality standard for three consecutive years, the bureau said. The PM2.5 reading is a gauge monitoring airborne particles of 2.5 microns or less in diameter, which can penetrate deep in people’s lungs. The city had reported no heavily or severely polluted days for two consecutive years, according to the bureau. To tackle air pollution, the city has reduced the number of coal-fired boilers to 30 from 1,400 around 2011 and also slashed the coal consumption for major industrial companies. The city also eliminated polluting vehicles and replaced more gasoline-powered buses with electric buses. Guangzhou’s average PM2.5 readings were 35 micrograms per cubic meter in both 2017 and 2018.

Man jailed for stealing over 1,000 shared bikes

A man was recently sentenced to three and a half years in jail for stealing more than 1,000 shared bikes in Guangdong Province, according to a local court. The man, surnamed Huang, was ordered to pay 200,000 yuan (about 28,803 U.S. dollars) to compensate the bike-sharing company and was also fined 5,000 yuan, according to the People’s Court of Baiyun District in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong. A bike-sharing company reported to the local public security department in early June 2019, after a citizen found a large number of shared bike parts at a recycling plant. Following the clue, local police launched an investigation and arrested the suspect. Huang was taken into custody on June 28, and the court verdict was made in late December 2019. Police noted that shared bicycles are property of service providers. Acts of making marks or drawings, dismantling bicycle parts or maliciously destroying bicycles may be regarded as embezzling or damaging other people’s property. Offenders will face punishment from fines to detentions.

Gongbei customs seizes smuggled food worth $72 million

Gongbei customs in neighboring Zhuhai said it busted 12 smuggling gangs, captured 30 suspects and seized food and beverages worth 500 million yuan (about $72 million). Another 3.3 million yuan involved in the case was also frozen, the customs said. The smugglers set up an office near Gongbei Port in January 2017. They hired individuals to bring in small amounts of food and drinks illegally through the port before delivering them to buyers across China. In addition, they printed false invoices with artificially low prices to smuggle food and beverages via other ports in the province at lower tax rates. After a thorough investigation, over 300 police officers were dispatched to carry out operations in the cities of Zhuhai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Quanzhou on Nov. 18, detaining more than 3,000 cases of food and drinks.