BEIJING -- China will continue to waive on new energy vehicles (NEVs) for the next three years in its latest attempt to encourage green transportation, an official statement said Wednesday.The tax incentive covers fully electric, hybrid and fuel-cell vehicles that have obtained sales permission in China, and the measure will be effective through the end of 2020, the Ministry of Finance said in an online statement.This was an extension of an existing purchase tax waiver that was rolled out in 2014 as part of measures to reduce emissions.The country will add new NEV models to the list of cars eligible for the tax exemption, as long as they meet a set of technical, quality, safety and efficiency standards.Thanks to favorable government policies, including subsidies and tax incentives, China's NEV market has seen rapid growth in recent years.Sales of Chinese NEVs increased over 80 percent year on year in November to 119,000 units, data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers showed.In the first 11 months, production and sales stood at 639,000 and 609,000 units respectively, up 49.7 percent and 51.4 percent from a year ago. trio spinnersrainbow wristband24hr wristband
An eye specialist is warning parents and students about the misuse of laser pens, which can be purchased easily but have harmed the eyesight of a number of children in recent months.Laser pens are often used as pointers by teachers in classrooms, and have become popular with some schoolchildren in Chengdu, Sichuan province.Sold in many stationery shops in the city, most are priced between 5 yuan and 200 yuan ($0.8-$31). They can emit a narrow beam of light in either red, blue or green with a single click of a button.But pointing a laser beam into a person's eyes can damage the delicate organs. A number of students have sought treatment at the Ineye Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.Xie Airui, an eye specialist at the hospital, has received two boys since September whose visual acuity fell off sharply after incidents involving laser pens. The first boy's eyes were burned. He couldn't see an object 10 centimeters away. A checkup showed that the macular area of his retina had been damaged, Xie said.The macular area is the most sensitive part of the eye and critical for vision, she said.The second boy, a high school student, was 15 when he sought treatment from Xie in September, after a classmate pointed a laser pen at him.A test found that the macular areas of both his eyes were burned and had obvious scarring. He could only see objects within 50 centimeters, Xie said.The resulting scars were consistent with those left by clinical lasers, she said, noting that damage to the macular areas can be permanent.Four years ago, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine issued a warning that laser pens could harm consumers. But no market supervisors have taken up the matter in a serious way, according to Xu Bin, a lawyer in Chengdu.
