1.The Labor Daily: Among the 12 measures you said the city has begun to take this year, the last item is to build a platform on innovation information for university graduates by establishing an international incubation center for college students business-starting education. Could you tell us some details about that? Thank you.

Jiang Hong: Thank you. The business starting and innovation by college students are closely related Strictly speaking, the business starting by college students is an important innovation in their career development, and the process of starting a business is also a process to showcase and polish their comprehensive innovation ability. Based on this theory, we’re exploring the ways to build an international center for enterprise incubation and business-starting education services targeting college students, which is geared to the international market and rules. The essential functions of the center fall into two types: one, to support the incubation of a start-up business. We’ll use the currently-available resources, including the 100 million yuan the city government offers annually as funds for helping college students start technological businesses and social resources for starting a business. We’re considering establishing a pilot zone in Changning District. The pilot zone will use both resources in Changning District and resources from the city and other channels to support enterprise incubation. We want the pilot program to show the students how to break through the most difficult times of an embryo enterprise. The second function is to offer education and training in starting a business. It means the center is an important platform and medium for us to promote the business-starting education among the college students. The incubation center differs from a common incubation base for high-tech industries in that it not only incubate an embryo business but, more importantly, to offer training in business starting for those students still studying at colleges and those who graduated one year to several years ago. We’ve started cooperation with some UK-based business-starting education companies, to train those college teachers specializing in business-starting education and to educate students in starting businesses. Meanwhile, we also seek international exchanges and cooperations in intellectural property rights and business-starting products. We’re planning several international exchange programs in the hope of establishing an international education and research center featuring business starting to launch joint research and training with foreign institutes specializing in business-starting education. Also we’re planning to launch international forums on business starting to enhance exchanges. What’s more, we are going to launch international trade fairs featuring business starting, including business starting by college students. By doing that, we hope to diversify our exchanges in trade of products developed by businesses, investment needed in expansion of a business with a successful start, such as transfer of its stock rights, and others. The platform can offer college students practice and education, including practice of the international up-to-date concepts of business starting.

2. Shanghai Education TV: As we know, teachers play an important role in training innovation-oriented talent. Could you give us details on the city’s measures in training of teachers?

Jiang Hong: Good question. Teachers are the leading resources in offering innovation education and training innovation-oriented talent, and that’s why we attach priority to training teachers and polishing their ability at innovation. To set up a pool of high-quality teachers, we focus on three aspects. Firstly, we’ll step up training of current teachers. We have three targets in training teachers. One, we’ll ensure all the teachers have experiences in innovating. Many teachers at our primary and secondary schools entered the profession directly after graduation. Even those college graduates haven’t much practice such as scientific research. In best cases, they have engaged in field research programs before graduation, and some have dabbled in curriculum research, but a great number of them have moved from school to school, without any experience in innovating process. It is unimaginable that a teacher without such experience can teach students (how to innovate). So the teachers will experience innovation process by undertaking training. Secondly, the training will make teachers learn more about the disciplines of scientific development and the methodology of scientific research by studying dialectics of nature as first step first. Thirdly, the training will update the teachers on the state of the art in their respective field. Only with knowledge of the state of the art in their respective field, innovating process, disciplines of scientific development and methodology of technological innovation, can the teachers better train innovative talent. Thank you.

3. Shanghai Daily: I have a question. One of the 12 measures that the city has begun to adopt is to establish a college students innovation fund sponsored by the government. Is the fund in place? Could you tell us the evaluation standards (to get the fund)? Thank you.

Jiang Hong: Yes it’s in place. The fund mainly will benefit comprehensive universities and universities with close industrial background and special majors, and we have distributed relevant documents to such institutes. The fund aims to encourage college students to experience the process of technological innovation. However, the fund is limited in amount, so we have to choose the best among the better after appraisals by experts. Now we selected about 15 schools to join the fund program involving about 1,000 projects, and more schools will be added gradually in future. The schools involved in the program must contribute at least equally to the fund as the city government, and are in charge of the fund but may not use it for other purposes than supporting students participating in the innovation projects. The innovation projects will be functional for one to three years, while the schools are required to report the projects’progress to the city’s educational commission.

4. SMG: I have two questions. First, could you give us some details on the innovation education alliance mentioned in the press release? Second question. Many news reports mentioned the road congestion fees (the city will adopt) while others said traffic management department has denied it. Has the city government included it in its agenda? What attitude does it hold toward the fee? Thank you.

Jiang Hong: Strictly speaking, the innovation education alliance is one that joins up innovation education research and fieldwork education. We intend it to explore how to carry out innovation education, including what methods, textbooks and fieldwork to adopt, in the current situation. Through the alliance, we also expect to conduct research related to innovation education, set up a pool of teachers geared to innovation education, encourage schools to launch cross-regional innovation education programs and exchange teaching experiences and cases. The alliance is also called an allied experiment entity for innovation education to encourage government research institutes, social organization, enterprises and schools to participate. We hope to find an original approach to innovation education after years’exploration. Then we promote the models and experiences growing out of the alliance over the years among relevant schools across the city.

Chen Qiwei: I’ll answer the second question. We noticed that media outlets from Shanghai and other provinces and Internet portals ran news reports about road congestion fee. Some said Shanghai is going to adopt the fee while others say it is studying (whether to adopt it). In the past decade, the rising problems of land, environment and energy supply have made traffic management one of the major tasks for China’s big cities, which have taken measures like allowing cars with odd-number plates and even-number plates alternatively on the streets and issuing district-specific passes and green stickers.

To better manage the traffic flow, Shanghai has paid close attention to advanced theories and new technologies in urban traffic management in the West, and research institutes and traffic management agencies also conducted follow-up researches and comparisons in many aspects.

In fact, all the news reports about road congestion fee evolve from an expert’s remarks at an internal academic symposium. Authorities in Shanghai have no plan for adopting the fee. The government will seek the public opinions and announce it at a press conference before it adopts any policy closely related to the interests of the majority of its citizens.

5. Shanghai Securities News: The first question goes to the secretariat-general of the Shanghai Education Commission. You talked about the policy to encourage joint efforts by businesses and schools to start a business. Are there incentives? If so, what are they? The other question goes to the government spokesman. It is said that an express railway will be built between Shanghai and Chongqing. Is there any specific progress on the project? In addition, how is the investigation into the case involving Kang Huijun, (a top official) of Pudong New Area. Thank you.

Jiang Hong: The career education group aims to better gear the career education to the market and enterprises’needs. It encourages relevant schools and enterprises to join in the training of talent, and the city’s educational commission has special fund for the training program. The government will offer preferential policies to support those well-performing vocational schools under businesses in six aspects. One, it supports pilot reforms in talent training patterns and reforms in linking work and study, linking part-time work and part-time study, and turning working experience into credits. Two, it gives priority to those vocational schools under businesses when offering financial and project support. Three, it gives priority to member organizations under business groups when offering government-sponsored training programs. Four, it may authorize a qualified higher institute of vocational training under a business group to be a pilot school entitled to independent enrollment. Five, it will praise and award those people and organizations that make outstanding achievements to their business groups’growth. Six, it will offer concrete support to those businesses that give career training and internship opportunities to students at their vocational schools.

Chen Qiwei: I don’t have an answer to your questions as I haven’t been informed about the two issues. The spokesman team can help you get some information about them after the press conference if you need.

6. Xmnext: In some provinces, the university students’credits are pegged to the business start-up programs they participate in, and some people say it is a case of forcibly pulling up a seedling to help it grow. Does the city government have any measures to prevent that?

Jiang Hong: Starting a business by university students, as well as business-starting education, is diametrically different from the case of forcibly pulling up a seedling to help it grow. Whether there are instances similar to forcibly pulling up a seedling in the university education is to see whether the education process and content oversteps the discipline of higher education. Since the college students usually begin their business starting shortly after they enter society, we encourage them to try their hands at innovation.

7. Eastday.com: We’ve been talking a lot about the education in students’starting a business. I’d like to know whether there is innovation training at primary schools and preschools. It should start with young children to help them develop the habit of innovation, and does the government have corresponding measures? And the other question goes to the government spokesman. The taxi fare hikes have been widely discussed in media reports these days, and is there any decision on lifting the taxi fare?

Jiang Hong: The innovation practice and education programs should vary from colleges to middle schools down to primary schools, depending on the stages of the students’physical and psychological growth and their characteristics. The preschool education should focus on the children’s curiosity about the world rather than forcing them to remember things and do something. We should cultivate their interest by paying attention to their mindset. Innovation training at the primary and middle schools should encourage the students to have a good command of the basic knowledge, help them develop initiatives to learn, interest in varied subjects, confidence in their research ability and interest in learning. At high schools, we should encourage the students to grow the innovative sense, build the innovative spirit, improve the structure of their basic knowledge, and make them gain the initial capabilities of innovation. From secondary vocational schools to the undergraduate level, we should give priority to enlarging their horizon in innovation, learn the basic knowledge and skills in their fields, gain proper work ability and build the team work spirit The postgraduate education should give priority to bringing them to the vanguard of their research field to help them grasp the professional skills at innovation, come up with achievements of applicable academic value, and boost their innovative quality. So the requirements vary from level to level, and the innovation education is carried out according to the growth rules.

Chen Qiwei: China lifted the fuel prices on November 1 to respond to the rising oil prices in the international market. The price hike raises the operation costs of taxi companies, and the city government attaches importance to the impact on the taxi business, asking authorities to analyzing the influences of the price hikes. To show its care of the taxi drivers, the city government follows the directive on adjustment of the fuel prices issued by the National Development and Reform Commission in offering them temporary oil subsidies before raising the taxi fares. The temporary subsidies are shared by the city government and taxi companies.

8. China Business News: Recent news reports said that the salaries of the city’s civil servants will be cut, and I asked about it at an earlier press conference. I learned from civil servants in Pudong New Area that their salaries will be reduced in January. Do you have information on the salary cut? The second question: The other day when the delegates to the city’s People’s Congress discussed online the low-rent housing, they said some families, including some low and middle-income families, cannot afford to rent a house though they don’t qualify for the low-rent housing program. Does the government has a policy to help these group of families?

Chen Qiwei: We’ve answered your first question at an earlier press conference, and I don’t have further information. For the second question, a policy cannot cover all families. City authorities are studying ways to solve the“sandwiched layer”dilemma in the housing market you mentioned just now.

9. SMG: My question is about the information that the city is going to reform the college entrance exams. Many parents are eager to know if there will be changes in the exam arrangements in the city next year? If so, what changes are they? In addition, will the students’scores in sports test in the secondary school entrance exam be added to the total score? If so, what will be the proportion? Thank you!

Jiang Hong: The questions relate to the entrance exams. I said just now that the training of innovative talent will push forward reforms in the college entrance exams, including the exam content, and this will be guideline. General Secretary Hu Jintao made it very clear in his report to the Party’s 17th National Congress that the education concept must be updated, teaching content and patterns deepened, and exam and enrollment systems reformed to improve the students’overall quality. Reform is the direction, and the city has adopted many reforms. For example, we make it a rule that students should take no entrance exam to enter a higher level school during the obligatory education period, they should study at a school around their neighborhood, a comprehensive quality evaluation will be gradually adopted at primary and middle schools. All these measures are geared to the training of innovative talent. Meanwhile, we have also reformed the college entrance exams in some ways, such as allowing 11 colleges to enroll their students independently. As to the overhaul of the college enrollment system in future, we’ll carry it out in a scientific, orderly and professional manner under the leadership of the Ministry of Education, the CPC Shanghai committee and the city government. As the college enrollment reforms concern tens of thousands of families, we’ll hold a special press conference on this issue to keep the citizens updated on specific reforms. Thank you.

10. Phoenix TV: My first question is about the blast at the gas station on Pusan Road. News reports have revealed the causes (of the blast). I’d like to know the responsibility assessment and compensation for the accident. Second question: A news report said that in a recent labor dispute at a Korean company in Chongming County, the workers illegally detained the Korean executives. I’d like to confirm whether the news is true.

Chen Qiwei: After the gas station blast, a joint investigation team discovered the cause after three days’work. Major news outlets published the cause yesterday. At present, work to handle the aftermath is going smoothly. Authorities will keep the media updated on the accident.

About the second question, we’ve checked with relevant authorities and found that the report by a certain overseas media outlet that said the Korean chairman of the Hwain Spinning Co was beaten by a mob of workers is false, and the daily life and telecommunication of Korean executives have not been disturbed at all since the incidence. We learned that the Hwain Spinning Co have seen its profits plunging for many reasons, and the workers showed emotional fluctuations over the wages, overtime payment and pension fund in the arrears. The Labor Security Bureau, Labor Supervision General Team and Public Security Bureau of Chongming County all visited the company to calm down the workers and help solve the dispute. Shanghai is always protecting the security of foreign businessmen and assets of foreign companies while solving disputes and upholding the interests of the employees in line with law. So far, the company legal representative and the workers representative have reach agreement on wages and overtime payment, and city authorities will pay attention to the issue.

11. International Daily News: When I was interviewing in Suzhou recently, I heard that Shanghai is going to build a subway linking the two cities. I’d like to confirm whether the news is true. And if so, when will the project start?

Chen Qiwei: I have no information on that. If needed, I can help you check it with relevant departments.

12. Youth Daily: Yesterday some students’parents told me that their children were brought to game parlors during the spring and autumn outings (their schools organized), which goes against the government’s policy on“sunshine sports.”Does the educational commission know about it? Does the commission have measures to implement the“sunshine sports”policy? Thank you.

Jiang Hong: I haven’t learned of the information, but I’ll contact you on this after the conference.

Chen Qiwei: That’s all for today’s press conference. Thank you.