Summit increasingly significant in global affairs, experts say

As China prepares to host its first G20 Summit, the importance of this grouping of major world economies is becoming more apparent, according to experts.

The event, slated for September 4-5 in East China's Hangzhou city, comes at a time when increasing deflationary risks loom over the global economy's recovery.

Boosting growth among developing countries is highlighted on the summit's agenda, as has making more progress in areas such as addressing global climate change. [Full story]

Thousands of volunteers recruited in Hangzhou to support meetings

Members of an international volunteer team attend a public event in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. More than 100,000 volunteers have signed up to help with the G20 summit. CHINA DAILY

A drive to recruit volunteers ahead of the G20 Summit being held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province in early September is picking up steam.

Since registration opened in December, more than 100,000 volunteers have signed up to help with the high-level international forum for governments and central bank governors.

Around 26,000 of these volunteers are university professors and their students, who will be whittled down to a short list of 3,000 through a strict selection and training process. [Full story]

Central bank expects to maintain a 'prudent' monetary policy

As Zhou Xiaochuan, People's Bank of China governor, spoke at the G20 gathering in Washington, he seemed more relieved than 50 days ago, when the last such gathering was held in Shanghai. Cascading fears about a hard economic landing for China had receded, replaced with improved growth momentum. Pressure on deflation and capital outflow had eased; commodity prices, which had plunged in the previous six months, staged a rebound.

Zhou flagged these achievements at the meeting, especially the strong bounce in March. As a Xinhua report put it: "Positive signs are converging, boosting sentiment that the slowdown in the Chinese economy may be bottoming out." [Full story]

City embraces English language ahead of event

A traffic police officer on the English Service Team wears a special armband while working. Photo provided to China Daily

Residents of Hangzhou in East China's Zhejiang province are honing their English language skills ahead of the G20 Summit being held there later this year.

English learning activities have been organized across the city as part of efforts to better serve the summit, which is scheduled to open in early September.

In March, the team behind local mobile app Xiangfu Community, based in the city's Gongshu district, started a campaign to get residents speaking more English by providing free language learning content and encouraging users to learn a new sentence each day.

Once a week, a lesson with a senior English language teacher is organized through the app, and English-themed discussion activities are held once a month. [Full story]