Beijing

Sino-US security dialogue to be held

The first round of the China-US Diplomatic and Security Dialogue will be held in Washington on Wednesday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang announced at a news conference in Beijing on Friday. The dialogue was scheduled according to the consensus reached by the heads of state of the two countries in their meeting at Mar-a-Lago, Florida, in April, according to Lu. State Councilor Yang Jiechi will co-host the dialogue with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis. The dialogue will feature an in-depth exchange of views on China-US ties and other important issues of shared concern, Lu said.

Guideline issued on elderly care

China issued a guideline to better serve the country's senior citizens on Friday. The guideline, released by the State Council, China's Cabinet, included 20 key tasks concerning the increasing elderly population, such as establishing an electronic database of their health conditions, providing a pension for poor or disabled seniors and setting up a long-term care insurance system. The government has predicted the elderly will account for about one-quarter of the population by 2030.

Blue-sky days cut due to sandstorms

A sandstorm in early May saw the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region's average air quality take a hit, with the number of "good air" days reduced by 23.5 percent year-on-year, the Ministry of Environmental Protection said on Friday. Data from the ministry shows that the region experienced just 12 blue-sky days last month, while the PM10 concentration soared by 59.4 percent year-on-year to reach 153 micrograms per cubic meter.

Hebei

5 die during illegal waste dumping

Five people died following an illegal waste dumping accident, local authorities said on Friday. The accident happened on Friday morning when five people passed out while dumping industrial waste water into a river in Wuji county. Four died on the way to the hospital and one died in the hospital. Toxic gas produced during the dumping process led to their deaths. Seven suspects involved in the accident are in police custody.