The Ministry of Agriculture set up a unit to tackle soil pollution and degradation of arable land.

The new arable land quality monitoring and protection center will build a nationwide network to monitor arable land quality and treat degradation and pollution, said Zeng Yande, an official at the ministry.

The black soil in northeastern provinces is degrading, farmland in some northwestern regions are plagued by salinization while a few places in southern provinces are suffering from heavy metal pollution, according to Zeng.

The move came amid efforts to ensure food security as climate change and pollutants eroded arable land and reduced its capacity to produce food.

Total arable land in the country was 135 million hectares at the end of 2015. China has set a base line of 124 million ha.

A woman died of H7N9 bird flu infection in central China’s Hubei Province, local authorities said Tuesday.

The woman, 68, tested positive for the H7N9 strain of virus on April 27 after days of high fever with no apparent cause, the emergency response office of Wuhan City Government said in a statement.

She died on April 30.

H7N9 is a bird flu strain first reported to have infected humans in China in March 2013. Infections are most likely occur in winter and spring.

Notices of punishment of legal personnel and institutions have been made available on the official website of the Ministry of Justice.

Such notices issued after Jan. 1, 2017 by judicial administrations, notary and bar associations upon law firms, notary offices, judicial expertise institutions and its staff were available on the website from Monday.

The move was aimed tat better protecting people’s legal rights and standardizing professional conduct, according to the Ministry of Justice.

Two centers for foreigner exit and entry services opened Tuesday in Beijing to assist foreign talent in service industries.

The centers in Chaoyang and Shunyi districts will accept applications for permanent stays, long-term visas and port visas for foreign elites in the service sector, foreigner members of startups, Chinese with foreign nationality and young foreign students.

Shen Jinsheng, deputy director of Beijing Municipal Commission of Commerce, said the commission would issue recommendation letters for those working in the two districts who passed in a grading before applying for permanent stay.

The new service centers will shorten the period to apply for a permanent stay from 180 to 90 working days.

Many foreigners live in Chaoyang where most embassies and many international agencies and chambers of commerce are located. Shunyi, home to Beijing Capital International Airport, has over 100 international companies and a foreign population of around 8,000.

Li Kai On, a Chinese with British nationality, said he had applied for a permanent stay as he, a teacher at an international school, had seen opportunities in Beijing’s education sector.

“I hope with the new measures, I can become a real Chinese in a short time.”