BEIJING

Premier, German leader to hold video chat

Premier Li Keqiang will hold a video conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying has announced. The meeting, which comes on the heels of a phone conversation between President Xi Jinping and Merkel last week, again fully indicated the political mutual trust and close cooperative relations between the two countries, Hua said. During their talks, Li and Merkel are expected to exchange opinions over relations and cooperation on bilateral and China-European Union fronts as well as global cooperation on fighting the pandemic, she said.

QINGHAI

Special court to hear environmental cases

Qinghai province has instituted a special court that will hear environmental cases and provide legal services for the ecological protection of the Qilian Mountains. The Qilian Mountains ecological court, affiliated with the Qilian County People's Court in Haibei Tibetan autonomous prefecture, will be handling environment-related cases in the prefecture, the Qinghai Provincial High People's Court said on Wednesday. The court will provide effective legal assurance and high-quality services for the ecological protection of the mountains, he added.

SHAANXI

Bell Tower in Xi'an closed for maintenance

The Bell Tower, a symbol of the ancient capital Xi'an, Shaanxi province, closed on Wednesday to the public for maintenance. The Xi'an Bell and Drum Towers Museum said the building will be closed until Aug 25. The Bell Tower was built in 1384.For centuries, it worked with the Drum Tower about 200 meters to the west to announce the time. The 36-meter-tall tower has been well preserved and is the largest and oldest bell tower of its kind in China.

TIANJIN

Former vice-governor of Shaanxi stands trial

Chen Guoqiang, former vice-governor of Shaanxi province, stood trial at the First Intermediate People's Court of Tianjin on Wednesday on bribery charges. Chen is accused of taking advantage of his various posts in Shaanxi to seek benefits for relevant companies and individuals in project contracting, obtaining loans and personnel promotion and recruitment between 2006 and 2018. In return, he accepted money and gifts worth 35.6 million yuan ($5 million), according to prosecutors.

China Daily - Xinhua