BEIJING

National population census underway

China kicked off its seventh national population census on Sunday with about 7 million workers planning to visit homes for registration work. Carrying out the census is critical to understanding the nation's population size, structure and distribution, said Ning Jizhe, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission, during a video conference to promote the effort. The census will provide important and basic information for the national strategy of responding to the challenge of population aging, as well as for the promotion of high-quality development, Ning said. The census collects data including the name, ID number, gender, marital status, education and profession of Chinese citizens.

700,000 sign up for legal profession test

Nearly 700,000 people signed up for the first phase of testing of China's unified qualification exam for legal professionals this year, the Ministry of Justice said. The number of applicants for this year's examination is a record high, up 16.8 percent from last year, the ministry said. Guangdong province saw the largest number of applicants, with 56,364 signing up. The first phase of the exam, a test with objective questions, took place on Saturday and Sunday. The second phase, featuring subjective questions, will start on Nov 28.

HAINAN

Sanya Party chief probed for violations

Tong Daochi, Party chief of Sanya, Hainan province, is under investigation by China's top anti-graft authority, according to an online statement published on Sunday. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China said in its online statement that Tong, 53, is being investigated for suspected serious violations of Party discipline and national law. Tong had spent most of his career at the China Securities Regulatory Commission before assuming his current position in Sanya in 2018.

China Daily - Xinhua