Former SOE Party chief sentenced for bribery

Li Aiqing, former Party chief and chairman of Beijing Capital Group, was convicted of bribery and abuse of power by a staff member of a State-owned company, according to an announcement from the Beijing No 1 Intermediate People's Court on Monday. For the crime of bribery, Li was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, deprived of his political rights for life and had all his personal property confiscated. For the crime of abuse of power, he was sentenced to four years in prison. Under the combined punishment for multiple offenses, the court decided to sentence Li to death with a two-year reprieve. Under Chinese law, death sentences may be commuted to life imprisonment if the inmate maintains good behavior during the reprieve period. All illicit gains and proceeds from Li's bribery crimes were confiscated and turned over to the State Treasury.

953m railway trips expected this summer

China is expected to see 953 million railway passenger trips during the upcoming summer travel rush, which kicks off on Tuesday, the country's railway operator said on Monday. The figure is 5.8 percent higher than the number of railway passenger trips recorded in the summer travel rush in 2024, according to China State Railway Group Co. The summer travel rush is usually a busy season for the railway network as college students return home and families travel. This year's summer travel rush will last for 62 days from July 1 to Aug 31, and some 15.37 million passenger trips are expected to be made daily on average during the period, the railway operator said. To cater to the surge in demand, railway authorities will schedule additional train services, with the nationwide operating passenger trains topping 11,500 on a daily average.

China Daily - Xinhua