This is Special English. I'm Liu Yan in Beijing. Here is the news.

China will launch a Water Cycle Observation Mission satellite around 2020, to help in forecasting hydrological events including flood and drought.

The satellite is the first geoscientific satellite to provide integrated observation of key elements of the global water cycle. China announced its plans for the satellite as the International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium was held in Beijing recently.

The satellite was jointly initiated by the Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The academy has completed key research and tests of the satellite's payload in anticipation of further development.

A chief scientist of the project said this year's floods in southern China are an example of how water cycle movements can affect people's lives. The satellite is expected to play an important role in flood prevention, drought relief, agriculture, water resource management as well as food and environmental security.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences will cooperate with their counterparts in the United States and Europe to initiate a satellite constellation aiming to form a worldwide water cycle observation network.

The first joint satellite development program between China and France is scheduled to be launched in 2018. The program is dedicated to ocean wind and wave observation.

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China's new generation space tracking ship has been formally launched following a 60-day trial period. The vessel will perform maritime tracking of manned spaceflight Shenzhou-11 and other space missions later this year.

The Yuanwang-7 vessel, designed by China, marks a new high for China's space tracking technology.

The construction of the ship started in 2014. The 220-meter-long, 40-meter-high vessel has a displacement of 25,000 tons. It is capable of resisting strong typhoons and carries supplies to last for 100 days.

China boasts a fleet of seven Yuanwang space tracking ships, which have carried out some 70 expeditions and traveled more than 1.5 million nautical miles in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans.

Shenzhou-11 will carry two astronauts to dock with Tiangong-2, China's second orbiting space lab to be launched later this year. The docking is expected to allow two astronauts to live in space for up to 30 days.

Previous generation space tracking vessels were launched in 1979, making China the fourth country to master space tracking technology after the United States, Russia and France.

You're listening to Special English. I'm Liu Yan in Beijing.

Although many people cite religious beliefs as their motivation for the unauthorized release of animals into the wild, religious leaders do not condone the practice.

In 2014, the Buddhist Association of China and the Taoist Association of China released a joint statement, urging followers to adhere to the law when contemplating releasing animals.

The Taoist Association of China said it has repeatedly appealed to followers to respect the ecosystem as well as the laws and regulations, before they free any animals into the wild.

However, it conceded that the association's appeals have mainly fallen on deaf ears. There is a growing chain of interest involved in freeing animals. There are professional providers and purchasers of animals. Many people who claim to be devoted to freeing animals for the good of wild life are actually only interested in making money. The association said the lack of effective law enforcement is an important factor in the continuation of the practice.

Both Taoists and Buddhists regard the release of captive wildlife as a demonstration of compassion and kindness, which will result in merit or good karma.

In addition to the Chinese mainland, the practice is found in many other parts of the world where Taoist and Buddhist beliefs are popular.

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