The numbers making the news on Wednesday Feb. 29, 2012.

4 to 6 percent
Of all babies born in China suffer from various birth defects. Between 1996 and 2010, the rates of birth defects have increased by more than 70 percent. To further prevent such defects, a compulsory premarital medical checkup is being mandated in some regions.
CRI

12
People were killed in Yecheng county, which is about 250 kilometers southeast of the city of Kashgar, in China's northwestern region of Xinjiang. Although no specific details have emerged, reports suggest that it may have been a result of violence between Muslim Uighurs and Han Chinese.
Washington Post

13 percent
Shanghai will raise the minimum wage by 13 percent to 1,450 yuan starting in April in hopes to encourage consumer spending.
Bloomberg

43
People were injured in a chemical plant explosion in the city of Shijiazhuang in Hebei. The explosions left at least thirteen dead.
ABC News

292,611
The number of overseas students who studied in China in 2011. South Korean students topped the list with 62,422 students studying at 660 colleges, school, universities and other educational institutions. Over 25,000 of the students were on scholarships provided by the Chinese government.
China Internet Information Center
 
35,934
The number of government officials punished for violating laws and regulations last year, according to new figures released by the Ministry of Supervision yesterday.
Chinese Government’s Official Web Portal

1.83 million
The number of flawed vehicles that were recalled in China last year as part of 85 auto recalls. The number of recalls was up 55 percent from a year earlier, according to data from the General Administration of Quality Supervision. China-made vehicles took the lion's share, making up 93.7 percent of all recalls.
China Internet Information Center

10 trillion yuan
The amount that various levels of government in China plan to invest into funding the alternative energy sector. The initial focus is on introducing trials for methanol-fueled cars in three regions this month. Other sectors of focus will be biotechnology and information technology.
China Daily