China sees 45 pct surge in border crossings during Dragon Boat Festival holiday

06 12, 2024

BEIJING, June 11 (Xinhua) -- China saw a significant increase in travel activity during the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday. A total of 5.75 million entry and exit trips were recorded, representing a 45 percent year-on-year increase, according to data released by the National Immigration Administration on Tuesday.Of these trips, nearly 2.47 million were made by Chinese mainland residents, 2.78 million by residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and 507,000 by foreign nationals.The Dragon Boat Festival, a prominent traditional holiday in China, takes place on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar. This year, it was celebrated on June 10. With the holiday following a weekend, people were able to enjoy a three-day break spanning from June 8 to 10.Notice: the passage is transformed from Xinhua just for information sharing.As any content here violates your intellectual property right and other lawful rights, please contact us, and we will delete related content.

Experts laud plan for carbon reduction

05 31, 2024

The carbon reduction action plan released by the State Council on Wednesday signals a clear energy-saving roadmap and timeline, experts said on Thursday.They highlighted that the relaxation of the requirement on the utilization rate of new energy may create about 74 gigawatts of new installations, bringing multiple benefits to key sectors.The National Development and Reform Commission, China's top economic regulator, said that despite the significant progress made in advancing energy-saving technologies and carbon reduction, China's green transition is behind schedule for 2021-25, due to factors like the COVID-19 pandemic, making the task of meeting the binding targets essential this year and the next.The plan outlines that by the end of this year, energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP should decrease by around 2.5 percent and 3.9 percent, respectively.Non-fossil energy is expected to weigh around 18.9 percent in total energy consumption by the end of this year, with key industries expected to achieve energy savings equivalent to about 50 million metric tons of standard coal and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 130 million tons.By 2025, the proportion of non-fossil energy consumption should increase to about 20 percent of the total mix, the plan said."The plan demonstrates China's strong commitment to a green transition despite challenges," said Jin Li, vice-president of the Southern University of Science and Technology. "It highlights several key issues to be addressed, including optimizing the energy structure, upgrading industries and transforming energy consumption patterns. It calls for dealing with problems like reliance on fossil fuels, low energy efficiency and outdated production methods and technologies in some industries."To tackle these problems, the plan proposes specific solutions, including reducing fossil fuel consumption, increasing non-fossil energy use and implementing energy-saving and carbon-reduction actions in energy-intensive industries like steel, petrochemicals, construction and transportation. It also calls for refining policies and increasing financial support to facilitate China's green transition."This action plan signals further development opportunities for sectors like decarbonization of fossil fuels, new energy, energy storage, environmental protection, green buildings and electric vehicles," Jin said.Lin Boqiang, head of the China Institute for Studies in Energy Policy at Xiamen University, echoed this sentiment. "The increasing share of new-energy installations already had a substantial impact on the grid due to its volatility and instability. Recent favorable policies are actively promoting the consumption of new-energy electricity, which will drive the development of multiple segments like energy storage and green power trading."China Galaxy Securities analysts said that the action plan's stipulation that the utilization rate of new energy should be lowered from 95 percent to 90 percent in resource-rich areas, could create about 74 GW of new-energy installation space. They predicted that this demand could potentially increase China's photovoltaic installation scale in 2024-25.The plan offers guidelines on healthier industry development by raising the entry requirement of new nonferrous metal projects. The analysts said low-quality silicon production capacities may be gradually eliminated, benefiting companies with cost and technology advantages in silicon materials and batteries.Zhou Mi, a senior researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, said emission reductions need a stable mechanism that allows various industries to improve energy efficiency and also gain benefits from the process.Beyond the new-energy sector, the application of low-carbon technologies in high-energy-consuming sectors like green buildings will also see broad development opportunities.Charlie Zheng, chief economist at Samoyed Cloud Technology Group, said, "Under higher energy-efficiency and environmental standards, small-scale steel, cement and nonferrous projects may be gradually phased out, thus driving the upgrade of industry equipment manufacturing."Notice: the passage is transferred from China Daily just for information sharing.As any content here violates your intellectual property right and other lawful rights, please contact us, and we will delete related content.

China's top market regulator releases 40 measures to improve business environment

05 29, 2024

China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) on Wednesday unveiled 40 measures to optimize business environment, promote internationalization of China's vast market, in order to attract more foreign investment.The SAMR officially released the draft Key Measures for Market Regulation Departments to Optimize the Business Environment 2024 Edition, which contains 10 sections and 40 specific measures for public comment.The move is aimed at implementing the latest Chinese government directives on improving the business environment to reach international standards, the regulator said.SAMR pledged to continue enhancing the registration management of foreign-invested enterprises by refining the registration system and streamlining notarization and certification procedures.It vowed to enforce the Special Administrative Measures for Foreign Investment Access (Negative List) and introduce new guidelines to help foreign-invested enterprises adjust their organizational structure, and enhancing the foreign-invested enterprise data management platform for better data analysis.SAMR said China will unwaveringly promote high-level opening-up, proactively respond to the requirements made by foreign businesses, and create a more attractive investment environment.The move came as China has prioritized optimizing the business environment. Previously, many localities in China have actively responded by improving the cross-border business environment, and collaboratively promoting high-quality opening-up of China's market.Central China's Henan province launched a pilot reform for electronic guarantees of cross-border e-commerce import taxes in April, significantly boosting customs clearance efficiency. Cross-border enterprises can now apply online for electronic guarantees, speeding up the process and expanding their development space within the province, Chinese media has reported.Also in South China's Hainan province, the local government introduced an action plan to enhance the international business environment on May 23, aimed at simplifying registration for foreign investors, increasing financial and tax support, and implementing tax deferrals on reinvested profits. It also announces to build a robust digital trade environment and align key sectors like finance, transportation, health, and medical care with international standards.Additionally, SAMR plans to deepen international cooperation, focusing on anti-monopoly issues and aligning with high-standard international trade rules to promote fair market competition. The regulation emphasizes the importance of standards in expanding high-quality opening-up, supporting foreign enterprises in participating in standards setting, and promoting Chinese standards globally.Notice: the passage is transformed from Global Times just for information sharing.As any content here violates your intellectual property right and other lawful rights, please contact us, and we will delete related content.

China Focus: China's tourism consumption features technology, individuality, integration | News from Xinhua

05 24, 2024

BEIJING, May 24 (Xinhua) -- With the continuous upgrading of domestic tourism consumption demand, China's tourism market continues to thrive with growing investment confidence.During this year's May Day holiday, 295 million domestic trips were made in China with a 7.6 percent increase year on year. Domestic tourist expenditures amounted to 166.89 billion yuan (about 23.47 billion U.S. dollars), up 12.7 percent from the same period in 2023.A report released by the China Tourism Academy (CTA) showed confidence index in culture and tourism investment sectors during the first half of this year went up by 3.7 percent from the previous period to 144.1.Application of technologies, along with the preference for county-level travel and integration of culture and tourism, is shaping new trends in consumer experiences.SMART TOURISMDriven by new technologies, smart tourism has become a buzzword in China's tourism industry, captivating travelers across the country and beyond.In the Shougang Park of Beijing, tourists line up to enjoy immersive experiences through entertainment equipment empowered by 5G, extended reality (XR), and virtual reality (VR) technologies.The park, transformed from a former steel mill, now embraces its rebirth. By combining characteristic real scenes and lighting, as well as technologies such as AR and VR, immersive experiences in the park are creating a new kind of tourism consumption scene.The Shanghai Astronomy Museum, a popular tourist spot, offers wonderful immersive universe adventures through XR, 3D movies and so on by visualizing obscure astronomical data.During this year's May Day holiday, the first batch of smart tourism immersive experience venues released by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism attracted more than 4.3 million visits, with consumption topping 220 million yuan.Dai Bin, president of the CTA, said that with accelerated application of 5G, artificial intelligence, big data, VR and other new technologies in culture and tourism, the industry is demonstrating broad prospects for quality development.COUNTY CRAZEChinese tourists' growing preference for niche destinations and experiences has unleashed huge potential of the country's numerous lesser-known travel spots.On social media platform Xiaohongshu, tourists have uploaded over 380,000 posts about their county-level travels, showcasing county travel craze among the platform's mostly young users.In general, tourists visit counties for a bite of their local specialities, simply seeking spiritual tranquility, or checking on their special tourism IPs.Rongjiang County of Guizhou Province, for example, attracted more than 400,000 visitors as the birthplace of the Village Super League, grossing a tourism income of over 400 million yuan.Similarly, tourists flocked to Zibo, Shandong Province, last year for its barbecue food. This year, they turned to Tianshui, Gansu Province, for Malatang, the numbing-spicy hotpot. Prior to that, both of these two places became internet hits for the food.Li Xue, researcher at the CTA, said counties not only boast beautiful landscapes but also offer quality living space, which constitute the core competitiveness of county-level tourism.INTEGRATION OF CULTURE, TOURISMIntegration of culture and tourism enriches travel experiences by combining cultural heritage, traditions and local flavors with tourism development.In Chaozhou, Guangdong Province, visitors savor traditional local delicacies like beef balls, crispy pancakes, and sugar paintings at a special market where they can also interact with local food artisans.In Ordos, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, visitors can not only buy soft and exquisite cashmere products, a popular souvenir, but also engage in hands-on activities to decode their production process.The CTA predicted that over 6 billion domestic trips will be made in China this year, generating tourism income of 6 trillion yuan, highlighting the vibrant prospects of technology-enabled tourism featuring integration with culture and more personalized choices of destinations.Dai said changes in tourist consumption demands are forcing the industry to focus on improving modern tourism system and promote its quality development.Notice: the passage is transformed from Xinhua just for information sharing.As any content here violates your intellectual property right and your other lawful rights, please contact us, and we will delete related content.

The 20th ICIF Held in Shenzhen

05 24, 2024

SHENZHEN, May 23 (Xinhua) -- The 20th China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair (ICIF) opened on Thursday in the southern Chinese metropolis of Shenzhen.For the first time, the five-day event has set up an international cultural trade exhibition, with an exhibition area covering 20,000 square meters.The main venue of the fair is at the Shenzhen World Exhibition and Convention Center. It consists of eight pavilions focused on areas such as the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area's cultural industry innovation, the integration of culture and tourism, gaming and e-sports, and Guochao, also known as Chinese trends or "China chic".A special exhibition of "Cultural and Creative China" has been set up at the fair to showcase the latest achievements in promoting the creative transformation and innovative development of fine traditional Chinese culture.According to the organizers, the 20th ICIF, held offline and online simultaneously, has attracted over 6,000 government entities, cultural organizations and enterprises, with more than 120,000 exhibits on display.More than 300 overseas exhibitors from 60 countries and regions are participating in the fair.Established in 2004, the fair has become a leading cultural event in China and an important platform to assist the Chinese culture in going global.Notice: the passage is transformed from Xinhua just for information sharing.As any content here violates your intellectual property right and your other lawful rights, please contact us, and we will delete related content.

China's industrial output up 6.7 pct in April | News from Xinhua

05 17, 2024

BEIJING, May 17 (Xinhua) -- China's value-added industrial output, an important economic indicator, went up 6.7 percent year on year in April, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed Friday.The growth accelerated 2.2 percentage points from March, NBS spokesperson Liu Aihua told a press conference.On a monthly basis, industrial output edged up 0.97 percent in April from the previous month.From January to April, industrial output rose 6.3 percent year on year, 0.2 percentage points higher than that from January to March.The industrial output is used to measure the activity of enterprises each with an annual main business turnover of at least 20 million yuan (about 2.82 million U.S. dollars).Notice: the passage is transformed from Xinhua just for information sharing.As any content here violates your intellectual property right and other lawful rights, please contact us, and we will delete related content.

News from Xinhua | Update: China sees nearly 300 mln domestic tourist trips during May Day holiday

05 07, 2024

BEIJING, May 6 (Xinhua) -- China saw about 295 million domestic tourist trips during the five-day May Day holiday that ended Sunday, up 7.6 percent year on year and 28.2 percent from the same period in 2019, data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism showed Monday.Domestic tourist expenditure during the period totaled 166.89 billion yuan (about 23.51 billion U.S. dollars), up 13.5 percent from the same period in 2019.Culture and tourism were deeply intertwined during the holiday, with popular destinations such as the Palace Museum, Sanxingdui Museum, and Yinxu Museum attracting a large number of visitors.The nighttime economy was also thriving, with monitored national-level nighttime cultural and tourism destinations recording nearly 72.58 million visitors, an increase of 6.9 percent year on year.With the resumption of more air routes, the introduction of measures for facilitating passengers' entry, and the increase in the number of countries with visa exemption agreements, inbound and outbound tourism have been recovering rapidly, according to the ministry.China saw nearly 1.78 million inbound tourist trips and 1.9 million outbound tourist trips made during the holiday. Notice: the passage is transformed from Xinhua just for information sharing.As any content here violates your intellectual property rights and other lawful rights, please contact us, and we will delete related content.

China offered 3,030,000 new urban jobs in the first quarter of 2024

04 24, 2024

Recent data from Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security of PRC showed that China offered 3,030,000 new urban jobs in the first quarter of 2024. The goal being to create 12 million jobs in urban areas, has been completed by one fourth. In March, China’s urban unemployment rate stood at 5.2%. The economy kept on a steady and stable trajectory.Chen Feng, a spokesman of Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security expressed that in the near future, the related authorities would perfect the employment-promotion mechanism, from an effective working system to increase employment, urge to create more jobs in advanced manufacturing industry, and formulate new policies to assist the unemployed and the employers and to stabilize employment. They would formulate and perfect a series of policies to secure the employment of the concerned groups, to help the graduates find suitable jobs, and to sponsor the graduates in need, while making efforts to carry out 2024 “San Zhi Yi Fu” Plan advocating taking up community-level posts in education, agriculture, health care and poverty relief. Great importance would be attached to vocational training, to meet the demands for talents specialized in advanced manufacturing, modern services, elderly care and many other sectors. Meanwhile, employment-promotion services would also be improved, with various forms of employment-promotion activities, like livestreaming recruitment, being held.Text Reference: Xinhua News Agency Notice: here, we respect your intellectual property right and your other lawful rights. As any content here violates your lawful right, please contact us, and we will delete related content.

China’s GDP = 29.6299 trillion yuan (in the first quarter of 2024)

04 16, 2024

China National Bureau of Statistics released related data on April 16 and showed that China’s GDP of the first quarter reached 29.6299 trillion yuan according to the preliminary calculation, increasing by 5.3% year on year and by 1.6% as compared with the fourth quarter of last year, while being calculated at constant price.Text reference: People’s DailyNotice: here, we respect your intellectual property right and your other legitimate rights. As any content here violates your legitimate right, please contact us, and we will delete related content.