No region or ethnic group should be left behind in China's drive to build a moderately prosperous society by 2020, President Xi Jinping said during a tour of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. Xi spent three days in Ningxia, a less developed area with a high concentration of ethnic minorities in northwest China. He called on local officials to implement the central authorities' policies and national development strategies to achieve economic prosperity and unity among ethnic groups. Xi, who is also General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, went to Guyuan City and Yinchuan City in Ningxia, home to many Chinese Muslims and people from the Hui ethnic minority group. Xi visited villages, enterprises, a mosque, and a revolutionary education base, studying the implementation of economic and social development and poverty relief work.
Source: Xinhua News Agency, July 20, 2016
From the south to the north, with record-breaking downpours, flooding, landslides and loss of lives, China is coping with a seemingly endless string of extreme weather conditions and disasters this summer. And it is bracing for more. President Xi Jinping has called for the nation to be fully prepared for the huge floods that are expected along some of the country's major rivers. The president's call was made on Wednesday as China's vast and drought-prone northern regions were hit by the strongest downpours this year, triggering floods and landslides that killed 13 people and left 62 missing. Livelihoods of 1.73 million people in 131 counties of six provinces were affected, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
Source: China Daily, July 21, 2016
Evaluation of 20 big cities included proximity to buses, density of network Shanghai municipality and Xiamen, Fujian province, have been ranked as the most developed and convenient cities for public transportation, according to a report issued by amap.com on Tuesday. Twenty big cities were evaluated based on factors such as the number of bus stops and subway stations, trip cost, the total number of bus and subway lines and the density of the public transportation network. Shenzhen, Guangdong province, was next in the rankings, while Beijing was ranked fifth. Chongqing came in last, according to the Public Transport Report of Big Chinese Cities in the First Half of 2016, compiled by map and navigation service provider amap.com.
Source: China Daily, July 21, 2016
China on July 20 urged the US Republican Party to stop groundless accusations against China and interference in China's domestic affairs. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang made the remarks when asked to comment on the 2016 platform adopted at the Republican National Convention on July 18 which contains accusations about China on issues related to Taiwan, Tibet, trade and the South China Sea. "All political parties in the United States should view China's development in an objective and rational manner and correctly understand the issues that emerge in bilateral ties," Lu said. "We hope relevant parties stop their groundless accusations against China and interference in China's domestic affairs and contribute more to bilateral trust and cooperation," Lu added.
Source: Xinhua News Agency, July 20, 2016
China’s Premier Li Keqiang will host “roundtable” talks with the heads of major international finance and trade organisations in Beijing on Friday on topics including economic growth, reform and financial matters, the Foreign Ministry said. The unprecedented meeting — the day before Saturday’s Group of 20 meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu — will provide a platform for Li to assure the world that China’s economic growth is fine. The “6+1” roundtable meeting, which has never been arranged before, also underlines Beijing’s ambitions to expand its influence in multilateral institutions.
Source: South China Morning Post, July 19, 2016
The 26th round of bilateral investment talks between the US and China was held in Beijing from July 11 to 17, the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) announced Sunday.
The two sides made progress in solving problems involved in the treaty and deeply discussed the revised "negative list" of sectors that was submitted in June, said a statement on the MOFCOM website.
Source: The Global Times, July 17, 2016
A new Asia Development Bank (ADB) report said China is "on track to meet earlier growth projections" of 6.5 percent for 2016 and 6.3 percent for 2017 despite weak global prospects and Brexit. In East Asia, growth forecasts are unchanged at 5.7 percent in 2016 and 5.6 percent in 2017, with China, the world's second largest economy, on track to meet projected growth of 6.5 percent in 2016 and 6.3 percent in 2017, the Manila-based bank said in a statement. To support its targets, it said the Chinese government is expected to continue using fiscal and monetary stimulus measures. The statement also said that growth in Asia and the Pacific's developing economies for 2016 and 2017 "will remain solid as firm performances from South Asia, East Asia and Southeast Asia help offset softness from the US economy, and near-term market shocks from the Brexit vote." In a supplement to its Asian Development Outlook 2016 report, released last March, ADB now forecasts 2016 growth for the developing economies at 5.6 percent, below its previous projection of 5.7 percent.
Source: Xinhua News Agency, July 18, 2016
Fewer Chinese cities reported gains in new house prices in June, amid an expansion in curbs among second-tier cities to cool the market. Prices of new houses last month rose in 55 of the 70 cities tracked by the National Bureau of Statistics, down from 60 cities reporting gains in May. Prices fell in 10 cities, compared to only four that reported declines a month ago. Prices were unchanged in five cities in June, the bureau said. Home price growth in China’s first-tier cities, along with some second-tier cities, peaked in the first few months of the year, supported by government easing measures.
Source: South China Morning Post, July 18, 2016
More than 1900 suspects have been detained in a crackdown by Chinese authorities against crimes involving illegal obtainment of citizens' private information. During the campaign, which began in April, police nationwide have handled over 750 related criminal cases, seized more than 23 billion pieces of private information and deleted over 352,000 pieces of illegal information, the Ministry of Public Security said Wednesday. The campaign has also seen the closure of more than 610 websites and online programs, the ministry added. Illegally obtaining and selling private information of citizens, including their identities, phone numbers, home addresses, bank and social network account information and passwords as well as shopping records, have led to surging telecom scams, cyber fraud and blackmail in China in recent years.
Source: Xinhua News Agency, July 20, 2016
The Chinese government on July 20 decided to officially implement a five-year plan for technological innovation to help foster new engines for a slowing economy. Approved at an executive conference of the State Council, the plan, which maps out technological improvement from 2016 to 2020, will facilitate the rise of new economies and propel ongoing economic upgrades, said a statement released after the meeting. A series of major projects will be launched in quantum communication and precision medicine, while disruptive innovation can be expected in the seed industry, clean coal, 5G technology and smart robots.
Source: Xinhua News Agency, July 20, 2016
China plans to expand its current high-speed rail system into a network of 16 rail corridors by 2030, under a program that serves the dual purpose of providing better transport services for China's 1.3 billion people while also spending hundreds of billions of dollars to support the economy. The envisioned high-speed rail grid will consist of eight north-south and eight east-west corridors, and will be completed in 15 years, Fei Zhirong, head of the infrastructure department of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China's state planner, said at a press conference on July 20. When complete, the grid will total 45,000 kilometers in length and connect all provincial capitals and cities of more than 500,000 with high-speed rail service, he said.
Source: Caixin, July 21, 2016
Stefan Rau, Green infrastructure minimises flood risk, China Daily, July 21, 2016
Wang Yiqing, Speeches a good image campaign for universities, China Daily, July 21, 2016
Pravakar Sahoo, How China's G20 presidency affects India and the world, DailO, July 20, 2016
McDaniel Wicker, Only America Can Keep a China-India War from Erupting, The National Interest, July 19, 2016
Peter Guy, China tech is going to change the world – or mire the industry in a sea of useless junk, South China Morning Post, July 17, 2016
Protect the food chain by voting with your wallets, South China Morning Post, July 18, 2016
China on track for stable economic growth, transformation, People’s Daily, July 18, 2016
The views expressed above belong to the author(s). ORF research and analyses now available on Telegram! Click here to access our curated content — blogs, longforms and interviews.
PREV
