1. Making every attempt to guarantee that farmers increase their revenue and output

 

China is constantly enhancing the "price+subsidy+insurance" method to guarantee farmers' income from grain cultivation, thereby addressing the issue of growing grain production without corresponding increases in income. In light of the favorable circumstances surrounding this year's increase in grain production, we need to figure out how to guarantee that farmers boost their output and revenue, foster their passion for grain farming, and concentrate their efforts on field management in order to set the groundwork for a bumper harvest next year.

 

2. Firmly encouraging advanced technology independence and self-improvement

 

China has firmly supported advanced technical self-reliance and self-improvement from the start of this year, thoroughly implemented the innovation-driven development plan, and consistently increased the pace of innovation. A noticeable trend of digital, networked, and intelligent transformation in production has resulted from the widespread use of big data, artificial intelligence, and current information technology. It has also accelerated the formation of green production and lifestyle.

 

1. China's State Council on December 7 published an action plan to improve air quality amid the country's effort to promote high-quality economic development. Its goals are to reduce PM2.5 density in cities at the prefecture level and above by 10 percent by 2025, compared to the 2020 level; to control the proportion of days each year with heavy air pollution to 1 percent or less.

 

2. From Dec. 11, 2023 to Dec. 31, 2024, Chinese embassies and consulates abroad will implement a temporary measure, reducing visa fees to 75 percent of the current rates, according to a statement published on the Chinese Foreign Ministry's social media account, noting that after the implementation of managing COVID-19 as a Class B infectious disease on Jan. 8, 2023, the Chinese government has continued to optimize visa and entry policies for foreigners to promote people-to-people exchanges.

 

3. Recently, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council and the China Securities Regulatory Commission jointly released a notice on supporting green bond issuance by central enterprises. The notice focused on enhancing the financing support mechanism for green bonds and assisting central enterprises in achieving high-quality development and green, low-carbon transformation.

 

 

1. Data from the Ministry of Transport showed that the number of new energy vehicles in operation in China reached 1.64 million, among which 540,000 are new energy buses, 300,000 are new energy taxis, and 800,000 are new energy urban distribution vehicles.

 

2. As of December 8, the annual port freight volume of Inner Mongolia totaled 100.068 million tons, passing the mark of 100 million tons for the first time in history, the Department of Commerce of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region said. 

 

3. According to China Association of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, China’s small and medium-sized enterprise development index rose 0.2 percentage point in November. With confidence restored, the investment has been increasing in SMEs. 

 

4. China used a Long March 2D carrier rocket on the morning of December 10 to send satellites in the Yaogan 39 series into space, marking the 500th launch of the Long March family.

 

5. China's largest onshore wind power base started full-capacity production in Hinggan League of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on December 10, its operator China General Nuclear Corporation said. The 3 million-kilowatt wind power project is one of the country's first batch of large-scale wind and solar power bases planned for desert regions, with an annual electricity generation capacity of more than 10 billion kWh.

 

6. In 2023 China’s grain output reached a historic high to over 1.39 trillion jin, about 17.76 billion jin, or 1.3 percent, more than in 2022. The annual output has maintained more than 1.3 trillion jin for nine consecutive years, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

 

7. The Ministry of Finance issued yuan-denominated treasury bonds worth RMB 10 billion in Hong Kong on December 12 to institutional investors, including RMB 3 billion of two-year special bonds, RMB 3 billion of three-year bonds, and RMB 4 billion of five-year bonds. This is the 4th batch of yuan-denominated treasury bonds issued by the Ministry of Finance in Hong Kong this year, with the annual issuance of RMB 50 billion.

 

8. According to the Ministry of Water Resources, more than 67 billion cubic meters of water has been diverged since the operation of the first phase of the eastern route of the South-North Water Diversion Project started nine years ago.

 

9. China's contribution to global economic growth surpasses more than 30 percent in 2023, making it still a major growth engine in global economic development. China's exports maintain a little bit more than 14 percent of the international market share, and the number of auto exports will exceed 5 million, creating a new historical record.

 

10. According to China Center for Information Industry Development under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, China's generative artificial intelligence market is poised to exceed RMB 10 trillion this year.