Xi Stresses Enhancing Military Medical Capabilities to Support Army Victory
Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, President of the People's Republic of China, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, inspected Army Medical University on April 23. He emphasized the importance of facing the battlefield, facing the troops, and facing the future, striving to build a world-class military medical university. The officers and soldiers seriously studied and comprehended the spirit of his speech, stating that they would bear in mind the commander's encouragement and instructions, focus on military training and preparation, accelerate innovative development, comprehensively enhance medical support capabilities, and provide strong support for building a strong army and winning battles. During his inspection, Chairman Xi deeply understood the university's relevant situation and affirmed its construction and task completion. Army Medical University is a higher education institution of military medicine in China's armed forces and an important component of the entire military's medical support system. It has a glorious historical heritage and has successfully completed a series of major tasks in recent years, including medical support for military struggles and COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control. Modern warfare demands increasingly higher capabilities for frontline treatment, and strengthening the medical support capabilities of the armed forces is a realistic need for military preparedness. After in-depth study of Chairman Xi's important speech, military medical personnel stated that they must adhere to the fundamental direction of "all for fighting," closely align with the functional tasks undertaken by the troops, prioritize urgent battlefield needs and frontline applications, vigorously promote military medical scientific research and innovation, develop new treatment technologies, and continuously improve medical support capabilities. During the study and discussion, officers and soldiers discussed their understanding and experiences, and formulated ideas and measures around Chairman Xi's important instructions on strengthening various aspects of medical support, further establishing a clear orientation of serving the combat effectiveness of the troops and the physical and mental health of the officers and soldiers.
Wang Huning Meets Kuomintang Legislators Delegation
Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, met with a delegation of Kuomintang (KMT) public representatives led by Fu Kun-chi in Beijing on April 27. He stated that China will earnestly implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speeches, adhere to the One-China principle and the 1992 Consensus, resolutely oppose "Taiwan independence" separatist activities and external interference, continuously promote cross-Strait exchanges, cooperation, and integrated development, and work with Taiwan compatriots to seek peace for the two sides, welfare for compatriots, and rejuvenation for the nation. Wang Huning stated that compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to the same Chinese nation and should uphold national righteousness, working together to create national rejuvenation and share the glory of a prosperous era. We have always respected, cared for, and benefited Taiwan compatriots, and are willing to share the development opportunities of Chinese modernization with Taiwan compatriots and jointly create lasting well-being for the Chinese nation. He expressed hope that the KMT public representatives would play an active role in jointly promoting the development of cross-Strait relations. He also hoped that compatriots on both sides of the Strait, especially the younger generation, would participate more in cross-Strait exchanges to jointly create a beautiful future for cross-Strait relations.
Industrial Profits Continue Growth in Q1
The National Bureau of Statistics announced today (April 27) that with the continuous increase in the implementation of macro-policy combinations, market demand has gradually improved, and industrial production has rebounded, leading to continued growth in profits of industrial enterprises above designated size in the first quarter, and continued recovery in their operating revenue. In the first quarter, industrial enterprises above designated size nationwide achieved a total profit of 1505.53 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 4.3%. Their operating revenue reached 30.96 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 2.3%. Industrial enterprise profits maintained growth, and industrial enterprise operating revenue continued to recover. Nearly 70% of industries achieved profit growth. By category, manufacturing profits turned from a decline last year to a growth of 7.9%. Among them, profits in high-tech manufacturing achieved rapid growth, turning from a decline last year to a year-on-year increase of 29.1% in the first quarter, 24.8 percentage points higher than the profits of industrial enterprises above designated size. Equipment manufacturing played a "ballast" role in profit growth. In the first quarter, profits in equipment manufacturing increased by 18.0% year-on-year, an acceleration of 13.9 percentage points compared to the full year of last year. Profits in consumer goods manufacturing maintained rapid growth. With the in-depth implementation of policies to expand domestic demand and promote consumption, consumer demand continued to be released. In the first quarter, profits in consumer goods manufacturing turned from a decline last year to a year-on-year increase of 10.9%, providing strong support for the recovery and improvement of industrial enterprise profits.
Heilongjiang Strives for High-Quality Development and Revitalization
The State Council Information Office held a series of theme press conferences on "Promoting High-Quality Development" yesterday (April 26), where relevant officials from Heilongjiang Province introduced the situation. Heilongjiang insists on leading the comprehensive revitalization of industries with scientific and technological innovation. In 2023, the province transformed 589 major scientific and technological achievements, high-tech enterprises increased by 22.9%, newly registered enterprises grew by 14%, and total foreign trade import and export increased by 12.3%. In 2023, Heilongjiang's grain output was 155.76 billion jin, accounting for 11.2% of the national total, with its total output, commercial volume, and outbound volume all ranking first in the country. By thoroughly implementing the ten-million-ton grain increase plan, Heilongjiang aims to achieve a comprehensive grain production capacity of 180 billion jin by 2026, firmly acting as the "ballast stone" for national food security. In the first quarter of this year, Heilongjiang's investment in technological transformation increased by 43.9%. The province vigorously developed strategic emerging industries and forward-looking layouts for future industries, with the output value of high-end equipment, aerospace, electronic information, and other industries all achieving double-digit growth. In the next step, Heilongjiang will strengthen major scientific and technological breakthroughs, overcoming a batch of original and disruptive technologies in fields such as intelligent robots and life sciences; leverage its advantages as a major province for ice and snow sports to host the 9th Asian Winter Games with high quality; and accelerate the construction of an ice and snow economic highland, transforming "cold resources" into "hot economy."
Party Discipline Education Deepens Across Regions
In recent days, Shanghai, Tianjin, Fujian, Liaoning, Jilin, and other places have meticulously planned and deployed, seized key learning points, integrated Party discipline education into daily routines, and consistently promoted in-depth and practical Party discipline education. Shanghai formulated the "Shanghai Municipality Implementation Plan for Party Discipline Education," closely linking it to actual conditions and introducing 10 specific measures, including centralized study and discussion, organizing special studies, and focusing on leading by example. It also formulated the "Shanghai Municipality Work Schedule for Party Discipline Education," detailing 88 specific tasks. Tianjin held a training meeting, interpreting each of the 12 key tasks in 3 aspects of the "Plan" and clarifying requirements. All grassroots Party committees provided comprehensive guidance to their subordinate Party branches throughout the process. Currently, all 16 districts, 197 municipal departments, and municipal enterprises and institutions in Tianjin have fully launched their deployment. Fujian adheres to a combination of positive guidance and negative warnings, utilizing typical cases of serious disciplinary and legal violations that have been investigated, conducting warning education by category, field, and level to enhance its relevance and effectiveness, making Party members and cadres vigilant, clear about their bottom lines, and respectful of regulations. Liaoning, closely linked to its actual conditions, formulated a Party discipline education plan, carrying out Party discipline education through various forms such as special study meetings and reading classes, promoting the consciousness of Party members and cadres to abide by discipline, and ensuring the high-quality completion of all tasks. Jilin established a provincial Party discipline education working group, meticulously formulated an implementation plan, decomposed the provincial "Implementation Plan," clarified work measures, timeframes, and responsible persons, regularly conducted scheduling, and focused on publicity and guidance to create a strong learning atmosphere.
Spring Farming: Hexi Corridor Focuses on Modern Agricultural Water Management
The Hexi Corridor is a major grain-producing area in Gansu, characterized by perennial drought, where water has been a bottleneck for agricultural development. However, during this year's spring plowing, reporters found that farmers are no longer worried about water. How was this achieved? Upon entering the wheat fields of Hanzuo Town in Wuwei City, reporters noticed thin pipes running along the roots of the wheat, extending all the way to the field's edge. Liu Xuemei, the owner of the land, told reporters that this is a new technology they are applying this year: shallow-buried drip irrigation for wheat, which delivers precisely proportioned water and fertilizer at a low cost without affecting mechanical operations. The previous method involved significant waste due to extensive irrigation. For a long time, water resources in the Hexi Corridor have been unevenly distributed in space and time; excess water from upstream would flow away wasted, while insufficient water made it difficult to irrigate dispersed plots. These water accounts and electronic meters meticulously recorded the watering time and volume for each household. During spring irrigation, disputes over water accounts were endless between villagers and between villages. Since 2022, the local government has promoted the construction of high-standard farmland, gradually equipping it with reservoirs, integrated water and fertilizer pipelines, and power transmission and distribution facilities, laying the foundation for solving the drought and water shortage problems in the Hexi Corridor. This year, conditions are favorable for widespread adoption of shallow-buried drip irrigation for wheat, water and fertilizer separate control for corn-soybean intercropping, and green farming cycle irrigation. The water requirements for different crops, when to irrigate, and how much to irrigate are all controllable and adjustable. This year, approximately 100 cubic meters of water can be saved per mu of land here. Calculated this way, the 620,000 mu of high-standard farmland in Liangzhou District, Wuwei City, can save enough water to irrigate an additional 160,000 mu of farmland. With the water problem resolved, farmers now have more choices, from previously only being able to plant wheat and corn to intercropping soybeans with corn, from only planting drought-resistant food crops to planting cash crops such as celery and plateau summer vegetables, and from one crop per year to two or three crops per year, widening the path for increased income for the people.
Dongfeng Landing Site Ready for Shenzhou-17 Astronauts' Return
According to plan, the Shenzhou-17 astronaut crew will return to the Dongfeng landing site on April 30. Yesterday afternoon (April 26), the landing site command organized a final full-system comprehensive exercise involving all search and rescue forces to prepare for the astronauts' return. The Shenzhou-17 search and rescue mission adopts a "air search and rescue for astronauts, ground handling for the return capsule" mode. During the exercise, the Beijing Center reported the coordinates of the return capsule's landing point. All systems at the landing site closely collaborated, with more than 10 search and rescue teams, 5 helicopters, and nearly a hundred vehicles and equipment, including command vehicles, search vehicles, medical monitoring and rescue vehicles, and disposal vehicles, mobilizing to the landing point in multiple routes. The airborne search and rescue detachment precisely landed around the return capsule and carried out relevant procedures according to plan. Currently, all search and rescue forces and equipment at the Dongfeng landing site are in good condition and ready to perform the search and rescue mission. The Shenzhou-17 astronaut crew has completed all preparations before departure.
Chang'e-6 Mission Rocket-Probe Assembly Completes Vertical Transfer
Reporters learned from the China National Space Administration today (April 27) that the Chang'e-6 mission's spacecraft and rocket assembly completed its vertical transfer today and is scheduled for launch in early May when conditions permit. Next, Chang'e-6 will proceed with various functional checks, joint tests, propellant fueling, and other preparations as planned.
Chengdu World Horticultural Expo: International Guests Praise China's Green Development Achievements
The 2024 Chengdu International Horticultural Exposition (Expo) opened on April 26, with over 280 foreign guests from more than 50 countries and international organizations attending. Guests from various countries stated that China's achievements in green development are remarkable and set an example for the world. The Chengdu Expo features a total of 113 outdoor exhibition gardens, including 39 international gardens and 74 domestic gardens. As the host, the Chengdu Garden is the largest exhibition garden in the main venue, and its unique Western Sichuan garden landscape attracted many guests to visit. This Expo not only brings together Chinese natural landscape gardens but also incorporates global garden styles such as Italian terraced gardens, French courtly gardens, and British naturalistic gardens, creating a grand event in the field of world floriculture and horticulture. The Chengdu Expo integrates the concept of green development throughout its venue planning and park operations. Foreign guests showed strong interest in the technologically advanced new technologies and equipment in the exhibition gardens. Several foreign guests stated that through the Chengdu Expo, they saw that the Chinese government attaches great importance to ecological environmental protection, promoting ecological civilization construction and following the path of green development from top-level design to scientific planning and institutional guarantees, which is rare in the world. China's ongoing "Three-North" Shelterbelt Program is creating new miracles in desertification control.
135th Canton Fair Phase Two Concludes Today
The second phase of the 135th Canton Fair concluded today (April 27). As of now, the current Canton Fair has hosted 216 "Trade Bridge" global supply and demand matchmaking events, attracting more than 340 buyers and over 1,000 suppliers for "one-on-one" discussions, with an intended procurement amount of approximately 250 million US dollars. Since its opening, 191,900 overseas purchasers from 214 countries and regions have participated offline, an increase of 22.1% compared to the same period of the previous session. The third phase of the 135th Canton Fair will be held from May 1 to May 5, with over 11,000 enterprises participating offline, focusing on exhibiting five major sectors: toys and maternity & baby products, fashion, home textiles, stationery, and health & leisure.
Domestic News Briefs
2024 Central Government Subsidy Funds for People in Need Allocated. The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Civil Affairs on April 26 allocated over 154.6 billion yuan in central government subsidy funds for people in need in 2024, to be used for basic living allowances, assistance and support for extremely poor individuals, temporary assistance, assistance for vagrants and beggars, and basic living allowances for orphans. These subsidy funds are managed as direct funds, with appropriate倾斜 towards poverty-stricken areas and key national rural revitalization counties. Ministry of Public Security Deploys Special Action to Combat Insurance Fraud. Reporters learned from the Ministry of Public Security that from late April to late November, the Ministry of Public Security will launch a special action to combat insurance fraud in conjunction with the National Financial Regulatory Administration. It is understood that since 2021, public security economic investigation departments nationwide have solved nearly 2,000 insurance fraud cases and dismantled nearly 600 criminal gangs. Ministry of Education and Other Departments Deploy Special Action for Student Bullying Prevention. The Ministry of Education, in conjunction with the Ministry of Public Security and the National Fire and Rescue Administration, recently deployed safety work for primary and secondary schools and kindergartens this year, which will include an in-depth special action for student bullying prevention, strengthening educational disciplinary measures, improving accountability mechanisms, and regularly conducting legal education and special training on student bullying prevention for teachers, students, and parents. Chihuang High-Speed Railway Officially Opens. The Chihuang High-Speed Railway was completed and opened to traffic yesterday (April 26). The Chihuang High-Speed Railway starts from Chizhou Station in Anhui and ends at Yixian East Station in Huangshan, with a main line length of 125 kilometers and a design speed of 350 kilometers per hour. After its opening, it will connect famous national tourist attractions such as Mount Jiuhua and Huangshan Scenic Area, further promoting the development of tourism resources along the line. Asia's First Cylindrical Offshore Oil and Gas Processing Plant Completed. Yesterday (April 26), "Haikui No. 1," Asia's first cylindrical offshore oil and gas processing plant independently designed and built by China, was completed in Qingdao, Shandong. It is a new type of offshore equipment integrating crude oil production, storage, and external transportation functions, with a maximum oil storage capacity of 60,000 tons. Once completed, it can process approximately 5,600 tons of crude oil daily. 2024 China Health Science and Technology Innovation and Discipline Construction Conference Held in Hangzhou. Today (April 27), the 2024 China Health Science and Technology Innovation and Discipline Construction Conference and the Chinese Modernization Hospital High-Quality Development Conference were held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. The conference, themed "Brave Innovation, High Quality, Leading the Tide," brought together experts to discuss new trends and developments in scientific and technological innovation and discipline construction. 2024 Suzhou Global Investment Promotion Conference Signs 367 Projects. The 2024 Suzhou Global Investment Promotion Conference was held on April 26, with over 400 Fortune Global 500 companies participating. At the conference, 367 projects were signed, with a total investment of 372 billion yuan, covering new energy, high-end equipment, advanced materials, biomedicine, and the big health industry, among others. The 14th Beijing International Film Festival Closes, "Tiantan Award" Announced. The 14th Beijing International Film Festival, co-hosted by China Media Group and the Beijing Municipal People's Government, closed last night (April 26), and the "Tiantan Award" for ten categories was announced. "Walk, Don't Run" directed by Long Fei won Best Feature Film; Fan Wei and Mia Melzer won Best Actor and Best Actress, respectively. This year's "Tiantan Award" received 1,509 film submissions from 118 countries and regions, setting a new record. First Batch of Observation Images from Einstein Probe Satellite Released. Today (April 27), the Chinese Academy of Sciences released the first batch of 11 in-orbit detection images from the Einstein Probe satellite, including observations of celestial bodies near the Milky Way's center and observations of the supermassive black hole M87. The satellite was launched on January 9 this year and is primarily used to capture more distant and transient celestial burst phenomena in the universe.
Israel, Egypt Hold Talks; Hamas Studying Latest Israeli Response
According to Israeli media reports, Israeli officials held talks with an Egyptian delegation of mediators in Tel Aviv on April 26. The discussions mainly focused on a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip and Israel's impending ground offensive in Rafah. The reports stated that Israel informed the Egyptian side that it was prepared to give both sides "one last chance" to reach an agreement before the Rafah offensive. Khalil al-Hayya, a senior official of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), issued a statement today (April 27) saying that Hamas had received the latest Israeli response regarding the exchange of detainees and a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, and would reply after studying the content. According to Al Jazeera, Hamas stated in a statement on April 26 that Hamas's position on a permanent ceasefire and the demand for Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip would not change. Israel continued airstrikes on multiple targets in the Gaza Strip. According to Palestinian media reports on April 26, Israeli warplanes bombed Gaza City in the northern Gaza Strip and central Gaza Strip that day, killing at least 10 people and injuring many. US military claims strikes on Yemen Houthi targets; Houthis claim downing of US drone. The US Central Command stated on April 26 that US forces destroyed an unmanned surface vessel and a drone in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen on April 25. The Yemeni Houthi movement claimed early on April 27 that it had shot down a US MQ-9 drone over Saada province in Yemen.
Yen Depreciation Against Dollar Accelerates, Breaks 158:1
The Bank of Japan's monetary policy meeting on April 26 decided to maintain its current monetary policy, leading to a continued depreciation of the Japanese yen against the US dollar. It has now fallen below the 158 yen to 1 dollar level, once again hitting a 34-year low. Analysis indicates that since March, the weakening expectation of interest rate cuts by the US Federal Reserve, leading to a stronger US dollar, is the main reason driving the depreciation of the yen against the dollar, while the Bank of Japan's continued low-interest rate policy has exacerbated the yen's depreciation trend. Furthermore, Japanese media, citing industry insiders, pointed out that if the Japanese government does not take foreign exchange intervention measures, the yen-dollar exchange rate may short-term fall below the 160 yen to 1 dollar level.
International News Briefs
Russia claims striking Ukrainian military train; Ukraine claims hitting Russian radar. The Russian Ministry of Defense stated on April 26 that Russian forces struck a Ukrainian military train carrying Western weapons and equipment in the Donetsk direction. Russian air defense systems shot down 193 Ukrainian drones and multiple rockets and guided aerial bombs in one day, and launched strikes on Ukrainian personnel and equipment in over 100 areas. Ukraine's Defense Intelligence Directorate stated today (April 27) that in an operation, it hit a new type of Russian radar system. The previous day, Ukrainian forces repelled multiple Russian attacks in directions such as the left bank of the Dnieper River. Paris Olympic Flame Handover Completed in Athens. On April 26, the Paris Olympic flame was officially handed over by the Hellenic Olympic Committee to the Paris Organizing Committee at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, the capital of Greece. The Olympic flame departed from Greece by ship today (April 27) for France and is expected to arrive at the port of Marseille, France, on May 8, beginning the torch relay within France until it ignites the main cauldron at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics on July 26. US Midwest Hit by Tornadoes; Approximately 20 Million People Affected. On April 26, multiple areas in the US Midwest, including Iowa and Nebraska, were hit by tornadoes, and both states have declared a state of emergency. In Omaha, Nebraska, tornadoes damaged hundreds of homes and buildings, caused power outages for nearly 10,000 users, and resulted in injuries. In the Waverly area of the same state, a tornado caused a train to derail several cars. The US National Weather Service has issued tornado warnings for parts of Kansas, Missouri, and other states, stating that approximately 20 million people will be affected by the severe weather.