Xi Jinping Departs Beijing for APEC Summit in Lima, State Visit to Peru
On the morning of November 13, President Xi Jinping left Beijing by special plane at the invitation of Peruvian President Dina Boluarte to attend the 31st APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Lima and pay a state visit to Peru. Accompanying President Xi on the visit were Cai Qi, Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, and Wang Yi, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Anchoring Modernization and Deepening Reform: Leading Modern Industrial System Construction with Sci-Tech Innovation
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that we must promptly apply scientific and technological innovation achievements to specific industries and industrial chains, transform and upgrade traditional industries, cultivate and expand emerging industries, plan and build future industries, and improve a modernized industrial system. The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China further made systematic arrangements for building an institutional mechanism to support comprehensive innovation. Currently, various localities and departments are introducing a series of policy measures to promote the integrated development of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation, and accelerate the construction of a modern industrial system that is complete, advanced, and secure. In Hefei, Anhui, there are four of the most advanced large scientific facilities. Although these basic research efforts are still underway, reporters have found their traces in a series of the latest industrial applications. This newly developed power lithium battery separator can significantly increase the range of new energy vehicles, with the technology relying on the synchrotron radiation light source large scientific facility. As of now, Hefei's large scientific facilities have generated 176 derivative technological achievements, giving rise to more than 20 high-tech enterprises. Leading the construction of a modern industrial system with scientific and technological innovation was the top priority of the 2024 economic work deployed at the Central Economic Work Conference at the end of last year. Since the beginning of this year, when General Secretary Xi Jinping inspected various localities, he has always deployed and promoted the integrated development of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation based on the local industrial foundation. In Hunan, General Secretary Xi Jinping requested the locality to strengthen the dominant position of enterprises in scientific and technological innovation, promote the deep integration of innovation chains, industrial chains, capital chains, and talent chains, and accelerate the transformation of scientific and technological achievements into real productive forces. In Chongqing, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that Chongqing has a good manufacturing foundation and abundant scientific, educational, and talent resources, and should focus on building a modern industrial system with advanced manufacturing as its backbone. Not long ago, when General Secretary Xi Jinping inspected Anhui, he visited Hefei Binhu Science City, listened to reports on local efforts to promote scientific and technological system and mechanism innovation and accelerate the transformation of scientific and technological achievements, and once again emphasized the need to accelerate scientific and technological innovation and industrial transformation and upgrading. Guided by problems, a series of reform measures are being implemented at an accelerated pace. To improve the application level of scientific and technological achievements in traditional industries, various localities are promoting new technologies and products based on local conditions. In regions with a high proportion of traditional industries, such as Shandong and Shanxi, efforts are being accelerated to promote large-scale equipment renewal and technological transformation. In Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and other places, the digital economy innovation and quality improvement project is being accelerated, continuously promoting the integration of digital and real economies. In Chongqing, Liaoning, and other major manufacturing hubs, "one chain, one policy" is being formulated to connect the application links of upstream and downstream innovative technologies in the industrial chain and accelerate the filling of shortcomings. The latest data shows that in the first three quarters of this year, investment in technological transformation in China's manufacturing industry increased by 9.5%, driving the accelerated transformation and upgrading of traditional industries. To solve the problem of scaling up from "1" to "100" after technological breakthroughs in emerging industries, China recently successively launched construction plans for manufacturing pilot platforms and new material pilot platforms, promoting the faster transition of new technologies from laboratories to factories. At a new material pilot base in Shenzhen, reporters saw that it is not only equipped with professional teams and equipment but also provides comprehensive support for resident enterprises, including raw material preparation, process verification, and environmental assessment. Currently, the base has attracted and nurtured 16 specialized and new new-material enterprises, breaking through the mass production challenges of a batch of the latest technologies in the electronic information industry, such as optical films and polymer composite materials. In addition, around the innovative cultivation of future industries, various localities are also accelerating the promotion of original breakthroughs from "0" to "1". Not long ago, the main detector construction of the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory, a large scientific facility in China's basic research field, entered its final stage. At the same time, the National Bio-manufacturing Industry Innovation Center, the National and Local Co-built Embodied Intelligent Robot Innovation Center, and other institutions have been established successively, and a series of scientific and technological achievements deployed around basic research and industrial frontiers are accelerating their implementation. In the next step, China will accelerate the deep integration of innovation chains, industrial chains, capital chains, and talent chains, strengthen the dominant position of enterprises, and continuously optimize the innovation ecosystem to lay a solid foundation for building a complete, advanced, and secure modernized industrial system.
Tax Incentives Released to Promote Stable and Healthy Real Estate Market Development
The Ministry of Finance, the State Taxation Administration, and the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development today (November 13) issued the "Announcement on Tax Policies to Promote the Stable and Healthy Development of the Real Estate Market," clarifying multiple tax preferential policies to support the development of the real estate market. Regarding deed tax, the current preferential low tax rate of 1% will apply to areas up to 140 square meters, increased from the previous 90 square meters. It is also clarified that the four cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen can uniformly apply the deed tax preferential policy for second homes with other regions. After the adjustment, nationwide, for individuals purchasing their sole home and their second home, as long as the area does not exceed 140 square meters, the deed tax will be uniformly levied at a rate of 1%. Regarding value-added tax, after the abolition of the standard for ordinary residences in cities, individuals selling homes purchased for more than 2 years (including 2 years) will be exempt from value-added tax. To alleviate the financial difficulties of real estate enterprises, the lower limit of the land value-added tax prepayment rate in all regions will be uniformly reduced by 0.5 percentage points; for cities that have abolished the standards for ordinary and non-ordinary residences, taxpayers constructing and selling ordinary standard residences with a value-added amount not exceeding 20% of the deductible items will continue to be exempt from land value-added tax.
Light Industrial Enterprises Above Designated Size Report Over One Trillion Yuan in Profits in First Three Quarters
Reporters learned from the China National Light Industry Council that in the first three quarters of this year, China's light industry production maintained stable growth, with light industry enterprises above designated size achieving profits exceeding one trillion yuan. Since the beginning of this year, driven by a series of policies to stabilize growth and boost consumption, such as consumer goods trade-in programs, China's light industry economy has generally operated smoothly, and the scale of domestic and foreign trade markets has steadily expanded, with investment recovering quickly. In the first three quarters, light industry enterprises above designated size achieved operating revenue of 16.52 trillion yuan and profits of 1.02 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 7.2%. The added value of light industry above designated size increased by 4.8% year-on-year, with production growth rates for household freezers, air conditioners, and refrigerators reaching 14%, 8%, and 7.5% respectively, and profitability continuing to improve. Industries such as papermaking, batteries, and furniture maintained double-digit profit growth. The market scale steadily expanded, with total industry exports reaching 682.16 billion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 2.6%.
National Railway Fixed-Asset Investment Reaches 635.1 Billion Yuan in First 10 Months
The reporter learned from China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. that from January to October this year, national railway fixed asset investment reached 635.1 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 10.9%, and positive progress was made in key engineering projects. The Xuancheng-Jingxian High-speed Railway and Weifang-Yantai High-speed Railway have been opened for operation. The Jining-Datong-Yuanping High-speed Railway has entered the joint commissioning and test stage. The Langfang North-Daxing Airport section of the Huairou-Daxing Intercity Railway and the Jingmen-Jingzhou High-speed Railway have begun trial operation. In the first 10 months of this year, national railways put 2,274 kilometers of new lines into operation. As of now, over 3,300 railway passenger stations have been built and put into use, including over 1,300 high-speed railway stations, transporting nearly 3 billion passengers annually, providing strong support for convenient travel for people along the lines and serving the high-quality development of regional economies and societies.
Tianzhou-8 Spacecraft-Rocket Stack Transferred to Launch Area, Launch Mission Undergoes Full-System Rehearsal
Today (November 13), the Tianzhou-8 cargo spacecraft and rocket combination was vertically transferred to the launch area, and the launch mission organized a full-system rehearsal. Tianzhou-8 is scheduled for launch at an opportune time in the near future. At 8:00 AM, supported by the mobile launch platform, the Tianzhou-8 cargo spacecraft and the Long March-7 Y9 carrier rocket combination, after completing assembly and testing, slowly exited the assembly and testing facility and headed to the launch area. At around 8:30 AM, under the unified command of the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center, the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site, Xi'an Satellite Control Center, and various mission control stations carried out joint debugging and control, comprehensively simulating various technical states and work processes during launch preparation, launch, and flight, and assessing the matching and coordination of interfaces between various systems. According to the plan, Tianzhou-8 will be launched at an opportune time in the near future. Currently, the flight control team is closely monitoring the attitude and orbital parameters of the China Space Station complex, which remains in good condition. The Tianzhou-8 cargo spacecraft will carry approximately 6 tons of supplies, including necessities for in-orbit living and work, scientific experiment supplies, and consumables for environmental control and life support, mainly to support the Shenzhou-19 and Shenzhou-20 astronaut crews.
Frontline Survey: "Automatic" New Agricultural Machinery Boosts Harvest
China's grain output is expected to exceed 700 billion kilograms for the first time this year. Behind this new milestone in output is the upgrading of domestic agricultural machinery and equipment. Let's look at the reporter's frontline investigation. At the 2024 China International Agricultural Machinery Exhibition, reporters found that several leading domestic agricultural machinery enterprises showcased new power shift tractors. In China, most tractor models are mainly mechanical shift, but this year marks the first time that a large number of power shift tractors have been commercially promoted, equivalent to shifting from manual to automatic transmission. Following the order information of agricultural machinery enterprises, reporters arrived in Taoyuan County, Hunan Province. Autumn harvest here has basically ended, and farmers in Renfeng Village are busy with their last task of the year: tilling the harvested land to accumulate nutrients for next year's planting. At the beginning of this year, they purchased 4 power shift tractors. In the past six months, each agricultural machine has worked for more than 860 hours. Xiao Honggui said that the improvement in tillage capacity is not due to increased horsepower of the new agricultural machinery, but because the agricultural machinery has changed from mechanical shift to power shift, and the operation efficiency has increased by about 30%. With China's implementation of a new round of grain production capacity enhancement actions, the research, manufacturing, promotion, and application of high-end, green, and intelligent agricultural machinery are also being coordinated. Currently, Xinjiang, Heilongjiang, and other provinces (regions/municipalities) have established 31 unmanned agricultural operation experimental zones, with an average efficiency increase of over 20%. Gansu, Chongqing, Sichuan, and other places are accelerating the demonstration and promotion of hillside tractors with climbing capabilities of 6-15 degrees, with sales exceeding 500 units. The accelerated "shifting" of domestic agricultural machinery is bringing more new space for China's grain production increase.
Tianjin Accelerates New Industrialization Through Reform
In implementing the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Tianjin is leveraging reform to accelerate new industrialization and strive to build world-class advanced manufacturing clusters. The Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee proposed to improve the system and mechanism that promotes the deep integration of the real economy and the digital economy, and to drive the high-end, intelligent, and green development of manufacturing. Tianjin is a national advanced manufacturing research and development base with rich scientific and educational resources. How can innovation resources be better transformed into production advantages and develop new quality productive forces? Soon after the Third Plenary Session concluded, Tianjin Municipality specifically established a Department of Industrial Digital Transformation, integrating multi-faceted resources to comprehensively promote the digital transformation and intelligent upgrading of Tianjin's manufacturing industry. How to implement digital transformation and what to upgrade for intelligence? To address enterprises' questions, Tianjin's industrial and information technology departments have successively formulated the Implementation Plan for Manufacturing Digital Transformation and the Recognition Standards for Smart Factories and Digital Workshops. At the same time, a resource pool has been established to connect manufacturing enterprises with specialized transformation service providers and research institutes, aiming to build a number of benchmark smart manufacturing enterprises. Currently, this aerospace battery production enterprise is operating at full capacity. With the help of the industrial digital transformation department, the enterprise collaborated with institutions such as the Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Tianjin University, realizing flexible production and automated testing upgrades for its production lines, significantly improving production efficiency and yield. To accelerate new industrialization, Tianjin Municipality has built 12 5G fully connected smart factories this year and is accelerating the construction of 560 equipment renewal and technological transformation projects with a total investment of 52.8 billion yuan.
Zhejiang Implements Multiple Measures to Support Private Enterprise Foreign Trade Development
Since the beginning of this year, Zhejiang has implemented multiple measures to support the foreign trade development of private enterprises. In the first three quarters, Zhejiang Province's total import and export value reached 3.93 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 6.7%. Among them, private enterprises contributed over 80%. In Yiwu, Zhejiang, the year-end overseas market promotion season has officially kicked off. Facing the new foreign trade export situation, more and more enterprises are choosing cross-border e-commerce. This private enterprise, which has been engaged in electronic scale exports for over 20 years, has seen its cross-border e-commerce order volume increase by nearly 20%. To support new foreign trade formats like cross-border e-commerce, Zhejiang has successively introduced various measures this year, including a "Three-Year Action Plan to Accelerate High-Quality Development of Cross-border E-commerce" and "10 Measures to Support Cross-border E-commerce Development," helping more small and medium-sized enterprises solve practical difficulties and connect with urgently needed resources such as service providers and industrial chains. Entering the fourth quarter, Zhejiang plans to hold over 200 cross-border e-commerce service events, covering various aspects such as introductory training and global e-commerce market analysis, providing enterprises with full-chain cross-border e-commerce services. At the same time, Zhejiang supports enterprises in cultivating a batch of design-innovative, high-quality, and globally leading independent foreign trade brands through technological innovation and intellectual property protection special actions. Currently, over 1,000 independent brands across the province have been awarded the title of "Zhejiang Export Famous Brand," with private enterprises accounting for over 97%.
Post-Disaster Recovery and Reconstruction Progressing Orderly in Gansu, Liaoning, and Other Regions, Ensuring Warm Winter for Residents
Currently, post-disaster recovery and reconstruction efforts are proceeding in an orderly manner in Gansu, Qinghai, Liaoning, Hunan, and other areas, ensuring that residents stay warm through the winter. In the past two days, in the Jishishan earthquake-stricken area of Gansu, all 13 resettlement sites have been heated as scheduled. To ensure the safety and warmth of the affected residents through winter, Jishishan County made preparations in advance and adopted categorized measures, with resettlement sites utilizing centralized heating and clean energy heating. At the same time, for some residents whose self-built homes still use coal for heating, the local government also proactively coordinated with coal supply and marketing enterprises to sign supply and marketing agreements, ensuring stable coal prices after the heating season begins. To guarantee the livelihood of the affected people, in Minhe County, Qinghai, the centrally planned and constructed relocation housing, after 7 months of intensive construction, has been fully completed. A series of public service facilities, including a day-care center for the elderly and community service stations, have also been built. Huludao City, Liaoning, suffered severe floods this summer. To ensure the safety of residents during winter, the local government has invested over 23,000 personnel and more than 2,800 pieces of machinery in house repair and reconstruction. Currently, the main structures of all 5,447 reconstructed houses have been completed, and affected residents are gradually moving into their new homes. During this year's flood season, a levee along the Dongting Lake in Tuanzhouyuan, Huarong County, Yueyang City, Hunan, breached, inundating houses and crops. These days, 8 of the 14 resettlement houses built by the local government have been topped out and are expected to be completed and delivered by the end of the year. Currently, the replanted rice has been mostly harvested.
Domestic News Briefs
China's Express Delivery Development Index Increased by 21.1% in October
Reporters learned today (November 13) from the State Post Bureau that China's express delivery development index increased by 21.1% year-on-year in October. The express delivery industry has entered its peak season, and major e-commerce promotions have kept express delivery volumes at a high level. On October 22, 729 million express packages were collected, a year-on-year increase of 74%, setting a new single-day record for business volume.
China Accelerates Promotion of Professional Skill Level Certification for Long-Term Care Workers
The National Healthcare Security Administration, in conjunction with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, recently issued the "Implementation Opinions on Promoting Professional Skill Level Certification for Long-Term Care Workers," requiring long-term care worker professional skill level certification agencies to strictly follow the relevant requirements of national professional standards to classify and grade the assessment and certification of junior, intermediate, and senior workers. In the future, a group of long-term care workers will be employed with certificates.
China's Trade with Other APEC Economies Reaches a New High in First 10 Months
According to China Customs statistics, from January to October this year, China's imports and exports with other APEC economies reached 21.27 trillion yuan, a new historical high for the same period, accounting for 59.1% of China's total imports and exports during the same period. Among them, China's exports of intermediate goods to other APEC economies amounted to 5.56 trillion yuan, an increase of 8.4%; exports of consumer goods such as vegetables, fruits, and passenger cars increased by 10.6% and 21.6% respectively.
China-Europe Railway Express (Xi'an) Accumulatively Exceeds 25,000 Trains
Latest data shows that in the first three quarters of this year, the China-Europe Railway Express (Xi'an) operated 4,041 trains, making Xi'an the first city in the country to accumulatively exceed 25,000 China-Europe freight train services. Currently, the China-Europe Railway Express (Xi'an) has opened 18 international trunk lines and 26 "+Xi'an-Europe" consolidation lines, covering the entire Eurasian continent.
First Section of Ningxia to Hunan ±800 kV UHV DC Transmission Line Project Completed
On the 12th, the first section of the Ningxia to Hunan ±800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current (UHV DC) transmission line project in Gansu was completed. This project is the country's first UHV transmission channel primarily designed to develop desert photovoltaic bases and transmit new energy. It starts from the Zhongning Converter Station in Ningxia and ends at the Hengyang Converter Station in Hunan, with a total length of approximately 1633.5 kilometers, and is expected to be completed and put into operation in 2025.
Heavy Snowfall in Parts of Xinjiang
Starting yesterday (November 12), a new round of strong cold air has begun to affect Xinjiang. Heavy to blizzards are occurring in some areas of Altay, Tacheng, and other regions, with snowfall potentially exceeding 30 millimeters in some areas. The Central Meteorological Observatory predicts that from the 15th to the 18th, strong cold air will affect central and eastern regions, bringing significant strong winds and temperature drops. The public is advised to take precautions against adverse impacts on transportation due to slippery roads and low visibility caused by rain and snow.
The 45th American Film Market Concludes with Eye-Catching Chinese Film Performance
Recently, 55 domestic film institutions formed a delegation to participate in the 45th American Film Market trade conference and set up a joint Chinese film exhibition stand. 201 film projects, including "Poetic Dance: The Journey of a Legendary Landscape Painting" (只此青绿) and "The Great Journey" (伟大征程), received high praise from the American industry and the North American film market, with multiple film companies expressing active cooperation intentions.
Deepening Cooperation, Joint Development, and a Shared Bright Future: Peruvian and Brazilian Circles Highly Anticipate President Xi Jinping's Visit
President Xi Jinping is about to attend the 31st APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting and the 19th G20 Leaders' Summit, and pay state visits to Peru and Brazil. People from all walks of life in Peru and Brazil pointed out that President Xi's visit demonstrates China's firm support for multilateralism, and they look forward to deepening cooperation and working together with China for a bright future. People from all walks of life in Peru and Brazil expressed their warm anticipation for President Xi's visit and their willingness to further deepen practical cooperation with China in various fields to better benefit the people of China and Peru, and China and Brazil.
2024 China-Latin America Civilization Dialogue and Other Events Held in Peru and Brazil
Recently, a series of cultural exchange activities were held in Peru and Brazil, including the 2024 China-Latin America Civilization Dialogue, Peru's "China Time" and "China Audio-Visual Showcase Month" launch ceremony, the premiere and photo exhibition of "Beautiful China, Beautiful Brazil" album, and the China-Brazil Youth Storytelling event. Foreign guests participating in the activities expressed their expectation to further strengthen cultural exchanges with China and deepen cooperation in various fields.
Israeli Military Claims New Attacks in Southern Lebanon; Hezbollah Reports Israeli Forces Withdrawing from Parts of Temporary Lebanon-Israel Border
According to Lebanese media reports, from the 12th to the 13th, the southern suburbs of Beirut were subjected to multiple Israeli airstrikes, resulting in multiple casualties. The Israeli army stated on the 12th that its warplanes have continuously carried out airstrikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut in recent weeks, destroying most of Hezbollah's weapon manufacturing and storage sites in the area. The Israeli army also stated that its 36th and 91st divisions attacked new areas and new Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah stated on the 12th that due to Hezbollah's fierce resistance, the Israeli army has withdrawn from most of the western section of the temporary Lebanese-Israeli border. Israeli Army Continues to Attack Various Areas of Gaza Strip; Hamas Claims to Have Struck Israeli Targets in Northern Gaza Strip. According to Palestinian media reports on the 12th, the Israeli army attacked multiple areas in the northern and central Gaza Strip that day, causing over 20 deaths. The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) stated on the same day that it launched an attack on Israeli targets in Jabalia, northern Gaza Strip. Yemen's Houthi Militants Claim to Have Attacked U.S. Aircraft Carrier and Warships. Yemen's Houthi militants stated on the 12th that they launched rocket and drone attacks on the U.S. aircraft carrier "Abraham Lincoln" in the Arabian Sea and two U.S. destroyers in the Red Sea. The U.S. Department of Defense stated that it had not received reports of the aircraft carrier being attacked, and that two U.S. destroyers were attacked by Houthi militants, but there were no damages to the warships or casualties.
International News Briefs
Russia claims to have destroyed Ukrainian tanks, Ukraine claims to hold its ground. The Russian Ministry of Defense stated on the 12th that Russian forces launched offensives in multiple directions, including Kharkiv and Kherson, destroying Ukrainian "Leopard" tanks, howitzers, and other equipment. Russian air defense forces also shot down Ukrainian HIMARS rockets and dozens of drones. The Ukrainian military stated that Ukrainian forces continue to hold their positions and prevent Russian offensives, with the most intense fighting occurring in the Kurakhovo and Pokrovsk directions. OPEC Lowers Global Oil Demand Forecast for This Year and Next. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) released its monthly oil market report on the 12th, lowering its global oil demand forecast for 2024 and 2025. This is the fourth consecutive reduction by OPEC since August this year. The report shows that OPEC lowered its forecast for global average daily oil demand growth in 2024 from 1.93 million barrels to 1.82 million barrels, and lowered its forecast for global average daily oil demand growth in 2025 from 1.64 million barrels to 1.54 million barrels. US FAA Suspends US Airline Operations in Haiti. The US Federal Aviation Administration announced on the 12th that due to increasing security concerns, it will suspend all US airline operations in Haiti for 30 days. According to US media reports, on the 11th, three US passenger planes operated by Spirit Airlines, JetBlue Airways, and American Airlines, flying to and from Haiti, successively had bullet holes in their fuselages, suspected of being shot by Haitian gangs.