General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that to develop modern agriculture and build a strong agricultural nation, we must rely on scientific and technological progress, allowing technology to give wings to agricultural modernization. During this year's spring plowing, various regions have been guided by scientific and technological innovation to develop new quality productive forces in agriculture according to local conditions, accelerating the transformation of traditional agricultural production methods and pushing forward the modernization of agriculture. This spring, modernized farming is proceeding in an orderly manner from south to north. In the Yangtze River basin, more and more seedling nurseries are continuously supplying early rice seedling trays. In the Huang-Huai-Hai wheat region, intelligent spring irrigation ensures that every drop of water promptly moistens every wheat seedling. In North and Northwest China, Beidou navigation high-performance planters are precisely sowing spring wheat, potatoes, and other crops. New quality productive forces in agriculture have made this year's spring plowing and management more high-quality and efficient. To build a strong agricultural nation, technology is the key tool. General Secretary Xi Jinping has always attached great importance to agricultural technological innovation. He emphasized that given our limited resources and the continuously growing demand for agricultural products from a super-large market, it is more necessary than ever to emphasize and rely on agricultural technological innovation. We must not only strive to address weaknesses but also aim to leverage late-comer advantages and achieve "overtaking on the bend." From the Nanfan Silicon Valley to the black soil of Northeast China, from the Huang-Huai Plain to the "Granary of Heaven," the General Secretary has led and promoted the rapid improvement of China's agricultural technology level. Seeds are the "chips" of agriculture. This spring, batches of new varieties, each with unique capabilities, are taking root and sprouting across the country through customized methods. In Beijing, a "seed selection think tank" built with big data has been put into widespread use for the first time, subdividing China's core corn production areas into over 60,000 grids of "5 kilometers x 5 kilometers." With the help of satellite remote sensing technology and agricultural environmental algorithms, it precisely matches the optimal growth areas for new corn varieties. Not only do new varieties have the most suitable soil, but advanced agricultural machinery also makes field operations more refined and efficient. Over 20 million sets of agricultural machinery and equipment will be successively deployed to the production front line, including deep plowing and subsoiling machines, high-speed transplanters, and small agricultural machines for hilly areas. More than 3.9 million sets of high-end intelligent agricultural machinery are being used for spring plowing and management. In the vast fields, more agricultural production scenarios are also equipped with "smart brains." In Pukou, Jiangsu, a newly developed drone is undergoing field testing. Technicians only need to "talk" to it, and the drone, equipped with a voice recognition system, can "understand" and quickly respond to field operations. In Haining, Zhejiang, a locally deployed AI model is being used in spring agricultural production. A year ago, the farm continuously "fed" the AI model with massive data from the entire production process and continuously trained and corrected it until it matured. When a production problem is raised, feedback is received in just a few seconds. This spring, intelligent agricultural machinery shuttles flexibly through the fields, sensors capture subtle changes in the land, algorithms have learned to generate complete production plans, and new quality productive forces in agriculture have given traditional agriculture a completely new look. This year, China will establish a number of agricultural technology incubators, and the central government will allocate over 600 million yuan to carry out integrated pilot projects for major variety research, development, promotion, and application, allowing more scientific and technological achievements to move from laboratories to the fields and accelerate the process of agricultural modernization.
Premier Li Qiang held a phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on the 8th. Li Qiang stated that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the EU. Earlier this year, President Xi Jinping's phone call with President Costa set the tone and pointed the direction for deepening China-EU relations. China is willing to work with the EU to enhance political mutual trust, expand pragmatic cooperation, adhere to resolving respective concerns through dialogue and consultation, and promote the continuous development of China-EU relations. China and the EU should strengthen communication and coordination, expand mutual openness, safeguard free and open trade and investment, and inject more stability and certainty into the economies of both sides and the world. China is full of confidence in maintaining its sustained and healthy economic development, and will continue to unswervingly expand opening up, strengthen cooperation with all countries in the world, and share development opportunities. Von der Leyen stated that the continuity and stability of EU-China relations are of paramount importance. The tariffs imposed by the United States have severely impacted international trade. The EU and China are committed to maintaining the multilateral trading system, which is in the common interest of both sides and the world.
Li Xi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Central Leading Group for Inspection Work, attended and delivered a speech at the national inspection work conference and the mobilization and deployment meeting for the 20th Central Inspections of Provinces (Autonomous Regions, Municipalities) on the 8th. The meeting conveyed and studied the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech when hearing the report on the fourth round of central inspections, studied and deployed this year's inspection work, and made arrangements for inspecting provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities). It emphasized the need to thoroughly study and implement Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, especially General Secretary Xi Jinping's important thought on the Party's self-revolution, firmly uphold the "Two Establishments" and resolutely achieve the "Two Maintenances," do a good job in inspection work with a high sense of responsibility and mission, and provide strong guarantees for advancing Chinese modernization. Li Xi pointed out that since the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core, inspection work has continuously deepened and developed through innovation while upholding fundamental principles. It is necessary to earnestly study and implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speeches on inspection work, adhere to focusing on the central task and serving the overall situation, adhere to problem orientation and a strict tone, adhere to systemic thinking and leverage the role of comprehensive supervision, and adhere to seeking truth from facts and acting in accordance with regulations, disciplines, and laws, so as to promote high-quality development of inspection work. Li Xi emphasized that 2025 is a crucial year for achieving full coverage of inspections. It is necessary to accurately grasp the key points of inspecting provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities), focus on the Party Central Committee's functional positioning and strategic deployment for each region, deeply understand the implementation of General Secretary Xi Jinping's and the Party Central Committee's decisions and deployments, deeply understand the progress of comprehensive strict governance of the Party, the construction of leading bodies and grassroots Party organizations, and the rectification of inspection problems, strive to identify political deviations, and promote the resolution of prominent problems. It is necessary to strengthen organizational leadership and complete inspection tasks in a solid and steady manner. Shi Taifeng announced the authorization and assignment decisions for the leaders of the 20th Central Committee's fifth round of inspections, and Liu Jinguo presided over the meeting.
With the approval of the CPC Central Committee, the 20th Central Committee's fifth round of inspections will conduct routine inspections of Hebei Province, Shanxi Province, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Jilin Province, Zhejiang Province, Anhui Province, Jiangxi Province, Henan Province, Hubei Province, Hunan Province, Hainan Province, Sichuan Province, Yunnan Province, Gansu Province, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, and Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. It will also conduct an elevated inspection of Kunming City in Yunnan Province, and, in conjunction with relevant provincial Party committee inspection agencies, conduct linked inspections of five sub-provincial cities: Changchun, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Wuhan, and Chengdu.
In recent days, various departments and units of the central and state organs have earnestly planned, arranged, meticulously organized, and steadily promoted in-depth learning and education on thoroughly implementing the spirit of the central eight-point regulations. The Working Committee of the Central and State Organs regards the in-depth learning and education on thoroughly implementing the spirit of the central eight-point regulations as a major political task, emphasizing overall coordination to achieve mutual promotion between learning and education, Party building in organs, and daily work. It strives to avoid formalism, adheres to a pragmatic work style, and ensures that the learning and education are practical and thorough. The Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee has thoroughly studied and implemented General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speeches and instructions on strengthening the Party's work style, promoting integrated learning, investigation, and rectification. It has refined 14 work tasks from four aspects: study and discussion, problem identification, concentrated rectification, and open-door education, and has established a working group to seriously organize and implement them. At the same time, it has established a propaganda and guidance mechanism in conjunction with relevant units to actively and steadily carry out news propaganda and public opinion guidance, creating a good public opinion atmosphere for learning and education. The International Department of the CPC Central Committee has deeply studied and understood General Secretary Xi Jinping's important expositions on strengthening the Party's work style and the spirit of the central eight-point regulations and their implementation rules, formulated a work plan for learning and education, adhered to a combination of goal-orientation, problem-orientation, and results-orientation, and promoted integrated learning, investigation, and rectification. The Central Social Work Department has combined the learning and education with the implementation of the deployment requirements of the Central Social Work Conference, focusing on Party building in new economic organizations, new social organizations, and new employment groups, promoting Party building to lead grassroots governance and the construction of grassroots political power, and doing a good job in uniting and serving the masses, so as to solidly advance the in-depth and practical learning and education. The Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission has organized collective study and discussions around "deeply studying and understanding General Secretary Xi Jinping's important expositions on strengthening the Party's work style and the spirit of the central eight-point regulations," strengthening exemplary leadership. At the same time, it has studied and formulated a work plan for learning and education, and strengthened overall guidance for learning and education within the political and legal system.
The China Federation of Logistics & Purchasing announced today (April 8) that China's e-commerce logistics index for March was 110 points, up 1.1 points from the previous month. Among the sub-indices, the total business volume index rebounded significantly, with the western region seeing the largest increase. The rural e-commerce logistics business volume index also rose significantly, with a year-on-year increase of over 25%. In terms of demand, e-commerce orders for seasonal flowers and fruits, trade-in appliances, frozen food, and outdoor products grew rapidly. In March, e-commerce logistics enterprises fully restored their service capabilities, and service efficiency also steadily improved. Indices such as logistics timeliness and fulfillment rates all rebounded from the previous month, and enterprise inventory turnover rates continued to accelerate. E-commerce logistics activity further strengthened, showing a positive development trend in e-commerce logistics operations.
Since the beginning of this year, the economic operations of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in China have shown steady progress. In the first two months, the added value of industrial SMEs above designated size increased by 7.5% year-on-year. Numerous SMEs are accelerating their development towards high-end and intelligent manufacturing, becoming an important force in cultivating new quality productive forces. At Qinzhou Port in Guangxi, loading operations for ocean-going cargo ships are underway. Staff told reporters that half of the goods in the containers are high-tech products, and most of these come from SMEs. While SMEs have become the "main force" in foreign trade, the proportion of "high-precision and sophisticated" products has further increased. In Shanghai, a "little giant" enterprise has successfully applied magnetic levitation technology to factory assembly lines, precisely controlling large equipment and increasing production efficiency by three times. The latest data shows that currently, China has over 600,000 technology and innovation-oriented SMEs, 141,000 "specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative" SMEs, and "little giant" enterprises' average R&D investment accounts for 7% of their operating revenue. The industrialization rate of effective invention patents of SMEs exceeds 50%, rising for two consecutive years. Next, China will also organize activities such as the National SME Service Month, "Hundred Sessions and Ten Thousand Enterprises" large-to-small enterprise integration and matchmaking, and "SME-University Deep Dive" to provide more services and support for the development of SMEs.
Today (April 8), the People's Bank of China, the National Financial Regulatory Administration, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, and other multi-sectoral departments, as well as Central Huijin Investment Ltd. and several central SOEs, stated their firm commitment to maintaining the stable operation of the capital market. The People's Bank of China stated that it firmly supports Central Huijin Investment Ltd. in increasing its holdings of stock market index funds and will provide sufficient re-lending support to Central Huijin Investment Ltd. when necessary. Central Huijin Investment Ltd. has always been an important strategic force in maintaining capital market stability, playing the role of China's "stabilization fund." Central Huijin Investment Ltd. stated its strong optimism about the development prospects of China's capital market, fully recognizing the current allocation value of A-shares, and will increase its holdings and balance its holding structure. The National Financial Regulatory Administration stated that it will raise the upper limit of the equity asset allocation ratio, increasing the equity asset ratio corresponding to some solvency adequacy ratio tiers by 5%, further expanding the space for equity investment, and increasing support for the capital market and the real economy. The National Council for Social Security Fund stated that it has actively increased its holdings of domestic stocks recently and will continue to do so in the near future. While actively carrying out stock investments, it aims to achieve fund safety and preservation and appreciation of value. Several central SOEs, including China Chengtong Holdings Group and Sinopec Group, have also successively issued announcements, actively carrying out stock repurchases and increasing holdings. In response, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council stated that it will fully support central enterprises and their listed subsidiaries in continuously increasing their holdings and repurchases, effectively safeguarding the rights and interests of all shareholders, and continuously consolidating market confidence in listed companies.
Zhejiang is a major agricultural machinery exporting province in China. In the first two months of this year, the province's agricultural machinery exports increased by 33.7% year-on-year. What makes agricultural machinery here "accelerate its going global"? When reporters arrived at a long-established agricultural machinery enterprise in Yongkang, Zhejiang, they happened upon a cross-border negotiation meeting where the enterprise's负责人 (person in charge) was discussing order requirements with a new client from Kenya. Currently, it is the peak season for overseas client orders, and every link in the production line, including casting, processing, and assembly, is operating at full capacity, with one piece of agricultural machinery being packaged and leaving the line every four minutes. Differentiated and personalized customization has allowed this established enterprise to continuously expand its overseas markets; meanwhile, some emerging enterprises are also intensifying their efforts to accelerate the export of agricultural machinery. At an intelligent fruit sorting enterprise in Hangzhou, new product research and development are in full swing. R&D personnel account for one-third of the total staff in this enterprise. At the beginning of the year, they received their first overseas order, and everyone is working hard, hoping to seize this opportunity through cooperation and open up overseas markets. In addition to traditional markets like ASEAN and the EU, emerging markets such as Africa have also seen rapid growth this year. In Jinhua, where Zhejiang's agricultural machinery trade with Africa is the largest, the China-Africa Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Park is under construction. Once completed, the park will simulate African climate conditions and, based on local geographical environments and farming methods, screen and cultivate suitable crop varieties such as vegetables and fruits. Combined with their growth characteristics, localized modifications of agricultural machinery and equipment will be carried out according to local conditions. To accelerate the "going global" of agricultural machinery, a series of supporting service measures in Zhejiang, such as promoting the construction of innovation platforms and exhibition supply-demand matchmaking, are being rapidly implemented. This year, the province will continue to organize agricultural machinery export enterprises to participate in agricultural machinery exhibitions in countries such as Egypt and Morocco, and encourage enterprises to establish sales windows and after-sales service points overseas. Currently, there are over 4,000 agricultural machinery manufacturing enterprises in Zhejiang, and nearly three-quarters of them export agricultural products overseas. From January to February this year, the province's agricultural machinery exports reached 2.8 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 33.7%.
Today (April 8), the polar icebreaker "Xuelong" returned to Shanghai, marking the successful completion of the main tasks of China's 41st Antarctic expedition organized by the Ministry of Natural Resources. This expedition conducted its first winter-over mission at Qinling Station, marking China's first "three-station winter-over" at Great Wall Station, Zhongshan Station, and Qinling Station. It also achieved a number of important scientific research results. Among them, aerial surveys filled data gaps in several regions, and long gravity cores were collected for the first time in the Amundsen Sea. New breakthroughs were also made in technological innovation, large-scale application of independently developed polar equipment, and international exchange and cooperation.
Ministry of Industry and Information Technology Identifies 168 10-Gigabit Optical Network Pilot Projects Recently, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced a plan to carry out 10-gigabit optical network pilot projects in 168 communities, factories, and industrial parks across 86 cities in 30 provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities) by the end of 2025, following an 8-month construction period. This initiative aims to deploy and apply 10-gigabit optical network technology, laying the foundation for large-scale deployment. China Achieves Three Consecutive Years of Reservoir Safe Operation for the First Time According to the Ministry of Water Resources, since the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China has cumulatively completed the construction of safety monitoring facilities for over 51,000 small reservoirs and rain and water condition monitoring facilities for over 57,000 reservoirs. Utilizing additional national debt funds, it has supported the construction of safety monitoring facilities for 425 large and medium-sized reservoirs, achieving three consecutive years of safe reservoir operation from 2022 to 2024 for the first time. State Initiates Trusted Data Space Construction Pilots Today (April 8), the National Data Administration announced that the state has for the first time initiated pilot projects for trusted data space construction in three categories: enterprises, industries, and cities. The focus areas include scientific and technological innovation, new materials, and transportation and logistics. Trusted data space is a new type of data infrastructure aimed at promoting efficient data element circulation. Immediate Tax Refund Service for Departures Extended Nationwide Starting Today Today (April 8), the State Taxation Administration issued an announcement stating that the "immediate tax refund" service for departures will be promoted nationwide starting today. "Immediate tax refund" allows overseas travelers to receive their tax refunds at the point of purchase, which is beneficial for travelers to use the refunded money for further consumption at the shopping site. This measure was previously piloted in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangdong, and other places, and now meets the conditions for nationwide promotion. Zhejiang's China-Europe Railway Express Handles 63,000 TEUs in Q1 According to Hangzhou Customs, in the first quarter, Zhejiang's China-Europe Railway Express handled a cumulative import and export volume of 63,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), a year-on-year increase of 4%. Solar photovoltaic panels and electronic equipment have become popular goods for rail transport. Zhejiang's China-Europe Railway Express currently operates 25 routes, covering over 160 cities in about 50 countries and regions across Eurasia.
The international community has pointed out that the US tariff policy undermines the global trade system and harms world economic development. Trade ministers from the 27 EU member states met in Luxembourg on the 7th to discuss the impact of US tariffs and countermeasures against the US. According to multiple media reports, the European Commission proposed to member states that day to impose a 25% tariff on US products worth approximately 22 billion euros. EU member states will vote on the proposal on the 9th, and the first round of countermeasures against the US is expected to be implemented starting April 15th. Multiple countries state that US tariff policy undermines the international trade system. Canadian Prime Minister Carney stated on the 7th that US tariff measures are pushing the United States itself into recession and undermining the international trade system. On the same day, Canada requested consultations with the WTO under its dispute settlement mechanism regarding the US's 25% tariff on imported automobiles and certain parts. New Zealand Prime Minister Luxon stated today (April 8) that the US's increased tariffs violate established rules, put the world at risk of a trade war, and harm global economic growth prospects. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar, who holds the ASEAN rotating presidency this year, called on ASEAN countries on the 7th to "unite and take a firm stand" to deal with the US government's tariff policy. Singaporean Prime Minister Wong also expressed opposition to the US's increased tariffs. US figures say US tariff policy poses greater risks to the US economy. CNBC reported on the 7th that the latest poll shows 69% of US business executives expect the US to fall into a recession due to tariffs, and 82% of respondents said some of the tariff costs would be passed on to US consumers. JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said on the 7th that US tariff policy would push up domestic inflation and put more pressure on already cooling US economic growth. US agricultural practitioners said that the tariff policy has put them in a difficult situation again.
According to the Palestinian Gaza Strip Civil Defense and other agencies, on the 7th, an Israeli attack on a food distribution center and a media tent in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, and multiple locations in the central and northern parts, resulted in 42 deaths. The Israeli military stated on the 7th that it struck Hamas militants in Khan Younis. On the 7th, widespread strikes were held across the West Bank in solidarity with the people of the Gaza Strip and in protest of the ongoing conflict. All shops in Ramallah city center were closed that day. Several UN agencies issued a joint statement calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip to be restored. On the 7th, the heads of six UN agencies, including the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and UNICEF, issued a joint statement saying that for over a month, no commercial or humanitarian supplies had entered the Gaza Strip, and over 2.1 million people were trapped in bombing and hunger. The statement called on the international community to take decisive action to promote the restoration of a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and ensure unimpeded humanitarian aid. On the same day, UN Secretary-General's spokesman Stephane Dujarric stated that since the renewed hostilities on March 18, approximately 400,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, equivalent to one-fifth of the region's total population, have been displaced again.
On the 7th, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that Russian forces had taken control of another settlement in Donetsk and had struck Ukrainian military targets at 11 locations in Sumy Oblast. The Russian military also released a video claiming to have destroyed a US-made Abrams tank belonging to the Ukrainian military. The Russian Ministry of Defense stated today (April 8) that Russian air defense systems shot down a total of 23 Ukrainian drones in Russia's Belgorod and Kursk Oblasts. Ukrainian President Zelensky said on the 7th that Ukrainian forces had entered Russia's Belgorod Oblast to conduct military operations, which is the first time Ukraine has confirmed entering Belgorod Oblast. Russia has not yet responded to this. Belgorod Oblast borders Kursk Oblast and shares a border with Ukraine's Kharkiv and Sumy Oblasts. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine stated today that 159 combat engagements took place in frontline areas over the past day, and Ukrainian forces struck concentrations of Russian personnel, weapons, and military equipment, as well as command posts.
Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed to have attacked Israeli military targets and US warships. Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed on the 7th that they used cruise missiles and drones to attack two US destroyers in the Red Sea. The Houthi rebels also claimed to have used drones to attack military targets in Tel Aviv, Israel, which stated that the Houthi drones were successfully intercepted. Separately, according to Houthi media reports, US forces conducted multiple airstrikes on Yemen's Hodeidah province, Sana'a province, and other areas in the early hours of today (April 8). South Korea announces presidential election on June 3. The South Korean government announced today (April 8) that the next presidential election will be held on June 3. The South Korean Constitutional Court announced on the 4th that it had approved the impeachment of Yoon Suk-yeol, and he was immediately removed from the presidency. According to law, South Korea must hold a new presidential election within 60 days. Severe weather continues in multiple US locations, causing 24 deaths. In recent days, multiple areas in the central and southern United States have continued to experience severe weather, including tornadoes and heavy rainfall. According to US media reports, this round of severe weather has caused at least 24 deaths in the US, with nearly a hundred tornadoes reported in Kansas, Ohio, and other states. In Kentucky, which has been severely affected, continuous rainfall has caused floods, and residents in multiple cities have been evacuated. As of the 7th, over 500 roads in the state were closed, and water supply systems in some areas were affected.
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