The service sector is a crucial force for stable economic growth in China. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized the need to build a new system of high-quality and efficient services. Since the beginning of this year, China has introduced a series of important reform measures to unleash new momentum and vitality in the modern service industry, continuously meeting the needs of industrial transformation and upgrading, as well as people's aspirations for a better life, providing important support for achieving high-quality economic development. In the vibrant Chinese market, the modern service industry is gaining strong momentum. AI algorithms complete over 90% of operations, and one-click steelmaking has become the norm in steel mills; wearing AR glasses reduces power inspection time by two-thirds. As of April this year, investment in high-tech services has maintained double-digit growth for 13 consecutive months, driving manufacturing to new heights. Enjoying elderly care services without leaving home or experiencing immersive cultural activities, service consumption is becoming an important part of people's high-quality life. In the past two years, the growth rate of service retail sales has consistently outpaced that of goods retail sales. Regarding the construction of a new system of high-quality and efficient services, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized the need to improve systems and mechanisms that promote the deep integration of the real economy and the digital economy, and to perfect the institutional mechanisms for service industry development; to innovate diverse consumption scenarios and expand service consumption; and to steadily advance the opening up of the service sector. During his inspections across various regions, General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed the importance of developing tourism and other service industries into regional pillar industries; and promoting the deep integration of the digital economy with advanced manufacturing and modern services. General Secretary Xi Jinping's series of important statements and instructions have pointed the way for the development of the service industry. This year, a series of policy measures to promote high-quality development of the service industry have accelerated implementation. Ten key tasks have been deployed in the science and technology service sector to support the integrated development of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation; 48 measures have been introduced to improve quality and benefit people in service consumption; and the opening up of fields such as telecommunications, medical care, and education has been expanded, accelerating the pace of service sector opening up. The structure of the service industry continues to optimize, with producer services accounting for over 30% of the entire service industry, and their supporting role in the transformation and upgrading of manufacturing continues to strengthen. Not long ago, the country's first industrial design large model was launched, covering 14 industrial fields such as home appliances and apparel, realizing the intelligentization of the entire industrial design process. Industrial Internet has achieved full coverage of 41 major industrial categories, connecting over 100 million industrial devices (sets), fully empowering the manufacturing industry. Many industrial enterprises are transforming from purely manufacturing-oriented to "manufacturing + service," and from simply selling products to selling "products + services." The service industry intersects and integrates with advanced manufacturing and modern agriculture, opening up new "cross-border integration" models and creating new spaces for economic growth. The high-quality development of the modern service industry continuously generates new consumption supply, meeting the people's upgraded quality of life. Since the beginning of this year, basic consumption demands such as catering and accommodation, domestic services, and elderly care and childcare have been strong, while improved consumption in cultural entertainment, sports, and residential services has maintained growth. New models such as "Internet + medical services" and digital education have developed steadily, and new business forms such as social e-commerce and live streaming e-commerce have grown rapidly. The application of new technologies has stimulated the endogenous driving force of service consumption. Today, the service industry has grown into the largest industry in the national economy. In the first quarter of this year, the service industry's contribution rate to overall economic growth reached 59.1%, an increase of 1.5 percentage points compared to the same period last year. The Chinese service industry, which has seen both quantity and quality improve, is becoming increasingly competitive in the international service chain. In 2024, China's total service trade import and export volume exceeded US$1 trillion for the first time. Since the beginning of this year, China has further expanded the opening up of the service industry, promoting the growth of service trade. In the first four months, the total import and export of services increased by 8.2% year-on-year, with knowledge-intensive service trade showing steady growth. With the accelerated implementation and effectiveness of a series of policies, service innovation efforts continue to increase, service supply becomes richer, and the high-quality development of the modern service industry will surely provide stronger support for the Chinese economy and inject surging momentum into global economic development.
Since the beginning of this year, provinces in western China have leveraged their geographical advantages and resource endowments to vigorously develop new productive forces, injecting new impetus into high-quality development. In Amdo County, Nagqu, Tibet, a 100-megawatt concentrated solar power plant is under intensified construction, expected to be completed next year with an annual power generation exceeding 250 million kilowatt-hours. This year, Tibet has been orderly advancing the construction of integrated hydro-wind-solar power bases, steadily building a demonstration zone for new power systems and a demonstration zone for clean and renewable energy utilization. Currently, Tibet's total installed power capacity has exceeded 10 million kilowatts, with clean energy accounting for 96%. In Xinjiang, the construction of key new energy projects is also accelerating. Recently, the Ruoqiang 4-gigawatt photovoltaic project achieved full-capacity grid connection, capable of delivering approximately 6.9 billion kilowatt-hours of clean energy to the grid annually, meeting the electricity demands of 2 million households for a year. This year, Xinjiang is accelerating the construction of large-scale wind and solar power bases in desert, Gobi, and barren areas, continuously expanding the scale of its new energy industry. Transforming resource advantages into development advantages, Qinghai, as a crucial regional node in the national "East Data, West Computing" project, now has over 94% of its installed power capacity from clean energy. This year, Qinghai completed the construction of the country's first clean energy and green computing power dispatch center, achieving efficient collaborative operation of computing power and electricity. Currently, this center has provided data analysis services to over 290 clients. This year, Inner Mongolia continues to optimize its industrial layout, promoting the construction of ten major industrial clusters, including modern equipment manufacturing, low-altitude economy, and bio-manufacturing. It is prioritizing the accelerated development of the entire industrial chain, including upstream IT hardware and software, midstream computing power networks and platforms, and downstream application scenarios, aiming to build green computing assurance bases, data processing bases, and large model training bases that serve the entire country. Guizhou will invest over 80% of its fiscal science and technology funds this year into key industrial sectors such as new energy batteries and computing power assurance, continuously strengthening the principal position of enterprises in scientific and technological innovation. Over 80% of provincial industrial science and technology projects will be led by enterprises, further promoting the concentration of funds, projects, and talent resources towards enterprises, continuously injecting innovative momentum into high-quality development.
Since the beginning of this year, the production and sales of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in China have continued to improve, and their innovative vitality has burst forth, further consolidating the upward trend and providing strong support for the steady growth of the industrial economy. In Shanghai, a technology company has recently independently developed a new generation of humanoid robots. This robot has approximately 30 degrees of freedom across its body and can perform actions such as operating balance bikes and riding bicycles. Mass production is expected to be achieved in the second half of the year. This breakthrough not only represents a technological leap but also effectively drives the improvement of related component industry chain capabilities. Technological innovation is driving both production and efficiency improvements for SMEs. The latest statistics show that from January to April, the added value of industrial SMEs above designated size increased by 8.2% year-on-year, with operating revenue reaching 25.8 trillion yuan. Among them, equipment manufacturing and raw material manufacturing saw significant demand growth driven by technological upgrades, with 28 out of 31 major manufacturing categories achieving growth. A new materials company in Zhejiang has developed a new type of waterproof fiber fabric with surface water repellency and inner layer quick absorption properties, which has now become a core supplier for dozens of sports brands at home and abroad. Technological innovation has also simultaneously driven the continued improvement of the foreign trade market. In April, the SME export index was 50.4%, remaining in the expansion range for 13 consecutive months, indicating continued strong overall export momentum. A shield tunneling machine company in Jiangsu has innovatively launched a small-diameter blind well construction model, increasing excavation efficiency by 10 times. Currently, overseas orders from Europe, South America, and other regions are scheduled until 2027.
Since the beginning of this year, China has continued to expand high-level opening up and vigorously implemented measures to stabilize foreign investment. Many foreign enterprises have chosen to continuously increase their investment in China, sharing the opportunities brought by China's high-quality economic development. Not long ago, multinational pharmaceutical company Roche announced an additional investment of 2.04 billion yuan RMB in Shanghai to build a new production base. It is precisely due to their confidence in the certainty of China's high-quality economic development that many foreign enterprises are choosing to reinvest their profits generated in the Chinese market. In Suzhou Industrial Park, the German Vorwerk Group recently announced an additional investment of 500 million yuan through profit reinvestment to further enhance the production capacity and R&D efficiency of new energy vehicle components. China is transforming from a global manufacturing base for foreign enterprises into a hotbed for R&D. In Shenzhen, Siemens Healthineers is accelerating the construction of a magnetic resonance core component R&D base, with a total investment exceeding 1 billion yuan. In Hunan, ArcelorMittal, a Belgian steel enterprise, has invested in and established a global R&D center for automotive steel. This year, China has introduced the "Action Plan for Stabilizing Foreign Investment in 2025," orderly expanding autonomous opening up in areas such as telecommunications, healthcare, and education, and encouraging foreign investment in equity investment in China. This year, the country will also revise and expand the "Catalogue of Industries Encouraged for Foreign Investment" and promote the accelerated implementation of landmark major foreign investment projects. In the first four months of this year, over 18,000 new foreign-invested enterprises were established nationwide. The actual utilized foreign capital in e-commerce services, aerospace and equipment manufacturing, and chemical drug manufacturing all increased by over 50%. With the implementation of a series of measures to stabilize foreign investment, the attractiveness of the Chinese market to foreign enterprises will be further enhanced.
Beijing is enhancing grassroots governance through Party building, exploring a "consultative approach" people-centered service mechanism based on the "call-to-action and immediate response" model, and continuously improving grassroots governance. Entering the Petroleum Compound in Xueyuan Road Sub-district, Haidian District, Beijing, one is greeted by lush trees, cleanliness, and cheerful laughter. This compound, built in 1953, once faced significant public dissatisfaction due to complex ownership, lack of management and services, and severe illegal construction. In the past two years, led by the local government, the sub-district, property owners, and community residents adopted a "consultative approach," ultimately reaching a consensus: demolishing illegal constructions and successively creating shared spaces for parent-child activities, elderly care, and gourmet food, and introducing social organizations to operate cultural activities and convenient services. The compound has been completely transformed. Since 2023, Haidian District, Beijing, has brought together various forces including the government, market, society, and the public to explore the "consultative approach" people-centered service mechanism, promoting the resolution of more public demands at the grassroots level. Currently, over 6,000 urgent and difficult issues concerning the public, such as community environmental remediation and property management improvement, have been resolved. Today, Haidian District, Beijing, has formulated over 50 specific measures to deepen grassroots governance reform and will promote and apply the "consultative approach" in more areas and on a larger scale, including education, science and technology, culture, and enterprise services.
" 6. Since the beginning of this year, various regions across China have continuously accelerated urban renewal, enhancing the protection of historical and cultural heritage while deeply exploring cultural value and preserving urban memory. Not long ago in Suzhou, the former residence of Zhang Taiyan, which had been renovated and reopened, was transformed into a "garden study" comprising a bookstore and a self-study room, attracting many visitors. In Yunnan, an old Qing Dynasty house in Shiping Ancient City was converted into the Ancient City Branch of the County Library. Amidst the sound of reading, it receives over 50,000 readers and tourists annually. While culture beautifies cities, it also empowers development. In Shijiazhuang, a former cotton mill factory building was reinforced and transformed into a new urban space integrating cultural experiences and art performances. The Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development stated that various regions have continuously improved urban renewal policies and regulations and increased financial guarantees this year. Shanghai completed urban renewal investments of 41.5 billion yuan in the first quarter, a year-on-year increase of 25.6%; Fujian has allocated over 800 million yuan in provincial fiscal funds, expected to drive investments of approximately 23 billion yuan. From the practice in various regions, it is evident that after cultural and tourism empowerment, the occupancy rate, opening rate, foot traffic, and rent levels of shops along old streets and in old factory areas have significantly improved, unleashing huge potential for promoting consumption and stabilizing employment.
The 2025 National College Entrance Examination (Gaokao) commenced today (June 7th). This year, a total of 13.35 million candidates have registered for the exam. There are 7,899 examination sites, 355,000 examination rooms, and 21,000 backup examination rooms nationwide. On the first day of the Gaokao, candidates took the Chinese language and mathematics subjects. This year, eight provinces, including Shanxi, Henan, Shaanxi, Inner Mongolia, Sichuan, Yunnan, Ningxia, and Qinghai, are undergoing their first Gaokao after comprehensive reform. Currently, the number of provinces implementing the new Gaokao system has reached 29. This year, various regions are strictly preventing high-tech cheating, rigorously controlling access to examination sites and rooms by upgrading "smart security gates" to enhance detection of illicit items such as smart glasses and smartwatches (bracelets), and actively promoting intelligent patrols and inspections to weave a tight security net for the examination. Xiong'an New Area is hosting the Gaokao for the first time since its establishment. The new area has 7 examination sites, 243 examination rooms, and 6,982 candidates participating. During this year's Gaokao period, many regions issued heavy rain and high-temperature warnings. These areas meticulously set up shelters to facilitate candidates' entry and exit, and promptly increased resources in various aspects such as traffic guidance, urban drainage, and emergency support to ensure a safe and orderly Gaokao. This year, various regions provided reasonable accommodations for over 14,000 disabled candidates to take the Gaokao. Education departments produced Braille test papers for 16 blind candidates in 12 provinces. At the same time, various regions also strengthened comprehensive service guarantees such as transportation, accommodation, medical and health services, and noise control, actively creating a safe, comfortable, and warm examination environment.
Today (June 7), the 7th Yangtze River Delta Integration Development High-Level Forum was held in Nanjing, Jiangsu. The forum unveiled the second batch of 10 major practical projects for Yangtze River Delta integration development, covering consumption promotion, cross-provincial services for businesses and citizens, and transportation connectivity. During the forum, 12 cross-regional innovation consortia in the Yangtze River Delta (second batch) were established, focusing on strategic areas such as artificial intelligence, integrated circuits, and biomedicine. The Yangtze River Delta Advanced Manufacturing Cluster Alliance was unveiled. The alliance will leverage the industrial foundation advantages of the three provinces and one city to build a collaborative network for industrial and supply chains on a larger scale, promoting the high-quality development of advanced manufacturing clusters.
Ink, among the four treasures of the study, is a companion to exquisite calligraphy and painting, and a vehicle for a thousand years of cultural heritage. Huizhou ink is a treasure among traditional Chinese ink-making techniques. Today (June 7), in "Cultural China Tour," let us explore the mysteries of Huizhou ink. The cultural lineage is long, and with the invention of paper and the improvement of the brush, ancient Chinese ink-making techniques gradually evolved and developed. According to the "Huizhou Prefecture Annals," Huizhou ink originated in the late Tang Dynasty, when ink makers from Yizhou (now Hebei) and other northern regions traveled to Shexian County. Seeing the dense pine forests and clear waters of the Xin'an River, they settled down and began making ink, thus giving birth to Huizhou ink. It entered its golden age during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and Huizhou gradually became the center of the national ink-making industry. In 2006, the Huizhou ink-making technique was listed among the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage items. The commonly used Huizhou inks are pine soot ink and oil soot ink. Pine soot ink is dark and light, suitable for both calligraphy and painting; oil soot ink is dark, bright, and lustrous, and has been commonly used in Chinese painting since the Ming Dynasty. At Huangshan Ink Factory, the most traditional method of making Huizhou ink is still preserved. Under thousands of pounding and kneading, the fragrance of ink wafts. Huizhou ink is made from pine soot, tung oil soot, animal bone glue and hide glue as main raw materials, supplemented by various precious and rare auxiliary materials, meticulously refined through thousands of poundings and hammerings. After repeated pounding and uniform kneading, the ink sticks are placed in an ink mold for shaping. Gold painting is the last process in making Huizhou ink. After the ink dries, craftsmen will paint various inscriptions and patterns on this small piece of Huizhou ink. Huizhou ink after gold painting is not only beautiful but also serves as a sealing effect. Injecting vitality into the inheritance and development of Huizhou ink-making techniques. Nowadays, Anhui Province, the birthplace of Huizhou ink, is actively promoting the Huizhou ink-making technique into schools. On the other hand, relying on its distinctive resources, it has established multiple Huizhou ink-making technique bases that integrate inheritance and research.
China's Foreign Exchange Reserves Reached US$3.2853 Trillion at End-May. The latest data from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange shows that at the end of May, China's foreign exchange reserves stood at US$3.2853 trillion, an increase of US$3.6 billion from the end of April, a rise of 0.11%. China's economy continues to recover and improve, and the quality of economic development is steadily improving, providing support for the basic stability of foreign exchange reserve scale. China's Water Consumption Per 10,000 Yuan of GDP Decreased by 4.4% Year-on-Year in 2024. The Ministry of Water Resources recently released the "China Water Resources Bulletin 2024," which shows that water consumption per 10,000 yuan of GDP and per 10,000 yuan of industrial added value decreased by 4.4% and 5.3% year-on-year respectively, indicating a steady improvement in water efficiency. 2025 Wheat Minimum Purchase Price Initiated. According to the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration, based on relevant policies such as the wheat and rice minimum purchase price implementation plan, the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration has decided to launch the 2025 wheat minimum purchase price in eligible areas within Henan Province starting today (June 7). This marks the first time China has launched a minimum purchase price policy for wheat in major wheat-producing areas this year. Two Departments Allocate 580 Million Yuan for Water Conservancy Disaster Relief to Ensure Flood Safety. Recently, the Ministry of Finance, in conjunction with the Ministry of Water Resources, allocated 580 million yuan in water conservancy disaster relief funds to support and guide 29 provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the central government, and cities with separate budgetary status, as well as the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, to thoroughly inspect hidden dangers in water conservancy engineering facilities related to flood control safety, such as river and lake embankments, reservoirs, and important sea dikes, and to make full efforts in repairing water-damaged water conservancy projects and other flood prevention and preparation work. Upstream Yangtze River Reservoir Group Has Replenished 38 Billion Cubic Meters of Water This Year. The Yangtze River Water Resources Commission of the Ministry of Water Resources announced that it is currently implementing its third irrigation replenishment dispatch for 2025. This year, the upstream Yangtze River reservoir group has cumulatively replenished 38 billion cubic meters of water to the middle and lower reaches, and 1,533 large and medium-sized irrigation areas covering 55.58 million mu of farmland have cumulatively irrigated over 5 billion cubic meters of water, providing solid water conservancy assurance for a bumper summer grain harvest. Qinghai Yin'a Jihuang North Main Canal Phase II and West Main Canal Projects Officially Completed and Operational. Today (June 7), the second phase of the Yin'a Jihuang North Main Canal and the West Main Canal projects in Qinghai Province passed completion acceptance and began operation. These two projects cover 122 administrative villages in two cities and four counties (districts), enabling irrigation of 700,000 mu of farmland and forest land, and will also provide industrial water supply for the main stream of the Huangshui River.
According to Russian media reports today (June 7), the Russian military launched strikes on Kharkiv, cutting off the rotation of Ukrainian troops and arms supplies. In the operation, the Russian forces also attacked Ukrainian and foreign mercenary strongholds, destroying drone production workshops and warehouses. The reports also stated that in Dnipropetrovsk, the Russian military destroyed workshops of Ukrainian military industrial enterprises, mobile air defense systems, and drone operator deployment sites. According to a statement released by the Russian Ministry of Defense today, Russian forces shot down 36 Ukrainian drones over Kursk, Bryansk, and Moscow regions. The Russian Ministry of Defense stated on June 6 that over the past week, the Russian military conducted six group strikes using high-precision weapons and attack drones, destroying Ukrainian military industrial enterprises, military airfield infrastructure, drone production workshops, Ukrainian military depots, etc. The Russian Ministry of Defense also stated that in one week, Russian forces took control of seven settlements in the Sumy and Donetsk regions; Russian air defense systems intercepted 1,390 drones within a week, of which 509 were outside the special military operation zone. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces stated today that Russian forces launched offensives in the Kharkiv, Kupyansk, and other directions, and attacked various parts of Ukraine with 9 missiles and 206 drones. Kharkiv city officials in Ukraine stated today that the city was subjected to a large-scale Russian attack in the early hours of today, causing casualties and damaging multiple residential buildings. The Ukrainian Air Force stated that it shot down a Russian Su-35 fighter jet in the Kursk direction today. The Ukrainian side also stated that on June 6, the Ukrainian army, in coordination with the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, launched strikes against several Russian military targets, including military facilities within Russian territory. U.S. President Trump told reporters on June 6 that Ukraine's drone attacks inside Russia gave Russia a reason to bomb Ukraine. He also said that he does not believe Russia will stop negotiations with Ukraine because of recent Ukrainian attacks.
NATO's annual large-scale military exercise "Baltic Operations 2025" has recently commenced in the Baltic Sea region and will continue until June 20. According to information released by the U.S. military, over 40 ships, 25 aircraft, and approximately 9,000 military personnel from 16 NATO countries are participating in this exercise. Russia also began its regular military exercise in these waters on May 27. The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that Russia has deployed approximately 20 ships, 3,000 service members, and 25 military aircraft for its exercise. Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov previously stated that the West's continuous military exercises near Russia's land and sea borders, and their increasing scale, are provocative.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) continued to attack various locations in the Palestinian Gaza Strip on June 6. The IDF issued a statement on the same day, saying that four Israeli soldiers were killed in an operation in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, that day. The Gaza health authorities stated on June 6 that Israeli attacks across Gaza that day had killed 38 people. In addition, according to a statement issued by the Gaza media office on June 6, eight Gaza residents were killed and 61 injured near an aid distribution point in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, when they were attacked by Israeli forces and American security personnel while trying to receive aid. The statement said that since the aid distribution point supported by the US and Israel opened in the southern Gaza Strip on May 27, 110 Gaza residents have been killed and 583 injured near aid distribution points. The United Nations previously pointed out that the relevant US-Israeli aid plan serves Israeli military objectives, including Israel's decision on "who can access aid" and the forced displacement of Palestinians to the areas where distribution points are located.
According to data released by the U.S. Department of Commerce on June 5, U.S. imports in April fell by 16.3% month-on-month to US$351 billion, the largest monthly decline on record, with U.S. consumer goods imports falling by 32%, and imports of industrial supplies, materials, motor vehicles, and parts also sharply declining. This contrasts sharply with the substantial growth trend in U.S. imports from January to March this year. U.S. media reported that this phenomenon was affected by U.S. tariff policies. The current situation has raised concerns about a decline in consumption. Several European countries have lowered growth forecasts. The German Central Bank, the Italian National Institute of Statistics, and the Dutch Central Bank all lowered their respective economic growth forecasts on June 6, stating that U.S. tariff policies had a negative impact on economic growth prospects.
Peru's Chancay Port Officially Begins Commercial Operations. Peru's Chancay Port officially began commercial operations on June 5. Peruvian President Boluarte issued the operating license for the Chancay Port terminal on the same day. Boluarte stated that the Chancay Port project is expected to generate approximately US$4.5 billion in economic benefits for Peru annually, accounting for 1.8% of its GDP, and create about 7,000 direct and indirect jobs. Boluarte pointed out that the opening of Chancay Port shortens the sea shipping time from Peru to Asia from 35 days to 25 days. She called on neighboring countries in the region to strengthen trade ties with the Asian market through Chancay Port and promote regional economic integration and common development. EU Ends Trade Preferences for Ukrainian Agricultural Products. The European Union announced on June 6 that it would end trade preferences for Ukrainian agricultural products, terminating the tariff exemptions implemented for Ukraine after the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. In June 2022, the EU removed import tariffs and quotas on Ukrainian agricultural products, which sparked protests from farmers in several EU member states who believed that low-cost Ukrainian agricultural products disrupted local markets. Wildfires Spread in Canada, Urban Air Quality Continues to Deteriorate. According to a statement released by Environment Canada on June 6, spreading wildfires have caused a large amount of smoke, deteriorating air quality in Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, and other areas. The health risk level in Canada's capital, Ottawa, has reached "very high risk." All outdoor activities in the city have been suspended. As of June 6, there were 213 wildfires burning across Canada, with 102 of them out of control. In addition, affected by southward drifting wildfire smoke, air quality in some U.S. cities, including Chicago and Detroit, has also deteriorated.
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