Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, May 19 — China’s inbound tourism market holds immense potential, driven by continued policy optimization that aims to ease access for international travelers and improve the overall travel experience across the country, according to industry experts.
China will further enhance the convenience of inbound tourism in terms of visas, payments, transportation and accommodation, Shi Zeyi, an official at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism said during the latest episode of China Economic Roundtable, an all-media talk show hosted by Xinhua News Agency.
It will also focus on “precise demand orientation, diversified business formats, and international-standard services” to improve inbound tourism services, Shi added. For example, China will introduce new products and business models to cater to the diverse needs of travelers from different countries, Shi said.
It will also encourage inbound consumption by increasing the number of duty-free shops and expanding the range of goods eligible for “instant tax refunds,” which allows foreign visitors to instantly claim value-added tax rebates at tax-free stores across the country, Shi added.
The country will continue to improve its institutional mechanisms for high-standard opening-up, ensuring greater openness, more robust open development and security to facilitate personnel exchanges and cultural interactions, said Liu Jia, an official from the National Immigration Administration.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
China’s tax and fee cuts, as well as tax refunds supporting sci-tech innovation and manufacturing totaled 424.1 billion yuan (58.97 billion U.S. dollars) in the first quarter of 2025, the State Taxation Administration said Monday.
Value-added tax (VAT) invoice data also indicated that structural tax and fee relief measures are accelerating the country’s innovation momentum and high-quality manufacturing development, said the administration.
In the first four months of this year, the VAT data showed that the sales revenue of China’s high-tech industries grew by 13.9 percent year on year, while services facilitating the commercialization of scientific and technological achievements jumped 33.6 percent. The core industries of the digital economy also maintained steady growth of 9.7 percent.
The manufacturing sector also performed strongly, with the digital product manufacturing and high-tech manufacturing both reporting double-digit revenue growth from January to April.
The administration said tax authorities will continue to ensure the swift and targeted delivery of policy benefits through data-driven services, supporting the cultivation of new quality productive forces and the high-quality development of the manufacturing sector.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Xiaomi Corp confirmed on Monday that it will unveil a 3nm Xuanjie O1 chip on Thursday, after over four years of intensive R&D efforts.
The move will position Xiaomi in direct competition with leading global chipmakers, with the new chip poised to power Xiaomi’s latest smartphones.
Lei Jun, CEO and chairman of Xiaomi, said via a post on Sina Weibo that the company’s cumulative investment in Xuanjie chip exceeded over 13.5 billion yuan ($1.9 billion) by the end of April 2025.
Xiaomi now has a 2,500-strong semiconductor R&D team driving innovation, enforcing its position among China’s top three semiconductor design firms in both R&D spending and team scale, Lei said.
Lei also emphasized the significance of the achievement: “Reaching this milestone demanded unwavering commitment, courage, and substantial technical and financial resources. The Xuanjie O1 marks the beginning of our journey to redefine high-end semiconductor capabilities in the global market.”
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
The added value of core industries of China’s digital economy is expected to account for more than 10 percent of GDP by the end of this year, as the country accelerates steps to advance its digital development, according to a 2025 action plan to build a Digital China.
The plan released by the National Data Administration outlines eight major areas for action, including institutional innovation, local brand development, AI Plus, infrastructure improvement, data industry cultivation and digital talent development.
By the end of 2025, China aims to make great strides in building a Digital China, with the continuous expansion of new quality productive forces in the digital industry, and significant improvements in the quality and efficiency of digital economic development, according to the plan.
The plan noted that the total scale of China’s computing power will surpass 300 EFLOPS by then. EFLOPS is a unit of the speed of computer systems and is equal to 1 quintillion floating-point operations per second. Steady progress will also be made in building a unified data elements market.
The plan calls for deepening reforms related to the market-oriented allocation of data elements, speeding up steps to cultivate a unified national data market, facilitating the development of a data-driven digital economy tailored to local conditions and strengthening international cooperation in digital domain.
More efforts will also be made to explore the application scenarios of AI, push forward the construction of high-quality AI datasets, optimize and upgrade internet of things and industrial internet, press ahead with the mega data project dubbed the “east-data-west-computing”, as well as bolster the development and utilization of public data resources, the plan added.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
China’s foreign trade grew steadily in April despite external pressures, an official from the National Bureau of Statistics said Monday. Official data shows that China’s total import and export value in April expanded 5.6% year on year, with export jumping by 9.3%.
So do people trust climate scientists, and what affects levels of trust? Our new study shows climate scientists are less trusted than other types of scientists globally. But there are profound variations in this trust gap between countries, and within them.
Finding ways to increase trust in climate scientists is crucial if the world is to implement effective policies to avert dangerous global warming.
Low trust in climate scientists may hinder effective climate science communication and reduce public engagement with climate solutions. Mozgova, Shutterstock.
Examining trust in science
We collaborated with an international team of researchers to analyse data from one of the largest cross-national surveys of public attitudes toward science. The dataset includes responses from nearly 70,000 people across 68 countries. It offers a rare global snapshot of how people perceive scientists in general, and climate scientists in particular.
Each of these people rated their trust in climate scientists on a five-point scale, with a five indicating very high trust and a one being not trusted at all.
Trust in scientists more generally was assessed using a 12-item questionnaire that measured perceptions of expertise, integrity, benevolence and openness. The responses were averaged to create a composite trust score. Higher scores reflected higher levels of trust.
We found trust in scientists was moderately strong worldwide, as it was above the midpoint of the scale (averaging 3.6 out of 5). But trust in climate scientists was slightly lower (averaging 3.5). The difference between the two scores is what we call the “trust gap”.
In 43 of the 68 countries, the trust gap was statistically significant, with people reporting lower trust in climate scientists than in scientists in general.
The size of the trust gap varied between countries. In Europe, Oceania (including Australia and New Zealand) and North America the gap tended to be smaller. Larger gaps emerged in parts of Latin America and Africa.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo had the widest gap, with climate scientists trusted less than in any other country. This may reflect local concerns that global climate agendas — often supported by international scientists — prioritise resource extraction for foreign renewable energy demands over local interests. Such feelings may be particularly acute in regions where mining has brought limited community benefit.
Six countries bucked the trend. Climate scientists were more trusted than scientists overall in China, Taiwan, South Korea, Egypt, Israel and Germany.
In China and Germany, this may reflect strong investment in green energy, high levels of public support for climate action, and the visible role climate scientists play in shaping policy.
What’s going on here?
Not surprisingly, people with more positive views of science tended to express higher trust in scientists and even more so, climate scientists. But people with dim views of scientists were less trusting of climate scientists.
Age also played a role. Older people tended to trust scientists more than younger people. But younger people were more likely to trust climate scientists.
Climate scientists were generally less trusted than scientists regardless of gender. While men reported slightly lower trust in scientists than women did, the difference was not statistically significant.
Among all the variables we examined, political orientation emerged as one of the strongest factors associated with trust in climate scientists. People with right-leaning or conservative views reported lower trust in climate scientists compared with those with more left-leaning or liberal views.
However, the meaning of terms such as “liberal” and “conservative” can vary considerably between countries. For example, in Australia, the Liberal Party is politically right-leaning. But in the United States, “liberal” typically refers to left-leaning or progressive views. This variation makes cross-national comparisons complex and requires careful interpretation of results.
As a particular person’s political orientation shifted further to the right, the trust gap between climate scientists and scientists widened.
In 28 countries across the Americas, Europe and Oceania, right-leaning orientation was associated not only with lower trust in climate scientists than people who leaned to the left, but also with a larger gap between trust for scientists generally and trust for climate scientists.
In a smaller subset of countries, particularly in parts of Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe, the pattern reversed – right-leaning individuals expressed greater trust in climate scientists than their left-leaning counterparts.
These findings suggest it is not political orientation alone that drives public trust, but how climate issues are framed in political discourse. In many Western countries, public messaging around climate change — particularly from conservative parties and media — has cast doubt on the credibility of climate science. This politicisation, often amplified by vested interests such as fossil fuel lobbies, may help explain the erosion of trust among some conservative groups.
Closing the trust gap
Trust alone will not solve the climate crisis, but it plays a crucial role in shaping how societies respond to scientific guidance.
Ambitious, evidence-based policies require public support to succeed. A persistent trust gap — no matter how small — can undermine that support and help explain why many governments continue to fall short of their climate targets.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Omid Ghasemi, Research Associate in Behavioural Science at the Institute for Climate Risk & Response, UNSW Sydney
So do people trust climate scientists, and what affects levels of trust? Our new study shows climate scientists are less trusted than other types of scientists globally. But there are profound variations in this trust gap between countries, and within them.
Finding ways to increase trust in climate scientists is crucial if the world is to implement effective policies to avert dangerous global warming.
Low trust in climate scientists may hinder effective climate science communication and reduce public engagement with climate solutions. Mozgova, Shutterstock.
Examining trust in science
We collaborated with an international team of researchers to analyse data from one of the largest cross-national surveys of public attitudes toward science. The dataset includes responses from nearly 70,000 people across 68 countries. It offers a rare global snapshot of how people perceive scientists in general, and climate scientists in particular.
Each of these people rated their trust in climate scientists on a five-point scale, with a five indicating very high trust and a one being not trusted at all.
Trust in scientists more generally was assessed using a 12-item questionnaire that measured perceptions of expertise, integrity, benevolence and openness. The responses were averaged to create a composite trust score. Higher scores reflected higher levels of trust.
We found trust in scientists was moderately strong worldwide, as it was above the midpoint of the scale (averaging 3.6 out of 5). But trust in climate scientists was slightly lower (averaging 3.5). The difference between the two scores is what we call the “trust gap”.
In 43 of the 68 countries, the trust gap was statistically significant, with people reporting lower trust in climate scientists than in scientists in general.
The size of the trust gap varied between countries. In Europe, Oceania (including Australia and New Zealand) and North America the gap tended to be smaller. Larger gaps emerged in parts of Latin America and Africa.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo had the widest gap, with climate scientists trusted less than in any other country. This may reflect local concerns that global climate agendas — often supported by international scientists — prioritise resource extraction for foreign renewable energy demands over local interests. Such feelings may be particularly acute in regions where mining has brought limited community benefit.
Six countries bucked the trend. Climate scientists were more trusted than scientists overall in China, Taiwan, South Korea, Egypt, Israel and Germany.
In China and Germany, this may reflect strong investment in green energy, high levels of public support for climate action, and the visible role climate scientists play in shaping policy.
What’s going on here?
Not surprisingly, people with more positive views of science tended to express higher trust in scientists and even more so, climate scientists. But people with dim views of scientists were less trusting of climate scientists.
Age also played a role. Older people tended to trust scientists more than younger people. But younger people were more likely to trust climate scientists.
Climate scientists were generally less trusted than scientists regardless of gender. While men reported slightly lower trust in scientists than women did, the difference was not statistically significant.
Among all the variables we examined, political orientation emerged as one of the strongest factors associated with trust in climate scientists. People with right-leaning or conservative views reported lower trust in climate scientists compared with those with more left-leaning or liberal views.
However, the meaning of terms such as “liberal” and “conservative” can vary considerably between countries. For example, in Australia, the Liberal Party is politically right-leaning. But in the United States, “liberal” typically refers to left-leaning or progressive views. This variation makes cross-national comparisons complex and requires careful interpretation of results.
As a particular person’s political orientation shifted further to the right, the trust gap between climate scientists and scientists widened.
In 28 countries across the Americas, Europe and Oceania, right-leaning orientation was associated not only with lower trust in climate scientists than people who leaned to the left, but also with a larger gap between trust for scientists generally and trust for climate scientists.
In a smaller subset of countries, particularly in parts of Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe, the pattern reversed – right-leaning individuals expressed greater trust in climate scientists than their left-leaning counterparts.
These findings suggest it is not political orientation alone that drives public trust, but how climate issues are framed in political discourse. In many Western countries, public messaging around climate change — particularly from conservative parties and media — has cast doubt on the credibility of climate science. This politicisation, often amplified by vested interests such as fossil fuel lobbies, may help explain the erosion of trust among some conservative groups.
Closing the trust gap
Trust alone will not solve the climate crisis, but it plays a crucial role in shaping how societies respond to scientific guidance.
Ambitious, evidence-based policies require public support to succeed. A persistent trust gap — no matter how small — can undermine that support and help explain why many governments continue to fall short of their climate targets.
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
COLOMBO, May 19 (Xinhua) — Sri Lanka’s Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody reiterated the country’s commitment to expanding energy partnership with China, calling it a “close friend” and outlining ambitious plans for cooperation in oil and renewable energy projects.
In an interview with Xinhua on Friday, K. Jayakody stressed that Sri Lanka is keen to expedite the implementation of key energy projects in cooperation with Chinese partners.
“We have a refinery project in Hambantota and we are in a hurry to start it,” he said, adding that Sri Lanka also wants to start some projects in the power sector, especially solar and wind energy. He said it is likely that the Sri Lankan government will look to China for support in these sectors.
K. Jayakody stressed that Sri Lanka is particularly interested in leveraging China’s advances in energy storage technology to improve the reliability and sustainability of its electricity sector.
The minister’s remarks came on Friday at the Open Day of the national Clean Sri Lanka programme. The event was held for the first time by China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) at a newly renovated petrol station in Nawala. The event was attended by senior government officials, Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Qi Zhenhong and public figures.
The Clean Sri Lanka initiative launched by the new government led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake aims to promote environmental sustainability and ethical standards throughout the country’s infrastructure.
At the Sinopec Open Day, some of the new products on display included improved fuel pumps, improved safety systems, fuel vapor recovery valves and clean toilets that are accessible to all.
The Chinese company is looking to improve not only infrastructure but also service standards, with island-wide training for station managers and petrol station attendants on safety, first aid and customer service.
Ambassador Qi Zhenhong noted that the event not only showcased Sinopec’s achievements in clean, modernized infrastructure, but also the tangible benefits that bilateral cooperation brings to local people. –0–
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Khabarovsk, May 19 (Xinhua) — The Russia-China Forum (RCF) dedicated to cooperation between the two countries opened in Khabarovsk, the capital of Russia’s Khabarovsk Krai, on Monday.
At 09:00 local time, the opening ceremony of the two-day forum took place on Komsomolskaya Square in the center of Khabarovsk. It was attended by the Governor of Khabarovsk Krai Dmitry Demeshin and the Consul General of the PRC in Khabarovsk Jiang Xiaoyang.
“Khabarovsk Krai has historically become a territory of strong cooperation between Russia and China. We see how our economic ties are growing stronger every year, trade relations are expanding, joint projects are being implemented in industry, energy and transport. It is here, in the Russian Far East, that we are forming new standards of international cooperation. Our enterprises are successfully working together, creating modern production, innovative technologies and jobs. We are building bridges not only in the literal but also in the figurative sense – bridges of trust, mutual understanding and prosperity,” said D. Demeshin in his speech at the ceremony.
According to Jiang Xiaoyang, the forum is being held as a platform for implementing the decisions reached by the leaders of the two countries after their meeting last year. Khabarovsk Krai is a major logistics, industrial and scientific-technical center in the Russian Far East. There are broad prospects for cooperation between Khabarovsk Krai and Chinese partners.
The RKF is held under the motto “Bolshoy Ussuriysky /Heixiazidao Island/: cooperation in joint development of the island”. Its program includes more than 30 thematic areas, cultural and sports events. More than three thousand applications for participation in the forum were received from representatives of business, government bodies and creative industries from Russia and China.
The forum will include a plenary session entitled “Russia and China: Joining Efforts for Common Prosperity.” It will discuss the state and prospects of the two countries’ strategic partnership, the role of twinning at the regional level, the situation in border regions, the vector of small business development, and other issues.
The forum will also feature a series of events to deepen cooperation between Russian and Chinese entrepreneurs. In particular, an investment exhibition will open, a Russia-China business dialogue will take place, and B2B negotiations will take place.
The cultural program of the forum includes a performance by Chinese artists, and the festival “Two banks – one Amur /Heilongjiang River/”. The traditional regional festival-fair “AmurFest. Spring” is timed to coincide with the forum, and a thematic exhibition is also open in the Far Eastern Art Museum.
The organizer of the RCF is the government of Khabarovsk Krai with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia, the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East, JSC Far East and Arctic Development Corporation and VEB.RF. The operator is the Roscongress Foundation. –0–
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, May 19 (Xinhua) — A significant reduction in customs duties between China and the United States is beneficial to the growth of trade between the two countries and the global economic recovery, Fu Linghui, an official with the National Bureau of Statistics, said at a press conference on Monday.
The current international situation remains complex and serious, and the world is facing the rise of unilateralism and protectionism, which poses serious challenges to the international trade and economic order and constrains global economic growth, Fu Linghui said.
However, the overall trend of mutually beneficial international cooperation will not change, Fu Linghui noted, adding that China’s firm commitment to expanding its opening up to the outside world will also remain unchanged.
The country’s foreign trade diversification has been steadily advancing, and policies to promote foreign trade have consistently demonstrated effectiveness, which will continue to support the steady growth of foreign trade, Fu Linghui added. -0-
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, May 19 (Xinhua) — The added value of output of China’s major industrial enterprises, an important economic indicator, rose 6.1 percent year on year in April, official data showed Monday.
Last month, the added value of manufacturing grew 6.6 percent year-on-year, with the added value of equipment manufacturing and high-tech manufacturing sectors growing 9.8 percent and 10 percent, respectively, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
According to data, in January-April this year, the added value of products of leading industrial enterprises in China increased by 6.4 percent year-on-year.
The industrial value added indicator is used to measure the activity of large enterprises, each of which has an annual income from its main business activities of at least 20 million yuan (about 2.78 million US dollars). -0-
India’s apparel and home textiles exports to the UK are expected to double from the current levels in the next 5-6 years, with the bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) scheduled to become operational in calendar year 2026, according to an ICRA report.
Currently, Indian textile exports to the UK face 8-12 per cent duties, but with 99 per cent of goods, including textiles, gaining zero-duty access under the FTA, India will achieve parity with competitors like Bangladesh, Vietnam and Pakistan, the report states.
China leads UK textile imports with a 25 per cent market share, closely followed by Bangladesh, which has a 22 per cent share. Turkey and Pakistan, with 8 per cent and 6.8 per cent share respectively, are the other major exporters. The FTA will enable India’s textile exports to become more competitive in the UK, leading to an increase in market share.
India is currently the 12th largest trading partner of the UK and ranks fifth in apparel and home textiles imports, with $1.4 billion worth of exports in 2024, which constitutes a 6.6 per cent share of the UK’s textile imports.
While the US and EU remain dominant markets with a 61 per cent share in 2024, the UK’s share is expected to rise to 11-12 per cent by 2027, reflecting an 11 per cent compound annual rate of growth (CAGR).
The bilateral trade deal, finalised on May 6, after three years of negotiations, will provide concessional or zero-duty access on select goods, boosting trade volumes and earnings.
India’s Textile and Apparel exports have continued their upward trajectory, recording a growth of 7.45 per cent in April 2025 compared to the same month of the previous year. This positive trend was primarily driven by the strong performance of the apparel segment, which registered a robust 14.43 per cent growth year-on-year, an analysis of the data released by the Ministry of Commerce showed.
“The current growth of 14.43 per cent in apparel exports seems to be mainly driven by increased shipments to the United States, following the announcement of reciprocal tariff measures by the US administration,” Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) chairman Rakesh Mehra said.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
China’s industrial output posted strong growth in April, expanding 6.1% year on year, according to official data released Monday. Specifically, output of the equipment manufacturing and high-tech manufacturing sectors rose by 9.8% and 10% year on year, respectively.
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
GUANGZHOU, May 19 (Xinhua) — Three people were killed and one was missing after heavy rains triggered a landslide early Sunday in a village in Gaozhou City, south China’s Guangdong Province, local authorities said Monday.
The emergency occurred at approximately 07:00 on Sunday in the village of Pintougan. One three-story building was damaged, and seven people were trapped. Thanks to the efforts of rescuers, six people were found and rescued. Despite the efforts of medical workers, three of them died in the hospital. The condition of the other three is assessed as stable.
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
CHENGDU, May 19 (Xinhua) — The first themed tourist train dedicated to the legendary Sanxingdui ruins was launched in Chengdu, capital of southwest China’s Sichuan Province, on Sunday.
Departing from Chengdu East Railway Station, the train will take 18 minutes to reach the Sanxingdui Ruins and about two hours to reach Jiuzhaigou Valley, two of Sichuan Province’s most famous landmarks. The train will make 13 round trips daily, carrying about 30,000 passengers a day.
Decorated with images of iconic bronze objects found at the Sanxingdui ruins, the train resembles a mobile museum and immerses passengers in the culture of the Bronze Age. A professional guide from the Sanxingdui Museum explains the history of the excavation of the ruins, the artifacts recovered from there, and the cultural significance of this unique site.
“It’s so exciting!” says Zhou Wen, one of the first passengers on the theme train. “Every detail in the carriage makes us feel like we’ve returned to the ancient Shu Kingdom.” “It’s a rich and unforgettable experience,” she admits.
The Sanxingdui ruins are believed to date back to the Shu Kingdom, which existed 4,500-3,000 years ago.
Jiuzhaigou Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, attracts tourists with its waterfalls, lush forests, serene highland lakes and karst cliffs. -0-
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, May 19 (Xinhua) — A demand and supply conference under the China-Russia inter-municipal cooperation was held Sunday in Harbin, capital of northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province.
The event was organized by the provincial government of Heihe City and was attended by more than 200 representatives from chambers of commerce, industry associations and enterprises from both sides, according to news website Chinadaily.com.
The conference focused on cross-border industrial cooperation and interregional economic interaction.
The border city of Heihe, which is separated by the Heilongjiang River (Amur) from the city of Blagoveshchensk in Russia’s Amur Region, has achieved fruitful results in foreign trade and humanitarian contacts in recent years. Its mayor Qin Bo called on domestic and Russian entrepreneurs at a conference to invest in Heihe’s economy and jointly develop the city’s priority sectors, such as cross-border trade, tourism, etc.
Calling the conference a platform for enhancing cooperation between cities and enterprises in China and Russia, Xing Yingna, deputy head of the Heilongjiang Provincial Commerce Department, expressed hope that the business communities of China and Russia will contribute to ensuring the economic prosperity of the two countries. -0-
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
FREMONT, U.S., May 19 (Xinhua) — Two people were killed and at least one more was missing Sunday evening after a train struck several pedestrians in the northern U.S. state of Ohio, authorities said.
Fremont Mayor Danny Sanchez confirmed two deaths, without disclosing the number of injured or hospitalized.
City police said emergency crews were searching for missing people and urged the public to stay away from the scene. –0–
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BUCHAREST, May 19 (Xinhua) — Bucharest Mayor and independent candidate Nicusor Dan has won the second round of Romania’s presidential election, according to nearly complete official results released Sunday evening by the Permanent Electoral Administration.
After counting almost all the ballots, N. Dan received 54.17% of the votes, while his rival, the leader of the nationalist Alliance for the Unification of Romanians, George Simion, received 45.83%.
The vote ended a repeat presidential election that was held after the results of the first round held in 2024 were annulled over allegations of campaign irregularities and foreign interference.
Mr. Dan, 55, is a pro-European candidate who campaigned on promises to strengthen rule of law reforms, maintain military and diplomatic support for Ukraine and deepen relations with the West.
Simion, 38, led the first round of the elections on May 4, receiving 40.96 percent of the vote, beating Dan by 20.99 percent. His campaign was held under the slogan “Romania First.” He promised to lower taxes, reduce EU restrictions and reduce military aid to Ukraine. –0–
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, May 19 (Xinhua) — China’s retail sales of consumer goods, a key indicator of consumption growth, grew 5.1 percent year on year in April 2025, data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed Monday.
According to the department, the volume of retail trade of consumer goods reached 3.72 trillion yuan (approximately 517.27 billion US dollars) in April.
In January-April, total retail sales of consumer goods increased by 4.7 percent year-on-year, compared to 4.6 percent in the first three months of 2025. -0-
The Indian rupee opened 12 paise stronger at 85.44 against the US dollar on Monday, supported by favorable global cues and market optimism. The rupee had closed at 85.52 per dollar on Friday.
At the same time, gold prices surged nearly 1 percent in the morning session on the domestic futures market, driven by a weakening US dollar and renewed concerns over the possible return of Donald Trump-era trade tariffs.
On the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX), the Gold June 5 contract was trading 0.95 percent higher at ₹93,317 per 10 grams. The US dollar index dropped by about 0.3 percent, making gold more affordable in other currencies and boosting global demand.
Rahul Kalantri, Vice President of Commodities at Mehta Equities, noted that gold has support at $3,195–$3,175 and resistance at $3,245–$3,260. For silver, the support levels are $32.10–$31.80, while resistance lies at $32.65–$32.85.
“Gold prices climbed above $3,220 per ounce on Monday, rebounding from last week’s steepest decline in six months,” Kalantri said. “The recovery was fueled by safe-haven demand following Moody’s downgrade of the US sovereign credit rating, citing fiscal imbalances and rising debt costs.”
Despite temporary relief from the US-China tariff truce, weak US economic indicators and subdued inflation have led investors to anticipate additional interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve. This sentiment has further bolstered bullion prices.
“In Indian rupee terms, gold has support at ₹91,850–₹91,480 and resistance at ₹92,850–₹93,490,” Kalantri added. “Silver is supported at ₹94,480–₹94,850 per kg and faces resistance at ₹95,950–₹96,650.”
Gold prices have remained rangebound over the past two sessions, largely due to the lack of fresh triggers. The easing of geopolitical tensions between India and Pakistan and the temporary US-China truce have contributed to this stability.
However, domestic demand ahead of India’s upcoming wedding season is expected to provide strong support, keeping prices elevated, said Aksha Kamboj, Vice President of the India Bullion and Jewellers Association (IBJA).
Indian benchmark indices opened flat on Monday amid mixed global cues, as selling was seen in the IT sector in the early trade.
At around 9.32 am, Sensex was trading 3.88 points or 0.00 per cent up at 82,326.71 while the Nifty climbed 14.70 point or 0.06 per cent at 25,034.50.
Nifty Bank was up 134.25 points or 0.24 per cent at 55,489.15. The Nifty Midcap 100 index was trading at 57,203.80 after rising 143.30 points or 0.25 per cent. Nifty Smallcap 100 index was at 17,701.75 after climbing 141.35 points or 0.80 per cent.
According to analysts, “they now have only the October 2024 peak ahead at 25,235, which is in close vicinity, before 26,277, the lofty peak of September stares at us. This warns us to be guarded against sudden withdrawal in risk appetite and buying interest as we push ahead”.
“With this in the backdrop we will begin the week expecting continuation of an uptrend, with an intraday downside marker at 24,950. However, brace for declines, should the upswings there of fail to clear 25,235 or if there is an outright breakdown past 24,870/807 region,” said Anand James, Chief Market Strategist of Geojit Investments Limited.
The prime mover of the ongoing rally in the Indian market is the sustained FII inflows of around Rs 23,800 crore so far this month.
“Of course, the decline in global trade tensions, the rally in global markets led by the US and the India-Pak ceasefire have created the setting for this rally,” said experts.
Meanwhile, in the Sensex pack, Infosys, TCS, IndusInd Bank, HCL Tech, Tech Mahindra, M&M, Eternal, Reliance and L&T were the top losers. Whereas, NTPC, Bajaj Finance, Tata Motors, Sun Pharma, Bajaj Finserv, PowerGrid, SBI and HDFC Bank were the top gainers.
In the Asian markets, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Bangkok and Seoul were trading in red, whereas, only Jakarta was trading in green.
In the last trading session on Friday, Dow Jones in the US closed at 42,654.74, up 331.99 points, or 0.78 per cent. The S&P 500 ended with a gain of 41.45 points, or 0.70 per cent, at 5,958.38 and the Nasdaq closed at 19,211.10, up 98.78 points, or 0.52 per cent.
On the institutional front, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) were net buyers of equities worth Rs 8,831.05 crore on May 16, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) purchased equities worth Rs 5,187.09 crore.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, May 19 — The Central Party Literature Press has published a new collection of articles on studying Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.
The new collection, compiled by the Institute of Party History and Literature of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, consists of five volumes of 29 articles published since November 2023.
These articles focus on studying and implementing relevant discourses made by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, with the aim of advancing systematic research and theoretical interpretation of the Party’s innovative theories for the new era.
The articles were originally published in the People’s Daily or the Qiushi Journal, both flagship publications of the CPC Central Committee.
The first two collections on the same topic, each comprising five volumes, were released in 2020 and 2023.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Lee Jae-myung, presidential candidate of South Korea’s majority liberal Democratic Party, led a poll for the June 3 presidential election, Flower Research survey showed Monday.
Lee came out on top with a support rate of 52.1 percent, taking a big lead over Kim Moon-soo, the second-biggest conservative People Power Party’s presidential candidate who garnered 29.5 percent of support.
The human rights lawyer-turned-politician maintained his position as a presidential frontrunner in the June 3 election, triggered by the removal of former President Yoon Suk-yeol from office over his botched martial law imposition last December.
Lee lost the 2022 presidential election to Yoon by the country’s narrowest margin of 0.73 percentage points.
The Democratic Party won an approval score of 50.3 percent, while 32.0 percent supported the People Power Party, the survey showed.
The result was based on a poll of 2,007 voters conducted between Friday and Saturday. It had plus and minus 2.2 percentage points in margin of error with a 95-percent confidence level.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
People shop at a supermarket in Shijingshan District of Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 8, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
China’s retail sales of consumer goods, a major indicator of the country’s consumption strength, expanded 5.1 percent year on year in April, official data showed Monday.
Total retail sales of consumer goods reached 3.72 trillion yuan (about 517.27 billion U.S. dollars) last month, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
From January to April, the retail sales of consumer goods rose 4.7 percent year on year, accelerating from the 4.6-percent growth in the first three months, according to the NBS.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
An aerial drone photo taken on Nov. 9, 2023 shows a newly-built residential complex in Feixi County of Hefei City, east China’s Anhui Province. [Photo/Xinhua]
Commercial home prices in major Chinese cities continued to stabilize in April, official data showed on Monday.
A survey by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed home prices in 70 major cities stayed flat or dipped in April compared with the previous month. The prices continued to fall on a yearly basis, but the pace of decline further eased.
New home prices in first-tier cities, namely Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, fell 2.1 percent year on year in April, compared with a decline of 2.8 percent registered in March.
New home prices in these cities remained flat compared with the previous month, while second-hand home prices edged down 0.2 percent from March, according to the NBS data.
Home prices in other major cities monitored by the NBS also posted narrowed price declines compared with one year earlier.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
China’s fixed-asset investment went up 4 percent year on year in the first four months of 2025, official data showed Monday.
Excluding the property sector, the country’s fixed-asset investment grew 8 percent year on year during this period, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
Infrastructure investment rose 5.8 percent year on year, while manufacturing investment increased 8.8 percent.
By industry, investment in the primary industry grew 13.2 percent year on year, while secondary industry investment rose 11.7 percent. The tertiary industry saw investment decrease by 0.2 percent.
In the high-tech sector, investment in information services surged 40.6 percent, while computer and office equipment manufacturing investment increased 28.9 percent. Investment in aviation, spacecraft and equipment manufacturing grew 23.9 percent, and professional technical services investment rose 17.6 percent.
Monday’s data also showed that China’s value-added industrial output expanded 6.1 percent year on year in April, while the retail sales of consumer goods, a major indicator of the country’s consumption strength, grew 5.1 percent year on year. The surveyed urban unemployment rate on average in China dropped to 5.1 percent in April.
In April, the impact of external shocks increased, but with coordinated macro policy efforts, the main economic indicators maintained steady and relatively fast growth, and the Chinese economy continued its upward trend, said the NBS.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
China’s job market remained generally stable in April, with the surveyed urban unemployment rate dropping on a month-on-month basis, official data showed on Monday.
The surveyed urban unemployment rate on average in China edged down from 5.2 percent in March to 5.1 percent in April, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
In 31 major cities, the figure also dropped by 0.1 percentage point to 5.1 percent, the NBS data showed.
During the first four months of this year, the surveyed urban unemployment rate on average was 5.2 percent, staying flat with the same period last year.
China’s steady economic growth, improving industrial performance and expanding new growth drivers, along with stronger support for employment among key groups, have helped keep the job market stable, NBS spokesperson Fu Linghui said at a press conference on Monday.
China has set a target for a surveyed urban unemployment rate of around 5.5 percent in 2025, and aims to create over 12 million new urban jobs.
As external uncertainties persist, greater efforts will be made to stabilize and expand employment, promote full employment, raise job quality and improve livelihoods, Fu added.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
The significant reduction of tariffs between China and the United States is beneficial for trade growth between the two countries and global economic recovery, an official with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said at a press conference on Monday.
The current international environment remains complex and severe, with a rise in unilateralism and protectionism, which poses serious challenges to the international economic and trade order and constrains global economic growth, NBS spokesperson Fu Linghui said.
However, the trend of international cooperation for win-win outcomes will not change, Fu noted, adding that China’s commitment to expanding its opening up will remain steadfast.
The country’s diversification of foreign trade is being steadily advanced, and the policies aimed at promoting foreign trade development are yielding continuous results, which will continue to support the steady growth of foreign trade, Fu added.
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, May 19 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping has stressed the need to adhere to scientific, democratic and law-based decision-making to ensure high-quality formulation of the country’s next five-year economic and social development plan.
Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks while giving instructions on work to draw up the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030).
Xi Jinping noted that the scientifically based formulation and consistent implementation of five-year plans are an important experience of the CPC in the field of public administration.
According to him, the formulation and implementation of the 15th Five-Year Plan is of great significance for the comprehensive implementation of the strategic plans adopted at the 20th CPC National Congress and the advancement of China’s modernization.
It is important to combine high-level planning with soliciting public opinion, and intensify research and discussion to achieve broad consensus, Xi stressed.
From 2026, China will begin implementing the 15th Five-Year Plan for Social and Economic Development. The CPC Central Committee is currently organizing work to formulate recommendations for this plan, and in the near future, relevant agencies will make inquiries in various forms to hear the opinions and suggestions of cadres, citizens, as well as experts and scholars. -0-
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
KUALA LUMPUR, May 19 (Xinhua) — Malaysians bid a tearful farewell to giant panda pair Xingxing and Liangliang on Sunday as they departed for China after an 11-year stay.
Dozens of fans of the two pandas had already gathered at 05:00 outside the Giant Panda Conservation Centre at Zoo Negara in Kuala Lumpur.
As transport arrived to take Xingxing and Liangliang to Kuala Lumpur International Airport, many people waved emotionally goodbye to the giant pandas, while some took photos and videos.
Among those gathered was the zoo’s vice president, Rosli Rakhmat Akhmat Lana. She said the panda keeper would accompany her charges to China and stay there for a few days to help them settle in.
“The pandas are healthy. We have always supported the panda conservation program. I am truly grateful to the fans who came today… their presence shows how much they care,” the zoo’s vice president told the media.
In 2014, a pair of giant pandas were loaned to the Malaysian government for 10 years to mark the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and China. They have played a key role as “ambassadors,” strengthening the friendship between the peoples of the two countries.
During their stay in Malaysia, Xingxing and Liangliang gave birth to three cubs, all of which were previously safely returned to China. –0–
