Announcement on Open Market Operations No.22 [2025]
(Open Market Operations Office, February 6, 2025)
In order to keep liquidity adequate in the banking system, the People’s Bank of China conducted reverse repo operations in the amount of RMB275.5 billion through quantity bidding at a fixed interest rate on February 6, 2025.
This photo taken on May 5, 2023 shows a view of the Urumqi Diwopu International Airport, which is undergoing reconstruction and expansion, in Urumqi, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. [Photo/Xinhua]
China’s civil aviation industry transported 18.24 million passengers during the eight-day Spring Festival holiday that ended on Tuesday, an increase of 2.9 percent compared to the same period in 2024, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said on Wednesday.
Some 145,000 flights were operated during the holiday, with a flight punctuality rate of 96 percent, up 3.4 percentage points compared with the flight punctuality rate achieved in the same period last year.
During the 2025 holiday, the average number of international passenger flights per day reached 1,888 — an increase of 24.6 percent compared to the same period in 2024. This figure is 86.6 percent of the daily average level recorded in 2019.
The most popular international routes during the 2025 Spring Festival holiday were those connecting China with Japan, Thailand, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam.
This aerial photo taken on Sept. 10, 2023 shows a view of Zhangjiang area of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone in east China’s Shanghai. [Photo/Xinhua]
The latest business environment improvement action plan released in Shanghai on Wednesday will help the city better address market entities’ needs and inject more vitality into the city’s economic growth, said officials and market experts.
Their comments were made on Wednesday when the Shanghai municipal government held the business environment improvement work conference for the eighth consecutive year. The latest action plan, which is now in its eighth edition, was released during the conference.
The plan aims to enhance the sense of gain among enterprises by coming up with 58 detailed measures which are more substantial and down-to-earth, according to Lu Aiguo, head of the business environment construction division at the Shanghai Municipal Development and Reform Commission.
One focus of the new plan is deepening the reform by aligning with the standards specified in World Bank’s Business Ready evaluation system, said Lu. Ten related reform measures have been rolled out, covering market entry, operational venues, infrastructure, utilities, international trade and market competition, among others.
As to international trade, Shanghai will expand the benefit scope for controlled and inspected high-tech goods. The import pilot program for research and development as well as testing items should be further optimized. Customs clearance facilitation services will be improved by better implementing reform measures such as multi-modal transport and the application of electronic certificates, according to the new action plan.
Another 24 measures have been included in action plan 8.0 to optimize the all-round services rendered to companies. On the one hand, more innovative financing products should be introduced, providing continued financing support to small and medium-sized enterprises.
On the other, more efforts should be made to facilitate the outbound reaches of domestic companies while further opening up the local market. Professional service providers will be supported to set up branches in the markets involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.
Meanwhile, visas as well as entry and exit services for foreign talent will be more convenient. More foreign-invested projects should be introduced in the city and major foreign-invested projects should be settled at a faster pace, according to the new action plan.
Japanese carmaker Toyota announced on Wednesday that it has entered into an agreement with the Shanghai government to establish a new wholly-owned company in Jinshan district of Shanghai for the development and production of Lexus electric vehicles and batteries.
The advanced and mature industrial chains, logistics networks, talent supply and market size in Shanghai and the neighboring cities are the major reasons to land this new project, according to Toyota.
To improve services provided to companies, efforts will be made to promulgate a negative list for cross-border data flow within the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, according to the new action plan.
Companies will be better guided to conduct data export activities in accordance with laws and regulations. This is conducive to companies’ international competitiveness, said Huang Lina, an official from the internet security division at Shanghai Cyberspace Administration.
The new action plan also includes 14 measures to optimize supervision over companies.
According to Wu Beibei, deputy director of the laws and regulations division at Shanghai Administration for Market Regulation, the targets, frequency and content of on-site inspections will be reduced to lower the impact on companies. The goal is to lower the number of planned administrative on-site inspections in the next two to three years, she said.
More than 1.9 billion parcels were handled across China during the eight-day Spring Festival holiday that ended on Tuesday, the State Post Bureau said on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, since the start of the Spring Festival travel rush on Jan. 14, China’s postal and courier industry has collected over 8 billion parcels, a jump of 38 percent compared with the same period of 2024.
Around 8.65 billion parcels have so far been delivered during this period in 2025, a surge of 35 percent from the previous year.
The significant increase in parcel volumes reflects the vitality and potential of China’s consumer market, according to the bureau.
The 2025 Spring Festival, an occasion for family reunions, fell on Jan. 29.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Policy on incorporation of mediation clauses in government contracts takes effect today Policy on incorporation of mediation clauses in government contracts takes effect today ***************************************************************************************
The Department of Justice (DoJ) announced that the policy on the incorporation of mediation clauses in government contracts takes effect today (February 6). The mediation clause signifies the parties’ agreement to use mediation to resolve disputes first before resorting to arbitration or litigation. The Government issued the Policy Statement on the Incorporation of Mediation Clauses in Government Contracts on November 6, 2024. By virtue of the policy statement, the Government will, as a matter of general policy, incorporate a mediation clause in government contracts. To complement the implementation of the policy, the DoJ today also promulgated “The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Mediation Rules (2025 Edition)”, which may be referred to as the “HKSARG Mediation Rules (2025)”. These Rules provide for a set of procedural rules for the conduct of mediation proceedings and are intended to operate together with the mediation clause in government contracts. These Rules shall not affect the operation of “The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Construction Mediation Rules (1999 Edition)” promulgated by the then Works Bureau in 1999, as amended by the then Environment, Transport and Works Bureau in 2003. Further information about the policy, including a sample mediation clause for incorporation in government contracts, is available on the webpage of the DoJ. A spokesman for the DoJ said, “By taking the lead to incorporate mediation clauses in government contracts, it is hoped that private organisations would be encouraged to make reference to and adopt similar mediation clauses in their contracts, thereby deepening our ‘mediate first’ culture.”
Ends/Thursday, February 6, 2025Issued at HKT 11:05
The Law Council of Australia is extremely disappointed in the Government’s proposal to impose mandatory sentencing in response to certain hate crimes and a broad range of terrorism offences.
“The Law Council has been gravely concerned by the recent incidents and acts of antisemitism that have occurred across the country. At the same time, it is vitally important in challenging times to uphold rule of law principles and not adopt measures that risk serious injustice,” Law Council of Australia President, Juliana Warner said.
“The Government’s amendments to the Criminal Code Amendment (Hate Crimes) Bill 2024 have introduced mandatory minimum sentences for certain hate crimes and terrorism offences. This would mean, for example, a person guilty of public display of prohibited symbols at a political protest would be subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 12 months imprisonment.
“Under mandatory sentencing, the personal circumstances of the offender are not taken into consideration. This has the potential to disproportionately impact vulnerable groups.”
Other elements of the amendments would see minimum sentences of six years imposed in relation to a broad range of terrorism offences. This would include the offence of getting funds to, from or for a terrorist organisation. Financing terrorism offences would be subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of three years.
“Mandatory sentencing laws are arbitrary and limit the individual’s right to a fair trial by preventing judges from imposing a just penalty based on the unique circumstances of each offence and offender,” Ms Warner said. “Judges are best placed to determine the appropriate and just penalty under these laws on an individual, case-by-case basis.
“The decision to add mandatory sentencing as part of the Government’s response to hate crimes has come late in the day without proper consideration. Further, the Australian Labor Party has gone against its 2023 National Platform that states Labor opposes mandatory sentencing. To our knowledge, no security or law enforcement agency has asked for these extraordinary measures.
“There has been no opportunity to scrutinise the rationale, necessity and proportionality of these changes, which comes as part of the Federal Government’s response to a rise in antisemitic incidents and deterioration in social cohesion.
“Australia is a multicultural society and we must preserve our social cohesion and protect against the specific harms of hateful speech on vulnerable groups. In doing so, we acknowledge the importance of carefully framed criminal laws proscribing speech to prevent radicalisation, violence and activities that incite hatred.
“However, expanding offences and strengthening penalties should not be seen as the default tool through which to prevent radicalism and extremism from propagating or to facilitate behavioural change of disaffected individuals. There should be greater resourcing for countering violent extremism through early intervention and diversionary programs with a specific focus on children and young people.
“We are also concerned the new offences contained in the Hate Crimes Bill have the potential to worsen existing uncertainty and inconsistency by piecemeal expansion of Commonwealth criminal offences.
“Complex and overlapping Commonwealth and state offences are more difficult to enforce and may lead to arbitrary differences in outcome. There is a risk that inconsistent penalties at Commonwealth level will have limited impact on the intended objectives and worsen complexity in this area. Further, overly broad offences may rely on discretion to enforce in circumstances which become politicised.
“Before we pursue changes to our laws, we must ensure gaps do indeed exist that require a legislative response and consult on proposals to ensure they are the best solution.
“As debate on the Bill moves through Parliament, the Law Council urges the Senate to ensure proper consideration by, and consultation with, our community before mandatory sentencing legislation is passed.”
Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
February 05, 2025
Durbin releases new report that highlights the health harms from federal freeze of the MMWR, a critical scientific update which has been released by the CDC every week since 1961 until now
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released a staff report that examines the impact of the Trump Administration’s federal communications freeze on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). The report reveals new findings about information that has been stifled by the cessation of the MMWR, including timely bird flu updates, and provides important assessments from public health leaders about the consequences of the Trump Administration’s freeze.
Since January 13, 1961, CDC has—without fail—published weekly issues of the MMWR, the agency’s routine update to doctors, health departments, researchers, and the public about infectious disease outbreaks, emerging health findings, and urgent new health care updates. Information from the MMWR provides timely research and analyses of public health threats, including the latest reports from the CDC’s disease detectives. For decades, the weekly report published every Thursday, and provided unbiased, science-based information to identify critical new information for the health care community.
On the report’s release, Durbin released the following statement:
“Viruses do not take a break because the President slaps a gag order on our public health agencies. Outbreaks are not contained because scientists are ordered to stop talking about them. Doctors, health care providers, and the public all benefit from the release of critical and timely health information. Without it, we will see preventable suffering and death,” said Durbin. “The Trump Administration must immediately resume the timely, objective, and scientific publication of the CDC’s MMWR reports, without any political meddling, by releasing the next MMWR issue tomorrow.”
Key findings and takeaways from Durbin’s report include:
Critical quotes and testimonials from public health practitioners in local communities who were co-authors on two separate studies that had been slated to be published in the January 23, 2025, issue of the MMWR before it was blocked;
Analyses from former CDC officials, leading epidemiologists, and disease prevention experts about the impact of the MMWR moratorium, including impacts for the historic ongoing tuberculosis outbreak underway in Kansas, the avian influenza, and fentanyl crisis.
Halting the publication of MMWRs has occurred in tandem with an unprecedented purge of public health data from the CDC’s website, which occurred within the last week and removed extensive collections of datasets used by researchers and public health officials to address vaccinations, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, tuberculosis, suicide, tobacco use, violence, and other health threats. The tampering of this data was ostensibly to comply with President Trump’s Executive Order to remove mentions of gender, accessibility, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. These actions could have profound consequences for public health interventions.
On February 4, 2025, a federal lawsuit was filed by a group of physicians seeking to restore the websites and data removed from the CDC’s website, among other sources, arguing that the purge creates a “dangerous gap” in information available to track diseases and diagnose their patients.
For a PDF copy of Durbin’s report, click here.
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Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
February 05, 2025
Durbin: Placing Mr. Vought in charge of OMB would be irresponsible
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined Senate Democrats in speaking out against President Trump’s nominee to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Russell Vought. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin outlined why Mr. Vought is unfit for the job, including his actions as Director of OMB during the first Trump administration and his part in crafting Project 2025— a policy proposal written by a conservative think tank outlining a sweeping, extreme vision forAmerica.
“Mr. Vought has been nominated by President Trump to run this agency… its job is to oversee federal agencies and administer the federal budget. Most of the time, when we are called on to evaluate nominations, we do our best to take a look and review the nominee’s qualifications and experience,” Durbin said. “But for Mr. Vought, there is no need for imagination. He already has served as Director of OMB during the last half of President Trump’s first term in office, and I believe he proved who he was in that period of time.”
Durbin continued, “When he served as Director of OMB during President Trump’s first term, Mr. Vought illegally refused to release hundreds of millions of dollars in security assistance to Ukraine and delayed $20 billion in disaster aid for Puerto Rico… And when he left that role, Mr. Vought went on to become a key architect of ‘Project 2025’—a policy proposal written by a conservative a think tank outlining a sweeping, extreme vision for America’s future. Project 2025 included policies to consolidate power in the executive branch and undermine critical services that the federal government provides to the American families.”
During his speech, Durbin also slammed the Trump Administration for their decision to issue an OMB memo last week to “temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement” of trillions of dollars of Federal financial assistance, which caused mass confusion about the funding and operations of hundreds of government-funded programs ranging from Medicaid, to Head Start, to Violence Against Women Act grants.
Shortly before the federal funding freeze was set to begin, U.S. District Court Judge Loren L. Alikhan, who was confirmed under Durbin’s tenure as Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, temporarily blocked the move by the Trump Administration. Another judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking President Trump’s measure. The Trump Administration rescinded the memo but claimed that the federal funding freeze would still take place.
“This latest attempt to put a sweeping freeze on federal funds is far from the first time Mr. Vought has broken the law and undermined Congress’s power of the purse that is set forth in the Constitution. It is clear from Mr. Vought’s comments and actions that he has contempt for Congress as a co-equal branch of government,” Durbin said. “It is appalling that so many of my Republican Senate friends voted to advance his nomination as he actively attempts to strip Congress of our Congressional authorities.”
Durbin continued, “We [Democrats] are not opposing Mr. Vought solely because he poses a threat to our ability to do our jobs in Congress. Mr. Vought has made it clear that he is targeting working families across the country. Both in his previous tenure as OMB Director and in policy proposals, Mr. Vought has proposed budget cuts that slash the social safety net for resources for tax cuts for the wealthy.”
Durbin concluded, “To my Republican colleagues—for the sake of the institution in which we work, the constituents we were elected to serve, and the constitutional foundations of our nation, please don’t vote for Mr. Vought. Maya Angelou once said: ‘When someone shows you who they are…believe them the first time.’ Well, from his tenure running OMB to his authorship of Project 2025, Mr. Vought has shown us exactly who he is and what he believes. He is a man with little respect for the Constitution and limited understanding of the plight of real working Americans. Giving Mr. Vought the reins of OMB is an invitation to a policy battle at the expense of our Constitution.”
Video of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.
Audio of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.
Footage of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here for TV Stations.
Air taxis, “autonomous autos” and reusable rockets are just some of the future transport solutions that inventors all over the world are striving to make a reality, while patents for combustion engines are “flatlining”, the UN intellectual property agency (WIPO) said on Thursday.
Latest information gleaned from patent filings featuring in WIPO’s Technology Trends report on the Future of Transportation, offers a tempting glimpse of a not-so distant and enticing future where there’s less traffic pollution, fewer snarl-ups and air travel to the other side of the world – made possible in just a few hours.
“Analysis of patents shows that inventors are working hard to ensure that how we get around tomorrow is cleaner and better than today,” maintained WIPO, which said that patent filings for future transportation solutions have grown by 700 per cent over the last two decades, from 15,000 inventions in 2003 to 120,000 in 2023.
“Autonomous ships and smart ports are revolutionizing transportation at sea; electric vehicles, high-speed trains and smart traffic management systems are driving change on land,” WIPO insisted.
“Vertical take-off and landing aircraft are offering new ways to travel by air, while reusable rockets and satellite technology are pushing what is possible beyond the earth’s atmosphere.”
Driving this trend is the recognition that transportation accounts for more than one-third of CO2 emissions globally, which has encouraged the development of sustainable technologies that reduce the environmental impact of transportation.
These include the adoption of electrified propulsion, the shift to renewable energy sources and the promotion of public and shared transport options.
Digitalization is also revolutionizing the transportation sector, WIPO insists, pointing to the rise of autonomous driving, “which is projected to generate from $300 billion to $400 billion in revenue by 2035”.
Patently true
According to the Geneva-based UN agency, intellectual property supports this kind of groundbreaking innovation – such as wireless charging for electric vehicles – by encouraging investment in research and development.
Competition is fierce as firms jostle for access to rare earth minerals, while AI is also taking centre stage, WIPO says.
“The report also shows flatlining growth in patenting activity for legacy products like the internal combustion engine and other fossil fuel-based systems” such as catalytic converters, the UN agency noted.
Its data indicated that more than 1.1 million inventions have reshaped transportation since 2000, introducing the prospect of sustainable alternatives to fossil fuel-based systems such as renewable energy cells, air taxis and self-piloting cargo ships.
In the driver’s seat of this travel transformation are China, Japan, the US, South Korea and Germany, which represent the world’s top inventors. Land transportation patents dominate global filings, at 3.5 times more than for air, sea and space combined. The US, meanwhile, has filed the most international patents.
The largest area of growth in patenting is related to sustainable propulsion – such as batteries for electric vehicles or hydrogen fuel cells – which represent efforts to ensure that people and goods are moved around in a “cleaner, more climate-friendly fashion”.
Experts with an eye on imaginative transport solutions for the future say that AI is also poised to play a key role. They point to the rise of autonomous driving, although infrastructure has not adapted swiftly enough for such vehicles to take over, the WIPO report notes.
Drone dilemma
The scarcity of minerals, meanwhile, will determine whether the world can massively adopt electric cars – vehicles that report co-author Christopher Harrison says may not be miracle solutions for private owners.
“Having these rare and limited raw earth minerals in an electric vehicle for personal use that’s been utilized only a few per cent of the day is not an effective use of those tools,” he told journalists.
In the air sector, drones will continue their sky-high ascension.
“I would not like to look up at a sky full of drones delivering pizzas or a pair of gloves to my house and causing visual and noise pollution,” said Robert Garbett, the founder of Drone Major Group, cited in the WIPO report.
“If a delivery is to a remote location that is really hard to get to, people will be more likely to accept it as a beneficial solution,” he added, citing emergency medicine as an example.
According to WIPO, transport patent growth in China has been strong given its recent dominance of the electric vehicle market. But other countries have also contributed with strong patent filings activity including Sweden, Italy, India and Canada.
Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Health, Education Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, alongside Tom Cotton (R-AR) introduced the Focus on Learning Act, legislation that would require the Surgeon General to complete a study on the effects of cellphone use in K-12 classrooms on students’ mental health, educational outcomes, and academic performance.
The senators first introduced the legislation in 2023. Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin signed an executive order for cellphone-free education in Virginia, which went into effect on January 1, 2025.
“We need to do more to ensure students can excel in the classroom, and part of this means digging into how cellphone use in schools is impacting students’ mental health and their ability to learn and form relationships with their peers. I’m glad to join my colleagues in introducing this bipartisan legislation to provide us with more information on cellphone use, so schools and parents can make the best decisions to set kids up for success. I’m also glad that our work on this issue has already generated interest at the state and local level around the nation,” said Kaine.
The Focus on Learning Act would authorize $5 million annually to fund a pilot program over the next five years. Schools participating in the pilot program would be required to have a communication system in place that allows teachers, administrators, and staff to communicate with local emergency responders. The legislation would require a report on the findings of the pilot program to be submitted to Congress and made publicly available. The legislation would allow exceptions for students who have a disability, need mobile devices to monitor or treat health conditions, or are learning English as second language for translation purposes.
The bill is cosponsored by Senators Katie Britt (R-AL) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ).
A common anatomical variation is being born with more than ten fingers or more than ten toes.
Former Doctor Who actor David Tennant this week confirmed he has 11 toes. He says he was born with an extra toe on his right foot, meaning he has polydactyly.
Here’s how this anatomical variation occurs, and how common it really is.
Let’s start in the womb
The term polydactyly is derived from the Greek poly (meaning many) and dactyly (referring to fingers or toes or digits). To understand it, we need to start with how an embryo develops in the womb.
Developing hands and feet start as limb buds, which look like little flat paddles. But with polydactyly, an extra finger or toe grows from the limb bud.
Based on the research literature, about one in 700–1,000 people born have polydactyly. Having an extra finger on the side of your little finger or having an extra toe on the side of your little toe is the most common form.
If the extra digit doesn’t have bone, or has poor muscle connections to the hand or foot, it won’t work. So it is usually cut off or tied off with a suture (specialised medical string) straight after you are born.
This newborn baby has one of the most common form of polydactyly – an extra little finger. Sergey Novikov/Shutterstock
Less commonly, people are born with double thumb tips or an extra thumb. Seeing as we use our thumbs so often, an orthopaedic surgeon may need to remove the extra bones to improve use of the thumb.
The rarest type of polydactyly affects the fourth finger (ring finger) or the second toe (next to your big toe).
If you have polydactyly and you don’t have one of those syndromes, it means you inherited a dominant mutated gene from your ancestors. In other words, one of your parents would have passed this on to you when you were conceived.
Tennant does not appear to have any of these syndromes. So we can probably presume he inherited a mutated copy of a gene related to his polydactyly from one of his parents.
How about webbed fingers and toes?
Another common anatomical variation is when people have fused or “webbed” fingers or toes, known as syndactyly. This term comes from syn (meaning together with) and dactyly (referring to fingers or toes).
Syndactyly also arises in the womb. When individual fingers and toes develop from the paddle-like limb buds, cells in between the growing fingers and toes have to die and disappear. But if the cells don’t die and disappear, they can cause webbing or fusing.
Based on the medical literature, about one in 2,000–3,000 people born have syndactyly. So it’s about three times less common than polydactyly.
There are nine different types of syndactyly, and 11 syndromes associated with it. Eight of the syndromes are also associated with polydactyly. The other three are Apert and Pfeiffer syndromes, and acrocephalosyndactyly.
For most types of syndactyly you only have to inherit one mutated copy of the gene from one parent to get the variation.
American actor Ashton Kutcher looks to have syndactyly, with his skin fused to the first joint between his second and third toes.
In a nutshell
You might be surprised how common anatomical variations are in your fingers and toes, whether that’s having an extra digit, like Tennant, or fused ones, like Kutcher.
But these are just a few examples of the rich diversity of variation in our anatomy, some of which are visible, some not.
Amanda Meyer is affiliated with the Australian and New Zealand Association of Clinical Anatomists, the American Association for Anatomy, and the Global Neuroanatomy Network.
Alexandra Trollope does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
China saw 14.37 million cross-border trips during the past eight-day Spring Festival holiday, a 6.3% increase over last year’s holiday period, according to data released by the National Immigration Administration on Wednesday. A total of 958,000 cross-border trips were made by foreign visitors during the holiday, up 22.9%.
Tourists are seen on the Duanqiao Bridge, or the Broken Bridge in the West Lake scenic area during the Spring Festival holiday in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province, Feb. 3, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua] China’s domestic tourist attractions recorded more than 500 million visits during the just-concluded Spring Festival holiday, demonstrating the strong consumption power of the Chinese people at home and abroad. Destinations featuring snowy views or Chinese cultural vibes proved to be especially popular during the holiday period, which was the first Spring Festival celebrated after the event was added to UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list in December. Figures released on Wednesday by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism show that during the eight-day break from Jan 28 to Tuesday, trips to domestic tourist attractions increased 5.9 percent year-on-year to around 501 million visits. Tourism-related expenditures during the holiday reached more than 677 billion yuan ($93.1 billion), up 7 percent year-on-year, according to the ministry’s statistics. Spring Festival, the first day of the first month of the Chinese calendar, fell on Jan 29 this year and marked the beginning of the Year of the Snake. The ministry said that destinations highlighting folk performances or nighttime amusement events, including lantern shows in the provinces of Anhui and Sichuan, and fireworks shows in Hunan province, were favored by travelers seeking an immersive Chinese cultural experience and a festive atmosphere. Museums were also popular during the holiday. Li Jianhua, a 50-year-old resident of Hebei province, spent the holiday in Datong, Shanxi province. The city is known for its historical architecture, well-preserved ancient towns and Buddhist grottoes. “I went to the city in October for the first time and went again for Spring Festival,” Li said. “I’ve watched many creative or classic lanterns from the well-protected city walls, which were breathtaking. The traditional cultural vibes hit me. I also bought some cultural and creative products as souvenirs.” According to the ministry, destinations with snow views or winter sports activities in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and in northeastern provinces such as Heilongjiang and Jilin were also top choices for holiday travelers. Figures from travel agencies showed the popularity of winter tourism during the holiday. Travel portal Tuniu said domestic winter tourism was at its peak from early January to the Spring Festival holiday, and travelers living in southern or eastern provinces with milder climates such as Guangdong and Fujian have stronger interest in experiencing “freezing trips”. Tuniu said that destinations in northeastern provinces, including Heilongjiang’s Harbin — recognized as China’s winter fairyland — and Mohe, China’s northernmost city, and Changchun in Jilin were among the top destinations for winter attraction enthusiasts over the holiday. For overseas traveling, Japan, Thailand, the Maldives and Indonesia remained popular for Chinese people during the long holiday because of their relatively close proximities, friendlier visa policies and lower travel costs, according to Tuniu. In addition, both the culture and tourism ministry and travel agencies noticed that the traditional celebrations and cultural vibes of Spring Festival have increased China’s attractiveness to international travelers over the holiday who were interested in experiencing intangible cultural events such as temple fairs, lantern shows and operas. Online travel agency Trip.com Group said that most of the inbound international travelers during Spring Festival were from South Korea, the United States, Malaysia and Singapore. They chose Shenzhen and Guangzhou in Guangdong province, as well as Shanghai and Beijing, to experience the bustling holiday. It added that ticket bookings for events focusing on intangible cultural programs surged more than sevenfold on the overseas version of its platform during the holiday.
As China resumes full-scale operations after Spring Festival, authorities across the country are rolling out services to stabilize employment, with Guangdong province leading the way by organizing special trains and buses to help migrant workers return to work. In January, Guangdong launched employment initiatives that will run through March, aimed at coordinating and providing services during the peak period of job changes before and after the eight-day holiday, which ended on Tuesday. Various levels of human resources and social security authorities in the province plan to organize about 20 special high-speed trains to help migrant workers return to their workplaces. Guangdong has more than 43 million migrant workers, including over 24 million from other provinces and regions, according to provincial human resources and social security authorities. “I am satisfied with my current job and income in Guangdong,” said Tan Jinying, who has worked in the province for nine years. A native of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, Tan has actively participated in skills training, continuously enhancing her expertise and business capabilities. Starting as a front-line operator in 2014, she has grown into a technical specialist responsible for quality control and inspection. “The company I work for has accelerated its transformation and upgrading, with automation continuously improving, helping to enhance efficiency and improve the work environment,” she said. Tan was among 600 migrant workers from Guangxi who returned to Guangzhou, Guangdong’s capital, on a chartered high-speed train on Monday. To accelerate the development of a high-level talent hub, Guangdong aims to strengthen the talent base of its modern industrial system, said Huang Kunming, Party secretary of the province, at a high-quality development conference on Wednesday. The province will implement a talent action plan this year, offering competitive salaries and positions to attract 1 million university graduates for employment and entrepreneurship. Similar initiatives have been launched in many regions to ensure a smooth return to work and attract more talent. Chartered buses and trains have been heading to various destinations in recent days. In Taiyuan, capital of Shanxi province, a large-scale job fair was held on Wednesday, with more than 300 companies offering over 8,000 job positions. The event also featured livestreamed company presentations, allowing job seekers to learn about corporate culture and work environments in real time. Fang Jingtong, a 23-year-old university student in Changsha, Hunan province, expressed her desire to return to her hometown of Taiyuan after graduating in June. “Shanxi, known for its rich cultural and tourism resources, offers opportunities for young people like me majoring in visual design,” she said. The job fair featured positions in various sectors, including hardware design, marketing planning, operations management and new media, catering to diverse career interests. “We hope to recruit more young people skilled in high and new technology,” said Yang Pu, a human resources manager at Foxconn’s Taiyuan Technology Industrial Park. The industrial park, one of seven on the Chinese mainland built by Foxconn Technology Group, plans to hire more than 50 engineers, human resources specialists and college graduates.
The People’s Liberation Army’s Southern Theater Command conducted a routine patrol in the South China Sea on Wednesday, a day after the Philippines and United States militaries conducted a joint exercise in the region. Tian Junli, spokesperson for the Southern Theater Command, announced the operation on Wednesday evening, accusing the Philippines of colluding with outside countries to organize “so-called joint patrols”, which Tian claimed destabilize the region. The Philippines’ actions, Tian said, were an attempt to endorse its “illegal claims” in the South China Sea and undermine China’s maritime rights and interests. “The theater command forces remain on high alert, resolutely defending national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests. Any military activities that disrupt the South China Sea are fully under control,” the spokesperson said. On Tuesday, the air forces of the Philippines and the US held “joint patrols” over the South China Sea, according to the Philippines Air Force. The same day, the PLA’s Southern Theater Command’s Air Force conducted a routine patrol over Huangyan Island in the South China Sea. Li Jianjian, a spokesperson for the theater command’s Air Force, said the Philippines had worked with outside countries to organize “joint patrols”, further undermining peace and stability in the region. On Monday, Tian addressed the passage of a Chinese naval fleet through the Basilan Strait near the Philippines. Tian said the theater command had organized naval and air forces for far-sea exercises via the Basilan Strait. “The relevant operations were conducted in a safe, standardized and professional manner, fully in accordance with international law and international practice,” Tian said. Tian criticized the Philippines for “slandering and hyping up” the normal passage of the Chinese naval fleet, adding that such actions violated the normal navigation rights of other countries, including China.
Passengers wait for the train at Hangzhou East Railway Station in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province, Feb. 4, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua] During the eight-day Spring Festival holiday that ended on Tuesday, more than 2.3 billion passenger trips were made across all regions in China, official data showed Wednesday. The total included 96.26 million railway trips, 2.18 billion road trips, 9.41 million waterway trips, and 18.24 million air trips, according to data from the Ministry of Transport, the Civil Aviation Administration of China, and the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd., among others. The annual Spring Festival travel rush, known as chunyun in China, is set to break records this year. Between Jan. 14 and Feb. 22, an estimated 9 billion inter-regional passenger trips are expected. The Spring Festival, an occasion for family reunions, fell on Jan. 29 this year. In recent years, a notable trend during chunyun has been the surge in the use of new energy vehicles (NEVs), driven by the fast expansion of charging infrastructure and the Chinese people’s growing eco-friendly awareness. The State Grid Corporation of China has expected the charging volume for NEVs on the country’s highways to reach a record high during the Spring Festival holiday.
China is expected to maintain its annual economic growth target at around 5 percent for 2025, the same as last year’s goal, in a bid to shore up market expectations in the face of tepid domestic demand and rising trade protectionism, analysts and executives said.
The world’s second-largest economy has vowed to enhance countercyclical adjustments, including a more proactive fiscal policy and a moderately loose monetary policy, and provide a strong underpinning for achieving its annual goals, they added.
Though China’s GDP target will only be officially disclosed during the National People’s Congress session in March, the anticipation for the unchanged growth target comes as China’s major economic hubs — like Beijing and Shanghai as well as the provinces of Guangdong and Zhejiang — have announced GDP growth goals in the vicinity of 5 percent for the year.
Aside from Qinghai’s relatively lower target of around 4.5 percent, most other provincial-level regions have also set their growth goals at around 5 percent or slightly above 5 percent.
Notably, the Xizang autonomous region has set the most ambitious growth objective, targeting over 7 percent with an aim to reach 8 percent. Chongqing, along with the provinces of Hainan and Hubei as well as the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, have set their growth goals at around 6 percent for this year.
“The country is expected to aim for a GDP expansion of around 5 percent, as China is committed to achieving the goal of doubling per capita GDP by 2035, which requires an implied growth rate of no less than 4.6 percent,” said Zhang Ming, deputy director of the Institute of Finance and Banking, which is part of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
The growth target will also help boost confidence and expectations in the current context of relatively subdued sentiment and provides a framework for policymakers to coordinate resources, Zhang said.
Moreover, based on data from 2020 to 2024, every 1 percentage point increase in GDP has the potential to create around 2.61 million new urban jobs. A growth rate of around 5 percent could generate over 13 million new jobs, which would significantly alleviate employment pressure, said China Minsheng Bank.
Through ramping up the intensity of countercyclical adjustments, China can harness its underlying growth potential to meet its 5 percent GDP growth target for 2025, even in the face of potential economic headwinds, said Wen Bin, chief economist at China Minsheng Bank.
“With external demand likely to face trade barriers tipped by certain economies, China will need to direct its efforts toward unlocking the potential of domestic consumption as the main engine of economic growth,” Wen said.
China’s consumer goods trade-in programs, which have driven a more than 1 percentage point increase in the annual growth of the country’s total retail sales last year, are set to cover a broader range of consumer goods and offer even more attractive incentives in 2025.
“China is likely to double the funding for its consumer goods trade-in initiatives this year to 300 billion yuan ($41 billion),” said Wang Qing, chief macroeconomic analyst at Golden Credit Rating International.
This significant increase in funding is expected to drive a substantial boost in consumption, with Wang forecasting an additional 750 billion yuan in spending in 2025, equivalent to a 1.5 percentage point acceleration in the growth rate of the total retail sales of consumer goods.
China’s economic growth is poised to outshine the global average this year, underpinned by the dynamism of its innovation-driven private sector and the rapid expansion of future-oriented industries, said Ernesto Torres Cantu, head of international at Citi.
This dynamism in the private sphere is a key factor behind China’s robust economic performance and the positive sentiment surrounding Chinese companies, he said.
Meanwhile, such future-oriented industries as artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, green energy and humanoid robots will keep driving the country’s growth forward for years to come, with their impact also being felt worldwide, he added.
A federal judge in Maryland on Wednesday indefinitely blocked U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship for undocumented immigrants and foreign visitors with temporary visas.
Judge Deborah L. Boardman from the United States District Court for the District of Maryland issued a preliminary injunction after a court hearing in Greenbelt, Maryland, in a case filed by civil rights groups seeking to block Trump’s order. The injunction applies nationally.
“The Maryland lawsuit is one of at least six different federal cases brought against Trump’s order by a total of 22 Democratic-led states and more than half a dozen civil rights groups,” according to The Washington Post.
Trump signed the order hours after taking office on Jan. 20. It directed federal agencies to halt recognition of citizenship for children born after Feb. 19, if neither parent is a U.S. citizen nor a permanent resident.
Over 20 states and civil rights groups immediately filed lawsuits challenging the order, calling it blatantly “unconstitutional.”
On Jan. 23, Senior U.S. District Judge John Coughenour, a federal judge in Seattle, Washington state, temporarily blocked Trump’s executive order for at least 14 days, as lawsuits in Washington state and elsewhere over Trump’s action proceeded.
The 14th Amendment states that “all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States.”
Trump’s executive order argued that the 14th Amendment “has always” excluded from birthright citizenship persons who were born in the United States but not “subject to the jurisdiction thereof.”
Displaced people are seen on their way home to the north of the Gaza Strip, near al-Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza Strip, on Jan. 28, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Middle East governments and regional leaders on Wednesday roundly rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s suggestion that Washington could assume control of Gaza and relocate Palestinians, calling the proposal a breach of international law and a threat to longstanding efforts toward a two-state solution.
Trump floated the idea during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, stating that the U.S. would “take over the Gaza Strip” and redevelop it, though he offered no specifics on resettling Palestinians.
“We’re going to develop it, create thousands of jobs, and it’ll be something the entire Middle East can be proud of,” he said.
In a statement, the Arab League (AL) rejected Trump’s proposal, saying it violates international law and threatens regional stability. The AL reaffirmed that the Palestinian issue remains subject to Arab consensus, emphasizing that one of its key principles is ensuring the Palestinian people’s legitimate right to establish an independent state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Trump’s proposal “does not contribute to achieving the two-state solution, which represents the only way to bring peace and security between Palestinians and Israelis, and in the entire region,” the pan-Arab body said.
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called the Gaza proposal “unacceptable” and fundamentally flawed. “Even considering such a plan is wrong,” Fidan told the semi-official Anadolu Agency in an interview. “We oppose all initiatives that seek to exclude the people of Gaza from the equation in the region. The idea of displacement is neither acceptable for the region nor for us.”
Fidan also emphasized Turkey’s firm stance on Palestinian rights, rejecting any efforts to remove Hamas from Gaza’s reconstruction and governance.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry issued a statement Wednesday, reaffirming that Saudi Arabia’s position on the establishment of a Palestinian state is non-negotiable. “The country will continue its relentless efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital and will not establish diplomatic relations with Israel without that,” the statement read.
“Achieving lasting and just peace is impossible without the Palestinian people obtaining their legitimate rights in accordance with international resolutions, as has been previously clarified to both the former and current U.S. administrations,” it added.
In a meeting in Cairo, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and visiting Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa urged the continuation of efforts to recover Gaza without forcing Palestinians to leave the enclave, especially as they remain determined to stay. Abdelatty reiterated Egypt’s support for Palestinian rights, stressing the need for a fair, permanent political solution based on the two-state framework to end cycles of violence.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II, in a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Amman, also rejected any attempts to annex land or displace Palestinians. “We reaffirm the necessity of achieving a just and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution, which will lead to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, based on the 1967 borders,” the statement from Jordan’s Royal Hashemite Court said. The king also reiterated Jordan’s support for the Palestinian people in securing their legitimate rights.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced Wednesday its strong rejection of the idea of forcibly relocating Palestinians. The UAE Foreign Ministry said in a statement that any efforts to displace Palestinians are unacceptable and violate their fundamental rights. The UAE reiterated its support for a two-state solution, emphasizing that the establishment of a sovereign and independent Palestinian state is essential for achieving long-term peace and stability in the region.
Meanwhile, Hussein al-Sheikh, secretary general of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, said the organization “categorically rejects all calls to displace our people from their homeland.” He stated that the two-state solution, based on international law, remains the only viable path to peace and stability. “We were born here, we have lived here, and we will remain here.”
Strongly condemning and rejecting Trump’s remarks, Hamas said in a press statement that such rhetoric would escalate tensions in the region and aims to forcibly remove the Palestinian people from their land while justifying U.S. and Israeli control over Gaza. Hamas vowed that neither it nor the Palestinian people would allow any foreign power to impose guardianship over Gaza.
Russia and Ukraine have swapped 300 prisoners of war in their latest swap mediated by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Russian defense ministry said Wednesday.
The released Russian soldiers are receiving medical care in Belarus and will soon return to Russia, according to the ministry.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that 150 Ukrainians had returned home from Russia as part of the swap.
Palestinian children are seen next to a tent that serves as a temporary shelter at the Al-Yarmouk stadium in Gaza City, on Feb. 5, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
It is vital to stay true to the bedrock of international law and “avoid any form of ethnic cleansing” in Gaza, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Wednesday.
At its essence, the exercise of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people is about the right of Palestinians to simply live as human beings in their own land, Guterres told a UN committee meeting.
“We have seen the realization of those rights steadily slip farther out of reach. We have seen a chilling, systematic dehumanization and demonization of an entire people,” he said in remarks at the 2025 session of the committee on the exercise of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.
“In the search for solutions, we must not make the problem worse,” Guterres warned. “It is vital to stay true to the bedrock of international law. It is essential to avoid any form of ethnic cleansing.”
Guterres’ speech came one day after U.S. President Donald Trump proposed that Palestinians will resettle elsewhere and the United States will take over and gain “long-term ownership position” in the war-torn enclave. But the UN chief didn’t mention Trump or his proposal during his address.
During the meeting, Guterres also called for a full ceasefire in Gaza following the first phase of a truce deal between Israel and Hamas.
“First, we must keep pushing for a permanent ceasefire and the release of all hostages without delay,” he said. “We cannot go back to more death and destruction.”
Highlighting the importance of the two-state solution, the UN chief said, “A viable, sovereign Palestinian State living side-by-side in peace and security with Israel is the only sustainable solution for Middle East stability.”
Guterres also voiced his concern over the escalating situation in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. “I am gravely concerned by rising violence by Israeli settlers and other violations,” he said.
The UN chief stressed the violence must stop, and international law must be respected, and accountability ensured.
Reiterating the UN’s full commitment to the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, Guterres called on the international community to work toward preserving the unity, contiguity, and integrity of the occupied Palestinian territory and the recovery and reconstruction of Gaza.
Trump floated his plan during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, suggesting that the United States could take control of Gaza and relocate Palestinians, which has sparked widespread defiance and condemnation.
At Wednesday’s noon briefing, when asked if Guterres believes Trump’s plan amounted to ethnic cleansing, Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, responded, “Any forced displacement of people is tantamount to ethnic cleansing.”
The American pop/rock band OneRepublic performed their chart-topping song Counting Stars at Yellow Crane Tower in Wuhan, Hubei province, during the 2025 Chinese Spring Festival Gala.
Wuhan served as one of the sub-venues for the Gala. The city made a spectacular appearance during the show with a mesmerizing phoenix dance performance.
Afterward, the Yellow Crane Tower reappeared with OneRepublic standing center stage. Their performance won praise, with comments highlighting the blend of Eastern and Western cultures and the spectacular view of the venue.
OneRepublic held a live concert at the Wuhan Sports Center on Jan 16. Two days before the event, they posted a video on the Chinese social media platform Weibo of them enjoying the famous local Wuhan hot dry noodles. After the show, the band expressed gratitude for the beauty and wonderful experience in the city.
An ongoing exhibition at Shanghai Library East is celebrating the Year of the Snake with a display of 270 snake-themed artworks. The exhibition, which is taking place through March 2, explores snake-related myths, legends, history and modern interpretations.
Co-hosted by Shanghai Library, Shanghai Artists’ Association and Shanghai Animation and Cartoon Association, this marks the third consecutive year of Chinese zodiac-themed exhibitions at the library.
As one of the 12 animals in the traditional Chinese zodiac, the snake is widely represented in Chinese culture, symbolizing intelligence, rejuvenation and agility. The exhibition features a diverse array of works, including paintings, cartoons, illustrations, engravings and digital art, created by established artists like Dai Dunbang and Zheng Xinyao, star artists on social media, and art students. The exhibits were selected from more than 6,000 submissions from home and abroad.
Additionally, the library has also introduced snake-themed furnishings and decorations, along with a new interactive game that brings some of the featured artworks to life.
Six Sisters, a highly anticipated TV series, topped the country’s daily ratings on Wednesday, according to industry tracker Beacon.
The drama, adapted from writer Yi Bei’s 2018 novel of the same name, follows the story of the He family, focusing on He Changsheng and his wife Liu Meixin as they navigate the challenges of raising six daughters.
After the father dies in a car crash, He Jiali, the oldest daughter, shoulders the burden of raising the large family with her mother and grandmother by taking care of her five younger sisters, helping them to establish their own families and secure jobs.
Starring actress Mei Ting as the oldest daughter and actor Lu Yi as her husband, the drama debuted on China Central Television’s CCTV-1 and simultaneously streamed on Tencent Video on Feb 3.
The series, which also stars actresses Vivian Wu and Xi Meijuan as the mother and grandmother, was filmed in Huainan in East China’s Anhui province, capturing some time-honored locations, including Huaishang Dock, Beitou Food Market Street and Huainan Normal University.
Set in the city, the drama incorporates many local elements ranging from customs to food. For example, satang, a type of rice porridge made with broth, appears in multiple scenes as the mother’s favorite dish.
Yang Xiaopei, the chief producer and art director of the drama, said that each character has their own story and these tales intertwine to become an indispensable source of strength in each other’s lives. She hopes the project conveys a sense of warmth and strength to audiences.
Yi, who also serves as the scriptwriter, shared that he employed a comedic narrative style, hoping that the story reflects the societal changes over four decades through the perspectives of ordinary people living in a small city.
“The stories of the six sisters revolve around universal themes such as birth, aging, illness, death, love, and marriage. However, when placed against a specific backdrop, they take on a unique theme,” Yi added.
China will beef up law enforcement cooperation with relevant countries to crack down on online gambling and telecom fraud, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Wednesday.
On the recent string of cross-border telecom fraud and other vicious cases along the Thailand-Myanmar border, China attaches great importance to it and made persistent effort to ask relevant countries to jointly find solutions through consultation, Lin made the remarks at a regular news briefing in response to a related query.
“China welcomes the robust measures by relevant country. We stand ready to work with Thailand and other countries to beef up law enforcement cooperation, crack down on online gambling and telecom fraud, protect the safety of Chinese citizens overseas and their lawful rights and interests, and keep normal cross-border exchanges between China and relevant countries in order,” said the spokesperson.
China has all along believed that “the Palestinians governing Palestine” is the fundamental principle of post-conflict governance of Gaza, foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Wednesday.
The spokesperson made the remarks at a daily press briefing when asked to comment on U.S. President Donald Trump’s speech in which he said the U.S. will “take over” and “own” the Gaza Strip after resettling Palestinians living there to neighboring countries, like Jordan and Egypt.
Lin noted that China has all along believed that “the Palestinians governing Palestine” is the fundamental principle of post-conflict governance of Gaza.
“We oppose the forced displacement of the people in Gaza, and hope that relevant parties will take the opportunity of the ceasefire and post-conflict governance in Gaza to bring the Palestinian question back to the right track of a political settlement based on the two-State solution, so as to realize lasting peace in the Middle East,” Lin said.
Department of Defense Spokesman John Ullyot provided the following readout:
On February 5, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth held a call with Panamanian President José Raul Mulino. They agreed on the strong relationship and many security interests that the United States and Panama share, to include safeguarding the Panama Canal. Secretary Hegseth and President Mulino also agreed to expand cooperation between the U.S. military and Panama’s security forces. They also highlighted the extensive and expanding cooperation between the United States, including the Department of Defense, and the Panama Canal Authority. President Mulino welcomed a future visit by Secretary Hegseth to Panama that will serve to advance our countries’ close ties and ensure our joint defense of the Canal against external threats.
Source: Australia Government Statements – Agriculture
06 February 2025
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