Tourists pose for photos at the 33rd Harbin Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Art Exposition in Harbin， Heilongjiang Province in northeast China， on December 25， 2020.
　　Harbin is home to China’s ice and snow art， and the Sun Island is annually decorated with snow sculptures， making it one of the most popular tourist attractions in winter.

Bumper Harvest

　　Villagers harvest oranges in Zigui， a county in Yichang， Hubei Province in central China， on December 27， 2020. The county is a major producer of oranges and has a long history of growing the fruit.

Inter-City Railway

　　The Beijing-Xiong’an intercity railway opened to traffic on December 27， 2020， connecting the Chinese capital with the Xiong’an New Area， a national-level development zone located about 100 km southwest of Beijing.
　　Along the 91-km railway， the section between the Beijing Daxing International Airport and Xiong’an became operational the same day with a speed of 350 km per hour. The stretch between Beijing West Railway Station and Daxing airport opened to the public in September 2019.
　　Travel time from Beijing West Railway Station to the Xiong’an New Area was cut from 90 minutes to about 50 minutes. It takes only 19 minutes to get from the Beijing Daxing International Airport to Xiong’an.
　　The travel time will be further reduced to 36 minutes after the previously built section is upgraded， Li Zheng， a senior manager of the Xiong’an high-speed railway corporation， said.
　　Established in 2017 in Hebei Province in north China， the Xiong’an New Area is set to serve as a new engine for the modern economic system.

Grain Output

　　China will take action to ensure the country’s total grain output remains above 650 billion kg in the coming year， authorities said on December 24， 2020.
　　The country has also vowed to maintain its sown area above 116.67 million hectares in 2021， Chen Youquan， an official with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs， stated at a press conference.
　　Guaranteeing sound grain production is a top policy priority for China， Chen said， adding that efforts should be made to optimize planting structure and increase the supplies of those agricultural products experiencing shortages to ensure food security. 　　Despite the disruption of the COVID-19 epidemic， China witnessed its 17th consecutive bumper year in 2020， with grain output reaching nearly 670 billion kg， up 5.65 billion kg or 0.9 percent from a year earlier， data from the ministry showed.
　　This also marks the sixth consecutive year that the country’s total grain production has exceeded 650 billion kg.
　　The country saw a 704，000-hectare increase in terms of sown area in 2020， reversing the downward trend in the previous four consecutive years.
　　Food supply is expected to be sufficient for the upcoming New Year and Spring Festival holidays， China’s peak consumption seasons， given the adequate inventories of rice and wheat， the sound recovery of the country’s hog production and the stable output of fruits and vegetables.

Epidemic Prevention

　　China has put into place several measures to ensure the wellbeing of its population， particularly that of the vulnerable groups， and asked people to stay vigilant against the novel coronavirus disease（COVID-19） epidemic during the forthcoming New Year and Spring Festival holidays， Xinhua News Agency reported on December 24， 2020.
　　Warning against slackness in COVID-19 prevention and control， China’s central authorities encouraged the public to reduce nonessential travels and gatherings during the holidays in a recent directive.
　　COVID-19 prevention and control measures in the transport sector， including regular disinfection， temperature taking， passenger registration and number capping should be strictly observed， said the directive issued by the general offices of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council.
　　Meanwhile， social subsidies should reach those in need on time， and people’s holiday consumption demands should be satisfied， further said the directive， highlighting a stable supply of power， energy and food.

Land-Sea Transport

　　A total of 64，013 twenty-foot equivalent units （TEUs） of cargo were transported via a land-sea freight route from Chongqing Municipality in southwest China to overseas destinations in the first 11 months of 2020， a year-on-year increase of 41.6 percent， local authorities said on December 24， 2020.
　　The cargo was worth over 12 billion yuan （$1.84 billion）， a surge of 32.9 percent compared to the same period in 2019， according to the port and logistics office of the municipal government.
　　By the end of November， 2020， 150，901 TEUs with a total value of 27.84 billion yuan （$4.26 billion） had been transported via the route from Chongqing since it opened in September 2017. 　　The route is part of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor， a trade and logistics passage jointly developed by Singapore and provincial-level regions of west China. Chongqing is a center of operation for the passageway.
　　The corridor’s number of final destinations has expanded to 250 ports in 96 countries and regions， according to its logistics and operating center.

Courage

　　Children learn to ski at a ski resort in Jingyuan County， Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in northwest China， on December 27， 2020. A festival opened at the resort that very day to promote winter tourism in the area.

Popularizing Science

　　Popular science activities are reaching more and more Chinese via new media and other communication platforms， according to a survey released on December 24， 2020 by the Ministry of Science and Technology.
　　In 2019， various popular science events attracted nearly 1.15 billion participants nationwide， a 28.65 percent year-on-year increase， the survey showed.
　　The total number of sci-tech and related museums in China stood at 1，477 in 2019， an average of one science museum for every 947，900 people.
　　The survey found that multimedia technologies， especially new media， play a progressively more important role in making popular science reach the masses through websites and diversified mobile applications.
　　In 2019， the total number of social media accounts focusing on science and technology on Twitterlike Sina Weibo came in at 4，834， while accounts on WeChat stood at 9，612， up 72.09 percent and 36.01 percent， respectively， from 2018.

Cultural Consumption

　　Dances and concerts are the artistic performances which are most popular with the Chinese youth， according to a survey by China Youth Daily published on December 24， 2020.
　　The survey， covering 1，978 people aged between the ages of 18 and 35， shows that 57.7 percent of the respondents claimed they favor dances， and 50.1 percent said they mostly attend concerts.
　　The survey also reflected the varied choices among young Chinese.
　　Li Xuan， an undergraduate at the Renmin University of China， enjoys watching plays and musicals during her free time. “I have many friends who enjoy such performances， and we like to discuss the shows we have watched and make recommendations to each other，” she said. 　　The increase in cultural consumption reflects the prosperity of China’s cultural market and the enhancement of people’s overall cultural confidence， Wei Pengju， a cultural economics expert with the Beijing-based Central University of Finance and Economics， said.

A Good Catch

　　Fishermen hard at work on Ulungur Lake in Fuhai， a county in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China， on December 27， 2020.

5G Development

　　China has built around 580，000 5G base stations in 2020 amid efforts to advance new infrastructure development， the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said on December 24， 2020.
　　All prefecture-level cities are now covered by the 5G network， Wen Ku， spokesperson for the ministry， said at a press conference.
　　The country accelerated 5G development in 2020， expanding its network all the while encouraging a variety of 5G applications， he added.
　　Shipments of 5G mobile phones reached 144 million units in the first 11 months of 2020， with 199 new models hitting the market.
　　The ministry will continue to set up high-quality 5G networks and data centers whilst promoting the applications of 5G technology in areas including manufacturing， energy and transport.

Investment Catalog

　　The National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Commerce released a revised industry catalog on December 28， 2020， that names more sectors encouraging foreign investment. It will come into effect on January 27.
　　Compared with the current version， the new list has 127 more items， a rise of 10 percent.
　　Meanwhile， up to 88 existing items have been modified to expand their coverage.
　　The increase is relevant particularly in the context of items related to manufacturing， producer services， and those in central and western regions.
　　The sub-catalog of competitive industries in those regions encouraging foreign investment has 62 new items and 37 modified ones.
　　New sectors added to the national-level sub-catalog include respirators， ECMO （extracorporeal membrane oxygenation） devices， online education service and 5G mobile telecommunication technologies.
　　The revision aimed to give better play to the positive role of foreign investment in industrial and supply chains， and further encourage foreign investment in advanced manufacturing， producer services and competitive industries in central and western regions， the ministry said. 　　Foreign investors entering industries in the catalog will benefit from preferential policies in fields such as taxation and land use subject to laws and regulations.

Auto Sales Up

　　Automobile imports and exports expanded further in November 2020， according to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers （CAAM）.
　　The overall volume totaled$16.3 billion， up 6.3 percent month on month， the CAAM said， citing customs data.
　　Auto imports rose 2.4 percent month on month to $8.53 billion， while exports climbed 11 percent to$7.77 billion.
　　In the first 11 months of 2020， auto imports and exports totaled$134.67 billion， down 6.3 percent year on year but the decline narrowed 1.7 percentage points from the decrease in the January-October period.
　　The auto market， hit hard by the novel coronavirus epidemic， began to recover in April 2020 thanks to the unleashing of pent-up demand and supportive policies， according to the CAAM.

Oil-and-Gas Record

　　The output of Changqing Oilfield， China’s largest oil-and-gas producer， exceeded 60 million tons of oil equivalent in 2020， hitting a record high.
　　Located in the Erdos Basin in northwest China， the oilfield had produced 24.5 million tons of crude oil and 44.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas （equivalent to 35.5 million tons of crude oil） as of December 27， 2020， it said.
　　Changqing became the first oilfield in China to pass the 60-millionton mark in annual oil and gas output.
　　With 50 years of history in operation， Changqing has played an important role in safeguarding the country’s energy security， supplying gas to more than 50 cities in the north and northwest， including Beijing.
　　In recent years， globally depressed oil prices have galvanized the oilfield to develop alternative energy sources such as tight gas and shale oil， pushing up its annual output， according to PetroChina Changqing Oilfield Co.
　　“Changqing has so far produced 468.6 billion cubic meters of natural gas. This is equivalent to replacing 562 million tons of standard coal equivalent and reducing carbon emissions by 1.53 billion tons，” Wu Zheng， Manager of the oilfield’s Gas Development Division， said.
　　The oilfield plans to raise its annual output to 68 million tons of oil equivalent by 2025.

Ant Group Probe

　　Financial regulators have identified major problems in Ant Group’s business operations and urged the company to set a timetable as soon as possible to fix them in accordance with supervision requirements.
　　Ant Group， an affiliate fintech company of e-commerce giant Alibaba， operates Alipay， a mobile payment platform with an estimated 1 billion users.
　　The company’s major operating problems include flaws in its corporate governance mechanism and poor legal awareness， flouting regulatory compliance requirements， foul play for regulatory arbitrage， leveraging market dominance to exclude competitors， and hurting consumers’ legitimate rights and interests， which led to consumer complaints， Pan Gongsheng， Vice Governor of the People’s Bank of China （PBC）， said.
　　The rectification requirements were put forward during the regulatory talks carried out by the PBC， the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission， the China Securities Regulatory Commission， and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on December 26， 2020.
　　The Ant Group has been asked to return to its original business as a payment services provider and enhance transparency of transactions， and it is strictly prohibited from unfair competition， Pan said when answering questions from the press.
　　The company should carry out individual credit reporting business that is compliant with laws and regulations， and should protect personal data privacy， he added.
　　It must set up a financial holdings company in accordance with laws， strictly implement supervision requirements and ensure capital sufficiency and legality of relevant businesses.
　　The company has also been urged to improve corporate governance and strictly rectify illegal credit loans， insurance， wealth management and other financial activities in accordance with supervision requirements.
　　Pan said Ant Group should strengthen risk management and control， maintain business continuity and normal operations， and ensure quality financial services for the public.

Telecom Revenue

　　The revenue of the telecommunications industry rose 3.5 percent year on year to 1.25 trillion yuan （$191.3 billion） in the first 11 months of 2020， up 0.2 percentage point from the growth in the January-October period of the year， according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
　　Revenue from fixed-line services of the three telecom carriers—China Telecom， China Mobile and China Unicom—amounted to 427.5 billion yuan （$65.45 billion）， climbing 11.6 percent year on year. 　　By the end of November 2020， China had 1.6 billion mobile phone users， with the number of 4G subscribers edging up 1.3 percent year on year to 1.29 billion， the ministry said.
　　The three telecom companies also saw a steady increase in the number of fixed broadband Internet users， with subscribers rising 6.9 percent year on year to 483 million， a net increase of 33.49 million from the end of 2019.

Manufacturing Power

　　China ranked fourth in the manufacturing power development index in 2019， after the U.S.， Germany and Japan， a report published by the Chinese Academy of Engineering（CAE） on December 25， 2020， said.
　　The index consists of four items including scale development， quality and benefit， structural optimization and sustainable development， Zhong Zhihua， Vice President of the CAE， said， adding that it reflects the development level of a country’s manufacturing industry.
　　In recent years， China’s manufacturing power development index is progressing and its gap with developed countries is narrowing， according to Zhu Gaofeng， an academician of the CAE.