Macroeconomics > > >
National Bureau of Statistics: Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) of manufacturing industry was 49.0% in December, down 0.4 percentage points from last month.
On December 31st, the National Bureau of Statistics announced that in December, the purchasing managers’ index (PMI) of manufacturing industry was 49.0%, down 0.4 percentage points from the previous month, and the prosperity level of manufacturing industry declined. In December, the business activity index of non-manufacturing industry was 50.4%, up 0.2 percentage points from the previous month, which was higher than the critical point, indicating that the expansion of non-manufacturing industry has accelerated. In December, the comprehensive PMI output index was 50.3%, which was 0.1 percentage point lower than the previous month and higher than the critical point, indicating that the production and operation activities of Chinese enterprises generally maintained expansion.
National Bureau of Statistics: In 2022, there were 320 million women employed nationwide, accounting for 43.2% of all employed people.
On December 31st, the National Bureau of Statistics released the statistical monitoring report of the 2022 China Women’s Development Program (2021-2030). The report shows that the proportion of women employed in the whole society is stable at over 40%. In-depth implementation of the employment priority strategy, multi-measures to stabilize and expand employment, resolutely prevent and correct employment discrimination, and effectively protect women’s employment rights and interests. In 2022, there were 320 million women employed nationwide, accounting for 43.2% of all employed people. There are 67.664 million women employed in urban non-private units, accounting for 40.5%. Labor protection and health protection for female workers have been strengthened. In-depth implementation of the Law on the Protection of Women’s Rights and Interests and the Special Provisions on the Labor Protection of Female Employees, and extensive publicity and education on labor safety and health, the legitimate rights and interests of female employees have been strongly safeguarded, and special rights and interests have been strongly guaranteed. In 2022, the proportion of enterprises that implemented the Special Provisions on Labor Protection for Female Employees was 72.9%; The level of occupational health literacy of female employees is 53.3%, which is 1.1 percentage points higher than that of men.
Ministry of Industry and Information Technology: Forward-looking layout of future industries, opening up new tracks for future industries such as artificial intelligence, humanoid robots and quantum.
The party group of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology wrote in Qiushi magazine that the optimization and upgrading of industrial structure is the inherent requirement of new industrialization. Adhere to both the old and the new, and promote the manufacturing industry to accelerate to the middle and high end of the value chain. Transform and upgrade traditional industries, improve policies and measures to promote the transformation and upgrading of traditional manufacturing industries, widely apply digital intelligence technology and green technology, accelerate the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, strengthen the construction of quality brands, and let traditional industries "sprout new buds". Consolidate and upgrade advantageous industries, strengthen the innovation iteration of new technologies and new products, improve the industrial ecology, enhance the advantages of the whole industrial chain in the fields of high-speed rail, power equipment and communication equipment, and create more "Made in China" business cards. Cultivate and expand emerging industries, make good use of the domestic big market and rich application scenarios, systematically promote technological innovation, large-scale development and industrial ecological construction, and promote the healthy and orderly development of new-generation emerging industries such as information technology, intelligent networked vehicles, aerospace, bio-manufacturing and safety emergency equipment, and accelerate the development and scale application of Beidou industry. Forward-looking layout of future industries, strengthening policy guidance, opening up new tracks for future industries such as artificial intelligence, humanoid robots and quantum, and building new advantages for future development. Promote the deep integration of advanced manufacturing and modern service industries, accelerate the development of producer services such as industrial design, and cultivate new formats and new models such as service-oriented manufacturing. Give play to the role of industrial parks such as high-tech zones, implement special actions for the development of advanced manufacturing clusters, promote the orderly transfer of manufacturing industries in China, and promote the formation of a regional economic layout with complementary advantages and high-quality development.
Ministry of Industry and Information Technology: Focus on advantageous industrial chains such as rare earth, photovoltaic, new energy vehicles and 5G, and forge a number of "killer" technologies.
The party group of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology wrote in Qiushi magazine that efforts should be made to improve the resilience and safety level of the industrial chain supply chain. An independent, controllable, safe and reliable industrial system is the prerequisite and strategic support for new industrialization. We will make overall plans to make up for shortcomings, forge long boards and strengthen foundations, implement high-quality development actions of key manufacturing industrial chains, continuously enhance the toughness and competitiveness of industrial chains, and firmly grasp the development dominance in our own hands. Efforts should be made to make up the shortcomings, implement "one chain and one policy" in the field of relationship security development, strengthen the upstream and downstream collaborative research of the industrial chain, and turn points into beads and beads into chains to ensure the stable and smooth supply chain of the industrial chain. Efforts will be made to forge long boards, focusing on advantageous industrial chains such as rare earth, photovoltaic, new energy vehicles and 5G, forging a number of "killer" technologies and improving industrial quality. Focus on strengthening the foundation, carry out in-depth industrial base reconstruction projects and major technical equipment research projects, accelerate the upgrading of industrial base capabilities, and break through a number of strategic landmark equipment. Make good use of the first batch of inferior policies, and accelerate the promotion and application of innovative products and iterative upgrading.
National Development and Reform Commission: Deepen the reform of state-owned and state-owned enterprises and promote the development and growth of private economy.
The party group of the National Development and Reform Commission of the Communist Party of China wrote in Qiushi magazine that comprehensively deepening reform and opening up, strengthening innovation drive, and continuously stimulating the vitality of economic development. Resolutely implement the "two unwavering", deepen the reform of state-owned assets and state-owned enterprises, promote the development and growth of the private economy, drop the requirement of equal treatment for state-owned enterprises and private enterprises from the system and law, implement the national treatment of foreign-funded enterprises with high standards, and let state-owned enterprises dare to do it, private enterprises dare to venture, and foreign companies dare to invest. Accelerate the construction of a unified national market, strive to get rid of various forms of local protection and market segmentation, effectively reduce the logistics cost of the whole society, implement actions to improve and upgrade the business environment, and do a good job in rectifying outstanding problems in the field of attracting investment. We will build a new open economic system at a higher level, implement eight actions to jointly build the "Belt and Road" with high quality, make overall plans to promote major landmark projects and "small but beautiful" livelihood projects, and improve the development level of China-Europe trains. Consolidate the basic disk of foreign trade and foreign investment, promote the high-quality development of the Pilot Free Trade Zone, accelerate the construction of Hainan Free Trade Port, implement measures to completely cancel the restrictions on foreign investment access in the manufacturing sector, and continue to promote the expansion and opening up of the service sector. Accelerate the transformation of old and new kinetic energy, vigorously promote new industrialization, develop digital economy, thoroughly implement the national strategic emerging industrial cluster development project, cultivate and expand future industries, promote the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, and lead the construction of modern industrial system with scientific and technological innovation.
National Development and Reform Commission: Strengthening Economic Monitoring, Forecasting and Early Warning and Policy Pre-research Reserve
The party group of the National Development and Reform Commission of the Communist Party of China wrote in Qiushi magazine that economic analysis and policy research should be strengthened to consolidate and enhance the sustained economic recovery. Strengthen economic monitoring, forecasting, early warning and pre-research and reserve of policies, promote innovation and coordination of policy tools, intensify macro-control, and strengthen countercyclical and cross-cyclical adjustment of macro-policies. Strengthen the consistency of macro-policy orientation, strengthen the coordination of fiscal, monetary, employment, industrial, investment, consumption, price, regional, scientific and technological, environmental protection and other policies, and include non-economic policies in the consistency assessment of macro-policy orientation to ensure the same direction and form a joint force. Strengthen the evaluation and supervision of major strategic planning, major policies, major reforms and major projects, and give full play to their due effectiveness. Do a good job in interpreting the economic situation and policies, respond to market concerns and social hotspots in a timely manner, and tell the story of China’s economic development.
National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC): Give more prominence to the citizenization of agricultural transfer population, and promote the full integration of agricultural transfer population into cities.
The party group of the National Development and Reform Commission of the Communist Party of China wrote in Qiushi magazine that it should give play to the guiding role of medium-and long-term planning and annual planning and effectively promote the effective implementation of major national strategic deployment. Combined with the mid-term evaluation, we will promote the implementation of the 14 th Five-Year Plan and study and put forward the basic ideas for economic and social development during the 15 th Five-Year Plan. Prepare and implement annual plans, and actively promote major strategic annual key tasks such as coordinated regional development, new urbanization, and rural revitalization. We will give a more prominent position to the citizenization of agricultural transfer population, make overall plans to promote the reform of household registration system and the equalization of basic public services in cities and towns, and promote the full integration of agricultural transfer population into cities. We will organically combine the promotion of new urbanization with the comprehensive revitalization of rural areas, promote the two-way flow of various elements, and form a new pattern of urban-rural integration and development. Promote the coordinated development of new industrialization and urbanization, and build a coordinated development pattern of large, medium and small cities based on urban agglomerations and metropolitan areas. We will promote the renovation of old urban communities, accelerate the renovation of villages in cities, affordable housing, and the construction of "flat and emergency" public infrastructure to create a livable, resilient and smart city.
Shenzhen: In 2024, we should vigorously cultivate and develop economic forms such as digital economy, platform economy, green economy, marine economy and enclave economy.
On December 30th, the 8th plenary session of the 7th Committee of Shenzhen, the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Economic Work Conference of the Municipal Party Committee were held. The meeting proposed that in accordance with the requirements of intelligence, greening, integration and integrity, advancement, safety and international competitiveness, we should firmly grasp the key task of new industrialization, accelerate the construction of a leading and important advanced manufacturing center in the world, build a high-level specialized cluster industrial park, build a strong competitive industrial chain and industrial cluster, build a strong leading enterprise and a huge group of enterprises and individual industrial and commercial households, and develop new quality productivity.
Chen Maobo: Hong Kong will hold more grand events in 2024.
Chen Maobo, Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong SAR Government, wrote an article summarizing Hong Kong’s economic situation in the past year. Chen Maobo said that looking back on 2023, Hong Kong embarked on the road of comprehensive normalization, gradually resumed normal exchanges with the mainland and the international community, the economy resumed growth, the unemployment rate fell to a low level, and inflation was moderate. Chen Maobo said that there will be more grand events in Hong Kong next year, highlighting the cultural characteristics of Hong Kong’s East and West cultures, diversity and tolerance, and the advantages of convenient communication at home and abroad. The SAR Government hopes that by holding more activities with different themes and contents, and injecting more new elements and experiences into them, friends at home and abroad will have more opportunities and be more willing to come again, and Hong Kong will become an ideal destination for business trips, cultural experiences, leisure travel and even family music.
Financial news > > >
In 2023, the stock ETF market received more than 640 billion incremental funds.
The data shows that the new ETF products are listed on the market, and the stock ETF market has obtained more than 640 billion incremental funds in 2023. Among them, the stock ETF established before 2023 received a net inflow of more than 568 billion yuan. From the perspective of products, broad-based ETFs have become the main force of "attracting gold" throughout the year, with the net inflows of Shanghai and Shenzhen 300ETF, Kechuang 50 ETFs, SSE 50 ETFs and GEM ETFs leading. Under the feast of ETF, the ETF scale of a number of head fund companies has grown rapidly. The scale of stock ETFs of Huaxia, Yifangda, Huatai Bairui, Cathay Pacific and Nanfang exceeded 100 billion, and the scale of stock ETFs of Harvest, Fuguo, Yifangda, Huatai Bairui and Boss increased significantly during the year. (China Fund News)
The onshore RMB against the US dollar rose by 146 points compared with the closing of the previous trading day and night.
On December 30th, the onshore RMB against the US dollar closed at 7.0978 at 03:00 Beijing time, up 146 points from the closing of the previous trading day and night. The turnover was $26.452 billion.
The settlement price of COMEX gold futures has risen by more than 13% throughout the year.
Comex February gold futures settlement price closed down 0.56% to $2,071.80 per ounce, and the main company increased by 13.45% in 2023. Comex March silver futures settlement price closed down 1.17% to $24.086 per ounce, and the main company increased by 0.19% for the whole year.
Nickel fell by nearly 45% and cobalt by about 44% for the whole year.
LME copper futures closed down $66 to $8,559/ton, with a cumulative increase of over 2.23% in 2023. LME aluminum closed up $6 to $2,384/ton, with a cumulative increase of over 0.25% for the whole year. LME zinc futures closed up $17 to $2,658/ton, with a cumulative decline of over 10.56% for the whole year. LME lead closed down $18 to $2,068/ton, with a cumulative decline of over 9.81% for the whole year. LME nickel futures closed down $131 to $16,603/ton, with a cumulative decline of over 44.74% for the whole year. LME tin closed down $265 to $25,415/ton, with a cumulative increase of over 2.44% for the whole year. In LME period, cobalt was flat at $29,135/ton, with a cumulative decline of over 43.92% for the whole year.
The settlement price of international crude oil futures has fallen by more than 10% for the whole year, and US natural gas futures have recorded the biggest annual decline since 2006.
The settlement price of international crude oil futures fell slightly, falling by more than 10% for the whole year. WTI February crude oil futures closed down 0.12 USD, or 0.17%, to 71.65 USD/barrel. The main company of WTI fell 2.6% this week, 5.67% in December and about 10.7% in 2023. Brent crude oil futures in March closed down 0.17 USD, or 0.22%, to 77.04 USD/barrel. The main company fell 2.57% this week, 6.99% in December and about 10.3% in 2023. Nymex February natural gas futures settlement price closed down 1.68% to 2.5140 US dollars/million british thermal unit; The main company fell nearly 44% for the whole year, the biggest annual decline since 2006.
Industry news > > >
In 2023, many economic indicators of China automobile industry will hit a new high.
China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said that in 2023, China’s automobile industry will become the main driving force for industrial economic growth. Among them, the production and sales of automobiles are expected to reach about 30 million in 2023, the production and sales of new energy vehicles will exceed 9 million, and the export of automobiles is expected to be close to 5 million. The market share of China brand passenger cars is stable at over 50%. It is reported that this year, a series of policies to promote automobile consumption have been introduced, and the automobile industry has become the main driving force for industrial economic growth. According to the National Passenger Car Market Information Association, in November 2023, the world automobile sales reached 7.83 million units, up 13% year-on-year, still slightly lower than the peak in November 2017 by 7%, which was the second highest level in the past years. Among them, the sales volume of China car companies accounted for 38% of the world, and the cumulative share from January to November this year reached 33%.
Cui Dongshu: In November, China accounted for 38% of the world’s cars.
Cui Dongshu, Secretary-General of the Association, issued a document saying that from January to November 2023, the world automobile sales reached 80.52 million units, up 11% year-on-year, but the gap from the high level in recent years was still 6%, and the gap level was narrowed. Due to the strong automobile market in China, the world automobile sales gradually approached the peak in November, and the operation of the world automobile industry improved obviously, which led to the improvement of the sales of international automobile enterprises. In November 2023, the world automobile sales reached 7.83 million units, up 13% year-on-year, still slightly lower than the peak in November 2017 by 7%, which was the second highest level in the past years. In November 2023, the world share of China car companies was 38%, and the cumulative share from January to November this year reached 33%.
China automobile dealers association: In December, the inventory early warning index of automobile dealers in China was 53.7%, down 6.7 percentage points from the previous month.
On December 31st, china automobile dealers association released the latest issue of VIA(Vehicle Inventory Alert Index), which showed that in December 2023, the inventory early warning index of automobile dealers in China was 53.7%, down by 4.5 percentage points year-on-year and 6.7 percentage points month-on-month. The inventory early warning index was above threshold, and the automobile circulation industry was still in a recession zone, but the prosperity rebounded significantly.
In 2023, the cargo volume of the Three Gorges Project exceeded 172 million tons, up by 7.95% year-on-year.
On December 31, according to the official news of the Three Gorges Group, in 2023, the annual freight volume of the Three Gorges Hub exceeded 172 million tons, up 7.95% year-on-year, of which the annual freight volume of the Three Gorges Shiplock exceeded 168.65 million tons, up 8.02% year-on-year. The annual cargo throughput of the Three Gorges Shiplock, the Three Gorges Shiplift, the Three Gorges Hub and Xiangjiaba Shiplift all reached record highs.
China Federation of Things: China is still the largest logistics market in the world.
According to the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing, China’s logistics industry will see a recovery growth in 2023, and the total social logistics volume is expected to reach 350 trillion yuan. China is still the largest logistics market in the world. The contribution rate of demand in key areas such as manufacturing upgrading, new consumption formats and "new three kinds" of new energy has increased steadily, while sub-sectors such as e-commerce logistics and instant delivery have maintained rapid growth.
In 2023, the sales of the top 100 real estate enterprises were 6,279.1 billion yuan, down 17.3% year-on-year, and the number of 100 billion real estate enterprises decreased by 4 compared with last year.
According to the statistics of Central Reference Institute, in 2023, the total sales amount of TOP100 real estate enterprises was 6,279.10 billion yuan, down 17.3% year-on-year. Among them, there are 16 housing enterprises with sales exceeding 100 billion yuan, a decrease of 4 compared with the same period of last year, and 116 housing enterprises with 10 billion yuan, a decrease of 14 compared with the same period of last year. Judging from the completion rate of sales targets, in 2023, the average completion rate of nine real estate enterprises was 98.5%, among which China Resources, Yuexiu Property, Jianye Group and () completed the annual targets. (Cailian)
China tourism academy: It is estimated that the number of domestic tourists in China will exceed 6 billion in 2024.
According to the calculation of china tourism academy (Data Center of Ministry of Culture and Tourism), the comprehensive index of national tourism economic operation in 2023 is always in the boom zone, with an average of 109.95, which is close to the same period in 2019. The agency predicts that in 2024, the number of domestic tourists and domestic tourism income in China will exceed 6 billion and 6 trillion yuan respectively, and the number of inbound and outbound tourists and international tourism income will exceed 264 million and 107 billion US dollars respectively.
New Year’s Day box office set a new record.
According to the data of Cat’s Eye Professional Edition, the total box office of New Year’s Day in 2024 (December 30, 2023-January 1, 2024) exceeded 1.311 billion, surpassing the box office achievement of New Year’s Day in 2021 by 1.303 billion, setting a new box office record in China film history.
National Immigration Bureau: More than 110,000 people from six countries entered China visa-free, and sightseeing and leisure accounted for 70%.
According to the statistics of the National Immigration Bureau, since China implemented the unilateral visa-free policy on December 1st for people holding ordinary passports in six countries, including France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia, as of December 31st, 2023, the total number of people coming to China from these six countries was 214,000, up 28.5% from November, among which the total number of people holding ordinary passports was 118,000. It accounts for 55.1% of the total number of people entering the six countries in the same period. From the perspective of entry reasons, 91,000 people came to China for sightseeing, leisure and business activities with ordinary passports, accounting for 77.3%.
From January 1, 2024, China’s embassy and consulate in the United States will reduce or exempt tourist visa application materials.
In order to further facilitate the exchange of Chinese and American personnel, China’s embassy and consulate in the United States will reduce the L-shaped visa application materials from January 1, 2024: those who travel to China in the United States can apply for a visa to China without providing round-trip air tickets, hotel orders, travel itinerary or invitations. Due to different cases, please refer to the requirements of China’s embassy or consulate in the United States.
The annual passenger traffic of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge reached a new high, with Hong Kong and Macao single-brand cars accounting for more than half.
On January 1st, Gongbei Customs announced the first anniversary of the implementation of the policy of "Australian cars going north", and the number of passenger cars entering and leaving Hong Kong and Macao through the port of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge increased significantly. According to statistics, in 2023, the number of passenger cars entering and leaving the bridge port exceeded 2.68 million, a year-on-year increase of 1.35 times and an increase of 2.45 times compared with 2019. Among them, there were nearly 1.4 million single-brand cars in Hong Kong and Macao, accounting for more than 50%.
Company news > > >
The central bank agreed to change Alipay (China) to have no actual controller.
China People’s Bank of China’s official website’s information announcement on the license for major changes of non-bank payment institutions (as of December 2023) shows that the central bank issued the document Yinxu Grant Decision [2023] No.189, agreeing to change Alipay (China) Network Technology Co., Ltd. into a non-actual controller.
Zhihu received a letter from the New York Stock Exchange, and the trading price of American depositary shares was lower than the compliance standard.
On December 29th, Zhihu announced that the company had received a letter from new york Stock Exchange informing the company that the trading price of American Depositary Shares (ADS) was below the compliance standard. The notice has no immediate impact on the listing of the company’s American Depositary Receipts. The company will monitor the market situation and is still considering the solution to this problem.
AITO delivered 24,468 new cars in December, an increase of 29.96% from the previous month.
AITO Automobile announced on January 1st that in December 2023, AITO Jiejie series delivered 24,468 new cars, up by 29.96% from the previous month. In 2023, it delivered 94,380 cars in total, and the new M7 in Jiejie delivered 20,611 cars in December, with the cumulative number exceeding 30,000 in seven days after its listing.
LI: 50,353 vehicles were delivered in December 2023, and over 370,000 vehicles were delivered throughout the year.
On January 1st, LI announced the delivery data for December 2023. In December, 2023, LI delivered 50,353 new cars, up 137.1% year-on-year, and successfully achieved the goal of delivering 50,000 new cars every month. In the fourth quarter of 2023, a total of 131,805 vehicles were delivered, a year-on-year increase of 184.6%. In 2023, a total of 376,030 vehicles were delivered, a year-on-year increase of 182.2%. By December 31st, 2023, the cumulative delivery volume in LI exceeded 600,000 vehicles.
Guangzhou Automobile Aian: In 2023, the cumulative sales volume exceeded 480,000 vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 77%.
On December 31, GAC Ai ‘an announced that the cumulative sales volume in 2023 exceeded 480,000 vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 77%. At the same time, GAC Ai ‘an also reached a cumulative production and sales of one million on December 28th.
The Year of the Loong Moutai Zodiac Wine will be listed on January 6, and the market guidance price is still 2499 yuan/bottle.
The Year of the Loong Maotai Zodiac Wine will be officially sold on I Maotai on the evening of January 6th, and the market guidance price of 500ml the Year of the Loong Maotai Zodiac Wine is still 2499 yuan/bottle. (Cailian)
Mo Bin, President of Country Garden Group, delivered a New Year speech: The delivery challenge will enter the deep water area in 2024.
On December 31st, Mo Bin, Party Secretary and President of Country Garden Holding Group, delivered a New Year speech. Mo Bin said in his New Year speech that ensuring delivery is the bottom line that Country Garden firmly holds. As of December 31st, Country Garden has delivered over 600,000 houses this year. "The delivery challenge in 2024 will enter the deep water area. In the face of a large number of delivery tasks, we will never relax our requirements for quality, open the construction site to be visited and examined by the owners, and make every effort to deliver it perfectly."
Petrobras: It plans to set up a subsidiary in China next year.
Prates said that Petrobras plans to set up a subsidiary to anchor all parts of Asia, "not for trade in Singapore, but for cooperation in construction, engineering, fertilizer and refineries".
Overseas news > > >
A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck Nengden Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, which triggered a 5-meter tsunami.
According to Xinhua News Agency, citing the news of Japan Meteorological Agency on January 1st, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake occurred on Nengdeng Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, which triggered a 5-meter tsunami.
From 2024, USB-C will become the general standard of electronic equipment in the European Union.
The requirement of "universal charging" will apply to all handheld mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones, portable speakers, handheld electronic game machines, e-readers, earplugs, keyboards, mice and portable navigation systems. By 2026, these requirements will also apply to notebook computers.
South Korea’s exports in 2023 decreased by 7.4% year-on-year, with a trade deficit of $10 billion.
The Ministry of Industry, Trade and Resources of Korea said on January 1 that in 2023, South Korea’s exports decreased by 7.4% year-on-year to US$ 632.7 billion, and its imports decreased by 12.1% year-on-year to US$ 642.7 billion. As a result, the trade balance showed a deficit of $10 billion.
Singapore’s economic growth in 2023 was 1.2%.
On December 31st, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore delivered his New Year message, saying that Singapore’s economy will grow by 1.2% in 2023, and whether the GDP in 2024 can grow by 1% to 3% as predicted by the Ministry of Trade and Industry depends to a great extent on whether the external situation is stable. From January 1, 2024, Singapore’s consumption tax will be raised from 8% to 9%. In this regard, Lee Hsien Loong said that this extra tax will help the government cope with the increasing medical expenses due to the aging population. In the new year, the government will continue to provide centering and assistance to local families to alleviate the impact of the increase in consumption tax.
The five countries’ participation in the BRICS cooperation mechanism came into effect today, and the new BRICS partners are looking forward to economic development.
According to CCTV news, on January 1, 2024, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Iran and Ethiopia became full members of the BRICS countries. Experts and scholars from the new BRICS countries said that joining the BRICS cooperation mechanism will help countries tap their own potential, promote their own economic development through cooperation, and look forward to injecting new vitality into the BRICS cooperation mechanism.
Argentina officially refused to join the BRICS countries.
On December 29th, local time, Argentine President Millai said that Argentina officially decided to refuse to join the BRICS countries. Mile wrote to the BRICS countries that it was "inappropriate" for Argentina to join the organization as a full member.
Indian court ordered the release of two executives of vivo India subsidiary.
According to a report on the website of Lianhe Zaobao on December 31, an Indian court ordered the release of two senior employees of the Indian subsidiary of China mobile phone manufacturer vivo on December 30. Reuters reported that the Central Law Enforcement Bureau, India’s anti-financial crime agency, arrested two executives of vivo’s Indian subsidiary on suspicion of money laundering this month. The arrested two executives of vivo Company were taken to a court in Delhi on the 23rd, and then sent to the Central Law Enforcement Bureau for detention. According to the Press Trust of India, the two arrested executives were acting CEO and CFO of vivo India subsidiary, and law enforcement officers also arrested a consultant of the company. (Reference message)
Palestine’s GDP in the fourth quarter of 2023 decreased by 33% year-on-year.
The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics and the Monetary Authority said in a joint statement that in the fourth quarter of 2023, Palestine’s GDP decreased by 33% year-on-year, the unemployment rate in the Gaza rose to 74%, and the unemployment rate in the West Bank rose to 29%.
Maersk Shipping Company suspended all its vessels from passing through the Red Sea for 48 hours.
On December 31, local time, according to the Danish Broadcasting Corporation, the Danish shipping giant Maersk Group said that one of its container ships was attacked in the southern part of the Red Sea on the 30 th, and the company would suspend all ships from passing through the Red Sea for 48 hours.
Maersk confirmed that the vessel "MAERSK HANGZHOU" was attacked, and now the vessel continues to sail northward.
According to Maersk, the company confirmed that "MAERSK HANGZHOU" was attacked while passing through the Mande Strait. Maersk revealed that at about 6:30 pm CET on December 30, when the ship was located 55 nautical miles southwest of Hodeidah, Yemen, the crew reported that a flash was observed on the deck, but there was no sign that the ship was on fire. Maersk is trying to determine all the details of the incident. Maersk also said that all necessary safety measures have been taken to protect the crew. At present, the crew is safe, the ship is completely seaworthy and continues to sail north. Note: "MAERSK HANGZHOU" is flagged by Singapore and deployed on Maersk Asia-Europe route AE12, with a designed capacity of 14,000 TEUs. (Cailian)
