A SOLEMN SCENE

An honor guard carries the remains of late Chinese leader Jiang Zemin in Beijing after they were transferred from Shanghai aboard a special flight on December 1. Jiang passed away in Shanghai on November 30 at the age of 96.

Floating to New Frontiers

A floating production， storage and offloading （FPSO） device at its delivery ceremony in Qingdao， Shandong Province， on November 29. The 118-meter-tall FPSO， a vessel used for the production， storage， and off-loading of crude oil， produced by the Offshore Oil Engineering Co. Ltd. for a British client， was successfully delivered that day.

Underage Internet Users

The number of underage Internet users in China hit 191 million in 2021， leading to an Internet penetration rate of 96.8 percent among Chinese minors， according to a report released on November 30.

The report， jointly issued by the Chinese Communist Youth League Central Committee and the China Internet Network Information Center， found that the gap in the Internet penetration rate of the group between urban and rural areas had been bridged in 2021.

Chinas cybersecurity has continuously improved， with the proportion of cybersecurity incidents involving minors on the decline compared with 2020， according to the report， which further added video platforms have become an important source of information for minors.

The report covers students from primary， junior high， senior high， and secondary vocational schools across 31 provincial-level regions.

Coffee Tourism

The culture and tourism authorities of Yunnan Province have recently rolled out six tourist routes in a bid to further boost the development of coffee-related tourism， Xinhua News Agency reported on November 30.

The routes cover seven major coffee production bases in Yunnan， including Baoshan， Puer， and Dali.

Tourists can learn about the whole process， from picking coffee beans to washing and drying. They can even grind the beans and make themselves a cup of coffee during the trip.

With a large multiethnic population， Yunnan is home to rich tourism resources， including its picturesque scenery and major tea and coffee production areas.

The province has accelerated the integrated development of coffee-themed agriculture， culture， and tourism.

In 2021， the plantation area of coffee in the province reached 93，333 hectares， yielding over 100，000 tons of coffee beans. The output value of the whole industrial chain reached 31.63 billion yuan （$4.47 billion）.

Invasive Species

China will enhance its capabilities in preventing and controlling invasive species to safeguard agricultural development and biodiversity， Xinhua reported on November 30.

The country faces multiple risks from invasive species due to its long land border， illegal introduction， breeding of exotic pets， and illegal release of animals into the wild， the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said in a statement.

So far， the country has listed 59 invasive species for elevated management.

The statement also said China would strengthen quarantine inspection of inbound goods， means of transport， consignments and deliveries， and cross-border e-commerce to stem the introduction of invasive species.

New targeted undertakings will optimize the monitoring network and develop prevention and control measures for specific invasive species.

Rail Transit Network

A new metro line and a new section of an existing line in Shenzhen， Guangdong Province， are up and running.

The first phase of the Metro Line 6 branch started its initial operation in the city on November 28. Metro Line 12 began operating that same day.

With the newly opened lines， the citys urban rail transit network has 16 lines， with an operating length of 530 km， according to Shenzhen Metro Group Co. Ltd.

Additionally， the citys metro operator is promoting the digitalization and informatization of the urban rail transit network. The gate machines of the Line 6 branch and Line 12 are equipped with facial recognition technology for identity authentication.

Mammal Protection

China has made progress in protecting Yangtze finless porpoises， an iconic species in the Yangtze River， the countrys longest river， the Ministry of Ecology and Environment said on November 28.

Thirteen natural reserves for the Yangtze finless porpoises have been created in the Yangtze River basin， covering 40 percent of the species habitats， Cui Shuhong， an official with the ministry， told a press conference.

These natural reserves have brought nearly 80 percent of the species population under protection， Cui said.

The Yangtze finless porpoise， known as the “giant panda of the water，” is a barometer of the ecological environment in the Yangtze River basin.

In recent years， China has poured solid efforts into ecological conservation along the Yangtze River， with a 10-year fishing ban launched in pivotal waters along the river in early 2021.

In December 2020， China announced the Yangtze River Protection Law， providing a legal guarantee for the rivers biodiversity conservation.

Cold Construction

The construction site of Harbin Ice-Snow World， a renowned seasonal theme park opening to the public every winter in Harbin， Heilongjiang Province， on November 29.

Cargo Air Route

Chinas first professional cargo hub airport in the city of Ezhou， Hubei Province， launched its first all-cargo air route on November 27， linking Ezhou with Shenzhen in Guangdong Province.

Ezhou Huahu Airport is also the first professional cargo hub airport in Asia and the fourth of its kind in the world. Since the airport went into operation on July 17， it has opened multiple passenger routes linking Ezhou with cities including Beijing， Shanghai， and Xiamen in Fujian Province.

According to the airport， the all-cargo air route is operated by Boeing 737 cargo aircraft.

The airport further said it will soon open an all-cargo air route linking Ezhou and Shanghai.

The annual cargo and mail throughput of the airport is expected to reach 3.3 million tons by 2030， with annual passenger flow reaching 1.5 million.

Drilling Into Export

A tunnel boring machine is pictured before export to the Republic of Korea at a workshop of China Railway Engineering Equipment Group Co. Ltd. （CREG） in Zhengzhou， Henan Province， on November 24. Tunnel boring machines made by CREG have been exported to more than 30 countries and regions for major projects.

New Cultural Heritage Entry

Chinas traditional tea-making was added to UNESCOs intangible cultural heritage list in the Moroccan capital of Rabat on November 29.

The item “Traditional tea processing techniques and associated social practices in China” passed the examination at the 17th session of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage held from November 28 to December 3.

The move recognizes the knowledge， skills and practices around tea plantation management， tea leaf picking， manual processing， drinking and sharing， UNESCO said on its webpage introducing the inscription.

Since ancient times， Chinese people have been planting， picking， making and drinking tea. Tea producers have developed six categories： green， yellow， dark， white， oolong and black teas. Together with re- processed teas， such as flowerscented teas， China features over 2，000 tea products.

Tea is ubiquitous in daily life in China， as steeped or boiled tea is served in families， workplaces， tea houses， restaurants and temples， to name a few. “It is also an important part of socialization and ceremonies such as weddings and ancestral sacrifices，” UNESCO added.

China now has 43 items on the intangible cultural heritage list， continuing to be the most inscribed country in the world.

Production Approval

The domestically developed C919 large jetliner received its production certificate on November 29， meaning the model can enter mass production.

Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China， the C919s developer， received the certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China East China Regional Administration.

The plane conducted its successful maiden flight in 2017. It obtained the type certificate in late September， which indicates the C919s design meets airworthiness standards and environmental requirements.

The first C919 aircraft is expected to be delivered to China Eastern Airlines in December.

Property Market Support

The national securities watchdog rolled out five measures on November 28 to facilitate equity financing for real estate firms in the latest string of efforts to bolster the property market.

Mergers， acquisitions， restructuring， supporting financing and refinancing will resume for eligible listed companies in the property sector， a spokesperson for the China Securities Regulatory Commission said.

Hong Kong-listed real-estate firms registered on the mainland will also be able to refinance.

The country will expand the use of real estate investment trusts， especially in affordable rental housing and infrastructures like warehouses and industrial parks， the commission said.

The commission also plans to pilot property-related private equity funds to help firms mobilize real estate assets.

Tariff Exemption

China will continue to exempt certain U.S. goods from additional tariffs until May next year， the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council said on November 28.

According to a previous statement issued in April， certain items from the U.S. were excluded from the tariff countermeasures against the U.S. Section 301 measures until November 30.

After the extension， the exemption will last until May 31， 2023， the commission said in a statement.

Gas Transport

The China-Central Asia Gas Pipeline has delivered over 40 billion cubic meters of natural gas to China this year， according to PipeChina West Pipeline Co.

The pipeline transported about 120 million cubic meters of natural gas a day during the period， according to the company.

With a length of 1，833 km and a designed annual gas transmission capacity of 60 billion cubic meters， the pipeline went into service in December 2009.

The pipeline runs from the border of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan， passes through Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan， and links up with Chinas West-to-East Gas Pipeline in Horgos， Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It is Chinas first transnational gas pipeline.

The pipeline has been operating stably and safely for 4，730 days since it went into service. It benefits over 500 million people across 27 provinces， municipalities， autonomous regions， as well as Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

SME Performance

The activities of small and mediumsized enterprises （SMEs） picked up in October as the countrys economy has logged a stable recovery since the third quarter of this year， industry data showed.

The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Index， calculated based on a survey of 3，000 SMEs， came in at 88.2 in the month， the same as the level registered in September and reversing the contraction， according to the China Association of Small and Medium Enterprises.

The index contains multiple sub-indices to gauge SME performances and expectations.

The sub-indices for several sectors reported stable growth in the period， with that for construction and industry climbing 0.2 points and 0.1 points， respectively， from September.

The data also showed sub-indices measuring SMEs confidence， market activities and profits all increased in October， reversing Septembers decline.

Bond Issuances

Bond issuances in China topped 4.58 trillion yuan （$640.2 billion） in October， data from the central bank showed.

Treasury bond issuances amounted to 827.18 billion yuan（$115.6 billion） that month， and local government bonds worth 668.73 billion yuan （$93.5 billion） were issued， according to the Peoples Bank of China.

Issuances of financial bonds stood at 766.09 billion yuan（$107.1 billion） in the same period， and issuances of corporate credit bonds neared 1.1 trillion yuan （$153.8 billion）.

Credit-asset-backed securities worth 37.51 billion yuan （$5.2 billion） were issued in October， while issuances of interbank deposit certificates topped 1.17 trillion yuan（$163.6 billion）， the data showed.

By late October， outstanding bonds held in custody totaled 144.1 trillion yuan （$20.1 trillion）， according to the bank.

Pilot Zones

China has approved the establishment of comprehensive pilot zones for cross-border e-commerce in 33 more cities and regions， in its latest bid to boost foreign trade growth.

This is the seventh batch of such pilot areas， lifting the nationwide tally to 165.

Many in the latest batch of comprehensive pilot zones for cross-border e-commerce are in central and west China as well as the countrys border areas.

The pilot zones are expected to help facilitate the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries and optimize and upgrade foreign trade.

Chinas cross-border ecommerce has been growing fast in recent years. Its trade volume has ballooned nearly tenfold in the past five years， reaching 1.92 trillion yuan （$268.5 billion） in 2021. In the first half of 2022， the market registered a 28.6-percent year-onyear growth in trade volume.

RRR Cut

The Peoples Bank of China， the countrys central bank， has cut the reserve requirement ratio （RRR） for eligible financial institutions by 0.25 percentage points to keep liquidity reasonably ample and lower comprehensive financing costs.

The cut took effect on December 5， except for financial institutions that have already implemented a 5-percent RRR.

The reduction in the amount of cash banks must hold in reserve is expected to free up 500 billion yuan （$69.9 billion） in long-term liquidity， the central bank said in a statement on November 25.

After the reduction， the weighted average RRR for Chinese financial institutions will stand at about 7.8 percent， it added.

International Trade

Chinas international trade in goods and services in October amounted to roughly 3.85 trillion yuan （$538.4 billion）， up 5 percent over the same period last year， official data showed on November 25.

The exports of goods came in at 1.92 trillion yuan （$268.6 billion） and imports hit 1.51 trillion yuan （$211.2 billion）， resulting in a surplus of 408.8 billion yuan （$57.4 billion）， the State Administration of Foreign Exchange said.

Service exports reached 180.6 billion yuan （$25.3 billion）， while imports totaled 237.3 billion yuan （$33.2 billion）， resulting in a deficit of 56.7 billion yuan（$7.9 billion）.

NUMBERS

（$1=7.12 yuan as of December 1）