Three-minute news bulletin, Saturday, July 15, 2023

Domestic

1) On July 14, Li Qiang presided over an executive meeting of the State Council, listening to a report on the work of ensuring energy and power security during the peak summer period, deliberating and adopting the "Guiding Opinions on Actively and Steadily Promoting the Construction of "Dual-Use" Public Infrastructure in Extra-large and Super-large Cities," and studying and deploying the rectification work of problems found in the audit of central budget execution and other fiscal revenues and expenditures. Li Qiang signed a State Council order to promulgate the "Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Consular Protection and Assistance," which will come into effect on September 1, 2023.

2) The Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee issued the "Notice on Giving Full Play to the Role of Grassroots Party Organizations as Combat Fortifications and the Vanguard and Exemplary Role of the Broad Masses of Party Members in Flood Prevention and Disaster Relief."

3) [Rule of Law] The Ministry of Public Security: Since the beginning of this year, 2,520 cases of smuggling and other illegal and criminal activities have been investigated and prosecuted in accordance with the law. The Hubei Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision reported five typical cases of violations of regulations on banquets. Yan Qinguo, former chairman of the Binzhou Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in Shandong Province, was publicly sentenced in the first instance for bribery, receiving a sentence of twelve years and six months. Involving over 50 million yuan, the first instance trial of Wang Dengfeng, former vice chairman of the Chinese Football Association, opened. Cheng Feng, deputy general manager of the Shanghai Press and Publication Group, is under disciplinary review and supervisory investigation. Xue Shebang, former director of the Jiuquan Municipal People's Air Defense Office in Gansu Province, is under review and investigation. With illegal absorption of public deposits amounting to 102.6 billion yuan, Peng Tie, the actual controller of Xiaoniu Group, was sentenced to life imprisonment. Yu Mouying's case involving the suspected trafficking of 11 children will be sentenced at a later date; the prosecution recommended the death penalty; victim Yang Niuhua stated that she showed no remorse.

4) The Ministry of Finance and two other departments: Full-cost insurance and planting income insurance for the three major grain crops cover all major grain-producing counties nationwide. The National Development and Reform Commission and two other departments issued the "Guiding Opinions on Implementing the Rural Power Grid Consolidation and Upgrading Project," which is beneficial to distributed photovoltaics. Ministry of Commerce: 108 investment protection agreements have been signed and entered into force with foreign countries.

5) In orbit for a month and a half! The Shenzhou-16 crew has completed a number of experiments, and will subsequently carry out extravehicular activities. China's largest electrochemical energy storage power station has achieved full-capacity grid-connected power generation in Kashgar, Xinjiang. The domestically produced Y12F aircraft has been awarded a type certificate by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency.

6) Chinese CDC: From June 2 to June 30, 2023, 106 new confirmed cases of monkeypox were reported in mainland China. Ministry of Culture and Tourism: Outbound group tours are showing a steady and orderly growth trend, and no major or serious overseas tourism safety accidents have occurred.

7) The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters deployed key tasks for flood prevention and disaster relief during the "seven down and eight up" critical period. A tropical depression near the Philippines formed on the morning of July 14 and may become the first typhoon to land in China this year.

8) [Military] The Ministry of National Defense responded to the US claim that China wants to become the hegemon of Asia: China's goal is to become a better and stronger version of itself. Ministry of National Defense: The starry sky is brilliant, and warmongers should not spread smoke and incite an arms race. Ministry of National Defense: A Russian naval fleet visited Shanghai and conducted joint exercises with China. The Chinese Navy's Peace Ark hospital ship treated an injured Chinese fisherman in the Pacific Ocean.

9) [Hong Kong and Macao] Chinese Ambassador to the UK: The UK has no right to criticize the law enforcement actions of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region police. The first "Shanghai-Hong Kong Science and Technology Finance Forum" was held in Hong Kong on July 14. Southern Airlines nominated Ho Chiu-ying, daughter of the Macau gambling king, as a candidate for independent director.

10) [Taiwan] Taiwan Affairs Office: Cross-strait youth entrepreneurship bases are operating well, helping Taiwanese youth to pursue their dreams. Taiwan media: The itinerary for mainland teachers and students visiting Taiwan has been announced, and Ma Ying-jeou will personally receive the mainland student group. The 14th Cross-Strait Film Festival opened in Taipei, with 8 mainland films such as "Full River Red" participating, featuring a variety of genres and themes, with tickets hard to come by.

International

1) Vice President Han Zheng met with Bill Winters, Chairman of Standard Chartered Group.

On July 14, local time, Wang Yi met with Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa in Jakarta at the latter's request. Ministry of Commerce: Effectively protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises and personnel overseas. Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Chinese government departments are subjected to massive cyberattacks almost every day, and China is the biggest victim of cyberattacks. Japan provided 8 billion yen in compensation to the Fukushima fishing industry; Ministry of Foreign Affairs: If the Japanese government is not guilty, why are they paying compensation? This shows that there are indeed serious problems with the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water. A Chinese representative strongly refuted NATO's false accusations against China. The inauguration ceremony for the first modern large-scale sewage treatment plant in Bangladesh, built by a Chinese company, was held on July 13, local time.

2) UNAIDS: 1.3 million new HIV infections in 2022. WHO: Aspartame may be carcinogenic, but it is safe to consume within the daily limit. The 32nd "Slavic Bazaar" International Arts Festival opened on July 13, local time, in Belarus, with nearly 10,000 people watching the opening ceremony performance inside and outside the theater. US media: The International Olympic Committee confirmed that it will not issue formal invitations to Russia and Belarus for the Paris Olympics.

3) Biden said Putin has lost the war: He expects the Ukrainian counteroffensive to make significant progress, prompting peace talks to end the war. During the opening of the US Capitol Building, House Speaker McCarthy provided a photo service for tourists.

US media: The Secret Service has concluded its investigation into the discovery of cocaine at the White House, but the suspect has not yet been identified. There is new progress in the investigation into the "Capitol Hill riot" in the United States, with Trump's son-in-law testifying. Invasion of privacy? ChatGPT maker OpenAI is under investigation by the US Federal Trade Commission. Hollywood actors and writers are on strike, which could shut down the entire US entertainment industry. NASA's Perseverance rover has detected evidence of multiple organic molecules in Jezero Crater on Mars, which could help in the search for potential biosignatures.

4) After the NATO summit, Putin said that his opponents want Russia to retreat and surrender, but they should stop fantasizing. The Pentagon confirmed that cluster munitions have been delivered to Ukraine; Putin: This will not significantly change the situation. Putin disclosed details of his meeting with Prigozhin and other Wagner group members. Putin: Legally speaking, the Wagner Group does not exist. Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov: Ukraine's acquisition of F-16s will be seen as a nuclear threat from the West; Russia has notified the US, UK, France and other nuclear powers; Russia cannot ignore the possibility of F-16s carrying nuclear weapons. Russia's external debt has fallen to its lowest level since 2006. After being reminded by British officials to be "grateful," Zelensky gave an 8-minute video speech expressing gratitude 47 times.

5) Turkish President Erdogan: The Turkish parliament will decide whether to approve Sweden's accession to NATO; Turkey's attitude on this issue is clear, and it still adheres to its original policy.

6) On the morning of July 14, local time, an explosion and fire occurred at the Japan Rocket Experiment Field, where experiments on rocket engines were being conducted.

7) Indian Prime Minister Modi visited France; India plans to place another order with France for 26 fighter jets and 3 submarines. Modi attended the French National Day military parade: Indian troops led the parade, and French-made Indian fighter jets participated. On the afternoon of July 14, local time, India launched the Chandrayaan-3 lunar probe, its third lunar probe.

8) Mirziyoyev was sworn in as President of Uzbekistan. Zimbabwe and Iran signed a number of cooperation agreements.

Finance and Securities

1) Central Bank: Since the beginning of this year, the prudent monetary policy has been precise and effective, supporting the recovery and improvement of economic operation; there is currently no deflation, and there will be no deflation risk in the second half of the year; the supply and demand relationship in China's real estate market has undergone profound changes, and there is room for marginal optimization of past policies.

2) The central bank responded to the "significant increase in early loan repayments": Support and encourage commercial banks and borrowers to independently negotiate changes to contract agreements, or replace the original outstanding loans with newly issued loans.

3) The State Administration for Market Regulation approved the establishment of the National Measurement and Testing Center for Intelligent Industrial Robots.

4) The State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council promotes central enterprises to accelerate the development of strategic emerging industries. China Small and Medium Enterprise Association: Small and medium-sized enterprises increased by 51% in five years, and the proportion of "small giants" in A-shares is 27%.

5) The Ministry of Commerce, together with relevant departments, carried out the second batch of central reserve pork purchases this year.

6) Yesterday's closing price:

Shanghai Composite Index 3237.70/+0.04%

Shenzhen Component Index 11080.32/-0.14%

ChiNext 2224.10/-0.60%

Hang Seng Index 19413.78/+0.33%.

Culture, Education, Sports and Entertainment

1) Ministry of Culture and Tourism: In 2022, the total collection of national public libraries reached 135.959 million volumes, an increase of 7.8% over the end of the previous year.

2) The Ministry of Education and two other departments deployed the collaborative development of science and education to carry out training to improve the scientific literacy of primary and secondary school teachers.

3) The domestic animated film "Chang'an Three Thousand Miles" ignited China's "Tang Poetry fever".

4) Jointly building a new future for AI for Science, the 2023 Scientific Intelligence Summit will begin in August.

5) The third day of the Chengdu Universiade torch relay in Chengdu, with 152 torchbearers participating. The Hangzhou Asian Para Games medal "Gui Zi" was officially released.

CCTV host Sa Beining appeared at the Guizhou Village BA, directing basketball games on the spot and transforming into "Coach Sa".

6) 2023 World Volleyball League quarterfinals: China beat Brazil 3-1, and will face Poland in the semifinals. Asian Athletics Championships: The Chinese team won the men's and women's hammer throw gold medals.

7) Li Si Lin, Coco Lee's older sister, posted that Coco Lee's funeral and burial ceremony will be held on July 31 and August 1.

Life Services

1) The first Tianjin Port to Beijing Dahongmen sea-rail intermodal train was launched.

Beijing solicits affordable rental housing from the public and explores the establishment of the first affordable rental housing reserve project library. Say "no" to campus bullying! The first procuratorial work station in Daxing District, Beijing, was unveiled. Beijing's minimum wage standard has been raised to 2420 yuan per month, and it is clarified that the minimum wage does not include high-temperature subsidies. Large-scale suspension of bus services in Baoding, Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, the provincial capital, urgently dispatched buses to provide support.

2) The first dose in the province, available from age 40, the domestic shingles vaccine was launched in Hangzhou on July 14. Yangzhou East Station frequently receives complaints about difficulty in hailing taxis, and the Municipal Transportation Bureau admits that the estimated passenger flow design was insufficient.

3) Guangzhou: Children have new places to go during the summer vacation, with summer care classes offered by trade unions and communities. The second "zero-tariff" large cargo aircraft in Hainan Free Trade Port was cleared, with tax exemptions exceeding 100 million yuan. Hainan successfully auctioned the first mining right with "net mine + increase and decrease linkage + full-process electronicization".

4) Henan Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs: Henan will cultivate more than 100,000 high-quality farmers. The Red-crowned Crane, a national treasure bird, was hatched in Henan Qi River National Wetland Park. A train station in Nanyang, Henan, was littered with garbage, and the official response was that one person was responsible for multiple positions and was too busy to handle it. Nanning reported on the handling of issues related to road parking fees: 4 people were dismissed from their posts. A tree fell in Guangxi University, resulting in the death of a teacher, and the school said it was being handled.

5) Many places in Chongqing issued red alerts for heavy rain, and there is a risk of rising water levels in some small and medium-sized rivers in 24 districts and counties. Heavy rain in Wanzhou, Chongqing, affected more than 16,000 people. After heavy rain in one place in Shanxi, many citizens went to the streets to catch fish: some citizens caught large fish weighing seven or eight kilograms. Taojiang, Hunan Province, suffered the most serious locust plague in nearly ten years, and farmers said they had never seen so many, with dozens of acres of bamboo forests affected.

6) The well-known travel blogger Jiang Ye went missing after hiking in Xinjiang, and his family confirmed that he had died. The local tour leader said he had advised him to travel with the group.

7) There is still heavy rain in Jilin and Heilongjiang, and there is still high temperature weather in southern Jiangsu and southern China. From 8 pm on July 14 to 8 pm on July 15, parts of central and southern Heilongjiang, central and western Jilin, southern Jiangsu, northwestern Zhejiang, southern and western Yunnan, etc., experienced heavy rain, with local heavy rain in southern Heilongjiang and western Jilin.