Three-minute news breakfast on Saturday, October 21, 2023

1) On the morning of October 20, Xi Jinping met separately with Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Lao People's Revolutionary Party Central Committee General Secretary and President Thongloun Sisoulith, and Brazilian Speaker of the House Arthur Lira in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. These meetings took place during their attendance at the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in China.

3) Central government finances support centralized care services for economically disadvantaged and disabled elderly people.

4) National Healthcare Security Administration: Further improve the protection of outpatient medical expenses to reduce the burden of outpatient expenses for insured persons.

5) Ministry of Commerce: From January to September 2023, the total amount of foreign investment absorbed nationwide reached 919.97 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 8.4%; it will promote further compression of the negative list for foreign investment access and deepen the pilot reform and opening up of free trade zones and free trade ports.

6) Ministry of Commerce, General Administration of Customs: Optimize and adjust the temporary export control of graphite items. General Administration of Customs: The registration of export goods' origin enterprises will be cancelled from November 1st.

7) [Rule of Law] Fu Zhongwei, former director of the Shenyang Municipal People's Congress Standing Committee, was indicted. Lu Xiaozhong, former director of the Budgetary Work Committee of the Shanxi Provincial People's Congress Standing Committee and former director of the Shanxi Provincial Local Taxation Bureau, is under investigation. Liu Ti, former deputy general manager of the Shanghai Stock Exchange, was dismissed from public office. 417 suspects involved in cross-border telecom fraud were extradited from the Philippines.

8) [Military] The 2024 recruitment of civilian staff for the entire army, open to the public, has officially begun.

9) [Hong Kong and Macau] Fines for littering and street obstruction in Hong Kong will increase to HK$3,000 and HK$6,000 respectively from Sunday. Hong Kong media: A Hong Kong Express flight from Hong Kong to Kaohsiung was suspected to have returned due to a wing problem. Macau's three major annual flagship exhibitions opened, with Sino-Portuguese elements as a highlight.

1) Li Qiang will attend the 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of Government (Prime Ministers) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation member states and pay an official visit to Kyrgyzstan. Foreign Minister Wang Yi will attend the international symposium commemorating the 10th anniversary of the proposal of the "sincerity, amity, practical cooperation, and inclusiveness" concept of China's neighborhood diplomacy. Ministry of Foreign Affairs: More than 1,000 Chinese citizens have left Israel and returned to China or gone to third countries.

2) UN Secretary-General António Guterres arrived at the Rafah crossing on the morning of October 20 to supervise the entry of 20 aid vehicles into the Gaza Strip.

China calls on the international community to help Somalia meet its challenges.

3) Biden said that supporting Israel and Ukraine is a wise investment: He will apply for funds to enhance Israel's military advantage. US State Department spokesperson: An international investigation into the bombing of a Gaza hospital is inappropriate. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell hinted that there may be another pause in interest rate hikes in November. US media: Photos released by the White House were accused of leaking information about US special forces soldiers, and were quickly deleted after criticism.

Annual earthquake drills were held in multiple locations across the United States, with over 18 million people participating. US media: The US soldier who previously crossed the border into North Korea has been detained by the US military and faces multiple charges, including desertion.

4) The Palestinian-Israeli conflict has resulted in over 5200 deaths. Israel is evacuating embassy staff from several Middle Eastern countries. The Israeli Defense Minister announced Israel's plan to fight in the Gaza Strip, completely destroying Hamas' military capabilities and establishing a new security regime there. Orders for an offensive on the Gaza Strip will be issued soon. Israeli Foreign Minister: After the war, not only Hamas will disappear, but the territory of Gaza will also be reduced. The Israeli army released footage of a raid in the West Bank: They shot and arrested people at night, claiming to have arrested more than 60 Hamas members.

6) Diplomatic conflict escalates, Canada withdraws 41 diplomats from India.

7) After talks between Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov and North Korean Foreign Minister, South Korea's Unification Ministry stated: The government is willing to engage in unconditional dialogue with North Korea. A US B-52 strategic bomber landed in South Korea for the first time, and KCNA warned: North Korea should be the first to be "eliminated".

8) According to Estonian assessments, the damage to the submarine communication cable between Sweden and Estonia was caused by a physical collision.

1) Ministry of Industry and Information Technology: Focus on promoting breakthroughs in large model algorithm technology and improving the computing power of intelligent chips. As of the end of September, China has built a total of 3.189 million 5G base stations.

2) Two departments released the "Assessment Measures for Systemically Important Insurance Companies." The Financial Regulatory General Bureau: Steadily reduce the interest rate of existing first-home mortgages; most loans have been adjusted.

3) The China Securities Regulatory Commission revised the new rules for dividend distribution by listed companies and solicited public opinions. The Shanghai Stock Exchange, Shenzhen Stock Exchange, and Beijing Stock Exchange will officially launch the acceptance and review of corporate bonds.

4) Six options varieties, including Apple, short fiber, soda ash, manganese silicon, ferrosilicon, and urea, were officially listed on the Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange.

5) 19 companies in 4 days, increased holdings and repurchase of central state-owned enterprises listed companies expanded again, conveying development confidence with real money. Kweichow Moutai: Net profit in the third quarter increased by 15.68% year-on-year.

1) China added four new villages to the UNWTO's "Best Tourism Villages": Huangling Village in Jiangxi, Xiajiang Village in Zhejiang, Zagana Village in Gansu, and Zhujiawan Village in Shaanxi.

2) The Central Propaganda Department awarded the title of "Role Model of the Times" to representatives of the Chinese medical teams assisting foreign countries.

3) After 163 years, the five bronze animal heads were reunited at the Old Summer Palace for the first time.

1) Beijing Public Transport Group refutes rumors of "driver wearing earphones while driving": The video circulating online was fabricated by an individual account.

2) After 26 months, the left-line of the Jianning West Road super-large diameter Changjiang River crossing shield tunnel in Nanjing has been completed.

4) A factory building collapsed in Ordos, Inner Mongolia, resulting in 3 deaths and 8 injuries. Qingdao Brewery was exposed for workers urinating in the raw material warehouse, and the regulatory authorities have intervened in the investigation. Qingdao Brewery: The public security authorities have intervened in the investigation, and all the affected malt has been sealed.

5) At 5:04 am on October 20, a 3.1-magnitude earthquake occurred in Yongde County, Lincang City, Yunnan Province.

6) There will be relatively strong wind and rain weather in southern South China. From 8 pm on October 20 to 8 pm on October 21, light snow or snow mixed with rain is expected in parts of northeastern Inner Mongolia, northwestern Heilongjiang, eastern Jilin, the Ili River Valley in Xinjiang, eastern and northern Tibet, southern Qinghai, and the western Sichuan Plateau.