November 24, 2023 (Friday) Three-Minute News Breakfast

1) On November 23, Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the second Global Digital Trade Expo. On the morning of November 23, Premier Li Qiang met with Uruguayan President Lacalle Pou at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing during his state visit to China.

3) National Influenza Center: The positive detection rate of influenza viruses in southern and northern provinces continued to rise last week. Children's hospitals are overcrowded. The National Health Commission: Implement tiered diagnosis and treatment to facilitate convenient access to medical care.

4) Ministry of Water Resources: Over 290 billion cubic meters of water was supplied for irrigation in the first 10 months. Over 8 billion cubic meters of water has been diverted through the Shandong section of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, benefiting more than 40 million people in Shandong Province.

5) The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs issued a variety approval announcement, approving 1304 new varieties of rice, corn, soybeans, and cotton. China successfully launched a satellite internet technology test satellite.

6) China's express delivery volume has ranked first in the world for nine consecutive years. China's highway mileage remains the world's largest.

7) [Rule of Law] Ministry of Justice: A number of foreign-related legislative projects, including the Anti-Money Laundering Law, are being actively promoted. A YTO Express vice president is suspected of insider trading using a relative's account and has been investigated. Chongqing and Guizhou police jointly cracked a major case of counterfeit currency, seizing more than 2.1 million yuan in counterfeit money.

8) [Military] The Southern Theater Command responded to the US-Philippines joint patrol in the South China Sea: The Philippines is colluding with external forces to patrol and stir up trouble in the South China Sea. The theater command troops remain highly vigilant and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, security, and maritime rights and interests.

9) [Hong Kong and Macau] The Hong Kong section of the high-speed rail has accumulated more than 17 million passenger trips since 2023, exceeding the total for the whole of 2019. Hong Kong police debunked rumors of recruiting retired military personnel as auxiliary police: It is fake news. Li Wei Nong, Secretary for Economy and Finance of the Macao SAR Government: Macao will focus on developing its tourism economy.

10) [Taiwan] Jiang Erxiong, a native of Changhua, Taiwan, has taken up his new post as Vice Governor of Fujian Province. 29 people were sentenced in a Taiwanese fraud and prisoner abuse case that resulted in a death, with the two main suspects receiving life sentences. Taiwan's unemployment rate in October was 3.43%, and the number of manufacturing jobs decreased year-on-year.

1) Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to Argentina's president-elect Milei. Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to Boakai on his election as President of Liberia. Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with a delegation from Japan's Komeito Party. China responded to the case of South Korean player Sun Junhao: Sun Junhao was arrested on suspicion of bribery as a non-state official.

2) An Israeli representative at the UN Security Council strongly criticized the UN Women's agency as "shameless." Ambassador Zhang Jun reminded: Please maintain a minimum level of respect.

China calls on the international community to increase efforts to promote the political prospects of reviving the "two-state solution." China supports the International Atomic Energy Agency in serving global sustainable development and benefiting developing countries. Chinese representative: The Middle East region should not be threatened by nuclear weapons. The Paris Olympics torch lighting ceremony will be held in Athens in April 2024.

3) A US airstrike on a militia group in Iraq killed 8 and injured 4. A vehicle explosion at a US-Canada border crossing killed 2 and injured 1.

4) Putin, speaking at the G20 leaders' video summit, said: Global economic pressure is caused by Western economic policies, not Russia's military actions in Ukraine.

5) Israel said its military operations in the Gaza Strip will continue. Syrian military: Israeli airstrikes on areas around the Syrian capital.

6) North Korean Ministry of National Defense: Immediately resume all military measures suspended under the Military Agreement on the Implementation of the Panmunjom Declaration.

7) The UK government's autumn budget plans tax cuts to stimulate economic growth. Argentina's new president suggested that the UK return the Falkland Islands in the same way that Hong Kong returned to China. The UK responded: Sovereignty is non-negotiable.

1) On November 23, Vice President Han Zheng attended the opening ceremony of the second Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, read President Xi Jinping's congratulatory letter, and delivered a speech.

2) Ministry of Commerce: China's total retail sales of consumer goods have rebounded for three consecutive months, totaling 38.54 trillion yuan in the first 10 months, up 6.9% year-on-year; it is expected that the consumer market will continue to show steady recovery this year.

3) On November 23, the central bank conducted 519 billion yuan of reverse repurchase operations, with a winning bid rate of 1.80% and a term of 7 days. The central bank and four other departments: Allocate more financial resources to promote technological innovation.

4) The CSRC performed the registration procedures for five corporate bond projects, including China Power Construction. China Electronics Technology Group Corporation and Huarong Group implemented restructuring. The Central Committee of the Communist Youth League and 15 other departments launched a special campaign called "Rights and Interests Post in Action: Say No to Telecom Network Fraud."

5) The National Social Security Fund Yangtze River Delta Science and Technology Innovation Equity Investment Fund was established in Shanghai.

6) More than 3,000 "high-end and sophisticated" achievements were showcased at the 11th China (Mianyang) Science City International Science and Technology Expo. Nature supplement: "2023 Nature Index - Research Cities" released, Beijing remains the world's top research city.

1) The global launch ceremony of "Selected Quotations on Xi Jinping's Thought on Respecting and Protecting Human Rights" (with Spanish translation) was held in Madrid, Spain.

2) National Cultural Relics Administration, Ministry of Finance: By 2025, a relatively complete and dynamically updated catalog of centrally-owned cultural relics will be formed.

3) The results of the 2023 election of foreign academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering were announced.

4) Mei Zhaorong, former Chinese ambassador to Germany, passed away. He served as a translator for Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Deng Xiaoping, and others.

5) Zhao Mengfu's "Thousand Character Essay in Regular and Cursive Script" appeared at the Poly Beijing 2023 "Autumn Treasures" Fine Art Exhibition.

1) Beijing added 38,000 primary and secondary school places in 2023. To cooperate with the construction of Metro Line 3, and in accordance with the relevant construction plan, Beijing Metro Line 2 Dongsi Shitiao Station will be closed from November 25. The number of pediatric outpatient and emergency visits in Tianjin has decreased for the past three days, and the demand for medical treatment is gradually easing.

2) Shanghai will further promote the convergence of international arbitration resources and enhance its cross-border service capabilities.

3) Guangzhou City has launched its first legislation targeting the renovation of urban villages, requiring "two-thirds" agreement before commencement. Guangzhou Women and Children's Center: Doctors will increase appointments by 5-10 per half-day, with 10-12 inpatient staff supporting outpatient services.

4) Qinghai: By 2030, it will complete the treatment of over 50 million mu of desertified land.

5) Two counties in Bazhong, Sichuan, have banned private smoking of cured meat and designated smoking points in response to air pollution.

6) The cold wave continues to affect the central and eastern regions. From 8 PM on November 23 to 8 PM on November 24, light snow or sleet is expected in parts of northeastern Inner Mongolia, southeastern Heilongjiang, eastern Jilin, northeastern Shandong, northern and northern Xinjiang, the Ili Valley, northern and central Tibet, etc. Moderate to heavy snow is expected in parts of northern Xinjiang and the Ili Valley.