Three-minute news breakfast on Saturday, December 23, 2023

1) The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China Political Bureau held a special democratic life meeting, chaired by Xi Jinping, who delivered an important speech. Premier Li Qiang will attend the fourth Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Leaders' Meeting via video link on December 25th.

2) The search and rescue operation for the Jishi Mountain earthquake in Gansu has ended, with no missing persons reported at the scene. The earthquake has resulted in 148 deaths. Gansu Province has allocated 140 million yuan in agricultural earthquake relief funds. 18,259 disaster-stricken people have been resettled in the earthquake-stricken area of Qinghai, and 59,400 sets of various disaster relief materials have been distributed.

3) The State Council Tariff Commission of China announced the thirteenth postponement of the exclusion list for goods subject to additional tariffs on the United States.

4) Ministry of Industry and Information Technology: It is expected that the industrial added value will increase by more than 4.3% year-on-year.

5) The number of newly diagnosed occupational diseases nationwide has decreased by 40% in three years.

6) Dongcheng District of Beijing and Ningbo City of Zhejiang Province have been designated as the first batch of national demonstration zones for cultural and financial cooperation.

7) [Rule of Law] The Ministry of Public Security's special campaign to rectify online rumors has investigated and dealt with more than 6,300 people who created and spread rumors, and shut down 34,000 accounts; it has severely cracked down on the irregularities such as rumor-mongering by internet celebrities and big Vs. The draft revision of the Rural Collective Economic Organization Law adds provisions to prevent the rights and interests of women who marry out of their villages from being neglected. The revision of the Charity Law proposes to make targeted provisions for personal online crowdfunding. Liu Hongwu, former vice chairman of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region People's Government, was sentenced to fifteen years in prison in the first instance for bribery. Tian Minghai, former deputy director of the Beijing Municipal National Defense Mobilization Office, is under investigation.

8) [Military] On December 21, Chief of the Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission Liu Zhenli held a video call with Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley at the latter's request. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs: It is hoped that the US side will implement the important consensus with China on resuming military communication and exchanges.

9) [Hong Kong and Macao] John Lee: The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government will lead all sectors of society to seize the new opportunities brought about by the development of Qianhai and Hengqin. Hong Kong will launch a pilot program for "bank interbank account data sharing." Hong Kong's total R&D expenditure in 2022 increased by 8%. Ho Iat Seng: The "Hengqin Plan" will inject strong impetus into Macao's long-term development.

10) [Taiwan] Taiwan Affairs Office: The General Administration of Customs has decided to resume the import of grouper from Taiwan starting December 22; it is willing to work together with relevant parties on the island to continue providing assistance in restoring the import of Taiwan's agricultural and fishery products to the mainland. Hung Hsiu-chu: The "Taiwan independence" curriculum is tantamount to cutting off one's own lifeline, making children unaware of their origins.

1) The China National Space Administration responded to the US ambassador to China's statement that "China does not intend to cooperate with the US on lunar exploration": China has never had any document, regulation, or clause restricting cooperation between China and the US. The US Department of Commerce will review China's traditional semiconductor supply chain, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded: Artificial intervention will weaponize trade issues, violating the principles of market economy and fair competition. China announced the revision of the "Catalogue of Technologies Prohibited or Restricted from Export," including rare earth technologies, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded: This revision is a specific measure and routine adjustment for China to adapt to changes in the technological development situation and improve its technology trade management.

2) Due to US opposition, the UN Security Council postponed for the fourth time a vote on a draft resolution on humanitarian aid to Gaza.

3) US and Ukrainian defense ministers spoke by phone to discuss the latest situation in Ukraine. US media drove 2,000 kilometers to experience China's electric vehicle revolution: The oil age is ending.

4) Russia protested against the Japan-US-Australia military exercises on Hokkaido Island. Rare! On December 21, local time, a Russian drone broke through Kyiv's air defense system. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán: Providing Ukraine with 50 billion euros is a bad decision.

5) The Israeli army said that since the end of the temporary ceasefire from the Gaza Strip, at least 2,000 Hamas militants have been killed. A week-long ceasefire in exchange for hostages? Hamas rejected Israel's conditions: It will not discuss prisoner exchanges until "a complete end to the aggression".

6) The South Korean Supreme Court ruled that Japanese companies should pay compensation of 100 million to 150 million won to each of the 11 South Korean forced laborers during World War II, prompting protests from Japan.

A bus accident in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, resulted in one death and 17 injuries.

7) Argentina's new ambassador to China was swiftly appointed, less than 15 days after Javier Milei became president.

8) On December 21, local time, a shooting occurred at Charles University in Prague, resulting in at least 15 deaths and 24 injuries. The suspect is dead.

Czech police: The shooter killed his father before the shooting. The Czech government declared December 23 a national day of mourning.

9) An oil depot explosion in the Guinean capital has raised the death toll to 23, and the country is observing three days of national mourning.

1) Central Bank: Promote the early promulgation and implementation of the Financial Stability Law and improve the long-term mechanism for maintaining financial stability.

2) Ministry of Finance: In 2024, we will strengthen the counter-cyclical and cross-cyclical adjustment of macroeconomic policies, moderately increase efforts, and improve quality and efficiency.

3) The China Securities Regulatory Commission revised and issued two rules on financial information disclosure.

4) On December 22, Tesla completed land acquisition and signing in Shanghai, announcing the official launch of the Tesla energy storage super factory project.

5) China Aoyuan filed for bankruptcy protection in New York, USA, and the offshore debt restructuring plan has been approved by creditors.

1) Ministry of Education: Integrate patriotic education into all courses, various disciplines, and textbooks.

2) The 2024 national postgraduate entrance examination will be held from December 23 to 25. The Ministry of Education reminds postgraduate candidates: Know the law, abide by the law, and take the exam with integrity.

3) The State Administration of Press and Publication is soliciting opinions: Online games shall not set up inducing rewards such as daily login, first-time recharge, and continuous recharge. Affected by this, Tencent's Hong Kong stock closed down 12%, and its market value fell by one JD.com. The State Administration of Press and Publication announced a new batch of imported game versions, with 40 new games approved.

4) Li Luming appointed as Tsinghua University president. Peking University will optimize its admission services: increasing appointment quotas and extending visiting hours. Peking University mathematics prodigy Liu Zhiyu announced his marriage recently after returning home for the 2022 Spring Festival.

5) Shandong men's basketball team's home court was too cold, receiving a warning from the CBA. Forbes released the top 20 highest-earning female athletes in 2023, with Gu Ailing ranking second.

1) With the arrival of the Winter Solstice, the "Zhengda Guangming" plaque in the Qianqing Palace of the Forbidden City in Beijing was lit, attracting numerous tourists.

Beijing Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development: The main body for the supervision of pre-sale funds for commercial housing will be adjusted from commercial banks to the government. Beijing police returned 300 million yuan of defrauded funds in 2023, reminding the public to guard against telecom network fraud.

2) Shanghai Public Security Economic Investigation Department has cumulatively cracked down on more than 4,000 economic crime cases, recovering more than 9.12 billion yuan in economic losses. The annual public charging volume of electric vehicles in Shanghai exceeded 100 million kilowatt-hours for the first time. Online rumors about Shanghai issuing a local elderly bus card? Shanghai Transportation Card Company refutes the rumors.

3) Due to wharf enclosure construction, three water bus routes in Guangzhou will be suspended from January 6.

4) More than 4,900 high school students in Jishi Mountain County have resumed online classes.

5) Shandong's snow depth of 74 centimeters sets a new national record.

Yantai becomes a "snow nest," only the giraffe's head showing in the zoo? The park clarifies: They have already taken shelter in the heated room. The Yellow River downstream Shandong section experiences its first freeze of the winter.

6) Temperatures remain low in most of central and eastern China. From 8 PM on December 22 to 8 PM on December 23, light snow or snow mixed with rain occurred in parts of southwestern Inner Mongolia, southern Liaodong Peninsula, western Tibet, northern Qinghai, central Gansu, central and western Ningxia, northern Shanxi, and eastern Sichuan-Tibet Plateau.