Three-minute news breakfast on Tuesday, April 22, 2025

1) Xi Jinping sent congratulatory messages to Guillermo Lasso on his re-election as President of Ecuador and to Ali Bongo Ondimba on his election as President of Gabon.

2) The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council issued "Opinions on Implementing the Upgraded Strategy for Pilot Free Trade Zones." The People's Bank of China, the National Financial Regulatory Administration, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, and the Shanghai Municipal Government jointly issued the "Action Plan to Further Enhance the Convenience of Cross-border Financial Services in the Shanghai International Financial Center."

3) The State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council: Promote central enterprises to strengthen fund coordination and ensure timely payment. The National Energy Administration launched a special action for the upgrading of a new generation of coal-fired power plants.

4) National Health Commission: Unwaveringly and orderly promote the expansion of opening up in the medical field. National Healthcare Security Administration: Carry out pilot work on uploading medical insurance image cloud indexes. The State Drug Administration and the General Administration of Customs issued a document allowing the import of ox bile for pilot use in the production of traditional Chinese medicine.

5) The pilot program for expanding the opening up of the service industry has been expanded, with Hefei, Changsha and 9 other cities joining.

6) China's first forestry and grassland industry large model—the Linlong large model—has been launched.

7) [Rule of Law] Public security organs announced 10 cases of online rumors involving risks and other fields. Supreme People's Court: In 2024, the courts across the country newly accepted nearly 530,000 intellectual property cases. Jin Hao, deputy secretary of the Nanyang Municipal Party Committee and secretary of the Political and Legal Committee in Henan Province, fell from power shortly after the central inspection team moved in. Li Jiping, former vice president of the State Development Bank, was sentenced to 14 years in prison in the first instance for bribery.

Wang Shuiping, director of the Education, Science, Culture and Health Committee of the Jiangxi Provincial People's Congress, is suspected of serious disciplinary violations and law-breaking, and has taken the initiative to report the issue to the organization and is currently under investigation.

8) [Military] On April 21, China and Indonesia held the first ministerial-level meeting of the "2+2" dialogue mechanism between foreign and defense ministers. China's response to the US-Philippines military exercise: The Philippines, in collusion with extra-regional countries, has conducted large-scale military exercises, which has been strongly opposed by countries in the region. Relevant parties are advised not to provoke on the Taiwan issue. The Weifang Maritime Safety Administration issued a navigation warning: From April 21 to 27, military tasks will be carried out in some waters of Weifang Port in the Bohai Sea from 9:00 to 18:00 every day, and entry is prohibited. The Southern Theater Command drove away a Philippine vessel that illegally entered Huangyan Island, and Chinese experts criticized the deployment of anti-ship missile systems by the US in the Philippines. China and Vietnam conducted the first joint patrol in Beibu Gulf in 2025.

9) [Hong Kong and Macao] Countermeasures! China decided to impose sanctions on US congressmen and others who have behaved badly on Hong Kong-related issues.

10) [Taiwan] Taiwan has extended the short-selling restrictions on the stock market again and will continue to monitor changes in the international financial situation.

1) Han Zheng met with Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.

The Ministry of Commerce responded to the US coercion of other countries to restrict trade with China: Once international trade returns to the "law of the jungle" of the survival of the fittest, all countries will become victims. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will visit China from April 22 to 24.

2) Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Ma Zhaoxu attended the 81st annual meeting of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. From April 23 to 25, the third UNESCO International Museum High-level Forum will be held in Liangzhu, Yuhang, Hangzhou.

3) The United States exposed two leaks on the same day: The US Secretary of Defense shared operational plans with his family in a group chat, and the White House floor plan was "shared." A draft of the US State Department's restructuring was exposed, and it may focus on "mining" in Africa. The 30-hour ceasefire ended, Russia and Ukraine accused each other of breach of contract, and Trump called: Don't fight, let's talk business first. On Monday morning, the US dollar index fell below the 99 mark, reaching a low of 98.63, the lowest since April 2022. Many parts of the United States are threatened by severe weather, and two people died in Oklahoma due to floods. NASA's Lucy spacecraft flew past an asteroid again and has sent back messages. A famous American internet celebrity with hyperthyroidism wants to book a ticket back to China: I've started to miss China!

4) German business community calls on the government to maintain good relations with China: We can't do without Beijing. British media: Britain will significantly increase its ammunition production capacity to reduce its dependence on the United States.

5) Zelensky proposed a 30-day ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia on civilian infrastructure. On April 21, the second public trial of President Yoon Suk-yeol's internal turmoil case was held, and the scene of Yoon Suk-yeol's trial was made public for the first time.

Latest South Korean poll: Lee Jae-myung continues to lead, acting president Han Deok-soo's support rate rises.

6) Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru offered offerings to the Yasukuni Shrine on April 21. Japanese Prime Minister: Security issues should not be linked to tariff negotiations. Japan has cultivated human liver cell organoids with metabolic functions.

7) Venezuela demands the immediate release of Venezuelan citizens expelled by the US and detained in El Salvador.

8) Pope Francis passed away at the age of 88. He met with US Vice President Kamala Harris the day before his death.

2) In the first three months, the added value of China's wholesale and retail industries reached 3.3 trillion yuan, an increase of 5.8% year-on-year.

3) On April 21, the central bank conducted 1760 billion yuan of reverse repurchase operations through fixed-rate and quantity bidding. The loan prime rate for the new period remained unchanged. The central bank is studying and formulating financial standards for the transformation of seven industries, including shipping and chemicals. The scale of ETFs has reached a new level of 4 trillion yuan, and the number of products has exceeded 1100.

4) The new national standard for electric bicycles will be implemented on September 1, and the first batch of six testing institutions have been released. The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers issued an initiative to regulate the publicity and application of driver assistance: Eliminate false publicity and excessive marketing, and promptly clarify and rectify any false information that has been released. CATL launched the second-generation Shenxing super-charging battery: 5 minutes of charging provides a range of over 520 kilometers.

5) Shanghai Gold Exchange issued a risk warning for the third time in April: The price of precious metals fluctuated sharply, and investors should be prepared for risks. On April 21, spot gold reached US$3400 per ounce for the first time in history, rising by more than US$70 intraday, and accumulating an increase of more than 29% so far in 2025.

6) JD.com: Prioritize work arrangements for all riders, and orders exceeding 20 minutes will be free.

7) Yesterday's closing price:

Shanghai Composite Index 3291.43/+0.45%

Shenzhen Component Index 9905.53/+1.27%

ChiNext 1944.32/+1.59%

Hang Seng Index 21395.14/+1.61%