China's GDP grew 4.9% year-on-year in the third quarter, resuming economic growth path with 0.7% in 2020 (US $11.8 trillion)
Increases in retail sales (3.3%), exports (10.2%) and fixed-asset investment (0.8%) in September strengthen Chinese recovery, but job market still poses challenges
Global Times, 19.10.2020
Despite decoupling threats, foreign direct investment in China grew 25.1% year-on-year in September with a 5.2% growth in 2020 (US $107.2 billion)
Chinese outbound direct investment fell 0.6% (January-September), but increased 29.7% in Belt and Road countries (US $13 billion)
China Daily, 17.10.2020
South China Morning Post, 16.10.2020
Disposable per capita income of Chinese people between January-September was US $3,549, with an actual year-on-year high of 0.6%
Urban income reached US $4,909, down 0.3%, while rural income was US $1,839 and up 1.6%, both in real terms
National Bureau of Statistics, 20.10.2020
China Daily, 19.10.2020
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Agriculture and Environment
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Clean energy made up 21.8% of total energy consumption in 2019, an increase of 8.6 percentage points since 2012
Natural gas and biofuels are replacing coal in heating homes and solar energy already benefits 4.15 million rural households, improving air quality and generating 1.25 million jobs
China Daily, 20.10.2020
China develops saline-alkali soil recovery techniques and achieve high productivity in rice cultivation in the Northeastern province of Jilin
Region's 4.4 million hectares of unproductive soil can be turned into arable land and expand agricultural production; treated soils have produced about 10 tons/hectare
China.org.cn, 13.10.2020
China’s top pork producers will invest US $7.59 billion to double output (12% global market share) and stabilize supply with government assistance
Reduced taxes and land acquisition costs as well as improved access to bank loan subsidies for small farmers (99% have <500 pigs) will help production recovery after 2019 swine flu
Nikkei Asia, 17.10.2020
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People's Life and Culture
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In world's largest language preservation project, China collected ten million entries for 123 Chinese dialects and minority languages (2015-2019)
During opening-up period and resulting migration, standardized Mandarin was promoted as the common language for national unity and economic integration – now spoken by 73% of mainland Chinese, 90% in big cities
China Daily, 10.20.2020
News China, 01.10.2020
160 years ago, the English and French destroyed and plundered the Old Summer Palace in Beijing during the Second Opium War (1856-60)
Tens of thousands of people visited the Palace ruins last weekend to remember the event symbolic of China's "one hundred years of humiliation" by colonial powers
Global Times, 18.10.2020
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Ruins of the Old Summer Palace in Beijing [VCG Photo via CGTN]
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