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NANCHANG — Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Monday called for the stabilization of employment and price levels to keep the country’s economy running within an appropriate range.

Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks while presiding over a symposium on the economic situation in east China’s Jiangxi Province, which government officials from Jiangxi, Liaoning, Zhejiang, Guangdong and Sichuan provinces attended online or offline.

While highlighting the strong resilience of the Chinese economy, Li urged people to remain vigilant in the face of unexpected changes and mounting downward pressures both domestically and externally, and face up to new challenges.

The premier underscored the need to use this time to implement decisions and measures laid out during the Central Economic Work Conference in 2021 and in this year’s government work report.

Supportive policies such as tax refunds and cuts, financial support for the real economy, the issuance of special government bonds, and the construction of key projects should be accelerated to help market entities tide over difficulties, he said.

He urged solid efforts to boost spring farming, strive for a bumper grain harvest for the whole year, and consolidate the foundations of stable prices.

Efforts should be made to ensure stable supplies of electricity, coal and other energies, and maintain the orderly operations of key transport networks and ports so as to maintain the stability of industrial and supply chains, Li said.

The premier said that targeted supportive measures should be unveiled for sectors and firms facing difficulties — particularly medium, small and micro-sized enterprises, and individually owned businesses.

Li also stressed the importance of ensuring the supply of daily necessities for people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the need to work to meet the people’s medical treatment needs.

The nation is tightening up supervision on overtime work to protect workers’ rights to adequate rest and to create a more harmonious working environment.

The Beijing government released a notice last month saying that from March 15 to May 15, it will regulate illegal work-related behavior, such as requiring employees to work overtime. Provinces and regions, including Shandong, Anhui and Henan, have already launched similar campaigns.

According to the notice issued by Beijing’s bureau of human resources and social security, internet companies, those focused on research and development, and labor-intensive enterprises are the targets of this campaign.

The notice said a supervision team will check companies’ rules on regulating employee working times and rights to rest, as well as company records on negotiating extra work with employees and labor unions.

It said that payment for overtime work and financial compensation for not taking annual leave will be checked during the two-month campaign.

According to the notice, employers who are found to have taken part in illegal behavior related to labor laws will face administrative punishment. A hotline and online complaint channels have been opened to the public to help workers protect their rights.

Excessive overtime has become commonplace in many industries and companies in recent years, particularly those involved in technology, where the notorious “996”work schedule (9 am to 9 pm, six days a week) has been implemented.

In a recent report by Zhaopin, an online recruitment platform, over 50 percent of white-collar workers surveyed said that they follow a 996 work schedule, much higher than the 37.8 percent surveyed last year.

Also, about 42 percent of white-collar workers said that they voluntarily work overtime even though their companies claim not to implement a 996 work schedule anymore, according to the report. These respondents said that they wanted the government to ban such a schedule and improve complaint channels to protect their rights.

Yao Junchang, co-founder of the Beijing Weiheng Law Office, said that the labor law says the employer should make sure their employees have at least one day off work a week, and that total weekly working hours should not exceed 40 hours.

“If a company behaves illegally and lengthens workers’ working hours, the labor department can issue warnings and an order to rectify the situation within a certain time period,” he said. “Currently, the employer will be made to pay the aggrieved workers a penalty above 100 yuan ($15.70) but below 500 yuan per person.”

Yao said the current penalty isn’t punitive enough and is not an adequate deterrent.

“In my view, it’s better to impose a heavier punishment on employers who violate the law to provide a real deterrent. Then they will follow the regulations and treat their employees fairly and legally,” he added.

Since last year, the government has made efforts to better regulate overtime work. In August, the Supreme People’s Court and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security published several cases and determined that the 996 work schedule severely violates the labor law on lengthening people’s working hours.

The court warned employers about the illegal use of labor and reminded workers to use the law to protect their rights.

BEIJING, April 10 (Xinhua) — China has released a guideline on accelerating the establishment of a unified domestic market that is highly efficient, rules-based, fair for competition, and open.

China aims to promote the efficient circulation and expansion of the domestic market, foster a stable, fair, transparent, and predictable business environment, and reduce market transaction costs. It further aims to boost sci-tech innovation and industrial upgrade and cultivate new advantages for participating in international competition and cooperation, said the guideline, jointly issued by the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council.

Efforts will be made to improve a unified property rights protection system, implement a unified market access system, and optimize a unified social credit system.

The guideline underscored promoting the interconnectivity of market facilities, including building a modernized circulation network, improving the exchanging channels of market information, and upgrading the transaction platforms.

China will work to develop a unified domestic market of productivity factors and resources, including land, labor, capital, technology, data, energy, and the environment.

The guideline stressed the establishment of unified market regulatory rules and comprehensive improvement of the market regulatory capabilities. It called for strengthened anti-monopoly efforts and crackdown on practices of unfair competition. 

Recently, Anhui Provincial Development and Reform Commission and other 12 government departments jointly issued the Action Plan for Promoting the Steady Growth of Industrial Economy in Anhui Province. The plan proposes to accelerate the construction of Wuhu data center cluster, the national hub of the Yangtze River Delta of the national integrated computing power network, and support the development of large and mega data centers.

The plan makes it clear that the policy of delaying payment of certain taxes and fees for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in the manufacturing industry, which was implemented in the fourth quarter of 2021, will be extended for another six months according to the national policy of delaying payment of phased taxes and fees. We will implement preferential policies such as subsidies for the purchase of new energy vehicles, awards for charging facilities, and tax reduction and exemption for vehicles and vessels.

In addition, the policy of halving “six taxes and two fees” will be extended from small-scale VAT taxpayers to small, low-profit enterprises and individual businesses. Taxpayers who have difficulty in paying real estate tax and urban land use tax can apply for tax reduction or exemption.

The national policy of periodically lowering premiums for unemployment insurance and work-related injury insurance will be implemented, and the refunding standards for small, medium and micro enterprises that maintain stable employment will be raised to up to 90 percent from the current 60 percent, according to the plan.

The plan also calls for accelerating the construction of major new infrastructure projects, guiding China Telecom operators to speed up 5G construction, promoting the integrated application of 5G technology, and building more than 25,000 5G base stations by 2022.

Meanwhile, we will accelerate the implementation of the BDS comprehensive application demonstration project in Anhui Province, actively strive for the major national BDS industrialization project, and promote the large-scale application of the BDS.

To accelerate the construction of Wuhu data center cluster, the national hub of the Yangtze River Delta of the national integrated computing power network, and support the development of large and mega data centers, we will establish and improve the operating mechanism of cluster start-up areas and start the construction of start-up areas, actively strive for demonstration projects and bring a number of key construction projects to implementation, and issue specific policies for the construction and development of computing power network nodes.

Translated by Wang Mengxiao from Foreign Affairs Office of Wuhu Municipal People’s Government

According to the Municipal Development and Reform Commission, in 2021, the output value of strategic emerging industries in Wuhu increased by 36.4% year on year, 7.6 percentage points higher than that of the whole province, accounting for 38.1% of industries above designated scale. Among them, the annual output value growth rate of new energy vehicles, new information technology, high-end equipment manufacturing, new materials and other new industries exceeded 30% year on year.

Industrial development entered a new era. We vigorously promoted the development of ten emerging industries, including aerospace (low-altitude economy), new-energy vehicles and smart connected vehicles, smart home appliances, digital creativity, health and green food, new materials, artificial intelligence, new information technology, new energy, energy conservation and environmental protection, and high-end equipment manufacturing. We spared no efforts to achieve the goal of “3355” development, including intelligent and connected automobile industry cluster, intelligent equipment manufacturing industry cluster, advantageous traditional industry cluster and online economic industry cluster.

Industrial factors made steady progress. There were 643 newly signed investment attraction projects of more than RMB 100 million, an increase of 56 percent, including 10 projects of more than RMB 5 billion. 586 projects worth more than 100 million yuan were started, up 37 percent; 8 provincial engineering research centers, 3 provincial industrial innovation centers and 13 municipal key R&D innovation platforms have been newly identified. Cooperation with universities, institutes and industry associations such as Nankai University and SEMI China has been deepened to enhance industrial innovation capacity. The development of digital economy industry has been vigorously promoted, and the realization of digital industrialization, industrial digitalization and governance digitalization has been accelerated.

Implement of industrial policies took concrete steps. We set up a promotion group for ten emerging industries, undertook a new round of national innovation and reform tasks, promoted the integration of science and education in new types of R&D institutions, and trained high-quality industrial innovators. We comprehensively deepened institutional reform and promoted the concentration of resource factors in high-quality and efficient fields.

Translated by Yuan Mengwen from Foreign Affairs Office of Wuhu Municipal People’s Government

On the evening of March 28, Liu Hui, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Provincial Committee and Executive Vice Governor of Anhui Province came to Wuhu and presided over a video conference on epidemic prevention and control. Tao Yisheng, director of Provincial Health Commission, Shan Xiangqian, Secretary of municipal Party Committee, Ningbo, Deputy Secretary of Municipal Party Committee and Mayor , He Dong, Xiang Jihui and Wang Zhipeng attended the meeting.

After listening to the report of Fanchang District and the whole city on epidemic prevention and control work, combined with opinions of disease control experts, Liu hui pointed out that the current epidemic prevention and control situation is severe. We must give top priority to safety and health of the people, make strict arrangements, combine regular prevention and control with local emergency response, improve our capacity of scientific and targeted prevention and control, and do our utmost to minimize the impact of the epidemic on economic and social development.

Liu stressed the need to quickly activate the response mechanism, fully implement the “four early requirements”, and consolidate the responsibilities of the “four parties“. We need to speed up the tracing of the epidemic, comprehensively screen key groups, strictly implement control measures and seize priorities in epidemic prevention and control. We should focus on key areas and key links in detail, optimize the procedures for collecting, sending, testing and reporting nucleic acid tests, and accurately implement isolation and transportation, hospital-sensitive protection, and classified treatment. We should ensure an efficient command system, timely reporting of information, adequate supplies and timely response to people’s concerns. We will continue to work tirelessly to prevent imports from outside and rebound at home, strictly implement the “double screening and double testing” and “7-day quarantine + 7-day health monitoring at home” policies, and carry out high-quality and efficient nucleic acid testing. We should care for cadres and the masses, arrange work and rest in a scientific and rational way, and effectively protect the health and safety of front-line personnel.

Translated by Yuan Mengwen from Foreign Affairs Office of Wuhu Municipal People’s Government

On March 18-19, Jiang Xi, Party Secretary of the Provincial Science and Technology Department, led a delegation to Wuhu to carry out the service activities of “Contributing to Scientific and Technological Innovation and Doing Practical Things for Scientific and Technological Personnel” and held a seminar. Xiang Jihui, the municipal official, and Wang Zhipeng, the secretary general of the municipal government, accompanied the visit and attended the seminar respectively.

In Fanchang District and Wanzhi District of our city, Jiang Xi and his delegation visited and inspected the representative enterprises in 3D printing and aviation industry, carefully learned about the R&D innovation, production and operation of enterprises, and carried out the publicity and interpretation of policies targeting scientific and technological innovation.

At the seminar, Jiang Xi gave on-site replies or made records to the demands and suggestions put forward by enterprise representatives, such as recruiting high-level talents, supporting small and medium-sized scientific and technological enterprises, forming innovative groups and business incubation, providing R&D subsidies and project declaration guidance.

Jiang Xi pointed out that the Provincial Science and Technology Department will actively help enterprises to better understand the preferential policies related to R&D investment, technical research, achievement transformation, platform construction, talents recruitment and cultivation, etc., supporting enterprises with concrete actions.

Translated by Wang Mengxiao from Foreign Affairs Office of Wuhu Municipal People’s Government

Paul Kim, deputy chief of Hong Leng Huor Transportation, dubbed the RCEP “a huge New Year gift for businesses and peoples in the region and the world at large,” saying that the agreement will “serve as a driving force for regional and global economic recovery in the post-COVID-19 pandemic.”

PHNOM PENH, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) — The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) free trade agreement, which entered into force on Jan. 1, is a huge New Year gift for the regional and global economy, business people in Cambodia said.

The RCEP is a mega trade agreement signed by 10 ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) member states Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, and its five free trade agreements partners, namely China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

Paul Kim, deputy chief of Hong Leng Huor Transportation, said the RCEP would eventually eliminate up to 90 percent of regional trade tariff and non-tariff barriers, which will further promote the flows of goods and services, deepen regional economic integration and increase regional competitiveness.

“With preferential tariff rates under the RCEP, I believe that people in the member countries will enjoy buying products and other necessities at a competitive price during the Spring Festival season this year,” Paul said.

He dubbed the RCEP “a huge New Year gift for businesses and peoples in the region and the world at large,” saying that the agreement will “serve as a driving force for regional and global economic recovery in the post-COVID-19 pandemic.”

Collectively covering about one-third of the world’s population with 30 percent of the global gross domestic product, the RCEP will increase the member economies’ incomes by 0.6 percent by 2030, adding 245 billion U.S. dollars annually to regional income and 2.8 million jobs to regional employment, according to an Asian Development Bank’s study.

Focused on trade in goods and services, investment, intellectual property, e-commerce, competition and dispute settlement, Paul said the deal offers opportunities for regional countries to defend multilateralism, trade liberalization and promote economic cooperation.

Hong Leng Huor Transportation specializes in various services ranging from freight forwarding, dry port operations, customs clearance, road transportation, warehousing and distribution to e-commerce and last-mile delivery.

“RCEP will facilitate logistics, distribution and supply chain resilience as it simplifies customs processes, shipment clearances and other provisions,” he said. “Despite the pandemic, trade has remained surprisingly strong during the past two years, and we’re excited to witness how RCEP would further facilitate trade and, thus, regional economic growth, in the years to come.”

He is confident that the RCEP will further boost cross-border trade and investment among the member countries in the long run.

“For Cambodia, with tariff concessions, the deal will definitely further boost goods traded between Cambodia and other RCEP member states, especially with China,” he said.

Ly Eng, an assistant to the general manager of Hualong Investment Group (Cambodia) Co., Ltd, said her company had recently imported mandarin oranges to Cambodia from South China’s Guangdong province for the first time under the RCEP.

She hopes that Cambodian consumers will have more options in buying vegetables and fruits with products from China such as mandarin oranges, apples and crown pears.

“It will make China and other RCEP member countries easy to exchange goods faster,” Ly Eng said, adding that the prices would also be lower.

“We also hope that more and more Cambodian tropical fruits and other potential agricultural products will be exported to the Chinese market in the future,” she said.

Ny Ratana, a 28-year-old vendor of Lunar New Year decorations at the Chbar Ampov Market in Phnom Penh, said 2022 is a special year for Cambodia and other 14 Asia-Pacific countries now that the RCEP took effect.

“I’m confident that this agreement will boost trade and investment and create new jobs as well as benefit consumers in all 15 participating countries due to preferential tariff rates,” he told Xinhua.

“It will definitely facilitate regional economic integration, enhance regional trade flows and bring about economic prosperity for the region and the world,” he added.

On March 18th, an online signing of key projects in the first quarter of 2022 was held in Wanzhi District, Wuhu City, with 18 projects reaching a total investment of 27 billion yuan.

It is learned that the projects involve aviation industry, electronics and electrical appliances, digital economy, modern services, rural revitalization and other sectors, and the momentum of attracting major projects and reinforcing weak links in the industrial chains is strong. The Industrial Park Project aiming at developing quartz fiber high-tech products invested by Anhui Yaoshi New Materials Technology Co., Ltd. has achieved a new breakthrough in investment promotion for aviation industry projects in Wuhu. The Feilong Intelligent Household Appliances Industrial Base Project invested by Ningbo Feilong Household Appliances Group and the Meigao Intelligent Circuit Breaker and Industrial Electrical Control Project invested by Hangzhou Meigao Intelligent Electric Co., Ltd. generate a cohesive force between the industrial chain and innovation chain in the district.

Since the beginning of this year, despite of the COVID-19 pandemic, Wanzhi District has taken an active part in the higher-quality integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta region. By exploring fund investment, strengthening industrial chain investment, practising online negotiation and signing, providing services offline, and improving the business environment, the district has made great achievements in talents recruitment and investment attraction. The signing of 18 key projects is of great significance to speed up the agglomeration of characteristic industries and improve the modern industrial system in our city, providing inexhaustible impetus for Wanzhi District to build a high-quality development model area in Anhui Province.

Translated by Wang Mengxiao from Foreign Affairs Office of Wuhu Municipal People’s Government

Recently, Chery Holding Group released sales in February: 60,419 vehicles were sold in February, up 26.4 percent year on year. Among them, 19,997 were exported, up 9.3 percent year on year and 10,702 new energy vehicles were sold, up 446.9 percent year on year. From January to February, Chery Group achieved cumulative sales of 147,459 vehicles, up 17.3 percent year-on-year. The layout of Chery Group has been accelerated, and the “dual market” pattern at home and abroad has become more stable, maintaining the vigorous momentum of the “Year of the Tiger”.

According to reports, under the huge impact of chip supply shortage, brands of Chery Group still achieved rapid sales growth through the launch of new products, new technologies and the creation of user value in various ways. New energy, as one of the new circuits that Chery Group focuses on developing, has ushered in “accelerating sales” with the help of “Technology Chery”. Chery Group sold 31,337 new energy vehicles from January to February, an increase of 2.3 times. Among them, new energy passenger cars, driven by star models such as Little Ant and QQ Ice Cream, sold 29,663 units in the first two months of 2022, meeting its increase of 250.8 percent year on year. On February 26, Anhui New Energy Vehicle and Intelligent Connected Vehicle Industry Research Institute led by Chery Group was officially inaugurated. Focusing on revolutionary and original technological breakthroughs, the Research Institute plans to build a series of special original laboratories to create Chery’s “Bell Lab” and promote its business to fully shift to the “new four modernizations”.

In the overseas market, as Chery Group exported 46,897 vehicles from January to February, a rise of 33.9 percent year on year, overseas users of Chery have reached 2 million. Up to now, Chery has established six research and development bases, 10 overseas factories, more than 1,500 dealers and service outlets around the world, with a total overseas production capacity of 200,000 units per year. It has ranked the first in the export of Chinese brand passenger vehicles for 19 consecutive years. In February, Chery’s OMODA 5, a “global car” developed with “user thinking and Internet thinking”, was completed in Wuhu factory and plans to debut in overseas markets in the first half of this year.

Translated by Yuan Mengwen from Foreign Affairs Office of Wuhu Municipal People’s Government