2024 starts with positive signals in stable economic growth

Editor's Note: China's economy starts with positive signals in stable growth in 2024 as more companies resume work and production, and more places welcome peak time for returning to work across the country after the Spring Festival holiday.

China's light industry achieved a profit of 1.4 trillion yuan in 2023

A staff member makes garment embroidery products at a knitting company in Qingdao, East China's Shandong province, Feb 18, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

China's light industry production continued to rebound with a steadily recovered market and fast growth of new driving force industries in 2023.

The operating revenue of China's light industry reached 22.2 trillion yuan ($3.08 trillion) and the profit witnessed a year-on-year growth of 3.8 percent hitting 1.4 trillion yuan in 2023, according to China National Light Industry Council.

The rapid growing green and intelligent manufacturing light industry, represented by solar cells and household appliances, has become a new driving force to promote the high-quality development of light industry.

Battery manufacturing operating revenue increased 11.8 percent, with profit increasing by 12.4 percent in 2023.

The operating revenue and profit of home appliance manufacturing increased 7.0 percent and 12.2 percent, respectively, last year.

In 2023, the light industry accounted for 13.2 percent of the national industrial assets, achieving 16.7 percent of the national industrial operating revenue and 18.1 percent of the profits, strongly supporting the stable development of the industrial economy.

China has made solid progress in consolidating and expanding its poverty alleviation efforts

In terms of promoting employment, the number of migrant workers employed has stabilized to more than 30 million per year in the past three years, reaching 33.97 million in 2023.

The Long March-8 Y3 carrier rocket has arrived at the Wenchang Space Launch Site

The Long March-8 Y3 carrier rocket tasked with launching the Queqiao 2 relay satellite arrived at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province on Feb 22, said the China National Space Administration.

At present, the launch site facilities are in good condition, Queqiao 2 relay satellite mission preparation is in an orderly way and will be launched in the first half of this year.

Construction of Zhangzhou Nuclear Power "Hualong One" unit began

An aerial drone photo taken on Feb 22, 2024 shows construction on the second phase of the Zhangzhou nuclear power project in Zhangzhou, East China's Fujian province. [Photo/Xinhua]

China has begun construction on the second phase of the Zhangzhou nuclear power project using Hualong One reactors, domestically developed third-generation reactors, in the city of Zhangzhou, East China's Fujian province.

The unit is expected to be completed and put into operation in 2028.

According to China National Nuclear Corporation, each Hualong One nuclear power unit generates more than 10 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, which can meet the annual production demand and domestic electricity demand of 1 million people in moderately developed countries.

China's first BRICS cross-border e-commerce air cargo route exported more than 16 million items

Since its opening one year ago, the first domestic BRICS cross-border e-commerce air cargo route "Xiamen, China - Sao Paulo, Brazil" has a total of 234 round-trip flights, with more than 17,000 tons of goods imported and exported, according to Xiamen Customs.

Special employment service sessions for college graduates launched in many places

Job hunters consult an employer about posts at a job fair held in Dongying, Shandong province, on Jan 27, 2024. [Photo/China Daily]

Starting from Feb 22, special service activities for college graduates have been successively launched across China including Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu, Jiangxi and Henan provinces, according to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.

Employers in various places provide positions in a variety of fields including technology, management, and services, covering many industries such as medicine, technology, equipment manufacturing and commerce.

Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region economic aggregate reached 10.4 trillion yuan in 2023

The coordinated development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei has produced excellent results for ten years.

In 2023, the total economic output of the three regions reached 10.4 trillion yuan, 1.9 times that of 2013. The overall strength of the region continues to improve, and high-quality development is progressing rapidly and steadily.

Emerging industries resume work and production

More than 2,000 employees have returned to work at a company producing silicon rods and wafers, solar cells, photovoltaic modules, and supporting auxiliary materials in the Xining (National) Economic and Technological Development Zone, after the Spring Festival holiday.

Xining, capital of Qinghai province, is expected to focus on building a modern industrial system in 2024, releasing a series of proposed investment projects on new energy, new materials and bio-economy, with a total investment of nearly 250 billion yuan.

Currently, 14 key projects have been launched in Xining, such as new display industrial park, hydrogen fuel cell power system and green intelligent computing center.

China has fully resumed international cruise shipping

China's first domestically made large cruise ship, the Adora Magic City, officially starts its commercial maiden voyage in Shanghai on Jan 1, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

Carrying over 3,900 passengers, China's first domestically made large cruise ship, the Adora Magic City, docked at Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal on Feb 22 morning, together with "Piano Land" and "Blue Dream Star".

Meanwhile, the visiting cruise ship "Europa" berthed at the Shanghai Port International Cruise Terminal on Feb 21. This is the first time for Shanghai cruise port to welcome four cruise ships at the same time since China fully resumed international cruise transport in 2023.

Since February, the Shanghai cruise port has docked 20 international cruise trips, with over 65,000 accumulative inbound and outbound passengers, which is nearly double the total number of inbound and outbound international cruise ship trips in January.

The numbers of inbound and outbound passengers reached 10,500 and 10,700 trips on Feb 9 and Feb 14, respectively, reaching the highest record in the past four years.

It is expected that there will be more than 380 inbound and outbound cruise ship trips at Shanghai cruise port in 2024.