Latest news with #StateCouncil
South China Morning Post
12 hours ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Overbite: China urges officials to pull back on dining austerity drive
Leading publications of China's ruling Communist Party have urged local governments to implement strictures on lavish banquets carefully, an attempt to temper overzealousness amid concerns from the country's beleaguered food and beverage industry. Advertisement Qiushi, the party's theoretical journal, said in a commentary piece on Friday that recent affirmations of the need for frugality in official meals are intended to limit extravagant practices, not ordinary dining. 'Some local governments scrutinise every meal gathering and intervene in every banquet. Some agencies, to 'avoid trouble', simply cancel all official receptions. Some cadres even go so far as to avoid normal working meals,' the piece read. Such 'oversimplified' measures have complicated understanding of the regulations in question, derailing their original intention and bringing 'unnecessary shocks to the catering industry'. Curbs on perceived excess in official meals spread across the country in May after the party's Central Committee and the State Council, the national cabinet, released their 'Regulations on Practicing Thrift and Opposing Waste in Party and Government Bodies'. Advertisement The document stipulates rules for receptions involving government officials or employees of state-backed organs, banning 'high-end dishes', cigarettes and liquor at these events. Localities, to demonstrate their compliance, have rolled out their own guidelines on the matter, with some extreme cases receiving media attention.
South China Morning Post
5 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
China ‘stepping in' as property concerns mount, but no ‘treading the old path'
Premier Li Qiang's remarks on further shoring up the property sector and escalating policy support are said to be indicative of Beijing's lingering concerns over the sector – once an economic pillar for China – that remains a drag on growth and consumption, as seen in the latest statistics. Analysts say that while there is no quick fix to the woes, Beijing has grown more wary of the impact on overall sentiment and domestic demand, as the economy grapples with external turmoil. A State Council meeting convened by Li on Friday set a more definitive tone on supporting China's property market, which came ahead of Monday's release of key economic data for the January-May period. The meeting underscored the need to 'further optimise existing policies and enhance systematic synergy of implementation' to stabilise expectations, stimulate demand and mitigate risks, the state's Xinhua reported. Specifically, there will be a thorough stocktake of ongoing projects and land supplies, and urban-renewal projects will receive more land supply and financing aid. Once again, the meeting stated that the ultimate goal is to 'halt the decline and stabilise the sector'.
Qatar Tribune
6 days ago
- Business
- Qatar Tribune
Waste batteries fuel China's green gold rush
Agencies One man's waste is Ma Long's treasure. And in the new-energy era, his map leads to exhausted lithium-ion batteries – veritable troves of reusable resources that are supercharging profits at Ma's company, a maker of solid-waste-recycling equipment in central China. Pricey components such as lithium – a silvery-white alkali metal aptly nicknamed 'white gold' – along with other materials such as cobalt and nickel, hold their value beyond the life of the batteries powering China's massive electric-vehicle (EV) industry. 'There is huge potential in the business of new-energy waste, because new energy is where China and the world are going,' said the sales manager at a subsidiary of Henan Hairui Intelligent Technology in Zhengzhou, Henan province. Speaking at a recent trade fair for environmental technologies in Shanghai, Ma said 70 per cent of his company's business is dedicated to machines for recycling batteries and solar panels. As more and more batteries and solar panels reach the end of their life cycle in China – a global leader in renewable-energy deployment – Chinese businesses like Ma's are embracing a circular economy, where materials are reused and reintroduced into new products, reducing waste and conserving resources. And with valuable metals comprising essential components in many of today's fast-growing, clean-energy technologies, the cycle is especially meaningful in terms of improving China's mineral independence as it navigates intensifying global trade tensions, according to some analysts. 'The recycling of minerals is largely for the sake of resource security,' said Du Huanzheng, a professor specialising in circular economy at Shanghai's Tongji University. 'China is also seeking new economic growth by strengthening recycling efforts, which, in the past, were more driven by the need to solve pollution issues,' he large-scale equipment upgrades and trade-in of consumer goods, two initiatives launched a year ago to boost domestic demand in a slowing Chinese economy, have pushed up demand for recycling and represent the potential for a new round of economic growth, he said. In response to that rising demand, a new state-owned giant was created directly under the State Council last year. The China Resources Recycling Group aims to build an offline resource recycling network covering waste ranging from durable consumer goods, such as electronic products, to retired wind power and photovoltaic equipment, according to an official announcement in October.
New Straits Times
08-06-2025
- Health
- New Straits Times
China's Sichuan to offer 25-day marriage leave, 150-day maternity leave
HONG KONG: Health authorities in China's southwestern Sichuan province are proposing to extend marriage leave up to 25 days and maternity leave up to 150 days, to help create a "fertility-friendly society" which boosts the country's population. The move comes as China's government struggles to boost birth rates in the world's second-largest economy. China's population fell for a third consecutive year in 2024 and experts have cautioned the downturn will continue to worsen. Sichuan's Health Commission, which published the draft on its website, is seeking public opinion and comments from May 30 to June 30. Sichuan province has a population of 84 million, more than most countries including Germany and the United Kingdom. The proposal would extend marriage leave by 400 per cent from the five days currently given and more than double the existing 60-day maternity leave period. Featured Videos Sichuan also plans to extend paternity leave to 30 days from 20 days to "facilitate the care of men for their wives after childbirth and help advocate that couples share the responsibility of raising children," authorities said. The province has emerged as one of the more progressive in China. It has allowed unmarried women to access IVF treatment and in 2023 authorities there announced that unmarried individuals would be eligible for benefits reserved for married couples. China's birth rates have been falling for decades as a result of the one-child policy China implemented from 1980 to 2015 as well as rapid urbanisation. The high cost of childcare and education as well as job uncertainty and a slowing economy have also discouraged many young Chinese from getting married and starting a family. Authorities rolled out a series of "fertility friendly" measures in 2024 to minimise the challenge of having roughly 300 million Chinese expected to enter retirement in the coming decade - the equivalent of almost the entire US population. Measures include urging China's colleges and universities to provide "love education" to emphasize positive views on marriage, love, fertility and family. In November, China's State Council, or cabinet, rallied local governments to direct resources towards fixing China's population crisis and spread respect for childbearing and marriages "at the right age." More than 2.6 million couples filed for divorce last year, the data showed, up 1.1 per cent from 2.59 million in 2023.
Time of India
05-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
China's Sichuan province to offer extended marriage and maternity leave
Hong Kong: Health authorities in China's southwestern Sichuan province are proposing to extend marriage leave up to 25 days and maternity leave up to 150 days, to help create a "fertility-friendly society" which boosts the country's population. The move comes as China's government struggles to boost birth rates in the world's second-largest economy. China's population fell for a third consecutive year in 2024 and experts have cautioned the downturn will continue to worsen. Sichuan's Health Commission, which published the draft on its website, is seeking public opinion and comments from May 30 to June 30. Sichuan province has a population of 84 million, more than most countries including Germany and the United Kingdom. The proposal would extend marriage leave by 400% from the five days currently given and more than double the existing 60-day maternity leave period. Sichuan also plans to extend paternity leave to 30 days from 20 days to "facilitate the care of men for their wives after childbirth and help advocate that couples share the responsibility of raising children," authorities said. The province has emerged as one of the more progressive in China. It has allowed unmarried women to access IVF treatment and in 2023 authorities there announced that unmarried individuals would be eligible for benefits reserved for married couples. China's birth rates have been falling for decades as a result of the one-child policy China implemented from 1980 to 2015 as well as rapid urbanisation. The high cost of childcare and education as well as job uncertainty and a slowing economy have also discouraged many young Chinese from getting married and starting a family. Authorities rolled out a series of "fertility friendly" measures in 2024 to minimise the challenge of having roughly 300 million Chinese expected to enter retirement in the coming decade - the equivalent of almost the entire U.S. population. Measures include urging China's colleges and universities to provide "love education" to emphasize positive views on marriage, love, fertility and family. In November, China's State Council, or cabinet, rallied local governments to direct resources towards fixing China's population crisis and spread respect for childbearing and marriages "at the right age." More than 2.6 million couples filed for divorce last year, the data showed, up 1.1% from 2.59 million in 2023.
