CPC mission; highest expressway; army games: 10 stories from China

00:24

CPC mission statement puts people first

The Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee released a key publication on the Party's mission and contributions.

The document, titled

The CPC: Its Mission and Contributions

, stressed that over the past hundred years, all the struggles, sacrifices and efforts made by the CPC and the Chinese people under its leadership have targeted on one goal – the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

It also pointed out that the CPC is dedicated to the people and always puts their interests first. It said the CPC follows the underlying trends of social development and respects the people's principal role in making history.

The world's highest expressway has opened in Tibet, China.

The Lhasa-Nagqu expressway connecting Lhasa and Nagqu in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region opened to traffic on August 21.

It is a section of the G6 Beijing-Lhasa expressway, with a total length of 295km and an average elevation of 4,500 meters, making it the world's highest expressway.

It's the first expressway linking Lhasa, the capital city of the Tibet Autonomous Region, and the northern Tibet grassland.

The route passes through striking environments. /CFP

Renminbi gains in international appeal

The share of the Chinese currency renminbi (RMB) in cross-border payments hit a record high in 2020 and continued to gain steam, according to a report on the internationalization of the RMB published by the China Banking Association.

The cross-border use of the RMB surged by 44.3 percent year on year to 28.38 trillion yuan (about $4.37 trillion) last year, of which cross-border receipts reached 14.1 trillion yuan and payments came in at 14.28 trillion yuan, according to the report.

Cross-border RMB settlements accounted for 47.4 percent of all cross-border domestic and foreign currency settlements, a new record that was 9.28 percentage points higher than the figure seen in 2019, data from the report shows.

Ghost festival celebrated

The Zhongyuan or Ghost Festival was marked across China. Buddhists and Taoists floated lanterns on waterways, burned fake money or ate traditional meals according to their region on August 22.

A family in Heinan province makes pastries to honor the dead. /CFP

Economic recovery boosts businesses

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi, which this year surpassed Apple to take the world No 2 spot, saw a surge in net income to 6.32 billion yuan (about $1 billion) in the second quarter of the year, up 87.4 percent year on year, the company said.

During the period, the company's revenue rose a record 64 percent from a year earlier. It reached 87.8 billion yuan ($13.55 bn) driven by strong performance in the sales of handsets, up from 53.54 billion yuan ($8.26 bn) a year earlier and beating analyst expectations of 84.53 billion yuan.

U.S. sanctions on rival Huawei have allowed Xiaomi to gain market share internationally.

Meanwhile online retailer JD.com Inc. beat analysts' expectations for quarterly adjusted profit as consumer spending improved.

Net revenue at the Chinese e-commerce giant rose 26.2 percent year on year to 253.8 billion yuan ($39.14 bn) in the second quarter ended in June, compared with analysts' estimate of 249.27 billion yuan.

International Army Games

China's Xinjiang played host to elements of the International Army Games, which this year features 277 teams from 42 countries and regions.

The "Safe Environment" contest features anti-chemical, biological and radiation teams. The Games will conclude on Sept 4.

Many of the teams used equipment supplied by China. /CFP

High-speed rail reaches 95% of cities

High-speed railways now cover over 95 percent of cities with a population over one million, expressways more than 98 percent of cities with a population over 200,000, and airports over 92 percent of cities at the prefecture level, China's transport ministry has reported.

At the end of 2020, about 161,000 kilometers of expressways had opened to traffic, making China No. 1 in the world, officials told the press conference. High-speed railways have had an operating mileage of 38,000 kilometers.

Transport has been a key element of China's policies to end extreme poverty.

Universal to open resort in Beijing

Universal Beijing Resort (UBR), which will be the fifth and largest Universal Studios in the world, is set to start its trial operations on September 1 after undergoing three months of testing.

The highly anticipated opening of the theme park, located in east Beijing's sub-center Tongzhou District, consists of the Universal Studios theme park, the Universal CityWalk commercial complex and two destination hotels. It features rides, attractions and dining experiences

Boom forecast in car rentals

China's car rental market is about to enter the high-speed growth period and top 100 billion yuan (about $15.39 billion) next year, according to a report.

The market will embrace high-speed development after the car rental industry reshuffled over the previous five or six years, according to a report by internet data analysis service provider Analysys. Relatively low levels of car ownership provide opportunities to rental companies in China, where 418 million people can legally drive.

Mars rover record

Chinese rover Zhurong has traveled over 1,000 meters on the surface of Mars, a new record set 100 days after its landing on the red planet, according to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).

Its journey continues.

An artist's impression of the Zhurong rover after its landing on Mars. /People's Vision