China’s steel shipments to Australia have dwindled by more than 50 percent in recent months, faster than the country’s overall steel export plunge, and the trend is set to further accelerate, as China takes more measures to cut output and restrict exports, industry insiders said.
Torrential Henan rains spark concern over grain production globaltimes.cn - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from globaltimes.cn Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Uptrend, changing habits mark retail sales By ZHANG YUE | CHINA DAILY | Updated: 2021-07-16 09:03 Share CLOSE A shopper buys vegetables at a supermarket in Nanjing, capital of East China s Jiangsu province. SU YANG/FOR CHINA DAILY
China s consumption further consolidated in the first half of this year as domestic demand firmed up while restrictions hampering travel and buying activities were gradually removed, which helped modify consumers buying habits in the aftermath of the initial outbreaks of the COVID-19 epidemic, experts said.
Data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Thursday showed that China s retail sales of consumer goods jumped 23 percent year-on-year in the first half of this year, with two-year average growth standing at 4.4 percent, 0.2 percentage point higher than that in the first quarter.
Investment data spark growth hopes By ZHOU LANXU | CHINA DAILY | Updated: 2021-07-16 09:09 Share CLOSE Workers work at the general assembly line of truck maker FAW Jiefang in Changchun, Northeast China s Jilin province, July 7, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
Rises in fixed assets, manufacturing soften infrastructure deceleration
Recovery in China s fixed-asset investment will strengthen and help shore up the economy in the coming months, thanks to ramped-up policy supports and improved business vitality, officials and experts said on Thursday.
Their comments were in response to the 12.6 percent year-on-year growth in first-half fixed-asset investment, down from 25.6 percent year-on-year growth in the first quarter, as the effect of low comparison base due to the outbreak of COVID-19 faded.
Urban job market stable in first half of year By CHENG SI | China Daily | Updated: 2021-07-16 07:25 Share CLOSE As graduation nears, university students look at company profiles and available positions at a job fair in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, on May 16, 2021. YANG SUPING/FOR CHINA DAILY
The domestic job market was stable in the first half of this year thanks to the robust economic recovery and the State-level employment-first policy, but some key groups such as college graduates still face difficulties landing jobs.
Figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Thursday showed that the surveyed unemployment rate in urban areas averaged 5.2 percent in the first six months of the year, 0.6 of a percentage point lower than in the same period last year. It was also lower than the annual target of 5.5 percent set by the central government in March.