4 Chinese nationals dead in Nepal helicopter crash: Chinese Embassy

China's consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, edged up 0.5 percent year-on-year in July, data released by the National Bureau of Statistic showed on Thursday. It marked the sixth consecutive month that the reading records an expansion.

NBS statistician Dong Lijuan attributed it to continuous pick-up in domestic consumer demand and the impact of high temperatures and rainfall in some regions which drove up food price.

The index also accelerated from a 0.2-percent year-on-year growth recorded in June. On a monthly basis, China's CPI also gained 0.5 percent in July, reversing from a contraction of 0.2 percent in June. The month-on-month growth rate is "relatively high" compared to the same period in recent years, according to Dong.

Food price remained the same in July. The price of pork, a staple meat in China, rose 20.4 percent in July compared with a year earlier, while the price of fresh vegetables and meat also rose 3.3 percent and 0.8 percent respectively year-on-year in July. 

Non-food prices rose 0.7 percent year-on-year, lifting the CPI by 0.54 percentage points.

The core CPI, deducting food and energy prices, went up 0.3 percent in July compared with that of June, making the reading "higher than the average level for the same period in the past decade." In year-on-year terms, the index rose 0.4 percent in July, maintaining a moderate increase.

Chinese observers predicted that China's CPI will continue showing "moderate rebound" in the second half, thanks to the release of more consumption demands, food price rise and last year's low base effect. 

Research released by the Peking University National Economic Research Center expected China's CPI to grow by 0.4 percent year-on-year in 2024, edging up from the 0.2-percent expansion registered in 2023. 

The NBS data also showed that China's producer price index (PPI), which measures costs for goods at the factory gate, dropped by 0.8 percent year-on-year in July. NBS said that it was a result of "insufficient market demand and the decline in prices of some international commodities, among other factors."

China Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA) on Tuesday reiterated its stance against double standards of the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) in a statement, saying that USADA is trying its best to clear American athletes after series of domestic cases while accusing CHINADA and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) of "covering up the truth" and demanding sanctions against Chinese athletes.

In response to a Global Times report on Monday on the doubts surrounding US sprinting star Erriyon Knighton, an under-20 world record holder in the men's 200 meters who tested positive for banned steroid trenbolone during an out-of-competition test in March 2024, CHINADA said the case "shows that USADA's rhetoric about fairness and clean sport runs counter to its actual practices."

USADA had previously argued that the analytical result was incompatible with meat contamination and had sought a sanction of four years against Knighton, but it later abruptly decided before the start of the US qualifiers for the Olympics that no ineligibility would be imposed on Knighton, claiming that the athlete's positive result was caused by his ingestion of contaminated meat, and allowed him to eventually represent the US at the Paris Olympics.

WADA noted in June that it is difficult to understand how USADA can declare that "justice was served" in Knighton's case, as WADA President Witold Banka said it is "particularly intriguing" that USADA made the sudden U-turn.

Erriyon Knighton on Monday local time qualified for the semifinals of the men's 200m, which will take place on August 7 local time, according to Paris Olympics website.

Studies have shown that trenbolone is an anabolic agent with strong enhancing effects on strength and explosiveness, and is not a common contaminant, CHINADA said, noting the US has turned a blind eye to its long history of doping problems, but is obsessed with cross-border jurisdiction and asserting sanctions against other countries.

In the buildup to the Paris Olympics, the Chinese swimming squad was put under extreme scrutiny, due to the pressure by US media and even the US Department of Justice and the FBI. Both WADA and CHINADA were accused by the US media of "covering-up" a 2021 food contamination case as the Chinese swimmers were to compete in Paris.

The Chinese swimmers had to be tested in a more frequent way ahead of and during the Paris Olympics to prove their cleanness.

"I think the routine of seven doping tests in a single day has successfully disrupted our Chinese swimming team, " Chinese diving queen Gao Min wrote on Weibo last week.

Chinese swimmer Qin Haiyang expressed a similar viewpoint, stating that he believes some people are deliberately trying to disrupt Team China's preparation and mental state in this way. Nevertheless, he said he and his teammates would continue to focus on the competition and strive for more medals.

CHINADA had clarified they found no wrongdoings involving Chinese swimmers as early as 2021, followed by WADA and world swimming governing body World Aquatics, who found no evidence of irregularities, mismanagement or cover-up. But the findings were repeatedly ignored by USADA.

"It seems that the accusation and attacks on China and other countries is its tactic to deflect attention from the serious flaws in its own anti-doping work. This is sheer political manipulation and hypocritical double standards," said the CHINADA statement.

WADA president Witold Banka criticized the US for politicizing anti-doping and called it hypocritical and double standards in June, saying that 90 percent of athletes in the US do not enjoy the protections provided by the World Anti-Doping Code.

Shang Ximeng, a research fellow at the Center for International Sport Communication and Diplomacy Studies, Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times that the US wants to surpass the globally accepted unified set of anti-doping rules, the World Anti-Doping Code, and instate itself as an independent authority to counterbalance WADA.

"The US wants to position itself more prominently, or even dominantly, within the world anti-doping system led by the IOC and WADA, and to have others operate according to its rules," Shang said."The Rodchenkov Act grants the US judicial system independent authority to counterbalance WADA, allowing for separate judicial investigations and criminal sanctions on events or anti-doping cases it deems problematic. This reflects a double standard, as the act does not address issues within the US itself."

The Rodchenkov Act legislation passed in 2020 extends US law enforcement jurisdiction to any international sporting competitions that involve American athletes or have financial connections to the US, Reuters reported.

It was used to launch a US Department of Justice investigation recently into 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for a banned substance months before the Tokyo 2020 Olympics due to food contamination.

"There's a big issue when it comes to the … Rodchenkov Act, and how that law has passed through Congress and the effect it could have in international sports," twice NBA champion and IOC member Pau Gasol told a press conference on Friday.

"The potential ability for US authorities to detain people potentially also, from my understanding, outside of US soil … so this jeopardizes the safety of officials and people in the Olympic movement, in the sports movement."

WADA also unveiled that over 300 million doses of anabolic steroids were seized and prevented from entering Europe, while the US remains one of the world's largest markets for illicit steroids and performance-enhancing drugs.

The Port of Guangzhou, the world's fifth largest port, unveiled a three-year action plan (2024-26) to shore up the construction of a global shipping hub, according to media reports on Tuesday.

The plan, issued on Monday, called for the port to achieve throughput of 700 million tons and a container turnover of 27 million standard containers by 2026. 

The port will also handle 800,000 standard containers under the sea-rail multimodal transportation, achieve a vehicle turnover of 1.6 million units and realize a total investment of 15 billion yuan ($2.1 billion) in port and fixed-asset investment by 2026, according to the plan.

The move is aimed at fostering a port-centered economic zone, nurturing new quality productive forces, further consolidating the port's status as a global shipping hub and a new high ground for deepening reforms and opening-up in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

The new action plan is the fourth of its kind since such plans were introduced in 2015. As of the end of 2023, the Port of Guangzhou has seen its throughput increase to 675 million tons and container turnover to 25.41 million units. From 2021 to 2023, the port added a total of 42 new ocean shipping lines to bring the total number of container shipping lines to 268.

The introduction of new growth drivers such as auto vehicle transportation and sea-rail multimodal transport has carved out new areas of growth engines during recent years.

Reports by the World Bank indicate that in sub-Saharan Africa, about 600 million people, or approximately 53 percent of the region's population, live without access to electricity. Hundreds of millions more in urban cities have only limited or unreliable electricity. Furthermore, fossil fuels continue to dominate the energy supply and infrastructure in Africa. This is because, after gaining independence, most of these African countries developed energy infrastructures focused on non-renewable sources, despite the continent being rich in renewable/green energy resources. Thus, the false narrative of overcapacity from the Western-led countries to counter Beijing's "made in China" drive on new energy vehicles, photovoltaics and lithium batteries is also an attempt to hinder Africa's green energy production. 

The Western-led overcapacity narrative is more about protecting their markets than focusing on global efforts to reduce carbon emissions. This comes at a time when fossil fuels continue to cause damage to our environment through carbon emissions. 

However, keeping its promise of achieving carbon neutrality by 2060, China continues to make great progress in green energy production while exporting it to the world through the Belt and Road Initiative. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, China continues to dominate the solar industry in terms of solar PV installed capacity. 

This has influenced the growth of energy transitions to other countries and accelerated the reduction of the global carbon footprint. 

In Africa, reports indicate that China has built and financed, from 2010 to 2020, approximately 96 projects to add to the continent's power generation capacity. These green energy projects are increasing electricity supply, improving energy security, reducing dependence on petroleum imports and mitigating the effects of climate change not only in Africa but across the world.

For instance, Kenya, in East Africa, is leading in the deployment of solar energy power generation. The 50 MW solar power station plant in Garissa County is currently one of the largest photovoltaic electricity plants in Africa. The project, financed by the Chinese government through concessional loans from the Export-Import Bank of China, was completed by the China Jiangxi Corporation for International Economic and Technical Co-operation.

The Garissa solar power plant hosts approximately 206,272 solar panels and occupies an estimated 210 acres. As a sustainable development project, the solar plant is estimated to address the power demand of 70,000 households (approximately 350,000 people, equivalent to about 50 percent of the population of Garissa) in Kenya. The solar plant has also increased the share of renewable energy on the grid to 93 percent, setting the stage for cheaper electricity in Kenya. Similarly, the Garissa solar power plant has reduced over 43,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually, according to Kenya's Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation.

In South Africa, Power China signed a contract last year to build, operate and maintain a 123 MW solar plant that will provide electricity to at least 82,000 households when completed. This project is the first large-scale ground photovoltaic power plant signed by a Chinese enterprise in South Africa. It will also provide approximately 300 million kilowatt hours of clean electricity annually to the South African power grid and offer relief to residents from the almost two-decade-long electricity supply crisis, commonly known as load-shedding. 

In Mali, Chinese company Sinohydro is also building a solar power plant in the village of Tiakadougou Dialakoro. The plant will have a peak capacity of 100 megawatts. In 2020, state-owned energy conglomerate China Energy Engineering Corp announced plans to develop 500 MW of solar generation capacity in Uganda in two phases by its China Gezhouba Group International Engineering subsidiary. In all these green projects, China continues to ensure that environmentally sustainable laws and policies are adhered to in the installations and generation of power through the PV/solar panels. 

This shift to sustainable, clean energy solutions especially on solar energy, presents an enormous opportunity for Africa to address the challenges of the energy gap throughout the continent, climate change and to attain the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development Goals on affordable and clean energy. China, unlike other traditional partners, is on the right path to helping Africa realize the continent's potential to generate at least 300 GW of clean energy by 2030.

Undeniably, the debate on so-called China's overcapacity holds no ground. Africa needs the much-produced solar panels to boost renewable energy in its grids, reduce carbon emissions and mitigate the devastating effects of climate change. 

Several cities in China have opened their subway stations to personal advertising, exploring new business models and opportunities to increase revenue. This kind of innovation is expected to be a positive trend, meeting the public's personalized consumption needs and injecting vitality into the consumer market, experts said.

Subway advertising companies in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province, Chengdu,Southwest China's Sichuan Province, and Zhengzhou,Central China's Henan Province, have pioneered personal advertisements in subway stations. These personal advertisements included resume displays, matchmaking and calls for supporting.

Currently, subway stations offering personal advertisements are generally spread across China's busiest cities, aiming to explore public demand and seize opportunities to boost revenue.

This innovative measure encourages service-oriented consumption and offers a new revenue stream for subway advertisement companies, and likely to be expanded to other cities if public demand shows positive trends, Li Changan, a professor from the Academy of China Open Economy Studies of the University of International Business and Economics, told the Global Times on Sunday.

"We typically operate fan-supporting advertisements, with a particular focus on those related to sports events," Wei Bin, from, a Chengdu-based subway advertisement operator, told the Global Times on Sunday. "This product is relatively new, and currently, most people still view advertising primarily as a corporate activity," Wei said.

Since January, the Guangzhou Metro has introduced light boxes and electronic screens for personal advertisement, the advertisements published included birthday wishes, dating messages and job resumes, earning the nickname "large-scale creative showcase" from citizens,reported a China-based news platform XKB.com.

"The implementation of personal advertisement services in Guangzhou is a small-scale experiment this year, aimed at understanding consumer market demands and making informed decisions," a representative from a Guangzhou-based subway advertisement company, told the Global Times on Sunday.

Experts said that the future promotion of personal advertisements depends on public awareness of self-promotion. The large passenger volume has offered new and unique opportunities for advertisers.

A job seeker's advertisement at the bustling Zhujiang New Town Station in Guangzhou attracted more than 400 scans of his QR code within five days, including 50 companies across various industries, reported the Singaporean-based newspaper Lianhe Zaobao on Sunday.

Personal advertisements in the subway can also effectively promote personal entrepreneurial achievements, and personal entrepreneurs can use personal ads to promote their achievements, thereby boosting their income, Li said.

Currently, personal advertisements are still in their experimental stage in China, as the process is more complex than the public might expect.

"The relevant operators carry potential legal risks as well, mainly related to copyright and authorization issues such as font copyrights, image permissions, and graphic element copyrights. We are actively seeking solutions to these challenges, better supporting the consumer market," an insider surnamed Liu from the Zhengzhou Metro told the Global Times on Sunday.

Liu said that this initiative is being promoted across major cities in a bid to boost consumption and provide passengers with an interactive experience.

"We also aim to create a more relaxed and youthful subway atmosphere, highlighting the city's vibrancy and inclusivity, and enhancing its cultural appeal," Liu said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has encouraged Hong Kong entrepreneurs to better integrate into national reform and development and contribute more to Chinese modernization by giving full play to their strengths.

Xi made the remarks in a reply letter to representatives of Hong Kong entrepreneurs whose origin can be traced back to Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang Province.

Beijing upgraded the emergency response for flooding to Level-III on Tuesday afternoon, and urged relevant departments to strengthen monitoring, respond to flood emergencies promptly, and report in a timely manner.

Beijing consecutively issued an orange alert for mountain flood disasters, an orange alert for geological disasters, a yellow alert for waterlogging, and a blue alert for floods, the first of its kind issued this year, on Tuesday. Authorities reminded the public to pay attention to the weather situation.

There is a high possibility of flash floods in the outlying Miyun and Pinggu districts of Beijing from 4 pm on Tuesday to 2 am on Wednesday. The public is advised to stay away from mountain torrents, suspend outdoor activities involving mountains and water, and take precautions, authorities said.

Meanwhile, there will be a risk of waterlogging in districts including Chaoyang, Fengtai, Tongzhou, Daxing and Shunyi during the two days.

As of 7 pm on Tuesday, the average precipitation in the city was 83.7 millimeters, with the urban area averaging 97.3 millimeters. There were 514 stations with precipitation of more than 50 millimeters, according to Beijing meteorological authorities.

China has a four-level emergency response system for flood control, with Level I being the highest level of response, and a four-level, color-coded weather warning system, with red indicating the most severe, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

All train services will continue to be suspended on Wednesday on the railway linking Huairou and Miyun districts, and the railway between Tongzhou and Miyun districts due to the impact of the heavy rainfall.

Heavy rainfall in Beijing has caused urban waterlogging in some regions, and emergency personnel are stepping up their efforts to carry out drainage clearance in the city.

The hashtag "heavy rainfall in Beijing" saw more than 4.38 billion views as of press time on Tuesday on Chinese-X like Sina Weibo, with many netizens calling for a safe trip with shared tips during the rain-affected day.

China will continue an anti-corruption operation codenamed Sky Net to push forward the construction of an integrated mechanism for tracking and recovering fugitives, according to a decision made at a meeting on Tuesday of China’s fugitive repatriation and asset recovery office under the Central Anti-Corruption Coordination Group, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The National Supervisory Commission has taken the lead in launching a special operation to track down and recover international fugitives for duty-related crimes. The Ministry of Public Security (MPS) will launch the "Fox Hunt" campaign, while the People's Bank of China will team up with the MPS to tackle disguised transfer of misappropriated assets overseas, according to the meeting.

The Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate will jointly wage a campaign to restore stolen assets involved in cases whose criminal suspects or defendants escaped or died. The Organization Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee will partner with other authorities to address unregulated issuance and possession of relevant documents.

The meeting noted that China has been continuously deepening cross-border corruption governance and further progress was made in 2023. According to Xinhua News Agency, the Sky Net campaign recovered a total of 1,624 fugitives last year.

The meeting also called for the campaign to be reinforced, in order to win the long-lasting battle against corruption.

China's Sky Net campaign has been deployed since April 2015. It aims to track down fugitives suspected of involvement in graft, while preventing corrupt officials from fleeing abroad and recovering illegal gains.

China has set the deficit-to-GDP ratio for this year at 3 percent. The goal not only conforms to the current conditions of the overall recovery of the Chinese economy, but also helps control the government's overall debt levels and increase fiscal sustainability in order to reserve larger policy room for dealing with possible risks and challenges in the future, an official said on Tuesday following the release of the Government Work Report.

The deficit-to-GDP ratio is an important indicator that reflects a government's fiscal policy strength and potential fiscal risks.

Generally, there is a "red line" of a 3-percent fiscal deficit ratio, but it's not golden rule as many countries' deficit-to-GDP ratio may far outpace 3 percent or even reach double digits when needed, Huang Shouhong, head of the government work report drafting team and Director of the State Council Research Office, said at a press conference in Beijing.

China's deficit-to-GDP ratio has been kept at a reasonable and appropriate level over recent years, from considerations including supporting economic development, preventing fiscal risks and achieving fiscal sustainability, Huang said, noting that the country's deficit-to-GDP ratio has stayed under 3 percent for most of the past years, except in 2020 and 2021.

Huang said the central government set a deficit-to-GDP ratio of 3 percent in the beginning of 2023, which was later raised to 3.8 percent, caused by the issuance of an additional 1 trillion yuan ($139.3 billion) in special treasury bonds.

"Although this year's deficit ratio is slightly lower compared with last year's after the issuance of government bonds, the overall level is appropriate," Huang said.

With the 3 percent planned fiscal deficit rate, the government deficit is expected to reach 4.06 trillion yuan ($560 billion) in 2024, with an increase of 180 billion yuan from 2023 levels, according to this year's Government Work Report.

It is expected that fiscal revenue will continue to resume growth this year, and the budget expenditure will likely reach 28.5 trillion yuan in 2024, increasing 1.1 trillion yuan from last year.