Top news of the week:

• China unveils action plan to further digitalize consumer goods industry

  July 4, 2022

  China aims to achieve notable improvement in the integration and application of digital technologies in the consumer goods industry by 2025, according to the plan jointly released by five ministries and departments including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. This action plan focuses on facilitating the digitalization of the consumer goods industry as the country moves to boost the integration of the digital and real economies and create and meet consumer demand.

• China’s Liu He and U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen hold virtual talks

  July 5, 2022

  China’s Vice Premier Liu He and U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen held a virtual call Tuesday about macroeconomic issues, according to official statements from both sides. The Chinese readout stated the importance of coordinating the two countries’ macro policies and maintaining the stability of global supply chains. And the U.S. readout noted general discussion of economic and financial developments in both countries and abroad. Both countries described the conversation as “candid,” and said the two sides agreed to maintain communication.

• Premier Li: Strengthen protection of intellectual property rights

  July 6, 2022

  Premier Li Keqiang urged for greater efforts to strengthen the protection of intellectual property rights and to crack down on illegal and criminal acts involving infringement on rights and counterfeiting. Protecting IPR is protecting entrepreneurship and innovation, and preventing counterfeits is directly related to people’s health and safety, Li said in instructions to a national video and telephone conference on cracking down on IPR infringement and counterfeiting.

• Premier Li stresses implementing macro policies, promoting reform

  July 7, 2022

  Premier Li Keqiang on Thursday stressed implementing macro policies and promoting reform and opening-up, and encouraged coastal provincial-level regions in southeast China to play a pivotal role in stabilizing the economy. Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during a symposium with leading officials of the coastal provincial regions.

• China to cultivate pilot cities for smart construction

  July 8, 2022

  The Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development recently issued the “Notice on Solicitation and Selection of Pilot Cities for Intelligent Construction”. According to the head of the Construction Market Supervision Department of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the Ministry is collecting and selecting some cities to carry out intelligent construction pilots, in order to comprehensively promote the transformation and upgrading of the construction industry and promote high-quality development.