Category: Flash News

On April 12, on the occasion of the second anniversary of the operation of the China Laos Railway International Passenger Train, it was learned from China Railway Kunming Bureau Group Co., Ltd. that as of April 12, the China Laos Railway International Passenger Train had sent 487000 cross-border passengers, covering 112 countries and regions around the world, playing an important role in promoting regional economic development and cultural exchanges.

On April 12th, relevant departments in Chengdu are also taking active actions to respond to the so-called “equivalent tariffs” trade policy of the United States. Internally, Chengdu continues to optimize its outbound tax refund services, promote the “buy and refund” service for outbound tax refunds, further enhance the convenience of tax refunds for overseas tourists, and stimulate consumption vitality. Externally, the Chengdu Municipal Bureau of Commerce has collaborated with departments such as customs, foreign exchange, taxation, economy and information technology, culture and tourism, and expo to integrate policy support measures and accelerate the development of “Chengdu products going global”.

On April 12th, it was learned from China Railway Nanning Group Co., Ltd. that as of April 9th, the railway sea intermodal trains of the Western Land Sea New Channel have transported a total of over 4 million TEUs of container goods since their opening, reaching 4.041 million TEUs. The rail sea intermodal train of the Western Land Sea New Corridor has won the favor of customers at home and abroad due to its economic, efficient, and convenient transportation advantages, and the freight volume has shown a rapid upward trend year after year. Data shows that the annual freight volume of rail sea intermodal trains on the Western Land Sea New Channel has skyrocketed from 3382 TEUs in 2017 to 966000 TEUs in 2024, an increase of 285 times. In the first quarter of this year, the freight volume of new channel trains continued to increase significantly, achieving a year-on-year growth of 68.2%.

On April 12th, according to the official Weibo account of Meteorology Beijing, gusts of 6-9 levels were reported in most areas of Beijing in the past hour (06-07 am on the 12th), with some mountainous areas experiencing gusts of 12 levels; The maximum gust wind speed in the city occurred at 35.9 meters per second (level 12) in Yanjiaping, Yanqing; The maximum gust wind speed in the plain area occurs at 22.4 meters per second (level 9) in Minzhuang, Haidian. It is expected that due to the strong north wind behind the vortex, the average wind in the plain area will increase to 5 or 6 levels and gusts can reach 8 or 9 levels from now until 9 o’clock; From 10:00 to 22:00 is the strongest wind period, with gusts of 9-11 levels. Some areas in Yanqing, Changping, Mentougou, Fangshan, Huairou, Pinggu, Miyun and other regions have gusts of 11-13 levels, and local gusts in mountainous areas can reach 13 levels or above. Currently, Beijing is under an orange warning for strong winds.

On April 12th, data released by the US Treasury Department showed that the federal budget deficit for the first half of fiscal year 2025 (October 2024 to March 2025) has exceeded $1.3 trillion, the second highest semi annual budget deficit in history. The budget deficit for the entire fiscal year 2024 is $1.8 trillion. Xinhua News Agency

On April 12th, China’s commercial pension business is developing rapidly. According to the 2024 commercial pension business data recently disclosed by the first batch of four pilot commercial pension insurance companies, as of the end of last year, the four pension insurance companies had opened a total of about 1.955 million commercial pension accounts, an increase of nearly 230% from the end of 2023. (Securities Daily)

On April 12th, the use of local government special bonds to recover and acquire idle land is an important measure to promote the stabilization of the real estate market this year, which has been vigorously promoted by various regions. According to data from the Zhongzhi Research Institute, as of April 10th this year, Guangdong, Sichuan, Fujian, Hunan and other regions have publicly announced plans to use special bonds to recover and acquire approximately 850 idle land, with a total amount of 128.2 billion yuan. Among them, Guangdong, Sichuan, and Hunan have completed partial issuance of special bonds, with a total issuance amount of approximately 40.2 billion yuan. (Securities Daily)

On April 12th, in the recent wave of “increasing holdings and repurchasing” in the A-share market, more and more listed companies and their important shareholders prefer to maintain company value through special loans, injecting confidence into the market with “real money and silver”. Among them, China Chengtong and China Guoxin, two state-owned enterprises, plan to use a total of 180 billion yuan in stock repurchase and refinancing funds. Fu Lichun, a financial committee member of the China Society for Market Regulation, believes that the effect of stock buybacks and increased holdings is to boost stock prices and enhance investor confidence in the short term. Recently, two major central enterprises launched a 180 billion yuan repurchase loan plan to increase holdings, aiming to help improve market stability and reflect the confidence of enterprises in the future. (Shanghai Stock News)

On April 12th, at 23:31 on April 11th, 2025, the Lanzhou Meteorological Observatory upgraded the blue warning signal for sandstorms to a yellow warning signal for sandstorms: it is expected that from tonight to tomorrow day, Chengguan, Qilihe, Anning, Xigu, Honggu, Yuzhong, Gaolan and Lanzhou New Area will continue to experience sandstorms with a minimum visibility of less than 1000 meters.

On April 12th, the United Nations confirmed on April 11th that due to funding shortages, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) will cut 20% of its overall workforce. Tom Fletcher, the Under Secretary General of the United Nations and head of humanitarian assistance, wrote to the staff of the Office on the evening of the 10th, saying that our partners, including non-governmental organizations and the United Nations humanitarian system, have been severely impacted, and we are no exception. It is expected to face a funding gap of nearly $60 million by 2025. Therefore, more than 20 senior positions will be reduced at headquarters and in country and regional offices, achieving a 7:3 personnel ratio between country and regional offices and headquarters. Simultaneously reduce the overall number of employees by 20%. UN spokesperson Diyarik stated that this decision was entirely due to a reduction in funding, not a decrease in humanitarian needs. Diyarik stated that some of the cuts come from the United States, while others come from other countries.