Roundup

SERVICE PERFORMANCE

China's value-added service output went up 6.4 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2023, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed on Monday. The growth rate accelerated by 1 percentage point from the pace recorded in the first quarter. The value-added output of catering and accommodation sectors expanded 15.5 percent year-on-year in the first six months. Meanwhile, that of information transmission, software and information technology service sectors increased 12.9 percent. In the January-May period, the combined business revenue of service enterprises above designated size gained 8.5 percent from a year ago.

BORDER CROSSINGS

Immigration departments across China inspected 168 million border entries and exits in the first half of this year, up nearly 170 percent year-on-year, the National Immigration Administration said on Wednesday. According to data released by the administration, around 80.3 million of the total entries and exits were made by mainland residents, and 74.9 million by residents from Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions and Taiwan. More than 10 million ordinary passports were issued from January to June, the administration said. The number of documents issued for travel between the mainland and Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan jumped 15-fold year-on-year to 42.8 million, it added.

AIRPORT PASSENGERS

Hong Kong International Airport handled 16.5 million passengers in the first half of 2023, an increase of more than 18 times from the same period in 2022, data from the Airport Authority Hong Kong showed on Tuesday. HKIA handled 3.3 million passengers in June, a 6.9 percent increase compared with the passenger throughput in May. Compared with the same month in 2022, passenger volume and flight movements increased more than 10 times and doubled, respectively. All passenger segments experienced significant growth year-on-year. Traffic to and from Southeast Asia, the Chinese mainland and Japan recorded the most significant increases.

AIRCRAFT CERTIFIED

China's homegrown Y12F aircraft has received the type certificate from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, according to Aviation Industry Corporation of China. The Y12F twin-engine turboprop commuter aircraft is developed by AVIC Harbin Aircraft Industry Group. This civil aircraft model obtained the type certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China in 2015, and from the US Federal Aviation Administration in 2016. This new development for Y12F is of great significance to airworthiness cooperation between China and Europe, the CAAC said.

SPIRITED SUPPORT

The Fuyang Festival in July features the tradition of eating lamb and drinking Chinese baijiu, or white liquor. As a cultural heritage project in Shanghai with a history spanning more than 600 years, the tradition holds ritualistic significance for locals during the beginning of the Dog Days of summer. Shanghai Guijiu, a baijiu producer, has been supporting the Fuyang Festival in Zhuanghang since 2020. This year, Shanghai Guijiu provided substantial support for the opening ceremony of the Zhuanghang Fuyang Festival. It also hosted a crossover tasting event of the Intangible Cultural Heritage on the Tip of the Tongue series, integrating Chinese baijiu culture with local folk customs.

Xinhua - China Daily