A local resident demonstrates traditional horse racing during a celebration marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture， Qinghai Province， on August 4.
　　Established in December 1951， Yushu is the first ethnic minority autonomous prefecture in Qinghai and the second nationwide. It is tucked away in the interior of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and is home to Sanjiangyuan， which is the source of the Yangtze， Yellow and Lancang rivers. Hoh Xil， another drawing card of Yushu， was inscribed as the first World Natural Heritage Site on the plateau in 2017.

Pepper Harvest

Farmers package chili peppers in a township in Ordos， Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region， on August 3. The city has been planting chili peppers on a large scale in recent years to increase farmers’ income and promote rural vitalization.

Teacher Training

About 10，000 normal college students will receive targeted training annually from 2021 onward in a bid to improve the performance of primary and middle school teachers in underdeveloped areas in central and western regions， according to a recent plan， Xinhua News Agency reported on August 3.
　　Normal colleges and universities in China mainly train teachers for educational institutions.
　　The special training will be delivered by normal universities under the Ministry of Education（MOE） and local-level normal colleges for schools in counties that have in recent years eliminated poverty and those located along the land borders， says the plan released by nine departments， including the MOE and the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.
　　Six normal universities directly under the MOE will enroll students from central and western regions for the nationallevel training program. These students should pledge to return to serve in primary and middle schools in designated counties for a period of at least six years， the plan says.
　　Students enrolled in the plan will be exempt from tuition and accommodation fees and will receive living subsidies.

Fan Culture

China has made progress in creating a wholesome fan culture after special actions targeting illegal and improper acts in the world of entertainment fandom， Xinhua reported on August 2.
　　The country’s cyberspace watchdog has removed over 150，000 pieces of harmful information from online platforms and chat groups amid efforts to create a clean online environment for star-struck web users， said the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission. 　　These efforts， in the spirit of mutual respect and win-win cooperation， should help create positive expectations for policies and foster a sound institutional environment for the market， according to the CSRC.
　　A CSRC spokesperson made the remarks when commenting on the recent statement of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission requiring Chinese companies seeking U.S. listings to disclose more information.
　　The purpose of the ongoing regulation of certain industries by Chinese authorities is to ensure both development and security and promote the sustained development of market entities， the spokesperson stressed.
　　The CSRC will keep in close touch with the relevant authorities when drafting regulations and step up coordination between investors， enterprises and regulators to further improve the transparency and predictability of policy measures， the spokesperson said， adding that China has always been open to enterprises’ choice of listing places and supported firms in choosing both domestic and international markets in accordance with laws and regulations.

Top Firms

A total of 143 Chinese companies made it onto the Fortune Global 500 list this year， surpassing runner-up United States for the second consecutive year.
　　China had 133 firms on the list in 2020.
　　The State Grid Corp. of China（SGCC） moved up to the second this year， ranking only behind U.S. retail giant Walmart.
　　China National Petroleum Corp. （CNPC）， the country’s largest oil and gas producer， and China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. （Sinopec Corp.）， the country’s largest oil refiner， grabbed the fourth and fifth place， respectively.
　　This year， the Chinese newcomers include more private companies， as well as those operating in the Internet， medicine and manufacturing industries. Their arrival demonstrates how the optimization of China’s economic structure is in a virtuous cycle， and the country’s high-quality development has taken solid steps forward， Pan Helin， an expert in economics at the Zhongnan University of Economics and Law， said.

Throughput Growth

Cargo and container throughput at China’s ports registered robust expansion in the first half （H1） of the year as the country strives to increase its shipping space and container supply， according to the Ministry of Transport.
　　The ports handled 7.64 billion tons of cargo， up 13.2 percent year on year， and an increase of 13.9 percent from the same period in 2019， Sun Wenjian， a spokesperson for the ministry， said. 　　The container throughput rose 15 percent year on year to 140 million twenty-foot equivalent units （TEUs） in the period， an expansion of 8.8 percent from the H1 in 2019， Sun said.
　　The Chinese Government has coordinated with container manufacturers to increase output. Currently， monthly production capacity has reached a record high of more than 500，000 TEUs.
　　In June， the shortage of empty containers in China’s major ports stood at 1.4 percent， down 12.2 percentage points from the beginning of the year， Sun said.

Sodium-Ion Battery

Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. （CATL）， China’s leading automotive lithium-ion battery maker， unveiled its first-generation sodium-ion battery on July 29.
　　The energy density of the battery can go up to 160 Wh/kg， and it can charge to 80 percent in 15 minutes at room temperature， Robin Zeng， Chairman of CATL， said at an online event.
　　The battery has the advantages of high-energy density， fast-charging， excellent thermal stability， great low-temperature performance and high-integration efficiency， Zeng said.
　　Huang Qisen， deputy head of CATL’s research institute， said the battery performs well in energy storage and various transportation electrification scenarios， especially in regions with extremely low temperatures.

Export Tariffs

Starting August 1， China raised export tariffs on ferrochrome and high-purity pig iron to 40 percent and 20 percent， respectively.
　　Previous rates stood at 20 percent and 15 percent since May 1.
　　The decision is aimed at pushing forward industrial upgrading and high-quality development of the steel sector， according to a circular issued by the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council.
　　Export tax rebates on 23 types of steel products were also scraped on August 1.
　　The specific execution time will depend on the export dates indicated in the declaration form for export goods， according to an online statement by the Ministry of Finance. The moves come as China is intensifying efforts to transform its energy-consuming steel industry into one of greener and higher-quality growth. The country plans to cut the crude steel output to ensure it declines year on year in 2021.
　　In 2020， crude steel output rose by 5.2 percent year on year to exceed 1.05 billion tons， according to the China Iron and Steel Association.

ChiNext Milestone

The number of listed companies on the ChiNext stock market， China’s Nasdaq-style board for growth enterprises， exceeded 1，000 on August 4. 　　The figure represents 22.55 percent of the total number of listed companies on China’s A-share market.
　　The market value of listed companies on the ChiNext board has reached 13.55 trillion yuan （$2.1 trillion）， accounting for 15.86 percent of the total of the A-share market， and second only to the Nasdaq.
　　The Shenzhen-based ChiNext was established in 2009 with 28 listed companies. Over the past decade， ChiNext has seen a rapid expansion of listings， especially in the scientific and technological sectors.

Auto Exports

Shanghai exported 206，000 motor vehicles in the first half of 2021， up 165 percent from the same period last year， Shanghai Customs said on August 3.
　　Total value reached 20.64 billion yuan （$3.19 billion）， an increase of 190 percent. Both the volume and value of the exported vehicles reached a record high.
　　Electric vehicle exports stood at 60，000 units， improving 750 percent year on year and accounting for 34.3 percent of the country’s total.

NUMBERS