The new semester starts at Wuhan High School in Wuhan， capital of Hubei Province in central China， with a ceremony on September 1. After recovering from the novel coronavirus disease， the city saw its over 2，800 kindergartens and primary and secondary schools reopen that day to welcome about 1.4 million students.

Happy Celebrations

　　Equestrian performances are staged in Subei Mongolian Autonomous County in Gansu Province， northwest China， on August 29， to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the county.

Core Area

　　On August 30， a detailed plan for developing the capital’s core area by 2035 was unveiled by the Beijing Municipal Commission of Planning and Natural Resources， together with the government of Dongcheng and Xicheng districts.
　　The goal is to develop the core area of about 92.5 square km into one with a sound administrative environment， strong cultural appeal and ideal living conditions. It offers stronger protection to the cultural and historical heritage in China’s political center.
　　By 2035， the permanent population in the core area would be about 1.7 million.

Job Fairs

　　Beijing resumed on-site job fairs on September 1， following months of suspension due to the novel coronavirus disease （COVID-19） epidemic.
　　The return of on-site job fairs comes as the capital speeds up work resumption and brings its economy back on track.
　　Although the COVID-19 epidemic has waned in China， organizers of offl ine recruitment activities have to implement strict anti-virus measures， according to a circular released by the Beijing Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau.
　　A spokesperson of the bureau said the job fairs should be held in outdoor areas as far as possible. If indoor recruitment activities are unavoidable， the number of enterprises involved should be controlled.
　　Job seekers need to show their health codes， wear masks and maintain a distance of at least 1 meter when visiting company booths. This year， 8.74 million college students have graduated， up 400，000 from last year， hitting a record high. The colossal number means competition in the job market is now even fi ercer.

Northernmost FTZ

　　China’s northernmost pilot free trade zone （FTZ）， located in Heilongjiang Province in the northeast， had 4，200 enterprises by July， Xinhua News Agency reported on August 31. 　　The provincial department of commerce said by July， 148 projects with an investment of 183.86 billion yuan （$26.95 billion）， had been signed into the FTZ.
　　The Heilongjiang Pilot FTZ has three sub-areas， with one in the provincial capital of Harbin and the other two in the cities of Heihe and Suifenhe on the China-Russia border.
　　The FTZ， which was inaugurated in August last year， is promoting online services to attract companies to register， improving its business environment， and cutting costs for foreign trade enterprises.
　　The Heihe sub-area this year imported 390 million yuan （$57 million） of electricity from Russia， and the border trade volume in the Suifenhe sub-area reached 308 million yuan （$45 million）.
　　Six new pilot FTZs were established in August last year respectively in Shandong， Jiangsu， Guangxi， Hebei， Yunnan and Heilongjiang， bringing the total number of pilot FTZs in the country to 18 since the fi rst one opened in Shanghai in 2013.

Cross-Sea Bridge

　　Construction of a cross-sea bridge connecting coastal cities along the Beibu Gulf in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in south China began on August 31.
　　Located in the city of Qinzhou， the Longmen Bridge will stretch over roughly 7.6 km， with the main bridge measuring 1，198 meters. With a designed driving speed of 100 km per hour， the two-way six-lane bridge is scheduled to be completed in four years.
　　It will be the longest cross-sea bridge in Guangxi and is expected to become an important passage in the Beibu Gulf Economic Zone， promoting the development of the industries in the zone.
　　Commutes between three main cities along the Beibu Gulf—Beihai， Qinzhou and Fangchenggang—will be cut to one hour once the bridge opens.

Satellite Factory

　　Construction of an intelligent satellite factory began in Tangshan， Hebei Province in north China， on September 1， according to its owner Commsat， a Beijing-based private satellite Internet company.
　　Scheduled to start production early next year， the factory is expected to annually produce more than 100 satellites weighing over 100 kg each， Commsat said.
　　It is the country’s fi rst commercial space enterprise to develop and operate satellites over 100 kg.
　　“The satellite factory will be used not only for the fi nal assembly of satellites but also for research and development of satellite-related technologies and applications，”Peng Yuanyuan， co-founder and President of Commsat， said. 　　The factory will introduce intelligent equipment， such as automated guided vehicles， to ensure mass production of satellites weighing 50 to 500 kg at a low cost.
　　In April， the National Development and Reform Commission listed satellite Internet as new infrastructure. The construction of satellite factories is expected to improve the production capacity of domestic satellites and promote the development of satellite Internet.
　　The company is also planning to build a satellite payload factory in the city of Yibin in the southwestern province of Sichuan.

Walkers’ Paradise

　　Residents walk in a sports park in Chongqing， southwest China， on August 26. Transformed from an old stadium， the park has a performance area， a music zone， a sports zone and a children’s recreation area.

Epidemic Control

　　The Ministry of Transport has issued a circular urging cold chain logistics companies to strengthen employee protection， disinfect transportation equipment， and register information to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
　　Employees of logistics fi rms dealing with refrigerated containers or goods directly should wear protective gear such as masks and gloves throughout their work and have their temperature taken at least once before starting and before fi nishing work.
　　Cold chain logistics companies should disinfect ships， vehicles and other transportation equipment. Both the interiors and exteriors of cold chain vans should be disinfected before reloading goods.
　　The circular also said the fi rms should strictly check the customs declaration documents and inspection and quarantine certifi cates for imported cold chain foods， and disallow those without a clear source of purchase from transporting imported cold chain foods.
　　To support epidemic prevention and control in the sector， the transport authorities in the border provinces have been urged to implement an information registration system for road freight drivers.
　　The circular also stressed that the authorities should coordinate with health， customs and market supervision offi cials to establish a full-chain， traceable and integrated management system for the supply chain of cold chain logistics.

Food Expo

　　An international expo on food and catering will be held in Changsha， capital of Hunan Province in central China， from September 18 to 20， according to the provincial government. 　　The 18th China International Food and Catering Expo will have about 2，000 exhibitors， including those from the Republic of Korea and African countries. They will display specialty foods from around the world.
　　Anchors from online platforms such as Taobao， Douyin and Kuaishou will be invited to promote sales at the expo.
　　Chen Shuzhong， director of the exhibition work management offi ce of Changsha， said epidemic prevention and control measures will be implemented.
　　The event is to be jointly held by the Ministry of Commerce and the Hunan Provincial Government. Inaugurated in 2002 and formerly known as the China International Food and Catering Fair， the expo has become one of the best-known international festivals in the global food and catering industry.

Fashion’s Port of Call

　　Models showcase new designs at the 20th China （Qingdao） International Fashion Week in Qingdao， a coastal city in Shandong Province in east China， on August 31.

Complaint System

　　The Ministry of Commerce（MOFCOM） on August 31 issued the rules on handling complaints from foreign-invested enterprises， which will come into force on October 1 this year， to improve the foreign investment complaint system.
　　The rules consist of fi ve chapters and 33 articles， further refi ning the relevant requirements of the foreign investment law and its implementing regulations.
　　The interim rules of the MOFCOM on complaints of foreigninvested enterprises， which was published on September 1， 2006， shall be repealed simultaneously.
　　The new rules broaden the scope of complaints， making it clear that foreign-invested enterprises and foreign investors may apply to the complaint agencies for solutions to their legitimate rights and interests being infringed upon by administrative acts， or report problems to the complaint agencies in the investment environment， and suggest improvements in relevant policies and measures. Business associations can also report investment climate issues to complaint agencies.
　　The rules also improve the working mechanism for complaints， clarify the procedures， and strengthen the protection of rights and interests of foreign investors.
　　China put into effect the landmark foreign investment law on January 1， 2020， providing institutional protection for the interests of foreign investors.

Key Market

　　Singapore and Guangdong Province in south China will emerge from the novel coronavirus disease（COVID-19） pandemic stronger， and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area will remain a key market for Singapore companies， according to a joint statement released on August 31.
　　The 11th Singapore-Guangdong Collaboration Council （SGCC） meeting was held over video-conference in Singapore and Guangzhou， cochaired by Guangdong Governor Ma Xingrui and Singapore’s Minister of Transport Ong Ye Kung.
　　The two sides reaffi rmed the strength and resilience of economic ties and wide-ranging cooperation between Guangdong and Singapore， and the two co-chairs looked forward to enhancing multi-faceted cooperation between the two sides amid the epidemic.
　　They said in a joint statement that as the global economy faces challenges arising from the pandemic， both sides shall strengthen their cooperation and work together steadfastly to overcome the pandemic. Both sides shall forge ahead with business resumption， strengthen transport connectivity， and facilitate travel under the China-Singapore Fast Lane to promote greater exchange of people.
　　They said both sides shall continue to explore opportunities and new areas of post-COVID-19 growth， and continue to deepen SingaporeGuangdong collaboration for mutual growth and prosperity.
　　Singapore and Guangdong will strengthen cooperation by keeping economies open， enhancing business environment， and upholding supply chain connectivity， they added.

Noodle Exports

　　Workers pack rice noodles on the production line in an industrial park in Liuzhou， Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in south China， on August 30. Exports of rice noodles surged in the fi rst seven months of this year， with a total value of 15.35 million yuan （$2.24 million）.

Resource Tax

　　China’s resource tax law came into effect on September 1， aiming to promote the conservation of natural resources and intensify the protection of the ecological environment.
　　The new law， based on the provisional regulations on resource tax， introduces unifi ed tax items， clarifi es the authorization for determining tax rates， and standardizes tax reduction and exemption policies， said Bu Xiang， a senior offi cial with the State Taxation Administration.
　　It comprises 164 tax items that cover all discovered minerals and salts， and sets tax rates in categories in an effort to streamline tax declaration. 　　Under the law， tax authorities and related departments must establish cooperation mechanisms to enhance the management of levying the resource tax， while safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of taxpayers.

Shopping Potential

　　Shanghai is planning more proconsumption campaigns in the coming months to further boost market vitality as consumer demand， held back by COVID-19， rebounds.
　　The city saw its total retail sales of consumer goods expand by 5.9 percent year on year in July to 129.72 billion yuan （$19 billion）， according to the municipal commission of commerce.
　　More pro-consumption campaigns are expected to be unveiled from September to the Spring Festival in mid-February 2021， Liu Min， deputy director of the commission said， who also noted that the shopping festival held in May and June had helped to unleash pent-up demand.
　　The campaigns will promote retail sales during the upcoming China International Import Expo， as well as holidays and festivals such as the Singles’ Day （November 11） shopping carnival and the New Year holiday.
　　The extension project of the eastern stretch of the city’s Nanjing Road， one of the most famous commercial streets in China that features various shopping malls and branded stores， is also near completion.
　　Upon completion， consumers could shop all the way to the Bund， Shanghai’s landmark riverbank walk along the Huangpu River， Liu added.
　　The city will also launch a mo- bile app and upgrade recommended routes for shopping and travel in the city to provide a better experience for consumers.

E-Commerce Opportunities

　　Wang Yapeng and his mother present black corns via live-streaming at a cooperative in Pingshun County， Shanxi Province in north China， on August 20. Wang returned to his hometown to start his own business and took over the cooperative after college graduation. It has helped improve income of over 120 villagers.

Creating Jobs

　　China’s new profession of delivery personnel for online orders has played an important role in creating jobs and stabilizing employment， a report from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security showed.
　　In 2019， around 3.99 million delivery personnel for online orders registered with Meituan Dianping， a major online food delivery and ticketing services platform， up 23.3 percent year on year. The number further increased by 457，800 from late January to the end of March this year. 　　Flexible working hours are the biggest drawcard of this profession. Nearly 60 percent of the delivery personnel spend less than four hours per day on this job.
　　Delivery personnel for online orders receive and check customer orders through mobile Internet platforms and deliver orders to designated places within a certain period of time according to intelligently planned routes of the platforms， the report said.
　　Different from express delivery and warehousing logistics， delivery for online orders provides local point-to-point services in fi elds including restaurant takeout， grocery delivery， business-to-consumer retail and same-city express delivery.
　　The report also estimated that the demand for delivery personnel for online orders will reach around 30 million in the next fi ve years as online catering and retail businesses grow rapidly.

Service Trade

　　China saw increased trade in knowledge-intensive services during the fi rst seven months of this year， although its total services trade declined amid COVID-19 epidemic， MOFCOM said on September 1.
　　China’s total trade in services amounted to 2.62 trillion yuan（$382.4 billion） from January to July， down 15.2 percent year on year.
　　Service exports outperformed imports， with exports totaling 1.09 trillion yuan （$159 billion）， down 1.4 percent， and imports hitting 1.53 trillion yuan （$224 billion）， down 22.8 percent. This brought the defi cit in such trade down 49.4 percent to 448.77 billion yuan （$65 billion）， a year-on-year decrease of 438.35 billion yuan （$64 billion）.
　　China’s trade of knowledgeintensive services reached 1.15 trillion yuan （$168 billion） from January to July， up 8.9 percent year on year， accounting for 44 percent of the total services trade in January-July. The ratio is up 9.7 percentage points from the same period last year.
　　Of the total， the exports of knowledge-intensive services reached 610.3 billion yuan （$89.3 billion）， up 9.7 percent year on year. The imports of knowledge-intensive services totaled 541.04 billion yuan（$79.2 billion） in the fi rst seven months， up 8 percent year on year.
　　Imports of knowledge-intensive services registered rapid growth mainly in fi nancial services and telecommunication， computer and information services.

Intellectual Property

　　The Intellectual Property （IP） International Exchange of Hainan in Haikou， Hainan Province in south China， on August 29. The IP exchange started operation on August 28 in Hainan， as the latest measure to support the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port.