China makes progresses in high-quality development in H1

China has made significant strides in high-quality development, with domestic consumption and foreign trade maintaining stable growth, according to the Ministry of Commerce on Friday.

Speaking at a press conference in Beijing, Li Yongjie, Deputy International Trade Representative of the Ministry of Commerce, outlined the progress in four areas -- domestic consumption, foreign trade, foreign investment, and international economic and trade cooperation.

In terms of domestic consumption, Li highlighted the effectiveness of trade-in policies and the growth in service consumption.

"In the first half of 2024, total retail sales of consumer goods reached 23.6 trillion yuan (about 3.26 trillion U.S. dollars), marking a 3.7 percent increase year on year. As of 9:00 on Friday, the number of applications for subsidies for the scrapping and renewal of old cars had topped 450,000, and the retail volume of New Energy Vehicles (NEVs) increased by 33.1 percent year on year. Besides, the service consumption sector saw relatively rapid growth in the first half of the year, with retail sales and income from catering registering 7.5 percent and 7.9 percent increase year on year respectively," Li said.

Li noted that new drivers in foreign trade have been cultivated at a fast pace.

"In the first half of the year, the imports and exports of goods reached 21.2 trillion yuan (about 2.93 trillion U.S. dollars), a 6.1 percent increase year on year. The imports and exports of services reached 3.6 trillion yuan (about 500 billion U.S. dollars), a 14 percent increase year on year. Together, the imports and exports of goods and services contributed 13.9 percent to economic growth in the first half of 2024. New drivers in foreign trade have been nurtured rapidly. In the six-month period, exports of cross-border e-commerce maintained fast growth, with the export of advantageous products such as vessels and vehicles witnessing relatively high growth. The results of a research by the Ministry of Commerce on 16,000 major foreign-invested operators show that over 70 percent have projected growth for the whole year," she said.

Li also highlighted significant strides in foreign investment and international economic and trade cooperation.

"In the first half of this year, 27,000 new foreign-invested companies were established, with actual use of foreign investment totaling 498.9 billion yuan (about 68.99 billion U.S. dollars). The structure of investment attracted into China has kept improving, with foreign investment in high-tech manufacturing increasing by 2.4 percentage points compared to the same period of last year. Foreign investment cooperation also saw significant growth. Direct investment in the foreign non-financial sector reached 516 billion yuan (about 71.35 billion U.S. dollars), a 19.5 percent increase year on year, while the turnover of foreign contract engineering reached 513.3 billion yuan (about 70.98 billion U.S. dollars), marking a 4.7 percent increase over the same period of last year," Li said.

China makes progresses in high-quality development in H1

Israel bombed a school housing displaced Palestinians in Gaza Strip on Wednesday, killing at least 18 people including staff members with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and wounding dozens of the displaced seeking shelter there.

UNRWA has confirmed that six of its staff were killed in two airstrikes on the Al-Jaouni School in Central Gaza's Al Nuseirat refugee camp, including the shelter's manager.

UNRWA said the deaths mark the highest number of its staff killed in a single incident over the past 11 months.

In a statement on Thursday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the fatal attack on the school housing refugees, and called the lack of civilian protection in Gaza "unconscionable".

He also said the lack of accountability for Israel's killing of UN staff and humanitarian workers in Gaza is completely unacceptable.

Meanwhile, an Israeli government spokesperson said the attack was legitimate, accusing Hamas of using the school as a command and control center.

Hamdi Ali, the father of one of the children who died in the Israeli bombing, shared the hardships they've lived through. But despite everything, he said he will remain in the school because there is no safe place to go.

"We are peaceful civilians. We were displaced to this school in search of safety and reassurance. I lost my son Obaida in the bombing, and I don't know who else I’ll lose next time. Maybe I'll lose my wife, the rest of my children, or even myself. I could be one of the next victims, or any of the other displaced people here in the school," said the father.

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, dozens of people injured in the attack on the school have been sent to Shuhada Al-Aqsa Hospita, among whom a large number are women and children.

"We were surprised by a missile that penetrated three floors and hit the place where we were. Half of the floor collapsed and my sister fell down. My other sister and I were injured by missile shrapnel and were trapped under the rubble. One of my sisters had a broken arm, and the other had injuries on her head and back," said Lubna Jalo, a witness of the airstrike.

The Al-Jaouni School shelters about 12,000 displaced Palestinians, with most of them being women and children. It is run by UNRWA and has been bombed five times since the beginning of the ongoing war.

Israel has been conducting a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct. 7, 2023, during which Hamas militants killed 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages.

The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip had risen to 41,084, Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement on Wednesday.

Israeli airstrike on Gaza school kills UN staff, displaced Palestinians