China will double down on its focus to ensure employment opportunities for young people, as the challenge of providing sufficient jobs, especially for the youth, persists, said Liu Aihua, a spokeswoman of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), on Thursday in Beijing.
Liu made the remarks at a press briefing releasing the economic performance in July.
Data showed that the country's urban surveyed unemployment rate in July was 5.2 percent, 0.2 percentage points higher than that of June.
The urban surveyed unemployment rate in 31 major cities was 5.3 percent, 0.4 percentage points higher than that of the previous month, according to data.
Liu attributed what she called "seasonal rise" in urban unemployment primarily to the nationwide graduation season, a period when new graduates flock to the job market.
"The primary reason for the increase is the influx of college graduates entering the labor market during the traditional graduation season. Meanwhile, we should note that the overall employment pressure remains, with both job seekers and employers facing difficulties. We need to continue prioritizing the employment of college graduates and other young groups, making greater efforts to promote high-quality employment," Liu said.
China vows to address youth employment
China vows to address youth employment
China vows to address youth employment
China vows to address youth employment
A high-level mediation team from the African Union (AU) Commission has been dispatched to Juba, capital of South Sudan, to try to ease the rising tensions between President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar, and help resolve the current political crisis in the country.
Riek Machar and several senior officials have been detained since clashes erupted in January between the South Sudan People's Defense Forces and the opposition fighters.
Machar was accused of instigating violence in Nasir in the northern part of the country.
The mediation team says it plans to engage Machar, but that meeting is yet to take place.
The AU is urging South Sudanese political leaders to resolve the current disagreement through dialogue.
Machar heads the largest opposition group that has an armed wing in the country, known as SPLM/A-IO.
South Sudan's government says it's still investigating Machar for being allegedly involved in clashes between government troops and armed civilians affiliated to SPLM/A-IO in Nasir.
"The mandate of the RTGoNU (the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity) is simple; that we stop war, we form a revitalized government of national unity so that we return security, sustainable peace in the country," said Martin Elia Lomuro, South Sudan's Minister of Cabinet Affairs.
Meanwhile, Machar's party members are calling on president Kiir to order the release of their leader.
The group argues that the arrest of Machar means the 2018 peace deal which ended five years of violence in the country has partially collapsed.
The government reaffirms its commitment to the implementation of the 2018 peace deal.
It says Mr. Machar is in conflict with the law and that the implementation of the peace deal should not be used as cover to commit crime. However, until now, South Sudanese law enforcement agencies have not charged Machar with any offense in a court of law.
South Sudan, which became independent in 2011, signed a peace deal in 2018 that ended a civil war between forces loyal to Kiir and Machar. Nearly 400,000 people died in the civil war.
Relations between Kiir and Machar, who have dominated South Sudan's politics for decades, remain strained. The clashes and latest political tensions between the two leaders have unsettled many citizens and the international community.
AU dispatches Panel of Wise to address ongoing instability in South Sudan
