China's property, stock markets see prominent improvement, transactions: official

China's property and stock markets made positive progresses in November, driven by the sustained effects of a series of incremental measures, said an official with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) at a press conference in Beijing on Monday.

Chinese authorities pledged in late September to reverse the property market downturn and stabilize the sector. Since then, the country has rolled out a slew of measures to prop up the market, including cutting mortgage rates, lowering down payment ratios and relaxing purchase restrictions.

In terms of the capital market, China has made headway in the utilization of its first monetary policy tool -- the Securities, Funds and Insurance companies Swap Facility (SFISF) program, to support market development.

With an initial scale of 500 billion yuan (about 70.04 billion U.S. dollars), the SFISF program allows eligible companies to use their less liquid assets as collateral in exchange for highly liquid assets such as treasury bonds and central bank bills. Through this tool, they can secure funds from the market for investment in the stock market.

"Driven by policies aimed at stabilizing the property market and boosting the capital market, notable improvements were observed in these sectors in October. Positive factors continued to accumulate in November, posting upbeat market transactions. In November, both the sales area and sales revenue of newly built commercial housing showed positive growth. Major cities have seen prominent improvement in housing sales. Meanwhile, stock trading activities became more active, with the trading volume and turnover value on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges both increasing by approximately 1.1 times year on year," said Fu Linghui, spokesman of the NBS.

The decline in the prices of commercial residential homes in China's 70 large and medium-sized cities narrowed on a year-on-year basis in November, data from the NBS showed on Monday.

In the four first-tier cities -- Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen -- new home prices dropped 4.3 percent year on year, a decline narrowing 0.3 percentage points from October.

Notably, Shanghai, China's economic hub, saw a 5 percent increase in new home prices last month, the NBS said.

China's property, stock markets see prominent improvement, transactions: official

China's property, stock markets see prominent improvement, transactions: official

China's property, stock markets see prominent improvement, transactions: official

China's property, stock markets see prominent improvement, transactions: official

The U.S. military strike against Venezuela and capture of its president, Nicolas Maduro, has shocked the international community, triggering a steady stream of condemnation and serious concerns worldwide.

Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay and Spain issued a joint statement on Sunday, expressing serious concern about and firm opposition to the U.S. unilateral military operations in Venezuela.

The U.S. actions contravene fundamental principles of international law, particularly the prohibition on the use or threat of force, and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States, as enshrined in the UN Charter, constituting an extremely dangerous precedent against peace and regional security, according to the statement.

In expressing profound concern and firm rejection, the six countries stressed in the statement that the situation in Venezuela must be resolved exclusively by peaceful means, and through dialogue, negotiation and respect for the will of the Venezuelan people in all its expressions, without external interference and in accordance with international law.

Only an inclusive political process, led by Venezuelans, can lead to a democratic, sustainable solution that respects human dignity, according to the statement.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez condemned the U.S. raid in Venezuela as a violation of international law, adding that the Spanish government always advocates and defends international law and peaceful resolution of conflicts.

Addressing a meeting of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez demanded the unconditional and immediate release of Maduro and his wife.

Noting that Latin America and the Caribbean are a zone of peace, he expressed his firm opposition to the use of force, which is an unshakable principle.

Any aggression against Venezuela shall be regarded as an attack against all CELAC member states, and nations must collectively oppose it, he stressed.

The South African government denounced the U.S. attack on Venezuela as a violation of international law, according to a statement released on Sunday.

History has repeatedly demonstrated that military invasions against sovereign states yield only instability and deepening crisis, the statement said.

South Africa calls on the UN Security Council to urgently convene a session to address this situation, according to the statement.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said what happened in Venezuela demonstrates that international law and the UN Charter are losing their practical effectiveness.

U.S. military action against Venezuela marks a dangerous precedent, as similar actions could be taken against any other nations, he said.

In addition, the foreign ministries of Namibia, Singapore, Oman and Pakistan also issued statements on the same day, expressing grave concern over U.S. interference in Venezuela's internal affairs.

They emphasized the need to uphold international law and the principles of the UN Charter while respecting Venezuela's sovereignty.

They also called on all parties to exercise restraint and resolve the crisis through peaceful dialogue.

U.S. move against Venezuela sparks condemnation, concerns worldwide