Skip to Content Facebook Feature Image

China to use ultra-long special treasury bond funds to support key works in 2025

China

China

China

China to use ultra-long special treasury bond funds to support key works in 2025

2025-01-03 16:05 Last Updated At:01-04 03:47

China will increase the issuance of ultra-long special treasury bonds in 2025 to support large-scale equipment upgrades, consumer goods trade-in programs, and the implementation of major projects, an official from the country's top economic planner said Friday.

Yuan Da, deputy secretary-general of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), announced the plans at a press briefing in Beijing and said further fiscal stimulus measures would be taken in order to implement major national strategies, build security capacity in key areas, and expand large-scale equipment upgrades and consumer goods trade-in programs.

"This year, we will increase the issuance of ultra-long special treasury bonds to more vigorously support the implementation of major national strategies and building of security capacity in key areas. Firstly, we will put more efforts into construction. We will continue supporting key tasks like the green development and the ecological and the environmental protection of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, the construction of the new western land-sea corridor, building public service systems for eligible people who move from rural to urban areas, and enhancing the quality of higher education," he said.

"Secondly, we will focus on both the implementation of projects and the improvement of mechanism. We will continue implementing projects in parallel with making related reforms, speed up the promotion of innovation in systems, mechanisms and policy making. Continuous efforts will also be made to improve the funding mechanism so as to enhance the overall investment efficiency. Thirdly, we will accelerate our work. Last year, we issued a project list that will be supported by 100 billion yuan (about 14 billion U.S. dollars) in ultra-long special treasury bond funds this year and will soon issue another project list so that tangible results will be made as soon as possible," added Yuan.

The official also noted that further efforts will be made to boost consumer goods trade-in programs, which are seen as part of China's efforts to boost domestic demand and support economic growth, while more steps will be made to enable large-scale equipment upgrades, review subsidies, and streamline approval procedures to help benefit businesses.

"This year, we will significantly increase the ultra-long special treasury bond funds to scale up the implementation of the large-scale equipment upgrades and consumer goods trade-in programs. Firstly, we will expand the upgrades and the programs, equipment used in the fields like electronic information, safe production, and industrialized agriculture will be encompassed into the equipment upgrades. Secondly, we will raise the subsidy standards. The subsidy standards for the renewal of new energy city buses and power cells as well as the renewal of agricultural machinery will be raised. We will also increase support for the trade-in program of home furnishing consumer goods. Thirdly, we will streamline the approval procedures of equipment upgrades so as to provide more convenience to the business entities who have such needs," said Yuan.

China to use ultra-long special treasury bond funds to support key works in 2025

China to use ultra-long special treasury bond funds to support key works in 2025

China to use ultra-long special treasury bond funds to support key works in 2025

China to use ultra-long special treasury bond funds to support key works in 2025

A criminal complaint was filed against Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Thursday, alleging that she has received a political donation from a company that exceeded the legal maximum.

The complaint, sent by Hiroshi Kamiwaki, a constitutional law professor at Kobe Gakuin University, said a local chapter of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in Nara Prefecture, represented by Takaichi, received in August 2024 a 10 million yen (about 64,400 U.S. dollars) donation, above a 7.5 million yen limit stipulated in the political funds control law for a donor of that size.

Similarly, an LDP chapter in Kanagawa Prefecture led by Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi was the recipient of a 10 million yen donation from another firm, also surpassing the 7.5 million yen cap. Kamiwaki has separately filed a complaint on Wednesday over the violation. The cases add to the ruling LDP's slush fund scandal, first revealed in 2023, in which some party factions of the LDP allegedly instructed member lawmakers to sell political fundraising party tickets beyond their assigned quotas without recording the amount as revenue in its political fund reports, and then funneled the surplus back to lawmakers as kickbacks, creating off-the-books funds.

Among the senior officials Takaichi appointed after taking office in October, seven have been linked to the LDP's slush fund scandal. Critics said her ambiguous stance on the scandal suggests limited willingness to push for fundamental reform.

Japanese PM faces complaint over illegally accepting corporate donations

Japanese PM faces complaint over illegally accepting corporate donations

Recommended Articles