China unveils action plan to foster leading enterprises, hub cities for "digital-intelligent supply chain"

China is set to cultivate a batch of leading enterprises and hub cities for "digital-intelligent supply chain", according to a special action plan released on Wednesday.

The action plan was jointly released by eight departments, including the Ministry of Commerce and the National Development and Reform Commission.

The plan clearly indicates that efforts will be made to accelerate the construction of a "digital-intelligent supply chain" in key fields including agriculture, manufacturing, and the wholesale and retail industries.

Additional efforts will also be made to help lower the logistics costs across the society, according to the action plan.

Supports will also be given to help service providers on the agricultural product supply chain to build and grow a digital and smart commodity market.

A batch of smart factories and supply chains will be established and a special campaign to empower new industrialization with artificial intelligence technology will be launched.

Coordination will be strengthened along the supply chains in the wholesale industry to provide comprehensive services to clients and industrial clusters, like raw material procurement, warehousing and logistics.

Retailers are encouraged to collect information with digital and smart technologies, so that they will send consumer data to brand owners and manufacturers in a timely manner, said the plan.

The plan also backs the use of advanced facilities and devices like smart warehouse and autonomous delivery vehicle to lower the logistics costs across the society.

By 2030, China's "digital-intelligent supply chain" will develop a construction model and a development model that are able to be replicated and scaled up nationwide. And the key industries and fields will have a highly embedded, smart, and efficient digital-intelligent supply chain system that is autonomous and controllable, according to the plan.

By the year 2030, China will have around 100 national leading enterprises in the field of digital-intelligent supply chain and the resilience and security of the country's supply chains will be further enhanced, said the plan.

China unveils action plan to foster leading enterprises, hub cities for "digital-intelligent supply chain"

Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez said on Sunday that the country is at a critical stage and must achieve national unity, emphasizing that maintaining internal cohesion is of utmost importance.

In a televised address, Rodriguez called on the public to continue trusting the government under the current highly complex political circumstances.

Her statement comes in the wake of a January 3 military operation conducted by the United States, during which Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were taken into custody and flown out of the country.

The operation resulted in at least 100 fatalities.

Rodriguez, who was sworn in as acting president two days later on January 5, framed her appeal for unity against this backdrop of external intervention.

Meanwhile, Venezuelan Minister of Communication and Information Freddy Nanez denounced the U.S. actions as a "war crime of the 21st century" when speaking at an international cultural event on Sunday.

Nanez condemned not only the January 3 airstrikes but also the associated cyber and electromagnetic attacks.

He accused the United States of violating international law through the forced removal of President Maduro and his wife, while attacks on civilian infrastructure, including medical facilities, represent a flagrant breach of humanitarian norms.

He reiterated that the stigmatization and military attacks against Venezuela are driven by economic interests, particularly the desire to control its abundant natural resources.

Venezuelan acting president calls for national unity amid complex situation