China's general public budget revenue edged down 0.3 percent year on year to 9.66 trillion yuan (about 1.35 trillion U.S. dollars) in the first five months of the year, according to data from the Ministry of Finance released on Friday.
From January to May, the national tax revenue was over 7.91 trillion yuan, down 1.6 percent year on year, according to the data.
Tax revenue from the manufacturing of rail, ship and aerospace equipment increased by 28.8 percent from a year ago, while that from the manufacturing of computer and communication equipment grew by 11.9 percent year on year.
In the service sector, China saw a 7.8 percent year-on-year increase in tax revenue from the culture, sports, and entertainment industries from January to May, driven by the expanded scope of trade-ins for consumer goods.
Tax revenue from information transmission, software and information technology services grew by 10 percent over the same period of last year, while scientific research and technical services' tax contributions jumped by 12.7 percent.
China's fiscal expenditure expanded 4.2 percent year on year to near 11.3 trillion yuan in the first five months.
Spending on social security and employment topped 2 trillion yuan, up 9.2 percent year on year. Spending on education came in at approximately 1.75 trillion yuan, up 6.7 percent year on year. And science and technology expenditure exceeded 360.9 billion yuan, a 6.5 percent year-on-year increase.
China's general public budget revenue down 0.3 pct in first 5 months
Officials from the European Union (EU) and Finland have voiced concerns after the White House said it has been discussing "a range of options" to acquire Greenland, including the use of the military.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told a press briefing in Cairo on Thursday that the message from the U.S. is "extremely concerning," and "not really helping the stability of the world."
Kallas called on all parties to stick to international law, adding that relevant response measures has been discussed among EU members.
"The international law is very clear, and we have to stick to it. It is clear that it is the only thing that protects smaller countries, and that is why it is in the interest of all of us. And we discussed this today, as well, that we uphold the international law on all levels," she said.
Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen on Thursday described recent remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump and members of his administration on Greenland as "worrying," while reiterating Finland's support for Denmark and Greenland's right to self-determination.
"Finland and the other Nordic countries have exceptional expertise in Arctic conditions, and we are happy to make use of that together with our North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies to strengthen Arctic security, but it cannot be done by threatening allies," she said at a press conference at Finnish parliament after an extraordinary meeting of the parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee.
Johannes Koskinen, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said it was "unprecedented" for threats of violence to be made within NATO against another member in connection with seizing territory, adding that such threats run counter to the United Nations Charter and that their inconsistency with international law should be underscored at all levels.
EU, Finnish officials express concerns over US remarks on Greenland
