China's top economic planner said on Friday that another 69 billion yuan (about 9.65 billion U.S. dollars) in ultra-long special treasury bond funds will be allocated in October to further support the country's consumer goods trade-in program.
The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) held a press conference in Beijing on Friday morning, at which officials briefed the media on the country's macroeconomic performance.
Jiang Yi, spokesman of the NDRC, said that this year's 800-billion-yuan funds for supporting the projects for implementing major national strategies and building up security capacity in key areas have been fully allocated, while the fourth batch of ultra-long special treasury bond funds to further support the country's consumer goods trade-in program will be released as scheduled in October.
"This year's third batch of 69 billion yuan of ultra-long special treasury bond funds has been allocated to support the consumer good trade-in program, and the fourth batch, also amounting to 69 billion yuan, is scheduled to be disbursed in October, which will complete the annual allocation plan of 300 billion yuan," said Jiang.
The NDRC, together with the Ministry of Finance, has this year earmarked 300 billion yuan in such funds to back the program. The first two batches of these funds, totaling 162 billion yuan, were allocated in January and April, respectively.
The economic performance in the first half of the year demonstrated strong resilience, with domestic demand contributing 68.8 percent to GDP growth and continuing to serve as a driving force for expansion, NDRC official Zhou Chen told the press conference.
The NDRC said that it will further strengthen the regulation of product quality and prices, prevent risks such as raising prices first and then providing subsidies, and fraudulently obtaining subsidies, so as to ensure the proper implementation of relevant policies.
Meanwhile, the authorities will also gradually introduce and implement measures to stabilize employment and maintain overall economic stability.
"Efforts will be made to continuously improve our toolkit to stabilize employment and expand domestic demand. This includes timely adjustments based on changes in the external environment and coordinating policies and work between this year and the next year. The emphasis will be put on stabilizing employment and supporting enterprises, while maintaining market and expectations stable, so as to achieve an optimized mix of reasonably recovered prices, stable social employment and economic growth," said Zhou Chen, director of the Department of Comprehensive System Reform of the NDRC.
China to allocate more funds in October to further support trade-in program
The three astronauts of China's recently-returned Shenzhou-20 mission on Friday shared the experiences of their dramatic 204-day space mission, including detailing the emergency procedures which were implemented to bring them safely home after their return capsule was struck by space debris.
The trio -- Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie -- met with the press in Beijing on Friday afternoon, marking their first public appearance since returning to Earth in November.
When detailing the emergency response mechanisms which were enacted prior to their scheduled return, the astronauts explained that upon discovering a triangular crack on the spacecraft's viewport window, they immediately took photos for documentation and transmitted them to the ground team, who swiftly activated an emergency plan to get the trio home safely.
Experienced mission commander Chen Dong explained how the crew had complete faith in their colleagues on the ground to find a solution to these unforeseen circumstances which led to their return being delayed.
"First, we must trust the ground team, who would anticipate everything and develop the safest return plan for us. Second, we must believe in ourselves; as well-trained astronauts, we have the ability to manage various unexpected failures. I believe that with the collaboration of astronauts and researchers on the ground, our space home will surely go farther, more steadily, and for a longer time," he said.
Following their extended stay in space as a result of the debris incident, the Shenzhou-20 crew spent a total 204 days in orbit, setting a new record for the longest duration by a single group of Chinese astronauts.
During their mission, they completed multiple payload operations, conducted extensive scientific experiments, and carried out four extravehicular activities.
"Our crew worked together with the ground team in unity and coordination, completing four extravehicular activities, several payload entry and exit tasks, and a large number of scientific experiments. It was a fulfilling yet challenging mission. The path to exploring the heavens is long and arduous, but I firmly believe that China's space missions will succeed," said Chen Zhongrui, a former air force pilot who was making his first spaceflight during the mission.
"From the ground to space, from learning to application, I have deeply felt the solid progress of Chinese space endeavors and the quiet dedication of countless personnel behind the scenes. In the future, I will accomplish each mission with full commitment, living up to the trust of the motherland and the people," said fellow astronaut Wang Jie, who was also making his debut spaceflight.
After returning to Earth on Nov 14, the trio successfully completed their isolation recovery and rehabilitation and will now resume normal training following health assessments.
The crew's return, originally scheduled for Nov 5, was postponed due to safety concerns, with the astronauts later using the return capsule belonging to their successor crew of the Shenzhou-21 mission to get back to Earth. China later launched the unmanned Shenzhou-22 spacecraft which will serve the future return of the crew now aboard the Tiangong Space Station.
Shenzhou-20 astronauts share experiences after safely returning from debris incident
