Chinese authorities on Monday unveiled a plan to keep the country's machinery industry growing steadily in 2025-2026.
China expects the industry's operating revenue to reach 10 trillion yuan (about 1.4 trillion U.S. dollars) from 2025 to 2026, according to the plan jointly issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and five other government departments.
The growth target would translate into an average annual increase of over 3.5 percent in operating revenue.
The plan mainly focuses on 14 aspects, including major technological transformation of manufacturing, large-scale equipment renewal projects, digital transformation and upgrading actions, technological breakthrough in industrial mother-machines, robots, and intelligent inspection equipment, as well as the research and development of general-purpose large models and large models for the machinery industry.
Efforts will be made to foster a number of specialty industrial clusters of competitive small and medium-sized enterprises and industrial clusters with international competitiveness, implement tax preferential policies well and strengthen financial support for equipment enterprises.
China unveils plan to promote stable growth of machinery industry
The organizing committee of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games has unveiled the titles, creative visions, and first talents of the opening and closing ceremonies, as Thursday marked 50 days before the event officially gets underway.
Scheduled from March 6 to 15 across multiple Italian cities, the Games will bring together 665 athletes from 50 countries and regions to compete for 79 gold medals across six sporting disciplines.
The opening ceremony, titled "Life in Motion," will be staged at the historic Arena di Verona, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, presenting a tribute to change and transformation that seeks to redefine disability through a new harmony between people and the environment.
"I paid close attention to the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics, which I consider one of the three or four most beautiful in the history of Olympic ceremonies. This time at the ancient Arena di Verona, we will place greater emphasis on showcasing the human element," the ceremonies' artistic director Alfredo Accatino told a Chinese reporter at the event.
The closing ceremony, themed "Italian Souvenir," will be held on March 15 at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium, guiding athletes, volunteers, and fans through a journey that captures the emotions and memories of the Games after days of competition and achievement.
Craig Spence, the International Paralympic Committee's Chief Brand and Communications Officer, believes that Italy will deliver "the best Paralympic Games" following the benchmark set by the Beijing Winter Paralympics in 2022.
"I think what China did in Beijing has really set the benchmark for all future teams competing in the Paralympic Winter Games in terms of performance. That's why I think Milano-Cortina will be the best Paralympic Games we've ever seen for sports," he said.
Milano-Cortina Paralympics reveal opening, closing themes as Games draw near
