ECONOMY/SOCIETY

Digital Economy Shows Great Vitality

As of December 2021, the national digital economy development index stood at 130.9, showing steady improvement in the digital economy, according to the National Digital Economy Development lndex 2021 released in July. China’s digital economy now ranks second in the world, and is expected to grow further in the 2021-2025 period.

Express Delivery Sector Sees Steady Growth in First Half

Data from the State Post Bureau shows that in the first half of the year, the volume of parcels delivered by express delivery is likely to exceed 50 billion, bringing in a revenue of nearly RMB 500 billion.

Despite the impact of the pandemic, the express delivery industry recovered rapidly after a temporary decline, achieving positive growth with a daily parcel volume of over 300 million deliveries, higher than that of the same period last year.

The launch of various promotional activities on e-commerce platforms also led to a rapid rebound in the express delivery business.

Meanwhile, with the ongoing trend of expanding express delivery services into rural villages, more agricultural produce is easily transported to cities, resulting in a steady increase in the number of express delivery packages for agricultural produce.

Overall, the central region contributed greatly to the growth of express delivery volume. In addition, the business volume of most provinces in the central region grew faster than the national average, becoming an important force driving the growth of the industry.

Sci-Tech Achievements Commercialization Contracts Valued at RMB 125.61 Billion

An annual report on the commercialization of China’s scientific and technological achievements was published recently, showing that 466,882 sci-tech commercialization contracts were signed at 3,554 colleges and universities nationwide in 2020, with a total value of RMB 125.61 billion. Of these, 261 colleges and universities boast a contract value of over RMB 100 million.

Over 40 percent of the scitech commercialization flows to the manufacturing sector, and over 60 percent to medium-sized, small, and micro enterprises.

RMB 1.3 Trillion Big Data lndustry

China’s efforts to accelerate the development of its information infrastructure, carry out industrial demonstrations and applications, and build industrial clusters have gradually born fruit. lt is estimated that the scale of China’s big data industry reached RMB 1.3 trillion in 2021, which means the industry is gradually entering the stage of high-quality development.

Measures Taken to Spur Automobile Sales

The Ministry of Commerce and 16 other government departments have come up with a number of measures, including support for the purchase of new energy and second-hand vehicles, to invigorate automobile circulation and boost auto consumption in China.

In support of the purchase of new energy vehicles, the sales and use of them in rural areas are greatly encouraged, while charging pile enterprises are being motivated to reduce service fee charges.

In addition, efforts will be made to further bolster the used car market. A combination of economic and technological means will be adopted to promote the recycling of scrapped vehicles, and trade-in of old vehicles for new ones.

Chinese Are Getting Married Later

The average age for people to get married for the first time in China rose from 24.89 to 28.67 years old between 2010 and 2020, with the age for men rising from 25.75 to 29.38 and that of women rising from 24 to 27.95. This means an increase of 3.63 years for men and 3.95 years for women during the decade. Meanwhile, the annual number of people starting their first marriage is falling, from 22 million in 2010 to 12.89 million in 2020.

These changes can be attributed to such factors as more education, higher costs of marriage life, greater competition in the job market, and changing attitudes toward love and family, said Feng Wenmeng, a researcher with the Institute of Public Administration and Human Resources under the Development Research Center of the State Council.

Sci-Tech Workforce ls Younger, More Balanced

According to a report of the National Academy of lnnovation Strategy, people working in China’s science and technology sector numbered112.34 millionat the end of 2020, the largest in the world. Out of that number, peopleaged 39and younger accounted for78.39 percent,compared with9.94 percentof thoseabove the age of 50. The share of women had been increasing steadily from about33 percentin 2005 to40.1 percentin 2019. They are also better educated.

RMB 30.88 Trillion Operating Revenue for sOEs

China’s state-owned enterprises (SOEs) reported increased revenue but decreased profits during the first five months of 2022, due to a high comparison base last year and the impact of the pandemic, data from the Ministry of Finance showed. The SOEs earned RMB 30.88 trillion in operating revenue in the January-May period, 9.2 percent higher than the same period of last year.

Controlling and Cashing on Sand

Over the past decade, China has successfully controlled the desertification in 18.8 million hectares of its territory, reducing the total area of desertified land by 4.33 million hectares. Meanwhile, China has established 41 pilot zones for desertification prevention and control and 128 desert or hamada parks. During the past five years, the total number of days in which sand storms occurred decreased by 31 percent from the 2006-2010 period.

On the basis of environmental preservation and management, China has developed tourism and the sand economy, promoting the planting of forage grasses, herbal plants and fruit trees, and increased the use of wind, solar, and biomass energy. Desertified areas are the source of 48 million tons of fresh and dried fruits every year, accounting for a quarter of the national total and valued at RMB 120 billion.

Medical Insurance Coverage Expanding

Since 2012, China has been establishing unified, more equitable systems of basic medical insurance and serious disease insurance for rural and non-working urban residents. Supplemented by commercial insurance, medical insurance can now better meet the diverse needs of the public for health care.

Over the past decade, the number of people covered by the basic medical insurance has increased from 540 million to 1.36 billion; the reimbursement rate has seen a steady growth; and government subsidies have risen from RMB 240 to 610 per person. As much as 80 percent of inpatient medical treatment costs is covered by the urban employees’ medical insurance and 70 percent by the urban residents’ medical insurance.

Medical insurance also plays a key role in fighting poverty. Between 2018 and 2020, 230 million more registered poor people were insured, and RMB 360 billion was paid to cover the medical expenditures of this group.