Bucking the global downward streak amid the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, China's luxury sales last year rose by a stunning 48 percent to around 350 billion yuan ($54 billion), buoyed by a consumption comeback as travelers were unable to shop overseas, a boost in online sales and duty-free policies in South China's Hainan Province, observers and industry reports said.

Bucking the global downward streak amid the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, China's luxury sales last year rose by a stunning 48 percent to about 350 billion yuan ($54 billion), buoyed by a consumption comeback as travelers were unable to shop overseas, a boost in online sales and duty-free policies in South China's Hainan Province, observers and industry reports said.

Imported cherry prices have sunk 20 percent resulting from an oversupply as exporters eye a rebound in Chinese consumption amid the COVID-19, industry insider said.

Steady Continued cooperation on regional integration between China and Myanmar gave a sharp contrast to India, which turned a blind eye toward such development trend and let go opportunties, a Chinese analyst said on Monday.

The Cyberspace Administration of China on Friday solicited public opinions on a draft law on measures for the administration of internet information services, aiming to further crack down on illegal activities such as rumor spreading about the pandemic with greater punishments.

Nearly a year after the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic began, more news about coming vaccines is emerging. Global demand for vaccine transportation will present a challenge to the existing global civil aviation capacity.

The sluggishly growing smartphone industry, both domestically and globally, was expected to bottom out in 2021, however, with the market further rocked by the spread of a global pandemic.

One six-story-high factory building in Dongguan, a manufacturing powerhouse in South China's Guangdong Province, sees China's industrial transformation firsthand.

After chairing the port customs for China-Europe freight train in "the world supermarket" Yiwu in East China's Zhejiang Province, Zhao Hengchao said this year's demand for cross-border freight trains was unprecedented, with the total freight volume between China and Europe growing nearly 105 percent year-on-year, a reflection of close relation between China and the countries along the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

A total of 641 firms listed on China's A-share market, as of Friday, released performance forecasts for 2020. More than 40 percent are predicting positive growth, despite the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to information released by Wind, a financial information database.

Ouster Inc, a U.S. startup that makes lidar sensors for self-driving cars and smart cities, said on Tuesday it has agreed to go public through a merger with special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Colonnade Acquisition Corp.

“These car models will be exported to the US, and products on that production line is exporting to Europe,” John Ng, a factory manager of Maisto, a car model manufacture in Dongguan, South China's Guangdong Province, told the Global Times from the company's factory.

A train fully loaded with goods gradually departs Yiwu West Station, the world's 'supermarket' Yiwu, East China's Zhejiang Province, and heading toward its final destination in Madrid, Spain, 13,000 kilometers away. This is the third train departing from the station in a day, while it used to be just once in a day or in days. Despite the global pandemic and disruptions, the China-Europe freight train, as the land envoy of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), has significantly bucked the trend and operated in full swing providing markets across the Eurasian continent much-needed goods and products, from preventative masks to home appliances from factories in South China to stores of countries along the route.

As the overseas pandemic situation remains grave, China faces increasing pressure to prevent imported cases. Particularly, recent reports of frozen pork, lamb, beef, shrimp and fish products testing positive for COVID-19 in over a dozen regions across China have raised widespread concerns over the risks of infection through cold chain trade due to its long supply chain and virus-friendly environment.

Chinese “'mystery box”' maker, Pop Mart, saw its share price pop more than 100 percent on its debut day on Friday, after its stocks started floating in the Hong Kong stock market, raising $676 million in its initial public offering (IPO).

A number of Chinese travel platforms, including Trip.com, Tongcheng-Elong and Qunar.com recently announced financial results showing higher booking numbers than 2019, several platforms even recorded their first quarterly profit since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Although the pandemic has not affected online orders of false eyelashes, whether domestic or overseas, the breakdown of cross-border transportation links and even the lockdown, sometimes of a whole country, have had some impact on the industry chain of false eyelash, a product used predominantly in Western countries for parties and other occasions. The most obvious change is that the easier production steps need to be transferred from overseas back to the home factory.

As the world is struck by the COVID-19 pandemic, industries have been suspended around the world, leaving many jobless. The deadly virus has hampered the BRI to an extent, but the initiative has not only been functioning well amid the ongoing crisis, but also played a significant role in the global anti-pandemic fight.

After foldable smartphones and dual-screen phone-tablets, what is the next bandwagon that could lead to an industrial revolution?

With the continuous spread of good news about COVID-19 vaccines, how to ensure its transportation has become a hot topic for the global cargo industry. Analysts believe that vaccine transportation will stimulate the aviation recovery, but questions remain about how to make the transportation safe.

Chinese experts and business representatives welcomed the positive signs from the Indian side after some Indian authorities are reportedly considering a plan to lift sanctions on foreign direct investment (FDI) from countries including China against the backdrop of the lowest ebb of bilateral relations in decades. However, given the fact that there are still many uncertain factors, further observation is needed.

Boeing is optimistic that travels between the US and China will rise once the COVID-19 pandemic is behind us. The virus is the main factor impacting the entire aviation industry around the world. Fortunately, the foundational growth drivers of the economy remain robust, and the company expects the industry to recover strongly in the coming years.

Despite fraught ties and an ongoing trade war between China and the US, American companies seem to have just reaped a bumper sales harvest during China's November shopping festivals that will cushion their virus-battered balance sheet, initial sales data provided by China's e-commerce giants showed on Wednesday.

New milestones in consumption have been set during this year's Double 11 (November 11), or Singles' Day, shopping festival - China's biggest online shopping spree, easily outpacing the volume of Amazon's mid-October Prime Day.

China is becoming increasingly prominent in the construction of new energy projects all over the world, largely promoted by the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Last month, the latest of these projects, the financing of a 100 megawatt (MW) wind power project in Kazakhstan, was signed between multiple Chinese and international companies and financial institutions.

Mozambique's debt to China is moderate, and the current repayment situation is generally normal and sustainable. In response to a study by the Centre for Public Integrity in Mozambique on "hidden debt," both diplomat and expert have said that a debt status reality check needs to be carried out whilst keeping development in mind.

During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, the Chinese port operator at Pakistan's southwest Port of Gwadar focused its attention on forest-planting, and has now successfully completed a friendship forest in a city situated in a desert climate, gifting the city its first ever green park.

China has made major achievements on its way to becoming a global power in air traffic with significant progress in the infrastructure sector.

During the 13th Five-Year Plan period, from 2016 to 2020, China has made great strides in improving the economy, people's livelihood and other fields.

Recent years have witnessed China-Bangladesh bilateral cooperation deepening, and China's Ambassador to Bangladesh believes the outlook for further cooperation is a promising one.

The 128th Canton Fair - formally known as the China Import and Export Fair - ended on Saturday after a successful online turnout, despite concerns over the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on trade shows.

The aviation industry is about to get the schedule for winter season from October 25, and mapping more domestic routes is obviously the choice for Chinese airlines as they try to save themselves from losses.

With China's biggest e-commerce gala, the Double Eleven (November 11), or the Single's Day, shopping spree approaching, international brands are seeing the shopping event as an important opportunity to boost their annual sales in one of the world's largest consumer markets.

On Tuesday, South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region will hold its second conference for overseas Chinese entrepreneurs, one of the first local business fairs to re-launch after the COVID-19 crisis, though it will remain online. Thanks to Guangxi's geographic location neighboring Southeast Asia, it will also bring much-needed opportunities for companies to expand their operations in the region.

Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide started his first overseas tour on Sunday since assuming office. During the four-day tour, Suga is scheduled to visit Vietnam and Indonesia, two Southeast Asian countries that both hold significant influence in the region.

As China contains the COVID-19 pandemic, the country's business operations and industrial activities are on course for a full recovery. On a trip to the southern city of Dongguan, known as "the world's factory", the Global Times found that the city's integrated industrial chains and efficient local government have not only helped the city's economy recovery, but also played a vital role in the global economy via its PPE supplies. For more stories, please scan the QR code.

China has a large population, making employment key to guaranteeing the wellbeing of the workforce. Efforts and achievements have been made in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to safeguard job security and alleviate poverty. From 2014 to 2019, the total number of employees in Xinjiang rose from 11.35 million to 13.3 million, up 17.2 percent. Meanwhile, Xinjiang wiped out poverty in 25 poor counties and 3,107 villages, and Xinjiang will completely eliminate poverty by the end of 2020, according to a white paper released by the State Council Information Office on Thursday.

China and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)'s bilateral cooperation has been deepened by the countries' joint efforts to fight coronavirus. In an email to Global Times (GT), Chinese Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Zhu Jing, said that the epidemic situation will not last, but the long-term friendship between China and the DRC and the steady development of bilateral relations have a solid foundation for further economic and trade cooperation.

The year 2020 is an unusual year. The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has endangered the health and safety of the people around the world, dealing a blow to the global public health system and creating hurdles to the regular interaction and cooperation between nations.

Beijing said it will gradually resume direct international flights starting Thursday as the COVID-19 outbreak has been contained, and it is widely believed there will be more international flights landing and taking off from Beijing soon.

China's homegrown memory chip manufactures will be able to fill the gap left by US-based memory chip producer Micron in the supplies to Huawei to a certain extent, but such replacement - coming against the backdrop of a chip ban drawing near - could mean that the Chinese tech giant will have a more difficult time ahead, in particular in its smartphone business, industry analysts said.

As a latecomer to the electric vehicle (EV) market, Europe has witnessed surging sales of green vehicles in the past few months, presenting a challenge to market-leader China. Despite this development, the overtake should not be exaggerated in the marathon-like EV race, analysts say.

US President Donald Trump's executive order banning China's TikTok could prevent US app stores from offering the popular short-video app and make advertising on the platform illegal, according to a White House document seen by Reuters.

Boeing Co slashed production of its biggest twin-engine jets, delayed its new 777X by up to a year and began sunsetting the iconic 747 as it posted a bigger-than-expected quarterly loss dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic on Wednesday.

Restaurants and stores in China are putting salmon back on sale as consumer confidence picks up nearly two months after Beijing's second COVID-19 outbreak at the Xinfadi wholesale market, with some imported salmon dealers seeing up to 50 percent sales increases month-on-month in July.

As the COVID-19 epidemic in China is largely under control, the domestic sports industry is finally hearing some good news. China's top basketball league will allow audiences in the stadium in Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province from Sunday, the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) announced early last week.

China and Myanmar witnessed the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations on June 8, 2020, during which President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang exchanged congratulatory messages with Myanmar President U Win Myint and Myanmar State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to celebrate this important historic moment.

Airbus deliveries rose 50 percent in June compared with May and reached their highest level since the coronavirus crisis spread to Europe in March, but the accelerating recovery failed to prevent first-half deliveries from sliding to a 16-year low.

Flights between China and South Korea are on track toward further resumption as both countries have brought the coronavirus largely under control.

It may come as a surprise to many that amid the current fanfare of India's "boycott China" campaign and other animosity toward Chinese goods and companies, Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh has admitted to the country's parliament that there was "no embargo" on imports of raw materials from China for the manufacturing of protective jackets for the army.

The idea of providing British National Overseas (BNO) passport holders in Hong Kong with access to British citizenship makes big political noise but would have little practical outcome, especially as the British economy has been devastated by Brexit, the ongoing pandemic and a high unemployment rate. Emigrating to the UK would only mean greater costs of living and future career risks for BNO passport holders, experts and Hong Kong residents said.

Not long ago, a China-Europe freight train carrying 35 containers - more than 300 tons of masks and protective suits - set off from Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province to Duisburg, Germany.

Shen Xiang, who is in charge of poverty alleviation work in the Xide county of Southwest China's Sichuan Province, turned on his computer at 9 am on Sunday and began a normal day of work, checking processes and new work guidelines from a superior administrative unit.

Financial institutions including commercial banks will be encouraged to develop capacities suited to an open economy, and global exchanges for energy, shipping and bulk commodities will be supported, Pan Gongsheng, vice governor of the People's Bank of China, said at the press conference.

A team of Chinese scientists has discovered two human monoclonal antibodies that can block COVID-19 infection and can potentially be used for the development of relevant drugs and vaccines, according to a report the team published in Nature.

The novel coronavirus continues to churn the world by crushing public health systems and decimating thousands of lives each passing day. As the world's two most resourceful economies, the US and China should join hands in working out better therapeutics and speed up vaccine testing and development.

Cats can become infected with the new coronavirus but dogs appear not to be vulnerable, according to a study published on Wednesday, prompting the WHO to say it will take a closer look at transmission of the virus between humans and pets.

A worm-like creature smaller than a grain of rice that burrowed on the seafloor in search of meals like dead organic matter about 555 million years ago may be the evolutionary forerunner of most animals living today - including people.

As #COVID-19 spreads across the world, nations should together devise an emergency coordination mechanism to remove transportation barriers to solve the shortage of medical supplies in countries that need them most.

It is heartening to see that the ferocious spread of the coronavirus has been effectively contained in China, which has been evidenced by the single-digit daily new infections in the worst-hit city of Wuhan. Other provinces and cities in the country have largely been cleared of the disease.

Lacking transparency and an efficient response to the spread of novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19), the US government has blinded global markets. Amid an epidemic that is sprawling worldwide, certainty is what the world needs most.

Scientists have spotted in rocks from northern China what may be the oldest fossils of a green plant ever found, tiny seaweed that carpeted areas of the seafloor roughly a billion years ago and were part of a primordial revolution among life on Earth.

NASA's robotic InSight lander has for the first time established that Mars is seismically active, but do not call the shaking, rattling and rolling taking place on the Red Planet earthquakes. The proper term, fittingly, is marsquakes.

A humanoid figure dressed as a maid holds a jug in its right hand and, as hidden gears click and whirr, lifts it and pours wine into a cup a bystander has placed into the palm of its left.

As Antarctica became the latest place on Earth to smash its high temperature record, new studies are alerting humanity to the risks of continuing to warm the continent that is home to enough frozen water to lift global sea levels dozens of meters.

After weeks of attempting to sow chaos and spread fear about the outbreak of the deadly novel coronavirus in China, some media outlets and individuals have shifted focus to another battlefield - the Chinese economy. The shift comes as Chinese officials have moved swiftly to minimize the potential blow to growth from the epidemic.

India on Saturday adopted harsh measures barring foreigners who have been to China since January 15 from entering the country via air, land or sea, according to a report by the Times of India.

Marco Rubio, the US senator behind the anti-China legislation on Xinjiang and Hong Kong, has lately taken another wrong step with his op-ed piece in The New York Times on Friday where he criticized, on unreasonable grounds, the financial services section of the phase one trade deal signed between China and the US.

The phase one China-US economic and trade agreement marks an important first step toward a final settlement of the two countries' trade disputes. They need to continue to meet each other halfway and implement the agreement well.

The future status of the steadily expanding Chinese economy has long been the subject of speculation.

The easing of the trade war does not offer sufficient relief to concerns over a potential China-US technology war.

Could US agricultural imports curb inflation in China? Probably not. China's shortage of pigs is a fact, which means the country's pork imports will expand further. But Brazil, instead of the US, is likely to become the biggest beneficiary of China's expansion of pork imports.

This year's annual tone-setting economic conference of China's senior policymakers is likely to be held earlier than usual, which may signal that China will set its next year's economic policy goals and agendas at its own pace regardless of the dynamic in bilateral trade talks.

China is taking the lead in photovoltaic development globally with an internationally competitive and complete industrial chain.

China's mountainous southwestern region has seen rapid economic growth in recent years through both a shift of the manufacturing center from the eastern part of the country to the middle and western parts, and southwestern provinces' distinct economic development plans based on their resource advantages.

Following sizzling development and wild growth over recent years, the shared economy - a new economic model taking flight in China - has gradually landed on a sound and rational track.

It is evident that over past years, universities which were financed and set up by enterprises, also known as corporate universities, have been gaining momentum in China.

The second China International Import Expo (CIIE), scheduled for early next month in Shanghai, is definitely not an event that many overseas businesses will want to miss. Having attracted over 3,600 participants last year, enthusiasm for the upcoming expo is strong.

Chinese internet firms have been actively expanding their foothold over recent years in overseas markets, although making inroads in Europe has not been as easy as in some other markets. However, there is huge potential for the prospect of China-EU cooperation in the digital economy and cyberspace governance, industry observers said.

China will never pursue hegemony or seek expansion and the country will remain committed to the basic principles of sovereign equality and non-interference in other countries' internal affairs, said Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

70 years ago, when China was still in the ruins of war and buildings were waiting to be constructed, people did not expect that it would turn into an infrastructure giant so soon that is now even helping others to build bridges, ports and rails overseas. The country did not stop at that hard-won level of achievement. Building on efforts, sweat and the innovation of millions of Chinese people, now, when new technologies such as 5G and AI are transforming the world and the way people live, the country is on its way to take the lead again in the new era. It seeks to bridge the world, and to promote joint development for the benefit of the world. It was the development of infrastructure that dragged China forward, and it will also be infrastructure that does this in the future.

Editor's Note: Developed from being a predominantly agricultural economy to the world's factory and beyond, over the past 70 years, China has showed the world how it made an economic miracle through the central government's bold and resolute economic reform as well as its people's hard work. While that economic success not only brings the country improved living standards and a rising urbanization rate, it also has attracted a surging number of foreign companies to enjoy that dividend and grow together with China. What has China achieved so far? A slew of data and information revealed by the National Bureau of Statistics could shed some light on that question.

Situated on the Tibetan plateau, Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region has long been facing pressure from extreme weather conditions and soil degradation due to overgrazing by livestock. Over the past decade, however, the region has witnessed significant improvement when it comes to both the local ecosystem and people's livelihoods thanks to collaborative projects involving local authorities, cooperatives and corporations.

In the plant operated by the world's top auto-glass manufacturer Fuyao Group in Changchun, capital of Northeast China's Jilin Province, forklifts are busy transporting windshields into standard containers.

Following an onstage dialogue with Alibaba's Jack Ma Yun during the annual World Artificial Intelligence Congress (WAIC) held in Shanghai at the end of August, Elon Musk, CEO of US electric vehicle (EV) producer Tesla, repeated his routine in China: eating Chinese food and meeting with high-level Chinese officials to pave the way for further development in the country.

When you lie on the beach, soaking up the sunshine and relishing the warm breeze, there is at least a 25-percent chance that your swimsuit was made in Huludao, an obscure, gourd-shaped city in Northeast China's Liaoning Province.

Beijing Daxing International Airport, the vast new airport located in the southern part of the capital, is expected to be put into operation by September 30. It is anticipated that it will handle 45 million passengers annually by 2021, and 72 million by 2025.

The China-Maldives Friendship Bridge, the first cross-sea bridge in the Maldives and built by a Chinese company, marks the beginning of a new chapter for Maldivians.

Two decades ago, China was short of high technologies and few people used mobile payments, e-commerce or artificial intelligence (AI) tech-backed products. But now the country is quickly turning into a leading technology power and has already started to sell AI products abroad.

Plastic water pipes, bags of cement, floor and wall tiles, kitchen sinks and wooden doors are some of the items displayed outside shops in Kitengela, a fast-growing suburb south of Kenya's capital Nairobi. Looking at the array of items flaunted in the suburb, one might think the whole area is under construction.

Since its launch in Brunei at the end of May this year, the number of businesses accepting Alipay payments from Chinese visitors is on the rise.

China's much-anticipated stock trading board for high-tech startups is off to a bounding start, as capital floods the new board with rising public anticipation for returns.

More and more middle-income Chinese parents are increasing investment in their children's education, as many of them support their offspring to take part in global study tours during the summer vacation, despite high costs.

Li Fengyun, 68, scans a QR code on a health examination robot in her community and puts her hands on its arm. After 15 seconds, she receives a detailed health assessment report on her smart phone, including heart rate and blood pressure.

Building-up of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has gradually taken a firm foothold in China's economic development over recent years, not only in the state-owned sector but also in the private sector.

A bus stopped in the farmland of Qianwei ecological village in Chongming district in Shanghai. Then dozens of middle-aged and elderly individuals got off the bus and headed toward vendors that sell organic fruits and vegetables.

It was at the Third Forum of Social Innovations of the Regions being held in Moscow between June 19 and 21, where a series of issues related to social development and residents' livelihoods were exhibited and discussed, including education, health care and longevity.

The US continues to mount pressure on China in the wake of the US-initiated trade war, including blatant attempts to subvert China's economy. Leading global entrepreneurs feel that the world's power dynamic is shifting and China is at the forefront.

Chinese designs and fashions were considered as corny and out of date, but now, it seems they have caught up with their South Korean neighbors.