China’s plans to expand its high-speed railway system by 84 per cent come less than two weeks after US President Joe Biden warned that China is threatening to outcompete the US on infrastructure and transport.

Scaling back economic stimulus would align with Beijing’s call for balancing development and security, with efforts focused on curbing “grey rhino” risks that could threaten China’s financial system.

Commerce Minister Wang Wentao uses first press briefing to remind Washington that both countries benefit from cooperation.

Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs says China must ‘seize the opportunity and speed up innovations’ in the seed industry to help feed the nation’s 1.4 billion people.

Food security and supply self-reliance has become a hot political issue and economic priority ahead of the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party this year.

China’s Ministry of Education points to attacks on overseas students in Australia, and the ‘great risks’ of travelling during the coronavirus pandemic.

Central bank move seems to break from traditional convention of adding large sums to banking system before Lunar New Year so banks can meet liquidity requirements, and to meet rise in demand for cash by consumers.

A slowdown in manufacturing activity in January has shown China’s economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic may be ‘peaking’, as the country battles a new wave of infections.

Chinese Ministry of Transport now projects that trips made during the Spring Festival holiday period will hit a three-decade low, as it revises down its travel estimates by more than 32 per cent from a week earlier.

As lives in parts of the country are upended by coronavirus control measures, Chinese authorities at local levels are being called on to adhere to higher human rights standards.

Free-trade agreement widens the existing pact between China and New Zealand a month after a similar trade review between Australia and China was abandoned.

Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong all forecast at least 6 per cent rise for year ahead, but as in 2020, central government is unlikely to set a nominal goal for GDP growth, policy advisers say.

Prominent Beijing adviser Wang Yiming says traditional policy prescriptions alone are ineffective in igniting consumption as consumer confidence remains low in China.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) into China rose 4.5 per cent from 2019 to US$144.37 billion last year.

China’s new rules on foreign investment screening were announced just before it sealed a bilateral investment treaty with the European Union.

The Chinese economy officially grew by 2.3 per cent in 2020, but some analysts point to unsustainable nature of China’s dramatic rebound.

China’s coronavirus-hit economy expanded by 2.3 per cent in 2020, but its recovery from the coronavirus was highlighted by a growth rate of 6.5 per cent in the fourth quarter.

If approved, the latest US coronavirus stimulus package would pump even more liquidity into the global economy, and much of that could rapidly flow into China, where investment returns are higher.

The People’s Bank of China says there will be no U-turn on its policy stance this year as the world’s second largest economy continues to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

December figures show China’s exports and imports were both stronger than expected amid a global winter wave of coronavirus outbreaks, and trade surplus with United States rose again in 2020.

China’s exports grew by 18.1 per cent in December from a year earlier, while imports grew by 6.5 per cent, pushing the trade surplus to a record US$78.18 billion last month.

China’s biggest coronavirus outbreak in months comes amid sub-freezing temperatures around the capital, and rapid lockdowns have residents of Hebei province scrambling to obtain daily necessities.

Community group buying is shaking up China’s traditional food wholesalers but the potential impact on jobs has seen regulators step up scrutiny of business model.

Parts of China have started restricting vehicle traffic from Hebei province, which surrounds Beijing, and that includes trucks carrying essential coal for heating, in addition to raw materials such as steel.

Policy moves from central authorities in recent weeks suggest that a cycle of large-scale expansion in grain-planting acreage is likely to be seen in China this year, analysts say.

China’s official manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) fell to 51.9 in December from 52.1 in November, while the official non-manufacturing PMI fell to 55.7 from 56.4.

China’s central bank ramps up engagement in latest digital sovereign currency programme, and merchants who were reluctant to participate are seeing how convenient the payment system can be after just a couple of weeks of use.

China halted log timber from New South Wales and Western Australia from Wednesday after discovering ‘live forest pests’ in imports.

China’s top leaders have called for ‘technological breakthroughs in seeds’, as reports of grain shortages and disruptions from the coronavirus stir up concern over food security.

China has announced it will open its energy sector to private investment as part of its drive for security and carbon neutrality.