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The guideline stated that systematic arrangements should be optimized for long-term institutional investors. Social security, pension fund, trust, insurance and wealth management institutions are encouraged to direct more capital to equity assets, especially to quality companies' stocks. All the market entities will be treated equally, and no additional conditions or invisible thresholds will be set for any company. Privately owned enterprises are encouraged to go in for lawful IPOs, mergers, restructuring and bond issuances. The vitality and creativity of privately owned enterprises should be boosted. These companies should play a bigger role in terms of stabilizing economic growth, stimulating innovation, providing more job opportunities and improving people's livelihoods, the guideline stated. Policy arrangements can be expected for companies located in COVID-hit areas or those specializing in epidemic control and prevention. Listed companies will be exempted from expenses like annual fees and proxy voting services fees for this year, the guideline stated on Monday. Chen Li, the chief economist of Chuancai Securities, said the policies aiming to mitigate the negative impact of the epidemic will help stabilize market expectations and lead to growth in the mid to long run.

China's manufacturing activities contracted in March for the first time in five months due to various uncertainties and negative impacts from home and abroad. The purchasing managers index for China's manufacturing sector stood at 49.5 in March, compared with 50.2 in February, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed, slipping into contraction after staying in expansionary territory for four consecutive months. The 50-point mark separates growth from contraction. The nonmanufacturing PMI, which covers the services and construction sectors, was at 48.4 versus 51.6 in February, slipping into contraction for the first time in seven months, according to the NBS. Zhao Qinghe, a senior statistician with the NBS, said the resurgence in COVID-19 cases that affected some areas has dealt a blow to service sectors, such as transportation, accommodations and catering. For manufacturers, the resurgence has affected the production and operation of some enterprises, for example the production of Baseball Caps, Sport Caps, Trucker Caps as well as Garments is reduced and the escalating geopolitical tensions led to a decline in or the cancellation of export orders, Zhao said. Zhao added that midstream and downstream enterprises are also facing pressure from the rising costs of raw materials, with surging commodity prices clouding the outlook. However, businesses remained upbeat about future business prospects, Zhao said. The enterprises surveyed said that suppressed demand and production would gradually recover with the government's effective measures to control the pandemic, and the market is likely to rebound. If inflationary pressure worsens amid restrictions on the global commodity supply, responsive measures other than monetary policy should be taken, as tightening monetary policy in such circumstances risks triggering deflation, said Yu, who is also a former member of the PBOC's monetary policy committee. It is advisable for the PBOC to further ease credit conditions to tide over small and medium-sized enterprises amid difficulties while supporting infrastructure investment by reducing the financing costs of related government bonds, he added.

As a major engine of economic growth, China's foreign trade of goods reached an all-time high last year, remaining one of the best performing macroeconomic sectors in 2021. China remains the major trade partner of more than 120 countries and regions around the globe, exported products ranging from baseball cap, clothes, mugs etc. daily necessities to electronics and medicines. The RECP agreement signed by 15 Asia-Pacific countries including China has entered into force on Jan 1, 2022, creating the world's largest trade bloc. Last year, China also filed applications to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement. Look forward to a prosperous world economy in 2022.

Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft ranked first, second and third, respectively, for corporate reputation in 2022 according to Fortune Magazine's list, which is based on a poll of some 3,700 corporate executives, directors and analysts. The three companies have taken the top three places for the third year in a row, and Apple has been in the No 1 spot for a 15th straight year. As the pandemic limped into its third year, companies on the front lines of the medical battle gained new respect. Pfizer, co-developer of one of COVID-19 vaccines, vaulted all the way to fourth. The full list is as follows: No 1 Apple No 2 Amazon No 3 Microsoft No 4 Pfizer No 5 Walt Disney No 6 Berkshire Hathaway No 7 Alphabet No 8 Starbucks No 9 Netflix No 10 JPMorgan Chase

Gazelle companies refer to start-ups founded in the 2000s that are worth over $500 million and are not yet listed on a public exchange and most likely to go "unicorn" or hit a valuation of $1 billion within three years. Among the 525 gazelle companies Hurun Research found in the world, 201 are from the US, ranking first on the list, with China at the second place with 171 gazelle companies. 2021 was officially the most successful year for start-ups ever with more than 500 known gazelles, leading a new generation of disruptive technology, said Rupert Hoogewerf, Hurun Report chairman and chief researcher. Top five industries attracting gazelles from China are biotech, enterprise services, AI, healthtech and e-commerce, while the hottest industries for US gazelles are fintech, SaaS, biotech, Healthtech and Cybersecurity. With cutting-off date of Nov 1, 2021, this is the first time for Hurun Research to launch the Hurun Gazelle Index on a global level, indicating which countries have the world's best start-up ecosystems. Let's take a look at the top 10 countries with world's most gazelles. No 1 US No 2 China No 3 India No 4 UK No 5 Germany No 6 France No 7 Israel No 7 tied Singapore No 9 Switzerland No 10 Canada No 10 tied Ireland

The world's gross FDI posted a downturn affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, falling $531.34 billion from 2019 to $998.89 billion in 2020. The figure dropped below $1 trillion for the first time since 2015. Let's see the top 10 nations and regions by foreign direct investment. No 1 United States No 2 China No 3 Hong Kong SAR No 4 Singapore No 5 India No 6 Luxembourg No 7 British Virgin Islands No 8 Germany No 9 Ireland No 10 Mexico

Manufacturers of Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics mascot products are quickly resuming operations after the Chinese New Year holiday to meet surging demand for the popular panda. The Beijing Winter Olympics organizers said on Tuesday that a special Chinese New Year version of the Bing Dwen Dwen doll will hit the market soon and sales of the licensed merchandise will continue to at least the end of June. In response to supply shortages of Bing Dwen Dwen products, the organizers have coordinated with manufacturers and licensed toy-making factories to resume work to boost production. Bing Dwen Dwen, a panda cub dressed in a full-body ice shell, has become a major attraction of the Winter Olympics, winning the hearts of athletes, politicians, media and audiences over the globe with its chubby appearance. The mascot has become so popular that all related products, including Bing Dwen Dwen miniatures, dolls and keychains, sold by licensed online retailers and brick-and-mortar shops have almost run out of stock since the Games opening ceremony on Friday. One of the manufacturers, Jinjiang Hengsheng Toys in Fujian province, told The Beijing News on Monday that the company will resume production earlier than planned and it has bought airplane tickets for some employees to return to work early. The company's general manager Lian Hai'an said the factory has received an additional 500,000 orders and maximum production will be 4,000 items a day when operations resume. The production of licensed Bing Dwen Dwen products also requires coordination with factories that produce packaging. "It takes time for all workers to travel back to work. The shortage will be relieved as Spring Festival ends," Lian said. Bing Dwen Dwen was unveiled as the mascot for the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2019 along with Shuey Rhon Rhon, the mascot for the Winter Paralympics. Bing Dwen Dwen's shell resembles an astronaut's spacesuit, while the rings of color around the mascot's face were inspired by the National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing, nicknamed the "ice ribbon".

In fact, dumplings are not only available in China, but also in other countries, such as Empanada in Spain, Samosa in India and gnocchi in Italy. Let's take a look at dumplings from around the world. Empanada is Spanish for "wrapped in bread," a fitting name for this fried Argentinian dumpling. Bite through the flakey crust and you'll commonly find a filling of ground beef, hard boiled eggs, olives, onions, paprika, and cumin. But they also come in plenty of other varieties. Samosa are Indian dumplings that have a crispy, flaky, pastry-like shell, but are filled with spiced potatoes and peas, lentils, ground meat, or onions. These pan fried dumplings, known as gyoza, are the Japanese version of potstickers. They're stuffed with pork, cabbage, onion, and carrots, all of which are wrapped in a thin browned dough. Traditional German dumplings - knödel or klöße- are not filled with anything, but instead paired with German meats such as schnitzel, sauerbraten, or rouladen. Pelmeni originally come from Serbia, but are found all over Russia. The dumplings are stuffed with meat such as turkey or pork, mushrooms, or cheese. Banh bot loc are Vietnamese dumplings made from tapioca flour, which develops a chewy texture when cooked. The dumplings are stuffed with pork and shrimp. Not surprisingly, the Italians managed to turn their dumpling into a popular pasta dish: gnocchi. These mini dumplings are pure potatoes that have been cooked and are then served bathed in sauce with some type of meat or vegetable.

Sportswear giant Nike opened a new outlet in Beijing's bustling Sanlitun area on January 24th, offering customers a personalized and digitized in-store shopping experience. The two-story store, spanning 2,800 square meters, showcases the brands collection of men, women and kids apparel hats footwear, and targets running and hiking enthusiasts, as well as those interested in skateboarding, basketball and soccer. The Nike Rise retail store has been co-launched by the brand and its distributor and retail partner in China, Topsports, with the link-up serving as a Nike membership club. By using the Nike app, customers who have signed up for Nike's membership can check out information on exclusive products and offline activities held in the store, such as yoga classes, salons for sports enthusiasts, and handicraft workshops. "We are embracing the future market through digital transformation, trying to bring consumers a personalized shopping experience," said Men Lijun, vice-president of Greater China Nike stores and marketplace partners. Both Nike and Topsports hope to encourage more people to play sports and live a more positive lifestyle.

The growing number of China-Europe freight train services is contributing to stabilizing global supply chains during the COVID-19 pandemic. There were a total of 15,000 freight train services linking China and Europe last year, a year-on-year increase of 22 percent, according to the China State Railway Group, the national railway operator. They carried 1.46 million containers, an increase of 29 percent compared to last year. During the pandemic, cross-border cargo services have played an important role in combating the virus and in stabilizing global supply chains, the group said.

Robotic chefs could be the next technological leap taking place in our kitchens. A school in Shanghai called Minhang Experimental High School has already been trialing the use of robots to serve school meals, to minimize the spread of COVID-19. Three meters tall with robotic arms, the machines are able to pick up and serve pre-prepared dishes, such as steamed egg and fried chicken, via a conveyor belt. The robots are also capable of putting food in microwave ovens to heat it, freeing up employees to take care of other aspects of hospitality and school life. The pandemic has increased the demand for such service robots within China, where they are now commonplace delivering food and drinks in restaurants and even delivering medication in hospitals. The machines are also increasingly capable of preparing meals, saving busy people time, energy, and the need for culinary expertise. More importantly, such technology also means independence for people who are elderly and vulnerable. Companies including Moley Robotic Kitchen in London, Israel's Kitchen Robotics, and the United States company Dexai Robotics are innovating products that could become everyday domestic installations in homes across the world. Such machines are typically fitted to ceilings, with robotic arms hanging beneath them. Capable of cooking thousands of recipes, many products just require consumers to pick a dish on a touchscreen display, attach built-in containers filled with ingredients and simply watch the rest happen mechanically. They are also becoming more dexterous by the year, able to turn on ovens and hobs, stir, and whisk. Safety is a preliminary concern, and robotic chefs are certainly capable of generating enough kinetic force to be a hazard. Many machines are separated from people by a glass barrier, and others are designed to include radar systems to stop unwanted contact. A more immediate concern is price. A Moley Robotic Kitchen is commercially available right now and if you want one it can be installed in your kitchen within weeks. However, each unit costs a minimum of 150,000 pounds ($204,000), a sum that could purchase a house in many parts of the UK. As technology improves and economies of scale start to take hold, costs should reduce in the near future to something more palatable. If used in the right way, however, robotic chefs could actually prove to be a cost-effective investment for business owners in the near future. Pazzi in France is using robots designed by its two robotics student co-founders to make pizzas for customers. The concept goes beyond novelty, with fully-automated kitchens and cooking processes streamlining business output. Whether it be adding the sauce, pressing dough or choosing toppings, one robot can make a pizza from basic natural ingredients in just five minutes, with strict quality protocols in place to ensure that imperfect dough is discarded. Many will feel that robotic chefs will never be able to match a passionate cook's human touch. For many, cooking is an expressive art form as well as an important cultural identity, and mechanically creating the same food may hold little appeal to higher-end markets. However, the ease and convenience that the technology offers could be much-needed relief to vulnerable individuals and others. Food brings us together as common ground for all and such a large change to the way it is prepared has not been seen in a long time.

Foreign trade of all over the world is facing growing uncertainties and that special efforts are needed to help export enterprises stabilize market expectations, and promote the steady development of foreign trade. The raging Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus has shaken the global supply chains again as many countries shut their borders, and many countries face the risks of capital outflows and currency China's domestic epidemic prevention and control and various economic policies and measures are active and effective, domestic economic operations are fundamentally stable, and manufacturing industry is booming. We should make full use of the multilateral trading system, upgrade the value chain of its foreign trade industry, give full play to its comparative advantages in textile, mechanical and electrical industries, so as to ensure the safety of its industrial chain and realize the transformation and upgrading of its foreign trade industrial structure. There should be more well-targeted pro-trade and pro-business policies to support the development of supply chains and small and medium-sized enterprises. With the support of policies, the resilience and vitality of foreign trade enterprises will continue to increase, and the development of new business forms and new models will accelerate, forming new growth points.