China grants visa-free entry to Slovenians

China has decided to grant visa-free entry to the people of Slovenia, said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in his meeting with Slovenian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon on Wednesday in New York.

"I now notify the Slovenian side with great excitement that the Chinese government has decided to grant visa-free entry to Slovenian citizens," said Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

Wang said the measure is "good news" for both the Slovenian and the Chinese people as it will forcefully promote friendly exchanges between the two countries and deepen their friendship and mutual trust.

Noting that Slovenia is an important member of the European Union, Wang said China supports Slovenia assuming the rotating chair of the United Nations Security Council this month, is willing to work with the Slovenian side to implement true multilateralism, uphold the authority of the United Nations and the Security Council, and promote international peace and security.

For her part, Fajon expressed the Slovenian side's gratitude for the visa-free entry treatment by China, hailing the policy as a "big positive" that will make exchanges between the two peoples easier and facilitate economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.

Fajon said that as the rotating chair of the UN Security Council, Slovenia is ready to maintain coordination with China to contribute to the settlement of the Ukraine crisis, the conflict in Gaza, as well as other hotspot issues.

The two also exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis and the conflict in Gaza, agreeing that in pursuing political resolution of related issues, the Security Council should shoulder its due responsibility and play its due role.

China grants visa-free entry to Slovenians

China grants visa-free entry to Slovenians

China's major industrial enterprises registered a 0.5 percent increase in the first eight months of this year from the same period one year earlier, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Friday.

The NBS data showed that combined profits of industrial firms with an annual main business revenue of at least 20 million yuan (about 2.81 million U.S. dollars), or industrial enterprises above designated size, totaled about 4.653 trillion yuan in the January to August period.

Given the high base in the same period of 2023, profits of major industrial firms registered a year-on-year decrease of 17.8 percent in August alone, according to the NBS.

From January to August, among the industrial enterprises above designated size, state-owned enterprises realized a total profit of 1.549 trillion yuan, a year-on-year reduction of 1.3 percent, while the profit of joint-stock companies also decreased by 1.3 percent to 3.443 trillion yuan.

Meanwhile, the foreign-invested companies gained a total profit of nearly 1.178 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 6.9 percent, while the profit of private companies rose 2.6 percent to approximately 1.265 trillion yuan.

By sectors, the profit of mining industry fell by 9.2 percent year on year during the period, but that of manufacturing sector and power, heat, gas and water production and supply grew by 1.1 percent and 14.7 percent, respectively, NBS data showed.

A breakdown of the data showed profits of industrial categories including nonferrous metal smelting and rolling, computer, communications and other electronic equipment manufacturing, agricultural and sideline food processing, electricity and heat production and supply, as well as textile industry posted strong growth.

China's industrial profits up 0.5 pct in Jan-Aug