China has seen rising sales of products such as cars and home appliances, during the week-long National Day holiday, which started on Oct.1, thanks to the ongoing trade-in program for consumer goods.
Shanghai has offered substantial subsidies for consumers replacing old appliances with newer, greener models, further fueling the buying frenzy amid the holiday.
The city's initiative expands upon the national trade-in program by including a wider range of eligible products.
In addition to the eight major appliance categories like refrigerators, washing machines, televisions, and air conditioners, the program now covers 60 additional product types, including robot vacuums, air purifiers, and hearing aids. Subsidies cover 15 percent of the sales price, up to a maximum of 2,000 yuan (around 285 U.S. dollars).
"There has been at least a 50 percent to 60 percent increase in customer flow compared to the previous promotional period," said Zhang Xiaoliang, operation director of a home appliance store.
The first three days of October witnessed a total sales revenue of home appliances reaching nearly 300 million yuan (roughly 42.74 billion U.S. dollars) in the city.
Meanwhile, consumer goods trade-in program rolled out by the Shanghai government has spurred rising sales of vehicles.
The subsidy for consumers in Shanghai who scrap old cars and buy new ones has increased to 20,000 yuan (about 2,850 U.S. dollars) for purchasing a new-energy vehicle (NEV) and 15,000 yuan (around 2,137 U.S. dollars) for a fuel vehicle.
"The current sales volume, sales turnover and the number of customers who come for a test drive, have all increased by some 30 percent respectively compared with the same period last year," explained Mr. Zhu, a sales representative at a dealership.
Hefei City in east China's Anhui Province held an auto show from Sept. 29 to Oct. 5, attracting many potential purchasers following the implementation of trade-in programs.
In addition to trade-in subsides of up to 20,000 yuan (about 2,850 U.S. dollars), the city has issued auto vouchers worth 37 million yuan (roughly 5.27 U.S. million dollars) to boost auto sales during the consumption boom period.
"The vehicle trade-in policy introduced by Anhui Province has effectively stimulated consumers' purchase intentions. It's a good news for our company. During this auto show, we offered discounts of up to 70,000 yuan (around 9,974 U.S. dollars)," said Yu Dongming, general manager of NIO's regional branch in Hefei.
From Sept. 29 to Oct. 4, about 447,000 visitors attended the exhibition, and a total of 18,807 vehicles were sold.
China's trade-in program spurs consumer market vitality during National Day holiday
Israeli strikes on Lebanon have left many people in urgent need of medical care, adding pressure to an already struggling healthcare system of the country.
Since Sept. 23, the Israeli army has been conducting intensive airstrikes on Lebanon in a dangerous escalation with Hezbollah.
Lebanese Health Minister Firas Abiad reported on Thursday that a total of 1,974 people have been killed, including 127 children and 261 women, and 9,384 others wounded in Lebanon since the onset of the Hezbollah-Israeli conflict in October last year.
With NGOs and medical teams being targeted in the escalating conflict, the Lebanese government is urging the international community to advocate for a ceasefire.
Following a devastating airstrike on a medical center, residents quickly began to clean up. Paramedics and volunteers scrambled through the debris, hoping to find any signs of life.
The missile struck the third floor, which houses the hospital's rehabilitation center. Only a few scattered items remain amidst the rubble, including surgical gowns and gauze.
"I was at the center, coming down the stairs to grab supplies. As soon as we got the people out, the attack struck at 12:11. I went back up but left a few wounded behind; the rest became martyrs," said a witness.
NGOs and medical teams have been targeted amid Israeli strikes. Earlier on Sept. 28, another devastating strike leveled a medical center, killing 11 health workers and injuring 10 others.
The Lebanese Civil Defense also reported that one member was killed and another critically injured during Israeli airstrikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut on Sept. 27.
These incidents were not isolated. Since last October, attacks on medical facilities have become alarmingly frequent, forcing numerous centers out of service. According to the government, this has become a repeated tactic.
"We've seen almost more than 20 (between) hospitals and medical centers have been attacked. We've seen almost 130 vehicles that have been targeted. So, unfortunately, the same playbook that we saw in Gaza where hospital facilities, health facilities and health personnel were targeted (here) as well. Israel are repeating their same playbook in Lebanon as well," said Firas Abiad, Lebanese Minister of Public Health.
The situation is becoming increasingly unsustainable as hospitals struggle to keep up with the growing number of casualties. The relentless airstrikes and widespread destruction have left many medical facilities barely functioning, pushing the healthcare system to its limits.
However, the health minister warns that medical aid alone won't resolve the crisis.
"This sore situation cannot be solved with more medication or more medical supplies. The only way to be able to control, to be able not to move into a very bad humanitarian situation in Lebanon or even regionally, as we see this conflict starting to expand, is to have an immediate ceasefire," said Abiad.
Lebanon faces humanitarian crisis amid lack of medical supplies
