China's commitment to Global South remains unchanged: spokesman

China will, as always, keep the Global South in its heart and stay committed to supporting the development and prosperity of the Global South, said a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman at a press briefing in Beijing on Friday.

The comments followed President Xi Jinping's three-point proposal presented during the BRICS Plus leaders' dialogue in Kazan City, Russia, on Thursday.

Xi's proposal emphasizes upholding peace and striving for common security, reinvigorating development and striving for common prosperity, and promoting together development of all civilizations and striving for harmony among them.

"The three-point proposal is consistent with the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative. The proposal not only responds to the Global South’s urgent need for peace, development and cooperation, but also demonstrates China’s firm determination of joining hands with the Global South for common development," the ministry's spokesman Lin Jian said.

China is always a member of the Global South. Solidarity and cooperation with fellow developing countries is the unshakable foundation of China’s foreign relations, he said.

China proposed to carry out open and inclusive cooperation of the Global South, announced eight measures in support of Global South cooperation, provided development assistance for over 160 countries, conducted Belt and Road cooperation with more than 150 countries, advanced cooperation on the Global Development Initiative with more than 100 countries, the UN and many other international organizations, invested and mobilized nearly 20 billion U.S. dollars of development fund and carried out over 1,100 projects, injecting strong impetus for the development and prosperity of the Global South with concrete actions, according to the spokesman.

"No matter how the international landscape may evolve, China will, as always, keep the Global South in its heart and stay committed to supporting the development and prosperity of the Global South. China will continue to work with Global South countries to advance high-quality development of greater BRICS cooperation and open up a new chapter of solidarity and cooperation of the Global South," Lin said.

China's commitment to Global South remains unchanged: spokesman

China's commitment to Global South remains unchanged: spokesman

China's auto sales have been bolstered by the country's continuously optimized policies, including the ongoing national automobile trade-in program which has seen over 330 million visits to its information platform, the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said on Friday.

As of Thursday, the country had received 1.57 million applications for auto scrapping and renewal subsidies, as well as 1.26 million applications for local vehicle trade-in and renewal subsidies, demonstrating a rapid growth trend, said the ministry.

In September, domestic passenger car retail sales reached 2.112 million units, up 4.5 percent year on year and accelerating 5.5 percentage points from August. In the first three weeks of October, domestic passenger car retail sales grew 16 percent year on year, and 12 percent month on month.

"The national automobile trade-in information platform has achieved 'one-stop' handling of auto scrapping and renewal subsidy applications, with over 50 million registered users and more than 330 million visits. More than 2.3 million consumers planning to apply for subsidies have completed registration on the platform," said Li Gang, director general of the Department of Market Operation and Consumption Promotion of MOFCOM.

Li said that local authorities have also developed their own vehicle trade-in and home appliance trade-in information systems to streamline and standardize the subsidy application process.

Furthermore, many regions have introduced their own trade-in subsidy policies. For instance, Shanxi and Hunan have adopted new subsidy standards for applications submitted after April 24. In addition, Hebei, Shanghai, and Chongqing have expanded the categories of subsidized appliances beyond the eight specified by the central government. Other regions such as Jiangsu, Anhui, and Yunnan have dynamically adjusted their home renovation subsidy ranges to include smart home devices and textiles, aiming to provide consumers with greater benefits.

The surge in visits and subsidy applications underscore the effectiveness of China's optimized auto policies in driving consumer demand and facilitating the upgrade and renewal of the country's vehicle fleet. As the trade-in program continues to evolve, it is expected to provide ever-greater benefits to Chinese consumers.

China sees surge in auto upgrade with 330 million visits to national auto trade-in platform