Confidence among China’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) strengthened in October as market demand rebounded, according to data released Monday by the China Association of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises.
According to the association, China's Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) Development Index edged up 0.3 to 89.0 points in October from the previous month. All eight sub-indexes of the SMEs development index went up last month, and six of the sub-indexes for eight industries rose, showing an upward trend across multiple sectors.
Among the eight industries surveyed, six reported increases in the market sub-index, including social services, real estate and transport, with rises of 1.0, 0.7, and 0.6 points respectively. Similarly, the sub-index for domestic orders rose in six industries, the sub-index for sales volume rose in seven, and the sub-index for sale prices increased in four. The trends reflect that the SMEs were active in both production and sales in the month.
In addition, the performance of the SMEs in six sectors, including industry, construction and social services, steadily improved, and the investment intentions of SMEs in seven sectors, including industry, construction and transportation, rebounded significantly, suggesting increased optimism for the sustained and steady development of the SMEs.
The association said that it is still necessary to pay attention to the costs and profitability of the SMEs, and create larger market space and more development opportunities for business entities under the promotion of various stimulus policies.
"We have also seen that the cost index is still at a high level and the profitability index is at a low level, which needs to be addressed," said Ma Bin, executive vice president of China Association of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises.
China's SMEs report higher development confidence, market expectation in October
China's SMEs report higher development confidence, market expectation in October
A once-dying forest of populus trees in Aral City, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, is showing signs of life again after remarkable ecological conservation and restoration efforts by a team from Tarim University.
Located in the Jinyang Town, the forest of Populus Euphratica, or Huyang in Chinese, which spans more than 2,666 hectares, was discovered in a state of seemingly irreversible death in 2014 by Professor Li Zhijun and her research team from Tarim University.
Despite its vast size and the appearance of barren and skeletal trees, the team made an extraordinary discovery that changed the course of the forest's fate.
"The lower part of the roots [of some of the populus trees] is still alive, definitely alive. It's just that there is insufficient water, and without enough moisture for growth, the tree enters a dormant state, similar to how some animals hibernate in winter," said Li.
After conducting sampling of the trees, the team discovered that there were hundreds of trees in such a dormant state.
Despite no supply of water for decades, they have entered a dormant state by shedding their leaves and allowing their branches to dry out, waiting for water replenishment.
In 2014, Xinjiang implemented a special ecological conservation project aimed at restoring the Huyang forest in the Tarim River basin.
In 2016, thanks to Li's advocacy, the local government began using treated agricultural wastewater, previously deemed unsuitable for irrigation or human use, to irrigate the forest.
By 2018, the project had shown promising results, with the barren landscape slowly starting to show signs of recovery.
The survey of Li and her team on Nov. 5 this year revealed an exciting update: more than 300 trees have grown new branches.
Li said she is glad with the achievement as these trees play a crucial role in local development and people's wellbeing.
"Ninety one percent of China's Huyang trees are scattered in Xinjiang and 89 percent of them are located in the Tarim Basin, forming an oasis on the edge of the desert. The distribution of these Huyang forests almost forms a ring around the Tarim Basin, and this ring plays a vital role in the economic development and people's safety in southern Xinjiang," she said.
Looking ahead, Li and his team wish to expand this water-saving model across the region and collaborate with other cities and counties in the desert to bring life back to more drought-stricken forests, using treated agricultural wastewater as a sustainable solution.
Dying desert populus forest in China's Xinjiang brought back to life with ecological restoration efforts
