December 17, 2025, Wednesday, Lunar October 28

60 seconds midday reading

1. Official: It is expected that the economic growth for the whole year of 2025 will be around 5%, showing unexpected resilience; Bank of America: It is expected that China's economic growth rate in 2026 will be 4.7%, and housing prices in first-tier cities will warm up first;

2. Central Financial Office: Expanding domestic demand is the top priority task for next year; Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security: Improve the income distribution system and promote the increase of laborers' remuneration;

3. Hainan announced: Starting from December 18, the Hainan Free Trade Port will officially launch full island closure operations;

4. WeChat Security Center urgently reminds: Any operation guided by "turning off password-free payment", requesting fees, or requiring software downloads is a scam;

5. CCTV exposes the smuggling of pregnant women's blood samples black industry chain: 100,000 samples of pregnant women's blood were smuggled out of the country, illegally profiting over 30 million yuan, involving 23 provinces;

6. Onshore RMB exchange rate against the US dollar rises to 7.04, reaching a new high in over 14 months, experts predict it may approach the 7 mark again in the short term;

7. Ministry of Commerce: Starting tomorrow, anti-dumping duties will be imposed on imported pork and pork by-products originating from the EU;

8. Japan accuses China of military spending growth, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs responds: Japan, as a country with a serious history of aggression, has no right to criticize;

9. Japanese media: The Japanese Senate passes the supplementary budget for fiscal year 2025, with defense spending reaching 11 trillion yen;

10. US media: Nasdaq takes the first step towards all-weather stock trading, planning to extend trading hours on weekdays to 23 hours;

11. US media: Trump signs an executive order designating fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction; Trump formally sues BBC for $5 billion, accusing the documentary "Panorama" of defamation;

12. Russian media: Ukrainian citizens lure a conscription officer out of his home and shoot him, firing four shots to bring him down; Trump claims a peace agreement is imminent, and Russia says it is ready;

13. Foreign media: Leaders of several European countries and the European Union issue a joint statement, pledging to send multinational forces to Ukraine to assist in rebuilding the Ukrainian military and defending Ukraine's airspace;

【Daily Quote】 Every bump in the road is a turn on the path forward, not the end, but the beginning of growth.

Source: Beijing News, The Paper, People's Daily, Tencent News, Xinhua News, Global Times, etc.