Category: Flash News

On December 21st, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management, according to the work arrangement of the National Defense Headquarters, from December 19th to 20th, Wang Daoxi, Director of the National Defense Headquarters Office and Deputy Minister of the Emergency Management Department, led a joint working group composed of the Ministry of Emergency Management, Ministry of Water Resources, and Songhua River Defense Headquarters to inspect and guide the anti icing work in Heilongjiang Province. The working group emphasizes the need to fully implement the responsibilities of ice prevention at all levels, and effectively implement the responsibilities in various aspects such as monitoring and early warning, command and dispatch, inspection and defense, emergency rescue, and disaster relief. Efforts should be made to revise and improve contingency plans for personnel transfer, inspection and rescue, and project scheduling, and actively organize drills. We need to closely monitor weather changes and the development of ice storms, provide rolling forecasts and warnings, and strive to extend the forecast period for ice storms and disasters. We should carry out inspections and defenses of important river sections, dangerous sections, and key projects, and detect and deal with dangerous situations early. We need to implement anti icing and emergency supplies and equipment, strengthen coordination with various rescue teams, and prepare for blasting and de icing. We need to strengthen departmental coordination and coordination, and do a good job in joint duty, consultation and analysis, anti icing scheduling, and targeted arrangement and deployment. At the same time, the National Defense Office dispatched a working group to Baotou, Ordos, and Bayannur in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to inspect the prevention and response work of the Yellow River ice flood.

On December 21st, Lou Jiwei, Chairman of the Global Wealth Management Forum and former Minister of Finance, stated at the “China Wealth Management 50 Forum 2024 Annual Meeting” that venture capital (VC) and private equity investment funds (PE) are the most effective financial products in supporting technology innovation driven development. Lou Jiwei pointed out that the investment targets of venture capital funds are usually early-stage technology enterprises, whose technology and management models are not yet mature, and the probability of failure is relatively high. However, successful projects will have higher returns, which can make the fund overall profitable. If the assessment holds every failed project accountable, fund managers will not dare to invest. He believes that in the current environment, there is a lack of market-oriented patient capital, so the focus should be on market-oriented transformation of government venture capital funds.

On December 21st, the French power company EDF announced that the Flemish EPR nuclear reactor located in northwestern France was connected to the power grid on the same day and began operating to generate electricity. French President Macron welcomed this, stating that it is a great moment for the entire country. The CEO of Electricit é de France stated that this is a historic event for the entire nuclear industry in France.

On December 21st, the Israeli Defense Forces announced in the afternoon that they had successfully intercepted a drone entering Israeli airspace earlier that day, and there were no reports of casualties. The Israeli military stated that the drone entered Israeli territory from eastern Israel through Egyptian airspace and is “highly likely” to have been launched by Houthi militants in Yemen. There has been no response from the Houthi armed forces regarding this.

On December 21st, NIO Chairman Li Bin officially announced NIO’s third brand, FIREFLY, at the 2024 NIO DAY. The pre-sale price is 148800 yuan and it will be officially launched in April 2025. (Caixin News Agency reporter Kou Jiandong)

On December 21st, Guangdong real estate company Times China Holdings Limited released the latest information on its proposal to restructure overseas debt on the 20th. Times China Holdings stated that according to currently available information, as of the announcement date, creditors holding approximately 81.04% of the total outstanding principal of the debt within its scope have joined the restructuring support agreement. The proportion of 81.04% of creditor groups signing restructuring support agreements has made significant progress compared to 26.77% on November 22.

On December 21st, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong issued a statement expressing strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to the US Congressional Executive Committee on China’s annual report, which once again smeared the rule of law and human rights situation in Hong Kong, called for sanctions and suppression against Hong Kong, and brutally interfered in Hong Kong affairs and China’s internal affairs. The spokesperson stated that we urge relevant US politicians to recognize the reality, immediately withdraw the “black hands” who interfere in China’s internal affairs and Hong Kong affairs, and stop publishing such so-called reports full of lies.

On December 21st, at the 2024 Yangtze River Delta Ecological Green Integration Development Demonstration Zone Developer Conference and Demonstration Zone Full Link Conference held in Wujiang District, Suzhou City, representatives of member units of the Developer Alliance jointly released proposals. This year, the alliance carried out its fifth expansion work. At the 2024 developer alliance member meeting before the developer conference, a new batch of 14 new members joined the alliance, and the “friend circle” of the demonstration zone was further expanded, with the number of alliance members increasing to 76.

On December 21st, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zakharova stated that the Ukrainian military’s attack on Kazan was retaliation for Russia’s successful hosting of the BRICS summit. Zakharova stated that Western countries remain silent on the Ukrainian military’s attack on Kazan, and the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls on the international community to strongly condemn “Ukraine’s criminal behavior”.

On December 22nd, local time, the US Central Command announced through social media that the US military conducted airstrikes on Houthi missile storage facilities and command and control facilities located in the Houthi controlled area of Sana’a on December 21st. The statement stated that this operation utilized assets from the US Air Force and Navy, including F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets. During the operation, the US Central Command forces also shot down multiple Houthi one-way attack unmanned aerial vehicles (OWA UAVs) and an anti-ship cruise missile (ASCM) over the Red Sea. This strike is aimed at disrupting and weakening the Houthi armed forces’ attacks on US Navy warships and merchant ships in the southern Red Sea, the Strait of Mandeb, and the Gulf of Aden.