Promising Film Market

China's box office sales hit 17.07 billion yuan ($2.7 billion) in 2012, surging 30.18 percent year on year, and making the country the world's second-largest film market. Chinese filmmakers produced 893 films last year, according to data published in January by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television. However, ticket sales for imported movies totaled 8.8 billion yuan ($1.4 billion), or 52.4 percent of gross ticket revenue, ending nine years of box office dominance by domestic films.

Fiber Optic Network Connections

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has announced that all newly built residences in counties and cities, where a public fiber optic telecom network is available, have to be equipped with fiber optic network connections. The standard will take effect on April 1, and will also require residences to offer equal connections to services from various telecom companies, allowing customers to choose which service they want. Analysts said that the new standards are aimed at growing domestic fiber optic broadband networks, and providing the telecom industry with potential business worth thousands of billions of yuan.

Medical Insurance

The Chinese Government will raise subsidies for rural residents' medical insurance in 2013, according to Ministry of Health. Under the New Rural Cooperative Medical Program, the annual government subsidy for each rural resident will be increased from the current 290 yuan ($46) to 340 yuan ($54). Rural residents participating in the program will each pay an annual premium of 60 yuan ($9.5).

Grain Supply Concern

China needs to take measures to ease the tightening of grain supplies as more rural farmers migrate to urban areas in search of non-agricultural jobs, warned the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in its 2012 Annual Report on China's Urban-Rural Integration, released in January. The report said, "As a great proportion of rural labor forces move to cities and industrial sectors, inadequate labor supply is gradually becoming a key factor hindering the country's grain output." According to the report, cities and various industries are now "in an increasingly obvious conflict" with grain production needs as industrialization and urbanization are progressing speedily.

Prudent Policies

The People's Bank of China reiterated its "prudent" policy stance for 2013 while pledging to strengthen financial reform and avoid risks amid rising inflationary pressures. The central bank will maintain consistency and stability in its policies, while helping credit supply and total social financing grow steadily, said a statement published on its official website in January. The statement was released at the end of the central bank's annual work conference, which sets the policy tone for the following year.

Outsourcing Sector Grows

The value of China's outsourcing sector will grow about 40 percent annually during the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15) period to $85 billion by the end of 2015, according to the Ministry of Commerce and the National Development and Reform Commission. The figure will account for roughly 28 percent of China's services export value. The two bodies recently issued guidelines for China's outsourcing sector, the first specialized guidelines for the sector.

Science Infrastructure Plan

The State Council has approved a plan on infrastructure construction for major science and technology projects for the next two decades. According to a statement released by the State Council in January, the Medium- and Long-Term (2012-30) Plan on Infrastructure Construction for China's Major Science and Technology Projects aims to boost China's innovation capability, support major science and technology breakthroughs and accelerate infrastructure construction for major projects. The plan, focusing on cutting-edge research and the country's major strategic demands, highlights seven major fields, comprising energy, life, Earth systems and environments, materials, particle and nuclear physics, space and astronomy, and engineering technology.

Top Energy Producer

In 2012, China was the world's largest energy producer for a fifth consecutive year, announced the National Energy Administration in January. China's total installed power generation capacity reached 1.14 billion KW by the end of 2012. Installed hydropower capacity was 249 million KW, the largest amount in the world. The nation's wind power also led the world with an installed capacity of 63 million KW by the end of 2012. Crude oil production and reserves steadily increased, and natural gas production saw rapid development last year. CA

Numbers

3.7%

The decrease of FDI in China in 2012

81.8 million

The number of passengers who used Beijing Capital International Airport in 2012

17%

Chinese non-financial direct investment in Africa rise from Jan-Oct 2012

$124.6 billion

The predicted B2C online sales in China in 2013

$112 billion+

The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa's international reserves to date