News Briefing for Wednesday, July 27, 2022

Here’s what else you need to know about China today:

Biden and Xi will speak tomorrow: U.S. President Joe Biden and General Secretary Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 are expected to have their fifth call tomorrow to discuss key topics, including the invasion of Ukraine, managing their economic competition, and Taiwan — as China’s wolf warriors continue to issue blustery warnings against U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s mooted visit to the self-ruled island.

New head of China’s Center for Disease Control: China’s CDC has appointed Shen Hongbing 沈洪兵 as its new chief following the retirement of incumbent head George Gao (高福 Gāo Fú). The leadership change comes in tandem with a restructuring that has placed the agency under the authority of the newly established National Administration of Disease Control and Prevention.

Beijing airports are getting busy again: The average daily passenger volume at Beijing Capital Airport exceeded 57,000 in July, an increase of 38,000 compared with in June. The number of domestic flights has increased from 21% last month to 59%, and the average passenger load from 49% to 59%. Some international routes have been resumed.

Alibaba’s 1.31 billion customers: For the fiscal year that ended on March 31, the total gross merchandise volume (GMV) of the Alibaba ecosystem was 8.31 trillion yuan ($1.23 trillion), of which 7.97 trillion yuan ($1.17 trillion) emanated from the Chinese market. Alibaba has about 1.31 billion active consumers, of whom more than a billion are located in China.

Textile pain: According to a survey of 65 domestic textile companies, 72.1% reported that their domestic orders had decreased since May, and over 80% reported that their export orders had decreased. Only 14% of the companies reported an overall increase in orders.

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