Tracks already laid for three new high-speed rail lines

Fixed-asset investment in railways expanded 6.6 percent in the first quarter of this year as China continues to modernize its railway infrastructure.

Total fixed-asset investment came in at 113.55 billion yuan ($16.5 billion), data from the China State Railway Group Co Ltd showed.

During this period, tracks for the main lines of three high-speed services have been laid, the group said, adding that advances have also been made in a number of key projects under construction.

The group said it will continue to improve the accessibility and coverage of the national rail network, and promote interregional connection to aid the coordinated development of the economy and society.

Trade in services rises to new highs in first two months

China's trade in services was worth 969.5 billion yuan ($140.88 billion) during the first two months of the year, rising 1.7 percent year-on-year, the Ministry of Commerce announced on Friday.

The value of knowledge-intensive trade in services was 406.9 billion yuan. This represents an increase of 6.4 percent on last year and accounts for 42 percent of China's combined value of services, both exported and imported.

According to the ministry, sectors providing insurance, financial, cultural and entertainment services experienced a rapid growth in the export of knowledge-intensive services, while sectors providing cultural and entertainment, telecommunications, computing and information services experienced rapid growth in the import of knowledge-intensive services.

The January-February period also led to a visible resumption of tourism, with the sector's trade in services valued at around 209.4 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 39.8 percent.

China Post says parcel volume increasing faster than ever

China's postal services have dealt with 30 billion parcels as of 8 am on April 6, the State Post Bureau said.

The bench mark was reached 99 days earlier than in 2019 and 18 days earlier than last year.

According to the bureau, the national courier sector now respectively receives and delivers more than 300 million parcels per day, playing an increasingly prominent role in spending, meeting daily needs and stimulating the economy.

Four elder care campaigns to be launched this year

The National Health Commission said on Friday that it will run four campaigns this year to step up national elder care services in terms of mental health, oral health, nutritional improvement and dementia prevention.

During a meeting in Beijing, the commission said that this year's efforts will also focus on enhancing the capacity to prevent and control disease, and perfect a medical emergency system capable of quick response in both normal and emergency periods.

According to the commission, efforts to improve policies for boosting the birthrate and developing public-interest child care systems will be intensified and action plans for maternal and infant health, and the prevention and treatment of birth defects will be implemented.