A slew of ministry-level departments, including those responsible for agriculture, culture and tourism, health and technologies have responded recently to matters of public concern.

Grain output to remain steady next year

China will work to ensure that its total grain output remains above 650 million metric tons next year as maintaining the level of production is a top policy priority for the country.

The total area of crop producing land will remain above 116.67 million hectares next year, Chen Youquan, an official with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, told a news conference on Dec 24. China saw its 17th consecutive year of good harvests this year, with grain output reaching nearly 670 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 0.9 percent, according to the ministry. It also marks the sixth consecutive year that the country's total grain production has exceeded 650 million tons.

The current food supplies are expected to be enough for the upcoming Lunar New Year and Spring Festival holidays, a peak consumption period, with adequate stockpiles of rice and wheat and stable output of fruit and vegetables, the ministry said.

To improve food security, efforts will be stepped up to optimize planting and to increase supplies of less plentiful agricultural products, Chen added.

4.3 billion yuan spent to develop poor areas

Nearly 4.3 billion yuan ($656 million) has been funneled into boosting tourism and culture as part of the nationwide drive to eradicate extreme poverty.

The funds went into supporting cultural development and promoting tourism in impoverished rural areas during the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-20), Li Qun, vice-minister of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, told reporters on Dec 23.

The grants were used to fund opera performances, purchase facilities for cultural centers in rural areas and to support tourist projects in impoverished regions, he said.

Li added that more than 10,000 cultural specialists had been trained to work in poverty-stricken areas and another 132,000 cultural had been deployed in such places.

More than 700 special training classes were conducted to train workers in the cultural and tourism sectors in order to empower rural poor areas and help villagers rise above poverty, Li said.

Boys and girls taller due to better nutrition, says report

Chinese boys and girls are taller than they were five years ago thanks to better nutrition, the National Health Commission said on Dec 23.

Boys aged between 6 and 17 were 1.6 centimeters taller on average than in 2015, while girls in the same age group were 1 cm taller.

Similarly, the average height of men age 18 to 44 has edged up 1.2 cm to 169.7 cm and women 0.8 cm to 158 cm over the past five years, said Li Bin, deputy head of the commission, at a news conference.

Li was delivering a report on the nutritional condition of Chinese people and the development of chronic diseases in the population.

The prevalence of growth retardation in children under 6 has fallen below 7 percent, with a more conspicuous drop in rural areas, he said.

Improvement was also registered in the intake of trace elements among Chinese minors, Li noted.

The prevalence of anemia in children and adolescents aged between 6 and 17 has been reduced to 6.1 percent, a steep reduction from the figure in 2015, Li said.

580,000 5G base stations added this year

With an eye on developing 6G telecommunications technology, China has built around 580,000 5G base stations this year as it further advanced infrastructure development.

Domestic shipments of 5G mobile phones reached 144 million units in the first 11 months of this year, with 199 new models hitting the market, Wen Ku, spokesperson for the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, told reporters on Dec 24.

The number of 5G users is growing rapidly, as the total number of mobile terminals connected to 5G networks has exceeded 200 million in the country, Wen said.

The country has accelerated 5G development this year, expanding its network while encouraging a variety of 5G applications. All prefecture-level cities are now covered by the 5G network, he added.

The ministry will continue to build high-quality 5G networks and data centers while promoting the applications of 5G technology in fields including manufacturing, energy, and transport, Wen said.