China's progress in economic resumption

BEIJING -- China's success in controlling COVID-19 means the economy is in a steady revival mode. The following facts and figures indicate how the country is forging ahead in resuming work and production:

-- China's housing market remained generally stable in August, with slight month-on-month growth in home prices in major cities.

New home prices in four first-tier cities -- Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen -- rose by 0.6 percent month on month in August, up 0.1 percentage points from a month earlier, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics.

Thirty-one second-tier cities reported a month-on-month increase of 0.6 percent in new home prices, compared with a 0.5-percent rise in July, while 35 third-tier cities witnessed a month-on-month growth of 1 percent in new home prices, with a slightly faster pace compared with the 0.8-percent expansion in July.

-- Chinese banking institutions have pooled their resources and increased financial support for the country's battle against poverty amid COVID-19.

In the first eight months of this year, the Agricultural Development Bank of China, an agricultural policy bank, provided 351.1 billion yuan (about 51.3 billion U.S. dollars) in loans for poverty relief.

The figure was up by 71.75 percent, or 146.7 billion yuan, from the same period last year, according to the bank.

-- The State Council, China's cabinet, plans to conduct an inspection to ensure the implementation of major policies ranging from COVID-19 prevention and control to different aspects of economic development.

The inspection, scheduled for mid- and late October, will be performed on site in 14 provincial-level regions and at the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps.