Hi everyone. I’m Stephanie LI.

大家好，我是主持人李莹亮。

Coming up on today’s program.

重点提要 

• China’s top health authority urged the elderly to get COVID-19 vaccines; 

• Vice Premier Liu He said China's GDP growth is set to exceed the 6% target this year.

Here’s what you need to know about China in the past 24 hours 

中国经济要闻

Final call for senior citizens to get "a shot in the arm.”  

The National Health Commission (NHC) on Tuesday urged elderly people in China to receive COVID-19 vaccines and booster shots, as this group is much more vulnerable to the virus.

According to the NHC, more than 1.1 billion people have been fully vaccinated in China as of Tuesday. However, about 50 million seniors in the country, accounting for 20 percent of the total population over 60, have yet to be inoculated, said Zheng Zhongwei, head of China's COVID-19 vaccine development task force, adding that the vaccination rate of people aged 80 and above is less than 30 percent in some provinces. 

Statistics released by the U.S.’s CDC show that compared with people aged 18 to 29, infected patients over 85 years old were 370 times higher to be killed.

To make the situation worse, the newly discovered Omicron variant is closing in. The WHO said on Monday that Omicron is likely to spread internationally, posing a "very high" global risk, with COVID-19 surges potentially having "severe consequences" in some areas. As of today morning, WHO said that Omicron has been reported in 19 countries and regions.

China is racing the clock to tackle the Omicron variant. Chinese vaccine makers, including mRNA vaccine developer CanSino and inactivated vaccine producer Sinovac, have also announced efforts to upgrade their vaccines against Omicron. University of Hong Kong announced on Tuesday that its team has successfully isolated Omicron strain from clinical specimens, making it the first known research team in Asia to succeed. 

The latest flare-up in northern China is not something to be ignored. The Chinese mainland recorded 91 local cases on Tuesday, all in Inner Mongolia. The autonomous region of Northern China has reported 132 local symptomatic cases during the past three days, more than 70 percent of them in Manzhouli, a small city next to the border with Russia.

65倍！150倍！370倍！

这组数字来自美国疾控中心，是基于美国新冠肺炎疫情分析得出的死亡率：相较于18-29岁人群，65-74岁、75-84岁、85岁以上老年人的死亡风险提高倍数。

在11月30日的国务院联防联控新闻发布会上，国家卫生健康委科技发展中心主任郑忠伟表示，根据各国统计情况来看，目前全球死亡人数主要集中在70岁以上。“老年人接种新冠肺炎疫苗后出现重症的风险明显低于未接种疫苗的老年人，然而我国仍有5000万左右（约20%）的老人没有接种新冠病毒疫苗。”

相较美国、日本等发达国家而言，我国老年人群的新冠疫苗接种比例较低，部分省市80岁以上老年人群接种率不足30%，70岁以上老年人群接种率不足50%。因此他呼吁，老年人接种新冠疫苗需“应接尽接”，同时已完成全程免疫的老年人接种加强针。

新变种病毒来势汹汹，截至今天早上，WHO宣布已有19个国家和地区出现奥密克戎毒株。应对奥密克戎变异株，我国已经做好了包括灭活疫苗、蛋白疫苗、载体疫苗等多条技术路线的前期技术储备和研究，部分企业相关前期设计已经开始。

香港大学微生物学系于30日宣布成功从临床标本中分离出新冠变异病毒奥密克戎毒株。这是亚洲首个研究团队成功分离和培养奥密克戎毒株，分离出来的毒株将可用于开发和生产灭活全病毒疫苗。包括康希诺生物及科兴生物在内的我国疫苗生产商，均已表示高度关注奥密克戎毒株，并开展疫苗研发。

国内疫情亦未结束。11月30日，内蒙古自治区新增本土病例91例。11月28日至30日期间，内蒙古已累计新增132例病例，其中多数位于中俄边境满洲里。

• China's economy continues to recover, as growth, employment, prices of commodities and balance of payments are generally getting back to normal. It is expected that China's annual economic growth will exceed the expected target, Chinese Vice Premier Liu He told a forum on Tuesday. China's GDP growth target has been set at over 6 percent for 2021. 

  11月30日，中共中央政治局委员、国务院副总理刘鹤表示，今年以来，中国经济持续恢复，增长、就业、物价、国际收支情况总体正常，预计全年经济增长将超过预期目标。2021年GDP增长目标为6%以上。

Next on industry and company news

产经消息及公司新闻

• China rolled out a guidance on Tuesday to better safeguard the rights of workers from emerging businesses in the transportation industry such as ride-hailing, requiring operators to improve income distribution mechanisms and guarantee rest periods for drivers. 

  网约车平台应合理抽成：11月30日，交通运输部等8部门联合印发《关于加强交通运输新业态从业人员权益保障工作的意见》，提到为完善平台和从业人员利益分配机制，各地相关部门要督促网络预约出租汽车平台企业向驾驶员和乘客等相关方公告计价规则、收入分配规则；网约车平台企业应合理设定抽成比例上限并对外公开。

• Shares in Shanghai International Airport advanced 4 percent today after the operator of Pudong International Airport said it is offering to take over the city’s other major airport Hongqiao from its parent firm Shanghai Airport Group in a 19.1 billion yuan deal, which also includes a logistics arm and the fourth runway at Pudong Airport. The airport operator suffered a hard hit during the pandemic with its share price slumping over 40 percent this year.

  “机场茅”重磅重组出炉：11月30日晚间，上海机场发布公告称，公司拟以191亿元的价格，通过发行股份的方式，购买控股股东机场集团持有的上海虹桥国际机场有限责任公司100%股权、上海机场集团物流发展有限公司100%股权和浦东第四跑道。今年2月以来，上海机场股价持续下挫，至今跌幅超过40%，今天上海机场股价大涨4%。

• Huobi Group, the operator of China’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, picked Singapore as its regional headquarters, co-founder Du Jun said. The company is also planning to set up another regional headquarters in either France or the U.K. in 2023. 

  火币转战新加坡：11月30日，加密货币交易所火币联合创始人杜均对外称新加坡成为该公司的新基地，同时火币计划于2023年于欧洲再设立一个全球总部。据提交给新加坡会计和企业监管局的文件，一家名为“火币国际”的公司于8月在新加坡注册成立，火币创始人李林是最大股东。

• Shares of China's Hainan Airlines Holding hit daily limit-up for a second day after the troubled aviation company revealed plans to reduce its debts. The airline would issue 16.4 billion shares to double its total, the Haikou-based company said in a statement late Monday. 

  ST海航继续两天涨停：11月29日晚间，海航控股发布关于重整计划资本公积金转增股本事项实施的公告。方案显示，本次重整以海航控股现有A股股票约164.37亿股为基数，按照每10股转增10股实施资本公积金转增，转增股票约164.37亿股。转增后，海航控股总股本将增至332.43亿股。

Switching gears to the financial sector

金融市场要闻

• The Hong Kong dollar has fallen 0.3 percent in November and fell into the weak half of its trading band for the first time since December 2019 as the emergence of a new coronavirus variant hurt the appetite for risk assets. The exchange rate declined to as low as 7.8020 per greenback, passing the midpoint of its trading range against the U.S. currency. 

  港币汇价周二跌至2019年以来的最疲软价位。港币兑美元周二盘中跌至7.8020港币兑1美元，本月以来贬值0.3%，将创去年2月以来最大单月跌幅。

Wrapping up with a quick look at the stock market

最后来看股市收盘情况

• Chinese stocks closed mixed on Wednesday with the Shanghai Composite up 0.36 percent and Shenzhen Component ended almost flat. Stocks related to tobacco and paper are among the biggest winners as over 3200 stocks gained. The Hang Seng Index closed 0.78 percent higher after losing for 3 consecutive days, as the tech sector and new energy vehicle rebounded. 

  A股今日走势分化，沪指涨0.36%，烟草、造纸板块全天大涨，大盘普涨超3200家飘红，而深成指微跌0.01%。恒生指数收涨0.78%，终结三连跌，科技股、新能源汽车股走强。

（欢迎大家提供意见和反馈，请联系主播李莹亮：liyl@21jingji.com）

Executive Editor: Sonia YU

Editor: LI Yanxia

Host: Stephanie LI

Writer: Stephanie LI, ZHANG Ran

Producer: XIANG Xiufang

Sound Editor: ZHANG Ran, Andy YUAN

Graphic Designer: ZHENG Wenjing, LIAO Wanni

Co-produced by 21st Century Business Herald Dept. of Overseas News & SFC Audio/Video Dept.

Presented by SFC

编委:  于晓娜

策划、编辑：李艳霞 

播音：李莹亮

撰稿：李莹亮、张然

监制：向秀芳 

音频制作：张然、袁思杰 

设计：郑文静、廖苑妮

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