China's progress on business resumption

Amid further containment of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic, China is powering ahead in returning to work and resuming business and production. The following are the latest facts and figures:

— China's consumer price index, the main gauge of inflation, grew 4.3 percent year-on-year last month, moderating from 5.2 percent in February as economic activities including transport and logistics gradually recovered, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

— China's auto production and sales rebounded remarkably in March, adding to signs of a gradual thaw in the car market, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said.

Automobile output stood at 1.42 million units last month, up 399.2 percent from February, while sales hit 1.43 million units, representing a month-on-month growth of 361.1 percent.

— China released a guideline on advancing work resumption amid epidemic control. The guideline, issued by the leading group of China's COVID-19 epidemic response, stresses coordinated efforts between epidemic control and economic and social development to speed up the return to normal work and life.

— The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued a circular, stressing service reinforcement in promoting work resumption of small and medium-sized enterprises.

— Lufthansa plans to resume scheduled flights between Germany and China from mid-April to serve demand in air cargo transport. Starting from mid-April, Lufthansa will resume three daily flights between German cities and Shanghai, and two daily flights between German cities and Beijing, said Lufthansa Cargo China.