As of August 2, 2026, local government bond issuance totaled approximately RMB 6.61 trillion, including RMB 2.41 trillion of new special bonds. This represents 55% of the annual quota of RMB 4.4 trillion, below the 63.1% pace in the same period of 2025. Guangdong led with RMB 287.025 billion, followed by six other provinces. The Politburo has urged faster use of fiscal funds and bond proceeds.
The Shaanxi Provincial Development and Reform Commission on July 28 issued the implementation plan for the Xi'an metropolitan area during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. The plan aims for 75% of the population to have one-hour commute access by 2030, and R&D expenditure intensity to reach 4.5%. The metropolitan area, China's fifth national-level metropolitan area and the only one in the northwest, covers 20,600 square kilometers. As of 2025, its economic output stood at RMB 1.75 trillion, 1.3 times the initial planning target, accounting for 47.8% of Shaanxi's GDP.
China's National Development and Reform Commission announced the tenth fuel price increase of 2026, raising gasoline and diesel prices by RMB 685 and RMB 655 per tonne respectively from July 31. Nationally, 92 RON gasoline, 95 RON gasoline, and 0# diesel rise by RMB 0.54, RMB 0.57, and RMB 0.56 per liter. Filling a 50-liter tank of 92 RON gasoline costs an extra RMB 27. The adjustment follows volatile international crude prices amid Middle East tensions.
Jiangsu province on July 23 released its 'AI+Transport' implementation plan, aiming to build a high-quality development demonstration zone by 2030. The first batch of 62 application scenarios was announced. Jiangsu's highway network, carrying 7.2% of national traffic on 2.8% of mileage, targets 100 typical scenarios by 2027 and 20 vertical AI models. Transport investment totaled 1 trillion yuan during the 14th Five-Year Plan and is planned to exceed 1 trillion yuan in the 15th Five-Year Plan, with 240 billion yuan designated for 2026.