Your daily briefing on China

Hi, here's what you should know about China for the past 24 hours.

HANGZHOU, China, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- China will bid to inscribe its centuries-old freshwater pearl farming as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System, a world heritage equivalent.

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LONDON, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- China's bike-sharing company ofo decided to increase the number of its bikes in London's Hackney following its recent launch in the borough, the company announced Friday.

The company said it will increase the number of its bikes to 750 from an initial 200 over the coming month in Hackney, hoping to provide a blueprint for ofo in the rest of the capital as it looks to address transport options for the "last mile" of travel.

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HAVANA, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- An Air China's 747 aircraft arrived Friday at Jose Marti International Airport with humanitarian aid to Cuba after the Caribbean nation was badly hit by the Hurricane Irma.

The first plane with 86 tons relief materials like tents, generators, folding beds, blankets, water pumps, luminaires, among others, sent by China to Cuba on Friday.

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BEIJING, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- China hit back Friday at the S&P Global Ratings' downgrade of the country's sovereign credit rating, with the finance ministry calling it a "wrong decision."

The Ministry of Finance (MOF) website described the decision as "perplexing," with the economy on a firm footing.

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BANGKOK, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese tech giant Huawei has put forward digital transformation plans for 10 major industries, such as city management, energy, agriculture and education, for Thailand in a bid to help the country fulfill its ambition of Thailand 4.0.

The company showcases its products and solutions including Smart City, Smart Energy, Smart Parking, Digital Railway, Smart Airport, Smart Government, Smart Agriculture, among others, at its booth at the Digital Thailand Big Bang, the largest digital technology expo in Southeast Asia.

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LANZHOU, China, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- After a long day at work, Yang Haitao pulls out his smartphone, opens the WeChat social networking app, and asks one of his friends where they should meet for dinner.

While this seems normal for many people, it's significant for Yang, who is blind and previously couldn't use a smartphone. Enditem

Source: Your daily briefing on China