Holiday schedule THE General Office of China’s State Council released the official public holiday schedule for 2024 yesterday, featuring an eight-day break for the Spring Festival. In 2024, Spring Festival holiday will run from Feb. 10 to 17, with adjusted working days on Feb. 4 and 18. The Ministry of Transport also said yesterday that expressways across the country will offer toll-free access to passenger cars with up to seven seats from Feb. 9 to 17. Data administration CHINA inaugurated the National Data Administration yesterday to advance the planning and building of a digital economy. The administration is also responsible for fostering the construction of data infrastructure and coordinating the integration, sharing, development and application of data resources, according to a plan on reforming Party and State institutions released by the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council in March. Support for childbearing CHINA’S Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) will implement a raft of measures to encourage childbearing amid a low birth rate, HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee said yesterday. A one-off cash bonus of HK$20,000 (US$2,556) will be provided for each baby born to a parent who is a Hong Kong permanent resident, and this measure will last for three years, Lee said. Other incentives include a 20% rise in deduction ceiling for home loan interest or domestic rents, and priority arrangement for subsidized sale flat and public rental housing allocation. | 