Beijing, China - Oct 18, 2018 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of briefing by China's Ministry of Finance in progress
2. Camera
3. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Yuan Haiyao, associate inspector, taxation apartment, Ministry of Finance (partially overlaid with shot 4):
"We have been supporting key areas and links. This includes our support in the three campaigns in the country (averting major risks, reducing poverty and fighting pollution). From January to September, the central government spent 315.3 billion yuan on poverty reduction, a 49.9 percent growth. Spending on fighting pollution and ecological protection grew by 20.1 percent, 35.6 percent respectively. We have been supporting innovation-driven economic development. In the first nine months, we spent 543.9 billion yuan on science and technology, which went up by 16.7 percent. We have been working to improve people's life. In the first three quarters, spending on employment and social security, and medical care grew by 9.3 and 7.9 percent respectively."
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4. Various of reporters at briefing

FILE: Beijing, China - Date Unknown (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
5. Various of exterior of building of China's Ministry of Finance

Beijing, China - Oct 8, 2018 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
6. Various of interior of tax service hall of Xicheng District
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FILE: China - Exact Location and Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
7. Various of bank clerk counting RMB banknotes

Beijing, China - Oct 18, 2018 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
8. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Hao Lei, deputy director, budget department, Ministry of Finance:
"We have been supporting key areas and links. This includes our support in the three campaigns in the country (averting major risks, reducing poverty and fighting pollution). From January to September, the central government spent 315.3 billion yuan on poverty reduction, a 49.9 percent growth. Spending on fighting pollution and ecological protection grew by 20.1 percent, 35.6 percent respectively. We have been supporting innovation-driven economic development. In the first nine months, we spent 543.9 billion yuan on science and technology, which went up by 16.7 percent. We have been working to improve people's life. In the first three quarters, spending on employment and social security, and medical care grew by 9.3 and 7.9 percent respectively."

FILE: China - Exact Date and Location Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
9. Various of workers, production line
10. Various of consumers in supermarket
11. Various of containers, port

China continued to use fiscal revenue to support the nation's important tasks, including poverty reduction, environmental protection, scientific innovation and improving people's life, according to senior finance officials on Thursday.

During a briefing by the Ministry of Finance, officials said, in September, the central government collected 591.9 billion yuan (about 85.38 billion U.S. dollars) in fiscal revenue, up 0.9 percent year on year, while the local governments saw fiscal revenue rise 2.9 percent to 704.4 billion yuan.

In the first three quarters, fiscal revenue went up 8.7 percent year on year to 14.6 trillion yuan, including 12.7 trillion yuan of tax revenue.

In response to a question that fiscal revenue grew faster than GDP, Yuan Haiyao, associate inspector in the taxation apartment of the ministry, said the two are calculated in different methods, and therefore, could not be compared directly.

"The growth rates of fiscal revenue and GDP are calculated differently, as the former is calculated at current prices, while the latter is based in constant prices, so the two can not be compared directly, without any adjustment. For example, in 2017, GDP grew by 6.9 percent, or 11.2 percent at current prices of 2017, while the fiscal revenue registered 7.4 percent, which is about 4 percentage points lower. In the first half of 2018, GDP grew by 6.8 percent, or 10 percent at current prices, which is roughly the level with the growth rate of fiscal revenue," Yuan said.

The ministry, according to him, forecasts the growth rate of fiscal revenue in the year 2018 will be lower than that of GDP at current prices, with the slowdown of fiscal revenue growth in the second half of this year as the country is pushing ahead with its campaign to cut taxes and other charges.

Thursday's data also showed that fiscal spending in the January-September period rose 7.5 percent to 16.3 trillion yuan.

According to Hao Lei, deputy director of the budget department of the ministry, the ministry has been using fiscal spending to support the nation's important tasks.

"We have been supporting key areas and links. This includes our support in the three campaigns in the country (averting major risks, reducing poverty and fighting pollution). From January to September, the central government spent 315.3 billion yuan on poverty reduction, a 49.9 percent growth. Spending on fighting pollution and ecological protection grew by 20.1 percent, 35.6 percent respectively. We have been supporting innovation-driven economic development. In the first nine months, we spent 543.9 billion yuan on science and technology, which went up by 16.7 percent. We have been working to improve people's life. In the first three quarters, spending on employment and social security, and medical care grew by 9.3 and 7.9 percent respectively," he said.