Hi everyone. I’m Stephanie LI. Coming up on today’s program. · China's industrial profits extend gains for 4th month in November; · China appoints new deputy head of central bank and other senior economic and financial officials. Here’s what you need to know about China in the past 24 hours  Profits at China's industrial firms extended gains for a fourth consecutive month in November, adding to signs of improvement. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed on Wednesday that large industrial enterprises saw their total profits increase 29.5 percent year-on-year in November after a 2.7 percent rise in October. For the January-November period, industrial firms' profits fell 4.4 percent year-on-year to 6.98 trillion yuan, narrowing from the 7.8 percent drop in the first ten months, the bureau said. As the effects of macroeconomic policies continue to kick in, domestic demand is gradually recovering, industrial production is seeing an accelerating rebound, and the profitability of industrial enterprises is experiencing sustained improvement, NBS statistician Yu Weining explained in a statement. Among the 41 major industrial sectors surveyed, 33 saw improvements in their profits during the first 11 months.  During the period, profits recorded by industrial firms that offer supplies of electricity, heat, gas and water grew by 47.3 percent year-on-year, up from the 40 percent rise in the first 10 months. Meanwhile, profits recorded by mining firms and manufacturing companies shrank 18.3 percent and 4.7 percent, respectively, compared to the 19.7 percent and 8.5 percent contraction in the first 10 months. Profits at equipment manufacturing enterprises rose by 2.8 percent on a yearly basis, up from the 1.1 percent rise in the first 10 months, NBS data showed. During the January-November period, state-owned firms achieved total profits of 2.24 trillion yuan, down 6.2 percent year-on-year, while private enterprises recorded total profits of 2 trillion yuan, marking a 1.6 percent increase over the same period, and foreign firms booked an 8.7 percent decline. The NBS data also show that operating income of major industrial firms increased by 1 percent year-on-year in the first 11 months, accelerating by 0.7 percentage points compared to the period from January to October due to a 6.1-percent growth in November. In addition, profit growth was observed in nearly 60 percent of industries, and 80 percent industries experienced a rebound in profit growth rates. The recovery of the industrial sector is now more extensive, from the improvement of accounts receivable and enterprise turnover, reflecting the recovery of market demand and the improvement of enterprise business conditions, analysts noted. · China's State Council on Tuesday appointed several senior officials at top economic and financial ministries. Lu Lei, former deputy administrator of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE), was appointed as the new deputy governor of the PBOC. Lu held various posts at the central bank, including the head of its financial stability department between 2016 and 2017, before becoming the deputy head of SAFE. Fu Wanjun, former vice chairman and president of the Agricultural Bank of China, was appointed as deputy head of the National Administration of Financial Regulation. Liu Sushe, a former vice chairman of the people's government of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, was named deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). Liu was the head of NDRC's fixed-asset investment department in 2017.   · A total of 19,834 certificates of origin involving USD568 million were issued under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) free trade agreement by Chinese authorities in November, marking a year-on-year growth rate of 20.8 percent, data from the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade showed on Wednesday. The certificates are expected to reduce tariffs by USD9 million