Photo taken on Oct. 4, 2015 shows an aerial night view of Shanghai, east China. (Xinhua)

Hi, here's what you need to know about China.

BEIJING -- China's economy is likely to grow by 6.8 percent year on year in the first quarter of the year as production activities and investment picked up, according to a Chinese government think tank report Wednesday.

The firming trend in the fourth quarter last year has continued into the first quarter of 2017, according to the National Academy of Economic Strategy (NAES), citing a huge rise in factory-gate prices, rebounding corporate profits and increasing imports. xhne.ws/uQS2N

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BEIJING -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang returned to Beijing Wednesday after his official visit to Australia and New Zealand, accompanied by his wife Cheng Hong.

During his stay in Australia, Li attended the fifth annual meeting between Chinese and Australian prime ministers. xhne.ws/9b9qK

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BEIJING -- China's housing regulator urged efforts to crack down on malpractice by real estate agents and developers on Wednesday amid a fresh round of measures to cool the property market.

Local authorities were required to act strongly against monopolistic practices and market manipulation, creating misleading expectations through rumor mongering, and providing false certificates, according to a statement from the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development. xhne.ws/514rc

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MANILA -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Wednesday that his country is on its "best level of friendship" with China.

Duterte, in a speech in Oriental Mindoro, an agricultural province in northern part of the country, said he has made the right decision to be friendly with China. xhne.ws/XitsQ