progress of reforms and new developments of the capital market.
22
Apr, 2019
21
Apr, 2019
Economic structure was further improved during the sa
me period. The value-added high-tech sector’s out
put rose by 7.8 percent, higher than the country’s value-added industrial output.
In the first quarter, the NDRC approved 50 fixed asset investment projects, mainly in th
e fields of energy, transportation and high-tech. The total investment hit 370.3 billion yuan ($55.3 billion).
The NDRC reportedly is considering a slew of new measure to boost spending on automob
iles, home appliances and consumer electronics products. People close to the NDRC said it has sent a draft plan to
encourage consumption in the three sectors, according to a report in the National Business Daily.
The news caused shares of home appliance companies traded in Shanghai and Shenzhen to increase
by 1.47 percent on Thursday, according to Shanghai-based information provider Wind Info.
20
Apr, 2019
China’s foreign direct investment up 6.5% in Q1
China’s foreign direct investment (FDI) totaled 242.28 billion yuan in the first quarter of t
his year, up 6.5 percent year-on-year, the Ministry of Commerce said Thursday.
FDI in China from non-financial sectors reached $35.8 billio
n in the first three months, up 3.7 percent year-on-year.
Investment from South Korea, the United States and Germany in China m
eanwhile increased 79.6 percent, 71.3 percent and 86.1 percent year-on-year, respectively.
Foreign capital flowing to the country’s high-tech manufacturing s
ector surged 14.8 percent year-on-year to 25.97 billion yuan during the same period.
March’s FDI amounted to 95.17 billion yuan, up eight percent year-on-year.
19
Apr, 2019
We will rebuild this cathedral all together and it is un
tedly part of the French destiny and the project we will have for the coming years … a national subscription will be launched, and well beyon
d our borders we will appeal to the greatest talent, and there are many who will come to contribute and rebuild,” Macron said.
We will rebuild Notre Dame, because that’s what French people e
xpect, because it’s what our history deserves and because it’s our deep destiny,” he added.
Already, two of France’s wealthiest men have pledged large donations. Billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault, chairman and CEO of the Ke
ring group, which owns fashion brands including Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent and Balenciaga, pledged 100 m
illion euros ($113 million) toward rebuilding Notre Dame, Agence France-Presse reported.
Bernard Arnault, chief executive of the LVMH group, which owns fa
shion labels including Louis Vuitton and Bulgari, said he would donate 200 million euros.
Built in the 12th and 13th centuries, Notre Dame, which has rece
ived about 13 million visitors each year－more than the Eiffel Tower－is regard
ed as one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture and sits at the heart of the nation’s history.
17
Apr, 2019
JD Logistics responds to criticism over courier pay cuts
JD Logistic, the logistics arm of the Beijing-based tech heavyweight JD
.com, will cancel the basic salary for delivery staff , CEO and Chairman Liu Qiangdong said i
n response to arguments on the company’s salary adjustments in an internal email sent on Monday.
JD Logistics lost over 2.3 billion yuan ($342.9 million) in 2018, its 12th consecut
ive year to lose money. If the situation continues, Liu said, the company would only last for two more years.
If internal settlements are deducted, JD Logistics lost more than 2.8 billion yuan last year.
The main reasons for the loss are few external delivery orders and high internal costs, Liu said.
The company has only two choices, according to Liu: one, increase external delivery orders to promote external inco
me growth; the other, reduce staff members’ well-being to the level of other express companies.
Reducing fund ratios to average levels and canceling the basic salary a
ims to encourage couriers to get more external delivery orders and increase revenue.
11
Apr, 2019
Former Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Wing-tat was
convicted of incitement to commit public nuisance.
Judge Johnny Chan Jong-herng handed down the verdicts. The court will h
ear defendants’ petition in the afternoon. The date for sentencing has not yet been revealed.
According to the Crimes Ordinance and the Criminal Procedure Ordinance, each charge carries up to seven years’ imprisonment.
The illegal Occupy protests saw massive sit-ins on Tim Mei Avenue and Fenwick Pier Street – major thoroughfares linking Wan Cha
i and Central – between Sept 28 and Dec 11 of 2014. It put the city in a standstill for 79 days.
China will lower the tax rates on a range of goods brought or mailed b
y individuals into the country, including food, medicines, textiles and information technol
ogy products, the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council announced Monday.
Starting Tuesday, the tax rate on inbound articles included on the No 1 taxable
item list, which includes books, computers, food, furniture and medicines, will be reduc
ed to 13 percent from the previous 15 percent, the commission said in an online statement.
Some medicines that are currently subject to a 3-percent import value-added tax r
ate, including anti-cancer drugs and medicines for rare diseases, will enjoy favorable tax rate.
28
Mar, 2019
Zhang added the overseas buyers have professional know
ledge of jewelry and the history of the brands. She has placed many orders after watching these livestreaming videos.
Zhang is among the growing consumers who are willing to accept new things, learn about
overseas brands, cultures and lifestyle as well as make friends with overseas shoppers who share the same interests.
Online shopping via livestreaming videos is gaining traction among the post-80s and post-90s generatio
n consumers, who have increasing demands for premium brands and high-quality imported products amid consumption upgrade.
Statistics from Chinese cross-border e-commerce platform Ymatou showed that nearly 32 perc
ent of users buy products through livestreaming videos, and the post-80s and post-90s generation consumers, who tend to buy medieval peri
od jewelry, clothing and bags by watching livestreaming videos, have become the main force of overseas online shopping.
In the meantime, the post-2000 generation prefers to buy fashion brands, beauty makeup products, with high repurchasing rates.
27
Mar, 2019
Xi meets Macron on maintaining sound China-France ties
NICE, France – Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday stressed the importance of maintaining a sound China
-France relationship to both countries’ long-term development and its potential impact on the world.
Xi, who is paying a state visit to France, made the remarks when meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in the southern French city of Nice.
Recalling the history of friendly exchanges between China and France, Xi noted that Franc
e is the first major Western country to establish official diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
France, he added, also is the first country to form a strategic partnership and conduct stra
tegic dialogue with China and the first to carry out civilian nuclear-energy cooperation with China.
He pointed to the special significance of his visit, which came at a special year that marks both the 70th anniversary of the foun
ding of the PRC and the 55th anniversary of the establishment of China-France diplomatic relations.
24
Mar, 2019
North Korea withdraws from DMZ joint liaison office after new US
North Korea is withdrawing from a joint liaison office near the demilitarized zone (DMZ) with Sout
h Korea, a key symbol of the rapprochement and ongoing peace process between the two countries.
The move comes after the US slapped two Chinese firms with sanctions for doing busin
ess with Pyongyang, the first action taken by Washington against North Korea since the second summit bet
ween North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump in Hanoi ended early with no agreement.
South Korea’s Unification Ministry announced the move Friday, say
ing the decision had been taken by the North on “instructions from the superior authority.”
In its communication with the South, Pyongyang said it would not mind Seoul’s representatives “remaining in the office,” whi
ch is based in Kaesong, a part of North Korea near the de facto border between the two countries.
23
Mar, 2019
Some EU states, including Germany, had given a largel
positive response to May’s well-flagged request.
