Tag: China

China making inroads into Pakistan’s mainstream media and telecommunications, warns experts
17Jun mmBy Michael SmithNo Comments
USA

China making inroads into Pakistan’s mainstream media and telecommunications, warns experts

Chinese inroads into Pakistan's mainstream media, and state-level bilateral cooperation on telecommunications infrastructure and surveillance is growing, posing a threat to people's freedom of speech in the country, a researcher has warned.Nowmay Opalinski, a research intern with the Centre for Internal & Regional Security (IreS), said, "These developments are taking place against a backdrop of Pakistani state's growing attempts to censor online content domestically. “How does this set of circumstances favour China? Where does China's big picture media strategy fit into this?" he added. Opalinski found that since 2012, the government of Pakistan has been attempting to implement a national firewall to tighten control over content shared online. The introduction of the Pakistan Electroni...
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China’s foreigner ban leaves global businesses in limbo
14Jun mmBy Mike TrudellNo Comments
Singapore

China’s foreigner ban leaves global businesses in limbo

Foreign nationals who live in China or planned to visit say they have been left in limbo as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, with many unsure of when they can return to work or get a refund for their trip.China imposed a travel ban on most foreigners entering the country in March as the outbreak gathered pace overseas.Even those with valid residence or work permits, or who run businesses, have been shut out, and there was further doubt about when the restrictions would be lifted after a new cluster of infections was detected in Beijing over the weekend.Jessie Lim, the founder of Frequency Advertising & Event, has been stranded in Singapore since travelling there in January."(The ban) really shocked me," she said, adding that her Chengdu-based firm earned nothing in the first three...
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Chinese cosmetic brands see rally despite global beauty downturn
8Jun mmBy Mike TrudellNo Comments
Asia

Chinese cosmetic brands see rally despite global beauty downturn

With consumers staying at home for months and social gatherings banned across the world, the global cosmetics industry has been dealt a major blow by the coronavirus pandemic.Yet low-cost, online-savvy local beauty brands in China have seen their shares rally as investors spy an opportunity for the home-grown outfits to take market share amid the crisis.Hangzhou-based Proya Cosmetics Co has soared 88% this year, reaching a record high in May and is now trading at 68 times forward earnings, the highest among listed beauty companies worldwide and surpassing giants like Shiseido Co and Estee Lauder Cos.Another local make-up brand, Guangdong Marubi Biotechnology Co has surged 42% this year against a 3.9% decline in the Shanghai Composite Index and is now trading at 58.7 times forward earnings....
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China imports plunge, exports fall on virus hit to global growth
7Jun mmBy Michael SmithNo Comments
Asia

China imports plunge, exports fall on virus hit to global growth

China's exports and imports fell in May as the economic slowdown abroad started to take its toll, and after a surprise jump driven by increased demand for anti-epidemic supplies, official data showed on Sunday.Exports from the manufacturing powerhouse fell 3.3% on-year last month, better than the 6.5 per cent slide expected by a Bloomberg poll of analysts.But the return to negative territory came after a surprise 3.5% jump in April, which was partly due to medical exports.Analysts have warned of signs that a larger downturn awaits.Customs data released on Sunday showed a larger than expected plunge in imports on-year, which were down by 16.7%.This was significantly higher than the 7.8% expected by analysts, and down further from the 14.2% drop in April."Export growth rebounded in March and...
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Europe should give up overdependence on China, consider India as alternative: Experts
5Jun mmBy Mike TrudellNo Comments
Singapore

Europe should give up overdependence on China, consider India as alternative: Experts

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and experts on Thursday said that the European Union that has been hit hard economically due to Wuhan-originated coronavirus and that India being a diplomatic nation provides a conducive atmosphere for the European investors.  “The countries were relying too much on China and they needed to look for other markets,” Thierry Mariani, a Member of the European Parliament and Former Minister of State for Transport of France said at a webinar.The event was organized by the Economic Development Foundation, Istanbul (IKV), a non-governmental research organization specialized on the EU and Turkey-EU relations.Mariani further said: "For me, this new Silk Road is just one opportunity but it cannot be said that it is the only opportunity. If we want to have pe...
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COVID-19 outbreak: Leaked document contradicts China’s official stand on Wuhan wet market
5Jun mmBy Joe RodriguezNo Comments
China

COVID-19 outbreak: Leaked document contradicts China’s official stand on Wuhan wet market

A recent investigative report on Wednesday claimed that novel coronavirus did not originate from China’s Wuhan market, saying that the earliest documented patient was not connected to the market.As per the report, scientists still haven’t determined the virus’s origin. U.S. officials, citing intelligence, said the virus was likely naturally occurring, but may have leaked from a virology research lab in Wuhan.According to latest estimates by Johns Hopkins University, more than 6.5 million cases of Covid-19 have been reported worldwide, including at least 388,000 deaths. In US alone, more than 1.8 million coronavirus cases have been recorded, including at least 108,000 deaths.Chinese authorities have repeatedly refused offers of assistance from the United States and other countries in resear...
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China approves $20 billion petrochemical complex in Shandong oil hub
3Jun mmBy Joe RodriguezNo Comments
China

China approves $20 billion petrochemical complex in Shandong oil hub

China has given initial approval for a $20 billion refinery and petrochemical project to be built in eastern Shandong province as part of efforts to dial up infrastructure spending to support an economy struggling with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.The 400,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) refinery and 3 million tonne-per-year ethylene plant in Yantai, Shandong, the country’s hub for independent oil refineries, was proposed years ago but approval has been slowing in coming because of China’s struggle with excess refining capacity.China’s state planner, the National Development & Reform Commission (NDRC), gave initial approval on Monday for the project, allowing Shandong province to start planning for construction, said the sources with knowledge of the approval.The investment in the pr...
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Asia’s factory pain worsens as China’s recovery fails to lift demand
1Jun mmBy Joe RodriguezNo Comments
Asia, China

Asia’s factory pain worsens as China’s recovery fails to lift demand

Asia’s factory pain deepened in May as the slump in global trade caused by the coronavirus pandemic worsened, with export powerhouses Japan and South Korea suffering the sharpest declines in business activity in more than a decade, surveys showed.A series of manufacturing surveys released on Monday suggest any rebound in businesses will be some time off, even though China’s factory activity unexpectedly returned to growth in May.The new coronavirus pandemic - which has killed more than 370,000 people around the world - has wreaked havoc with supply chains and quashed demand as government-imposed lockdowns forced businesses to close and citizens to stay home.China’s Caixin/Markit Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) hit 50.7 last month, marking the highest reading since January as...
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China factory activity expands at slower rate as global slump drags on growth
1Jun mmBy Michael SmithNo Comments
Asia

China factory activity expands at slower rate as global slump drags on growth

Factory activity in China took a big hit as official data showed that the industry expanded at a slower pace in May as the country attempts to get back on track after the coronavirus.China's factories have stirred back to life after the lifting of strict lockdown measures imposed when the virus surfaced in Wuhan, but the spread of coronavirus worldwide has dragged down key foreign markets - weighing heavily on Chinese exports.The Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI), a key gauge of activity in China's factories, was at 50.6 points in May, remaining above the 50-point mark separating growth from contraction each month.But the figure was down slightly from 50.8 the month before, and 52.0 in March, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).“The epidemic situation and economic situation...
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China to restrict expansion of solar equipment producers
29May mmBy Joe RodriguezNo Comments
China, Market

China to restrict expansion of solar equipment producers

[Asia] China to restrict expansion of solar equipment producersChina’s industrial ministry on Friday said that to tackle overcapacity in the industry in the face of falling domestic installations, it intends to impose restrictions on expansion of solar equipment production.Surging manufacturing capacity helped to spark grid price parity, where electricity from solar and coal are priced the same, but also led to a severe supply glut in the Chinese market and encouraged producers to dump cheap Chinese products abroad."(We will) strictly control the solar equipment manufacturing projects whose sole purpose is to expand capacity," the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said in a draft plan.China, the world's biggest manufacturer of photovoltaic products, had silicon wafer p...
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