Invitations have been sent out to journalists from China and abroad to cover two major Chinese political meetings next month. The fifth annual session of the 12th National People's Congress (NPC), the country's top legislature, will open on March 5 in Beijing. The fifth session of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the top political advisory body, will open on March 3. A media center for the two meetings will be open from Feb 27, the general offices of the NPC Standing Committee and the CPPCC National Committee announced. Chinese and foreign journalists should submit applications for passes to the media center, while foreign reporters temporarily in China for the "two sessions" should apply to Chinese embassies or visa organizations authorized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Reporters from Hong Kong and Macao should apply at the central government's liaison offices in the two special administrative regions. Reporters from Taiwan should apply to the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office.
Source: China Daily
The government helped more than 3.7 million migrant workers get their unpaid wages totaling more than 35 billion yuan ($5.1 billion) last year. However, the long-standing problem of migrant workers failing to get paid remains a difficult issue due to the chaotic construction market and low penalties for breaking the law, officials said. The total of unpaid wages decreased by 16.7 percent compared with 2015, said Wang Cheng, head of labor security supervision at the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. Wage defaults have been a problem in China, especially before Spring Festival, which falls on Jan 28 this year. Migrant workers who fail to get their wages and can't get back home for the most important festival in China often win widespread sympathy.
Source: South China Morning Post
China plans to sell to foreign countries its new short-range air to surface missile which can be mounted on drones and is designed for anti-terrorism operations. The China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics, the country's largest military drone exporter by number of products sold overseas, said it recently conducted live-fire tests on the AR-2 short-range air-to-surface missile in northwestern China. The AR-2 is seen as tough competition for US, French and Israeli missiles, state-run China Daily reported on February 3. With a weight of about 20 kilograms and a 5 kilograms warhead, an AR-2 has a maximum range of 8km and a top speed of 735km per hour. It is effective against personnel, armoured cars, houses or bunkers, its designers said.
Source: The Times of India
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that China and Pakistan are now bonded through ever strong friendship, according to a statement from the Chinese embassy in Islamabad on January 28. On behalf of the people and government of Pakistan, the prime minister expressed his good wishes for the people, leadership and the Chinese government on the advent of new Lunar year being celebrated in China. He also said that the bilateral partnership in the form of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor will prove to be a historical milestone in the Pak-China bilateral relations.
Source: Global Times
Green bonds are starting to look like an increasingly attractive investment prospect in China as the estimated costs to clean up the environment and cut emissions mount, increasing the need for environmentally friendly financing plans. Liang Chao, a manager of the investment department of JC Bank, began to take an interest in green bonds in October. Like other commercial lenders, JC Bank, which is based in Shanxi, China’s largest coal-mining province, is considering using green bonds to help companies fund and develop sustainable projects that benefit the environment. In China, “green bonds” refer to debt instruments that allow investors to support environmentally friendly projects that save energy, reduce carbon emissions and cut pollution. Both companies and financial institutions can issue green bonds.
Source: Caixin
China's manufacturing sector has expanded for the sixth month in a row, a sign the economy is stabilizing amid an uncertain global outlook. The country's manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) came in at 51.3 in January, 0.1 lower than in December, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) February 1. A reading above 50 indicates expansion, while below 50 reflects contraction. NBS statistician Zhao Qinghe said the readings in January had remained at a high level since 2012, which pointed to steady expansion of the manufacturing sector. The sub-index for production was 53.1, 0.2 lower than in December, while the sub-index for new orders was down 0.4 to 52.8. Zhao attributed the deceleration of production and new orders to the Lunar New Year holiday, which reduces work days. China reported 6.7 percent GDP growth in 2016, lower than in recent years but within the government's target range. Zhao noted that the sub-index for the high-tech manufacturing sector had increased by 1.9 to 55.7, remarkably higher than other sectors.
Source: Xinhua
China has released a short list of eight names for the country's first Mars spacecraft, which is scheduled to be launched by 2020. The eight names-- "Fenghuang" (phoenix), "Tianwen" (questions for heaven), "Huoxing" (Mars), "Tenglong" (soaring dragon), "Qilin" (Kylin), "Zhuque" (rose finch), "Zhuimeng" (chasing dreams) and "Fengxiang" (flying phoenix), were the top names chosen from over 14,500 choices submitted through more than 35,900 proposals entered by people worldwide. China plans to launch its first Mars spacecraft by 2020, which will orbit, land and explore the Red Planet. Proposals were accepted from August last year. The eight names were selected via a jury review and online polls. The final choice will be announced around Space Day, April 24, according to a moon probe and space program center under the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence, which solicited the proposals.
Source: Xinhua
Chinese hi-tech companies Lenovo Group, Huawei Technologies and BBK Electronics ranked among the world’s 10-largest buyers of semiconductor products last year on the back of their steady market expansion around the world. Preliminary estimates released by research firm Gartner on February 2 showed the three companies purchased a combined US$28.55 billion worth of chips last year, up from US$23.65 billion in 2015. “This is the first time that three Chinese companies have ranked in the top 10, proving that even with the slowing macroeconomic situation in China, the importance of the Chinese electronics market is increasing,” Gartner principal research analyst Masatsune Yamaji said in a report. Gartner estimated total semiconductor sales last year advanced 1.5 per cent to US$339.68 billion from US$334.77 billion a year earlier. Lenovo, the world’s largest supplier of personal computers, was ranked fourth last year behind Samsung Electronics, Apple and Dell.
Source: South China Morning Post
Yuen Yuen Ang, “How China’s development story can be an alternative to the Western model”, South China Morning Post, February 3, 2017
James Porteous, “Hong Kong government puts property developers’ desires ahead of people’s health – again”, South China Morning Post, February 3, 2017
Prashanth Parameswaran, “China: New White Paper, Old Asia Conundrum”, The East Asia Forum, February 4, 2016
Robert Farley, “A War Between the U.S. and China Would Be World War III”, The National Interest, The National interest, February 2, 2017
“China is an opportunity for Europe, not a threat”, Xinhua, February 2, 2017
Aidan Yao,“Trump’s arrival presents ominous signs for those who believe in globalisation and free trade”, South China Morning Post, February 1, 2017
Shirley Zhao, “Will hi-tech zone prove a happy hunting ground for Hong Kong?”, South China Morning Post, February 2, 2017
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