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Northeast China province seeks protection from GM crops

March 19, 2016

BEIJING - Northeast Heilongjiang province, China’s principal producer of non-genetically-modified soybeans, is calling for a law to set up a special zone where the planting and processing of GM plants is prohibited. Veteran agriculture specialists say the province has seen its planting acreage downsized to a tipping point of 1.4 million hectares, a 66% decrease in five years following the influx of much cheaper GM imports.

Shanghai FTZ sets up cross-border e-commerce area

March 22, 2016

BEIJING - Regulators of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zoneare to establish a demonstration area designed to improve services for cross-border e-commerce. Deputy director Wang Xinling said it will cover the Waigaoqiao, Yangshan port and Pudong International Airport, and is the first of its kind in China after authorities approved 12 cities in January to set up cross-border e-commerce pilot zones.

China’s CNPC and COFCO to partner to boost sales network

March 22, 2016

BEIJING - Two of China’s largest State-owned enterprises, China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) and China National Cereals, Oils and Foodstuffs Corp (COFCO) have signed a strategic partnership agreement to strengthen co-operation in their sales network. CNPC and COFCO will implement comprehensive co-operation in products, marketing, membership communication and public welfare as well as in new business based on a principle of resource sharing for mutual benefit.

China’s Foreign Ministry rebuts new US sanctions proposal against North Korea

March 18, 2016

BEIJING – China’s Foreign Ministry has responded to new sanctions imposed on North Korea by US President Obama by saying it opposes any unilateral sanctions and “any move to increase tensions on the Korean Peninsula is opposed”. Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said any unilateral sanctions must not hurt China’s interests.

Export boost for Taiwan firms under WTO technology pact

March 18, 2016

TAIPEI - Taiwan exporters of products included in the WTO’s expanded Information Technology Agreement can expect to save US$820 million per year once the pact takes effect July 1. The ITA includes 136 products in which Taiwan enjoys market advantages.
These are components for display devices and mobile phones, GPS navigation equipment, integrated circuits, memories, polarizers and set-top boxes, among others, according to Taiwan’s Office of Trade Negotiations.

Asia-Pacific alternative finance market grew 323% to US$102.8 billion in 2015

March 17, 2016

CAMBRIDGE - The Asia-Pacific alternative finance market grew by 323 per cent to US$102.8 billion in 2015, led by four-fold growth to more than U$100 billion in China, according to a regional benchmarking report by a research team from the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance, the Tsinghua University Graduate School at Shenzhen and the University of Sydney Business School, in collaboration with KPMG.

Few companies in China spared overdue payments: 80% of companies impacted

March 16, 2016

PARIS - Slower growth, rising non-performing loans, and RMB and stock market volatility are all concerns for China in 2016. A survey on corporate credit risk management by global credit insurer Coface, to which 1,000 Chinese companies responded, reveals that corporate payments continued to deteriorate in 2015, with eight out of 10 corporates experiencing overdue payments.

Emerging Asia at epicentre of global trade slowdown: World Bank

March 10, 2016

WASHINGTON - After dramatically declining in the first half of 2015, global trade recovered but at a slower pace over the rest of the year, with world imports growing by only 1.7% in 2015 compared to 3.0% in 2014, according to a new World Bank Group paper. It says global trade in 2015 reflected persistently weak demand and structural changes in world trade, compounded by falling commodity prices and China’s transition to a new growth path.

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