By Xinhuanet| 2021-05-21 21:34:08

Sino-German joint venture FAW-Volkswagen continues to hold a leading position in the world's largest auto market and eyes a rosy future.Dr. Andre Stoffels, FAW-Volkswagen first vice president (Finance), made the remarks during a recent exclusive interview with Xinhua.This year marks the 30th anniversary of the company's establishment in Changchun, capital of China's Jilin Province. Over the past decades, FAW-Volkswagen has grown into one of the best-selling passenger vehicle manufacturers in China.Stoffels attributed the company's booming development to the sound business environment in Jilin.A stable industry and supply chain, a great number of talent and a friendly auto ecosystem in Changchun rendered it much easier to set up auto manufacturing plants here, he noted.In 2020, the company's vehicle sales rose 1.5 percent year on year to over 2.16 million units. In the first quarter of 2021, its vehicle sales soared 72 percent year on year to 580,529 units, according to the company."China is already the leading auto market and will continue to be the world's largest auto market in the future," said Stoffels.In recent years, the market share of new energy vehicles (NEVs) is expanding in China. In 2020, sales of NEVs in China went up 10.9 percent year on year to 1.37 million units.In Stoffels's opinion, the better-than-expected NEVs sales came amid the country's efforts to encourage their use and ease pressure on the environment, which has enhanced the market enthusiasm for eco-friendly cars."FAW-Volkswagen is actively promoting carbon emission-free production in its manufacturing sites in China," he said.Stoffels spoke highly of China's opening-up policies, saying that opening up has not only brought foreign capital but new ideas and concepts into China.Stoffels also praised the efficient epidemic prevention and control measures against COVID-19 taken by China's central and local governments.As a big company, FAW-Volkswagen has not reported any infection of COVID-19 among its employees, he said, adding that China's epidemic prevention and favorable financial measures "support us during this time of crisis.""We were among the first companies to ramp up production after the epidemic," said Stoffels, adding that as global auto brands are turning their eyes to the booming Chinese auto market, FAW-Volkswagen will strive to keep its leading position in China.Chinese automaker FAW Group sold over 1 million vehicles in the first quarter of this year, a 74.3 percent year-on-year surge. Founded in 1953 in Changchun, FAW Group is seen as the cradle of China's auto industry. Enditem

By Xinhuanet| 2021-05-20 21:27:00

Forging ahead toward a greener future, China is ever more committed to transforming the steel industry into a low carbon-emitting one amid its long-term green pledges.As China has promised to peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, the steel industry remains the largest emitter among all manufacturing sectors in China, accounting for about 15 percent of the annual domestic carbon footprint.This industry, therefore, plays a crucial role in helping the country live up to its carbon-cutting pledges.But its green shift is far from effortless. The latest data showed that China's crude steel output rose by 15.6 percent, year on year, to 271 million tonnes in the first quarter of this year, putting a burden on this carbon-cutting undertaking.Under the circumstance, the country has vowed further efforts to reduce crude steel output to ensure it falls yearly in 2021. Measures have also been tailored to encourage endeavors nationwide in this regard.One of the latest moves came on May 1, when China applied a provisional zero import tax rate on pig iron, crude steel, recycled steel raw materials, and ferrochrome.According to a circular issued by the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council, the adjustment is expected to reduce import costs, expand steel imports, support domestic producers to cut crude steel output, and guide the industry to cut energy consumption.Also, export tariffs on ferrosilicon, ferrochrome, and high-purity pig iron would be raised to 25 percent, 20 percent, and 15 percent, respectively.The export policy adjustment is necessary because there is no reason to continue exporting numerous ordinary products given China's highly limited resources, said He Wenbo, stressing domestic supply. He is the executive director of the China Iron and Steel Industry Association (CISA).Apart from tightened control over steel production, the country is stepping up efforts to carry out structural adjustments, shut down outdated production facilities, and improve energy utilization rates, the CISA said.China's steelmakers have taken actions. A case in point is China Baowu Steel Group Corporation Limited, the world's largest steel conglomerate. In January, it announced its aim to have carbon dioxide emissions peak before 2023, reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 30 percent before 2035, and achieve carbon neutrality before 2050.To support green development, policymakers have also urged the industry to upgrade its industrial structure and production modes.According to the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), the country will further optimize its raw material sector structures involving petrochemical, steel, and non-ferrous metals and construction materials. Efforts will also speed up the green transformation of such sectors.For this purpose, the steel industry should stick to a green, low-carbon path for development, and keep improving raw materials, technologies, and energy structures, said Huang Dao, an official with the CISA."Efforts must be made to break the bottlenecks of low-carbon technologies and promote the use of non-fossil energies in the steel industry, particularly hydrogen energy," Huang said.Downstream companies should also be encouraged to use upgraded steel products that are more durable and recyclable, Huang said, calling for more steel structure buildings in urban areas. Enditem

By Xinhuanet| 2021-05-19 20:55:05

China's fixed-asset investment in the transport sector maintained steady growth last year, official data showed.The total fixed-asset investment increased 7.1 percent year on year to nearly 3.48 trillion yuan (about 541.6 billion U.S. dollars) in 2020, according to the Ministry of Transport.The growth rate was the highest in the last three years, said the ministry.By the end of 2020, the operating mileage of China's railway network reached 146,000 km. The country had a total of 5.2 million km of highways, of which expressways represented 161,000 km.There were 2,592 berths of 10,000-tonne-class or above and 241 certified civil airports throughout the country by the end of last year. Enditem

By Xinhuanet| 2021-05-18 21:41:37

Foreign trade in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region grew by 41.1 percent year on year to 189.6 billion yuan (about 29.5 billion U.S. dollars) in the first four months of this year, the local customs said.During the period, exports hit 104.51 billion yuan, up 45.9 percent year on year, while imports reached 85.09 billion yuan, up 35.5 percent, according to Nanning Customs.Guangxi's trade with countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative rose by 46.3 percent year on year to 104.73 billion yuan.The region's private businesses enjoyed a strong performance, with a total import and export value of 121.92 billion yuan, up 41.2 percent from the same period last year.In terms of products, the export and import of mechanical and electrical products grew by 49 percent and 45.6 percent, respectively. Enditem

By Xinhuanet| 2021-05-17 23:35:12

China's Chongqing Municipality saw its foreign trade total 245.91 billion yuan (about 38 billion U.S. dollars) in the first four months of this year, customs data shows.The figure represents a robust increase of 48.3 percent over the same period last year, according to Chongqing Customs.Exports surged 53.2 percent to 153.49 billion yuan, while imports reached 92.42 billion yuan, up 40.7 percent year on year.Chongqing's trade with major trading partners including ASEAN, the European Union and the United States respectively hit 40.11 billion yuan, 38.92 billion yuan and 35.62 billion yuan over the period, up 30.4 percent, 38.6 percent and 62.2 percent. Enditem

By Xinhuanet| 2021-05-12 21:08:46

China's auto sales rose 8.6 percent year on year to 2.25 million units in April, data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) showed Wednesday.Although the growth pace is slower than the 74.9-percent year-on-year rise seen in March, auto production and sales continued to buck an upward trend amid the sector's solid recovery momentum last month, according to the association.In the January-April period, the country's auto sales rose 51.8 percent year on year to 8.75 million units.China's automobile sector posted a strong exports performance in April. Chinese car firms exported 151,000 cars in April, rising by 13.7-percent month on month and 1.1 times year on year, the CAAM said.About 516,000 cars were exported in the first four months of this year, up 88.1 percent year on year.During the period, exports of passenger cars rose 89.3 percent year on year to 396,000 units, while that of commercial cars increased by 84.3 percent to reach 120,000 units, CAAM data showed.Sales of new energy vehicles (NEV) in China increased by nearly 250 percent year on year in the first four months amid the steady recovery of market demand, data from the CAAM showed.In the Jan.-April period, NEV sales amounted to 732,000 units, up 249.2 percent year on year.In April alone, NEV sales surged 180 percent year on year to reach 206,000 units, while sales of passenger vehicles increased 10.8 percent year on year to 1.7 million units, the data showed.The monthly production and sales of the NEV remained over 200,000 units, setting new monthly records and outperforming the automobile industry as a whole, the association said.China will further promote NEVs' high-quality development by advancing the integration of technologies such as electrification and intelligent networking, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.The association is cautiously optimistic about the future of the auto industry, noting that the uncertainty in the global pandemic situation is still great, while the impact of chip supply problems on production may influence Q2 performance, according to the CAAM. Enditem

By Xinhuanet| 2021-05-11 23:28:24

The China-Europe cargo service will be improved to spur the development of cross-border e-commerce, according to a three-year action plan released at the Fifth Silk Road International Exposition that opened on Tuesday.China will set up a green service mechanism for cross-border e-commerce firms via the China Railway Express (Chang'an), with more new routes developed to facilitate international cargo flows, the plan states.Efforts will be made to support countries intending to construct pavilions for e-commerce products in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, while overseas warehouses will be established in a bid to help reduce costs for enterprises, according to the plan.China will leverage domestic advantages in the cross-border e-commerce sector, providing vendors abroad with outsourcing business, including agency operation, intelligent logistics and distribution, and post-sales service.Talent training bases will be built in Xi'an and abroad to cultivate more talent in the field for countries along the Belt and Road, the plan added. Enditem

By Xinhuanet| 2021-05-07 20:56:25

China's foreign trade expanded 28.5 percent year on year to 11.62 trillion yuan (about 1.8 trillion U.S. dollars) in the January-April period as global recovery picked up and pent-up demand was unleashed.This marks an increase of 21.8 percent from the pre-epidemic level in 2019, the General Administration of Customs (GAC) said.Exports jumped 33.8 percent from a year earlier while imports climbed 22.7 percent in yuan terms.The trade surplus increased 149.7 percent to reach 1.02 trillion yuan in the January-April period.In April alone, exports jumped 22.2 percent from a year earlier to 1.71 trillion yuan, GAC data shows.China's exports sustained sound momentum, said Zhou Maohua, an analyst with the China Everbright Bank, noting that this was driven by the recent strong global economic recovery.Friday's data shows that China's exports to the European Union rose 36.1 percent to 974.69 billion yuan, and exports to the United States surged 49.3 percent to 1.05 trillion yuan in the first four months.The stimulus in developed economies sustained demand for products manufactured in China, noted Lu Ting, chief China economist with securities firm Nomura.The country's imports climbed 32.2 percent from a year earlier to 1.44 trillion yuan in April.China's manufacturing sector has seen improving vitality, and manufacturers have started to build their stocks, driving the rapid growth of imports of products including energy resources, said Gao Ruidong, chief macroeconomist at Everbright Securities.The rising prices of bulk commodities have driven up China's import value, according to Li Qilin from Hongta Securities. China's imports of iron ore, soybeans and copper all increased in the first four months, GAC data shows.In April, China's trade surplus narrowed 12.4 percent from a year earlier to 276.5 billion yuan. Enditem

By Xinhuanet| 2021-05-06 19:23:56

The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in south China has a very positive outlook with large-scale investment and unified planning, a senior U.S. expert in transportation policy and urban planning said Tuesday.China's massive investment in world-class infrastructure from high-speed rail to top-tier international airports will pay off handsomely over time, said Robert Cervero, professor emeritus with City and Regional Planning Faculty of University of California, Berkeley."China's strong legacy of unified master planning -- from cities to industries to education -- will likely give it a competitive edge in the global marketplace over time, especially in the Greater Bay Area," said Cervero.Cervero told Xinhua that as East Asia continues to prosper and Southeast Asia continues to climb up the economic development ladder, the Greater Bay Area is well positioned to become the dominant or certainly one of the top two or three urban hubs for the entire region.The Greater Bay Area, the San Francisco Bay Area and New York metropolitan region are all international nodes of commerce, major innovation hubs and international tourist destinations, said Cervero.The three areas all have first-class universities and attract creative talents, added Cervero."I'm struck that the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao region is much larger, both in population and geography than the U.S. counterparts," said Cervero.Attention shall be paid to environmental protection not only to ensure healthy living and a high quality of life, but also to elevate the region as a global leader in combating climate change, which is particularly important in coastal regions, Cervero said.Cervero added that ensuring equal and fair access to basic needs will be critically important to integrating the region socially and economically and to aiding the surrounding areas.Comprising Hong Kong, Macao and nine cities in Guangdong Province, the Greater Bay Area has a total area of around 56,000 square kilometers.At the end of 2019, the Greater Bay Area had a total population of over 72 million with GDP at 1,679.5 billion U.S. dollars and per capita GDP at 23,371 dollars in the year, according to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Development Office with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.In recent years, China has been pushing forward in-depth regional cooperation in the Greater Bay Area with development plans unveiled in July 2017 and February 2019 respectively. Enditem

By Xinhuanet| 2021-05-04 20:24:36

China's steel sector saw output expansion in the first quarter of the year, according to the China Iron and Steel Association (CISA).In the January-March period, crude steel output rose 15.6 percent year on year to 271 million tonnes.The output was up 17.3 percent from the same period in 2019, bringing the average growth for the past two years to 8.3 percent, said the CISA, citing data from the National Bureau of Statistics.The output of pig iron rose 8 percent from a year earlier to 221 million tonnes during the period, the data showed.As downstream industries continue to recover, their demand for steel products is surging, the CISA said.In the first three months of the year, China's apparent consumption of crude steel stood at 258.96 million tonnes, up 15.3 percent year on year, said the CISA. Enditem