Bigger tourism surplus expected

China's tourism trade surplus is expected to increase as the country is taking in more cash from inbound visitors than its outbound travelers spending overseas, according to the country's tourism industry watchdog. China's inbound tourism market has emerged from the downturn after the global financial crisis and increased continuously in the past few years, China National Tourism Administration said in a statement. Meanwhile, the country's outbound tourism industry has entered a stage of slower growth after fast expansion, according to the statement. Inbound tourism revenue rose 5.6 percent year-on-year to $120 billion in 2016, exceeding outbound tourism spending by $10.2 billion, CNTA data showed. In the first half of 2017, inbound tourists made 69.5 million trips, while 62 million overseas trips were made by Chinese tourists, the CNTA statement said.

New rules enacted on statistics

A new regulation on the implementation of the revised Law of Statistics took effect on Aug 1, aimed at improving the authenticity and reliability of China's official data. The new regulation calls for standardization of statistical surveys from the source, and lists specifications on how to organize and carry out surveys. The regulation stipulated measures to improve the efficiency and quality of statistical work and to reduce the burden on those undertaking the surveys. Severe penalties will be imposed on officials and staff who intervene in government statistical work and manipulate or fabricate data, according to the regulation. Since it was released in June, local statistical departments around the country have been studying the regulation.

International trade fair scheduled

The 2017 China International Fair for Investment and Trade will be held from Sept 18 to 21 in Xiamen, Fujian province, after the 9th BRICS Leaders Summit. A special exhibition will display commodities from BRICS countries and a seminar will be held to discuss the investment opportunity of cross-border e-commerce in those countries, according to a news conference held in Beijing on Aug 2. The guest country this year is Georgia.

Rossmann gets boost from Alipay

Rossmann, Germany's second-largest drugstore chain, has introduced Alipay, a major mobile payment platform in China, into its more than 2,000 retail outlets across Germany since its adoption in May. Raoul Rossmann, managing director of Rossmann, says that the company is trying to improve Chinese customers' shopping experience through the use of Alipay. "We are continuously learning about our Chinese customers and their preferences," says Rossmann, who is responsible for sales and marketing. The Chinese are well-regarded and increasingly important customers, says the drugstore chain. The managing director says the adoption mainly targets groups of Chinese tourists and Chinese customers who live in Germany.

Kenya eyes more Chinese tourists

Kenya's tourism marketers on July 30 promised to bring more Chinese tourists to the East African nation after a visit by Chinese business magnate Jack Ma. Kenya Tourism Board said travel agents have termed the visit by the billionaire a major boost and endorsement to their campaigns, that seek to woo Chinese travelers into Kenya. KTB Chief Executive Officer Betty Radier said in a statement issued in Nairobi that China was now listed among the top 10 tourist source markets the country believes have potential for further growth. Radier noted that KTB will invest more resources in strategic marketing initiatives aimed at attracting high-end consumers. "By end of April this year, we had received 14,029 visitors from the country compared to 10,407 recorded in the same period last year, an increase of 34.8 percent," said Radier. Last year, the market posted 47,860 arrivals up from 29,790 recorded in 2015, indicating a growth of 60.7 percent, she said. Radier said family travel, resulting from the government's visa waiver for children under the age of 16, is among the factors contributing to the growth of the market.

Appliance and electronics world expo

The Appliance and Electronics World Expo 2018, one of the world's biggest platforms for displaying the frontier technologies of smart living, will be held in China in March. Xu Dongsheng, secretary-general of the China Household Electrical Appliances Association, the event's main organizer, announced on July 31 that AWE 2018 will be held from March 8 to 11 in Shanghai. More than 1,000 companies are expected to participate in the expo, including overseas brands such as Siemens and Samsung and domestic brands like Midea and TCL. "We are expecting about 100 brands to debut their most important and latest technologies and products during the expo next year," Xu said. The expo will have 10 pavilions covering 130,000 square meters and is expected to attract more than 250,000 visitors from China and abroad, including tens of thousands of purchasers.

EU clears joint venture creation

European Union regulators approved the creation of a joint venture between China National Chemical Corporation and Japan-based Asahi Kasei Corporation on Aug 2, saying the case raised no competition concerns. The joint venture has no actual or foreseen activities in the European Economic Area as it is designed to be active in China, said the European Commission, the bloc's executive arms which oversees competition policy, in a press release. ChemChina is active worldwide in the production of a wide range of chemical products, while AKC is active globally in the production of fibres, chemical products, electronics materials, pharmaceutical products, medical devices and housing. The two global companies concluded a joint venture agreement in February in a bid to facilitate production and sale of their flagship plastic goods in China, said ChemChina on its website. The EU, along with other major economies, screens mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures between multinationals under antitrust regulations.

Belarus substation completed

Belarus' largest electricity substation was completed on July 31 by a Chinese enterprise. After three years of construction by China's State-owned enterprise North China Power Engineering Co Ltd, the 330-kV Pastvy substation, located in the northern state of Pastvy, can deliver 110 kV of power to the states of Grodno, Vitebsk and Minsk. Belarus' first nuclear power plant will be completed by 2020, the power transmission of which the Pastvy substation will play an important role, Belarus' Energy Minister Pottu Pucik said at a ceremony marking the completion of the substation. Energy cooperation between the two countries has been fruitful in recent years, with $2 billion of projects taking up a considerable proportion of China's total investment in Belarus.

Didi teams up with Taxify

Didi Chuxing, the world's leading mobile transportation platform, announced on Aug 1 a strategic partnership with Taxify, a leading ridesharing company in Europe and Africa. Under the partnership, Didi will invest in and cooperate with Taxify to support the latter's further growth and innovation across its diversified markets. Launched in Estonia in 2013, Taxify is the fastest-growing ride-hailing company in Europe and Africa, offering taxi and private car-hailing services to more than 2.5 million users across 18 countries. Cheng Wei, founder and CEO of Didi Chuxing, says the partnership will contribute to cross-regional smart transportation linkages between the Asian, European and African markets.

(China Daily European Weekly 08/04/2017 page24)