Developed countries dominate in 2015 Human Capital Index, China ranks 64th: WEF
Developed countries dominate in 2015 Human Capital Index, China ranks 64th: WEF
Stockholm, June 3(Greenpost) — Developed countries have dominated the rankings of the Human Capital Index in 2015, with China ranked 64th out of 124 economies, according to the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Human Capital Report released Wednesday.
The index aims at assessing the outcome of past and present investments in human capital and offering insights into what a country’s talent base will look like in the future.
It evaluated the levels of education, skills and employment available to people in five distinct age groups, starting from under 15 years to over 65 years.
Globally, Finland topped the rankings of the Human Capital Index in 2015, scoring 86 percent of its human capital, followed by Norway, Switzerland, Canada and Japan.
Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Belgium also seized the places in the top 10 list.
Among other large advanced economies, France is in 14th position, while the United States is in 17th position, scoring just under 80. Britain holds the 19th spot and Germany 22nd.
China ranked 64th out of a total of 124 economies, optimizing 67 percent of its human capital.
According to the index, China’s under-15 group and 15-24 group maintained their competitiveness over the human capital, ranked 55th and 58th respectively. However, China’s 25-54 group and 55-64 group are in 61th and 83th position.
Among other BRICS nations, Russia ranked 26th and Brazil is in 78th place, followed by South Africa (92) and India (100).
“Talent, not capital, will be the key factor linking innovation, competitiveness and growth in the 21st century. To make any of the changes necessary to unlock the world’s latent talent we must look beyond campaign cycles and quarterly reports,” said Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the WEF. Enditem
source Xinhua
Editor Xuefei Chen Axelsson
SW China city to build second airport
Interview: Lombardy region president pushes for more Chinese investors
Interview: Lombardy region president pushes for more Chinese investors
by Grandesso Federico and Yan Lei
Milan, Italy, April 29 (Greenpost) — “More Chinese investors should come to Lombardy, they are welcome, there are many opportunities in the region and we are going to show them during the Expo,” Roberto Maroni, president of Lombardy Region said.
“There are many success stories, all investors are welcome, now we promote an initiative called ‘invest in Lombardy’ because we value your business,” the president said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua two days before the opening of Expo Milano.
” We have a vocation to innovation and research, we have 13 universities, 500 research centers both private and public, all the most important ICT companies are based in Milan and Lombardy,” he added.
Lombardy enjoys an exceptional climate for entrepreneurs and the president explains that there are one million companies out of ten million inhabitants, these companies are mainly SMEs and called “family companies ” which need help to be competitive in the world so investments from outside are welcome. Lombardy hosts 18,000 foreign companies.
He said: “For us, to attract investments means not only to come here with a new company and do what you normally do in China but we want to magnetize investment funds to help our companies to become part of our economic system.”
He said: “Investors have many choices; our ICT companies are excellent, some of them are even collaborating with NASA; then we are considered a number one manufacturing region,” he continued.
“Lombardy is agriculture and food production region in Italy, for example, a company near Brescia produces 24 tons of caviar per year exporting it even to Russia,” he said.
According to Maroni new investors can help the brand of “Made in Italy”. He explained that the Italian style and the Made in Italy is something unique and the problem is that most of the more successful Italian products are not produced in Italy.
“As food is concerned the total Italian export per year is 30 billion euros while the so called ‘Italian sounding’ or fake Italian is 60 billion euros,” he added.
“For this reason we welcome investment in the Made in Italy because this reinforces our possibility to increase the volumes of export,” the president explained.
Maroni said: “In 2013 Lombardy exported to China products for more than 3 billion euros while we imported products of 9 billion euros and our exports to China have increased 6 percent from 2012. Then over 100 Lombardy companies are involved with China with a total amount turnover of over 4 billion euros and more than 6000 employees.”
Maroni said he wants to visit China. “Till now I didn’t manage it but I want to go, I know the country and its evolution. I’m very impressed with the Chinese evolution from many points of view starting from the economy, the new landscapes in many towns and the rate of speed they have in every fields,” he said.
“China is more and more appreciated by the Italians and we want to support this evolution thanks to good relations between Lombardy, Italy and China,” he explained.
The president concluded his interview with a message: “Come to visit the Expo, Milan and Lombardy. Lombardy is a world heritage site, we have ten UNESCO sites. You have to visit our beauties and meet with our culture and food.” Enditem
Source Xinhua
Editor Xuefei Chen Axelsson
China Focus: China issues guideline for eco-friendly developmen
China Focus: China issues guideline for eco-friendly development
BEIJING, May 5 (Xinhua) — China’s cabinet on Tuesday published a guideline on improving the country’s environment, vowing to achieve “major progress” in the area by 2020.
In the 35-clause guideline, the State Council stressed the need to consider environmental protection when planning economic and social development, and to raise public awareness about the environment.
China’s safeguarding of the environment still lags behind its economic status, with prominent problems such as limited resources and severe pollution becoming major bottlenecks for sustainable growth, the guideline noted.
It called for more economical and efficient use of resources. By 2020, China aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 40 to 45 percent from the 2005 level, and increase the share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to around 15 percent, according to the guideline.
Other targets include a steady improvement in water and soil quality, forestry and wetland coverage.
The guideline also stressed efforts to promote green urbanization and strengthen protection of ocean resources.
Decades of breakneck growth in China have dried up resources and left the country saddled with problems including smog and contaminated waterways.
In 2014, only eight of 74 major Chinese cities subject to PM 2.5 air quality monitoring met the national standard for clear air, according to data released by the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP).
Another MEP report released in June 2014 revealed that some 60 percent of ground water checked by 4,778 monitoring stations was rated as “bad” or “very bad”.
To strike a balance between growth and environment, China declared a “war against pollution” last year, calling for tougher regulations over polluting industries.
In his annual government report in March, Premier Li Keqiang pledged to take “a firm and unrelenting approach to ensure blue skies, clear waters, and sustainable development”.
Steady progress is being made. A new environmental law launched in January has toughened penalties for pollution and made clear that public-interest groups have the right to sue liable parties.
Earlier this month, the State Council unveiled a detailed action plan to fight water pollution. It said more than 70 percent of the water in the seven major river valleys, including the Yangtze and Yellow rivers, should be in good condition by 2020. The same target is set for offshore areas. Small factories in sectors including paper, insecticides and tanning will be shut down by the end of 2016.
And with Tuesday’s announcement of the overall roadmap, analysts expect more detailed regulations to follow.
“The key for the next step is whether we can seriously implement the guideline,” noted Wang Yi, head of the Institute of Policy and Management under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Enditem
Source Xinhua
Editor Xuefei Chen Axlesson
China Focus: Online money market funds lose luster
China Focus: Online money market funds lose luster
Stockholm, June2 (Greenpost) — Online money market funds (MMFs) are losing their appeal to Chinese investors who crave higher yields in the stock market.
Combined assets of online MMFs totaled 1.36 trillion yuan (222 billion U.S. dollars) at the end of the first quarter, down 9.8 percent from the previous quarter, according to data from Beijing-based lending information provider Rong360.com.
The figure was a sizable reduction compared to a peak of 1.56 trillion yuan at the end of September 2014.
Analysts said a bullish stock market has drawn money away from online MMFs.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index has gained more than 30 percent since the start of this year, accompanied by a frenzy of new accounts and record turnover.
Rong360.com analyst Xu Jin said that a huge amount of capital has flowed out of bank deposits and online MMFs into the stock market, feeding the market’s steady climb.
Online MMFs offered annualized interest rates of nearly 7 percent when they first became popular in 2013, but the current rate has fallen to around 4 percent, another reason they have lost their allure, according to Xu.
The falling yields accompanied two interest rate cuts and two drops in banks’ reserve requirement ratio by the central bank since November of last year.
Despite the general decline, Alibaba’s Yu’e Bao, the most popular and largest online MMF, was an exception. Its first quarter report showed assets had reached 712 billion yuan as of the end of March, up 23 percent from three months ago.
Alastair Sewell, Senior Director of Fund & Asset Manager Ratings at Fitch Ratings, said the relative ease and convenience of online MMFs have made them wildly popular and a key wealth management tool for average investors.
Yu’e Bao can be used for online purchases, taxis, credit card payments, mortgage payments, and even utilities such as water and electricity. It also offers instant redemption and no-fee money transfers between bank accounts.
However, Sewell warned that online MMFs have a less stable investor base with yield-hungry retail investors susceptible to herd behavior, which could result in a mass outflow of funds. Enditem
Source Xinhua
Editor Xuefei Chen Axelsson
Austrian companies aiming to strengthen business with China: economic chambers
Austrian companies aiming to strengthen business with China: economic chambers
Stockholm, June 2(Greenpost) — Despite a recent slowing of economic growth in China, Austrian companies intend to both develop and expand their presence there, Martin Glatz from the Austrian Economic Chambers (WKO) said at a press conference Wednesday.
He said both China’s internationalization and urbanization are attractive for Austrian companies.
Its “New Silk Road” project, that involves investment in trade routes, can provide infrastructure that can also be useful for Austrian companies in approaching other markets, such as economic interests in Central and Eastern Europe, Glatz said.
The progressive urbanization of China brings with it a rapidly increasing demand for consumer and lifestyle goods, he said, with wage increases and more time available for the middle class to pursue leisure activities.
The urbanization trend also provides potential opportunities in infrastructure and urban development, particularly in creating a higher quality of life in urban areas with a focus on sustainable concepts and the establishment of “smart cities.”
Demographic changes such as an aging population mean demand for pharmaceuticals and medical technology will increase, Glatz said. Enditem
Source Xinhua
Editor Xuefei Chen Axelsson
China to promote energy price reform
China to promote energy price reform
Stockholm, June 2(Greenpost) — China will promote price reforms of energy, especially electricity in 2015, the National Energy Administration (NEA) said Thursday.
The costs and prices of electricity transmission and distribution will be monitored, but the price determined by the market. A power transaction market will be established to better allocate resources. Clean energy will be advanced, according to NEA’s document on market supervision in 2015.
Monopolies in some sections of energy supplies will be reviewed in an effort to open the market to competition.
The NEA demanded more supervision of power suppliers, the quality of the electricity supplied, service levels, price and other charges. Enditem
Source Xinhua
Editor Xuefei Chen Axelsson
Direct air route between Milan and Shanghai inaugurated
Direct air route between Milan and Shanghai inaugurated
Stockholm, June 2(Greenpost) — Italian airline company Alitalia on Friday launched a direct route between Milan and Chinese megacity Shanghai, in an effort to attract more Chinese tourists to the 2015 expo.
The Airbus 330 aircraft, which has 250 seats, will fly three round-trips each week between the two cities.
The Milan Expo 2015 kicked off on Friday, and will last until the end of October. Italian embassy in Beijing has shorten the visa processing time for Chinese tourists to attract more people to the Expo. Enditem
Xinhua Source
Editor Xuefei Chen Axelsson
New direct Beijing-Budapest air route opens
New direct Beijing-Budapest air route opens
Stockholm, June 2 (Greenpost) — Air China’s Beijing-Budapest route was officially inaugurated on Friday evening, when its Airbus 330-200 landed at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport.
Airport officials were on hand to greet the first flight, welcoming it with an archway of water as the craft glided into its slot on the tarmac.
Hungary’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto, Chinese Ambassador to Hungary Xiao Qian attended the welcoming ceremony.
The Airbus 330-200 can carry 207 economy and 30 business class passengers, and will be commuting between the Chinese and Hungarian capitals four times weekly.
On the way to Budapest the flight stops once, in Minsk, Belarus, but the return trip from Budapest to Beijing is non-stop.
Budapest Airport CEO Jost Lammers called the new route a historical moment for Hungarian air transport and the Hungarian economy, too.
“I’m sure the new flight will be very popular with tourists and business travelers,” he said, adding that the air bridge between the two countries had great potential. Enditem
Source Xinhua
Editor Xuefei Chen Axelsson
Volkswagen recalls 5,869 cars on problems with fuel pump in China
Volkswagen recalls 5,869 cars on problems with fuel pump in China
BEIJING, May 3 (Xinhua) — German carmaker Volkswagen and its joint venture in China FAW-Volkswagen will recall a total of 5,869 cars in China due to problems with fuel pumps, according to China’s quality watchdog.
The recalls, which starts on July 8, involves eight imported Golf Variant, produced in June of 2014, 512 imported Audi A3 40TFSI, made between Dec. 2013 and March 2014, 4,377 Golf A7 1.4T, manufactured between April and June of 2014, as well as 972 Audi A3 35TFSI, made between April and July of 2014, according to a notice issued by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.
Some of the above-mentioned cars might have abnormal or disfunctioning fuel pumps, which might cause inability to start the cars or, under some extreme circumstances, lead to the flameout.
The company will contact clients and replace the flawed parts free of charge. Enditem
Source Xinhua
Editor Xuefei Chen Axelsson
3D printer making Chinese space suit parts
3D printer making Chinese space suit parts
Stockholm, June2, (Greenpost) — Chinese researchers have used 3D printing technology to make a safer space suit for astronauts while spacewalking.
A research center under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation used a 3D printer to create the vent pipes and the flanges connecting the pipes used on extravehicular space suit, according to a recent report from China Space News.
The vent pipe and the flange as a whole can improve the reliability and safety of the space suit, and suits can be made more efficiently. Researchers will use the technique to make more parts, says the report.
The technology has been approved by the Scientific Research Training Center for Chinese Astronauts.
China plans to launch its second orbiting space lab, Tiangong-2, in 2016, and aims to put a permanent manned space station into service around 2022.
Chinese astronauts have three kinds of space suit: inside-capsule suit, inside-capsule jacket and extravehicular space suit.
The inside-capsule space suit is used in case the pressure changes in the spaceship, usually during launch and landing periods.
The blue and lightweight inside-capsule jacket is used during normal flight, and is more convenient for work in the spaceship or space station.
The extravehicular space suit is the most complicated, providing life support system for astronauts during spacewalks.
The Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology has successfully developed a multi-laser metal 3D printer, enabling astronauts to print items with just one 3D printer in space.
Wang Lianfeng, senior engineer at the academy, says the 3D printing technology is suitable for making parts with complicated structures and odd shapes, such as the valves of rocket engines.
“It’s very difficult to process the complicated parts by traditional methods,” says Wang. For example, it takes two groups of workers, working shifts around the clock, more than two weeks to make a part of a rocket engine, but a 3D printer can do it in just 16 hours.
Wang says China is on the cutting edge of 3D printing technology.
The multi-laser metal 3D printer in the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology is like a gray-colored cabinet.
The 3D printer used in space is similar to regular printer in principle, but it should be smaller and lighter, and must undergo more zero gravity tests, says Wang.
There are still many difficulties to overcome in 3D printing in space. Researchers are still developing materials suitable for 3D printing and the precision of 3D printed items needs to be improved, Wang adds. Enditem
Source Xinhua
Editor Xuefei Chen Axelsson
Fastest cargo train linking China, Europe to add station
Fastest cargo train linking China, Europe to add station
Stockholm, June 2(Greenpost) — A cargo train route that links southwest China’s Chengdu city with the Polish city of Lodz will add a new station in western Europe, it was announced Wednesday.
The candidate countries include France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, according to Chengdu officials who attended the third Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in Riga, Latvia.
The 9,826-kilometer Chengdu-Lodz line, upon which travels the fastest freight train on the Eurasian continent, leaves China at the Alataw Pass in northwestern Xinjiang before passing through Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus on its way to Poland. From Lodz, cargo can reach any country in Europe within three days by rail or land.
As of April, the line has transported over 20,000 tonnes of cargo from China worth more than 600 million U.S. dollars since it was opened in 2013.
Another regular cargo train linking northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province to central Russia was launched in February.
A number of mainland cities — including Chongqing in southwest China; Wuhan, Zhengzhou and Changsha in central China; and Shenyang in northeast China — have rail freight services to Europe. Enditem Source Xinhua
Editor Xuefei Chen Axelsson
China pledges deeper int’l industrial cooperation
China pledges deeper int’l industrial cooperation
STOCKHOLM, June 2(Greenpost) — The State Council, China’s cabinet, on Wednesday vowed more promotion of industrial integration with other countries for mutual benefit.
China will push industrial and equipment manufacturing cooperation with other countries in accordance with their needs, according to a statement released after a State Council executive meeting presided over by Premier Li Keqiang.
Cooperation with countries, most notably those along the Belt and Road Asian infrastructure and trade networks, could drive Chinese equipment exports in industries including railways, power, telecommunications, construction materials and machinery, while helping the recipient countries create jobs and stimulate growth, the statement said.
Efforts should be made to “foster an industrial cooperation chain” and build a cross-border yuan payment system, according to the statement.
The cabinet also urged authorities to simplify investment procedures to pave the way for equipment exports.
To facilitate industrial upgrading and boost economic growth, the Chinese government has on many occasions underscored the importance of “international industrial capacity cooperation”, referring to a campaign that will involve moving Chinese production lines to other countries and China setting up factories with local partners abroad.
Earlier data showed outbound direct investment of the equipment manufacturing sector hit 960 million U.S. dollars during the first quarter of 2015. Enditem
Source Xinhua
Editor Xuefei Chen Axelsson
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China Exclusive: China ranks top in iOS downloads
China Exclusive: China ranks top in iOS downloads
Stockholm, June 2(Greenpost)– iOS quarterly downloads grew 30 percent between Q1 2014 and Q1 2015, meaning China surpassed the U.S. and is now the world leader in iOS downloads, according to App Annie, a mobile analytics company headquartered in San Francisco.
Danielle Levitas, senior vice president of App Annie, revealed the news at the Global Mobile Internet Conference (GMIC) in Beijing on Wednesday.
Download growth translates into iOS App Store revenue gains. From Q1 2014 to Q1 2015, revenue in China grew 90 percent compared to 30 percent in the U.S. and 50 percent in Japan. “China grew more quickly to narrow that gap,” she said.
Earlier this week, Apple released its earnings report, announcing that international sales accounted for 69 percent of the revenue for the quarter, reflecting the high demand in emerging markets such as China for Apple products.
According to Levitas, Apple has dramatically expanded distribution in China. As of April 25, China has 19 Apple Stores across 10 cities, up from just 8 in only Beijing and Shanghai in October 2013.
China boasts the world’s most Internet and cell phone users. There were 649 million Internet users by the end of 2014, and some 557 million used cell phones to go online, official data showed.
“China, a mobile-first country, has seen smartphone exceed PC adoption,” Levitas added, “Chinese consumers want large-screen smartphones with longer battery life.”
Though app stores as a whole are marching forward, contrasts lie in different markets. Levitas highlighted that Android’s Google Play led the Apple’s iOS App Store in app downloads by nearly 70 percent in Q1 2015, while iOS maintained a strong monetization lead, generating close to 70 percent more revenue than Google Play in the same period.
“Emerging markets like Mexico, Turkey, Brazil, and Indonesia were the primary drive of Google Play’s growth,” she explained.
She also predicted that strong growth would continue across emerging markets, especially as Andriod phones below 200 U.S. dollars expand opportunity beyond mature markets.
In terms of categories, games dominated, followed by lifestyle and photo & video, while education is closing in. Education app downloads grew 25 percent on downloads and 35 percent on revenue between Q1 2014 and Q1 2015, according to Levitas.
In Q1 2015, education saw the second highest absolute revenue gain over Q4 2014, after games, ranking among the top five Google Play categories by quarterly revenue.
“It was boosted from language learning apps like Duolingo and Babbel, brain training apps like Lumosity, and MOOC platforms like iTunes U and TED,” she noted. Enditem
Source Xinhua
Editor Xuefei Chen Axelsson