Category Archives: News

Chinese investment in Europe surging

BEIJING, July 7 (Greenpost) — China’s non-financial investment in the European Union hit 4.21 billion U.S. dollars in the first five months of the year, up more than 367 percent year on year, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said on Tuesday.

The figures suggest China’s investment in Europe has entered a period of rapid growth, said MOC spokesman Shen Danyang at a press conference in Beijing.

He said that the rise is due to Chinese companies’ increasing investment projects in Europe, such as the stake acquisition of Italian tire maker Pirelli by China’s state-owned National Chemical Corp.

“At the same time, Chinese investment in Europe is also broadening to areas including machinery, autos, real estate, shipping, telecommunications, energy, and finance,” Shen said.

China-EU financial cooperation also appears promising, he said, as EU nations including Britain, France, Germany and Italy have all joined the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, while the EU welcomes China’s participation in its strategic investment plan.

During his visit to Europe last week, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang proposed China and EU make full use of a currency-swap scheme worth more than 700 billion yuan to facilitate bilateral economic and trade cooperation. He also said China will improve the RMB Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor program, a channel for overseas investment in the Chinese stock market.

Shen added that China’s Belt and Road initiative and its Internet Plus strategy, a national digital drive, have much in common with the industrial upgrading and smart city building plans of many EU countries, indicating more room for industrial cooperation between the two sides. Enditem

Source Xinhua

Editor  Xuefei Chen Axelsson

Chinese investment in Europe surging

BEIJING, July 7 (Greenpost) — China’s non-financial investment in the European Union hit 4.21 billion U.S. dollars in the first five months of the year, up more than 367 percent year on year, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said on Tuesday.

The figures suggest China’s investment in Europe has entered a period of rapid growth, said MOC spokesman Shen Danyang at a press conference in Beijing.

He said that the rise is due to Chinese companies’ increasing investment projects in Europe, such as the stake acquisition of Italian tire maker Pirelli by China’s state-owned National Chemical Corp.

“At the same time, Chinese investment in Europe is also broadening to areas including machinery, autos, real estate, shipping, telecommunications, energy, and finance,” Shen said.

China-EU financial cooperation also appears promising, he said, as EU nations including Britain, France, Germany and Italy have all joined the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, while the EU welcomes China’s participation in its strategic investment plan.

During his visit to Europe last week, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang proposed China and EU make full use of a currency-swap scheme worth more than 700 billion yuan to facilitate bilateral economic and trade cooperation. He also said China will improve the RMB Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor program, a channel for overseas investment in the Chinese stock market.

Shen added that China’s Belt and Road initiative and its Internet Plus strategy, a national digital drive, have much in common with the industrial upgrading and smart city building plans of many EU countries, indicating more room for industrial cooperation between the two sides. Enditem

 

 

China new free trade zones attracting overseas investors

 

BEIJING, July 7 (Xinhua) — China’s newly-established free trade zones (FTZs) in Guangdong, Tianjin and Fujian have shown promise in attracting overseas investment, the commerce ministry said on Tuesday.

At the end of May, over a month after their establishment, the three zones had received a combined 22.6 billion yuan (about 3.7 billion U.S. dollars) in contracted overseas investment, Ministry of Commerce spokesman Shen Danyang told a press conference.

The Guangdong, Tianjin and Fujian FTZ attracted 7.8 billion yuan, 11.7 billion yuan and 3.2 billion yuan, accounting for 45.3 percent, 69.4 percent and 53.6 percent of the total in their respective regions, Shen said.

The three FTZs were set up in April, 18 months after the first FTA was established in Shanghai as part of the government’s efforts to test reform policies and better integrate the economy with international practices in a landscape where China’s old export-reliant model is no longer sustainable.

Some of the new rules and regulations, launched for trial in the FTZs, promised easier access to both foreign and domestic investment, further opening up of the service sector and liberalizing measures for the financial sector. Enditem

Source Xinhua

Editor  Xuefie Chen Axelsson

 

China becomes globally largest gold spot trading market for eight years running: SGE

China becomes globally largest gold spot trading market for eight years running: SGE

 

SHANGHAI, July 9 (Greenpost) — China has become the globally largest spot trading market of gold for the eighth consecutive year, according to the Shanghai Gold Exchange (SGE) on Thursday.

The SGE data shows that transaction volume in the bourse increased by 151 percent year on year in the first half of 2015. In a breakdown, the SGE’s gold transactions jumped 166 percent year on year to 17,520 metric tons (tonnes), and silver transactions surged 151 percent year on year to 380,000 tonnes.

The international board of the SGE has so far seen accumulative gold transactions stand at 4,764 tonnes and silver transactions stand at 525 tonnes.

The SGE launched the gold international trading board on September 18, 2014. It is the first international financial asset transaction platform launched in the Shanghai free trade zone (FTZ).

As the only legal gold spot trading market in China approved by the country’s central bank, the SGE has become the global largest gold spot trading on-floor bourse for the eighth consecutive year. Rankings of its gold and silver transactions among global exchanges have increased continuously, said an official of the SGE. Enditem

Source Xinhua

Editor Xuefei Chen Axelsson

从“七岁男童与猪同住”看中国儿童生存状况

北欧绿色邮报--以前,中国人不好意思说这些问题。我小时候到亲戚家去玩儿,邻居小男孩和小女孩儿玩儿。女孩儿妈妈就抱怨,结果男孩的妈妈却护孩子,说小孩子在所难免。

其实,我恍惚记得邻居男生也对女生这样,但实际上,这对人是有影响的。也许,在文明社会,是否可以告诉孩子,这样做不合适?

以下转载:

China Voice: BRICS a stabilizer of global economy

China Voice: BRICS a stabilizer of global economy

 

BEIJING, July 8 (Xinhua) — A BRICS group with deepened cooperation will not only serve its five member countries and other developing nations, but also stabilize and even boost the world economy.

In upcoming days, leaders of the BRICS countries — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — will meet in Ufa of Russia for the seventh BRICS leaders meeting.

They met for the first time in 2009, launching the bloc’s cooperation mechanism. Since then, the BRICS have shown vitality and innovation through cooperation, with deepened participation in global governance.

Now these countries will set up the New Development Bank (NDB). The institution’s board of governors will hold its first meeting in Moscow to appoint members of the board of directors and the management.

The NDB shows that the BRICS bloc has transformed from a political concept to a real force for reform in the international community.

With the bank’s funding, developing countries, especially the African states, can improve their infrastructure, rather than struggling with the limited funds the current international agencies provide them.

The new development bank will cover the shortcomings of the global financial system. It is not intended to overturn the current system, but to encourage investment from developed countries and other developing countries with an open and inclusive mind.

The BRICS has become an importance platform for exchanges and cooperation among the world’s major emerging economies. It has brought real benefits for the member states, and also earned a good reputation among the international community.

This new cooperation mechanism pointed to an important trend: emerging economies are playing bigger roles in global issues.

Global economic recovery remains slow. While trade globalization agreements are still being negotiated, the Western countries and Russia are introducing sanctions against each other, and the developed and developing countries have not yet reached agreement on how to balance economic development and climate change.

Under such circumstances, the BRICS leaders’ meeting in Ufa has critical significance as cooperation among them will not benefit not only themselves but also the world economy.

Although the five countries are at very different stages of their development, they will still become new growth poles for the world economy.The five have contributed half the world’s economic growth in the past 10 years.

They have complementary industrial structures. Sufficient labor, abundant resources and large markets give them great opportunities for development.

The five countries are also important players in both their continents and international affairs. In multilateral platforms such as the UN and the G20, they are playing bigger roles than ever before, thus their booming economies can drive the whole global economy through their deepened cooperation with other countries and international organizations. Enditem

Editor Xuefei Chen Axelsson

220 Chinese enterprises raise USD37.96 bln globally via IPOs in H1

220 Chinese enterprises raise USD37.96 bln globally via IPOs in H1

BEIJING, July 7 (Xinhua) — A total of 220 Chinese firms conducted successful initial public offerings (IPOs) on both domestic and overseas capital markets in the first half of this year, accounting for 45.2 percent of global total, raising 37.96 billion US dollars, accounting for 57 percent of global total, according to statistics from investment research company Zero2IPO.

Globally, 487 companies conducted IPOs during H1, up 52.7 percent year on year, raising 66.609 billion US dollars, down 25.3 percent year on year, said Zero2IPO on Tuesday.

Among the 220 Chinese enterprises, 187 were listed on China’s A-share market, raising 23.572 billion yuan. In a breakdown, 78 were listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange and 74 were listed on the SME board of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.

Meanwhile, 33 Chinese enterprises were listed on 5 overseas capital markets, raising 14.388 billion yuan, up 42.8 percent year on year.  Enditem

Editor Xuefei Chen Axelsson

 

China allows banks to extend stock mortgage loans

China allows banks to extend stock mortgage loans

BEIJING, July 9 (Xinhua) — China’s banking regulator on Thursday announced it will allow banks to extend mortgage loans that use share funds as collateral amid a plunging stock market.

Banks will be able to discuss redefining mortgage terms of share-secured loans that are due or adjusting collateral with their clients, said an announcement of the China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC).

The announcement is the latest effort from central authorities to maintain liquidity and draw more capital in the stock market at it continues volatility. Agencies including the central bank and stock regulator have vowed measures to stabilize the market.

Chinese shares have been in a downward spiral since hitting a peak in June. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index has shed more than 30 percent.

In addition, the CBRC encouraged banks to offer financing aids to China Securities Finance Corporation Limited, a national margin trading service provider, and make loans to listed companies that planned to purchase their own stocks.

It said financial institutions may discuss with their clients adjusting the risk warning line and the forced liquidation level of their securities investment. Enditem

Editor Xuefei Chen Axelsson

 

China becomes globally largest gold spot trading market for eight years running: SGE

 

China becomes globally largest gold spot trading market for eight years running: SGE

SHANGHAI, July 9 (Xinhua) — China has become the globally largest spot trading market of gold for the eighth consecutive year, according to the Shanghai Gold Exchange (SGE) on Thursday.

The SGE data shows that transaction volume in the bourse increased by 151 percent year on year in the first half of 2015. In a breakdown, the SGE’s gold transactions jumped 166 percent year on year to 17,520 metric tons (tonnes), and silver transactions surged 151 percent year on year to 380,000 tonnes.

The international board of the SGE has so far seen accumulative gold transactions stand at 4,764 tonnes and silver transactions stand at 525 tonnes.

The SGE launched the gold international trading board on September 18, 2014. It is the first international financial asset transaction platform launched in the Shanghai free trade zone (FTZ).

As the only legal gold spot trading market in China approved by the country’s central bank, the SGE has become the global largest gold spot trading on-floor bourse for the eighth consecutive year. Rankings of its gold and silver transactions among global exchanges have increased continuously, said an official of the SGE. Enditem

Editor  Xuefei Chen Axelsson

斯德哥尔摩将在2016年5月举办欧洲电视歌手大赛

北欧绿色邮报报道(记者陈雪霏)--斯德哥尔摩市长卡琳.万戈德说,欧洲电视歌手大赛将是加强和激励音乐兴趣的一个好机会。

她说,她很荣幸斯德哥尔摩能举办这样的大赛。届时,斯德哥尔摩地球体育场附近将有各种音乐活动,整个城市都会翻滚在音乐中。我们心中充满了创意,因此,我们希望在活动中展现这些创意。

大赛将于2016年5月10-14日在斯德哥尔摩举行。你知道吗?2015年参赛的三首歌曲都是在斯德哥尔摩歌曲创作营创作的。斯德哥尔摩时瑞典音乐的发祥地,从ABBA到AVICII,都成为世界上音乐出口的领军乐队。

 

 

Stockholm chosen to host Eurovision Song Contest 2016

Stockholm chosen to host Eurovision Song Contest 2016

Stockholm will be the Host City of Eurovision Song Contest in May 2016. This was decided on Wednesday by Swedish host broadcaster SVT and European Broad Casting Union (EBU). Together with SVT, the City of Stockholm will create a new innovative arena concept, including all four venues – Tele 2 Arena, Ericsson Globe, Hovet and Annexet – in the Stockholm Globe District. This will be a unique concept in Eurovision history.
– It is an honor to be the host city of Eurovision Song Contest. Stockholm is music. Our city is boiling of activities that revolves around music. Creativity is close to our heart and we want this to be visible during the event. Hosting Eurovision is an opportunity for us to strengthen and stimulate the interest that music creates. We are looking forward greeting the world to Stockholm in May, says Karin Wanngård (s) Mayor of Stockholm.

The main events will take place at all four venues in the Stockholm Globe District. The finale will take place in Ericsson Globe on May 10-14th 2016.

– The solution with multiple arenas enables us to produce the Eurovision Song Contest in the Globe, have the press center at the Hovet and the delegations area at the Annex. The Jewel in the Crown is to take Eurovision Song Contest to the next level by incorporating Tele2 Arena during the evening of the finale ,says Martin Österdahl, executive producer of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2016

Did you know that three of the competing songs during ESC2015 were written in Stockholm during Song Writing Camp in January. Stockholm is the birthplace of the Swedish music phenomenon, from ABBA to Avicii, and one of the worlds leading music exporters.

 

Share on social media

Iu8ooimcsv0tiz72irxd

Stockholm Globe Arenas

Tele 2 Arena, Ericsson Globe, Annexet and Hovet at Stockholm Globe Arenas District
Size  7.91 MB     File Format  .jpg
Image Size  4497 x 2808 pixels
Photographer / Source  Stockholm Globe Arenas

Deg5k7ml2laspxwr4zqp

Stockholm Globe Arenas

Tele 2 Arena, Ericsson Globe, Hovet and Annexet at Stockholm Globe Arena District
Size  2.01 MB     File Format  .jpg
Image Size  2913 x 1566 pixels
Photographer / Source  Stockholm Globe Arenas

Editor Xuefei Chen Axelsson

Insulin pump reduces mortality from cardiovascular disease by almost 50%

Insulin pump reduces mortality from cardiovascular disease by almost 50%

Stockholm, July 6(Greenpost)–People with type 1 diabetes who use insulin pump therapy face almost 50% less risk of dying from cardiovascular disease than those who take insulin by multiple daily injections, according to a statement reaching here from Gothenburg.

The British Medical Journal has published the study conducted at Sahlgrenska Academy.

Based on the Swedish National Diabetes Register, researchers monitored 18,168 Swedes with type 1 diabetes from 2005 to 2012. While 2,441 of the subjects used insulin pump therapy, the others relied on multiple daily injections.

The study found that insulin pump users had a substantially lower risk of dying of cardiovascular disease than the daily injection group. The correlation was statistically certain.

“We carefully analyzed the findings to eliminate the risk of bias or confounding and concluded that the effect had been fully verified,” says Isabelle Steineck, researcher at Sahlgrenska Academy.

The next step will be to identify the mechanisms that explain the extra benefits of insulin pump therapy. Dr. Steineck believes that one reason for the difference between the two therapies is that the insulin pump method is accompanied by more extensive patient training and more frequent blood glucose monitoring.

”There is a rationale for insulin pump treatment resulting in more stable blood glucose concentrations than multiple daily injections” she says. ”Previous studies have shown that insulin pump can reduce the frequencies of severe hypoglycemic episodes. Severe hypoglycaemia can be a risk factor for cardiovascular events, particularly among high risk individuals.”

”We evaluated the patients who used insulin pump therapy and do not know if the observed effect is attributable to continuous infusion of insulin or that some of the effect is attributable to intensified glucose monitoring, increased motivation to control blood glucose, or a better knowledge about having diabetes type 1”says Isabelle Steineck.

The researchers have concluded that insulin pumps not only make life easier for patients, but represent a safe and effective treatment method.

“This is good news for anyone with type 1 diabetes,” says Soffia Gudbjörnsdottir, diabetologist and director of the Swedish National Diabetes Register. “But not everybody wants to use a pump, and the biggest priority is still to optimize blood glucose monitoring.”

Approximately 20% of Swedish type 1 diabetes patients have access to insulin pump therapy. But earlier studies at Sahlgrenska Academy have demonstrated that hospitals vary greatly – anywhere from 12% to almost 30% of patients may receive pumps.

The article “Insulin Pump Therapy, Multiple Daily Injections and Cardiovascular Mortality in 18,168 People with Type 1 Diabetes: Observational Study” was published online by the British Medical Journal on June 22.

Link to article: http://www.bmj.com/content/350/bmj.h3234

 

Regeringen stärker svenska företag inom miljöteknik

Regeringen stärker svenska företag inom miljöteknik

Stockholm, July 5(Greenpost)–Många svenska företag ligger långt framme i arbetet med klimatsmarta lösningar och utvecklingen av ny miljöteknik.

Men trots att det offentliga gör upphandlingar för 600 miljarder kronor årligen har lagstiftning och riktlinjer hittills hindrat att man utnyttjar dess potential för att stärka utvecklingen av ny miljöteknik, en bättre miljö och en mer hållbar och effektiv användning av skattebetalarnas pengar.

Regeringen skapar nya förutsättningar genom offentliga upphandlingar för att förbättra Sveriges arbete med miljömålen och stimulera en växande framtidsbransch med stor exportpotential.

Det är bra för miljön, tillväxten och jobben. Regeringen har lagt fram en lagrådsremiss om en ny lag om offentlig upphandling som underlättar ställandet av miljökrav i offentlig upphandling.

Regeringen föreslår nu två nya reformer inom offentlig upphandling för att underlätta utvecklingen av ny miljöteknik: 1. Upphandlande myndigheter ska förbereda och genomföra dialoger med potentiella leverantörer i ett tidigt skede i upphandlingarna i syfte att utarbeta innovationsdrivande krav i miljöteknikupphandlingar.

2. Ett tydligt uppdrag till den nya Upphandlingsmyndigheten om att verka för att det generationsmål för miljöarbetet och de miljökvalitetsmål som riksdagen har fastställt nås.

Den nya upphandlingsmyndigheten kommer att få sin instruktion under sommaren och börjar sitt arbete redan i september. 2015-06-30 2 Detta öppnar för mer innovativa och effektiva lösningar och det skapar nya möjligheter för svenska företag och fler jobb.

Dialogen är också en möjlighet för innovativa småföretag att delta i upphandlingen. Genom dialog mellan parterna minskar också riskerna för att upphandlingen ska bli föremål för överprövning.

Möjligheterna är många, men några exempel på områden där miljöteknikupphandling är aktuell och kan stärka såväl miljöarbetet som svenska företags export är:

– Energieffektivisering –

Stadsplanering och hållbart byggande –

Vatten- och sanitetslösningar –

Avfallshantering

Swedish economy on the way up amid uncertainty

Swedish economy on the way up amid uncertainty

 By  Xuefei Chen Axelsson
STOCKHOLM, July 5(Greenpost)–The Swedish economy is on the way up and, according to the forecast, growth will gradually strengthen in the coming years. However, the situation is uncertain, not least because of developments in Greece. This is the message from Minister for Finance Magdalena Andersson, presenting the Ministry of Finance’s latest economic forecast at Almedalen on June 30.

“Looking around the world, we have seen increasing growth since 2013. Many factors indicate a further strengthening of growth next year. The US economy is expected to continue to grow strongly this year, despite a weak first quarter.” said Andersson.

” In the euro area, we saw clear growth in all the four largest economies in the first quarter, for the first time in a long time, and conditions are in place for continued recovery. Having said that, somewhat weaker growth in China and other fast growing economies means that the global economy is gaining strength rather more slowly than we thought earlier this year,” continued the Minister for Finance.

Growth in the Swedish economy in 2015 is expected to derive mainly from domestic demand, while demand from abroad remains weak. However, in connection with the expected strengthening of the international economy from 2016 onwards, net exports are expected to increase and contribute to stronger GDP growth.

The Minister for Finance particularly underlines the impact of the crisis in Greece on the Swedish economy and trends in Swedish exports and industrial production. Commentators have long been expecting a clear strengthening of industrial production, but this upswing has still not materialised. The risk of weaker international demand continues to delay the upswing.

The forecast was made at the beginning of June, when developments in Greece were included as a risk in the assessment of the future economic outlook. In light of developments in the Greek crisis in recent days, this risk has increased. However, the impact on the Swedish economy is difficult to assess.

The forecast for the public finances is somewhat lower than the assessment made in the Spring Fiscal Policy Bill. Central government expenditures are growing more slowly than in the previous forecast. However, weaker tax revenues, larger investments in the local government sector and weaker saving in the old-age pension system result overall in a rather slower rate of growth in general government net lending than forecast in the Spring Fiscal Policy Bill. Net lending/borrowing is not expected to reach balance until 2019.

“We are moving towards stronger public finances. This year we expect to reduce the deficit by more than SEK 20 billion and it will continue to shrink in the years ahead. At the same time, a delicate balance needs to be struck between ensuring the sustainability of the public finances and protecting the recovery,” says the Minister for Finance.

China continues to see deficit in foreign service trade

China continues to see deficit in foreign service trade

BEIJING, June 30 (Greenpost) — China continued to see a deficit in foreign service trade in May, data from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) showed on Tuesday.

The country’s service trade deficit reached 111.7 billion yuan (18.3 billion U.S. dollars) in May, enlarging from 106.1 billion yuan in April, according to SAFE.

Last month, the country spent a total of 224 billion yuan in international service trade, double the 112.3 billion yuan it gained during the period.

Distinct from merchandise trade, trade in services refers to the sale and delivery of intangible products such as transportation, tourism, telecommunications, construction, advertising, computing and accounting.

The State Council has pledged measures to accelerate the development of trade in services, including gradually opening up the finance, education, culture and medical treatment sectors.

SAFE began issuing monthly data on service trade in January 2014 to improve the transparency of balance of payments statistics. Beginning in 2015, it added monthly data on merchandise trade to the report.

In May, China saw a surplus of 359.8 billion yuan in foreign merchandise trade, data showed. Enditem

Source Xinhua

Editor   Xuefei Chen Axelsson