China Economy Forum

[cirr]

Angela Monaghan March 26, 2015

Taxis! Black cabs jobs boost for Coventry

Around 1,000 extra jobs planned at new London Taxi Company factory as Chinese owner embarks on ambitious plan to export new low-emission cabs

Up to a thousand new jobs are planned at a new black cab plant in Coventry following a £250m investment by the London Taxi Company’s Chinese owner, Geely.

It will be home to the company’s research, development and assembly operations, including the development of electric and ultra-low emission black cabs.

Construction work on the new plant is scheduled to begin in June this year, with production expected to start in April 2017. LTC’s existing plant in Coventry, which has been running for almost 70 years, will close and its 240-strong workforce will move to the new factory.

Investment in the new plant is part of an ambitious plan to capitalise on a new market opening up for black cabs as a result of changing low-emission regulations around the world.

At the moment, LTC makes about 2,000 black cabs a year, but the new facility will have the capacity to assemble up to 36,000 cars.

The prime minister, David Cameron, said Geely’s investment was good news for Coventry and the broader UK economy.

He said: “It means that more hardworking people will have the financial security that a job and regular pay-packet bring and demonstrates that the UK is open for business. The London black cab is iconic around the world and I am pleased that the next generation will have a state of the art production facility in the UK.”

A new version of the famous London black cab will be launched by LTC at the end of 2017 and across international markets in 2018.

It is being designed to comply with new rules announced by the London mayor, Boris Johnson, requiring a reduction in the level of emissions allowed from new taxis from January 2018.

Johnson said: “The production of zero-emission capable vehicles, incorporating the latest state of the art technology, is essential as we strive to create the greenest taxi fleet in the world for London.

“The vehicles [the new] facility produces will help transform London’s taxi fleet, boost jobs and growth in London and the West Midlands, and secure the long-term future of the taxi industry, whilst ensuring everyone who lives, works in or visits our city has the cleanest possible air to breathe.”

Geely is trying to revive the fortunes of LTC after buying up its assets and the name in 2013 following the collapse of Manganese Bronze, the former owner which was quoted on the London stock exchange.

The Chinese car manufacturer already held a 20% stake in the firm since 2009, after forming a joint venture with Manganese Bronze in 2006 to supply the UK business with car parts.

Li Shufu, founder and chairman of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, said: “This investment will secure the future of London Taxi Company. Almost two years after we acquired this company – in which we first took a stake in 2006 – it has become an important part of our global automotive strategy.

“Today’s announcement symbolises the close business links between China and the UK, which is an attractive market for Chinese inward investment. The London Taxi expansion will demonstrate the benefits of Anglo-Chinese partnerships.”

Geely is hoping its investment in black cabs will open up significant new export opportunities. Currently about 90% of the black cabs made in Coventry are for the UK market, predominantly London, with only a small minority exported.

The ambition is that about 20% of taxis will be built for the UK, with the remaining 80% shipped abroad to markets elsewhere in Europe and beyond.

The manufacture of a lefthand drive version of the black cab will begin at the new plant about six months after production begins.

Taxis! Black cabs jobs boost for Coventry | ExecReview

 

[TaiShang]

Anti-graft keeps hunting Welcome home, boys!

Pang Shunxi, a former tax official in Tianjin, and An Huimin, the former general manager of a trading company based in the same city, are escorted from a plane that arrived in Beijing on March 28.

The two men, who are suspected of giving and taking bribes, fled the country late last year but recently turned themselves in to the Chinese embassy in Laos, where they had been in hiding for three months.

 

[bobsm]

China-led AIIB expected to promote use of yuan
2015-03-27 14:34 Ecns.cn Web Editor: Wang Fan

(ECNS) -- China will encourage the utilization of yuan at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and Silk Road Fund, as part of efforts to promote the currency's international use and its inclusion into the basket that forms the Special Drawing Right (SDR), local media reported on Thursday.

The China-led AIIB and Silk Road Fund may set up special currency funds and issue yuan-denominated loans through both institutions, the report stated.

Initially, the AIIB and Silk Road Fund will depend on the US dollar as its settlement currency, but would encourage the use of yuan when operations enter a mature stage, an anonymous source close to the Chinese central bank told China Business News. The move aims to promote the international use of yuan through investments as well as use of the currency for settlement in international trade, and thus push ahead with its utilization and circulation across the Asia-Pacific region, the source said.

There is still a long way to go towards internationalization of the yuan, as the US dollar will continue to dominate the global financial system in the next five to eight years, the paper quoted Wang Hua, the China head of French business school Kedge, as saying.

Turkey and South Korea separately announced their decisions to join the China-proposed AIIB as its prospective founding members on Thursday, boosting the bank's membership to 36 so far. Australia had earlier voiced hope to join the bank, but has not yet decided on the matter.

The Silk Road Fund, which was opened to investors in February, was designed to finance the Belt and Road initiatives. In 2013, China created the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road initiatives to expand cooperation with countries in Asia, Europe and Africa.

 

[TaiShang]

China green energy report. (Notes)

【Wind, natural gas, and nuclear development offer a mixed progress report, with wind and natural gas clearly outperforming nuclear. Installed wind power capacity grew by about 25% in 2013, and grid connectivity for wind farms has improved: only 11% of wind-generated power was not transferred to the grid in 2013, down from 17% in 2012 and 25% in 2011.

With installed natural gas capacity growing by about 14% in 2013, both wind and natural gas power generation capacity seem to be on track based on 12th Five-Year Plan targets. In contrast, nuclear power has remained relatively stagnant since March 2011; following the disaster in Fukushima, Japan, only two gigawatts of capacity were added, putting China at just over a third of its nuclear capacity target for 2015 (Figure 2). 】

【Smarter solutions for energy efficiency improvements in industrial and commercial establishments are also developing quickly. Tianjin’s Automatic Demand Response System Pilot Project, the first of its kind, has helped reduce peak power load by up to 15% for commercial and government buildings included in the project. Participating industrial users have enjoyed a 7.7% reduction in electricity usage during peak hours and a 30% reduction during off-peak hours.】

【The Action Plan is aggressive in that it enforces mandatory energy
efficiency standards for new buildings in urban areas and requires all government-funded buildings and affordable housing projects in selected cities to meet national green building standards by 2014.

The Plan also sets specific guidelines for retrofit programs; by 2015, heat metering and energy-saving retrofits will be implemented in 400 million m2 of residential buildings in North China, plus another 50 million m2 of residential buildings and 120 million m2 of public buildings in China’s Hot Summer,
Cold Winter Region.】

Full China Green tech report:- The China Greentech Report 2013 | China Greentech Initiative

 

[bobsm]

China achieves industrialization of SSD controller chip
Xinhua Finance 2015-03-30 10:52 BEIJING

A research team of Hangzhou Dianzi University has achieved industrialization of China's first solid state disk (SSD) controller chip, according to the website of the Ministry of Science and Technology on Monday.

The team, led by Luo Jianjun and Chu Chuanren, has mastered the hardcore technologies of SSD, raised a concept of eRAID, and designed an eMMC module array driven by the SSD controller chip, which increase the density of SSD by five times.

It has joined hands with the Sage Microelectronics Corp. in the chip industrialization and begun the batch production of 2.5-inch SSD products, which have disk size of 2.5TB for a single circuit board.

 

[cirr]

China gets high-end LCD production line

By: Mo Hong'e | ecns.cn | Posted: 31 Mar 2015, 11:42

China is on course to join international competition in the high-end LCD market with the launch of an advanced production line for power-saving and high-resolution screens.

State-owned China Electronics Corp. (CEC) said on Monday that the production line, using 8.5 Generation IGZO, or indium gallium zinc oxide display technology, has been put into action by the company's Panda Electronics subsidiary in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province.

With an investment of 29.15 billion yuan (4.75 billion U.S. dollars) from Panda Electronics, the production line is designed with an annual output capacity of 720,000 glass substrates, which will be applicable for cell phones, notebooks, laptops, monitors and televisions.

IGZO is a world-leading display technology. The CEC said the new products will have a pixel density up to 700 pixels per inch (ppi), compared to the 403 ppi pixel density of Apple's latest iPhone models. Meanwhile, the new displays will also use less power, with power endurance up to seven times that of traditional displays.

CEC vice general manager Lai Weide said the technological breakthrough could propel China into one of the world's largest production hubs for high-end flat panel displays.

Ouyang Zhongcan, a professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said despite China's increasing production capacity of display products, high-end display products will still be in great demand, especially in emerging markets.

China gets high-end LCD production line - OFweek News

 

[black-hawk_101]

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Please more details and price.

 

[Martian2]

World Bank: China is #1 in manufacturing value added

It is very important to look at the slope of the graph (see below). Only China has a sharp upward slope and is growing significantly in value-added manufacturing.

In contrast, the United States, Japan, Germany, and South Korea have all plateaued in value-added manufacturing.

China has room to grow into a larger value-added manufacturer. The other four competitors have reached their value-added manufacturing limits. The future heavily favors China in value-added manufacturing.

By the way, the citation states: "Data are in current U.S. dollars" (last sentence of paragraph).

China's value-added manufacturing was worth $3 TRILLION for year 2013.

Manufacturing, value added (current US$) | Data | Graph

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Embedded version.

[Note: Thank you to Shotgunner51 for the embedded graph.]

 

[Martian2]

China outgunned the entire EU in value-added manufacturing

Manufacturing, value added (current US$) | Data | Graph

 

[bobsm]

China's UAVRS industry sees robust rise
Xinhua Finance 2015-03-30 16:01 BEIJING

Many unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) R&D institutions in China have already made UAV remote sensing (UAVRS) as a major direction for development and local governments also actively support the strategic emerging industry, according to results of a survey by the National Remote Sensing Center under the Ministry of Science and Technology.

However, a national development plan and a healthy and orderly industrial ecology for the UAVRS industry have yet to be formulated, shows the survey. In the light of this, the country is in urgent need to make key technology breakthroughs for the development of small and light UAV remote sensing and intensify innovation for its management mechanism as well.

Rapid rise of the UAVRS industry is expected to benefit the listed UAV companies including Shenzhen Rapoo Technology (002577.SZ) and Sunward Intelligent Equipment (002097.SZ), analysts at the China Securities say.

 

[Keel]

Please more details and price.

Find them here mate

Huawei Watch looks much more affordable in new price leak (Updated)
BY JACOB KLEINMAN | MARCH 11, 2015

Huawei’s new smartwatch is a thing of beauty, but we still don’t know exactly how much it will cost. Recent reports have suggested it could be priced as high as $1,000, but a new leak puts the Android Wear device at a much more reasonable price.

The device has popped up on German retail site Billiger, where its listed at €349 (roughly $370) in silver and black variants, or €399 ($424) in a gold color. If that’s accurate, we’re guessing the Huawei Watch prices will translate to $349 and $399 once it arrives in the U.S., putting the device in direct competition with the Apple Watch Sport.

The Huawei Watch packs a 1.4-inch 400 x 400-pixel AMOLED display with a round design made of stylish stainless steel. It also features a sapphire crystal cover, and a variety of sensors including a heart rate monitor and barometer.

We’re still waiting to hear how much the new Android Wear device will cost straight from Huawei, but at least now we have reason to believe the device won’t be totally out of reach.

Update: UK retailer Mobile Fun just reached out to us to confirm its own pricing for the Huawei watch. The device will cost £300 in silver or black, and £350 in gold. That seems to confirm these new prices are accurate, though we’re still waiting for the new smartwatch to get an official launch here in the U.S.

 

[Keel]

More here

Huawei Watch release date, price and specs UK: Pre-order now
New Android Wear smartwatch is coming soon
By Chris Martin | PC Advisor | 23 March 15

One of the surprise gems of MWC 2015 was the Huawei Watch, its new smartwatch which runs on Android Wear. Here's what you need to know about the Huawei Watch release date, price and specs. Read: The 14 best smartwatches.

It seems to be the year of the wearable with not only Apple releasing its first smartwatch but historic timepiece makers and designer brands getting in on the act to. Tag Heuer is partnering with Intel and Google while Gucci is launching a device with will.i.am.

Huawei is a known for its smartphones and tablets but it making more wearables and the simply named Huawei Watch got a lot of attention in Barcelona. It will take on the likes of theApple Watch, LG Watch Urbane, Motorola Moto 360, Sony SmartWatch 3 and others.

Read our Huawei Watch hands-on review.

Huawei Watch release date and price UK

At the time of writing Huawei hasn't officially released details on where the Huawei Watch will launch or when. However, we do know it will come to the UK because MobileFun has the device up for pre-order. The retailer is expecting stock in 3-5 days.

As we expected, the Huawei Watch will cost £300 matching a number or rivals but that's just for the black and silver models. If you like a bit more bling then the gold option will set you back a little more at £350.

Huawei Watch specs and features

The design of a smartwatch is arguably the most important element, especially in the Android Wear market where software is the same and components are often identical. Huawei has gone for a round shape rather than square. As alluded to previously, it comes in three different colours and various straps including leather or steel.

There's nothing majorly stand-out about the specs which you can see below but another design point is that the physical power button is located at 2 o'clock rather than 3 o'clock making it easier to press.

Display: 1.4-inch full circle AMOLED display, scratch-proof sapphire crystal lens
Size: 42mm diameter, 11.3 mm thickness
Battery: 300mAh
Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.1
Sensors: Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Heart rate monitor, Barometer, Vibration Motor
OS: Android Wear
OS Compatibility Requirements: Android 4.3 or later
Color: Silver, Black, Gold
Strap Options: Stainless steel option, Luxury genuine leather option
Memory: 512 MB RAM + 4 GB ROM
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 400

SOURCE BILLIGER.DE

 

[cirr]

Huawei reports CNY288.2 billion revenue for 2014

huawei | Posted: 01 Apr 2015, 09:41

Huawei today released the KPMG-audited annual report which showed record revenue and net profit for 2014, with financial performance up strongly across all business areas.

(Ken Hu, Deputy Chairman and Rotating CEO announced 2014 Huawei Annual Report)

Overall Group revenue reached CNY288.2 billion (USD46.5 billion), an increase of 20.6% from 2013, and Group net profit reached CNY27.9 billion (USD4.5 billion), up 32.7% year on year.

"Our strong revenue growth in 2014 can be attributed to a continuous focus on our pipe strategy, while profit increase stems from streamlined management and improvements in overall efficiency," said Ken Hu, Deputy Chairman of the Board and Rotating CEO. "With heavy investment in innovations in areas such as cloud computing, big data, 5G, SDN and NFV, we believe we are well positioned to capture the tremendous business opportunities in this digital transformation era."

All Business Groups (BGs) performed strongly in 2014:

• Carrier Business Group - revenue increased by 16.4% to CNY192.1 billion (USD31 billion), with a strong contribution from mobile broadband network rollouts around the world.
• Enterprise Business Group - revenue increased by 27.3% to CNY19.4 billion (USD3 billion), with strong growth in network and IT areas including cloud data center solutions and agile networks.
• Consumer Business Group – revenue increased by 32.6% to CNY75.1 billion (USD12 billion), thanks to growing consumer demand for smartphones and particularly strong growth in emerging markets.

Huawei continues to invest heavily in innovation. In 2014, Huawei invested CNY40.8 billion (USD6.6 billion) into research and development (R&D), representing 14.2% of 2014 revenue and a significant increase of 29.4% from 2013. Huawei has invested more than CNY190 billion (USD30.7 billion) in R&D over the past decade.

Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou remarked, "In 2014, Huawei maintained effective growth and achieved steady financial performance. Our cash flow, revenue, and profit all grew over the previous year. The net cash amounted to CNY77.9 billion (USD12.6 billion). Moreover, our debt and financing structures have continuously improved. Huawei's short-term and long-term borrowings totaled CNY28.1 billion (USD4.5 billion) as of December 31, 2014, provided primarily by overseas financial institutions at market rates."

Hu said, "As 2015 unfolds, ICT technologies, notably broadband, cloud computing, Big Data, and the Internet of Things (IoT), are becoming the engines that drive transformations in many industries. Huawei will continue focusing on pipe strategy to create value for our customers. Through the dedication of our employees, Huawei strives to become a strategic partner for carriers in their future transformation, a leader in providing enterprise ICT infrastructure, and a top smart device brand preferred and trusted by consumers."

Hu continued, "Together with our customers and partners, we are committed to building a Better Connected World with our innovative ICT products, solutions and services, thus creating value for social progress."

Huawei reports CNY288.2 billion revenue for 2014 - OFweek News

 

[black-hawk_101]

Find them here mate

Huawei Watch looks much more affordable in new price leak (Updated)
BY JACOB KLEINMAN | MARCH 11, 2015

Huawei’s new smartwatch is a thing of beauty, but we still don’t know exactly how much it will cost. Recent reports have suggested it could be priced as high as $1,000, but a new leak puts the Android Wear device at a much more reasonable price.

The device has popped up on German retail site Billiger, where its listed at €349 (roughly $370) in silver and black variants, or €399 ($424) in a gold color. If that’s accurate, we’re guessing the Huawei Watch prices will translate to $349 and $399 once it arrives in the U.S., putting the device in direct competition with the Apple Watch Sport.

The Huawei Watch packs a 1.4-inch 400 x 400-pixel AMOLED display with a round design made of stylish stainless steel. It also features a sapphire crystal cover, and a variety of sensors including a heart rate monitor and barometer.

We’re still waiting to hear how much the new Android Wear device will cost straight from Huawei, but at least now we have reason to believe the device won’t be totally out of reach.

Update: UK retailer Mobile Fun just reached out to us to confirm its own pricing for the Huawei watch. The device will cost £300 in silver or black, and £350 in gold. That seems to confirm these new prices are accurate, though we’re still waiting for the new smartwatch to get an official launch here in the U.S.

Where to buy it online.

How can we buy these small remote UAVs from China online?

 

[Keel]

Where to buy it online.

How can we buy these small remote UAVs from China online?

You can browse Alibaba's website for UAVs. Plenty of them available in different shapes and prices
As for Huawei smart watches, I guess you have to wait for a little bit for their online sales worldwide

Jingdezhen handpainted overglaze porcelain vase