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☆ Chinese EV startup Li Auto says car deliveries more than doubled in May
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A Li Auto store inside a shopping mall in Yantai, Shandong province on May 6, 2023. BEIJING — Chinese electric car startup Li Auto said it delivered more than twice as many cars in May versus a year ago. Li Auto differs from the two startups in that its electric cars come with a fuel tank for charging the battery and extending driving range. That divergence comes as China's fast-growing electric car market grows more competitive. She expects China's electric car market to grow by 27% this year to 8.7 million units, with penetration of overall auto sales set to grow to 32% this year, versus 26% last year.

Persons: Li Auto, Li, Matty Zhao Organizations: Li, Bank of America Securities, Asia Locations: Yantai, Shandong province, BEIJING, Asia Pacific

☆ Inside the Barbecue City That Is China’s Hottest Tourist Destination
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Vivian Wang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The flame-shaped neon archway was visible from miles away, which was good since there was little other reason for anyone to be in that part of town, an expanse of fields outside an industrial city in eastern China. The lights flickered between icy blue and red-hot, leaping toward the night sky beside a jumbo sign: “Zibo Barbecue Experiential Ground.”And what an experience awaited. Inside this Coachella for barbecue, visitors could pose with a mascot dressed like a meat skewer. They could watch a concert against an LED backdrop of radiating flames. Zibo, a once-obscure chemical manufacturing city in Shandong Province, has suddenly strangely — thanks to, of all things, barbecue — turned into China’s hottest tourist destination.

☆ Chinese fishing boat capsizes in Indian Ocean, 39 crew members missing
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, May 17 (Reuters) - A Chinese fishing vessel with 39 crew members on board has capsized in the Indian ocean and President Xi Jinping has ordered that all efforts be made to search for survivors, state media reported on Wednesday. The distant-water fishing vessel "Lupeng Yuanyu 028", owned by Penglai Jinglu Fishery Co Ltd based in Shandong province, capsized early on Tuesday, state-run CCTV reported. The 39 people on board - 17 Chinese crew members, 17 Indonesians and five from the Philippines - were missing, CCTV said. Xi said all efforts should be made for the rescue and early warning alerts of safety risks would be strengthened for distant-sea operations, CCTV reported. Reporting by Ethan Wang and Bernard Orr; Editing by Robert BirselOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Chinese cities broil in heat, brace for more record temperatures
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Bernard Orr | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Recently, Yunnan province was gripped with temperatures of more than 40 Celsius, which is especially burdensome for power grids as millions of homes begin to switch on air conditioners. read moreOver the past couple days, Shandong province and Beijing issued heat warnings. Populous cities such as Jinan, Tianjin and Zhengzhou are expected to see temperatures soar to as high as 37 degrees Celsius. The China Meteorological Administration has warned regions to prepare for more extreme heat this year. The World Meteorological Organization's (WMO) latest assessment also predicts the strong likelihood of the El Niño weather phenomenon returning later this year.

REUTERS/Siyi LiuAustralian trade data shows exports worth A$60.5 million ($41.04 million) of copper ore and concentrate to China in January, though the cargoes have not appeared in Chinese customs data. It was the first month of exports since December 2020, Australian data showed. Copper ore and concentrate imports are likely to resume if the talks go well, according to an official surnamed Wang at a Chinese copper smelter, who said smelters want extra supply from Australia. China imported just over one million tonnes of copper ore and concentrate from Australia in 2019, according to customs data, worth about $1.67 billion at the time. Australian trade data showed A$78,000 worth of barley exports to China in January, the first since November 2020.

Copper ore and concentrate imports are likely to resume if the talks go well, according to an official surnamed Wang at a Chinese copper smelter, who said smelters want extra supply from Australia. Australian copper accounted for just 5% of Chinese imports in 2019 but is an important source of supply in what is expected to become a tight global market. Australian copper returns to ChinahereChinese customs data showed 10kg (22.05 lb) of copper ore and concentrate in the first quarter of this year, roughly the same as 2022. China imported just over one million tonnes of copper ore and concentrate from Australia in 2019, according to customs data. Australian trade data showed A$78,000 worth of barley exports to China in January, the first since November 2020.

HONG KONG, May 10 (Reuters) - China will appoint Li Yunze as the head of a new financial regulator as part of a broader restructuring of its financial regulatory regime, three sources with knowledge of the matter said on Wednesday. Li, 52, a banking veteran and currently vice governor of southwestern Sichuan province, will take the helm of the National Financial Regulatory Administration (NFRA), the sources told Reuters. The NFRA is a new government body under the State Council tasked to supervise the multi-trillion dollar financial industry, excluding the securities sector. Li has a relatively low-profile in the sector compared to previous financial regulatory heads. In 2018, he was appointed as vice governor of Sichuan province.

A general view of the container terminal in Qianwan of Qingdao Port, a port in Shandong Province, China, March 17, 2023. Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed ahead of China's April trade data release as well as U.S. inflation reports later this week. China is projected to record a trade surplus of $74.3 billion, lower than the $88.2 billion in March, according to a Reuters poll. In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.33% and South Korea's Kospi was 0.21% down, with the Kosdaq also shedding 0.39%. Futures for Hong Kong's Hang Seng index stood at 20,222, signaling a lower open compared with its last close of 20,297.03.

☆ China's exports rose 8.5%, continuing its growth streak at a slower pace
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Jihye Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

China's exports grew 8.5% in April in U.S. dollar terms, marking a second-straight month of growth, while imports fell 7.9% compared with a year ago. Economists polled by Reuters estimated exports would rise 8% in April, while imports were forecast to remain unchanged. In March, imports declined 1.4% year-on-year while exports saw a surprise jump of 14.8%, government data showed. Goldman Sachs economists expected to see "the dissipation of this seasonal bias to slow export growth in April," they wrote in a note earlier this month previewing China's trade data. "China is past the fastest stage of its reopening," Goldman Sachs economists wrote in a separate Friday note.

HONG KONG, May 3 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Chinese travellers are opening their suitcases again, but not their wallets. Domestic travel bookings during the holiday surged eightfold from a year earlier, surpassing pre-pandemic levels, according to online travel agency Trip.com (9961.HK). The return of Chinese holiday-goers should be a huge relief at home and abroad. Before the pandemic, domestic tourism contributed a whopping 11% of GDP and 10% of national employment, according to Fitch. The country's Big 3 carriers - Air China (601111.SS), China Southern (600029.SS), and China Eastern (600115.SS) - are grappling with high oil prices, a weak yuan and geopolitical tensions.

☆ China has kicked off one of its first long post-pandemic holidays, and an industrial town with cheap barbecue is so popular that authorities are telling people to go elsewhere
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Zibo's popularity exploded after videos of its affordable local barbecue went viral on social media. It's so popular that Zibo city authorities are urging people to visit during off-peak periods or to consider going to other places in the Shandong province instead. Zibo's popularity exploded over the last two months after college students' videos of the city's affordable local barbecue went viral on social media, according to state-owned China Daily. "Some customers arrived in the morning and waited until evening to enjoy a barbecue supper," Yang Benxin, the owner of a local barbecue eatery, told the Chinese Communist Party-owned People's Daily on Saturday. Zibo's vibrant tourism scene mirrors a recovery in the sector in China with 240 million trips expected over the five-day holiday, according to the government-backed China Tourism Academy, per Xinhua.

☆ China's factory activity unexpectedly cools in April
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A worker works on the production line of a textile company in Qingzhou Economic Development Zone, East China's Shandong province on April 27, 2023. China's manufacturing activity unexpectedly shrank in April, official data showed on Sunday, raising pressure on policymakers seeking to boost an economy struggling for a post-Covid lift-off amid subdued global demand and persistent property weakness. That missed expectations of 51.4 tipped by economists in a Reuters poll and marked the first contraction since December, when the official manufacturing PMI was at 47.0. The world's second-biggest economy grew faster than expected in the first quarter thanks to robust services consumption, but factory output has lagged amid weak global growth. New export orders edged down to 47.6 from 50.4 in March, the PMI showed.

[1/5] Passengers wait to board trains at Shanghai Hongqiao railway station ahead of the five-day Labour Day holiday, in Shanghai, China, April 28, 2023. REUTERS/Aly SongBEIJING, April 28 (Reuters) - China is bracing for a record-high travel rush over the Labour Day holiday, with popular sightseeing spots selling out of tickets and some cities warning would-be visitors away as domestic tourism rebounds after Beijing ended COVID curbs. Authorities are expecting 19 million trips to be made across China's vast railway network on Saturday, the first day of the five-day holiday, which would be the highest number of rail trips made in a single day in the country's history. Over the 40-day Lunar New Year travel period in January-February this year, 348 million trips were made in total, or about 8.7 million trips a day on average, according to the National Railway Administration. China's aviation authority said it expects air passenger trips to reach a total of 9 million over the five days.

Expressed in terms of annualised run-rates, China's output of 39.9 million tonnes last month was the lowest in a year and down by 1.6 million tonnes from August's record 41.5 million. China's aluminium production is now highly dependent on weather patterns in the south of the country. China's average daily aluminium output and monthly annualised changePRAYING FOR RAINYunnan province accounts for around 12% of China's aluminium capacity and produced 4.2 million tonnes in 2022. WESTERN PRODUCTION FLAT-LINESPrimary aluminium production outside of China was flat year-on-year in the first quarter. WEATHER WATCHHowever, China's dominant position in the global aluminium picture means that it holds the key to future production patterns.

☆ China's big refineries crowd out teapots for discounted Russian oil
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Muyu Xu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

SummarySummary Companies Hengli, Shenghong join Russian oil purchasesChina's April Russian oil imports likely to exceed March recordTeapots turn to cheaper Iranian oil, diluted bitumenSINGAPORE, April 21 (Reuters) - Chinese state oil giants and major private refiners are sweeping up more Russian crude, supporting prices and forcing smaller independents to seek out cheap alternatives such as Iranian oil, according to trade sources and shipping data. Shenghong imported a Urals crude cargo of about 720,000 barrels in March and 1 million barrels in April, Kpler showed. China's overall Russian crude imports, including pipeline and ships, rose to a record 9.61 million tonnes, or 2.26 million barrels per day (bpd) in March, customs data showed on Friday. TEAPOTSSmaller Chinese independent refineries, known as teapots, snapped up almost all of the ESPO supplies between November and January when others steered clear of Russian oil around the start of the European Union ban on Dec. 5. With the return of big buyers, price-sensitive teapots are looking for alternatives such as Russian Arctic grades, Iranian and Venezuelan oil.

☆ China protests U.S. sanctioning of firms dealing with Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Beijing on Saturday protested U.S. sanctions against additional Chinese companies over their alleged attempts to evade U.S. export controls on Russia, calling it an illegal move that endangers global supply chains. "The U.S. should immediately correct its wrongdoing and stop its unreasonable suppression of Chinese companies. China will resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies," it added. However, Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Friday said China won't sell weapons to either side in the war, responding to Western concerns that Beijing could provide outright military assistance to Russia. "Regarding the export of military items, China adopts a prudent and responsible attitude," Qin said at a news conference alongside visiting German counterpart Annalena Baerbock.

☆ China Sentences Human-Rights Activists to Prison for Subversion
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Keith Zhai | Sha Hua | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

In sentencing Xu Zhiyong, left, and Ding Jiaxi, the Chinese government is silencing two of the most influential critics of its approach to law. SINGAPORE—A Chinese court sentenced two of the country’s most prominent human-rights activists to prison terms of more than a decade each for subversion, slamming the door on an era of activism that briefly carved out space for liberal values in the authoritarian country. Xu Zhiyong was sentenced to 14 years in prison and fellow lawyer Ding Jiaxi was sentenced to 12 years on Monday by the Linshu County Court in eastern China’s Shandong province, said Mr. Ding’s wife, Luo Shengchun, citing information from their lawyers. Messrs. Xu and Ding had earlier been found guilty in a secret trial in Linshu in June, she said.

[1/4] A Chinese warship fires at a target during a military drill near Fuzhou, Fujian Province, near the Taiwan-controlled Matsu Islands that are close to the Chinese coast, China, April 8, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas PeterFUZHOU, China, April 8 (Reuters) - A Chinese warship in seas facing the Taiwan Strait began live-fire drills on Saturday as Beijing began military exercises it calls a warning against what it considers pro-Taiwan independence forces. China views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control. Smoke and muzzle flares were visible from the stern of the warship as shells were fired on targets on land and water. When asked about Taiwan, Zhao said he hopes the two sides could "reunite" as quickly as possible.

☆ Column: China's Q1 coal imports jump to new highs as factories throttle up
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Gavin Maguire | Thomson Reuters | Gavin Maguire Is The Global Energy Transition Columnist. He Was Previously Asia Commodities | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Total thermal coal imports through March soared 81% from the same period a year ago to 65.7 million tonnes, according to ship-tracking data from Kpler. SOUTHERN SURGEPorts feeding China's south coast saw the largest year-over-year increase in thermal coal imports. China's coal imports hit new highs in Q1 2023While China as a whole uses domestic coal production for over 90% of its coal needs, most of Southern China's coal-fired power plants rely overwhelmingly on imports. The region imported over 106 million tonnes in 2021, indicating a quarterly pace in excess of 25 million tonnes can be maintained if power needs dictate. In combination, all of China's main economic hubs are on track to steer the country's thermal coal imports to new heights in 2023, reversing the slump seen in China's coal use in 2022.

☆ General Motors' China business is hurting, and it's not just because of Covid
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Michael Wayland | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

He purchased his Nio over models from rival Chinese automakers Xpeng , Li Auto and IM Motors. GM's operations in the country are much larger than those of its crosstown rival Ford Motor, for example. Equity income from GM's Chinese operations and joint ventures has fallen 67% since its peak of more than $2 billion in 2014 and 2015. And the rising quality of domestic-made electric vehicles helped support — and tap — growing nationalistic pride among China's consumers. In February, Ford named Sam Wu, a former Whirlpool executive who joined the automaker in October, as president and chief executive of its China operations, starting March 1.

☆ How China's shifting growth picture could hit global markets
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A shopping mall in Qingzhou, Shandong province, broadcasts the opening ceremony of China's National People's Congress on Sunday, March 5, 2023. Future Publishing | Future Publishing | Getty ImagesChina's economy will be forced to recalibrate because of a "fractured" global order, and the new drivers of growth will "disappoint" global markets, according to David Roche, president of Independent Strategy. President Xi Jinping and other officials took aim at the West for constraining China's growth prospects, as relations between Beijing and Washington continue to deteriorate. Veteran investment strategist Roche told CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe" on Tuesday that "things have changed" permanently with regards to China's role in the global economy, as Beijing will be forced to look inward to achieve its growth ambitions. watch nowRoche also noted that the "hegemony of the U.S. is now fractured" in the global economic order, with Russia and China detaching from Western democracies.

☆ China takes a cautious approach to its economy in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Beijing announced Sunday a target of "around 5%" growth in gross domestic product for 2023, with only a modest increase in fiscal support. "The government's conservative growth target of 5% for 2023 recognizes that the pickup in China's growth continues to face headwinds," Martin Petch, vice president and senior credit officer, Moody's Investors Service, said in a note. "Some local governments are finding economic recovery difficult and are facing prominent fiscal imbalances," the report said. Consumption is keyConsumption can become the primary driver of economic growth this year, Li Chunlin, deputy director at the NDRC, told reporters Monday. An overall recovery in the economy can help fiscal revenues grow, and boost demand for workers, he said.

Workers make charging equipment for new energy vehicles at a workshop of Shandong Dingsheng Electric Equipment in Zaozhuang, east China's Shandong province. China's GDP grew by only 3% last year. On Sunday, the Chinese government is widely expected to announce a GDP growth target of around or above 5% for the year. "This year a likely rebound in the housing market (as well as the exit from its 'zero Covid' policy) will help China's GDP growth to improve," said Societe Generale. The bank is the most optimistic of firms surveyed by CNBC, with a GDP growth forecast of 5.8%.

☆ Chinese authorities said they were preparing to shoot down an 'unidentified flying object' spotted near the Yellow Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Chinese authorities said they have spotted an unidentified flying object and are preparing to shoot it down. The object was spotted over the city of Rizhao on the Yellow Sea, authorities said. The announcement comes a week after a suspected Chinese spy balloon was shot down over the Atlantic Ocean. Pentagon officials later said that a second suspected Chinese surveillance balloon had been spotted over Latin America on Thursday. The saga of unidentified objects has since continued, as on Friday, the US shot down another unidentified object flying approximately 40,000 feet over Alaska, and on Saturday, another unidentified object was shot down over northern Canada.

☆ China's factory prices fall as manufacturing struggles to recover
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Joe Cash | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Employees work at the production line of aluminium rolls at a factory in Zouping, Shandong province, China November 23, 2019. The drop in factory gate prices was unexpected because China's economic activity returned to growth in January. The official purchasing managers' index (PMI), which measures manufacturing activity, crossing the 50-point threshold for the first time since September. Falling input prices, including chemicals, as well as lower crude oil and domestic coal prices contributed to the greater-than-expected decline. Core inflation, which excludes food and energy prices ticked up to 1.2% last month from an annual gain of 0.7% in December.

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