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The zoo is run by the local government, which was said to be running out of money and therefore unable to feed its charges. These vehicles are legal entities created by Chinese cities to circumvent borrowing restrictions imposed by the central government in Beijing. “Why hurt small businesses which are the weakest?”Noodle sellers in Shanghai have been fined for adding cucumber to their dishes. Last year, Beijing issued a directive forbidding local governments from imposing “arbitrary fines” to generate income, and dispatched inspection teams to check that the policy was being followed. The scale of financial stress among China’s local governments is so big that “creative” sources of income can only cover a relatively small shortfall, he said.

Persons: hadn’t, Xi Jinping’s, ”, Willy Lam, Lam, “, Aly Song, Jiemian, Logan Wright, hasn’t, Li Qiang, Steve Tsang, Joseph Cheng, —, Martha Zhou Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Species Fund, CNN Local, China Newsweek, ” CNN, China National Radio, Washington, Jamestown Foundation, CNN, ”, Weibo, “, SOAS China, SOAS University of London, City University of Hong Locations: China, Hong Kong, Dongshan, Liaoning, Beijing, Shanghai, Henan, Huizhou, Nanchang, Qingdao, City University of Hong Kong

☆ China leaves benchmark lending rates unchanged, as expected
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSHANGHAI/SINGAPORE, Sept 20 (Reuters) - China kept benchmark lending rates unchanged at a monthly fixing on Wednesday, matching market expectations, as fresh signs of economic stabilisation and a weakening yuan reduced the need for immediate monetary easing. The one-year loan prime rate (LPR) was kept at 3.45%, while the five-year LPR was unchanged at 4.20%. Most new and outstanding loans in China are based on the one-year LPR, while the five-year rate influences the pricing of mortgages. In a Reuters survey of 29 market analysts and traders, all participants predicted no change to the one-year LPR, while a vast majority of them also expected the five-year rate to remain steady. China cut the one-year benchmark lending rate in August but surprised markets by keeping the five-year rate unchanged.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, Xing Zhaopeng, Xing, Winni Zhou, Tom Westbrook, Sam Holmes Organizations: People's Bank of China, REUTERS, Rights, ANZ, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights SHANGHAI, SINGAPORE

☆ Chinese yuan's depreciation pressure against dollar is temporary - state media
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SHANGHAI/SINGAPORE, Sept 19 (Reuters) - The depreciation pressure on the Chinese yuan against the U.S. dollar is temporary, state media said on Tuesday, noting that its value against major trading partner currencies is stable. Widening yield differentials with other major economies, particularly the United States, have piled downward pressure on the Chinese currency against the dollar. "The yuan exchange rate still depends on economic fundamentals in the long run," the newspaper said in the commentary. "Financial regulators will take action when needed, resolutely correct unilateral and pro-cyclical behaviors, deal with activities that disrupts market orders, and prevent the exchange rate overshooting risks." "Based on previous FX reserve requirement ratio (RRR) reductions, the cut could ease depreciation pressure, prevent overshoot risks and boost confidence in the short term," it said.

Persons: Winni Zhou, Tom Westbrook, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: U.S ., People's Bank of China, FX, Thomson Locations: SHANGHAI, SINGAPORE, United States

☆ Formula 1 Keeps Adding Races
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Phillip Horton | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

There are more Formula 1 races than ever, and next season there will be even more, with 24 races, the most in the sport’s history. This year’s Formula 1 schedule, at 23 events, should have set the record, but the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix was canceled because of the extreme rainfall that devastated the region. Also returning to the calendar is the Chinese Grand Prix, which was last held at the Shanghai International Circuit in 2019. Formula 1 and the Chinese race’s promoter have a contract through 2025, and next year’s Grand Prix will be on April 21, the season’s fifth race. “Now there’s a lot of people really into racing and Formula 1 who can’t wait to go back there — also myself — for the Grand Prix,” said Zhou Guanyu of China, who drives for Alfa Romeo.

Persons: Emilia, —, ”, Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo Organizations: Grand Prix, Imola, Shanghai, Circuit, Alfa Locations: Grand, Italy, China

☆ China boosts liquidity with medium-term policy tool
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The headquarters of the People's Bank of China, the central bank, is pictured in Beijing, China, February 3, 2020. All 33 market watchers polled by Reuters this week predicted no change to the MLF rate. With 400 billion yuan worth of MLF loans set to expire this month, the operation resulted in a net 191 billion yuan of fresh fund injections into the banking system. It lent another 34 billion yuan via 14-day reverse repos at 1.95%, down from 2.15% previously. The rate reduction was a follow-up move to the rate cut to the seven-day tenor last month.

Persons: Jason Lee, Ken Cheung, Cheung, Marco Sun, Sun, Winni Zhou, Tom Westbrook, Tom Hogue, Shri Navaratnam, Sam Holmes Organizations: People's Bank of China, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Mizuho Bank, MUFG Bank, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights SHANGHAI, SINGAPORE, United States

☆ Alfa Romeo confirm Zhou in unchanged 2024 F1 lineup
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SINGAPORE, Sept 14 (Reuters) - China's first Formula One driver Guanyu Zhou will race on next season alongside Finnish team mate Valtteri Bottas after Alfa Romeo confirmed an unchanged lineup on Thursday. Zhou, 24, made his debut with the Swiss-based team last season and the extension should finally give him a chance to race in front of his home fans. "My relationship with Valtteri is really good, and we are working closely together and with the team to push everyone forward. "I am also very excited about the opportunity to finally race with my team in China, in front of my home crowd. Alfa Romeo are run by Sauber and will become the factory Audi team from 2026.

Persons: Guanyu Zhou, Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo, Zhou, Valtteri, Romeo, Mercedes, Finn, Frenchman Theo Pourchaire, Alan Baldwin, Ken Ferris Organizations: Prix, Singapore, Sauber, Audi, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, Swiss, Shanghai, China, Hinwil, London

☆ China's central bank vows to support demand, price rebound
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Headquarters of the People's Bank of China (PBOC), the central bank, is pictured in Beijing, China September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Jason Lee/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Sept 13 (Reuters) - China's central bank will boost demand and support a modest rebound in prices, the Financial News, a publication run by the People's Bank of China (PBOC) said on Wednesday, citing a unnamed senior central bank official. The central bank "will create an appropriate monetary and financial environment to promote effective demand in the real economy, support a moderate recovery in prices and enhance economic vitality," the official said. New bank loans beat expectations by nearly quadrupling in August from July, as the central bank sought to shore up economic growth amid soft demand at home and abroad. The central bank last cut the reserve requirement ratio (RRR) - the amount of cash that banks must hold as reserves - in March.

Persons: Jason Lee, Zhou Maohua, Kevin Yao, Liangping Gao, Tom Hogue, Sam Holmes, Miral Organizations: People's Bank of China, REUTERS, Rights, Financial, China Everbright Bank, Officials, Beijing Newsroom, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights BEIJING

"I used to love buying branded clothes," said teacher Zhang as she sifted through a pile of garments priced between 15 and 50 yuan ($2-$7). With wages and pensions hardly budging and the job market highly uncertain as more than one in five young Chinese remain unemployed, households' confidence and spending power are low in the barely growing economy. The real estate sector, one of the pillars of the economy, is struggling with massive debt. "One of my customers is a rich woman who used to go to Japan for shopping, but now she comes to my store," said Wang. ($1 = 7.3179 Chinese yuan renminbi)Additional reporting by Winni Zhou in Shanghai; editing by Marius Zaharia and Miral FahmyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Amy Zhang, Zhang, Becky Liu, Gucci, Kering, Lu, Yunshan, I've, Wang, Winni Zhou, Marius Zaharia Organizations: Standard Chartered, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, HONG KONG, China, LVMH, Japan, Shanghai

But analysts say more policy support is needed to shore up consumer demand in the world's second-biggest economy, with a labour market recovery slowing and household income expectations uncertain. "In general the inflation (rate) still points to weak demand and requires more policy support for the foreseeable future." DEFLATION PRESSURESCompared with the previous month, CPI rose 0.3%, picking up from 0.2% in July, the statistics bureau said. Pork prices rose 11.4% month-on-month, versus no change in July, due to the impact of extreme weather in some areas. Factory-gate deflation moderated in August due to improving demand for some industrial products and rising international crude oil prices, the statistics bureau said.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, Zhou Hao, Bruce Pang, Jones Lang Lasalle, Premier Li Qiang, Kevin Yao, Joe Cash, Sam Holmes, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS, National Bureau of Statistics, Reuters, Guotai, ANZ, Jones, Premier, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, BEIJING, Ukraine

☆ Analysis: China needs more than cheaper mortgages to revive spending
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

China said last week it would cut interest rates on existing mortgages and eased rules for first-time buyers in big cities, in what the central bank and financial regulators jointly said were moves "conducive to expanding consumption." But to prevent profit margins from shrinking further, state-owned banks have also lowered deposit rates by 10-25 basis points in a coordinated move. But they also warn that a 15 basis point cut in interest rates on Chinese households' 131.4 trillion yuan of deposits reduces interest income by 197 billion per year. Mortgage rates for first homes are around 4%, while one-year fixed deposit rates are roughly 1.5%. "People don't consume because they don't have money so cutting deposit rates cannot really work."

Persons: Simon, Yu, government's, Ting Lu, Zhaopeng Xing, Li Xiao, Li, Guo, Nancy Yang, Yang, Jason Xue, Samuel Shen, Winni Zhou, Gao, Ellen Zhang, Ziyi Tang, Joe Cash, Marius Zaharia, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: Nomura, ANZ, HIT, Thomson Locations: SHANGHAI, BEIJING, Shanghai, Beijing, China, Guangdong, Wuhan

☆ Dollar firmer on solid US data; China's yuan tumbles to 16-year low
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Japanese yen and U.S. dollar banknotes are seen with a currency exchange rate graph in this illustration picture taken June 16, 2022. China's onshore yuan , on the other hand, slid to a 16-year low versus the greenback, under pressure from a property slump, weak consumer spending, and shrinking credit growth in the world's second-largest economy. Against a basket of currencies including the euro and sterling, the dollar rose 0.2% to 105.03, after earlier touching a fresh six-month peak. The index also climbed to a six-month high on Tuesday, as the U.S. services sector unexpectedly gained steam in August. ONSHORE YUAN HITS 2007 LEVELSThe onshore yuan sank to 7.3299 per dollar, its weakest since December 2007.

Persons: Florence Lo, Brad Bechtel, BoE, Andrew Bailey, Gertrude Chavez, Dreyfuss, Joice Alves, Rae Wee, Zhou, Sharon Singleton, Chizu Nomiyama, Nick Zieminski, Andrea Ricci Organizations: U.S, REUTERS, Federal Reserve, Jefferies, Reuters, New Zealand, European Central Bank, Bank of England, Thomson Locations: U.S, New York, China, Beijing, Japan, Bank, London

☆ Dollar rises on robust U.S. economy, yuan sinks to 16-year low
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Joice Alves | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Japanese yen and U.S. dollar banknotes are seen with a currency exchange rate graph in this illustration picture taken June 16, 2022. China's onshore yuan slid to a 16-year low, under pressure from a property slump, weak consumer spending and shrinking credit growth in the world's second-largest economy. ONSHORE YUAN HIT 2007 LEVELSThe onshore yuan sank to 7.3296 per dollar, its weakest since December 2007. The Australian dollar was about flat at $0.6384, while the New Zealand dollar rose 0.3% at $0.5885, with both languishing near their recent 10-month lows. “We see yuan staying under pressure (against the dollar) in the near term," said Becky Liu, head of China macro strategy at Standard Chartered Bank.

Persons: Florence Lo, Kirstine Kundby, Joseph Capurso, Becky Liu, BoE, Andrew Bailey, Joice Alves, Rae Wee, Zhou, Sharon Singleton, Chizu Organizations: U.S, REUTERS, U.S ., Nielsen, Danske Bank, Federal Reserve, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, New Zealand, Standard Chartered Bank, People's Bank of China, European Central Bank, Bank of England, Thomson Locations: U.S, China, Beijing, China's, Japan, Asia, Bank

☆ China's trade slump narrows as stabilisation signs emerge
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Joe Cash | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

“The trade data is marginally better, but I don’t think we should be reading too much into that: trade is still contracting,” said Frederic Neumann, chief Asia economist at HSBC. “There is a bit of a sign here of stabilisation, but I think there’s still a long way to go,” he added. “Looking ahead, whether China’s trade growth has already hit the bottom will hinge on several factors, the most important of which is obviously domestic demand.”Governments around the world are nervous about China’s economic slowdown with many exporting nations highly dependent on the country’s market for growth. However, trade with Japan dropped sharply, with outbound shipments from China to its neighbour down 20% in August year-on-year, while imports worsened by 17%. China posted a trade surplus of $68.36 billion in August, compared with a forecast $73.80 billion and a July figure of $80.6 billion.

Persons: Aly, ”, Frederic Neumann, Zhou Hao, it’s, Nie Wen Organizations: REUTERS, HSBC, Guotai, “, Australian, Hwabao Trust Locations: BEIJING, Shanghai, China, Asia, Beijing, United States, Southeast Asia, Australia, Japan, Tokyo, Brazil

☆ 'Bizarre' long-legged bird-like dinosaur has scientists enthralled
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A life reconstruction of the bird-like dinosaur Fujianvenator prodigiosus, which lived 148 million to 150 million years ago in China, is seen in this illustration. Asked for a word to describe Fujianvenator, Wang replied, "I would say 'bizarre.' Fujianvenator is a member of a grouping called avialans that includes all birds and their closest non-avian dinosaur relatives, Wang said. "The forelimb is generally built like a bird's wing, but with three claws on the fingers, which are absent from modern birds. There is still a big gap between the oldest known bird and the second-oldest known birds," Zhou said.

Persons: Chuang Zhao, Handout, Fujianvenator, Min Wang, Wang, Zhonghe Zhou, Zhou, Will Dunham, Daniel Wallis Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Vertebrate Paleontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Thomson Locations: China, Fujian Province, Germany, Fujianvenator, Washington

☆ The US and Chinese air forces are rethinking whether it's possible to control the air
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-03 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The US and Chinese air forces are both thinking about how they'd try to control the air in a war. "It will be a struggle back and forth for air superiority," added Hinote, whose last position was as the Air Force's chief futurist. The most comprehensive is air supremacy, which the US Air Force defines as when "the opposing force is incapable of effective interference within the operational area using air and missile threats." The next level is air superiority, which the Air Force defines as "control of the air by one force that permits the conduct of its operations at a given time and place without prohibitive interference from air and missile threats." AdvertisementAdvertisementUS Army Air Force B-17s bomb an aircraft factory in eastern Germany during World War II.

Persons: they'd, Clinton Hinote, Carlin Leslie, Giulio Douhet, Douhet, Zhou Guoqiang, Derek Solen, Solen, Yu Hongchun, Hinote, haven't, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, US Air Force, Aviation, Air, Air Force KC, Atlantic, Staff, American, Air Force, North, Army Air Force, Getty, Zhuhai Air Show Center, China's Air Force Command, military's, PLA, US Air, China Aerospace Studies, Jamestown Foundation, Defense, Foreign Policy, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Wall, Silicon, China, Iraq, Afghanistan, Normandy, Vietnam, Germany, Japan, North Vietnam, Ukraine, Soviet, Taiwan, Guangdong, Xinhua, America, Forbes

An unprecedented liquidity crisis in China's vast property sector is a major risk to a sputtering post-COVID recovery in the world's second-biggest economy, which has rattled global markets. Country Garden debt payment extension buys time for China's largest private developer to avoid default, and is good news for financial markets and the Chinese government, which has announced a raft of measures to support the property sector. In Friday's vote, 56.08% of participating Country Garden onshore creditors approved the extension, 43.64% opposed and 0.28% abstained, an official document shared with bondholders showed. Country Garden did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A default by Country Garden would have exacerbated the real estate crisis and put more strain on its onshore lenders.

Persons: spiralled, Junan, Zhou Hao, Moody's, Xie Yu, Kevin Huang, Li Gu, Sumeet Chatterjee, William Mallard Organizations: Reuters, HK, China Evergrande, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, Beijing, China, Caa1, Hong Kong, Shanghai

☆ Typhoon Saola makes landfall in Guangdong after slamming Hong Kong, Macau
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A man looks at fallen trees following Super Typhoon Saola, in Hong Kong, China September 2, 2023. The Asian financial hub of Hong Kong and China's neighbouring populous province of Guangdong cancelled hundreds of flights on Friday and shut businesses, schools and financial markets as Saola had edged closer. Packing winds of more than 200 kph (125 mph) as a super typhoon, Saola was among the strongest to menace the southern province since 1949. Hong Kong imposed its highest hurricane storm signal 10 on Friday night, lowering it to 8 by Saturday morning. Reporting by Farah Master, Joyce Zhou and Tyrone Siu in Hong Kong; Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in Taipei; Editing by William MallardOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Tyrone Siu, Saola, Tseung Kwan, Farah Master, Joyce Zhou, Ben Blanchard, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS, Tyrone, city's, Authority, Flagship, Cathay, HK, TVB, Facebook, Sunday, Thomson Locations: Hong Kong, China, HONG KONG, Chinese, Guangdong, Shenzhen, Macau, Zhuhai, Hong Kong's, Taipei

☆ China to cut banks' FX reserve ratio to rein in yuan weakness
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The headquarters of the People's Bank of China, the central bank, is pictured in Beijing, China, February 3, 2020. The People's Bank of China (PBOC) said it would cut the foreign exchange reserve requirement ratio (RRR) by 200 basis points (bps) to 4% from 6% beginning Sept. 15, according to an online statement. That would effectively free up $16.4 billion worth of foreign exchange with China's FX deposits standing at $821.8 billion at end-July. The PBOC said its move was to "improve financial institutions' ability to use foreign exchange funds". Cheung added that Friday's announcement reinforced the central bank's stance to defend a weakening yuan but was "unlikely to reverse the bearish picture of the yuan."

Persons: Jason Lee, Ken Cheung, Cheung, Winni Zhou, Tom Westbrook, Christian Schmollinger, Sam Holmes Organizations: People's Bank of China, REUTERS, Rights, Mizuho Bank, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights SHANGHAI, SINGAPORE, United States

☆ Exclusive: Chinese exporters using currency swaps to retain dollars as yuan sags
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The swaps allow exporters to place their dollars with banks and get yuan instead, but through a contract that will eventually reverse the flows and give them back their dollars. However, while they remove a much-needed source of dollar supplies into spot yuan markets, analysts reckon Chinese monetary authorities can't really force exporters to convert dollars. When exporters swap higher-yielding dollars for the cheaper yuan for even 3 months, they get local currency for business needs and also earn a pick-up of an annualised 3.5% on the swap deal. "By trading FX swaps, exporters can postpone their settlements while meeting their yuan demand," said Becky Liu, head of China macro strategy at Standard Chartered Bank. Exporters' swaps, meanwhile, give state banks a pile of dollars to use in their yuan operations, in which they can undertake swaps to acquire the dollars from the onshore forwards market and sell them in the spot market to stem fast yuan declines.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Ding, Gary Ng, Becky Liu, Jindong Zhang, Winni Zhou, Tom Westbrook, Vidya Ranganathan, Kim Coghill Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, U.S, Federal Reserve, Asia Pacific, Traders, Administration of Foreign Exchange, Standard Chartered Bank, China Merchants Bank, Thomson Locations: Rights SHANGHAI, SINGAPORE, U.S, Shanghai, China, Natixis, Singapore

☆ Verstappen takes record-equalling ninth win in a row
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( Bart H. Meijer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Verstappen now leads Perez, his closest rival, by a mighty 138 points with nine races remaining. Red Bull lead Mercedes by 285 points with Aston Martin 40 points further back and 14 ahead of Ferrari. Verstappen came in a lap later but resumed well down the field and set about closing the gap. The safety car was deployed from lap 16 to 21 when U.S. rookie Logan Sargeant crashed his Williams at turn eight. Verstappen appeared to be cruising to victory until the final deluge and the halt after Alfa Romeo's Guanyu Zhou crashed heavily, without injury.

Persons: Alonso, Perez, Max Verstappen, Bull, Sebastian Vettel's, Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin, Pierre Gasly, Red Bull's Sergio Perez, Verstappen, Mercedes, chatted, Ferrari's Carlos Sainz, Lewis Hamilton, Briton Lando Norris, McLaren, Alex Albon, Williams, McLaren's Oscar Piastri, Esteban Ocon, Liam Lawson, Yuki Tsunoda, Daniel Ricciardo, Lawson, Charles Leclerc, Leclerc, George Russell, Norris, Logan Sargeant, Alfa Romeo's, Zhou, Alan Baldwin, Ed Osmond, Pritha Sarkar, Giles Elgood Organizations: Prix, Zandvoort, Monza, Aston, Renault, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Mercedes, ., Hamilton, Briton, Alfa, Thomson Locations: ZANDVOORT, Netherlands, . New, AlphaTauri, London

REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSHANGHAI/SINGAPORE, Aug 25 (Reuters) - China's banks will cut deposit rates soon as part of efforts to make mortgages more affordable and revive property demand, analysts reading China's cryptic policy messages reckon. But China did not opt for a broad rate cut that would further depress banks' narrow net interest margins, instead deferring to banks to cut their deposit rates and give themselves room to cheapen mortgages, analysts said. Lowering deposit rates will give banks much needed wiggle room to cut mortgage rates. "Further reductions to the deposit rates are 'arrows on the string,'" said Wang Yifeng, banking analyst at Everbright Securities. He also expects a tweak to rules so that existing mortgage rates can be reset lower.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, Wang Yifeng, Zhu Qibing, LPR, Zhu, Lu Ting, Lu, Xing Zhaopeng, Xing, Winni Zhou, Tom Westbrook, Samuel Shen, Vidya Ranganathan, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: China Securities Regulatory Commission, REUTERS, Rights, Bankers, Everbright Securities, People's Bank of China, BOC International China, Nomura, ANZ, Thomson Locations: China, Beijing, Rights SHANGHAI, SINGAPORE, Shanghai, Singapore

☆ China launches 'unprecedented' crackdown on its healthcare industry amid economic woes
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —China has launched a sweeping anti-corruption campaign targeting its hospitals, pharmaceutical industry and insurance funds as it grapples with mounting economic challenges and long-standing public frustration about high costs in the behemoth healthcare sector. Some areas have set up hotlines for phoning in tips about corruption in the sector, according to state media. At least one state media report has described the campaign as “unprecedented in the depth, breadth and intensity” of targeting the healthcare sector. Despite wide health insurance coverage, absolute costs of healthcare can be a heavy burden for many in China. “Given the economic slowdown and the shrinking fiscal revenue, the debt-ridden local governments really don’t have the capabilities to invest more in the medical sector and corruption continues to be an issue,” said Huang.

Persons: That’s, Xi Jinping, Ren Jianming, Yanzhong Huang, ”, Huang, Jade Gao, Xi Chen, ” Chen, Winning Health Technology Group’s, Zhou Wei, Sun Ningling, ” “ Organizations: CNN, behemoth, Communist Party, China News Service, Center for Integrity Research, Education, China’s Beihang University, Publishing, Council, Foreign Relations, Getty Images, Yale School of Public Health, Getty, Health Commission, NHC, Central Commission, CSI, Reuters, Shanghai Serum, Winning Health Technology, Peking University People’s Hospital Locations: China, Yunnan, Shanghai, Beijing, Zhejiang, United States, New York, AFP, Guangzhou, Shenzhen

☆ Formula One statistics for the Dutch Grand Prix
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Formula One F1 - Dutch Grand Prix - Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort, Netherlands - September 4, 2022 Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton in action during the race REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 23 (Reuters) - Formula One statistics for Sunday's Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, the 13th race of the 22-round season. Total distance: 306.587km (72 laps)2022 pole position: Max Verstappen (Netherlands) Red Bull one minute 10.342 seconds. Verstappen won in 2021 and 2022, both times from pole position, making him the only current driver on the grid to have won the Dutch Grand Prix. Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso has 32 wins, most recently in his home Spanish Grand Prix in 2013 with Ferrari, from a record 367 starts. PODIUMSix teams and eight drivers have made a podium appearance this season: Red Bull, Alpine, Aston Martin, McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari.

Persons: Max Verstappen, Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton, Yves Herman, Red Bull, Verstappen, Sebastian Vettel, Alain Prost, Perez, Abu Dhabi, Hamilton, Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, Bull, Charles Leclerc, Aston Martin, McLaren, Michael Schumacher, Romeo's, Zhou, George Russell, Alan Baldwin, Pritha Sarkar Organizations: Prix, Zandvoort, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Monaco, Verstappen, Spanish, Ferrari, Aston, Thomson Locations: Zandvoort, Netherlands, Britain, NETHERLANDS, Amsterdam, Abu, Saudi Arabia, Hungary, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Hamilton

☆ Fukushima wastewater released into the ocean, China bans all Japanese seafood
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Sakura Murakami | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Sales to China and Hong Kong accounted for 42% of all Japanese aquatic exports in 2022, according to government data. Separately from China, Hong Kong and Macau have announced their own ban starting Thursday, which covers Japanese seafood imports from 10 regions. Japan will conduct monitoring around the water release area and publish results weekly starting on Sunday, Japan's environment minister said. PROTESTSIn Hong Kong, Jacay Shum, a 73-year-old activist, held up a picture portraying IAEA head Rafael Grossi as the devil. "The Fukushima nuclear disaster is not over.

Persons: Fumio Kishida, Geraldine Thomas, Han Duck, Jacay Shum, Rafael Grossi, Shum, Iizuka, Sakura Murakami, Chang, Ran Kim, Kantaro Komiya, Irene Wang, Bernard Orr, Farah Master, Joyce Zhou, Hongji Kim, Soo, hyang Choi, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: IAEA, Tokyo Electric Power, International Atomic Energy Agency, Japan, Hong, REUTERS, Minwoo, World Health Organization, London's Imperial, Japan Fisheries Co, Korean, Reuters, Thomson Locations: China, Japan, TOKYO, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Fukushima, Busan, South Korea, China , Hong Kong, Macau, Seoul, South, Beijing, Lincoln

☆ Why It’s So Hard for China to Fix Its Real Estate Crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Keith Bradsher | More About Keith Bradsher | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The head of the central bank, fielding questions at a rare news conference, said that China would make it easier to get home mortgages. Vast sums were also lent to local governments, allowing them to splurge on new roads and rail lines. For China, it was a familiar response to economic trouble. Today, as China faces another period of deep economic uncertainty, policymakers are drawing on elements of its crisis playbook, but with little sign of the same results. It has become considerably harder for China to borrow and invest its way back to economic strength.

Persons: Zhou Xiaochuan Locations: China

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