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☆ Detained, missing or under investigation: Business leaders in China face an ‘aggressive’ crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Hong Kong CNN —Business leaders in China are under immense pressure, as the country’s leader Xi Jinping intensifies a regulatory crackdown on companies and strengthens its control of the economy. They face rising risks, including the possibility of police raids and detentions of staff, in the world’s second largest economy. A former banker, he has invested in a series of Chinese companies since 2000 and brought their shares to the public markets in mainland China and Hong Kong. No end in sightThe crackdown this year has spooked the business community in China, but it is not unfamiliar. Xi launched a sweeping regulatory crackdown on the private sector in 2020, which wiped trillions of dollars off the market value of Chinese companies worldwide.

Persons: Xi Jinping, ”, Doug Guthrie, ” Guthrie, Tencent, Chen, Zhao Bingxian, “ China’s Warren Buffett, Zhao, Guthrie, “, Zhou Zheng, Zhou, watchdogs, Zhang Hongli, Bao Fan, Bao, Xi, Kevin Frayer, Mauro Guillen, ” Guillen Organizations: Hong Kong CNN — Business, China Initiatives, Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Global Management, CNN, Cyberspace Administration of China, Wohua Pharmaceutical, Central Commission, National Supervisory Commission, COFCO, Industrial, Commercial Bank of, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania Locations: China, Hong Kong, Communist, Beijing, Arizona, Shenzhen, “ Beijing, DouYu, Shandong, Commercial Bank of China

REUTERS/Bruno Kelly/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSAO PAULO, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Severe drought in the Amazon is forcing Brazilian grain exporters to divert a small number of export cargos to southern port terminals instead of northern ports, grain exporters group Anec said on Wednesday. Brazil is the world's biggest soybean exporter and expected to overtake the U.S. this year as top corn exporter. The drought, which has limited volumes of grain transported on barges via northern ports in recent days, will not impact Brazilian overall grain exports this year, Anec said. Anec is maintaining projections for record 2023 Brazilian soy exports at 99 million metric tons, and record corn exports between 52 million and 53 million tons, Mendes said. From January to August, 44% of Brazil's corn exports went through four main northern ports including Barcarena, Itaqui, Itacoatiara and Santarem, according to crop agency Conab, while some 31% of corn shipments from Brazil left through Santos.

Persons: Bruno Kelly, Anec, Sergio Mendes, Mendes, Ana Mano, Rod Nickel Organizations: REUTERS, SAO PAULO, ADM, Cargill, Thomson Locations: Rio Negro, Manaus, Brazil, China, Santos, Mato Grosso, Itacoatiara, Santarem

☆ Brazil clears bottlenecks to oust US as top corn exporter
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Ana Mano | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

"We celebrated a lot... when (corn export) volumes via northern ports equaled Santos," said Sergio Mendes, head of Brazilian grain exporter group Anec. "By using northern ports... you are saving 20 reais ($4.12) per ton (of corn)." Treemap with data from Cargonave show the percentage share of corn exports of Brazil ports in north and south part of the country. CHEAPER ROUTE TO CHINAThe new export capacity has helped grains shipped from Brazil's northern ports to compete on logistics costs with U.S. farmers. "The greater share of shipments through northern ports reflects cheaper freight costs compared to routes to the ports in the south and southeast," said Thome Guth, a Conab official.

Persons: Adriano Machado, Sergio Mendes, Louis Dreyfus, Brazil's, Thiago Pera, Santos, ", Thome Guth, Ana Mano, Brad Haynes, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, SAO PAULO, China, U.S, Cargill, Bunge, Louis Dreyfus Commodities, TCU, Shipping, U.S . Department of Agriculture, COFCO, Santos, Thomson Locations: Brasilia, Brazil, Santos, Ukraine, China, U.S, Northern, Madeira, Santarem, Barcarena, Itaqui, Canada, Argentina, Mato Grosso, CHINA, Iowa, Shanghai, Itacoatiara, Chicago, Para, Norte Sul, Tocantins, Goias, Minas Gerais, Mato

☆ Brazil lures China's Cofco to finance recovery of degraded land
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Lisandra Paraguassu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"They have every interest," said Augustin, adding that a Cofco delegation is expected for talks in Brasilia next month. China is Brazil's biggest trade partner and Brazil accounts for 22% of Chinese imports, driven largely by farm goods. One version would have farmers guarantee sale of their production to the companies that finance land recovery, he said. "You don't need to deforest another hectare to increase (farm) production," Augustin said. Agriculture Ministry studies estimate a cost of 15,000 to 23,000 reais to recover one hectare of degraded land.

☆ China boosts coal output, eases Australia ban to bolster energy security
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Muyu Xu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

SINGAPORE, Jan 9 (Reuters) - The increasing need to secure energy supplies after easing COVID-19 restrictions has pushed China to gradually resume Australian coal imports and urge domestic miners to boost their already record output. "Many miners would welcome the opportunity to renew their commercial relationships in China for both metallurgical coal and thermal coal." read moreAmong them, China Energy Investment Corp has placed an order to import Australian coal which could load later this month. read moreMarket participants expect more firms to be granted permission to buy Australian coal in the coming months. HIGHER QUALITYChina purchased more than 30 million tonnes of coking coal and nearly 50 million tonnes of thermal coal from Australia before buying stopped.

☆ 23 major brands suspected of illegally sourcing products made by forced labor in China
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

And more ...Mary Meisenzahl/InsiderThese companies have also been suspected of having direct or indirect ties to Chinese forced labor in the aforementioned reports. Bosch"Bosch is committed to ensuring that its products are not produced wholly or in part by forced labor. "Compliance with human rights, labor rights and environmental standards is a top priority at PUMA and has been specified in our Codes of Conduct for over 20 years." As stated in our Business Conduct Guidelines, we reject all forms of oppression, forced labor and participation in human rights violations. We will continue to respect human rights and take a strong stand against forced labor."

The approvals could reshape global trade flows and result in fewer sales for farmers in the United States, the world's top corn supplier. China relied on the United States and Ukraine for most of its corn supplies but Russia's invasion of Ukraine has disrupted exports. He said in an interview the list of approved Brazilian facilities that can export corn to China may be updated to include more units in coming weeks. Once China starts buying corn from Brazil, traditional Brazilian corn importers such as Spain and Egypt could shift some of their purchases to the United States. Beijing and Brasilia had signed a protocol for exporting corn from Brazil to China in 2014 but little trade had happened due to complex inspection requirements.

The defaults, though less widespread than last year, have scrambled the coffee market, leaving traders reluctant to agree to forward sales for next year's crop or the one after. "We've been told to have less exposure with (Brazilian farmers). However, when farmers default, traders do not have the physical coffee to sell to offset the futures market. That's what happened in September, when Arabica coffee futures rose from around 2.16 cents per pound to 2.32 cents late in the month, a 7% increase. A lawyer working for one of the five largest coffee exporters in Brazil said the defaults concerned less than 10% of Brazil's total forward contracts.

☆ Can sustainable soya farming come fast enough to save the Cerrado?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Mark Hillsdon | Mark Hillsdon Is A Manchester-Based Freelance Writer Who Writes On Business | Sustainability For The Ethical Corporation | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +12 min

“Crop finance is a key part of soy farmers' business models and there is a huge appetite and market for green finance,” he explains. It’s a message consistent with the UK Soy Manifesto, which now covers 60% of the soy coming into the UK. Unlocking green investment means this can now happen, he adds, by supporting sustainable agriculture and protecting forests in a financially sustainable way that rewards farmers. And ultimately it is the involvement of these traders in screening out “bad soy” on which any sustainable soy scheme succeeds or fails. The Retail Soy Group’s roadmap commits members to deforestation-free soy with a cut-off-date of August 2020, but soy traders aren’t following these guidelines, says Wijeratna.

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