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Xinhua: The U.S. Has Become the Number One Destination for Asylum Applications

Xinhua recently reported, based on OECD (The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) data that, among OECD member countries, the United States has become the number one destination for asylum applications. The OECD has 35 members, including the United States, Germany, Great Britain, France, Australia and Turkey. In the year 2017, OECD countries received 1.2 million more asylum applications than in 2016. Between 2013 and 2016, Germany was the top destination. However, in 2017, the U.S. surpassed Germany to receive the largest number of applications. Germany is now the second largest, followed by Italy, Turkey, and France. Most of the asylum applicants for EU countries came from Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq. Most applicants for the U.S. came from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Venezuela. According to the OECD, with massive numbers of refugees pouring into OECD countries, residents in the member countries have started to question the benefits of accepting these immigrants. This has already changed the political landscape in Germany.

Source: Xinhua, June 22, 2018
http://www.xinhuanet.com/world/2018-06/22/c_129898274.htm

Pakistan Announced Anti-Dumping Tariff against China

Shanghai-based industrial news media SMM (Shanghai Metals Market), which specializes in reporting news regarding non-ferrous metals, recently reported that the Pakistani National Tariff Commission announced an anti-dumping tariff on color-coated steel coils and sheets made in China and South Africa (Announcement ADC51). The Pakistani government made the final judgment call and determined the products in scope did established tangible damage to Pakistani domestic products. The anti-dumping tariff will remain in effective for the next five years. The tax rate for Chinese manufacturers will be in the range of 5.36 percent to 10.88 percent, depending on the specific product tax code. This announcement was made at nearly the same time that the U.S. Trump administration instated its 301 tariffs on China. Also, the Pakistani government approved the initial conclusion of its anti-dumping findings for pencils made in China. A four-month temporary pencil anti-dumping tariff will also apply.

Source: SMM, June 19, 2018
https://news.smm.cn/news/100809623

Caijing: May Growth Rate of China’s Retail Sales of Consumer Goods Reached Fifteen Year Low

Large Chinese financial news media Caijing recently reported that, based on the data that the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics just released, the May growth numbers for the total retail sales of all consumer goods slowed down significantly to 8.5 percent, year-over-year. This growth rate is much lower than the expected 9.4 percent. The number is at its lowest level since May 2003. Interestingly, the growth rate of urban consumer retail is significantly lower (8.3 percent) than that of the suburban rate (9.6 percent). Another noticeable trend is that automobile related consumer spending growth actually saw a decline of one percent. The Chinese National Bureau of Statistics offered the comment that the significant slowdown is mainly due to short-term factors and external uncertainty. The Bureau expects the growth to remain stable.

Source: Caijing, June 14, 2018
http://economy.caijing.com.cn/20180614/4470274.shtml

Hainan Province Criticized for Plans to Create “Internet Zone for Foreign Tourists”

According to Securities Times Online, Hainan Province recently introduced a Three-Year-Plan (from 2018 to 2020) to improve the Hainan Tourist Business using international standards. The goal is to increase foreign tourism by 25 percent and reach over two million tourists by 2020. The Plan would also create a special Internet zone for foreign tourists in cities like Haikou and Sanya and allow them to use social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

The news caused anger among Internet users in China. They criticized the Plan because it discriminates against Chinese citizens and uses a double standard to treat Chinese citizens as second class citizens. The link to the Plan can no longer be found on the official website of Hainan Province (http://www.hainan.gov.cn) and an article that the Paper.com published on this topic was also disabled. According to an article that Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported, the Plan will advertise Hainan tourism using WhatsApp and Wechat. It will also produce a Hainan tourism TV program to be aired on the BBC, CNN, and CNBC with over 2,000 minutes of air time.

The full article on the Plan can be found on WordPress.com: https://wo3ttt.wordpress.com/2018/06/23/%E6%B5%B7%E5%8D%97%E6%8B%9F%E5%AF%B9%E5%A4%96%E5%9B%BD%E6%B8%B8%E5%AE%A2%E5%BC%80%E6%94%BE%E4%BA%92%E8%81%94%E7%BD%91-%E7%BD%91%E7%BB%9C%E7%82%B8%E9%94%85-%E6%B6%88%E6%81%AF%E8%A2%AB%E5%88%A0/

Sources:
1. Security Times Online, June 22, 2018
http://kuaixun.stcn.com/2018/0622/14336897.shtmlto

2. RFA, June 22, 2018
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/meiti/hj-06222018105712.html

Survey Found Close to 50 Percent of European Companies with Operations in China Feel Business Environment Is Getting Worse

Voice of America (VOA) reported on the results of a survey conducted on 532 European companies that are members of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China. The survey found that European companies with operations in China are dealing with a difficult business environment. Close to 50 percent of the companies that took the survey said that the environment has gotten worse in the past year; 20 percent of the companies said that they were the victim of forced technology transfer; close to 50 percent of the companies believed that the trade barriers in China will get worse over the next five years; and 25 percent of the companies believed that they would never see China’s market “open in any significant way.” The areas that these companies complained about the most include the uncertain legal environment, higher labor costs, and regulatory problems, as well as the “Great Firewall.” According to the article, some companies felt that China didn’t make progress in certain areas but rather it had taken a step backward. The examples were the introduction of the new Internet Security Law which forced these companies to spend more money on company registration fees, as well as using a low efficiency VPN system. The VOA article quoted a statement that the President of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China made. He said that the trade tension between China and the U.S. resulted from China because it is not fully open and hasn’t carry out the speedy reform that it had promised. … China claims that it is the leader in globalization but its Internet Security Law is creating problems for these foreign companies.

Source: Voice of America, June 20, 2018
https://www.voachinese.com/a/news-eu-chamber-of-commerce-on-china-20180620/4446674.html

LTN: Chinese Diplomat Threatened Australian Media to Get It to Cancel a Program

Taiwan Liberty Times reported that Kirsty Thomson, the producer of 60 Minutes on Australian Channel 9 received a phone call from Cao Saixian, the head of the Media Affairs Department at the Chinese Embassy in Canberra. Cao claimed that 60 minutes illegally filmed footage and threatened that it could not air one segment that covered China’s expansion in the South Pacific Ocean. “Take this down and take it to your leaders! … You will listen! There must be no more misconduct in the future!” Cao yelled over the phone. Thomson countered that the footage was taken in the public region using a drone and stated that the program would still be aired on June 18 and 19 as planned. According to the article, 60 Minutes has produced a number of programs that covered China’s “debt trap diplomacy” in the Pacific region and how it was expanding its influence through offering assistance in the areas of infrastructure and agriculture in countries such as Fiji, Tonga, and Vanuatu. The program focused mainly on China’s plans in Vanuatu, including attempts to build a military base in Vanuatu. The program previously revealed that China’s satellite monitoring ship, disguised as a fishing boat, tried to approach the Australian Adelaide warship in the port of Suva in Fiji. The article reported that the way that Cai approached the mainstream English media was done in a very unusual way. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs must have given the direction in order to warn other media not to offend China.

Source: Taiwan Liberty Times, June 22, 2018
http://news.ltn.com.tw/news/business/paper/1210818

Alibaba Chairman Jack Ma Expressed Concern about the Economic Outlook

Well-known Chinese news site Tencent News recently reported that, not long ago, Alibaba Group (NYSE: BABA) Chairman Jack Ma delivered a speech at the Conference of the Zhejiang Chamber of Commerce. Ma advised people that they should have a good understanding of the economy; he felt that the “good days are numbered” for China’s manufacturing industry. Ma warned that, over the next 20 years, people should not expect any fundamental improvement in the China-U.S. relationship and that there may be some ups and downs. The United States has taken China on as a strategic competitor rather than a partner. The Western culture emphasizes competition. During the Shanghai Import Expo, the Chinese government mentioned a plan that would involve imports valued at US$24 trillion over the next 15 years. Ma pointed out that this will have a major disruptive impact across the entire Chinese manufacturing landscape, especially in consumer products. The Alibaba Group is a Chinese multinational e-commerce, retail, Internet, AI and technology conglomerate. When it went public, it was the world’s largest IPO. As of March 2018, Jack Ma is one of China’s richest men with a net worth of US$42.7 billion.

Source: Tencent News, June 14, 2018
https://kuaibao.qq.com/s/20180614B17CO200?refer=spider

LTN: Chinese Official Media Downplayed the Singapore Summit

Major Taiwanese news network Liberty Times Network (LTN) recently reported that the Chinese media heavily downplayed the global focal point – the Singapore Summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The official Chinese newspaper People’s Daily did not even publish a photo on its official website. There was no report of the news on the front page other than a link on the right side that led to a short report. The historic event of the Singapore Summit attracted over 2,000 journalists from around the world to spread the news. The paper version of the People’s Daily also had only a short article with no photo. The short report provided a brief idea of the agreement between the U.S. and North Korea, but there was no mention of the responses from different countries in the world. People’s Daily is the biggest newspaper group in China. It is the primary official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party and provides direct information on the policies and viewpoints of the Party. It is very obvious the Chinese leadership had no interest in giving Trump or Kim much credit for improving the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

Source: Liberty Times Network, June 13, 2018
http://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/breakingnews/2456528