Month: May 2019

Several ministry-level departments, including those for housing and urban-rural development, education, and public security, have responded recently to issues of public concern.

Construction safety drive

The Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development has launched nationwide safety checks on construction projects and public facilities in urban areas in the wake of two accidents within a week.

The ministry said in a notice issued on Thursday that local authorities must step up safety checks to prevent hazards and accidents.

The move came after a collapse of a factory wall in Shanghai’s Changning district claimed the lives of 10 people on May 16. In another accident, four people died and 87 were injured when the roof of a bar collapsed in Baise, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, on May 20.

The ministry said ongoing projects that have yet to obtain construction permits and projects that are constructed illegally will be a priority for safety checks.

The notice said no projects or equipment should be left unchecked during the safety check, and those found guilty of wrongdoing must be held accountable.

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Short videos showcase scenic spots, cultural attractions.

Having visited most large cities in China, including Chongqing and Xi’an, capital of Shaanxi province, Shen Jiaqi, a fitness trainer in Beijing, is always looking for somewhere new to go. However, in March, he revisited both of these destinations.

“I had been to them before, but without knowing that they had some scenic spots or cultural experiences that have been recognized as ‘cyberstars’, such as a subway passing through a residential building in Chongqing, or people smashing bowls after drinking wine from them in Xi’an,” he said.

Zhong cao is a hot phrase among young internet users in China, referring to people attracted by such sightseeing spots and cultural experiences. Shen, 29, is one of them.

“I watched some of the videos and became so curious that I wanted to see for myself, so I ‘signed in’,” he said.

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Airbnb Plus is poised to expand in China, as a growing number of independent travelers seek home-sharing to enjoy more local experiences, and many are demanding more from hosts.

A report by the State Information Center reveals that the trade size of home-sharing listings in China reached about 16.5 billion yuan ($2.4 billion) in 2018, a 37.5 percent increase over 2017. Chinese hosts were young and well educated. Most are women.

Zhang, who only reveals her surname, is a full-time Airbnb Plus host and interior designer.

She pursued her postgraduate studies in the United States and used to work in an investment company.

“Being a host is like opening a whole new world to me,” she says.

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“I like to rub shoulders with travelers from all over the world. I’m encouraged when they say my place is like home to them.”

Her secrets to attracting guests are stylish decor and attentive service that make guests comfortable in an unfamiliar city. For example, she prepares a cake, flowers and champagne if it’s a guest’s birthday.

In February 2018, home-sharing platform Airbnb debuted Airbnb Plus – the brand’s highest-quality accommodations for guests looking for well-decorated and cozy places with exceptional hosts.

Its data show that the 10 markets with the most Airbnb Plus listings are Los Angeles, Cape Town, Rome, Melbourne, London, Sydney, Shanghai, Austin, the Bali Islands and Toronto. The number of Airbnb Plus listings has grown by 800 percent globally, from 2,000 to over 15,000.

The company has launched Airbnb Plus in 164 cities worldwide, including 13 in China, such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. In 2019, it’s planning to expand Airbnb Plus to over 700 cities globally, including over 30 Chinese cities.

“No matter how quickly we expand, no matter how many markets we go into, the quality of the actual experience is very important. We will make sure that every market is of high quality,” says Airbnb Plus’ vice-president, Vlad Loktev, who recently visited Airbnb’s Beijing office.

“We’re evaluating which Chinese cities we’re expanding in this year and, most likely, beyond first-tier cities as well.”

He doesn’t reveal the number of Airbnb Plus listings in China but says China represented 20 percent of global Airbnb Plus bookings in 2018. He expects the figure to continue to grow this year.

Airbnb Plus listings received nine times more online views than normal listings, and their booking rate has increased by 70 percent, according to a global survey by Airbnb.

To attract more people to become Airbnb Plus hosts, the platform has a capital program to help those who don’t have enough money to improve their homes, and an interior-design program to teach hosts about decoration.

An Airbnb employee visits the homes of every host applying for Airbnb Plus to ensure the accommodations meet the requirements of a 100-point checklist, Loktev says. It will also offer hospitality guidance.

The employee also re-inspects the homes and reads online reviews to monitor guests’ experiences.

“Our employees work with hosts to help them get to the next level,” Loktev says.

“Actually, I was recently in some homes to help hosts meet the standards, such as moving furniture and buying a table.”

A major point of the checklist is to ensure the host offers personal touches, such as handwritten notes and fridges full of local food and drinks.

He says he’s “proud” of the way hosts use interior design to tell their stories.

“Hosts put what’s personal to them inside their homes, and guests will be able to enjoy a lifestyle that they didn’t get a chance to live before. Today, a lot of our focus is on the existing community,” he says.

“We want to help those who have been with us for several years to get into the Airbnb Plus program. We’re also looking for new hosts on the platform as well. We also see that Airbnb Plus hosts are helping other potential people get into the plus program.”

Airbnb Plus Host University was launched in China last year to invite successful hosts to share their experiences and tips about such things as decor with others face-to-face.

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(China Daily 05/28/2019 page19)

Likelihood of Parliamentary stand-off could increase general election chances

Two of the front-runners in the battle to replace United Kingdom Prime Minister Theresa May have been told they will not be allowed to preside over the nation crashing out of the European Union without a divorce deal.

The Guardian newspaper says former foreign secretary Boris Johnson and one-time Brexit secretary Dominic Raab have both been told by grandees of the Conservative Party that its rank-and-file members of Parliament would rather bring down the government than see the nation leave the EU in a so-called no-deal Brexit.

Johnson and Raab are hardline Brexiteers who have said they would rather leave the bloc without a deal than the one May negotiated. They were among Conservative Party MPs who worked in recent months to undermine May and oust her as leader and they are now both eager to lead the party and the nation.

With Nigel Farage’s anti-EU Brexit Party performing very well in last week’s European elections and stealing support from the Conservatives, there are now fears the party will lurch to the right.

Both Johnson and Raab are already on the right and favor taking the UK out of the EU at the end of October, the current scheduled exit date. Neither favors extending that date in order to carry out fresh negotiations with the other 27 EU member States.

Raab even said on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show that he would ignore the will of Parliament, if necessary, to leave with a hard Brexit.

“It’s very difficult for Parliament now to legislate against a no-deal, or in favor of a further extension, unless a resolute prime minister is willing to acquiesce in that – and I would not,” he said.

But Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond said Conservative Party MPs would not allow that to happen.

“Any prime minister would find it very difficult to govern if he or she were to pursue a no-deal Brexit without Parliament’s permission,” he said.

“Parliament has voted very clearly to oppose a no-deal Brexit. A prime minister who ignores Parliament cannot survive very long.”

So far, eight MPs have thrown their hats in the ring seeking May’s job, which she will officially vacate on June 7 and which she will then hold in a caretaker role until a new leader is selected. Most would-be replacements are hardline Brexiteers who are willing to have Britain leave the EU without a divorce deal.

MPs will whittle the list of candidates down to two and party members nationwide will chose their next leader.

Michael Gove, the environment secretary, is taking a more moderate line than Johnson and Raab and has said he is willing to compromise in order to keep the Conservative Party together. He would also be willing to extend the exit date beyond the end of October.

Andrea Leadsom, the former leader of the Commons, is hardline in her Brexit stance, like Johnson and Raab, but is not seen as a front-runner. She too wants to leave at the end of October, with or without a deal.

Esther McVey has the hardest Brexit line of all. She wants to leave the bloc without a divorce deal and wants to keep her distance from the EU once Britain has extricated itself from the bloc.

Among those seeking May’s job, only Rory Stewart, the international development secretary, and Matt Hancock, the health secretary, have ruled out a no-deal Brexit.

Stewart has said a no-deal Brexit would be “undeliverable, unnecessary and is going to damage our country”.

So far, none of the Conservative Party’s pro-EU MPs has joined the leadership race.

Many pundits are saying a general election is becoming increasingly likely.

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Victories rarely come easy on this season’s PGA Tour Series-China－three playoff showdowns in the six tournaments played so far are proof of that.

In the latest shootout, Kevin Techakanokboon was the last man standing as the rain lashed down in Nantong, Jiangsu province, on Sunday.

The American made an eight-foot birdie putt on the second extra hole to defeat England’s Stephen Lewton and win the Nantong Championship.

“I thought I was OK going to the last hole (of regulation), but that’s not an easy finishing hole,” said Techakanokboon. “Stephen made a great birdie, and I knew I at least needed par to win it.”

The other playoff winners this year were Taihei Sato from Japan in Chongqing and American David Kocher at the Haikou Championship.

Techakanokboon began the day a stroke behind overnight leader Max McGreevy and turned in a stellar final day, shooting a 67 at Nantong Yangtze River Golf Club. However, a bogey on his last hole of regulation made Techakanokboon work a little harder for his second tour title, that goes with his 2018 Zhuhai Championship triumph.

McGreevy carded a 69 to finish with a 16-under total, a stroke behind the playoff contenders.

Techakanokboon and Lewton parred the first extra hole, with Techakanokboon prevailing on their third playing of the 18th when Lewton couldn’t make a 30-foot birdie.

“I’m pretty pleased. You can’t be too mad about it,” Techakanokboon said. “I just wanted to come out and play well. I didn’t have expectations or anything. There are a lot of positives to this one.”

Techakanokboon improved to third on the order of merit, positioning himself nicely for the second half of the season. The California native, who splits his time between the Golden State and his parents’ birthplace of Thailand, has also enjoyed a steady climb in the world rankings.

He fell as low as No 2,056 in the world before winning in Zhuhai seven months ago, a victory that improved his standing to 895. He entered last week’s tournament at a career-high 761.

As something of a consolation for McGreevy, the 54-hole leader took over top spot on the money list with his third-place finish, knocking Kocher to second in the process.

Clubhouse notes:

* Chinese mainland’s Wang Yanzhang finished as the best amateur in Nantong, on a 2-under total, tied for 24th.

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* Xu Guozhen was the best-placed finisher from Chinese mainland, shooting a 74 on Sunday to end the week at 6-under, in 17th place.

* Amateur Liang Enqi endured a difficult day, shooting a final-round 85 after firing a 69 the previous day. Liang had four holes of double bogey or worse. He tied for 62nd.

* In only his third career start, American Andrew Hudson tied for sixth, at 9-under. The University of North Texas graduate opened and closed with rounds of 69.

* Brad Gehl turned his opening-round 63 into his second top-10 finish since joining the tour earlier this year. He tied for fourth with Michael Perras.

* The PGA Tour Series-China resumes with the Suzhou Open (June 10-16) before heading to Anhui province for the Huangshan Championship (June 17-23).

Providing growing bodies with healthy products is a ‘top priority’

Prosecutors nationwide will strengthen efforts to crack down on food safety crimes affecting young people and children, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate said on Monday.

“Minors are in a critical period of growth and development, and food safety should be guaranteed and placed as a top priority,” Shi Weizhong, director at the SPP’s No 9 prosecutorial department said during a news briefing.

Data provided by the SPP show that since last year, prosecutors have charged 64 suspects with allegedly manufacturing and selling substandard food to children.

In April, a student in Zhongning county in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region was diagnosed with food poisoning after eating snacks bought at a shop near his school.

After launching an investigation, local prosecutors discovered many shops located near kindergartens and primary schools were selling harmful food that was substandard and past its use-by date. Some of the sellers did not have licenses to sell food, the investigation found.

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The prosecutors immediately issued suggestions to the market supervision administration to correct the situation, with offending shops told to make amends, the SPP said.

The administration ordered 16 shops to suspend their business operations and seized 1,325 bags of food.

According to Xiao Wei, spokeswoman of the SPP, a mechanism will be established to prevent and discover food-safety abuses that affect the legal rights of young people.

Shi said prosecutors have paid attention to handling public interest lawsuits about food safety involving minors since early 2018 and have issued 188 procuratorial suggestions to relevant administrations.

Apart from food safety, prosecuting departments have taken effective measures and seriously punished offenders to protect other legitimate rights of juveniles, according to the SPP.

Figures provided by the SPP show that since last year 67,600 suspects have been prosecuted for allegedly harming minors’ rights. The offenses include abducting, trafficking, intentional injuring, abusing and abandoning them. One high profile case involved child abuse at a kindergarten owned by Shanghai-based Ctrip in November 2017.

Xiao said prosecuting departments will also enhance cooperation with educational, civil and sports departments nationwide to establish a database of people who have sexually abused minors. Its aim will be to prevent prospective abusers from taking jobs where they can come into close contact with children, such as at kindergartens, training centers and libraries.

Moreover, they will monitor relevant administrations to strengthen management in industries and fields where such crimes easily occur, like internet cafes, entertainment venues and hotels, to reduce such crimes happening at the root level, she said.

Digitization, technology innovation and sustainable development will become key areas of business exploration for Chinese companies in member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, said an executive of HSBC.

“China is taking the lead in the area of internet economy where there is huge room for cooperation,” said David Liao, president and CEO of HSBC China, at a recent forum held by the multinational banking and financial services institution in Beijing on the China-ASEAN economic corridor.

Southeast Asia’s internet economy is expected to exceed $240 billion by 2025, nearly triple the size in 2018, according to a study released by Google and the Singapore-headquartered investment company Temasek in November.

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Last year, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd invested another $2 billion in Southeast Asian online retailer Lazada Group, after the Chinese e-commerce giant increased its stake in Lazada from 51 percent to 83 percent in 2017.

“In addition, consumer spending in ASEAN is expected to grow by 7 percent annually to $1.9 trillion by 2020. This will also bring opportunities to Chinese companies,” Liao said.

Because of the strong growth in its young population, ASEAN is going to become the world’s fourth largest economic bloc within the decade, rising from No 5. There is great potential for consumption based on growing wealth of the middle class and also huge potential for infrastructure, according to Tony Cripps, group general manager and chief executive officer of HSBC Singapore.

“Technology, the consumer market, and properties and infrastructure are the three main areas of investment for Chinese companies in the region,” he said.

A report issued by the Asian Development Bank in 2017 said that developing Asia, which refers to the bank’s 45 developing member countries, will need to invest a total of $26.2 trillion in infrastructure from 2016 to 2030, if the region is to maintain its growth momentum, eradicate poverty, and respond to climate change.

In terms of ASEAN, two thirds of all the infrastructure financing that happens today passes through Singapore into ASEAN, said Cripps.

“Owing to Singapore’s openness as a financial hub, there are already 5,500 Chinese corporate subsidiaries based in Singapore. That number is growing every year. The direct investment from China into ASEAN is also growing every year,” he said.

In 2018, China’s nonfinancial outbound direct investment in ASEAN rose 5.1 percent year-on-year to $9.95 billion, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

A survey conducted by HSBC on 800 to 1,000 corporate clients found that ASEAN is the No 1 region globally where its corporate clients are most optimistic for growth.

“As no two countries in the ASEAN are the same, Chinese corporates have really looked for what are the benefits in each country as they diversify the manufacturing,” said Sandeep Uppal, global co-head of international subsidiary banking at HSBC.

About 170 Chinese corporates attended the bank’s forum in Beijing to find out how its franchise in ASEAN can help them go further.

Having been based in Singapore and five of the other ASEAN economies for over 100 years, HSBC is a universal bank in ASEAN across retail banking, commercial banking, institutional banking and private banking. It is also one of the world’s largest arrangers for infrastructure projects dealing with government entities and private sector investors.

Apart from the facilitation of trade, the bank is focused on payments and connecting treasury services if a Chinese corporate wants to establish offices in multiple ASEAN countries. It can also advise Chinese companies on regulation and economic opportunities based on its experience in major ASEAN economies and a broad network of 200 branches in the region.

Just like HSBC, other foreign banks are also actively seeking opportunities to facilitate Chinese enterprises’ internationalization efforts. United Overseas Bank Ltd, Singapore Exchange Ltd and the China Chamber of International Commerce signed a memorandum of understanding in April to help Chinese enterprises use Singapore as a launchpad to expand into ASEAN.

In 2018, UOB helped 50 percent more Chinese companies expand into ASEAN compared with 2017. This support resulted in a 31 percent increase in cross-border business flows over the same period.

Jakarta-Bandung HSR expected to be completed by mid-2021, using Chinese standards

Using GPS survey equipment to conduct rail track measurements is one thing Vernando Tinambunan finds fascinating about his job.

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Tinambunan, 26, is a senior student in engineering at Sangga Buana University in Bandung in Indonesia’s West Java Province. Eight months ago, he joined the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway, or HSR, project and now works as a technician at a local branch of China Railway Group.

Such GPS survey equipment “is new to me”, said Tinambunan.

“This is so interesting.”

Carried out by Kereta Cepat Indonesia-China, a joint venture formed by Chinese and Indonesian state-owned enterprises, the 142-kilometer railway will connect the Indonesian capital with its third-largest city.

Since the memorandum of understanding was signed between the two countries in March 2015, the high-speed link has been regarded as a flagship project under the Belt and Road Initiative that has synergy with Indonesia’s Global Maritime Fulcrum vision.

Launched by Indonesian President Joko Widodo in 2014, the Global Maritime Fulcrum aims to capitalize on the country’s geographic location in the region to promote its strategic and economic development.

The $6-billion Jakarta-Bandung HSR project, to be completed by mid-2021, is not only the first of its kind in Southeast Asia, but also the first to use China’s HSR standards, technologies and equipment on a foreign line. Under a build, operate and transfer model, many high-end techniques and machines have been adopted in the construction process, according to China Railway Group.

Tinambunan said he had not heard of HSR at school, let alone the technologies within it. To gain hands-on skills, he worked closely with a Chinese engineer and attended the construction sites almost daily.

In Indonesia, engineering graduates commonly go on to work in management roles, mostly based in offices. “The working model for engineers here (in the railway group) is a bit different from Indonesian companies, but I like it when I can learn things from different aspects,” said Tinambunan.

This year’s Beijing Design Week will be held from Sept 5 to Oct 7 and will feature nearly a thousand creative cultural events.

A news conference was held on May 20 at the Post Mountain art space in Beijing, revealing the overall plan, including the expo and the cultural intellectual property and innovation exhibition.

According to Wang Yudong, deputy head of Beijing Design Week’s organizing committee office and general manager of Beijing Design Week Ltd, this year’s event will continue the concept of Beijing as a capital of design and a smart city.

Ten major events will be held, including the Beijing Design Awards, the Beijing Design Forum and Fashion Beijing, Wang says.

The Theme Exhibition will focus on the image design of the People’s Republic of China in its early years, to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of New China.

This year’s guest city is Mexico City, which will exhibit under the theme of Design Across Borders.

The winners of the Beijing Design Awards will be revealed on Sept 5. According to Wang, this year, the awards have added two more categories – the traditional-process-design award and service-design award.

"There will be more than 40 venues in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province hosting a variety of activities, including exhibitions, forums and culture fairs," says Wang.

The second Beijing Design Week Expo will be held from Sept 12 to 16 at the China Agricultural Exhibition Center.

According to Feng Ting, a staff member at the expo, the first edition in 2018 attracted nearly 100,000 visitors. This year’s expo will be themed around Innovation Forges the Future with five sections, including The Intelligent City, Artistic Life and Internet Community.

"We are inviting designers and opinion leaders from both home and abroad to discuss the new trends in design culture," says Feng.

The Design Beijing China exhibition will be held in tandem with the expo. According to the exhibition director, Tan Zhuo, the exhibition this year will attract more than 200 brands and independent designers to showcase their designs, which cover furnishing, lighting, fabrics and conceptual devices.

"We are presenting cutting-edge design trends and the interaction between art and design," says Tan.

The Innovative Design project is another highlight, which aims to provide comprehensive system services, including design management, investment and copyright protection for design innovations and entrepreneurship.

A creative design competition themed around bamboo and life has already started as part of the project, together with an image-design competition for traditional Chinese festivals.

Beijing Design Week signed an agreement with online retail platform Tmall during the news conference, establishing an online store selling creative cultural products originating from Beijing Design Week.

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(China Daily 05/28/2019 page20)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A new kind of reality show that dispenses with judges and focuses on indie acts is providing the soundtrack of the summer, Chen Nan reports.

When Kong Yichan and his childhood friend Wei Wei decided to form a band in middle school, they aspired to release an album and launch a nationwide tour. For the two young men, who were born and raised in Liuzhou city, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, it seemed like an ambitious, if not distant, dream.

But it didn’t take long for them to realize their goal with the release of their self-titled debut album, Life Journey, in 2008.

Now, with nine albums under their belt, lead vocalist Kong, keyboardist Wei, guitarist Huang Zijun and drummer Xu Biao, Life Journey is one of the country’s most-watched bands.

They shared their story while making their first appearance on the reality show The Big Band, which was produced by iQiyi and premiered on the streaming platform on Saturday.

The first number they performed on the show was The Lost Song from their 2015 album, 10 Day’s－a release that explores memories of their hometown and which was dedicated to deceased family members and friends.

“Our music documents our own lives. The band members enjoy different music styles and we all contribute to songwriting,” says 35-year-old Kong.

“This is a great time for indie rock bands to develop in the country, since the fans are curious and hungry for new music.”

The aim of the reality show, which features 31 indie bands chosen from over 1,000 acts nationwide, was to bring underground culture out into the limelight.

“We decided to join the show because of its name, Yue Dui De Xia Tian (Summer of Bands),” says Kong, who set up a music studio with his fellow band members in 2014. “We’ve written many songs about summer, so we want to introduce ourselves with these tunes.”

The reality show also invited several celebrities to help choose the five finalists for the show, including veteran music producer and songwriter, Zhang Yadong, vocalist and singer-songwriter, Wu Tsing-fong, and songwriter, Gao Xiaosong.

“These celebrities are not judges, which makes this reality show very different from other ones. You cannot judge a band and their music. These guys are music fans, just like the audience, who make their own choices about the bands they listen to,” says Ma Dong, veteran TV producer and host, whose company Beijing MEWE Media Co Ltd jointly produces the show.

Ma says that the young staff members in his company, many of whom are young women, regularly attend music festivals together.

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