Month: October 2019

Former Japanese trade minister Isshu Sugawara continued to be grilled as lawmakers demanded accountability and a poll showed 48 percent of voters wanted him to quit as a member of the House of Representatives as well.

The poll was conducted by Kyodo News over the weekend.

On Friday, after being in the trade post for just little more than a month, Sugawara resigned because of scandals over “condolence money”, expensive melons and other gifts allegedly offered to election supporters, making him the ninth minister to step down from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Cabinet since Abe returned to power in 2012.

Meanwhile, 75 percent of voters in the poll said it was appropriate that Sugawara resigned as minister, but 17.8 percent said he should not have.

Sugawara’s resignation was triggered by a magazine report that he had paid condolence money and sent expensive melons, crabs and other gifts to his election district supporters in 2006 and 2007.

A more detailed article published on Thursday said that one of his aides attended a funeral of a supporter’s family, and printed a photo of the man leaving money at a reception desk.

Despite the resignation, Sugawara faced fierce criticism from opposition lawmakers who vowed not to let him off the hook without an explanation.

“He had to step down because he cannot provide a clear explanation. Now he is even more suspect,” Tetsuro Fukuyama, secretary-general of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, said.

“It’s about his alleged violation of the law. He cannot just get away with quitting the Cabinet,” said Yuichiro Tamaki, the head of Japan’s Democratic Party of the People.

Yu Qiang, a researcher on Japan at the University of International Relations in Beijing, said Sugawara’s gift scandal had again put Abe’s Cabinet appointments in doubt, as most of his ministers who had stepped down were linked to money scandals or gaffes.

“Each time Abe would say he is responsible for appointing them, but these scandals don’t stop. It seems that Abe believes that his rule and his long-running administration can’t be shaken by minor scandals,” Yu said.

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Chief Executive of Hong Kong SAR Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said on Tuesday that the Asian financial hub may fall into recession after months of violent protests. She called on the whole city to work together to tackle the violence in order to revive the troubled economy.

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“More than 20!” Yuan Xiaoyang blurted out when asked how many beer flavors he had tasted at a craft beer festival in Beijing.

Yuan had visited the 8×8 Brewing Project’s Beer Festival, held last Friday and Saturday in the city’s Langyuan Vintage creative art zone. It was here that the 25-year-old experienced his first encounter with craft beer.

“It’s a pity that I got drunk that night. Otherwise, I could have tried many more,” said the novice craft beer drinker, beaming. “All those beers are creative and taste so different from what I am used to.”

The visit has since changed his approach to beer, a drink that he often chooses to pair with barbecue or spicy crayfish in the summer, Yuan told China Daily Website.

Yuan is just one of many Chinese consumers, young and old, that are increasingly drawn to this variable beverage that is distinctly different from factory beer.

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Soaring high as the biggest dark horse in the last two months, the school bullying-themed film Better Days raked in nearly 700 million yuan ($99 million) as of Tuesday since its release on Oct 25. 

Adapted from a popular online novel, the film is about two teenagers whose fates are unexpectedly changed as the night before gaokao, the national college entrance exam, approaches.

Produced by Jojo Hui Yuet-chun, the film under the helm of Derek Tsang stars actress Zhou Dongyu and pop idol Jackson Yee, whose performances are widely applauded online.

Douban, the country’s most popular review site, has rated the hit with a high score of 8.4 points out of 10, with many netizens commenting that the movie realistically portrays the oppressive atmosphere as gaokao nears, and the injury caused by school bullying.

Director Tsang says he hopes the film can encourage reflection over some social issues and make viewers think about how to help those in trouble walk out of the shadows and build a better world for young people growing up.

As a director in Hong Kong who knew little of gaokao, Tsang said he prepared to better understand it better prior to shooting.

“We watched some documentaries, and interviewed a lot of students and teachers. I really hope the film strikes a chord with the audience, reminding them of their school days,” Tsang said at the recent Beijing premiere.

Dominating the country’s box office, Better Days occupied nearly 46 percent of the nation’s over 65,000 screens and it’s estimated it will surpass 1 billion yuan in ticket sales, a threshold for a successful blockbuster, according to the box office tracking and analyzing service Maoyan.

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Capital fund experts advise entering market now, before it’s too late

Despite China’s cut in subsidies for new energy vehicles and the slowdown of sales growth, investors at a recent forum said now is a good time to invest in the nascent sector that is believed to be the future of the automotive industry.

China put in place a financial stimuli plan for electric cars, plug-in hybrids and fuel cell vehicles in 2009, but officials have been cutting subsidies, most recently in June, and will stop them altogether by the end of 2020.

The move, coupled with the overall slowdown of China’s car market and recent fire accidents, has affected sales of new energy cars in the country, which overtook the United States as the largest market for such vehicles in 2015.

Although sales maintained a 20.8 percent growth year-on-year to total 872,000 in the first three quarters, they have fallen for three consecutive months since July, according to statistics from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

Despite the situation, Fosun Capital Co-chairman Zhang Liangsen said it is a now-or-never opportunity for investors.

“The new energy vehicle industry is quite young. And any new industry is likely to see tremendous development in a short period of time, especially in China, where there are 40 million engineers,” said Zhang at a forum held by Securities Daily in Beijing earlier this month. “We can see most of our past concerns have been solved and many of our current concerns will be solved in two years,” he added.

Baidu Capital Chief Financial Officer Zhang Jinling said despite the subsidy cuts, the new energy vehicle industry is expected to see growth because the government is not withdrawing its support, but rather shifting it to vehicle use including building charging infrastructure. She said the new features of such vehicles are of principal importance. They range from connectivity to some autonomous driving functions, which will make them fast-moving consumer goods.

When asked about the time required for the investment to generate returns, Zhang said Baidu has enough patience.

“The new energy vehicle is no doubt the direction of future automotive development,” she said. “Like any other new industry, there will be some setbacks and obstacles. But I can tell you that we can and we will wait.” Baidu is one of the investors behind electric vehicle maker WM Motor, which delivered 12,799 vehicles in the first three quarters as the best-selling startup this year in China.

Brian Gu, a former senior executive at JP Morgan and now president of startup Xpeng Motors, said like many other sectors including smartphones, the growth of the new energy vehicle industry will speed up when their market share reaches 10 percent. “When it reaches 10 percent, which may take two to three years from now, people will feel they have something to do with electric cars, because such vehicles are easy to find around them,” said Gu.

Gu said the charging infrastructure and cost will further improve when the number of electric vehicles reaches that threshold.

Last year, China’s new energy vehicles totaled 1.25 million, accounting for 4.4 percent of total vehicle sales in the country, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

Besides startups, electric vehicle brands of traditional carmakers are speeding up their efforts to sharpen their competitive edge.

Ma Fanglie, president of BJEV, the new energy vehicle arm of State-owned BAIC Group, said the carmaker has been going upward with increased investment in research and development.

“Cutting the subsidies may not necessarily be a bad thing. It can help weed out the incompetent companies and allow the competitive to stand out,” Ma said.

He said 20 percent of BJEV’s sales revenue is spent on research and development.

In August, it opened a $291 million experimental and testing facility, which is the largest of its kind in the country.

Ma said 80 percent of its sales are medium-and high-end models, priced above 120,000 yuan ($16,985). Its sales in the first three quarters totaled more than 100,000. BJEV has been China’s best-selling electric vehicle brand for six years in a row.

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BASEL, Switzerland – Roger Federer clinched his 103rd career title in Basel on Sunday but said he might skip the opportunity to win a 104th at the Paris Masters.

The 38-year-old won his 10th Basel trophy, smothering young Australian Alex de Minaur 6-2, 6-2 to secure what the Swiss legend described as “an unbelievable” success at the hometown tournament where he used to work as a ball boy.

He is now just six short of the record 109 ATP titles won by American Jimmy Connors but might be tempted to skip Paris, the final event of the regular season, to conserve his energy ahead of the ATP Finals in London.

“I’ve got a team meeting scheduled for Monday to discuss not just Paris but next season. I guess by tomorrow I’ll know If I’m going to Paris or not,” Federer said after lifting his fourth title of 2019, adding to wins in Dubai, Miami and Halle.

“My fitness is fine, I’m happy with how I feel. I just don’t know if I should play next week. I’ll figure it out with the team.”

Federer returned to the Paris Masters last year for the first time since 2015 and reached the semifinals, where he lost a three-set thriller to Novak Djokovic, who is top seed ahead of Rafael Nadal in the French capital this year.

On Sunday, Federer cut an emotional figure as he was presented with the trophy at the Basel tournament, where he once worked as a ballboy. In the crowd of 9,000 were his wife and four children.

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“It might be remembering back at all that went into this week, the family or maybe the (coaching) team aspect,” said Federer when asked to explain his emotions.

“People think I just go out there and do it at will – but it’s not that way at all.

“Sometimes I stand there and look back at what I’ve gone through. The ball kids running onto court for the trophy ceremony – that can get me going. Also thanking the fans at the end.”

Federer said his success at Basel, where he is on a 24-match win streak and has won 75 matches against just nine losses, had been “an incredible journey”.

“It leaves a mark for me,” he added after making an appearance at his annual pizza party with the tournament’s ball kids immediately after the trophy ceremony.

“To be able to play in a stadium with people celebrating your tennis is a wonderful feeling. I’ve had an incredible journey, and it’s hit me hard winning in Basel. This is not something that I take as normal.”

Nadal’s No 1 priority

Meanwhile, Nadal said “I prefer to be No 1 to No 2” on Sunday as he prepared to continue his rankings battle with Djokovic at Bercy in Paris this week.

If the 33-year-old Spaniard finishes the year at No 1, it would be the fifth time he has done so, which would tie Djokovic, Federer and Connors.

At the moment, Nadal trails his Serbian rival, but the race is tight.

“It’s fantastic,” Nadal said. “I prefer to be No 1 to No 2 and No 2 to No 3. And of course, finishing the year world No 1 is something special, and I would love to make that happen.”

Nadal’s only competitive tennis since winning his 19th major at the US Open in September was the Laver Cup.

“I had a problem with my hand after the US Open, so I couldn’t finish the Laver Cup the way that I wanted. Then I had to stop for a while,” said the 33-year-old.

“I am here with the goal to play at 100 percent, and that’s what I expect to do.”

Nadal also took some time off to marry his partner of 14 years, Xisca Perello, at a castle in Mallorca on Oct 19.

Nadal has never won at Bercy but he refused to accept that Paris is an unlucky city for him.

“If it’s not good luck that I won 12 times in Roland Garros, it’s not bad luck that I never won here,” said Nadal, who has a 48-6 record this year, winning 28 of his past 29 matches.

His most recent loss came in this year’s Wimbledon semifinals against Federer.

“I missed this tournament a lot of times in my career. Sometimes I just didn’t play well and other times opponents have been better than me.

“As everybody knows, for me Paris is the most important city in my tennis career, so I love to be here. It always gives me good vibes.”

Nadal has also won only two indoor tournaments on the tour over his career.

Agence France-Presse

LANZHOU – No casualties have been reported after a 5.7-magnitude earthquake hit Xiahe county, Gannan Tibetan autonomous prefecture of Northwest China’s Gansu province, at 1:56 am Monday, local authorities said.

Strong tremors were felt in the county and many people rushed out to the streets after the earthquake. Local governments of all the townships in the county are evaluating the impact of the quake.

The quake was felt obviously in the neighboring cities of Tianshui and Lanzhou.

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According to the China Earthquake Networks Center, the epicenter was monitored at 35.10 degrees north latitude and 102.69 degrees east longitude, at a depth of 10 km.

Natalia Tobon Tobon, director of ProColombia China, explained the current trade achievements between China and Colombia and how the CIIE will further boost trade between the two countries.

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The 28-year-old remains confident that silverware will be heading for the Bernabeu this season, despite a slow start

Eden Hazard has admitted filling Cristiano Ronaldo’s shirt at Real Madrid has proven a challenge.

The Belgium international switched to the Santiago Bernabeu side from Chelsea in the summer for a fee of £130m ($167m) but has had a challenging start to his time in Spain under a significant weight of expectation.

Although Ronaldo, the club’s all-time leading goalscorer, was sold to Juventus in the summer of 2018, Madrid elected not to replace their superstar in that same period and have been bereft of a Galactico of that standing since.

Hazard has arrived to fill that void, but with seven matches under his belt, he has managed only one goal and two assists.

Wearing Ronaldo’s iconic No.7 shirt, which went to Mariano Diaz last season, has only built up the expectation on the 28-year-old, who has thus far failed to deliver. 

“Taking this shirt after Cristiano isn’t easy, he’s historic,” he admitted in an interview with Real Madrid TV .

Although Zinedine Zidane’s men sit sixth in La Liga, albeit with a game in hand after their weekend Clasico against Barcelona was postponed due to political reasons, Hazard is still confident that the team can fulfil their aim of securing significant silverware over the coming campaign.

“We’re going to give our all to win everything, we have to lift a trophy,” he added. “I know the Champions League is important. I’m here to win it, it’s important for everyone and myself included.

“I’m at the best club in the world and I hope to give my best.”

After their inactivity at the weekend, Madrid are back in action on Wednesday on league business, when they will play host to Leganes.

With their opponents bottom of the league, having taken only five points from their opening 10 matches, they will hope to continue their recovery, which stalled when they were beaten 1-0 at Mallorca on October 19.

Since then, they have gone to Galatasaray and won 1-0, reigniting their hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages of the Champions League, which looked flimsy after they picked up only one point in the opening two matches. 

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The Old Trafford legend has sent a message of patience to fans, backing the Norwegian to get things right in the January transfer window

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer knows that he must add more guile to his team, ex-Old Trafford ace Ryan Giggs says.

The Wales manager, who spent the duration of a storied 23-year playing career with United, has backed his former team-mate to solve one of the Red Devils’ big problems in the forthcoming transfer window.

United have made a wretched start to the season and find themselves seventh in the Premier League table, seven points shy of the top four and the Champions League places.

Giggs says that moves are required in January to solve the current predicament and backed the Norwegian to get things right.

“We need to bring quality in,” Giggs told the United Stand. “They are missing that creative player. It is no coincidence that the best performances have been against good teams. The lesser teams are always harder to break down.

“We are probably just a bit shy of those creative players and I think Ole recognises that.

“Ole has brought three (Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Daniel James and Harry Maguire) in who are all doing well. His dealings have been very good so far.

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“Give him the money other managers have had to get Man Utd players. Get another five or six players like that in, we will see a real difference.”

Giggs, who spent a period of four games in interim charge following the dismissal of David Moyes in the 2013-14 campaign, says the board should not consider sacking Solskjaer.

“It has been a difficult start,” he admitted. “As far as Ole is concerned, I know him well, as a player and person.

“He is going to need time. Since the manager left, [there have been] different philosophies and types of players and Ole is trying to turn that around.

“He is looking at the future and trying to win games at the same time. It is difficult.

“When you are in a league with Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola, fantastic, established coaches. I don’t care who came in, it was never going to be easy.”

United, who face Chelsea in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, have seen shoots of improvement in recent matches, drawing with league leaders Liverpool at home before snapping a seven-month winless run away by defeating Partizan and Norwich in back-to-back games.