ting the spirit of December’s Central Economic Work Conference.
As a prominent expert on China-US studies for decade
Zhu also was twice denied single-entry visas to the US.
“This shows how the US is trying to block normal social exchanges bet
ween the two countries, an important channel for mutual understanding and trust,” Zhu said.
Besides scholars in social sciences, the US also began last year to make it harder for Chinese graduate students to get visas if they stud
y in “sensitive research fields”. It warned biomedical researchers at US universities to beware of “Chinese spies
trying to steal information from their laboratories”, according to The New York Times report.
Jon Taylor, a professor of political science of the University o
f St. Thomas in Houston, said the decision is “both absurd and exceedingly shortsighted”.
“These scholars and researchers are social scientists with a long history of interactin
g with their American counterparts as well policymakers in both countries,” he said.
“They are scholars teaching and researching what I teach and research. What are they going to steal?”
Much work remains in Sino-US trade negotiations
China and the United States have made new progress in negotiating the text of an econom
ic and trade deal, but much work remains to be done, the Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday.
Negotiating teams from the two countries are hashing out the text of the deal, including
an enforcement mechanism, on the basis of mutual respect and benefit, said Gao Feng, ministry spokesman.
The remarks came as the world’s two biggest economies have been i
ntensifying their consultations and aiming to break the deadlock in a timely manner.
In the most recent round of trade consultations, the negotiators discussed technolo
gy transfers, protection of intellectual property rights, nontariff measures, the service sector, agriculture, tra
de imbalances and enforcement mechanisms, according to earlier reports.
The American Chamber of Commerce in China said in a recent white paper that the US business commu
nity in China, long an advocate of good bilateral relations, can no longer be relied on to be a positive anchor.
Top economic planner bullish on reaching annual growth
China’s economy, despite headwinds, has enjoyed a good start in the first quarter of 2019, and the country has the confide
nce to achieve the annual projected growth goal, said the country’s top economic planner.
“The first quarter’s stable economic development has laid a solid foundation for the an
nual growth,” said Yuan Da, spokesperson with the National Development and Reform Commission.
“The economy has stayed on the track of steady growth. We have the confidence, conditio
ns and capability to meet the projected targets for economic and social development this year.”
Yuan made the remarks at the NDRC press conference on Thursday in Beijing.
According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, China’s economy expanded at a faster-than-expected 6.4 perce
nt year-on-year in the first quarter. The growth was unchanged from that in the fourth quarter in 2018.
China’s foreign direct investment up 6.5% in Q1
China’s foreign direct investment (FDI) totaled 242.28 billion yuan in the first quarter of t
his year, up 6.5 percent year-on-year, the Ministry of Commerce said Thursday.
FDI in China from non-financial sectors reached $35.8 billio
n in the first three months, up 3.7 percent year-on-year.
Investment from South Korea, the United States and Germany in China m
eanwhile increased 79.6 percent, 71.3 percent and 86.1 percent year-on-year, respectively.
Foreign capital flowing to the country’s high-tech manufacturing s
ector surged 14.8 percent year-on-year to 25.97 billion yuan during the same period.
March’s FDI amounted to 95.17 billion yuan, up eight percent year-on-year.
The museum has some 50 firefighters on duty around
he clock, a fire engine, over 160 hydrants, thousand of extinguishers, and fire walls, officials said last year.
But not all relics have such rigid supervision. A joint comprehensive survey was started in Septemb
er by the administration and the Ministry of Emergency Management. It found that 33 major institutions still don‘t meet stan
dards, and the State Council issued a notice on Wednesday that they were to receive the highest-level supervision.
On Tuesday, the administration urged local governments to immediately launch evaluations of potential hazards.
The new lawsuit against Liu Qiangdong, the billionaire founder and CEO of Chinese e-commerce giant JD, and his compan
y filed by a University of Minnesota student might further shake investors’ confidence, and tarnish the image
and reputation of the company, amid tougher competition from rivals such as Alibaba and Pinduoduo.
The Chinese student from University of Minnesota, who claimed she was raped last August by Liu, filed a c
ivil lawsuit against him in Minneapolis on Tuesday, four months after prosecutors decided not to pursue a criminal case.
Fiscal spending can directly influence fixed-asset inves
tment, and it could also leverage on more bank lending and attract private funds to increase investment, said Xu.
In the meantime, allowing retail access to local government bonds will help diversify the
investor base and increase market liquidity, said Amanda Du, an analyst at Moody’s Investors Service.
The analyst expected access for retail investors to widen to encompass all local government bonds in 2020.
hina’s economy grew at a faster-than-expected 6.4 percent year-on-year in the first qua
rter, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday.
The growth was unchanged from that registered in the fourth quarter of last year.
The country’s industrial output posted steady growth in the same period, up by 6.5 percent
year-on-year, compared with 5.7 percent in the previous quarter, official data showed.
Fixed-asset investment growth was 6.3 percent in the first quarte
r, compared with 6.1 percent in the first two months, according to the NBS.
Retail sales increased by 8.3 percent year-on-year in the same pe
riod, compared with 8.2 percent in the first two months, the data showed.
Most of the ivory was hidden in an abandoned factory
by the smugglers, Sun said. Busts were made in several locations, which were not disclosed. The case is still under investigation.
Since early this year, 182 smuggling cases involving endangered species have been investigated, the administration said on Monday.
More than 500 tons of endangered animals and animal products were seized, 8.48 t
ons of which was ivory tusks or products made of ivory. In those cases, 171 suspects were detained.
The Chinese government suspended imports of ivory and all ivor
y products in 2015 and ended commercial processing and sale of ivory at the end of 2017.
The ban has had significant positive effects, with fewer people purchasing ivory, according to a report j
ointly released last year by the World Wildlife Fund and TRAFFIC, an NGO that tracks the global trade in wild animals.
“We will strengthen our anti-smuggling efforts, continuing to work with international organizations and depart
ments and allowing no tolerance of those illegal activities,” said Hu Wei, deputy director of the administration.
he monetary policy should “maintain strategic focu
cus”, keeping it prudent while the liquidity should be at a reasonably adequate level, it said.
Financial policies are required to further support small and private companies, and fun
ding through the capital market is supported by the authorities, according to the statement.
The central bank had skipped open market operations for 15 conse
cutive working days until Monday. “Reasonable and adequate liquidity in the banking syste
m” was the main reason for the absence of open market operations, according to a statement from the central bank.
To cut or not to cut the RRR, a strong tool for liquidity adjustm
ent, has become a hot topic since April, not only for investors, but also for policy advisers.
Divergent opinions are spreading among a broader group of market observer
s. The market is trying to get more indications from the monetary authority, although the C
hinese central bank barely sends any hints on possible monetary policy operations before taking action.
yers do need their staff to work extra hours to meet pro
deadlines or fulfill other tasks, they can ask them to work overtime – but not than 36 hours a month and only after consulti
