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The water level of the Three Gorges project in central China’s Hubei Province on September 10 before a full-capacity storage test.
The Three Gorges project initiated the test that day to increase its water level to the design maximum of 175 meters above sea level， as required by the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters. The project’s reservoir is expected to reach the high mark at the end of October or beginning of November.
P2P Fraud
Twenty-six executives of a Chinese online peer-to-peer （P2P） lender on September 12 were handed jail terms ranging from three years to life imprisonment for cheating the public out of large amounts of money.
Anhui Yucheng and Yucheng Global， operators of online P2P lender Ezubao， and 10 company executives， including Yucheng Chairman Ding Ning， were found guilty of fundraising fraud， said the Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People’s Court.
Another 16 were convicted of illegally absorbing public deposits.
Yucheng Global and Anhui Yucheng were ordered to pay fi nes of 1.8 billion yuan （$278 million） and 100 million yuan （$15.31 million）， respectively， the court said.
Ding and his younger brother Ding Dian were both sentenced to life in prison and were fi ned 100 million yuan and 70 million yuan（$10.72 million）， respectively.
The remaining 24 received jail terms ranging from three to 15 years， the court said. They were also deprived of political rights and issued with fi nes.
Some of the defendants were also convicted of other crimes， including smuggling precious metals as well as illegal possession of guns and border crossing.
The court found that Anhui Yucheng and Yucheng Global had raised a huge amount of funds by faking high-yield investment products on two online P2P platforms， Ezubao and Sesame Financial， without a banking license between June 2014 and December 2015.
A majority of the money was spent lavishly on luxury gifts and salaries and used to purchase sales fi rms and return principal sums and high interest to some investors.
Police have seized cash and other assets from the P2P lender and are recovering more to retrieve investors’ losses.
The court said the defendants have infl icted huge losses on investors in many parts of China and disrupted the national fi nancial management system and thus should be given harsh penalties.
Earlier， police found that Ezubao cheated about 900，000 investors out of more than 50 billion yuan（$7.7 billion）. In early 2016， Zhang Min， President of Yucheng Global and one of the convicts， said that Ezubao was nothing but a Ponzi scheme. She claimed that senior executives were fully aware of the nature of the business.
Red Cross Societies
China has issued new rules to boost the transparency of its Red Cross societies， requiring the charity organizations to regularly make public the use of donations.
Red Cross societies should apply to civil affairs departments for fundraising permission， according to a circular released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs （MCA） and Red Cross Society of China （RCSC）.
Online philanthropy by Red Cross societies should be launched through charity websites that are approved by the MCA， said the document.
Red Cross societies are required to submit annual reports on donations and their use to civil affairs departments and publish such information for public scrutiny， it added.
China’s Red Cross societies have grappled with a crisis of trust after a string of embezzlement scandals over the past few years have put a dent in the sector’s credibility.
The most famous case revolved around a young woman named Guo Meimei， who claimed to work for an organization under the RCSC and boasted of a lavish lifestyle on her microblog account.
Although Guo was later found to have not been employed by the RCSC， the incident prompted worries of charity fund embezzlement and triggered calls for stricter scrutiny.
City of Peace
Nanjing has become China’s fi rst International City of Peace.
During the notorious Nanjing Massacre during World War II， about 300，000 Chinese people lost their lives and 20，000 women were raped， said J. Fred Arment， Executive Director of International Cities of Peace in a video speech.
This history makes people remember the war and makes them more aware of the signifi cance of peace， he said.
Nanjing， in east China’s Jiangsu Province， was an ancient capital for six of China’s dynasties. The freezing winter of 1937 saw brutal killing by invading Japanese troops. One person was killed every 12 seconds on average.
A total of 172 cities in about 50 countries and regions are now on the International Cities of Peace list， according to its website， including Coventry in England， Bern in Switzerland， Amsterdam in the Netherlands and Berlin in Germany.
Liu Cheng， head of the Institute for Peace Studies at Nanjing University， said there were certain requirements for becoming an International City of Peace. “For instance， the city might be traumatized by war or have witnessed big peace-related events，”he said. “It should also be advanced in peace studies and activities.”
More than two years ago， the Institute for Peace Studies at Nanjing University， together with the Institute of Nanjing Massacre History and International Peace， submitted an application to the International Cities of Peace organization.
“What was left by history was not hatred， but our awareness of peace，” he said.
“Nanjing is among the cities that felt the greatest pain in World War II， and the Nanjing Massacre left us indelible memories，” said Zhang Jianjun， Executive Chairman of the Institute of Nanjing Massacre History and International Peace. “So we understand better how valuable peace is.”
Peace education has long been emphasized in Nanjing. Nanjing University was the fi rst university to conduct research on peace studies in China.
Kawasaki Akira， a representative with Japanese NGO Peace Boat， said the designation of Nanjing as an International City of Peace could help China cherish peace and Japan refl ect on itself.
“Peace does not only mean ‘no war，’” said Lee Ji Won， a professor at Daelim College in the Republic of Korea. “Peace also means reducing violence， improving justice and safeguarding human rights.”
“Peace is the only way out for human beings，” said Cao Lubao， a publicity offi cial with Nanjing.“People from all countries should take lessons from history and enhance communication.”
Cultural Fusion
An exhibitor shows modern Peking Opera costumes at the 12th China Beijing International Cultural & Creative Industry Expo （ICCIE） in Beijing on September 11.
During the three-day event， more than 80 delegations and 1，800 exhibitors attended over 100 activities including exhibitions， forums and trade promotions to facilitate cultural cooperation between China and foreign countries.
Road Accidents
The Ministry of Public Security has issued warnings about road accidents related to the fast-growing food delivery business in cities.
In east China’s Nanjing alone， three people died and 2，473 were injured in 3，242 road accidents related to such services in the fi rst half of this year， according to fi gures released by the ministry’s Traffi c Management Bureau.
Seventy-six such cases occurred in Shanghai Municipality in the same period， according to the bureau. Delivery workers riding electric bikes are frequently seen racing through streets， as a growing number of people， especially the young， order food online.
Some delivery staff use their mobile phone while driving， and some have been caught violating regulations， including speeding or running red lights， according to the bureau.
The bureau stressed abiding by laws and regulations and urged online catering companies to raise the safety awareness of delivery workers.
More， But Not Merrier
A worker arranges shared bikes parked under the Guomao Bridge in Beijing on September 7. The capital will prohibit any increase of shared bikes in the city， local authorities announced. Currently， Beijing has 2.35 million shared bikes from 15 companies on its streets.
Despite their role in promoting low-carbon transportation and alleviating congestion， shared bikes， whose numbers surged in top-tier cities in the past year， are often haphazardly parked， causing obstructions in crowded areas such as around subway entrances and shopping mall entrances.
Bioethanol Fuel
China plans to use ethanol gasoline across the country by 2020， the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration （NEA） said on September 13.
“The plan was unveiled as the country pushes the use of biofuel， which is renewable， applicable， environment-friendly and tech-savvy. It is an ideal alternative to fossil fuels，”a senior NEA offi cial said.
More than 40 countries and regions consume about 600 million tons of ethanol fuel every year， accounting for around 60 percent of the world’s annual gasoline use.
China is the world’s third largest bioethanol producer and uses nearly 2.6 million tons a year. Gasoline blended with ethanol accounts for one fi fth of its annual gasoline consumption.
According to the plan， China aims to build an advanced liquid biofuel system and put into operation a demonstrative facility that will be able to produce 50，000 tons of cellulosic ethanol a year by 2020.
China launched corn-to-ethanol pilot programs in 2004 as part of efforts to cut emissions and advance new energy.
CPI and PPI
China’s consumer inflation picked up in August， driven by higher food prices， while factory-gate prices also rose， fueled by rising commodities costs.
The consumer price index （CPI）， a main gauge of infl ation， acceler- ated more than expected to a sevenmonth high of 1.8 percent in August， up from July’s 1.4 percent and exceeding market expectations of 1.6 percent， according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics（NBS） on September 9. For the fi rst eight months of the year， CPI climbed 1.5 percent on an annual basis.
The stronger， yet still moderate， infl ation remained well below the government’s annual infl ation target of around 3 percent for 2017.
NBS’s chief statistician Sheng Guoqing attributed the faster CPI growth to higher food prices， as adverse weather pushed up vegetable prices， while falling output led to a sharp growth in egg prices.
The producer price index （PPI）， which measures the costs of goods at the factory gate， rose to a fourmonth high of 6.3 percent in August， according to the NBS.
PPI growth， which was higher than the market forecast of 5.7 percent， was boosted by increases in the prices of steel， non-ferrous metals and oil and natural gas.
Producer prices accelerated upward， a signifi cant positive indicator for China’s economy which will help drive profi ts higher and enable companies to process their debt burdens a little more easily， Bloomberg chief Asia economist Tom Orlik said.
However， Orlik said factory sector refl ation remained vulnerable. The sector breakdown showed factory refl ation was benefi ting mainly upstream industries， with downstream industries squeezed.
PPI grew 6.4 percent year on year for January-August， fl at with the fi gure for the fi rst seven months.
Orlik said the central bank would continue dealing with deleveraging challenges and would not hasten monetary easing.
Green Factory
An aerial photo of a factory under construction at an industrial park for intelligent manufacturing equipment in Dalian， northeast China’s Liaoning Province， on September 13.
After its completion， the 250，000-square-meter factory for machine tool production will be covered with soil in order to maintain the temperature and humidity inside at certain levels.
Land Compensation
The fi rst land compensation funds were granted on September 9 to a farmer who gave up his land for the Xiongan New Area.
The new area， which covers Xiongxian， Rongcheng and Anxin counties in Hebei Province， is about 100 km south of central Beijing. It will facilitate the coordinated development of Beijing and the surrounding region.
A temporary administrative center will be built in Rongcheng. For the construction， about 1，000 mu （about 66.7 hectares） of land was taken from 240 farming households.
The affected farmers can receive 1，500 yuan （$231.6） per mu annually as compensation， and another 1，500 yuan in compensation for agricultural losses. Jiang Junming from Mazhuang Village was the f rist to sign a land contract with the local government. He received 4，147.5 yuan （$635） as compensation on September 9.
“The amount is greater than what I can earn from [growing] crops on the land，” he said. “I am proud as a native of Xiongan. Our lives will surely be better in the future.”
The temporary administrative center will include the Party working committee of Xiongan， its management committee and offices of some enterprises in the new area， as well as serve other functions such as hosting receptions， conferences and exhibitions.
Toward an Intelligent Era
A robot delivers orange juice to visitors during the China-ASEAN Expo in Nanning， capital of south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region， on September 12. It was the fi rst time the expo had dedicated a sector to intelligent manufacturing equipment， featuring unmanned aerial vehicles， intelligent robots and 3D printing.
Combating Money Laundering
A senior central bank offi cial on September 11 stressed the need for increased efforts to combat money laundering.
Yin Yong， Vice Governor of the People’s Bank of China， said authorities should take fi ghting money laundering as an important task in“preventing and controlling fi nancial risks and safeguarding fi nancial system security.”
China faces a “severe and complicated” situation concerning combating money laundering amid rising fi nancial risks and even stricter international standards on fi ghting money laundering， Yin said at a briefi ng.
He said there should be rigorous efforts to prevent and control money laundering and terrorist fi nancing and more reform to improve the nation’s mechanisms to counter money laundering， terrorist fi nancing and tax evasion.
Services Outsourcing
China’s services outsourcing industry’s combined contracts grew by an average of 54 percent each year from 2006 to 2016， a senior offi cial said on September 12.
Businesses agreed services outsourcing contracts worth $1.38 billion in 2006 and $106 billion in 2016. China’s share of the global market rose from less than 1 percent to 33 percent during the period and now ranks second， said Xian Guoyi， head of the Ministry of Commerce’s Services Trade Department， adding the next decade will continue to witness huge growth.
Services outsourcing created 1.21 million new jobs in China last year， bringing the nation’s total number of people employed in the sector to 8.6 million. Support for Small Companies
Offi cials and experts from members of the Asia-Pacifi c Economic Cooperation （APEC） and international organizations gathered on September 12 in Viet Nam’s Ho Chi Minh City to seek ways of supporting micro， small and medium-sized enterprises （MSMEs）.
At the APEC Workshop on Enabling MSME Access to the Digital Economy， delegates discussed measures to create more favorable conditions， fully tap fl ows of information and sharpen digital skills to enable MSMEs to join the digital economy.
The digital economy will create more opportunities for MSMEs to take part in global value chains and bring about equal and sustainable development for them， according to the workshop.
However， MSMEs often face obstacles in expanding their business in the digital economy due to difficulties relating to broadband Internet connections， personal information security， awareness of online presence and development， and the high cost of information technology equipment.
During the APEC 2017 StartUp Forum， delegates discussed measures to enable MSMEs to innovate and have access to and integrate into global value chains right at their nascent stage as well as measures to speed up sustainable and environment-friendly socioeconomic growth.
They exchanged views on issues such as innovative start-ups in the digital era， entrepreneurship education and training， business services for start-ups， and sustainable business start-ups.
The forum created an opportunity for APEC member economies to share experiences， ideas and tools related to supporting business startups and， thereby， to form a dynamic and networked APEC start-ups community.
Fresh on Board
People select newly caught fi sh from fi shing boats at Xintangcun port in Changxing County， east China’s Zhejiang Province， on September 9. A 20-day fi shing season on Taihu Lake， one of China’s fi ve largest inland lakes， started in early September.
The Three Gorges project initiated the test that day to increase its water level to the design maximum of 175 meters above sea level， as required by the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters. The project’s reservoir is expected to reach the high mark at the end of October or beginning of November.
P2P Fraud
Twenty-six executives of a Chinese online peer-to-peer （P2P） lender on September 12 were handed jail terms ranging from three years to life imprisonment for cheating the public out of large amounts of money.
Anhui Yucheng and Yucheng Global， operators of online P2P lender Ezubao， and 10 company executives， including Yucheng Chairman Ding Ning， were found guilty of fundraising fraud， said the Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People’s Court.
Another 16 were convicted of illegally absorbing public deposits.
Yucheng Global and Anhui Yucheng were ordered to pay fi nes of 1.8 billion yuan （$278 million） and 100 million yuan （$15.31 million）， respectively， the court said.
Ding and his younger brother Ding Dian were both sentenced to life in prison and were fi ned 100 million yuan and 70 million yuan（$10.72 million）， respectively.
The remaining 24 received jail terms ranging from three to 15 years， the court said. They were also deprived of political rights and issued with fi nes.
Some of the defendants were also convicted of other crimes， including smuggling precious metals as well as illegal possession of guns and border crossing.
The court found that Anhui Yucheng and Yucheng Global had raised a huge amount of funds by faking high-yield investment products on two online P2P platforms， Ezubao and Sesame Financial， without a banking license between June 2014 and December 2015.
A majority of the money was spent lavishly on luxury gifts and salaries and used to purchase sales fi rms and return principal sums and high interest to some investors.
Police have seized cash and other assets from the P2P lender and are recovering more to retrieve investors’ losses.
The court said the defendants have infl icted huge losses on investors in many parts of China and disrupted the national fi nancial management system and thus should be given harsh penalties.
Earlier， police found that Ezubao cheated about 900，000 investors out of more than 50 billion yuan（$7.7 billion）. In early 2016， Zhang Min， President of Yucheng Global and one of the convicts， said that Ezubao was nothing but a Ponzi scheme. She claimed that senior executives were fully aware of the nature of the business.
Red Cross Societies
China has issued new rules to boost the transparency of its Red Cross societies， requiring the charity organizations to regularly make public the use of donations.
Red Cross societies should apply to civil affairs departments for fundraising permission， according to a circular released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs （MCA） and Red Cross Society of China （RCSC）.
Online philanthropy by Red Cross societies should be launched through charity websites that are approved by the MCA， said the document.
Red Cross societies are required to submit annual reports on donations and their use to civil affairs departments and publish such information for public scrutiny， it added.
China’s Red Cross societies have grappled with a crisis of trust after a string of embezzlement scandals over the past few years have put a dent in the sector’s credibility.
The most famous case revolved around a young woman named Guo Meimei， who claimed to work for an organization under the RCSC and boasted of a lavish lifestyle on her microblog account.
Although Guo was later found to have not been employed by the RCSC， the incident prompted worries of charity fund embezzlement and triggered calls for stricter scrutiny.
City of Peace
Nanjing has become China’s fi rst International City of Peace.
During the notorious Nanjing Massacre during World War II， about 300，000 Chinese people lost their lives and 20，000 women were raped， said J. Fred Arment， Executive Director of International Cities of Peace in a video speech.
This history makes people remember the war and makes them more aware of the signifi cance of peace， he said.
Nanjing， in east China’s Jiangsu Province， was an ancient capital for six of China’s dynasties. The freezing winter of 1937 saw brutal killing by invading Japanese troops. One person was killed every 12 seconds on average.
A total of 172 cities in about 50 countries and regions are now on the International Cities of Peace list， according to its website， including Coventry in England， Bern in Switzerland， Amsterdam in the Netherlands and Berlin in Germany.
Liu Cheng， head of the Institute for Peace Studies at Nanjing University， said there were certain requirements for becoming an International City of Peace. “For instance， the city might be traumatized by war or have witnessed big peace-related events，”he said. “It should also be advanced in peace studies and activities.”
More than two years ago， the Institute for Peace Studies at Nanjing University， together with the Institute of Nanjing Massacre History and International Peace， submitted an application to the International Cities of Peace organization.
“What was left by history was not hatred， but our awareness of peace，” he said.
“Nanjing is among the cities that felt the greatest pain in World War II， and the Nanjing Massacre left us indelible memories，” said Zhang Jianjun， Executive Chairman of the Institute of Nanjing Massacre History and International Peace. “So we understand better how valuable peace is.”
Peace education has long been emphasized in Nanjing. Nanjing University was the fi rst university to conduct research on peace studies in China.
Kawasaki Akira， a representative with Japanese NGO Peace Boat， said the designation of Nanjing as an International City of Peace could help China cherish peace and Japan refl ect on itself.
“Peace does not only mean ‘no war，’” said Lee Ji Won， a professor at Daelim College in the Republic of Korea. “Peace also means reducing violence， improving justice and safeguarding human rights.”
“Peace is the only way out for human beings，” said Cao Lubao， a publicity offi cial with Nanjing.“People from all countries should take lessons from history and enhance communication.”
Cultural Fusion
An exhibitor shows modern Peking Opera costumes at the 12th China Beijing International Cultural & Creative Industry Expo （ICCIE） in Beijing on September 11.
During the three-day event， more than 80 delegations and 1，800 exhibitors attended over 100 activities including exhibitions， forums and trade promotions to facilitate cultural cooperation between China and foreign countries.
Road Accidents
The Ministry of Public Security has issued warnings about road accidents related to the fast-growing food delivery business in cities.
In east China’s Nanjing alone， three people died and 2，473 were injured in 3，242 road accidents related to such services in the fi rst half of this year， according to fi gures released by the ministry’s Traffi c Management Bureau.
Seventy-six such cases occurred in Shanghai Municipality in the same period， according to the bureau. Delivery workers riding electric bikes are frequently seen racing through streets， as a growing number of people， especially the young， order food online.
Some delivery staff use their mobile phone while driving， and some have been caught violating regulations， including speeding or running red lights， according to the bureau.
The bureau stressed abiding by laws and regulations and urged online catering companies to raise the safety awareness of delivery workers.
More， But Not Merrier
A worker arranges shared bikes parked under the Guomao Bridge in Beijing on September 7. The capital will prohibit any increase of shared bikes in the city， local authorities announced. Currently， Beijing has 2.35 million shared bikes from 15 companies on its streets.
Despite their role in promoting low-carbon transportation and alleviating congestion， shared bikes， whose numbers surged in top-tier cities in the past year， are often haphazardly parked， causing obstructions in crowded areas such as around subway entrances and shopping mall entrances.
Bioethanol Fuel
China plans to use ethanol gasoline across the country by 2020， the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration （NEA） said on September 13.
“The plan was unveiled as the country pushes the use of biofuel， which is renewable， applicable， environment-friendly and tech-savvy. It is an ideal alternative to fossil fuels，”a senior NEA offi cial said.
More than 40 countries and regions consume about 600 million tons of ethanol fuel every year， accounting for around 60 percent of the world’s annual gasoline use.
China is the world’s third largest bioethanol producer and uses nearly 2.6 million tons a year. Gasoline blended with ethanol accounts for one fi fth of its annual gasoline consumption.
According to the plan， China aims to build an advanced liquid biofuel system and put into operation a demonstrative facility that will be able to produce 50，000 tons of cellulosic ethanol a year by 2020.
China launched corn-to-ethanol pilot programs in 2004 as part of efforts to cut emissions and advance new energy.
CPI and PPI
China’s consumer inflation picked up in August， driven by higher food prices， while factory-gate prices also rose， fueled by rising commodities costs.
The consumer price index （CPI）， a main gauge of infl ation， acceler- ated more than expected to a sevenmonth high of 1.8 percent in August， up from July’s 1.4 percent and exceeding market expectations of 1.6 percent， according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics（NBS） on September 9. For the fi rst eight months of the year， CPI climbed 1.5 percent on an annual basis.
The stronger， yet still moderate， infl ation remained well below the government’s annual infl ation target of around 3 percent for 2017.
NBS’s chief statistician Sheng Guoqing attributed the faster CPI growth to higher food prices， as adverse weather pushed up vegetable prices， while falling output led to a sharp growth in egg prices.
The producer price index （PPI）， which measures the costs of goods at the factory gate， rose to a fourmonth high of 6.3 percent in August， according to the NBS.
PPI growth， which was higher than the market forecast of 5.7 percent， was boosted by increases in the prices of steel， non-ferrous metals and oil and natural gas.
Producer prices accelerated upward， a signifi cant positive indicator for China’s economy which will help drive profi ts higher and enable companies to process their debt burdens a little more easily， Bloomberg chief Asia economist Tom Orlik said.
However， Orlik said factory sector refl ation remained vulnerable. The sector breakdown showed factory refl ation was benefi ting mainly upstream industries， with downstream industries squeezed.
PPI grew 6.4 percent year on year for January-August， fl at with the fi gure for the fi rst seven months.
Orlik said the central bank would continue dealing with deleveraging challenges and would not hasten monetary easing.
Green Factory
An aerial photo of a factory under construction at an industrial park for intelligent manufacturing equipment in Dalian， northeast China’s Liaoning Province， on September 13.
After its completion， the 250，000-square-meter factory for machine tool production will be covered with soil in order to maintain the temperature and humidity inside at certain levels.
Land Compensation
The fi rst land compensation funds were granted on September 9 to a farmer who gave up his land for the Xiongan New Area.
The new area， which covers Xiongxian， Rongcheng and Anxin counties in Hebei Province， is about 100 km south of central Beijing. It will facilitate the coordinated development of Beijing and the surrounding region.
A temporary administrative center will be built in Rongcheng. For the construction， about 1，000 mu （about 66.7 hectares） of land was taken from 240 farming households.
The affected farmers can receive 1，500 yuan （$231.6） per mu annually as compensation， and another 1，500 yuan in compensation for agricultural losses. Jiang Junming from Mazhuang Village was the f rist to sign a land contract with the local government. He received 4，147.5 yuan （$635） as compensation on September 9.
“The amount is greater than what I can earn from [growing] crops on the land，” he said. “I am proud as a native of Xiongan. Our lives will surely be better in the future.”
The temporary administrative center will include the Party working committee of Xiongan， its management committee and offices of some enterprises in the new area， as well as serve other functions such as hosting receptions， conferences and exhibitions.
Toward an Intelligent Era
A robot delivers orange juice to visitors during the China-ASEAN Expo in Nanning， capital of south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region， on September 12. It was the fi rst time the expo had dedicated a sector to intelligent manufacturing equipment， featuring unmanned aerial vehicles， intelligent robots and 3D printing.
Combating Money Laundering
A senior central bank offi cial on September 11 stressed the need for increased efforts to combat money laundering.
Yin Yong， Vice Governor of the People’s Bank of China， said authorities should take fi ghting money laundering as an important task in“preventing and controlling fi nancial risks and safeguarding fi nancial system security.”
China faces a “severe and complicated” situation concerning combating money laundering amid rising fi nancial risks and even stricter international standards on fi ghting money laundering， Yin said at a briefi ng.
He said there should be rigorous efforts to prevent and control money laundering and terrorist fi nancing and more reform to improve the nation’s mechanisms to counter money laundering， terrorist fi nancing and tax evasion.
Services Outsourcing
China’s services outsourcing industry’s combined contracts grew by an average of 54 percent each year from 2006 to 2016， a senior offi cial said on September 12.
Businesses agreed services outsourcing contracts worth $1.38 billion in 2006 and $106 billion in 2016. China’s share of the global market rose from less than 1 percent to 33 percent during the period and now ranks second， said Xian Guoyi， head of the Ministry of Commerce’s Services Trade Department， adding the next decade will continue to witness huge growth.
Services outsourcing created 1.21 million new jobs in China last year， bringing the nation’s total number of people employed in the sector to 8.6 million. Support for Small Companies
Offi cials and experts from members of the Asia-Pacifi c Economic Cooperation （APEC） and international organizations gathered on September 12 in Viet Nam’s Ho Chi Minh City to seek ways of supporting micro， small and medium-sized enterprises （MSMEs）.
At the APEC Workshop on Enabling MSME Access to the Digital Economy， delegates discussed measures to create more favorable conditions， fully tap fl ows of information and sharpen digital skills to enable MSMEs to join the digital economy.
The digital economy will create more opportunities for MSMEs to take part in global value chains and bring about equal and sustainable development for them， according to the workshop.
However， MSMEs often face obstacles in expanding their business in the digital economy due to difficulties relating to broadband Internet connections， personal information security， awareness of online presence and development， and the high cost of information technology equipment.
During the APEC 2017 StartUp Forum， delegates discussed measures to enable MSMEs to innovate and have access to and integrate into global value chains right at their nascent stage as well as measures to speed up sustainable and environment-friendly socioeconomic growth.
They exchanged views on issues such as innovative start-ups in the digital era， entrepreneurship education and training， business services for start-ups， and sustainable business start-ups.
The forum created an opportunity for APEC member economies to share experiences， ideas and tools related to supporting business startups and， thereby， to form a dynamic and networked APEC start-ups community.
Fresh on Board
People select newly caught fi sh from fi shing boats at Xintangcun port in Changxing County， east China’s Zhejiang Province， on September 9. A 20-day fi shing season on Taihu Lake， one of China’s fi ve largest inland lakes， started in early September.