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• Premier Wen Jiabao On Tie-Strengthening Visit To EU - Editor, 26 January 2009

With the spiraling global financial crisis high on his agenda, China’s Premier Wen Jiabao will be spending a week in Europe starting with the World Economic Forum in Davis, Switzerland on 27-28 January. From there the Premier will travel to Germany, followed by a visit to the headquarters of the European Union in Brussels, before heading for Spain and concluding his trip with a visit to Britain.

• Disappointing 2008 Results Expected For China’s Airlines - Editor, 19 January 2009

Citing shrinking passenger numbers and miscalculated fuel hedging contracts as primary reasons, China’s flag carrier Air China has revealed that it anticipates posting a significant loss for 2008. The announcement was made to the Shanghai Stock Exchange before the market opened for trading on Monday, although final audited results will only be released in April. This announcement proved to be especially disappointing in light of the fact that Air China was named as the sole airline sponsor of the 2008 Olympics held in Beijing, as well as joining the Star Alliance group of international air carriers during the year and therefore had expectations for a bumper year.

• China’s Toy Makers are Hit Hard by Global Economic Downturn - Editor, 12 January 2009

While organizers of Hong Kong’s 39th annual Toys & Games Fair, held over a period of four days during last week, maintain that the event was a success, Chinese toy makers exhibiting their wares at the fair are telling a different story. Hong Kong government officials went the extra mile to attract visitors to the fair, with around US$12.3 million being spent on promotions and subsidizing travel costs for more than one thousand potential buyers traveling from emerging markets including Eastern Europe, Russia, South America and the Middle East.

• 2008 Trade Surplus Hits Record High - Editor, 5 January 2009

China’s state-owned Xinhau News Agency has reported that the country’s trade surplus for 2008 is likely to exceed US$290 billion, with total foreign trade reaching US$2.55 trillion, reflecting an increase of 18 percent over 2007. This information was released by China’s General Administration of Customs and is seen by experts as encouraging, especially in light of the economic downturn being experienced virtually on a global scale.

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