This Blog is also available as an RSS Feed

• China and Taiwan Continue to Strengthen Trading Ties - Editor, 18 January 2012

Having won the country's elections with 51.5 percent of votes cast, Taiwan's president Ma Ying-jeou will continue to push for the strengthening of ties between his country and mainland China. It was under Ma Ying-jeou's leadership that the two parties agreed in 2008 to end the ban on air, sea and postal links that had been put in place when Taiwan broke away from the People's Republic of China. The response to the lifting of these travel bans was very positive, with an estimated 1.3 million Chinese tourists flocking to Taiwan in 2010. Currently up to 550 flights travel between China's mainland and Taiwan each week, and bilateral trade has reached US$150 billion.

• China to Upgrade CNAPS for Cross-Border Trade - Editor, 4 January 2012

In its ongoing efforts to promote the use of the Chinese yuan as a cross-border trading currency, the People's Bank of China has revealed that it is in the process of upgrading its National Advanced Payment System, commonly referred to as CNAPS. Currently automated cross-border payments take place using major international currencies, primarily US dollars, with payments in yuan requiring a level of human intervention which increases transaction fees. In order for the yuan to be used efficiently as an international trade currency, processing fees need to be reduced and document flow needs to be streamlined.