logo
China's Li Qiang gives ‘Summer Davos' keynote in tense global atmosphere

China's Li Qiang gives ‘Summer Davos' keynote in tense global atmosphere

This live blog has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP's journalism by
subscribing . Get faster notifications on the latest updates by
downloading our app
Chinese Premier Li Qiang is scheduled to give the keynote speech at the Annual Meeting of the New Champions, also known as
'Summer Davos' , in the northern port city of Tianjin on Wednesday morning.
The world's second-largest economy has largely withstood the tariff war launched by US President Donald Trump in April, but it still faces external challenges. The
90-day trade truce with the United States is set to expire, tensions are still high with the European Union and conflicts rage in the Middle East, exacerbated by the US bombing of Iran nuclear facilities over the weekend.
To compensate, Beijing hopes to empower its domestic market while safeguarding its position in global supply chains. Top officials have already stepped up a charm offensive for foreign businesses and investors, and a
recently enacted law on the promotion of the private economy is intended to unleash entrepreneurship in the country and help drive its economic growth.
Reporting by Ji Siqi, Sylvia Ma, Alice Li and Frank Chen
More from our coverage:

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

BYD expands car-carrier fleet, Tesla's Robotaxi vs Baidu's Apollo Go: 7 EV reads
BYD expands car-carrier fleet, Tesla's Robotaxi vs Baidu's Apollo Go: 7 EV reads

South China Morning Post

time38 minutes ago

  • South China Morning Post

BYD expands car-carrier fleet, Tesla's Robotaxi vs Baidu's Apollo Go: 7 EV reads

We have put together stories from our coverage on electric and new energy vehicles from the past two weeks to help you stay informed. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing BYD, the world's largest electric vehicle (EV) maker, has taken delivery of two new car-carrying ships – the largest yet in a growing fleet – as it bets on export growth to counter brutal competition at home. Chinese smartphone and car maker Xiaomi has moved up the launch of its latest electric vehicle model amid strong consumer interest in the SUV, which is seen as a potential challenger to the dominance of Tesla's Model Y. Visitors look at a display at the booth of SemiDrive Technology at the 2023 Shanghai Auto Show. Chinese automotive chip firm SemiDrive will start supplying its cockpit system-on-a-chip (SoC) to an undisclosed European carmaker late next year, marking its first collaboration on the continent to push for global sales, a senior executive said.

How deep will China go as it aims to boost gold production by more than 5%?
How deep will China go as it aims to boost gold production by more than 5%?

South China Morning Post

time38 minutes ago

  • South China Morning Post

How deep will China go as it aims to boost gold production by more than 5%?

China plans to use new mining technology and also dig deeper to increase gold production over the next three years as demand for the precious metal soars amid rising geopolitical tensions. In the 2025-2027 gold industry development action plan released on Monday, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and eight other agencies pledged to increase China's gold reserves by 5 to 10 per cent and also raise gold output by more than 5 per cent. 'Gold is a strategic mineral resource with both commodity and currency attributes, and it is of great significance to maintaining national industrial and financial security,' the ministry said in a news release posted on its website. It said China's gold industry still faces significant challenges, such as insufficient resource security and difficulties in meeting demand from key technologies. 'The action plan is set to promote the high-quality development and high-level safety of the gold industry,' the ministry said. China has been the world's top gold consumer for 12 years, according to the China Gold Association, which said 985.31 tonnes were bought last year. Gold output stood at 377.24 tonnes last year, extending China's record as the world's largest producer to 18 years.

199 Hongkongers seek help after closure of ‘snow skin' mooncake inventor Taipan
199 Hongkongers seek help after closure of ‘snow skin' mooncake inventor Taipan

South China Morning Post

time44 minutes ago

  • South China Morning Post

199 Hongkongers seek help after closure of ‘snow skin' mooncake inventor Taipan

About 200 employees of a 41-year-old Hong Kong bakery chain, known for its 'snow skin' mooncakes, have sought help after the firm's abrupt closure, a trade union has said, with debts snowballing to more than HK$38 million (US$4.8 million). The Hotels, Food and Beverage Employees Association said on Wednesday that workers at Taipan Bread & Cakes had already anticipated a possible closure because the company had not recruited more employees for producing and packaging mooncakes in mid-June, when sales usually started, adding the number of affected staff members was expected to increase. 'Many staff members had worked there for a long time. They hoped the company was just handling cash flow issues, so they stayed to observe,' Nerine Yip Lau-ching, the association's general secretary, told a radio programme. According to Yip, the bakery chain had stopped paying wages since May and staff's Mandatory Provident Fund for one to two months. But some workers opted to stay and see if the company would resolve its financing problems. Taipan earned its reputation with the creation of snow skin, or snowy, mooncakes in 1989. Photo: Handout As of Tuesday, the association has offered help to 199 staff members, mostly factory workers. The amount of money owed has grown to more than HK$38 million, involving mostly unpaid wages, payment in lieu of notice, severance and long service payments. But Yip said she expected the local food industry to be able to absorb the workers from Taipan and revealed that a major bakery factory on Tuesday had expressed wishes to recruit the affected staff.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store