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Straits Times
a day ago
- Straits Times
Explosion at fireworks factory in southern China kills 9, injures 26
BEIJING – An explosion at a fireworks factory in the southern Chinese province of Hunan killed nine people and injured 26 others, the state-run Xinhua news agency said on June 17. The blast occurred at around 8.23am local time on June 16 at a factory owned by the Hunan Shanzhou Fireworks Company in a mountainous area just over 60km north of the city of Changde. Videos published by state media showed black and grey smoke rising into the sky as fireworks exploded out of a raging fire while emergency services surveyed the scene. A team from the Ministry of Emergency Management was also sent to the site, Xinhua said. The blast comes just weeks after an explosion at a chemical plant in north-eastern China that killed at least five people, and highlights the risk in storage of hazardous and flammable chemicals in the world's top manufacturer despite years of crackdown on unsafe practices. Two massive explosions at warehouses in the port city of Tianjin in 2015 killed over 170 people and injured 700, prompting the government to overhaul its chemical storage laws. It took firefighters more than 20 hours to contain the June 16 blaze, according to local media. The governor of Hunan province, Mr Mao Weiming, visited the site on June 17 and urged the local authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of the explosion and hold those responsible to account, local media reported. Hunan Shanzhou Fireworks Company, headquartered in Changde, was established in 2017 and employs 95 people, according to company information tracker Qichacha. It produces the chemicals used for making explosives, detonators and fireworks. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
South China Morning Post
10-04-2025
- Automotive
- South China Morning Post
Ex-Tesla Optimus engineer leaves to launch robotics start-up in Palo Alto, Shenzhen
A former Tesla engineer has left the company's humanoid robot project, Optimus, to co-found a robotics start-up with operations in Palo Alto, California, and Shenzhen amid intensifying competition in the industry. Advertisement Shuo Yang, who was a robotics and machine learning engineer at Tesla, announced in posts on X and LinkedIn on Wednesday that he had quit the electric vehicle company to start Mondo Tech with a former colleague from his days at DJI, China's top drone maker. Mondo Tech aims to build 'smaller, more accessible robots' for consumer use, he wrote. The products will be 'mini robots that can serve as little friends in people's lives', according to the engineer, who added that the inspiration for the move came from his desire to build a companion robot for his son. The new company was established in Shenzhen in January with 1 million yuan (US$136,500) in registered capital, according to Chinese corporate database Qichacha. Gao Jianrong, a former director at DJI who oversaw the company's RoboMaster robotics competition, is listed as the start-up's director, according to corporate data tracker ITJuzi. Mondo Tech joins a growing list of robotics ventures attracting Chinese talent from US tech giants, as the race to produce artificial intelligence (AI) -powered machines – for both factory and household use – heats up. Advertisement Yang, a graduate of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Carnegie Mellon University, is part of a wave of engineers pivoting to consumer-facing robots.
Japan Times
22-03-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
China's restaurants race to the bottom in deflation-hit economy
In a dilapidated warehouse on the outskirts of the Chinese capital, businessman An Dawei inspected rows of giant fridges, industrial hobs and commercial bread ovens waiting to be resold to dining establishments. "For the average person, opening a restaurant is almost a guaranteed failure," said the 38-year-old who sells used kitchen equipment. Behind every appliance is the tale of a failed Beijing restaurant, set up by those who often bet their life savings on a V-shaped economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic, only to see consumers skimp on eating out as China's economy slowed. That unleashed a price war in which food providers are offering coffees at 9.9 yuan ($1.40) and four-person set meals at 99 yuan ($14). Expanding domestic demand is the top priority this year for China's rulers, looking to offset the impact of U.S. tariffs and a protracted property crisis. But consumer inflation fell in February at the quickest pace since January 2024, setting off concerns about a deflationary spiral. Workers load equipment collected from a bakery that has gone out of business onto a truck in Beijing in December last year. | REUTERS Last year, An and his team dismantled 200 restaurants each month, or 270% more than the prior year, as the number of dissolved catering companies touched a historic high of almost 3 million nationwide, data from companies registry Qichacha shows. "In first-tier cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, the monthly restaurant closure rate exceeds 10%, sometimes even surpassing 15%," said An. At restaurants closing across the capital, his teams of workers stacked chairs, ovens, storage units and baking trolleys, using forklifts to load some on to vehicles to be taken away, while at one site a purchaser carried away tables. The company's revenue fell by just over a fifth in 2024, An said, as more smaller, low-overhead stores opened, such as drink shops and bakeries, which need a smaller outlay on equipment. In a deserted mall near Beijing's Olympic Park, the manager of a bakery franchise blamed high rents of 50,000 yuan ($6,900) per month and low foot traffic for its failure after 14 months. "There are shops next door with similar products that don't taste as good, but are 10 yuan cheaper. Normal people will basically buy the cheaper product," said the manager, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "People just have no money. Or if they do, they're unwilling to spend like before, because it's so hard to come by." Workers load chairs onto a truck as they collect used commercial kitchen equipment from a hotpot restaurant that has gone out of business in Beijing last month. | REUTERS A restaurant in China has an average lifespan of just about 500 days, analysts say, falling to as low as a year in Beijing, where municipal data show net restaurant profits plunged 88% in the first half of 2024. "Mid-range enterprises are more likely to go bankrupt ... because they are not cost-effective," said food industry analyst Zhu Danpeng, referring to restaurants that charge 100 yuan to 120 yuan ($13 to $16) a person. Cut-throat competition on price and ever-changing menus to attract jaded customers have left many establishments struggling for survival, An said, adding that many had been forced to trim costs to about 70 yuan to 80 yuan ($9 to $11) a customer. At a key legislative session this month Chinese officials vowed greater efforts to crack down on "involution," or excessive competition, but the restaurant industry is one of the areas in which the problem is most visible. Many restaurants went out of business in 2024, slowing revenue growth in China's food and beverage industry to a paltry 5.3% from the 2023 figure of 20.4%. The survivors had to cut profit margins dramatically to stay in business. An traced the price war back to 2023, after China lifted pandemic curbs, which he said drove an influx of newcomers into the restaurant industry following mass layoffs in industries such as real estate, education, finance and tech. The vicious cycle of competition will ultimately cost consumers, An added. "Once (restaurants) can't lose money anymore, they will find ways to make a profit, and they can only do that by reducing the quality of ingredients," he said.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
China's 'restaurant undertaker' gets busy as eateries shut down
STORY: When a restaurant dies in China, it can look something like this: Hauling out huge fridges, industrial stoves, and bread ovens to cart away for resale. It's good business for this team led by An Dawei known as the 'restaurant undertaker.' Behind every appliance is another tale of a failed restaurant here in Beijing - -part of a wider story of China's slow economy. 'This shop behind me, this is actually the second time we've dismantled it. Two years ago, the previous owner also contacted us to recycle the restaurants' kitchenware. Just around the corner, there's another one we acquired right before Chinese New Year. We come to this area quite frequently since restaurant closures happen often here.' Last year, An and his team dismantled 200 restaurants each month, which they say is two and half times more the year before. Numbers from data company Qichacha show that last year saw 3 million catering companies shut down across China. An, the 'undertaker', says many failed restaurants were started by people investing their life savings, hoping for a V-shaped recovery after the pandemic. "At the beginning of 2023, we saw an increasing number of people from the real estate, education, finance, and internet industries entering the restaurant business. These industries experienced mass layoffs, leaving many unemployed with little to do. With some severance payouts in hand, they opted to invest in the restaurant industry. Since larger businesses require significant startup capital, many saw the restaurant business as something they could manage." But things turned out differently: China's economy stayed sluggish and consumers cut back on dining out. That led to a race to the bottom: businesses repeatedly lowering prices to outdo each other, which in turn ate into profits. As restaurant closures rise, An says even long-established businesses are at risk. "Restaurants that have been operating for more than five years made up more than 9% of our collection of closed restaurants. Previously, we had never seen such a high number of long-established restaurants shutting down. This indicates that even experienced restaurant owners, with deep industry knowledge, are still losing money. I believe this reflects a significant decline in consumer spending, people simply aren't dining out as much as before." Boosting local demand is the Chinese government's main focus this year as it tries to counter the effects of U.S. tariffs and a long-running property crisis. But in February this year, consumer prices dropped the most since January 2024, raising worries about a possible deflationary spiral. In a meeting this month, Chinese officials promised to address what they called 'involution,' or too much competition, with the restaurant industry as a key example. An said in first-tier cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen, the monthly restaurant closure rate exceeds 10%, and in some months, it even surpasses 15%. He says that means for an average person, opening a restaurant is almost a guaranteed failure. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
China's restaurants race to the bottom in deflation-hit economy
By Laurie Chen, Tingshu Wang and Xiaoyu Yin BEIJING (Reuters) - In a dilapidated warehouse on the outskirts of the Chinese capital, businessman An Dawei inspected rows of giant fridges, industrial hobs and commercial bread ovens waiting to be resold to dining establishments. "For the average person, opening a restaurant is almost a guaranteed failure," said the 38-year-old who sells used kitchen equipment. Behind every appliance is the tale of a failed Beijing restaurant, set up by those who often bet their life savings on a V-shaped economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic, only to see consumers skimp on eating out as China's economy slowed. That unleashed a price war in which food providers are offering coffees at 9.9 yuan ($1.40) and four-person set meals at 99 yuan ($14). Expanding domestic demand is the top priority this year for China's rulers, looking to offset the impact of U.S. tariffs and a protracted property crisis. But consumer inflation fell in February at the quickest pace since January 2024, setting off concerns about a deflationary spiral. Last year, An and his team dismantled 200 restaurants each month, or 270% more than the prior year, as the number of dissolved catering companies touched a historic high of almost 3 million nationwide, data from companies registry Qichacha shows. "In first-tier cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, the monthly restaurant closure rate exceeds 10%, sometimes even surpassing 15%," said An. At restaurants closing across the capital, his teams of workers stacked chairs, ovens, storage units and baking trolleys, using forklifts to load some on to vehicles to be taken away, while at one site a purchaser carried away tables. The company's revenue fell by just over a fifth in 2024, An said, as more smaller, low-overhead stores opened, such as drink shops and bakeries, which need a smaller outlay on equipment. In a deserted mall near Beijing's Olympic Park, the manager of a bakery franchise blamed high rents of 50,000 yuan ($6,900) per month and low foot traffic for its failure after 14 months. "There are shops next door with similar products that don't taste as good, but are 10 yuan cheaper. Normal people will basically buy the cheaper product," said the manager, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "People just have no money. Or if they do, they're unwilling to spend like before, because it's so hard to come by." VICIOUS CYCLE A restaurant in China has an average lifespan of just about 500 days, analysts say, falling to as low as a year in Beijing, where municipal data show net restaurant profits plunged 88% in the first half of 2024. "Mid-range enterprises are more likely to go bankrupt ... because they are not cost-effective," said food industry analyst Zhu Danpeng, referring to restaurants that charge 100 yuan to 120 yuan ($13 to $16) a person. Cut-throat competition on price and ever-changing menus to attract jaded customers have left many establishments struggling for survival, An said, adding that many had been forced to trim costs to about 70 yuan to 80 yuan ($9 to $11) a customer. At a key legislative session this month Chinese officials vowed greater efforts to crack down on "involution", or excessive competition, but the restaurant industry is one of the areas in which the problem is most visible. Many restaurants went out of business in 2024, slowing revenue growth in China's food and beverage industry to a paltry 5.3% from the 2023 figure of 20.4%. The survivors had to cut profit margins dramatically to stay in business. An traced the price war back to 2023, after China lifted pandemic curbs, which he said drove an influx of newcomers into the restaurant industry following mass layoffs in industries such as real estate, education, finance and tech. The vicious cycle of competition will ultimately cost consumers, An added. "Once (restaurants) can't lose money anymore, they will find ways to make a profit, and they can only do that by reducing the quality of ingredients," he said.
