IN BRIEF (Page 18)

Creative industry to get boost in Beijing

Beijing plans to build one of China's largest industrial clusters in the city's suburbs in an attempt to boost its creative industries.

"China Creative City", to be established in the Yizhuang Economic and Technology Development Zone in southeastern Beijing, will help creative start-ups with research and development before their products enter mass production, said Yang Zhiyong, secretary-general of the China Creative Industry Alliance.

With an investment of more than 5 billion yuan ($815.9 million), the initiative will help generate about 10,000 jobs in the area. The 127,000 square meter park is expected to be completed in three years, Yang said.Beijing is intensifying development efforts for creative industries. The city plans to build 20 such industrial parks on an area of 442 square km by the year 2020.

Kingdomway signs deal with La Liga

Shenzhen-listed Xiamen Kingdomway Group Co and La Liga, Spain's professional soccer league, agreed to a deal on April 20 for the Chinese nutritional products producer to become the league's official health food partner in the Chinese mainland. "The league is one of the most popular in the world and has a remarkable influence in China," said Jiang Bin, Kingdomway's chairman. The company will launch a series of TV, Internet and mobile media promotions.

Textile firms adjusting to environmental rules

Output from textile companies in China rose 7 percent last year, with profits up by 9 percent and exports rising by 5.1 percent, an industry association said. Although conditions are improving, companies are being forced to speed up structural adjustments, said Yang Donghui, a consultant to the China National Textile and Apparel Council, on April 16. Environmental protection and energy conservation have become "unavoidable requirements" for the sector, Yang said, and companies that cannot meet the government's standards may be driven out of business.

Online energy-efficiency website being planned

A National Energy Administration action plan is in the pipeline for the creation of an online portal promoting the efficient use of clean energy in China. According to a report in the Shanghai Securities News on April 20, the project is likely to be finished within three months, with the administration launching the website by the end of the year. Large-scale power generation groups, power grid corporations, private Internet firms, research agencies, new-energy automakers and colleges and universities are likely to join forces in creating the site.

GM's JV to spend $16b to boost sales by 2020

General Motors' joint venture with SAIC Motor Corp in China plans to spend 100 billion yuan ($16 billion) by 2020 as global automakers step up investment to compete for market share in the world's largest car market. Shanghai GM is targeting a market share of more than 10 percent within five years, said Wang Yongqing, president of the venture, speaking in Shanghai ahead of the city's auto show on April 21.

Vehicle sales growth to be less than 7 percent

Vehicle sales will grow less than the industry forecast of 7 percent this year in China as the national economy slows down and more cities impose restrictions on vehicle registrations, according to the head of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. "Even though we don't like it, it will become the new normal that more cities will start limiting vehicle purchases every year," said Dong Yang, the association's secretary-general.

(China Daily European Weekly 04/24/2015 page18)