IN BRIEF (Page 24)

Govt body 'reviews' Apple complaint

China's State Administration for Industry and Commerce is reviewing an antitrust complaint accusing Apple Inc of abusing its dominant position in smartphone applications, sources say. The regulator is studying the information following a complaint filed on behalf of developers before deciding if a formal investigation is necessary, say the sources. The review is preliminary and Chinese antitrust agencies usually review such information before deciding whether an official probe is needed. Beijing-based law firm Daxiao, or Dare & Sure, said earlier in August it filed complaints on the developers' behalf with the SAIC and the National Development and Reform Commission. The lawyers accused Apple of removing apps without a proper explanation and taking an excessive 30 percent cut of in-app transactions, it said in an Aug 8 statement.

JAC teams up with Baidu on autonomous cars

China's JAC Motors said on Aug 29 that it will produce autonomous cars with the country's internet giant Baidu Inc, with the first mass-produced model scheduled to roll off the assembly line in 2019. The announcement came in Shanghai as the automaker delivered 32 cars to Baidu to collect information for high-definition maps. The cooperation comes within two months of Baidu's launching its Apollo plan, which aims to provide open, comprehensive and reliable software for the development of autonomous vehicles. JAC Motors said that Baidu will offer a comprehensive solution that covers high-definition maps as well as location, sensing, planning and decision-making technology. But the automaker did not reveal how it will acquire the important hardware required for such vehicles. Automotive suppliers, including Bosch, are currently involved in the Apollo plan.

Azerbaijan eyes wine trade

Azerbaijan intends to increase wine exports to China, the Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation said. The issue of expanding cooperation between Azerbaijan and China in the area of wine trade was discussed at a meeting between local winemakers and the trade representative of Azerbaijan in China, Teymur Nadiroglu, according to AZPROMO. During the meeting, the trade representative said that as a wine-producing country, Azerbaijan has a significant potential to increase wine supplies to China. China's wine imports have been showing rapid growth in both volume and value since 2015. The import market is dominated by French wine, which has a 40 percent market share.

Publications attract overseas publishers

Chinese publications attracted much attention from overseas publishers during the Beijing International Book Fair, from Aug 23 to 27, with many copyright deals being signed. The fair is now in its 24th year. More than 2,500 exhibitors from 89 countries and regions took part, with overseas exhibitors accounting for 58 percent. Around 40,000 books from more than 300 major Chinese publishers were on display. At the fair last year and the year before, the number of copyright trade agreements signed between Chinese and foreign companies exceeded 4,000 each year. At this year's fair, Chinese publishers continued their efforts to market their books both in paper and digital form.

Agreement to speed up innovation center

The State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission held a meeting with the municipal government of Shanghai on Aug 28, during which the two parties signed a strategic cooperation agreement aimed at accelerating the pace of building Shanghai into a globally influential science and technology innovation center. A number of State-owned enterprises have signed agreements with local administrative bodies and companies, but details of the agreement are not available.

Bulgarian, Chinese seek to boost cooperation

The Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Tianjin Sub-Council signed a memorandum of understanding on Aug 30 and called for expansion of cooperation. "Thanks to this memorandum, we can develop mutual cooperation in more areas and in more ways," Duan Yimin, vice-chairman of CCPIT Tianjin, said at the signing ceremony in the city. Duan, who led a business delegation from his city, said there was a traditional friendship between China and Bulgaria, a country along the route of China's Belt and Road Initiative. Duan also said the total investment between Tianjin and Bulgaria had reached over $85 million, and last year the trade between his city and the Balkan country exceeded $52 million. BCCI's President Tsvetan Simeonov in turn hoped for a pragmatic implementation of the memorandum and the exchange of more delegations. According to Simeonov, Chinese companies could benefit from the favorable location of Bulgaria and good conditions for doing business. According to Bulgaria's Ministry of Economy, China is traditionally Bulgaria's largest trading partner in Asia, with bilateral trade reaching $1.63 billion in 2016.

Embraer: Demand for regional jets to surge

China will need 1,070 regional jets with 70 to 130 seats over the next 20 years, making it the third-largest regional aviation market after the United States and Europe, according to the latest report released on Aug 29 by Brazil-based aircraft manufacturer Embraer SA. From 2017 to 2036, demand for regional jets in China will account for 17 percent of the total. Last year, there were 137 such aircraft in operation in China, said Embraer SA, the third-largest aircraft manufacturer after Boeing Co and Airbus Group SE. Currently, Embraer accounts for 61 percent of global deliveries in the 70-to 130-seat jet segment, followed by Bombardier Inc of Canada and Russia's Sukhoi, respectively taking 31 percent and 4 percent of the market.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 09/01/2017 page24)