Xi's measures bolstering confidence

Top entrepreneurs from China have responded positively to President Xi Jinping's emphasis on providing more support to private enterprises, and said they will step up efforts to boost innovation and take the initiative to shore up economic growth.

Equities recover on mainland bourses as sentiment improves

Equities staged a smart recovery on the mainland bourses on Friday, in tandem with other Asian bourses, as sentiment improved on signs of a thaw in trade tensions and efforts by the country to boost the private sector, analysts said.

DHL Express to lift investment in services

German logistics giant DHL Express announced on Friday that it will increase its investment in China, including expanding service facilities in Hong Kong and Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, and increasing freight flight services from South China to Germany.

BRI to strengthen China, Latin America ties

The Belt and Road Initiative will help to facilitate infrastructure construction in Latin America and enable stronger connections with China, said a senior government official from Uruguay.

IN BRIEF (Page 5)

Nonpublic sector still indispensable

Some recent irresponsible comments suggesting it is time for the nonpublic sector to be incorporated into the public economy have understandably spooked private entrepreneurs.

Green light for cooperation in third-party markets

DURING JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER SHINZO ABE'S visit to Beijing last week an agreement was reached on further cooperation between China and Japan in various industries and in third-party markets. China Watch, a think tank affiliated to China Daily, comments:

Renminbi gains ground as global reserve currency

Editor's note: The Philippine Renminbi Trade Dealer Association was established in Manila on Tuesday. This is another important step in the renminbi's internationalization after China and Japan signed a currency swap agreement last week. Zhong Sheng, a columnist for People's Daily, comments:

China cannot rest on its laurels, it must continue to make doing business easier

ON THURSDAY, the World Bank released a report Doing Business 2019: Training for Reform, which ranks China 46th worldwide on its "ease of doing business" list. China Daily writer Zhang Zhouxiang comments:

Sanctions backtrack shows US out of step with the world

In a surprise move, the United States has said that it will likely give waivers to some allies that rely on Iranian oil supplies.

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Private economy's position is assured

The private economy has played (and continues to play) a key role in China's economic development. China has more than 70 million individual businesses and more than 30 million private enterprises, which account for more than 50 percent the country's fiscal revenue, over 60 percent fixed-asset investment, more than 70 percent innovations and over 80 percent urban employment.