IN BRIEF

Big-data lab to lift digital economy

China launched its first national engineering laboratory for big-data distribution and technology exchange on Mar 11. The move is aimed at boosting the country's digital economy and helping it compete in the global market. Yang Shanlin, director of the lab and an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, says the lab will seek breakthroughs in big-data research and application. It will also help the government better regulate the exchange and distribution process. "We will actively conduct research in the fundamental theories of big data, including data collection, open data and data security. In terms of applying big data to industries, we will build innovation centers and conduct research in key technologies for industries like finance, media, advanced manufacturing, energy, healthcare and education," Yang said, adding that the lab will conduct policy research to help set quality and service standards for big data.

Didi opens research lab in California

Didi Chuxing, China's largest ride-hailing company, has officially launched Didi Labs in Mountain View, California, to focus on intelligent driving technology and artificial intelligence-based security. The lab will be led by Gong Fengmin, vice-president of the Didi Research Institute. Dozens of leading data scientists and researchers have joined the team, including Charlie Miller, a key member of rival Uber Technologies' self-driving team, according to Didi. Didi says its current projects also cover cloud-based security, deep learning, human-machine interaction, computer vision and imaging. "Building on rich data and fast-evolving AI analytics, we will be working with cities and towns to build intelligent transportation ecosystems for the future," Didi CEO Cheng Wei says. Cheng says the launch of Didi Labs is a landmark in creating a global nexus of innovation. The lab will work in tandem with the broader Didi research network to advance the company's global strategy, apply research findings to products and services and help cities develop smart transportation infrastructure. Didi also expects to rapidly expand its US-based team of scientists and engineers over the course of the year.

Samsonite looking for Chinese travelers

One of the world's largest luggage makers, Samsonite International, is banking on e-commerce to fuel its China business, which the company expects to grow by 12 to 14 percent in the coming years. And it wants to see one-third of its sales generated online by 2022, up from 20 percent in 2016, says CEO Ramesh Tainwala. With the explosion of online shopping and a wealthier population eager to travel, China may overtake the United States as Samsonite's largest market in the short run, with sales likely to double in three to five years, Tainwala said at a media briefing in Shanghai.

Qualcomm adding to Guizhou venture

US chip giant Qualcomm Inc has upped the ante in its joint venture in China's Guizhou province, pouring another 1 billion yuan ($145 million; 136 million euros; 119 million), together with the local government, into Guizhou Huaxintong Semiconductor Technology. The move brings the total investment in Huaxintong, which is based in Guiyang, to 2.85 billion yuan. The joint venture was undertaken in 2016 by Qualcomm and the Guizhou provincial government to make server chips. Wang Kai, CEO of Huaxintong, says the company had received another 1 billion yuan, the second phase of a capital injection, from its two shareholders. Qualcomm owns a 45 percent stake in Huaxintong, with the Guizhou provincial government accounting for the balance. Wang says the new deal had not changed the shareholder structure.

Chinese TV shows go to Madagascar

Chinese TV programs, including 52 movies, will be broadcast on Malagasy National Television, according to a memorandum of understanding signed on Mar 10 by Madagascar's Minister of Communications Vonison Andrianjato and Chinese Ambassador Yang Xiaorong in Antananarivo. "The broadcast of these 52 movies, 10 television series, five cartoons and seven Chinese documentaries will attract great attention among the Malagasy people," the ambassador said during her speech.

China urges EU to ease export curbs

Premier Li Keqiang urged the European Union on March 15 to ease its high-tech export restrictions on China, responding to concerns over the bloc's trade deficit with the world's second-largest economy. "I believe that will make a big difference in our trade imbalance," Li said at a news conference at the end of the annual legislative session in Beijing. The EU is China's largest trading partner, while China is the EU's second-largest after the United States. "China has no intention to pursue a trade surplus. In fact, China prefers trade balance, otherwise it won't be sustainable," Li said, adding that European companies are situated at the higher end of the industrial chain and already making a lot of money on the Chinese market. China looks forward to a positive response from the EU regarding the ongoing Bilateral Investment Treaty, or BIT, negotiations, Li said, while promising that, even without a treaty at the moment, China will further open up its market to European companies and treat them the same as domestic ones.

Ant still expects to grab MoneyGram

Ant Financial Services Group said on Mar 15 it still expected to take over money-transfer network MoneyGram International Inc by the second half of 2017, despite an unexpected counterbid by a US competitor, which analysts said could threaten the deal. Ant Financial did not elaborate how it plans to close the deal on schedule, after US-based Euronet Worldwide Inc offered a higher bid on Mar 14 and argued that an all-US deal would avoid regulatory scrutiny of foreign bidders. "MoneyGram and Ant Financial continue to work cooperatively under the terms of our merger agreement, and together we are making progress on schedule toward obtaining all required regulatory and shareholder approvals," Ant Financial said in a statement.

Bicycle production nudges up slightly

China's biggest bicycle manufacturing center in Tianjin saw a slight increase in its output and export volumes last year. According to the Tianjin Municipal Bicycle Industry Association, more than 42.25 million bicycles were made in Tianjin in 2016, up 4.83 percent year-on-year. Bike exports totaled 21.26 million, up 5.3 percent year-on-year, according to city customs data. Chu Ning, deputy secretary-general of the association, says Tianjin's bicycle industry had stable output over the last few years. Bike sharing, which allows commuters to ride for as little as 1 yuan (15 cents; 0.14 eurous; 0.12) per hour, will boost the bicycle industry, Chu says.

E-commerce customer complaints rise in 2016

The number of Chinese e-commerce customer complaints increased by 14.8 percent year-on-year in 2016, according to a report released by China's E-Commerce Research Center. A total of 57 online retail shopping and service platforms, as well as internet finance companies, were involved in the complaints.