Measures to reduce the Air Pollution that chokes China’s cities are starting to bite:
- Reuters reports that “China has ordered state oil companies to speed up the construction of pipelines to move natural gas to homes and factories” to reduce pollution and diversify power sources away from coal. However, both government-owned and private companies in energy and household heating are worried that the supply of gas may not meet demand because necessary infrastructure is not yet in place. Gas supply to households for heating has been prioritized, so factories will be the first to suffer power cuts if there are shortfalls in gas supply.
- Bloomberg says that steel output sank to its lowest level in at least six months, “as the anti-pollution drive touted in President Xi Jinping’s landmark policy address this week began to make its mark.” The campaign to cut pollution “is roiling metals markets.”
- Caixin reports that China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) has submitted a document “to the State Council, the country’s cabinet, for approval.” It recommends that China’s railway system lower freight fees “to encourage the use of rail over trucking services in order to reduce the worsening air pollution in northern China.”
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Delivery and on-demand services
Meituan-Dianping raises $4B new fund, reflects heated proxy war of Tencent and Alibaba / TechNode
“Meituan-Dianping…announced today that it has landed a $4 billion Series C round of financing led by Tencent…the firm is expected to further expand its four core businesses: in-store dining, entertainment, on-demand delivery, and travel.” -
China’s gateway to Africa?
Djibouti re-tendering airport contracts given to Chinese company / Bloomberg -
Party control
China says foreign firms welcome benefits from internal Communist Party cells / Reuters -
Auto industry
China’s Chongqing Changan to stop selling combustion-engine cars from 2025 / Reuters -
Electric cars
Tesla picks Chinese rubber maker Haida to supply seal components for solar roofs / Yicai -
Autonomous vehicles
Chinese tech giant Baidu plans to roll out driverless buses next year / Quartz
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