Popularity of Winter Sports
Presidents of international federations of winter sports said on December 13, 2019, that they saw more and more Chinese being involved in winter sports, after visiting venues of Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games and Olympic Community in Beijing.
“I felt that not just athletes, but the ordinary people have begun to understand the value of Olympics and are more and more involved in winter sports, especially children and the aged,” said Ivo Ferriani, President of the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation.
“We also saw the iconic tracks in Yanqing District. They are of the highest level. After the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, it will be used not only for training, but also for leisure, becoming part of the Olympic legacy,” he added.
Jan Dijkema, President of the International Skating Union, mentioned some Chinese World Cup winners in speed skating and figure skating this season. “Gold medalists and Olympic champions will draw attention and inspire a lot of young people,” he said.
CHINA Major Tasks of 2020
The annual Central Economic Work Conference was held in Beijing on December 10-12, 2019. The meeting reviewed the country’s economic work in 2019, analyzed the current situation and outlined key tasks for 2020. In 2019, China has maintained sustained and sound economic and social development and made key breakthroughs in the “three tough battles,” seeing notable progress in targeted poverty reduction, effective prevention and control of financial risks, and general improvement in the environment, according to a statement released after the conference.
“While fully acknowledging our achievements, we must see that China is at a pivotal stage of transforming its growth model, improving its economic structure, and fostering new drivers of growth,” the statement said.
To achieve the expected targets for 2020, China will make ensuring stability a top priority, and uphold the policy framework of stable macro policies, flexible micro policies, and social policies that ensure basic needs are met.
ETHIOPIA Boosting Digital Economy
Alibaba Group, an e-commerce giant in China, and Ethiopia signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the creation of Electronic World Trade Platform (EWTP) in late 2019, which is believed to be a game-changer for the digital economy of the East African country.
The documents of the MOU include EWTP framework, digital capacity building, and building comprehensive digital hub. Alibaba said it has keen interest to working with entrepreneurs and SMES from Ethiopia and other African countries to seize the opportunities provided by the digital era.
Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba, stated that Ethiopia would be the gateway for Africa to join the globalization because of the digital economy. “I believe in digital economy, and I believe in the small businesses in Ethiopia, young people in Ethiopia, entrepreneurs in Ethiopia will go to the world, will trade with the world, do business with the world and partner with the world because of this digital economy,’’ he said.
Market of artificial intelligence expected to be reached by 2023 in China
China has made historic achievements in eradicating poverty over the past decades. One of the most important economic indicators of the Chinese miracle is the increase of per-capita productivity rate.
CHINA-AFRICA Agricultural Trade
The trade volume of agricultural products between China and Africa increased about tenfold from 2000 to 2018, according to China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. The trade volume increased from $650 million in 2000 to $6.92 billion in 2018, registering an average annual growth of 14 percent, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Han Changfu said.
Agricultural departments of China and African countries have conducted pragmatic cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual benefits in areas such as trade, investment, people-to-people exchange and technological training, Han said. By the end of 2018, Chinese companies had made an investment
Projected economic growth of Uganda in 2019
stock of more than $2.4 billion in Africa, with 115 agricultural projects with an investment of over $714,000 each, he said.
KENYA Sustainable Use of Plastics
Kenya has launched a plastic action plan to promote its green growth agenda, an official said on December 4, 2019. Mohammed Elmi, Chief Administrative Secretary in the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, said that the private sector-led Kenya Plastic Action Plan is aimed at enabling a circular economy for environmentally sustainable use and recycling of plastics.the strategy is geared toward keeping most, if not all, of the plastic materials within the productive cycles and out of the environment according to the official.
$11.9
bln
5.5%-6.0%
$74.9
mln
12%
China’s direct investment in Egypt in the first nine months of 2019
Rise in Kenya’s SGR freight service tonnage in the first nine months of 2019