Taiwan said recently it would lift restrictions on mainland investments by domestic flat-panel and electronic chip manufacturers, the Wall Street Journal reported. At present, manufacturers from Taiwan are only allowed to carry out final assembly in the mainland, using components made elsewhere. Under the planned reforms, flatpanel makers will be able to set up an unlimited number of “fifth generation” plants – factories that are able to make smaller panels used in mobile … [Read more...] about TAIWAN: Taiwan to relax mainland tech investment curbs

Air China said recently that it would “absolutely” support a domestic challenger to Boeing and Airbus, Bloomberg reported, even as the company plans to reduce variety in its fleet and phase out certain models. The state-controlled Air China is the largest Chinese international carrier by market value and operates 200 Boeing and Airbus planes as part of its fleet. One potential beneficiary will be Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac), a domestic manufacturer of … [Read more...] about CHINA: Air China will support domestic plane maker

Air China has agreed to buy 20 Airbus 320 series aircraft for delivery between 2011 and 2014. The Chinese carrier said in a statement to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange that it would receive significant concessions on aircraft, which have a list price of US$1.63 million each. The additional aircraft will boost Air China’s capacity by 5 per cent compared with December 2009 levels. The company intends to use the new aircraft in support of its expansion plans in southwest China and planned … [Read more...] about CHINA: Air China signs deal to buy 20 A320 aircraft

China’s imports and exports rose by 85.5 per cent and 21 per cent respectively in January over last year, although economists warned against reading too much into the figures, citing the low base comparison in January 2009 and the timing of the Lunar New Year holiday. The holiday fell in February of 2010, which effectively means there was one more working week in January of this year compared to last year, Reuters reported. China’s trade surplus narrowed to US$14.17 … [Read more...] about CHINA: China’s January exports down 16%

Guangzhou-based China Southern Airlines Co. Ltd. announced that it saw growth in both its passenger and cargo business in January 2010. The carrier handled 91,000 tonnes of cargo and mail, jumping 58.6 per cent while its freight load factor was up 5.7 percentage points to 66.8 per cent. … [Read more...] about CHINA: China Southern sees continuing growth in Jan

Hainan Airlines will operate a daily direct service from Belgium to China beginning 28 May. The airline already flies four times a week from Brussels to Beijing and in May it will start operating direct flights three times a week between Brussels Airport and Shanghai Pudong International Airport. All flights will be operated with Airbus 330 aircraft. … [Read more...] about CHINA: Hainan boosts China-Belgium services