Trade alert

  • Cosmetics: Malaysia publishes regulatory guidelines. Recently, the National Drug Administration of Malaysia released the “Guidelines for the Control of Cosmetics in Malaysia《马来西亚化妆品管制指南》”. The main content includes octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane(甲基环四硅氧烷), sodium perborate(过硼酸钠), 2-(4-tert-butylphenyl)propionaldehyde(2-（4-叔丁基苯）丙醛) etc. In the list of prohibited ingredients in cosmetics, and the transition period for existing products is until November 21, 2024;Update the conditions of use of substances such as preservative salicylic acid(防腐剂水杨酸) and ultraviolet filter titanium dioxide(紫外线过滤剂二氧化钛).

China

  • In 2022, the actual use of foreign capital nationwide was 1,232.68 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 6.3% on a comparable basis (equivalent to 189.13 billion U.S. dollars, an increase of 8%), maintaining a steady growth. Among them, the actual use of foreign capital in the manufacturing industry was 323.7 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 46.1%, accounting for 26.3% of the country, an increase of 7.8 percentage points from 2021. The sources of large investment growth include South Korea, Germany, and the United Kingdom, which increased by 64.2%, 52.9%, and 40.7% respectively.
  • National Development and Reform Commission: By the end of 2022, the installed capacity of wind power and photovoltaic power generation in the country has exceeded 700 million kilowatts, and the installed capacity of wind power and photovoltaic power generation ranks first in the world. The amount accounted for more than 55% of the country’s new power generation capacity in that year.
  • China Association of the Shipbuilding Industry: In 2022, China’s shipbuilding completions, new orders and hand-held orders accounted for 47.3%, 55.2% and 49.0% of the global total in terms of deadweight tons, respectively, and accounted for 43.5% and 43.5% respectively in terms of revised gross tonnage. 49.8% and 42.8%, and the international market share of the aforementioned indicators remains the first in the world.
  • China Electricity Council: It is estimated that in 2023, the newly installed power generation capacity in the country is expected to reach about 250 million kilowatts, of which 180 million kilowatts will be newly added non-fossil energy power generation capacity. It is estimated that by the end of 2023, the installed capacity of power generation in the country will be about 2.81 billion kilowatts, of which the installed capacity of non-fossil energy power generation will total 1.48 billion kilowatts. The installed capacity of solar power and wind power will exceed the installed capacity of hydropower for the first time in 2023.
  • China Electricity Council: It is estimated that in 2023, the newly installed power generation capacity in the country is expected to reach about 250 million kilowatts, of which 180 million kilowatts will be newly added non-fossil energy power generation capacity. It is estimated that by the end of 2023, the installed capacity of power generation in the country will be about 2.81 billion kilowatts, of which the installed capacity of non-fossil energy power generation will total 1.48 billion kilowatts. The installed capacity of solar power and wind power will exceed the installed capacity of hydropower for the first time in 2023.
  • 17 departments including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology: Encourage robot companies to develop overall solutions for terminal delivery, and promote the popularization and promotion of multi-modal instant delivery scenarios such as robot delivery and smart letterboxes (smart express boxes). Create a smart logistics system focusing on robots to improve the digital level of commercial logistics.
  • According to customs statistics, in 2022, there were 510,000 private foreign trade enterprises in China with import and export performance, and the import and export value reached 21.4 trillion yuan, an increase of 12.9%. The import and export scale of private enterprises accounted for 50.9%, an increase of 2.3 percentage points from the previous year, and the annual proportion exceeded half for the first time, contributing 80.8% to China’s foreign trade growth.
  • Financial Associated Press: As the Spring Festival approaches, many hotels in Changsha, Nanjing and other places are fully booked for New Year’s Eve dinner boxes, and takeaway-prepared dishes are also popular in the market. A person in charge of a listed company said that the company aimed at the New Year’s Eve dinner consumer market and launched 38 New Year’s Eve dinner gift boxes. This year’s Spring Festival is expected to prefabricate New Year’s dinners for 400,000 families, an increase of 30%.

Company

  • Yum Brands百胜餐饮集团: The company was hit by a cyber attack and certain information technology systems were affected, causing nearly 300 restaurants in the UK to close for a day. The event is not expected to have a material adverse effect on its business, operations or financial results.
  • Honda: Reached 30 million vehicle production milestone at U.S. auto manufacturing plants in Alabama, Georgia, Indiana and Ohio. It currently employs nearly 17,000 people in eight manufacturing plants in the United States, with an annual production capacity of 1.3 million vehicles.

World

  • IMF Vice President: The ratio of global debt to economic aggregate (GDP) has dropped from 99% in 2020 to 91%.
  • U.S. Department of the Treasury: In November 2022, the top two “creditors” of U.S. Treasury bonds are Japan and China. Among them, Japan ended its four-month reduction in holdings, increasing its holdings by US$17.8 billion to US$1.0822 trillion that month. China reduced its holdings of U.S. Treasury bonds for the third consecutive month, reducing its holdings by US$7.8 billion to US$870 billion that month, the lowest position since June 2010.
  • Pfizer: The new crown virus may always exist, and Pfizer is working hard to develop a new crown vaccine that can last for a year. The long-term after-effects of the new coronavirus and complications after infection are being studied.
  • German Federal Statistical Office: By the end of 2022, the total population of Germany reached a record 84.3 million people, an increase of 1.1 million people compared to the end of 2021. The main reason for Germany’s population increase last year was a large increase in immigration. Although the total population of Germany is increasing, the natural population growth rate is still negative.
  • Brazilian National Institute of Geography and Statistics: From September to November 2022, the unemployment rate in Brazil drop to 8.1%, which is 0.9 percentage points lower than the unemployment rate in June-August 2022, and 3.5 percentage points lower than the unemployment rate in the same period in 2021. As of November 2022, the unemployed population in Brazil is 8.7 million, which is 953,000 less than the unemployed population in June-August 2022, and 3.7 million less than the unemployed population in the same period in 2021.
  • Argentina: Announced the repurchase of more than US$1 billion in overseas bonds. Argentine Minister of Economy Massa announced on January 18 that due to Argentina’s export growth and improved fiscal and foreign exchange reserves in 2022, the Argentine government repurchased more than US$1 billion in overseas bonds. Bloomberg reported that this is the first time that Argentina has taken a major repurchase operation on the country’s foreign debt since it reached a debt restructuring agreement of more than US$60 billion with major international creditors in 2020.
  • According to Reuters, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on January 17 that Russia must maintain stable grain reserves and, if necessary, restrict exports of certain products. Putin also said no one could accurately predict Russia’s agricultural output in 2023 due to unexpectedly warm weather in Europe and frost in Central Asia. Reuters said it was not clear whether Putin was suggesting that Russia might limit exports of major food commodities such as grains.