Friday_____________________ April 12

Yum's sales hit by bird-flu scares

Yum Brands Inc, owner of KFC and Pizza Hut restaurants, said sales in China, its largest overseas market, will see a steep drop as a result of bird-flu scares.

The Louisville, Kentucky-based fast-food company said its same-store sales in March declined an estimated 13 percent in China. This included an estimated drop of 16 percent at KFC and 4 percent growth at Pizza Hut.

In February, Yum said its fourth-quarter profit dipped 5 percent to $337 million in the three months before Dec 29. Its same-store sales in China declined 6 percent in the quarter, following media reports that excessive amounts of antibiotics had been used by some of KFC's former chicken suppliers in China.

According to its third-quarter report, China accounted for more than half of Yum's total revenue of $3.57 billion and generated around 40 percent of profit.

(Photo 1)

Philadelphia Orchestra to make tour

The Philadelphia Orchestra, one of the United States' first cultural ambassadors to China in 1973, is returning next month for a 40th-anniversary tour and its 2013 residency program.

A 20-year gap separated the orchestra's first visit to China with its second in 1993, followed by visits in 1996, 2001, 2008 and in 2010 to help open the World Expo in Shanghai.

In 2012, the orchestra launched its pilot residency program, which united orchestra members with Chinese musicians through master classes, lectures and other musical workshops aimed at deeper cultural engagement beyond the stage, which took place in an array of China's major cities and provinces.

From May 29 to June 10, the orchestra's residency program will run concurrently with its anniversary concert tour, which will include seven performances in Hangzhou, Shanghai, Tianjin, Beijing and Macao.

Monday_____________________ April 15

California reopens Shanghai trade office

After a 10-year hiatus, California has reopened a Shanghai trade office to attract more investment from China.

"We have much to contribute to China, including banking, high-tech, environmental products, and we have much to collaborate on with China in another way, as China is developing rapidly with a great amount of capital available," Governor Jerry Brown said at last Friday's official dedication of the California-China Office of Trade and Investment in Shanghai.

The countries are each other's second-largest trading partner, with total trade between them exceeding $530 billion worth of goods and services last year.

Confucius Institute opens in Colorado

Colorado Springs, Colorado, became the site of the latest opening of a Confucius Institute.

The inauguration last Friday of the newest US outlet for China's main initiative to spread Chinese language and culture abroad drew dignitaries from Confucius Institute headquarters in Beijing and CSU's institute partner, Hunan University.

Worldwide, there are about 420 Confucius Institutes, including 92 in the United States. In addition to Colorado State, last week saw the formal dedication of three institutes on US campuses - at Columbia University, George Washington University and Georgia's Wesleyan College.

Tuesday

____________________ April 16

Vanke runners not injured in Boston blasts

All 15 runners on the China Vanke team, including the chairman of the largest residential real estate developer in China, were unharmed after two explosions killed three people and injured more than 170 at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.

"I wasn't aware of what happened when the first explosion happened, and realized it was a planned incident after the second one took off," said Wang Shi, the China Vanke chairman, who was in a VIP section across the street at the time of the explosions on Monday.

Jin Feibao, a 49-year-old Vanke runner, said he heard about the explosions about a kilometer before the finish line. He and his follow runners were asked to stop and stay on the side.

"I learned a real life experience from this event," Jin said. "You can tell how powerful this nation is and how strong the people are. Nearby residents gave us help - food, water and clothes - as we were wearing very little during the race. They helped in every way they could. I was very moved."

Art is No 1 alternative investment

Art is the No 1 alternative investments by the China's super rich, followed by jewelry, jade, fine wine and watches, according to a report.

The report - the second from the Shanghai-based magazine Hurun, which produced various studies on the habits of the country's richest people - was based on a survey of 1,219 dollar millionaires from around the country.

Aside from traditional areas of investment such as property and stocks, about 64 percent said they had invested in art works. The rate is as high as 81 percent among people with personal net assets of 50 million yuan ($8.08 million), and about 78 percent of respondents expressed willingness to invest in art in the future.

Within art, classical Chinese paintings were the most popular, accounting for about 49 percent of all investment. Porcelain was second, with 36 percent of respondents showing a preference for that as an investment target, and oil paintings third at 14 percent.

Wednesday________________ April 17

Coca-Cola to use 'greener' drink bottles

The Coca-Cola Co will package its drinks, including Coca-Cola, Sprite and Fanta, in "greener" plastic bottles in China.

The recycled plastic, or PET, bottles will be the first to be made partially from plants, including sugarcane waste, glycol, which represents 30 percent of the total composition of PET plastic by weight.

Existing PET (or polyethylene terephthalate) bottles are made from non-renewable petroleum.

Huang Xiaoyan, a research fellow and director of global external technology acquisition of The Coca-Cola Co, said the packaging looks, functions and recycles just like traditional PET plastic, but does so with a smaller environmental footprint.

(Photo 3)

California offers help on climate change

A member of California Governor Jerry Brown's delegation that visited China has offered help on the country's climate problems.

Michael Schmitz, the head of an association of US cities and counties committed to climate action, clean energy, and sustainability, said he is looking forward to sharing some of the US's successful climate initiatives with Chinese officials.

Schmitz said his association could help address greenhouse gas emissions and the development of climate action plans by offering solutions, including detailed protocols, software tools, guidance documents and training to Chinese local governments.

Thursday________________ April 18

Chinese woman is killed in Boston explosions

Lu Lingzi, a 23-year-old Chinese graduate student at Boston University, was identified as the third victim in the Boston Marathon explosions.

Lu, born in Shenyang, Liaoning province, was studying mathematics and statistics, according to BU Today, the school's news website.

She was reportedly accompanied by two other Chinese female graduate students from the school when the explosions rocked Boylston Street at about 2:50 pm Monday. One of them is Chengdu native Zhou Danling, who is being treated for injuries at Boston Medical Center. The other student is Qian Tingting, who was not hurt in the blasts.

The Monday blasts killed three and injured more than 170. It is said to be the worst attack in the US since Sept 11. No arrests have been made in the bombings.

Some 27,000 runners from nearly 70 countries competed in the marathon.

President Xi Jinping sent his condolences to US President Barack Obama over the tragedy. Xi expressed his deep sympathy and sincere condolences to the US government and its people over the losses and casualties caused by the bombings.

Google going after more ad business

Google Inc plans to boost its operations in China on display advertising, mobile services and advertising for Chinese exporters.

Faced with declining market shares in the world's largest Internet market, the search-engine giant aims to focus on its advertising services that enable Chinese small and medium-sized enterprises to export overseas, Karim Temsamani, Google's Asia-Pacific chief, said in an interview.

Last year, Chinese rival Baidu Inc had 78.6 percent of the market, while Google's share had shrunk to 15.6 percent, according to domestic research company Analysys International.

(Photo 4)

Wang Chuanfu, founder and chairman of Chinese automaker BYD Co, does a chin-up in an electric bus during a visit by California Governor Jerry Brown as Brown's wife Anne Brown (right) and Micheal Austin (left), vice-president of BYD America, look on at the headquarters of Chinese automaker BYD Co in China's southern city Shenzhen on Tuesday. Vincent Yu / AP

(China Daily 04/19/2013 page10)