The Sunday Mail
Manyika Kangai
Earthquake hits Taiwan
A 7.3-magnitude earthquake jolted the sea area near Hualien in Taiwan on Wednesday, leaving 10 people dead, and over 1 000 injured and about 100 trapped. It was Taiwan’s biggest earthquake in at least 25 years. At least 28 buildings collapsed throughout Taiwan following the earthquake, with 17 of them located in Hualien County. Local authorities reported power outages affecting over 360 000 households, alongside water cuts affecting more than 120 000 households. Local authorities suspended work and school classes in Hualien. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council said that the mainland was highly concerned about the situation and extended sincere sympathy to the Taiwan compatriots affected by the disaster and stated that the mainland was ready to provide disaster relief assistance.
Xi, Biden hold phone talks
Chinese leader Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden spoke on the phone Tuesday, marking the first conversation between the leaders since their historic in-person summit in November and the latest in ongoing efforts by US and Chinese officials to defuse tensions between the two superpowers. China’s Foreign Ministry said the two leaders had a “candid and in-depth exchange.” In the call, Xi characterised US-China relations as “beginning to stabilise,” but he warned that “negative factors” had been growing and required “attention from both sides.” Biden reiterated that the US does not support “Taiwan independence,” and the US does not seek conflict with China.
China’s manufacturing expands
The Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for China’s manufacturing sector came in at 50,8 in March, bouncing back to the expansion zone, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). A reading above 50 indicates expansion, while a reading below 50 reflects contraction. The positive rebound followed five consecutive months of contraction that started in October 2023, indicating recovery in China’s manufacturing activity. NBS senior statistician, Zhao Qinghe said that 15 out of the 21 surveyed sectors were in the expansion zone in March, up by 10 from the previous month.
China’s passenger vehicle sales up
China’s passenger vehicle sales stood at 1,7 million units in March, up 7 percent year-on-year, or 54 percent month-on-month, according to the latest data from the China Passenger Car Association. In the first three months of this year, passenger vehicle sales totalled 4,84 million units, surging 13 percent year-on-year. During the same period, China’s New Energy Vehicles (NEVs) sales rose 34 percent year-on-year to 1,76 million units. In March alone, the country’s NEV sales reached 698 000 units, up 28 percent year-on-year, or 80 percent month-on-month.
Shanghai steps up 6G development
The Shanghai Communications Administration announced that research and development of some key technologies such as 5G-Advanced and 6G will be stepped up to promote the deep integration of the information and communication industry with the industrial economy. A document with 12 action plans was released by the administration focusing on expanding the application scenarios of 5G, and 6G testing in various fields. By the end of 2023, Shanghai had set up a total of 92 000 5G base stations, and 423 000 standard server racks for data centres in use. Several demonstration applications have been incubated in many fields, such as industrial internet, autonomous driving, and smart medical care.
*Manyika Kangai is dedicated to helping African businesses and governments realise the full potential of the vast opportunities that China presents. He has over 18 years of experience facilitating and advising on China-Africa trade and investment deals
