The lack of investors’ patience and a talent shortage are the top two challenges to the country’s fast-growing intellectual property industry, a pan-entertainment industry expert said. These are also the factors for an IP adaptation to become successful and sustainable both in profitability and audience satisfaction, said Leon Gao Shouzhi, president and founder of EntGroup — a big-data consulting company for the media and entertainment industry in China. According to statistics released by EntGroup, revenue for the whole entertainment industry is expected to exceed 650 billion yuan (US$94 billion) this year. And nearly half of it will come from customer subscription and payments for original IP content, which sets up the foundation of the IP industry. However, problems lurk in the prosperous market. One of them is the lack of patience from investors compared with their overseas counterparts like those in the Hollywood, Gao stressed. A mature IP usually takes a hatching cycle of 10 years. However, many mainland companies are eager to harvest profits before accumulating a big enough fan base, Gao said. “This made it impossible for the companies to sustain the profitability of the IP content.” And the capital poured into the newly evolving IP industrial chain in recent years aggravated the situation, he said. Many investors are eager to make fast money without paying due attention to the regular patterns of the industry, he added. Meanwhile, there is a talent shortage in the industry. While IP adaptation, a major part of the IP business is rapidly expanding into a whole industrial chain, the talent reserve may not be able to catch up. “Especially for those with creative ideas and skills, and talents equipped with high-tech expertise, which can’t be there overnight, are urgently needed in the industry,” Gao stressed. The industry observer took The Journey of Flower as one of the success stories of IP adaptations. The hot TV series was adapted from a web novel telling a love tale in ancient times. And its fantasy scenes also made special appeal to post-1995 audiences. The TV series broke many viewing records and became the first Chinese TV drama to attract over 20 billion views in 2015. Its success was extended to the gaming sector. The mobile game and other related products adapted from the same story were well received by the Chinese mainland market and were further distributed to other markets such as Taiwan. Not all big-hit stories, however, have the luck The Journey of Flower had, Gao said. “We see that many IP adaptations failed to attract the expected audience’s attention, and profits, too”, Gao told China Daily on the sidelines of the Business of IP Asia Forum. He cited as examples the films Gone With the Bullets (2014) and Aftershock (2010), both of which had box-office grosses exceeding 500 million yuan (US$73 million), but failed to achieve the same level of market acceptance with their mobile game adaptations. “These show that IP content compatibility has to be considered in the context of cross-media IP adaptations”, concluded Gao. Gao is still optimistic about the future of China’s IP industry. “I believe the prospects will become better,” he said. On the upstream, China has more locally created IPs, Gao said. The post-2000 generation grew up with home-made cartoons, unlike before, when Japanese manga and Hollywood cartoons were the most popular in the country, he elaborated. Downstream, there is a fast-growing market that saw more online users willing to pay for IP products. This means the market environment is more favorable for the industry, he said.
2018-12-10Content creators and game companies on the Chinese mainland must work harder for quality upgrade and innovations in the intellectual property adaptation business, industry insiders urged on Thursday. At a forum at the China Daily Asia Leadership Roundtable, themed “Maximising Benefits of Cross-media Collaboration”, they said creators and companies should not be concerned only about how much money they can make. Members of the audience had voiced disappointment over the poor quality of many IP-adapted games in China which, the panelists warned, would risk ruining the reputation of IPs. “To sustain profit growth, content creators need at least three to five years to develop a mature, well-made IP, and game publishers should not push them too hard,” said Xie Guangcai, executive vice-president of ChineseAll Digital Publishing Group — the first Chinese digital publisher to list on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in 2015. However, in China, many game companies are chasing after popular IPs for quick profit returns. The IP creators, on the other hand, are eager to sell the authorization right of their IPs once their IPs reach a viewership of more than 10 million, according to Leon Gao Shouzhi, president and founder of EntGroup — a research company specializing in the Chinese entertainment industry. The games produced in such a rush do manage to attract millions of users, many of whom are fans of the original IPs, in the early stages of the launch, but fail to sustain them due to the game’s poor quality. Unfavorable comments on such games can often be seen in the social media. Statistics from EntGroup show that in China, only 20 percent of IP fans are satisfied with the game adaptations, while the satisfaction rate with films and teleplays is between 50 and 70 percent, Gao said. He pointed out that views should not be the sole standard when considering adapting an IP into a game, since not all subjects of IPs are fit for games adaptation. He cited the game adaptation of the movie Aftershock, which was directed by Feng Xiaogang and based on the massive 1976 Tangshan earthquake that killed 240,000 people. Though the movie raked in US$78.47 million at the box office in China, the disaster and tragedy theme should not be entertained, Gao said. Sophia Xie Fei, chief executive officer and director of Shanda Game — the early market leader in the PC-based games era — said while selecting IP for adaptation, the theme must convey positive values if a classic is to be forged. As a company with a near 20-year history, Shanda commands a group of loyal players of its classic titles, such as The World of Legend, Dragon Nest (CN) and The Legend of Mir. “A game’s spiritual core, such as the brotherhood and the determination to protect the world’s peace, can keep users for more than 10 years,” Xie said. Touching stories Cartoon creators at the forum echoed Xie’s views, emphasizing that touching stories and positive images are crucial to their popularity. Leo Huang Weiming — the creator of two super IPs, Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf and Happy Heroes, and general manager of Creative Power Entertaining — said cartoons need to cater to audiences of all ages, and a positive story can be better promoted by word of mouth. “The leading role of Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf was not the ‘pleasant goat’, but the ‘lazy goat’ at the beginning,” Huang said. “We decided to let the former be the star as no parent would want their children to be lazy, while a pleasant, brave figure can be a good model,” he said. Xu Han, creator of “Ali the Fox” and founder of Dream Castle Culture, said IP authors should be responsible in the cultural cultivation. He urged IP creators to look for inspiration from the Chinese culture to “make the story and the figures more attractive and help increase our own cultural impact on future generations”. Since March this year, mainland authorities have stopped approving licenses for new games. Game companies could still launch their games, but for beta tests only, at no charge. A beta test is the second phase of software testing in which a sampling of the intended audience tries out the product. A report by research firm CNG showed that the Chinese game industry experienced the slowest first-half-year growth compared with the past five years. CNG was assigned by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television to compile a report on the country’s game industry. Many game companies are seeing huge losses because, on one hand, they could not produce new games and, on the other, their old games have lost customers. These may force them out of the market, warned Xie Guangcai. In his view, companies should give thought to how to keep customers longer rather than relying on just taking advantage of trendy topics. Sound performance Xie estimated that “the shutoff is temporal and license approvals will resume, but the quota will be limited”. Despite the stagnation in the game industry, China Mobile Games and Entertainment Group (CMGE) — the largest mobile game publisher in China — put up a sound financial performance in the first half of this year. The company’s net profit surged 66 percent to 162.7 million yuan (US$23.7 billion), according to Bloomberg. In September, the company applied for a listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. CMGE has launched 61 games, 10 of which have managed to stay in the market for more than three years. Hendrick Sin, co-founder and vice-chairman of CMGE, told the forum the company is dedicated to developing original IPs of good quality. It is a major strategy switch for the company, whose entire revenue came from game publishing a year ago. CMGE said it will publish 50 new games by the end of next year. The themes will include Chinese fantasy, wuxia or martial arts, and adventures. Looking to the future, the panelists said there will be more possibilities in the form of game adaptations. With the aid of technologies that are pushing the boundary, such as virtual reality and artificial intelligence, game adaptations will bring more immersive experience to users and will be integrated closely with other kinds of spin-off products of IPs, Xie Fei said. No matter how far the advanced technology will take us, we mustn’t forget our cultural roots are where the core competitiveness lies, panelists concluded. The forum was co-organized by China Daily Asia Pacific and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council as part of the Business of IP Asia Forum held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
2018-12-10In the 10 years since the State Council issued the Outline of the National Intellectual Property Strategy, new industries related to IP, ranging from online literature and animation to games, have developed in leaps and bounds. In 2017, the value of China’s pan-entertainment industry — multilevel creative products developed from IP — exceeded 500 billion yuan ($72.5 billion), accounting for more than 20 percent of the total digital economy. The monetization rate of mobile games is the highest among all pan-entertainment industries, surpassing 200 billion yuan, with IP-based mobile games accounting for over 60 percent of the revenue, according to a report by Chinese gaming industry database Gamma Data Corp. In response to the industry trend, a China Daily Asia Leadership Roundtable event was held on Thursday during the first day of the two-day Business of IP Asia Forum (BIP Asia) in Hong Kong. Co-organized by China Daily Asia Pacific and BIP Asia, the panel discussion brought together industry leaders, content producers and investors under the theme Era of IP Convergence: Maximizing Benefits of Cross-media Collaboration. Movies and TV dramas are a major form of IP adaptation in China and this IP mostly comes from online literature, said Leon Gao Shouzhi, president and founder of EntGroup, a provider of information and intelligence for China’s entertainment industry. Data from EntGroup show that about 50 to 70 percent of people of all ages accept IP-based movies and TV dramas, while only 20 percent of people accept IP-based games. In 2017, direct revenue generated by IP-based movies and dramas was about 350 million yuan, in which 76 percent of this content was adapted from online literature. Meanwhile, games based on movies, reality shows and dramas tend to be more popular with audiences. “For example, games based on the animation film Boonie Bears, the drama The Journey of Flower and the reality show Running Man have all gained good results in the number of active users, with some of them reaching tens of millions of active users,” said Gao. But a short product life is a shared issue among various IP adaptations, said Gao. He said he would like to see the industry focus more on the characteristics and preferences of young audiences, in particular the post-1995 generation. “Many people are also rushing to monetize their IP once they have attracted tens of millions of fans … In Hollywood, it needs 10 years for an IP to grow mature enough,” said Gao, hoping the industry can be more patient in producing high-quality IP. Hendrick Sin, co-founder and vice-chairman of CMGE Technology Group, noted the importance of companies creating their own IP as popular titles can generate huge profits. “When we tried to get the franchise for our third One Piece game from our partners in Japan, the IP price was several times more than that of the first game,” said Sin. One Piece is a popular Japanese manga series that began in 1997. As one of China’s largest publishers of mobile games based on IP, SMGE became China’s first mobile game company listed on Nasdaq, in 2012. So far, the company has more than 200 million registered users. IP incubation might not be as difficult as people think, the forum heard. Leo Huang Weiming and his team took only 15 minutes to come up with Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf, one of China’s most popular children’s cartoon shows. Today the brand spans 2,000 episodes, seven films and five stage plays. Its franchise business covers more than 10,000 products and a new film is being planned for the 2021 Spring Festival. On the back of the huge success of Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf, Huang, general manager of Creative Power Entertaining Co, created the cartoon Happy Heroes, which also became a big hit in China. “We have also combined this IP with the hospitality industry by launching themed hotels in China, bringing the IP to a new business format,” said Huang. To him, no matter how the market and times change, content as the core value of IP will never change. Seize the trend IP promotion needs to be combined with the trendiest things in the market, said Xu Han, founder, chairman and CEO of Dream Castle. Xu is also the creator of Ali the Fox, a popular cartoon character with over 22 million fans in China. “Twelve years ago, when I just started to create Ali the Fox, people liked buying picture books, so that was how I promoted the cartoon character,” said Xu. “Today, people like to send emoticons on social networking apps, so we also launched emoticon packs. On WeChat alone, Ali the Fox emoticons have been downloaded over 100 million times and were shared over 1 billion times.” Noting the importance of diversifying the IP, Xu promotes Ali the Fox through a wide range of online and offline platforms, launching spin-off products and even an international collaboration with Kishi Station in western Japan, which became famous for its cat stationmaster. Sophia Xie Fei, CEO and director of Shanda Games, a domestic gaming industry leader backed by tech giant Tencent, said the adaptation of IP is no longer limited to pan-entertainment sectors. She cited tourism, hospitality, theme parks and even new retail as other areas that generate huge potential for IP collaboration. Noting that many people think popularity and monetization are benchmarks to judge the success of IP, Xie said the industry should plan for long-term development to create IP that will resonate with people. “By doing so, we can transform (even) a single hit IP into a classic,” said Xie. “China has a lot of good stories and cultures. We need to figure out how to spread that out by combining them with films, dramas, games and literature,” said Xie Guangcai, executive vice-president of Chinese All Digital Publishing Group, a leading Chinese digital publishing company. “When developing IP, it is important for us to continue our efforts in creating good stories, using them to show the value and culture of China,” he said. Shanda’s Xie said that technology cannot be neglected as it plays a key role in stimulating development and guiding the direction of the entire industry. “Whether it is because of the maturity of 5G and cloud-based technologies, or the wide adoption of artificial intelligence and virtual reality, we will see disruptive changes (in the future),” she said, citing the mobile game industry as an example. Li Yao, news editor of China Daily Hong Kong, moderated the session.
2018-12-062018年12月6日 香港:中國日報亞洲領袖圓桌論壇今天在香港舉辦題為“知識產權融合時代:跨界合作價值最大化”的專題研討會,吸引逾300名来自國內外的政、商、法律及學界的业界翹楚參會。 本場研討會由中國日報與亞洲知識產權營商論壇合辦。藝恩公司創始人兼首席執行官郜壽智先生;廣東原創動力文化傳播有限公司總經理及“喜羊羊之父”、“開心超人之父”黃偉明先生;中手游科技集團有限公司聯合創始人及副董事長冼漢廸先生;中文在線數字出版集團常務副總裁謝廣才先生;盛大遊戲首席執行官兼董事謝斐女士;以及“阿狸”原創作者及夢之城創始人、董事長兼首席執行官徐瀚先生受邀擔任本場研討會演講嘉賓。 近年來,在IP(知識產權)熱潮的影響之下,除了影視,遊戲、文學及動漫IP的開發熱度也不斷推高。IP原意為知識產權,是英文知識產權的縮寫,隨著內容產業的發展和粉絲經濟的火熱,IP內容正逐漸成為商業變現的熱門所在,各行業也已迅速意識到IP的強大吸金能力。對熱門IP進行遊戲、影視、文學的改編,曾打造出不少廣受大眾喜愛的成功案例。目前,騰訊、愛奇藝等知名公司也開始致力於打通IP全產業鏈,構建打通遊戲、文學、動漫、影視等多種文創業務領域的互動娛樂新生態。在如此趨勢下,本次研討會將聚焦於知識產權的內容延伸性,六位演講嘉賓將探索在跨界合作的過程中,如何才能長線經營,將知識產權價值最大化。 致力於整合、發展及推廣手遊生態系統,中手遊坐擁強大的IP合作資源,從影視到文學再到動漫,已然成為中國內地第一大全平臺發行方。冼漢廸表示,盡管IP難以孵化,但是仍然要著力於發展自己的IP,因為獲取他人IP的成本越來越高。中手遊通過投資手段,目前已經有“仙劍奇俠傳”系列、“大富翁”系列、“軒轅劍”系列等近七十個知名IP,這些都為企業的下一步發展打下了良好的基礎。 定位為以數據洞察為核心的平臺公司,藝恩公司對IP跨界改編產業有獨到的見解。其首席執行官郜壽智指出,電影、綜藝節目、電視劇、漫畫等改編成遊戲,確實可以取得比較好的用戶活躍度,有的甚至可以達到千萬級用戶規模,但是背後存在非常嚴峻的問題,即跨界改編的產品生命周期相對較短,題材泛濫亦分流了大眾的吸引力。一個成熟的IP,往往需要十年周期的積累,而目前許多IP企業,積累了一定用戶就急於收割變現。他續指,IP業界應審慎改編經典作品,積極考慮如科幻類等的較新題材;在改編電影時,亦應了解票房情況與一部電影是否適合改編並無直接關係。 盛大遊戲成立於1999年。作為中國內地老牌遊戲公司的首席執行官,謝斐表示盛大遊戲在IP發展方面有發言權。她說,IP產業的發展,已經從傳統的遊戲、影視、動漫、文學等泛娛樂範疇,滲透到文旅、酒店、主題公園、新零售等形態,這些都為今時今日IP產業的發展增加了厚度,亦為IP融合在更大範圍內制造機會與想象力提供了條件。 謝斐相信,遊戲產品的生命周期是有限的,但一個IP的生命周期應是無限的。她說,真正成功的IP應是一個凝聚正能量、溫度、快樂的信仰,而不僅僅局限於其用戶流量、變現能力或熱度;當這一可持續的信仰建立起來時,盈利也自然會來。 作為中文在線的創始人,謝廣才坦言,中國內地IP行業面臨的一個重要問題,就是缺乏IP的開發。他說,一部IP作品的成熟需要較長的周期,在產生影響力和傳播力之後,才應進行相應的開發,“應該把IP作品當孩子養起來。” “喜羊羊之父”及“開心超人之父”黃偉明認為,IP市場不斷變化,風口不斷改變,但核心是“內容”,一個好的IP必須擁有獨特的內容,“幽默”、“感人”、“正能量”是打造IP品牌的關鍵要素。他解釋說,幽默是永恒的收視保證,感人亦不需要講大道理,而正能量是成為品牌的必要條件。 談及什麼樣的IP才是好IP,著名卡通人物“阿狸”的創作者徐瀚認為,其標准就是“你是否願意拿這部作品給孩子看”,因此他希望他創作的“阿狸”可以成為孩子和家長之間的愛心紐帶。 徐瀚以繪本為例,指出不同國家出品的繪本都反映了自己的價值觀,目前市場上有很多歐美繪本,他希望中國內地和香港可以出品更多令人喜聞樂見的繪本,將中國文化和東方文化傳播出去。 中國日報亞洲領袖圓桌論壇(www.cdroundtable.com)旨在搭建一個由亞洲國家和地區的政、商、學界領袖和社會精英參與的高端對話和交流平台,圍繞亞洲地區經濟、商業、產業和社會發展等具有戰略影響的重要議題展開討論和分享見解,以增進中國與亞洲和西方國家的交流和理解。 中國日報社擁有報紙、網站、移動用戶端、臉譜、推特、微博、微信、電子報等十餘種媒介平臺。在海外,通過每月發行《中國觀察報》(China Watch),直達美國《華爾街日報》和《華盛頓郵報》、英國《每日電訊報》、法國《費加羅報》、泰國《民族報》、俄羅斯《俄羅斯報》、日本《每日新聞》等美、歐、亞主流讀者群。(完) 媒體垂詢: 洪夢求 小姐 電話:(852)3465 5427 電郵:melody@chinadailyhk.com
2018-12-062018年12月6日 香港:中国日报亚洲领袖圆桌论坛今天在香港举办题为“知识产权融合时代:跨界合作价值最大化”的专题研讨会,吸引逾300名来自国内外的政、商、法律及学界的业界翘楚参会。 本场研讨会由中国日报与亚洲知识产权营商论坛合办。艺恩公司创始人兼首席执行官郜寿智先生;广东原创动力文化传播有限公司总经理及“喜羊羊之父”、“开心超人之父”黄伟明先生;中手游科技集团有限公司联合创始人及副董事长冼汉廸先生;中文在线数字出版集团常务副总裁谢广才先生;盛大游戏首席执行官兼董事谢斐女士;以及“阿狸”原创作者及梦之城创始人、董事长兼首席执行官徐瀚先生受邀担任本场研讨会演讲嘉宾。 近年来,在IP(知识产权)热潮的影响之下,除了影视,游戏、文学及动漫IP的开发热度也不断推高。IP原意为知识产权,是英文知识产权的缩写,随着内容产业的发展和粉丝经济的火热,IP内容正逐渐成为商业变现的热门所在,各行业也已迅速意识到IP的强大吸金能力。对热门IP进行游戏、影视、文学的改编,曾打造出不少广受大众喜爱的成功案例。目前,腾讯、爱奇艺等知名公司也开始致力于打通IP全产业链,构建打通游戏、文学、动漫、影视等多种文创业务领域的互动娱乐新生态。在如此趋势下,本次研讨会将聚焦于知识产权的内容延伸性,六位演讲嘉宾将探索在跨界合作的过程中,如何才能长线经营,将知识产权价值最大化。 致力于整合、发展及推广手游生态系统,中手游坐拥强大的IP合作资源,从影视到文学再到动漫,已然成为中国内地第一大全平台发行方。冼汉廸表示,尽管IP难以孵化,但是仍然要着力于发展自己的IP,因为获取他人IP的成本越来越高。中手游通过投资手段,目前已经有“仙剑奇侠传”系列、“大富翁”系列、“轩辕剑”系列等近七十个知名IP,这些都为企业的下一步发展打下了良好的基础。 定位为以数据洞察为核心的平台公司,艺恩公司对IP跨界改编产业有独到的见解。其首席执行官郜寿智指出,电影、综艺节目、电视剧、漫画等改编成游戏,确实可以取得比较好的用户活跃度,有的甚至可以达到千万级用户规模,但是背后存在非常严峻的问题,即跨界改编的产品生命周期相对较短,题材泛滥亦分流了大众的吸引力。一个成熟的IP,往往需要十年周期的积累,而目前许多IP企业,积累了一定用户就急于收割变现。他续指,IP业界应审慎改编经典作品,积极考虑如科幻类等的较新题材;在改编电影时,亦应了解票房情况与一部电影是否适合改编并无直接关系。 盛大游戏成立于1999年。作为中国内地老牌游戏公司的首席执行官,谢斐表示盛大游戏在IP发展方面有发言权。她说,IP产业的发展,已经从传统的游戏、影视、动漫、文学等泛娱乐范畴,渗透到文旅、酒店、主题公园、新零售等形态,这些都为今时今日IP产业的发展增加了厚度,亦为IP融合在更大范围内制造机会与想象力提供了条件。 谢斐相信,游戏产品的生命周期是有限的,但一个IP的生命周期应是无限的。她说,真正成功的IP应是一个凝聚正能量、温度、快乐的“信仰”,而不仅仅局限于其用户流量、变现能力或热度;当这一可持续的“信仰”建立起来时,盈利也自然会来。 作为中文在线的创始人,谢广才坦言,中国内地IP行业面临的一个重要问题,就是缺乏IP的开发。他说,一部IP作品的成熟需要较长的周期,在产生影响力和传播力之后,才应进行相应的开发,“应该把IP作品当孩子养起来。” “喜羊羊之父”及“开心超人之父”黄伟明认为,IP市场不断变化,风口不断改变,但核心是“内容”,一个好的IP必须拥有独特的内容,“幽默”、“感人”、“正能量”是打造IP品牌的关键要素。他解释说,幽默是永恒的收视保证,感人亦不需要讲大道理,而正能量是成为品牌的必要条件。 谈及什么样的IP才是好IP,著名卡通人物“阿狸”的创作者徐瀚认为,其标准就是“你是否愿意拿这部作品给孩子看”,因此他希望他创作的“阿狸”可以成为孩子和家长之间的爱心纽带。 徐瀚以绘本为例,指出不同国家出品的绘本都反映了自己的价值观,目前市场上有很多欧美绘本,他希望中国内地和香港可以出品更多令人喜闻乐见的绘本,将中国文化和东方文化传播出去。 中国日报亚洲领袖圆桌论坛(www.cdroundtable.com)旨在搭建一个由亚洲国家和地区的政、商、学界领袖和社会精英参与的高端对话和交流平台,围绕亚洲地区经济、商业、产业和社会发展等具有战略影响的重要议题展开讨论和分享见解,以增进中国与亚洲和西方国家的交流和理解。 中国日报社拥有报纸、网站、移动用户端、脸谱、推特、微博、微信、电子报等十余种媒介平台。在海外,通过每月发行《中国观察报》(China Watch),直达美国《华尔街日报》和《华盛顿邮报》、英国《每日电讯报》、法国《费加罗报》、泰国《民族报》、俄罗斯《俄罗斯报》、日本《每日新闻》等美、欧、亚主流读者群。 媒体垂询: 洪梦求 小姐 电话:(852)3465 5427 电邮:melody@chinadailyhk.com
2018-12-06Developing Hong Kong’s innovation and technology sector is a high priority for Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, who says innovation is vital to unlocking the enormous value and benefits of intellectual property. Lam was speaking at the open of the Business of IP Asia Forum — the two-day event in Hong Kong on Thursday — which drew 2,500 people. She said combining IP and innovation requires much more than having some great ideas in today’s highly competitive global marketplace. “True innovation occurs when inventors can harness the power of IP and commercial insights, and successfully transform new inventions into products and services which can benefit users in need,” she said. IP creation and trading are growing rapidly in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. A survey reveals the number of patent applications from the Bay Area reached 176,000 last year. This surpassed the total of the world’s three other bay areas. Tech giants such as Huawei, ZTE and Tencent contributed the most. Benefiting from opportunities brought about by the Belt and Road Initiative as well as the Bay Area, Lam said Hong Kong could serve as an IP trading hub for the Asia-Pacific region. She said the special administrative region government would double funding for three schemes under the Innovation and Technology Fund. This is with the aim of unleashing Hong Kong companies’ scientific research capabilities and realizing research and development findings. The city’s IP regime will also be augmented. The government will continue to take action to protect the legitimate rights and interests of IP rights’ holders. According to the latest Global Competitiveness Report by the World Economic Forum, Hong Kong ranked ninth out of 140 economies in IP protection. Meanwhile, tax laws were amended in June to encourage IP trading. It has expanded profits-tax deductions for capital expenditure incurred for the purchase of IP rights from five to eight types. An original grant patent system is being established as well and can be launched next year. Margaret Fong Shun-man, executive director of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, stressed Hong Kong’s important role in IP value-chain activities. “As well as being a prominent center for innovation, commerce, trade and finance in Asia, Hong Kong is a focal point for the generation and trading of IP, including technology transfer, licensing, franchising and copyright trading,” she said. On the Chinese mainland, protection and utilization of IP is expected to be favorable for innovation, business growth and social development, said He Zhimin, deputy commissioner of National Intellectual Property Administration. Statistics released by the World Intellectual Property Organization early this month showed that the mainland is the driving force for growth in patent filings, as well as trademark and industrial design applications in 2017. The amount of patent filings worldwide reached 3.17 million; of these the mainland accounted for 44 percent. “The tighter and tighter IP protection policy has provided guarantees for overseas companies building innovative businesses in China. “It boosts technology communication between overseas and domestic enterprises as well,” said He. He believes stricter protection could attract more overseas companies as the mainland is opening its doors “wider and wider” to the world.
2018-12-06HONG KONG - China's capacity for innovation has been growing remarkably in recent years due to its enhanced efforts for intellectual property (IP) protection, speakers said at the Business of IP Asia Forum opened in Hong Kong on Thursday. IP protection has become the most important part of China's efforts to improve its property rights protection system, as well as the primary impetus for increasing its economic competitiveness, said He Zhimin, deputy director of China's National Intellectual Property Administration. By enhancing IP protection, China is creating an environment conducive to innovation and business and promoting its economic and social development, He said, citing the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2018 released in June by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). According to the GII 2018, China, whose global ranking rose from the 22th in 2017 to the 17th this year, has become the first middle-income economy on the list of the world's 20 most innovative economies. Wang Binying, deputy director general of WIPO, said at the forum's plenary session that China's rapid rise in the GII ranking "shows the way for other middle-income economies." "The essential pairing of IP and innovation is driving business growth and improving quality of life all over the world. That certainly includes China, a rising IP powerhouse," Carrie Lam, chief executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), said in her speech at the opening of the forum. Citing statistics released by WIPO, Lam said "China is the driving force for the growth in patent filings, as well as trademark and industrial design applications." Noting that the number of patent applications from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area outnumbered the total number of those filed by the world's three other renowned bay areas, namely Tokyo, New York and San Francisco, Lam described the Greater Bay Area's growth potential for IP creation and trading as "enormous." The Greater Bay Area development, as well as the Belt and Road initiative, "will give rise to immense opportunities for Hong Kong. They certainly include Hong Kong serving as an IP trading hub for the Asia-Pacific region," she said. The two-day international forum, on its eighth edition, was jointly organized by the HKSAR government, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and the Hong Kong Design Center for IP experts, government officials and business sector to share insights on IP development and explore business opportunities.
2018-12-06China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations saw strengthened economic ties and boosted cooperation in infrastructure construction and business opportunities, speakers told the China-Philippines Business Forum held in Manila on Monday. This year is the China-ASEAN Innovation Year. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang told the 21st China-ASEAN Summit on Nov 14: “The two sides will release a joint statement on ASEAN-China science, technology and innovation cooperation, explore new mechanisms for this cooperation, work together to establish science parks, and deepen the implementation of the China-ASEAN Science and Technology Partnership Program.” In 2009, China announced it had set up a US$10-billion fund pool to support the region’s infrastructure construction. “The cornerstone of that is China wants to promote closer relationships, cooperation with the 10-member association,” said Patrick Ip, managing director of China-ASEAN Investment Cooperation Fund. Ip shared CAF’s investment philosophy during the panel discussion which focused on companies’ long-term growth and investing in a harmonious way to ensure all stakeholders are in a win-win situation. “We like to invest in the core competence of companies, invest in products and new services, and help companies make inorganic acquisitions,” Ip said. He said CAF thinks highly of digital infrastructure as one of the future drivers of the economy. “ASEAN has a very young demographic with high-level consumption. With the influence from China, the digital infrastructure will boom,” he added. According to Ip, CAF has made over 10 investments in almost all ASEAN countries since 2010. And its maiden investment was in the Philippines in 2010 when the country wanted to modernize its shipping industry and upgrade its logistics sector. Tan Qingsheng, deputy chief of mission and minister counselor at the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Republic of the Philippines, told the forum China has signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative with all ASEAN members. “With the signing of the MOU, we will be able to inject fresh vitality into bilateral relations and lift our economic and trade cooperation to a new level,” Tan said, stressing that during President Xi Jinping’s visit to the Philippines, Xi and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte decided to upgrade China-Philippine ties to comprehensive strategic cooperation. Nicholas Kwan, director of Research at the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, also joined the panel discussion, saying Hong Kong has the largest number of consulates, except for key capitals around the world. “We are in a unique position to bring governments and businesses together. And we are here to team up all of our connections to make these globalization efforts broader and deeper,” he said.
2018-11-30Cooperation in digital technology between China and the Philippines has further deepened their bilateral ties and accelerated digital transformation in the Southeast-Asian nation, industry gurus told the China-Philippines Business Forum in Manila on Monday. At the forum’s second panel discussion themed “How Business Can Transform in the Digital Era”, Anthony Thomas, president and chief executive officer of Philippine mobile payment operator Mynt, and Jubert Daniel Alberto, country head of operations at Italpinas Development Corp Philippines, shared their insights on the challenges and prospects in the digital transformation and innovation trend. Partially owned by Ant Financial Services Group — the financial arm of Chinese e-commerce titan Alibaba Group, and formerly known as Alipay — Mynt started off with its mobile phone top-up service and has expanded to cover remittance and loan services, business solutions and platforms. “We look at digital transformation as something that really solves the problem,” Thomas said, describing Mynt’s partnership with Alipay as a strategic move that has brought value to both sides. “Alipay has brought more elements to the platform and also the capital. As we may know, the payment service is a very low margin business. If you really want to make it to the millions among the public, you have to make it more affordable first,” he said. “Beyond that, Alipay, as a leading global digital platform providing financial services, also provides expertise in customer experience and risk management to Mynt, which allows the investment we’re making to go further,” Thomas said. Chinese travelers — the second-largest group of foreign tourists in the Philippines — enjoy more convenience through the partnership between Mynt and Alipay. It helps cross-border payments by tourists through Mynt’s payment platform Gcash. “Tourists just need to scan a common Gcash or Alipay QR code to pay from their Alipay wallet,” Thomas explained. “We also launched a remittance flow between AlipayHK and Gcash, adopting blockchain technology,” he added. Besides Alibaba Group, Chinese tech behemoth Tencent teamed up with Philippine technology enterprise Voyager Innovations in an investment worth US$175 million last month. Thomas said he was excited to see several fintech giants tapping into the Philippines. “More capital coming in will help the business grow,” he said. According to Thomas, two out of three Filipinos don’t have access to bank accounts as the country is spread across more than 7,000 islands, and a third of the districts don’t have physical bank branches. “So the other side of it is that mobile devices are ubiquitous — everyone has a mobile phone.” Under such circumstances, Mynt plans to introduce various digital financial services to the public not just for convenience, but also variety. “When we define our own business, we work with lots of other businesses which are also looking at transformation. And, we embed digital transformation into their businesses which, ultimately, will benefit customers and ourselves,” Thomas said. Addressing concerns arising from digital payment platforms, Thomas said the transparency and constant flow of data recorded actually could enhance security. Besides, part of Alipay’s investment is used to strengthen such security. “We have the expertise from China. Moreover, regarding fraud losses from payments through Alipay, more data flowing into the digital world can be captured, leading to better detection and monitoring of potential fraud,” he said. Traditional brick-and-mortar banks in the Philippines have also partnered with digital financial services providers, such as Mynt’s Gcash. “We’re not competing with the banks, but cooperating with them, providing them access to the platform,” Thomas said. However, both Thomas and Alberto admitted it will still take some time for Filipinos to fully embrace the era of digital transformation. According to Alberto, less than 3 percent of the Philippine GDP came from digital products and services last year. “It’s already there with little digital products and services, but not that much,” he said. However, starting this year, three out of five organizations in the Philippines are considering embracing digital transformation. “We’re saying that, by 2021, the immense use of all technology, business objects of organizations will contribute heavily to the country’s GDP — to about 40 percent,” Alberto said. He saw a promising future for the two countries by cooperating in digital services and technology. “The technologies coming from China could give the Philippines more options and alternatives,” he said. “And, it’s obvious that the technologies benefit us and help local SMEs and other enterprises in the long run.”
2018-11-30China and the Philippines only established diplomatic relations in 1975, but the trade ties between the two countries can be traced back to as early as the 10th century. It is these centuries-old trade ties, forged through the ancient Maritime Silk Road, that will continue to strengthen China-Philippine relations in coming years, said analysts and senior officials at the China-Philippines Business Forum held in Manila on Monday. The forum, which focused on the theme “Taking the China-Philippines Relations to New Heights”, was organized by China Daily and sponsored by Bank of China. Representatives from the Philippine and Chinese governments, business, academics and the media attended the event. Participants at the forum discussed how Chinese investments and infrastructure financing in the Philippines and the 29 cooperation agreements signed during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to the Philippine capital on Nov 20-21 have deepened bilateral relations. “Economic cooperation is a win-win choice for us and should be the bedrock of our relations,” said Tan Qingsheng, charge d’affaires at the Chinese embassy in the Philippines. Tan said in his keynote speech that the Philippines and China have a “history of friendly exchanges for more than 1,000 years”. Such relations continue to this day, and China is extending financial and technical support to help the Philippines promote economic growth and social development, he noted. Tan cited the China-funded projects under Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s flagship infrastructure development program. The massive program, more popularly known as “Build, Build, Build”, aims to transform the Philippines into an upper-middle-income economy by 2022. It needs 3.6 trillion pesos (US$175.6 billion) to upgrade the country’s infrastructure over the next three years. Tan said China-funded projects are part of the “Build, Build, Build” program. “They are proposed by the Philippine side and are economically viable and positive for the Philippine economy.” Philippine Finance Undersecretary Mark Dennis Y.C. Joven said Philippine-China relations had “experienced a golden age” in recent years. He said China is now the Philippines’ biggest trading partner and one of the biggest sources of investments and tourists. He noted that in the first quarter of this year, FDI from China surged over 500 percent compared with the previous year. Official data also show China recently emerged as a key trading partner and tourism market for the Philippines. According to the latest report issued by the Philippine Statistics Authority, China has surpassed Japan to become the Philippines’ biggest trading partner. In the first half of this year, trade between the two countries reached US$14.08 billion. The Philippines exported US$4.09 billion worth of goods to China, while payment for imports was valued at US$9.99 billion. Data from the Philippine Department of Tourism show that next only to South Korea, China is now the second-biggest source of tourists for the Philippines. From January to September, Chinese visitor arrivals surged by 34.9 percent year-on-year to more than 972,550. John Gong Jiong, economics professor at the Beijing-based University of International Business and Economics, said increased Chinese investments in the Philippines “seek mutual benefits for mutual interests”. “China-Philippine economic relations will present many opportunities, wealth, and will (create) a great future for our nations,” he said. Zhou Li, editorial board member of China Daily Group and publisher and editor-in-chief of China Daily Asia Pacific, said there’s a need to “reaffirm economic commitments” between China and the Philippines, especially at a time when the “US-China trade war looms large”. Deng Jun, country head for Bank of China’s branch in Manila, said the two countries have also deepened their financial cooperation in the past few years. Deng said the bank has committed to extend a US$3-billion credit line from 2016 to 2022 to finance the Philippines’ infrastructure and trade. Three of the 29 agreements signed during Xi’s state visit will enhance the financial cooperation between the two countries, he said. Renminbi-peso accords These three documents are the Memorandum of Understanding on Renminbi Clearing Arrangement between the central banks of two countries, the MOU on Panda Bonds Issuance between the Philippine Department of Finance and Bank of China, and Letter of No Objection to the Organization of the Renminbi-Philippine Peso Foreign Exchange Trading Market granted by the Philippine central bank to the Philippine RMB Trading Community. Deng said the renminbi-peso direct trading platform will benefit Chinese and Filipino investors, entrepreneurs and tourists. This will expand business opportunities in both countries as they no longer have to convert their respective currencies to US dollars to seal financial transactions. “It will save friction costs, reduce the foreign exchange exposure risks, and promote the economic cooperation of both countries,” he said. Deng added that BOC served as underwriter for Philippine bonds to help the Duterte administration raise funds for its infrastructure program. “We were the lead underwriter of the successful issuance of the ‘Panda Bond’, and we received several international awards,” he said. In March, the Philippines issued 1.46 billion yuan (US$230 million) in three-year “Panda Bonds”. And the country’s first “Panda Bond” issuance generated 9.22 billion yuan in bids — 6.32 times the approved issue size — according to National Treasurer Rosalia de Leon. Participants in the China-Philippines Business Forum likewise stressed that the Philippines and other Southeast-Asian countries have a key role to play in the Belt and Road Initiative. Federico Macaranas, adjunct professor at the Asian Institute of Management, cited Chinese Premier Li Keqiang’s view that the Maritime Silk Road — the sea-based trade component of the BRI — is primarily oriented toward the Southeast-Asian region. In the case of the Philippines, Macaranas said the country’s interest in the BRI needs to be viewed from the perspective of “comprehensive and strategic cooperation” that was formed after Xi’s visit. Macaranas said the dispute over the South China Sea had once strained China-Philippine relations, but “the economic and social underpinnings of China-Philippine relations must not be determined by a single, albeit very important, issue”. “Other dimensions are needed to ensure 21st century peace, prosperity and sustainable development,” he said. Tan said the Philippines “is a natural partner” in the BRI, and that one of the most important documents signed during Xi’s visit was the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative. The MOU formalizes the Philippines’ participation in the BRI. The two countries also agreed to cooperate in developing the economies that are part of the initiative. Tan said the MOU signing and Xi’s invitation to Duterte to attend the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in April next year will lift Philippine-China relations to a new level. Deng said BOC has actively participated in the BRI and encouraged other banks to invest in the Maritime Silk Road. He said funding infrastructure projects is just one way commercial banks can participate in the BRI. He noted that the BRI has several components, such as financial and trade connectivity. He said banks can also invest in, and benefit from the BRI by facilitating trade. “There are tremendous opportunities for banks to develop their businesses to support the construction of the Maritime Silk Road. Consequently, benefits will arise from these opportunities,” he said.
2018-11-30中国日报马尼拉11月27日电 中国日报11月26日在菲律宾马尼拉举办题为“中菲关系:从新起点迈向新高度”的“2018中菲商业论坛”,吸引逾300名来自两国的政、商、学界人士参加。 中国国家主席习近平11月20日对菲律宾进行了国事访问,这是中国国家元首十三年来首次访菲,具有里程碑意义。为进一步加强中菲间沟通与信任,深化两国在资源开发、人文交流、贸易便利化、数字经济等方面的合作,中国日报举行本次论坛,并设“共建共享21世纪海上丝绸之路的机遇”和“数字时代下企业的转型与重塑”两场研讨会。中国驻菲律宾大使馆临时代办檀勍生、菲律宾财政部副部长马克·丹尼斯·卓文,以及菲律宾旅游部旅游发展与规划部副部长罗伯特·阿拉巴多出席并发表主旨演讲。 檀勍生在主旨演讲中提到,国家主席习近平访问菲律宾,给我们提供了一个极好的机会来探索两国合作的各个可能性并且将合作更进一步推进。作为菲律宾的邻居、朋友以及可靠的伙伴,中国将继续保持并推进与菲律宾的友好关系和双边互惠合作,一起分享未来的发展及繁荣。 他表示,在两国领导人的共同努力下,中菲关系过去两年出现了巨大转机。历史经验告诉我们,第一政治互信非常重要;第二经济合作有利于互利共赢应是中菲关系基石;第三我们应妥善处理矛盾分歧,南海问题并不是中菲双边关系的全部。 檀勍生继指,中国日报组织这个论坛很及时,正好提供一个向菲律宾社会各界深入诠释习近平主席访菲的全面成果的机会。他对中国日报举行“2018中菲商业论坛”表示感谢,认为中国日报在促进中菲关系向好发展,增进两国人民互相了解起到了重要作用。 马克·丹尼斯·卓文强调,菲律宾与中国于1975年建交,在最近的几年,菲中关系正在经历过去43年前所未见的黄金时期。数据显示,中国对菲律宾的外商直接投资,与去年相比增长超过五倍,其中2017年,菲中两国贸易额达448亿美元。 罗伯特·阿拉巴多表示,旅游业占菲律宾GDP的12.2%,相当于1.93万亿菲律宾比索。2019年源自中国的旅游人数将达到150万,超过美国游客人数。我们要平衡旅游商机和社会责任,以此达至国家可持续发展。 习近平主席本月访菲期间,两国元首共同规划双边关系未来发展,达成重要共识,一致决定在相互尊重、坦诚相待、平等互利、合作共赢基础上建立中菲全面战略合作关系。习近平强调,双方要把安全、发展、人文三大支柱领域合作扎扎实实推向深入,扩大教育、文化、旅游等交流合作。菲律宾是中国共建“一带一路”的重要伙伴。双方要深化“一带一路”倡议,与菲律宾发展战略对接,加强基础设施建设、电信、农业等领域合作。 2016年下半年以来,中菲两国从外交、经贸等领域双边磋商全面恢复到新的海上合作机制正式启动,两国关系全面改善发展引人注目。国务委员兼外交部长王毅曾表示,菲律宾历史上就是海上丝绸之路的重要一站,在共建“一带一路”进程中,菲方不会也不应缺席。菲律宾财政部也曾表示,菲方希望将基础设施建设与“一带一路”倡议相对接,深入参与21世纪海上丝绸之路建设。 论坛的首场研讨会即以“共建共享21世纪海上丝绸之路的机遇”为主题。“21世纪海上丝绸之路”倡议于2013年提出,目标是通过政策沟通、设施联通、贸易畅通、资金融通和民心相通这“五通”,与相关各国打造政治互信、经济融合、文化包容的命运共同体。 中国银行致力于搭好中菲经贸投资往来桥梁,推广人民币在菲律宾的使用。研讨会演讲嘉宾中国银行马尼拉分行行长邓军在会上表示,随着中菲两国联系的加深,更多的中国投资人、商人、游客前往菲律宾。我们愿意成为资金提供者,债券发行承销商来支持建设项目,联系两国的市场来促进贸易、投资及金融基金。与此同时,在联系海上丝绸之路的各国贸易和投资发展中促进人民币流通,及以人民币作为支付手段和结算货币来降低转换成本,并且减少外汇风险。 对外经济贸易大学经济系教授龚炯指出,现在很明显的是,中国在菲律宾的投资是符合双方利益的,不是一厢情愿,而是双方彼此需求所致。中国的“一带一路”倡议和菲律宾总统杜特尔特的“大建特建”的基础设施建设计划项目是天赐良机,我们应该一起全力加速前进。中菲经济关系会带来很多机会与财富,同时也会为我们的国家带来很光明的未来。 中国-东盟投资合作基金主要投资于东盟地区的基础设施、能源和自然资源等领域,是目前少数致力于投资东盟地区的大型私募股权基金。该基金的董事总经理叶家强表示,中国2009年宣布投资基金超100亿美元予东盟国家。这其中的本质是中国想要更好地与十个东盟国家合作,同时,中国想要在例如基础设施等很多关键领域上投资。 香港贸易发展局致力于促进香港的对外贸易,并同时推动香港作为国际商贸平台,吸引全球各地的企业到香港营商。局方研究总监关家明表示,我们在努力将“一带一路”更加国际化、全球化,这是一个中国倡议、全世界都参与并拥有的计划。把世界联系起来,这才是最重要的因素。 亚洲管理研究所客座教授弗德里克·马喀拉纳斯认为,菲中的经济社会合作基础不应该单纯地被单一事项影响。其他方面也需要加以强调,来保证21世纪的和平、繁荣以及可持续发展,譬如全球变暖问题。 当前,数字经济、互联网经济正日益改变商业运行方式,亚太经合组织第二十六次领导人非正式会议也将“拥抱数字化未来”列入主题,将数字经济置于“重中之重”。而拥抱数字化未来,离不开新形势下的转型与创新。 论坛的第二场研讨会以“数字时代下企业的转型与重塑”为主题,演讲嘉宾朱贝尔·阿尔贝托是国际数据公司菲律宾地区负责人,该公司是信息技术、电信行业和消费科技市场咨询、顾问和活动服务专业提供商。他在研讨会上表示,很多公司都非常想来菲律宾投资,这对于菲律宾很多科技公司、传统制造业公司以及依靠科技运营的零售公司都是利好的。对于政府来说,他们真的需要更好地适应数字化的商业模式。 菲律宾最大的数字金融公司Mynt在2017年与蚂蚁金服合作推出电子钱包Gcash。Mynt公司总裁兼首席执行官安东尼·托马斯担任该场研讨会的另一位演讲嘉宾,他提到菲律宾的数字网络化的基础建设已经建好,对于公司和用户来说,从传统方式到数字化是自然的转换。阿里巴巴投资Mynt是两家公司战略性的合作,他们帮助Mynt进入更多平台,并且在用户体验和风险管控上具有丰富经验。 中国日报亚洲领袖圆桌论坛(www.cdroundtable.com)旨在搭建一个由亚洲国家和地区的政、商、学界领袖和社会精英参与的高端对话和交流平台,围绕亚洲地区经济、商业、产业和社会发展等具有战略影响的重要议题展开讨论和分享见解,以增进中国与亚洲和西方国家的交流和理解。 中国日报社拥有报纸、网站、移动用户端、脸谱、推特、微博、微信、电子报等十余种媒介平台。在海外,通过每月发行《中国观察报》(China Watch),直达美国《华尔街日报》和《华盛顿邮报》、英国《每日电讯报》、法国《费加罗报》、泰国《民族报》、俄罗斯《俄罗斯报》、日本《每日新闻》等美、欧、亚主流读者群。 媒体垂询: 洪梦求 小姐 电话:(852)3465 5427 电邮:melody@chinadailyhk.com
2018-11-27Economic cooperation is key to strengthening relations between China and the Philippines, experts and senior officials said at the China-Philippines Business Forum held in Manila. Participants in the forum on Monday stressed that the two countries' centuries-long trade ties, China's rising investments in the Philippines and the 29 cooperation agreements signed during Chinese President Xi Jinping's Nov 20-21 state visit to the Philippine capital had deepened bilateral relations. The one-day forum, which focused on the theme "Taking the China-Philippines Relations to New Heights", was organized by China Daily and sponsored by Bank of China. Representatives from the Philippine and Chinese government, business, academic and media sectors attended the event at the Grand Hyatt Manila. "Economic cooperation is a win-win choice for us and should be the bedrock of our relations," said Tan Qingsheng, charge d'affaires at the Chinese embassy in the Philippines. Tan said in his keynote address that China can extend both financial and technical support to help the Philippines promote economic growth and social development. He cited the China-funded projects that fall under Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's flagship infrastructure development program. Philippine Finance Undersecretary Mark Dennis Y.C. Joven said Philippines-China relations have been "experiencing a golden age" in recent years. He said China is now the Philippines' biggest trading partner and one of the biggest sources of investment and tourism. He noted that in the first quarter of 2018, FDI from China surged by over 500 percent compared with the previous year. Zhou Li, editorial board member of the China Daily Group and Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of China Daily Asia Pacific, said there's a need to "reaffirm the economic commitments" between China and the Philippines, especially at a time that the "US-China trade war looms large". China-Philippines ties also go beyond trade ties. As Deng Jun, country head for Bank of China's branch in Manila, noted in his speech, the two countries can also deepen their financial cooperation. He said the bank has committed at least $3 billion to finance Philippine infrastructure and trade. It also served as an underwriter for Philippine bonds, helping the Duterte administration raise funds for its infrastructure program. Deng said three of the 29 agreements signed during Xi's state visit will enhance financial cooperation between the two countries. These three documents are the Memorandum of Understanding on Renminbi Clearing Arrangement between the central banks of two countries, the MOU on Panda Bonds Issuance between the Philippine Department of Finance and Bank of China, and the Letter of No Objection to the Organization of the Renminbi-Philippine Peso Foreign Exchange Trading Market granted by the central bank of the Philippines to the Philippine RMB Trading Community.
2018-11-26The lack of investors’ patience and a talent shortage are the top two challenges to the country’s fast-growing intellectual property industry, a pan-entertainment industry expert said. These are also the factors for an IP adaptation to become successful and sustainable both in profitability and audience satisfaction, said Leon Gao Shouzhi, president and founder of EntGroup — a big-data consulting company for the media and entertainment industry in China. According to statistics released by EntGroup, revenue for the whole entertainment industry is expected to exceed 650 billion yuan (US$94 billion) this year. And nearly half of it will come from customer subscription and payments for original IP content, which sets up the foundation of the IP industry. However, problems lurk in the prosperous market. One of them is the lack of patience from investors compared with their overseas counterparts like those in the Hollywood, Gao stressed. A mature IP usually takes a hatching cycle of 10 years. However, many mainland companies are eager to harvest profits before accumulating a big enough fan base, Gao said. “This made it impossible for the companies to sustain the profitability of the IP content.” And the capital poured into the newly evolving IP industrial chain in recent years aggravated the situation, he said. Many investors are eager to make fast money without paying due attention to the regular patterns of the industry, he added. Meanwhile, there is a talent shortage in the industry. While IP adaptation, a major part of the IP business is rapidly expanding into a whole industrial chain, the talent reserve may not be able to catch up. “Especially for those with creative ideas and skills, and talents equipped with high-tech expertise, which can’t be there overnight, are urgently needed in the industry,” Gao stressed. The industry observer took The Journey of Flower as one of the success stories of IP adaptations. The hot TV series was adapted from a web novel telling a love tale in ancient times. And its fantasy scenes also made special appeal to post-1995 audiences. The TV series broke many viewing records and became the first Chinese TV drama to attract over 20 billion views in 2015. Its success was extended to the gaming sector. The mobile game and other related products adapted from the same story were well received by the Chinese mainland market and were further distributed to other markets such as Taiwan. Not all big-hit stories, however, have the luck The Journey of Flower had, Gao said. “We see that many IP adaptations failed to attract the expected audience’s attention, and profits, too”, Gao told China Daily on the sidelines of the Business of IP Asia Forum. He cited as examples the films Gone With the Bullets (2014) and Aftershock (2010), both of which had box-office grosses exceeding 500 million yuan (US$73 million), but failed to achieve the same level of market acceptance with their mobile game adaptations. “These show that IP content compatibility has to be considered in the context of cross-media IP adaptations”, concluded Gao. Gao is still optimistic about the future of China’s IP industry. “I believe the prospects will become better,” he said. On the upstream, China has more locally created IPs, Gao said. The post-2000 generation grew up with home-made cartoons, unlike before, when Japanese manga and Hollywood cartoons were the most popular in the country, he elaborated. Downstream, there is a fast-growing market that saw more online users willing to pay for IP products. This means the market environment is more favorable for the industry, he said.
2018-12-10Content creators and game companies on the Chinese mainland must work harder for quality upgrade and innovations in the intellectual property adaptation business, industry insiders urged on Thursday. At a forum at the China Daily Asia Leadership Roundtable, themed “Maximising Benefits of Cross-media Collaboration”, they said creators and companies should not be concerned only about how much money they can make. Members of the audience had voiced disappointment over the poor quality of many IP-adapted games in China which, the panelists warned, would risk ruining the reputation of IPs. “To sustain profit growth, content creators need at least three to five years to develop a mature, well-made IP, and game publishers should not push them too hard,” said Xie Guangcai, executive vice-president of ChineseAll Digital Publishing Group — the first Chinese digital publisher to list on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in 2015. However, in China, many game companies are chasing after popular IPs for quick profit returns. The IP creators, on the other hand, are eager to sell the authorization right of their IPs once their IPs reach a viewership of more than 10 million, according to Leon Gao Shouzhi, president and founder of EntGroup — a research company specializing in the Chinese entertainment industry. The games produced in such a rush do manage to attract millions of users, many of whom are fans of the original IPs, in the early stages of the launch, but fail to sustain them due to the game’s poor quality. Unfavorable comments on such games can often be seen in the social media. Statistics from EntGroup show that in China, only 20 percent of IP fans are satisfied with the game adaptations, while the satisfaction rate with films and teleplays is between 50 and 70 percent, Gao said. He pointed out that views should not be the sole standard when considering adapting an IP into a game, since not all subjects of IPs are fit for games adaptation. He cited the game adaptation of the movie Aftershock, which was directed by Feng Xiaogang and based on the massive 1976 Tangshan earthquake that killed 240,000 people. Though the movie raked in US$78.47 million at the box office in China, the disaster and tragedy theme should not be entertained, Gao said. Sophia Xie Fei, chief executive officer and director of Shanda Game — the early market leader in the PC-based games era — said while selecting IP for adaptation, the theme must convey positive values if a classic is to be forged. As a company with a near 20-year history, Shanda commands a group of loyal players of its classic titles, such as The World of Legend, Dragon Nest (CN) and The Legend of Mir. “A game’s spiritual core, such as the brotherhood and the determination to protect the world’s peace, can keep users for more than 10 years,” Xie said. Touching stories Cartoon creators at the forum echoed Xie’s views, emphasizing that touching stories and positive images are crucial to their popularity. Leo Huang Weiming — the creator of two super IPs, Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf and Happy Heroes, and general manager of Creative Power Entertaining — said cartoons need to cater to audiences of all ages, and a positive story can be better promoted by word of mouth. “The leading role of Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf was not the ‘pleasant goat’, but the ‘lazy goat’ at the beginning,” Huang said. “We decided to let the former be the star as no parent would want their children to be lazy, while a pleasant, brave figure can be a good model,” he said. Xu Han, creator of “Ali the Fox” and founder of Dream Castle Culture, said IP authors should be responsible in the cultural cultivation. He urged IP creators to look for inspiration from the Chinese culture to “make the story and the figures more attractive and help increase our own cultural impact on future generations”. Since March this year, mainland authorities have stopped approving licenses for new games. Game companies could still launch their games, but for beta tests only, at no charge. A beta test is the second phase of software testing in which a sampling of the intended audience tries out the product. A report by research firm CNG showed that the Chinese game industry experienced the slowest first-half-year growth compared with the past five years. CNG was assigned by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television to compile a report on the country’s game industry. Many game companies are seeing huge losses because, on one hand, they could not produce new games and, on the other, their old games have lost customers. These may force them out of the market, warned Xie Guangcai. In his view, companies should give thought to how to keep customers longer rather than relying on just taking advantage of trendy topics. Sound performance Xie estimated that “the shutoff is temporal and license approvals will resume, but the quota will be limited”. Despite the stagnation in the game industry, China Mobile Games and Entertainment Group (CMGE) — the largest mobile game publisher in China — put up a sound financial performance in the first half of this year. The company’s net profit surged 66 percent to 162.7 million yuan (US$23.7 billion), according to Bloomberg. In September, the company applied for a listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. CMGE has launched 61 games, 10 of which have managed to stay in the market for more than three years. Hendrick Sin, co-founder and vice-chairman of CMGE, told the forum the company is dedicated to developing original IPs of good quality. It is a major strategy switch for the company, whose entire revenue came from game publishing a year ago. CMGE said it will publish 50 new games by the end of next year. The themes will include Chinese fantasy, wuxia or martial arts, and adventures. Looking to the future, the panelists said there will be more possibilities in the form of game adaptations. With the aid of technologies that are pushing the boundary, such as virtual reality and artificial intelligence, game adaptations will bring more immersive experience to users and will be integrated closely with other kinds of spin-off products of IPs, Xie Fei said. No matter how far the advanced technology will take us, we mustn’t forget our cultural roots are where the core competitiveness lies, panelists concluded. The forum was co-organized by China Daily Asia Pacific and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council as part of the Business of IP Asia Forum held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
2018-12-10In the 10 years since the State Council issued the Outline of the National Intellectual Property Strategy, new industries related to IP, ranging from online literature and animation to games, have developed in leaps and bounds. In 2017, the value of China’s pan-entertainment industry — multilevel creative products developed from IP — exceeded 500 billion yuan ($72.5 billion), accounting for more than 20 percent of the total digital economy. The monetization rate of mobile games is the highest among all pan-entertainment industries, surpassing 200 billion yuan, with IP-based mobile games accounting for over 60 percent of the revenue, according to a report by Chinese gaming industry database Gamma Data Corp. In response to the industry trend, a China Daily Asia Leadership Roundtable event was held on Thursday during the first day of the two-day Business of IP Asia Forum (BIP Asia) in Hong Kong. Co-organized by China Daily Asia Pacific and BIP Asia, the panel discussion brought together industry leaders, content producers and investors under the theme Era of IP Convergence: Maximizing Benefits of Cross-media Collaboration. Movies and TV dramas are a major form of IP adaptation in China and this IP mostly comes from online literature, said Leon Gao Shouzhi, president and founder of EntGroup, a provider of information and intelligence for China’s entertainment industry. Data from EntGroup show that about 50 to 70 percent of people of all ages accept IP-based movies and TV dramas, while only 20 percent of people accept IP-based games. In 2017, direct revenue generated by IP-based movies and dramas was about 350 million yuan, in which 76 percent of this content was adapted from online literature. Meanwhile, games based on movies, reality shows and dramas tend to be more popular with audiences. “For example, games based on the animation film Boonie Bears, the drama The Journey of Flower and the reality show Running Man have all gained good results in the number of active users, with some of them reaching tens of millions of active users,” said Gao. But a short product life is a shared issue among various IP adaptations, said Gao. He said he would like to see the industry focus more on the characteristics and preferences of young audiences, in particular the post-1995 generation. “Many people are also rushing to monetize their IP once they have attracted tens of millions of fans … In Hollywood, it needs 10 years for an IP to grow mature enough,” said Gao, hoping the industry can be more patient in producing high-quality IP. Hendrick Sin, co-founder and vice-chairman of CMGE Technology Group, noted the importance of companies creating their own IP as popular titles can generate huge profits. “When we tried to get the franchise for our third One Piece game from our partners in Japan, the IP price was several times more than that of the first game,” said Sin. One Piece is a popular Japanese manga series that began in 1997. As one of China’s largest publishers of mobile games based on IP, SMGE became China’s first mobile game company listed on Nasdaq, in 2012. So far, the company has more than 200 million registered users. IP incubation might not be as difficult as people think, the forum heard. Leo Huang Weiming and his team took only 15 minutes to come up with Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf, one of China’s most popular children’s cartoon shows. Today the brand spans 2,000 episodes, seven films and five stage plays. Its franchise business covers more than 10,000 products and a new film is being planned for the 2021 Spring Festival. On the back of the huge success of Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf, Huang, general manager of Creative Power Entertaining Co, created the cartoon Happy Heroes, which also became a big hit in China. “We have also combined this IP with the hospitality industry by launching themed hotels in China, bringing the IP to a new business format,” said Huang. To him, no matter how the market and times change, content as the core value of IP will never change. Seize the trend IP promotion needs to be combined with the trendiest things in the market, said Xu Han, founder, chairman and CEO of Dream Castle. Xu is also the creator of Ali the Fox, a popular cartoon character with over 22 million fans in China. “Twelve years ago, when I just started to create Ali the Fox, people liked buying picture books, so that was how I promoted the cartoon character,” said Xu. “Today, people like to send emoticons on social networking apps, so we also launched emoticon packs. On WeChat alone, Ali the Fox emoticons have been downloaded over 100 million times and were shared over 1 billion times.” Noting the importance of diversifying the IP, Xu promotes Ali the Fox through a wide range of online and offline platforms, launching spin-off products and even an international collaboration with Kishi Station in western Japan, which became famous for its cat stationmaster. Sophia Xie Fei, CEO and director of Shanda Games, a domestic gaming industry leader backed by tech giant Tencent, said the adaptation of IP is no longer limited to pan-entertainment sectors. She cited tourism, hospitality, theme parks and even new retail as other areas that generate huge potential for IP collaboration. Noting that many people think popularity and monetization are benchmarks to judge the success of IP, Xie said the industry should plan for long-term development to create IP that will resonate with people. “By doing so, we can transform (even) a single hit IP into a classic,” said Xie. “China has a lot of good stories and cultures. We need to figure out how to spread that out by combining them with films, dramas, games and literature,” said Xie Guangcai, executive vice-president of Chinese All Digital Publishing Group, a leading Chinese digital publishing company. “When developing IP, it is important for us to continue our efforts in creating good stories, using them to show the value and culture of China,” he said. Shanda’s Xie said that technology cannot be neglected as it plays a key role in stimulating development and guiding the direction of the entire industry. “Whether it is because of the maturity of 5G and cloud-based technologies, or the wide adoption of artificial intelligence and virtual reality, we will see disruptive changes (in the future),” she said, citing the mobile game industry as an example. Li Yao, news editor of China Daily Hong Kong, moderated the session.
2018-12-062018年12月6日 香港:中國日報亞洲領袖圓桌論壇今天在香港舉辦題為“知識產權融合時代:跨界合作價值最大化”的專題研討會,吸引逾300名来自國內外的政、商、法律及學界的业界翹楚參會。 本場研討會由中國日報與亞洲知識產權營商論壇合辦。藝恩公司創始人兼首席執行官郜壽智先生;廣東原創動力文化傳播有限公司總經理及“喜羊羊之父”、“開心超人之父”黃偉明先生;中手游科技集團有限公司聯合創始人及副董事長冼漢廸先生;中文在線數字出版集團常務副總裁謝廣才先生;盛大遊戲首席執行官兼董事謝斐女士;以及“阿狸”原創作者及夢之城創始人、董事長兼首席執行官徐瀚先生受邀擔任本場研討會演講嘉賓。 近年來,在IP(知識產權)熱潮的影響之下,除了影視,遊戲、文學及動漫IP的開發熱度也不斷推高。IP原意為知識產權,是英文知識產權的縮寫,隨著內容產業的發展和粉絲經濟的火熱,IP內容正逐漸成為商業變現的熱門所在,各行業也已迅速意識到IP的強大吸金能力。對熱門IP進行遊戲、影視、文學的改編,曾打造出不少廣受大眾喜愛的成功案例。目前,騰訊、愛奇藝等知名公司也開始致力於打通IP全產業鏈,構建打通遊戲、文學、動漫、影視等多種文創業務領域的互動娛樂新生態。在如此趨勢下,本次研討會將聚焦於知識產權的內容延伸性,六位演講嘉賓將探索在跨界合作的過程中,如何才能長線經營,將知識產權價值最大化。 致力於整合、發展及推廣手遊生態系統,中手遊坐擁強大的IP合作資源,從影視到文學再到動漫,已然成為中國內地第一大全平臺發行方。冼漢廸表示,盡管IP難以孵化,但是仍然要著力於發展自己的IP,因為獲取他人IP的成本越來越高。中手遊通過投資手段,目前已經有“仙劍奇俠傳”系列、“大富翁”系列、“軒轅劍”系列等近七十個知名IP,這些都為企業的下一步發展打下了良好的基礎。 定位為以數據洞察為核心的平臺公司,藝恩公司對IP跨界改編產業有獨到的見解。其首席執行官郜壽智指出,電影、綜藝節目、電視劇、漫畫等改編成遊戲,確實可以取得比較好的用戶活躍度,有的甚至可以達到千萬級用戶規模,但是背後存在非常嚴峻的問題,即跨界改編的產品生命周期相對較短,題材泛濫亦分流了大眾的吸引力。一個成熟的IP,往往需要十年周期的積累,而目前許多IP企業,積累了一定用戶就急於收割變現。他續指,IP業界應審慎改編經典作品,積極考慮如科幻類等的較新題材;在改編電影時,亦應了解票房情況與一部電影是否適合改編並無直接關係。 盛大遊戲成立於1999年。作為中國內地老牌遊戲公司的首席執行官,謝斐表示盛大遊戲在IP發展方面有發言權。她說,IP產業的發展,已經從傳統的遊戲、影視、動漫、文學等泛娛樂範疇,滲透到文旅、酒店、主題公園、新零售等形態,這些都為今時今日IP產業的發展增加了厚度,亦為IP融合在更大範圍內制造機會與想象力提供了條件。 謝斐相信,遊戲產品的生命周期是有限的,但一個IP的生命周期應是無限的。她說,真正成功的IP應是一個凝聚正能量、溫度、快樂的信仰,而不僅僅局限於其用戶流量、變現能力或熱度;當這一可持續的信仰建立起來時,盈利也自然會來。 作為中文在線的創始人,謝廣才坦言,中國內地IP行業面臨的一個重要問題,就是缺乏IP的開發。他說,一部IP作品的成熟需要較長的周期,在產生影響力和傳播力之後,才應進行相應的開發,“應該把IP作品當孩子養起來。” “喜羊羊之父”及“開心超人之父”黃偉明認為,IP市場不斷變化,風口不斷改變,但核心是“內容”,一個好的IP必須擁有獨特的內容,“幽默”、“感人”、“正能量”是打造IP品牌的關鍵要素。他解釋說,幽默是永恒的收視保證,感人亦不需要講大道理,而正能量是成為品牌的必要條件。 談及什麼樣的IP才是好IP,著名卡通人物“阿狸”的創作者徐瀚認為,其標准就是“你是否願意拿這部作品給孩子看”,因此他希望他創作的“阿狸”可以成為孩子和家長之間的愛心紐帶。 徐瀚以繪本為例,指出不同國家出品的繪本都反映了自己的價值觀,目前市場上有很多歐美繪本,他希望中國內地和香港可以出品更多令人喜聞樂見的繪本,將中國文化和東方文化傳播出去。 中國日報亞洲領袖圓桌論壇(www.cdroundtable.com)旨在搭建一個由亞洲國家和地區的政、商、學界領袖和社會精英參與的高端對話和交流平台,圍繞亞洲地區經濟、商業、產業和社會發展等具有戰略影響的重要議題展開討論和分享見解,以增進中國與亞洲和西方國家的交流和理解。 中國日報社擁有報紙、網站、移動用戶端、臉譜、推特、微博、微信、電子報等十餘種媒介平臺。在海外,通過每月發行《中國觀察報》(China Watch),直達美國《華爾街日報》和《華盛頓郵報》、英國《每日電訊報》、法國《費加羅報》、泰國《民族報》、俄羅斯《俄羅斯報》、日本《每日新聞》等美、歐、亞主流讀者群。(完) 媒體垂詢: 洪夢求 小姐 電話:(852)3465 5427 電郵:melody@chinadailyhk.com
2018-12-062018年12月6日 香港:中国日报亚洲领袖圆桌论坛今天在香港举办题为“知识产权融合时代:跨界合作价值最大化”的专题研讨会,吸引逾300名来自国内外的政、商、法律及学界的业界翘楚参会。 本场研讨会由中国日报与亚洲知识产权营商论坛合办。艺恩公司创始人兼首席执行官郜寿智先生;广东原创动力文化传播有限公司总经理及“喜羊羊之父”、“开心超人之父”黄伟明先生;中手游科技集团有限公司联合创始人及副董事长冼汉廸先生;中文在线数字出版集团常务副总裁谢广才先生;盛大游戏首席执行官兼董事谢斐女士;以及“阿狸”原创作者及梦之城创始人、董事长兼首席执行官徐瀚先生受邀担任本场研讨会演讲嘉宾。 近年来,在IP(知识产权)热潮的影响之下,除了影视,游戏、文学及动漫IP的开发热度也不断推高。IP原意为知识产权,是英文知识产权的缩写,随着内容产业的发展和粉丝经济的火热,IP内容正逐渐成为商业变现的热门所在,各行业也已迅速意识到IP的强大吸金能力。对热门IP进行游戏、影视、文学的改编,曾打造出不少广受大众喜爱的成功案例。目前,腾讯、爱奇艺等知名公司也开始致力于打通IP全产业链,构建打通游戏、文学、动漫、影视等多种文创业务领域的互动娱乐新生态。在如此趋势下,本次研讨会将聚焦于知识产权的内容延伸性,六位演讲嘉宾将探索在跨界合作的过程中,如何才能长线经营,将知识产权价值最大化。 致力于整合、发展及推广手游生态系统,中手游坐拥强大的IP合作资源,从影视到文学再到动漫,已然成为中国内地第一大全平台发行方。冼汉廸表示,尽管IP难以孵化,但是仍然要着力于发展自己的IP,因为获取他人IP的成本越来越高。中手游通过投资手段,目前已经有“仙剑奇侠传”系列、“大富翁”系列、“轩辕剑”系列等近七十个知名IP,这些都为企业的下一步发展打下了良好的基础。 定位为以数据洞察为核心的平台公司,艺恩公司对IP跨界改编产业有独到的见解。其首席执行官郜寿智指出,电影、综艺节目、电视剧、漫画等改编成游戏,确实可以取得比较好的用户活跃度,有的甚至可以达到千万级用户规模,但是背后存在非常严峻的问题,即跨界改编的产品生命周期相对较短,题材泛滥亦分流了大众的吸引力。一个成熟的IP,往往需要十年周期的积累,而目前许多IP企业,积累了一定用户就急于收割变现。他续指,IP业界应审慎改编经典作品,积极考虑如科幻类等的较新题材;在改编电影时,亦应了解票房情况与一部电影是否适合改编并无直接关系。 盛大游戏成立于1999年。作为中国内地老牌游戏公司的首席执行官,谢斐表示盛大游戏在IP发展方面有发言权。她说,IP产业的发展,已经从传统的游戏、影视、动漫、文学等泛娱乐范畴,渗透到文旅、酒店、主题公园、新零售等形态,这些都为今时今日IP产业的发展增加了厚度,亦为IP融合在更大范围内制造机会与想象力提供了条件。 谢斐相信,游戏产品的生命周期是有限的,但一个IP的生命周期应是无限的。她说,真正成功的IP应是一个凝聚正能量、温度、快乐的“信仰”,而不仅仅局限于其用户流量、变现能力或热度;当这一可持续的“信仰”建立起来时,盈利也自然会来。 作为中文在线的创始人,谢广才坦言,中国内地IP行业面临的一个重要问题,就是缺乏IP的开发。他说,一部IP作品的成熟需要较长的周期,在产生影响力和传播力之后,才应进行相应的开发,“应该把IP作品当孩子养起来。” “喜羊羊之父”及“开心超人之父”黄伟明认为,IP市场不断变化,风口不断改变,但核心是“内容”,一个好的IP必须拥有独特的内容,“幽默”、“感人”、“正能量”是打造IP品牌的关键要素。他解释说,幽默是永恒的收视保证,感人亦不需要讲大道理,而正能量是成为品牌的必要条件。 谈及什么样的IP才是好IP,著名卡通人物“阿狸”的创作者徐瀚认为,其标准就是“你是否愿意拿这部作品给孩子看”,因此他希望他创作的“阿狸”可以成为孩子和家长之间的爱心纽带。 徐瀚以绘本为例,指出不同国家出品的绘本都反映了自己的价值观,目前市场上有很多欧美绘本,他希望中国内地和香港可以出品更多令人喜闻乐见的绘本,将中国文化和东方文化传播出去。 中国日报亚洲领袖圆桌论坛(www.cdroundtable.com)旨在搭建一个由亚洲国家和地区的政、商、学界领袖和社会精英参与的高端对话和交流平台,围绕亚洲地区经济、商业、产业和社会发展等具有战略影响的重要议题展开讨论和分享见解,以增进中国与亚洲和西方国家的交流和理解。 中国日报社拥有报纸、网站、移动用户端、脸谱、推特、微博、微信、电子报等十余种媒介平台。在海外,通过每月发行《中国观察报》(China Watch),直达美国《华尔街日报》和《华盛顿邮报》、英国《每日电讯报》、法国《费加罗报》、泰国《民族报》、俄罗斯《俄罗斯报》、日本《每日新闻》等美、欧、亚主流读者群。 媒体垂询: 洪梦求 小姐 电话:(852)3465 5427 电邮:melody@chinadailyhk.com
2018-12-06Developing Hong Kong’s innovation and technology sector is a high priority for Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, who says innovation is vital to unlocking the enormous value and benefits of intellectual property. Lam was speaking at the open of the Business of IP Asia Forum — the two-day event in Hong Kong on Thursday — which drew 2,500 people. She said combining IP and innovation requires much more than having some great ideas in today’s highly competitive global marketplace. “True innovation occurs when inventors can harness the power of IP and commercial insights, and successfully transform new inventions into products and services which can benefit users in need,” she said. IP creation and trading are growing rapidly in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. A survey reveals the number of patent applications from the Bay Area reached 176,000 last year. This surpassed the total of the world’s three other bay areas. Tech giants such as Huawei, ZTE and Tencent contributed the most. Benefiting from opportunities brought about by the Belt and Road Initiative as well as the Bay Area, Lam said Hong Kong could serve as an IP trading hub for the Asia-Pacific region. She said the special administrative region government would double funding for three schemes under the Innovation and Technology Fund. This is with the aim of unleashing Hong Kong companies’ scientific research capabilities and realizing research and development findings. The city’s IP regime will also be augmented. The government will continue to take action to protect the legitimate rights and interests of IP rights’ holders. According to the latest Global Competitiveness Report by the World Economic Forum, Hong Kong ranked ninth out of 140 economies in IP protection. Meanwhile, tax laws were amended in June to encourage IP trading. It has expanded profits-tax deductions for capital expenditure incurred for the purchase of IP rights from five to eight types. An original grant patent system is being established as well and can be launched next year. Margaret Fong Shun-man, executive director of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, stressed Hong Kong’s important role in IP value-chain activities. “As well as being a prominent center for innovation, commerce, trade and finance in Asia, Hong Kong is a focal point for the generation and trading of IP, including technology transfer, licensing, franchising and copyright trading,” she said. On the Chinese mainland, protection and utilization of IP is expected to be favorable for innovation, business growth and social development, said He Zhimin, deputy commissioner of National Intellectual Property Administration. Statistics released by the World Intellectual Property Organization early this month showed that the mainland is the driving force for growth in patent filings, as well as trademark and industrial design applications in 2017. The amount of patent filings worldwide reached 3.17 million; of these the mainland accounted for 44 percent. “The tighter and tighter IP protection policy has provided guarantees for overseas companies building innovative businesses in China. “It boosts technology communication between overseas and domestic enterprises as well,” said He. He believes stricter protection could attract more overseas companies as the mainland is opening its doors “wider and wider” to the world.
2018-12-06HONG KONG - China's capacity for innovation has been growing remarkably in recent years due to its enhanced efforts for intellectual property (IP) protection, speakers said at the Business of IP Asia Forum opened in Hong Kong on Thursday. IP protection has become the most important part of China's efforts to improve its property rights protection system, as well as the primary impetus for increasing its economic competitiveness, said He Zhimin, deputy director of China's National Intellectual Property Administration. By enhancing IP protection, China is creating an environment conducive to innovation and business and promoting its economic and social development, He said, citing the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2018 released in June by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). According to the GII 2018, China, whose global ranking rose from the 22th in 2017 to the 17th this year, has become the first middle-income economy on the list of the world's 20 most innovative economies. Wang Binying, deputy director general of WIPO, said at the forum's plenary session that China's rapid rise in the GII ranking "shows the way for other middle-income economies." "The essential pairing of IP and innovation is driving business growth and improving quality of life all over the world. That certainly includes China, a rising IP powerhouse," Carrie Lam, chief executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), said in her speech at the opening of the forum. Citing statistics released by WIPO, Lam said "China is the driving force for the growth in patent filings, as well as trademark and industrial design applications." Noting that the number of patent applications from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area outnumbered the total number of those filed by the world's three other renowned bay areas, namely Tokyo, New York and San Francisco, Lam described the Greater Bay Area's growth potential for IP creation and trading as "enormous." The Greater Bay Area development, as well as the Belt and Road initiative, "will give rise to immense opportunities for Hong Kong. They certainly include Hong Kong serving as an IP trading hub for the Asia-Pacific region," she said. The two-day international forum, on its eighth edition, was jointly organized by the HKSAR government, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and the Hong Kong Design Center for IP experts, government officials and business sector to share insights on IP development and explore business opportunities.
2018-12-06China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations saw strengthened economic ties and boosted cooperation in infrastructure construction and business opportunities, speakers told the China-Philippines Business Forum held in Manila on Monday. This year is the China-ASEAN Innovation Year. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang told the 21st China-ASEAN Summit on Nov 14: “The two sides will release a joint statement on ASEAN-China science, technology and innovation cooperation, explore new mechanisms for this cooperation, work together to establish science parks, and deepen the implementation of the China-ASEAN Science and Technology Partnership Program.” In 2009, China announced it had set up a US$10-billion fund pool to support the region’s infrastructure construction. “The cornerstone of that is China wants to promote closer relationships, cooperation with the 10-member association,” said Patrick Ip, managing director of China-ASEAN Investment Cooperation Fund. Ip shared CAF’s investment philosophy during the panel discussion which focused on companies’ long-term growth and investing in a harmonious way to ensure all stakeholders are in a win-win situation. “We like to invest in the core competence of companies, invest in products and new services, and help companies make inorganic acquisitions,” Ip said. He said CAF thinks highly of digital infrastructure as one of the future drivers of the economy. “ASEAN has a very young demographic with high-level consumption. With the influence from China, the digital infrastructure will boom,” he added. According to Ip, CAF has made over 10 investments in almost all ASEAN countries since 2010. And its maiden investment was in the Philippines in 2010 when the country wanted to modernize its shipping industry and upgrade its logistics sector. Tan Qingsheng, deputy chief of mission and minister counselor at the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Republic of the Philippines, told the forum China has signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative with all ASEAN members. “With the signing of the MOU, we will be able to inject fresh vitality into bilateral relations and lift our economic and trade cooperation to a new level,” Tan said, stressing that during President Xi Jinping’s visit to the Philippines, Xi and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte decided to upgrade China-Philippine ties to comprehensive strategic cooperation. Nicholas Kwan, director of Research at the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, also joined the panel discussion, saying Hong Kong has the largest number of consulates, except for key capitals around the world. “We are in a unique position to bring governments and businesses together. And we are here to team up all of our connections to make these globalization efforts broader and deeper,” he said.
2018-11-30Cooperation in digital technology between China and the Philippines has further deepened their bilateral ties and accelerated digital transformation in the Southeast-Asian nation, industry gurus told the China-Philippines Business Forum in Manila on Monday. At the forum’s second panel discussion themed “How Business Can Transform in the Digital Era”, Anthony Thomas, president and chief executive officer of Philippine mobile payment operator Mynt, and Jubert Daniel Alberto, country head of operations at Italpinas Development Corp Philippines, shared their insights on the challenges and prospects in the digital transformation and innovation trend. Partially owned by Ant Financial Services Group — the financial arm of Chinese e-commerce titan Alibaba Group, and formerly known as Alipay — Mynt started off with its mobile phone top-up service and has expanded to cover remittance and loan services, business solutions and platforms. “We look at digital transformation as something that really solves the problem,” Thomas said, describing Mynt’s partnership with Alipay as a strategic move that has brought value to both sides. “Alipay has brought more elements to the platform and also the capital. As we may know, the payment service is a very low margin business. If you really want to make it to the millions among the public, you have to make it more affordable first,” he said. “Beyond that, Alipay, as a leading global digital platform providing financial services, also provides expertise in customer experience and risk management to Mynt, which allows the investment we’re making to go further,” Thomas said. Chinese travelers — the second-largest group of foreign tourists in the Philippines — enjoy more convenience through the partnership between Mynt and Alipay. It helps cross-border payments by tourists through Mynt’s payment platform Gcash. “Tourists just need to scan a common Gcash or Alipay QR code to pay from their Alipay wallet,” Thomas explained. “We also launched a remittance flow between AlipayHK and Gcash, adopting blockchain technology,” he added. Besides Alibaba Group, Chinese tech behemoth Tencent teamed up with Philippine technology enterprise Voyager Innovations in an investment worth US$175 million last month. Thomas said he was excited to see several fintech giants tapping into the Philippines. “More capital coming in will help the business grow,” he said. According to Thomas, two out of three Filipinos don’t have access to bank accounts as the country is spread across more than 7,000 islands, and a third of the districts don’t have physical bank branches. “So the other side of it is that mobile devices are ubiquitous — everyone has a mobile phone.” Under such circumstances, Mynt plans to introduce various digital financial services to the public not just for convenience, but also variety. “When we define our own business, we work with lots of other businesses which are also looking at transformation. And, we embed digital transformation into their businesses which, ultimately, will benefit customers and ourselves,” Thomas said. Addressing concerns arising from digital payment platforms, Thomas said the transparency and constant flow of data recorded actually could enhance security. Besides, part of Alipay’s investment is used to strengthen such security. “We have the expertise from China. Moreover, regarding fraud losses from payments through Alipay, more data flowing into the digital world can be captured, leading to better detection and monitoring of potential fraud,” he said. Traditional brick-and-mortar banks in the Philippines have also partnered with digital financial services providers, such as Mynt’s Gcash. “We’re not competing with the banks, but cooperating with them, providing them access to the platform,” Thomas said. However, both Thomas and Alberto admitted it will still take some time for Filipinos to fully embrace the era of digital transformation. According to Alberto, less than 3 percent of the Philippine GDP came from digital products and services last year. “It’s already there with little digital products and services, but not that much,” he said. However, starting this year, three out of five organizations in the Philippines are considering embracing digital transformation. “We’re saying that, by 2021, the immense use of all technology, business objects of organizations will contribute heavily to the country’s GDP — to about 40 percent,” Alberto said. He saw a promising future for the two countries by cooperating in digital services and technology. “The technologies coming from China could give the Philippines more options and alternatives,” he said. “And, it’s obvious that the technologies benefit us and help local SMEs and other enterprises in the long run.”
2018-11-30China and the Philippines only established diplomatic relations in 1975, but the trade ties between the two countries can be traced back to as early as the 10th century. It is these centuries-old trade ties, forged through the ancient Maritime Silk Road, that will continue to strengthen China-Philippine relations in coming years, said analysts and senior officials at the China-Philippines Business Forum held in Manila on Monday. The forum, which focused on the theme “Taking the China-Philippines Relations to New Heights”, was organized by China Daily and sponsored by Bank of China. Representatives from the Philippine and Chinese governments, business, academics and the media attended the event. Participants at the forum discussed how Chinese investments and infrastructure financing in the Philippines and the 29 cooperation agreements signed during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to the Philippine capital on Nov 20-21 have deepened bilateral relations. “Economic cooperation is a win-win choice for us and should be the bedrock of our relations,” said Tan Qingsheng, charge d’affaires at the Chinese embassy in the Philippines. Tan said in his keynote speech that the Philippines and China have a “history of friendly exchanges for more than 1,000 years”. Such relations continue to this day, and China is extending financial and technical support to help the Philippines promote economic growth and social development, he noted. Tan cited the China-funded projects under Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s flagship infrastructure development program. The massive program, more popularly known as “Build, Build, Build”, aims to transform the Philippines into an upper-middle-income economy by 2022. It needs 3.6 trillion pesos (US$175.6 billion) to upgrade the country’s infrastructure over the next three years. Tan said China-funded projects are part of the “Build, Build, Build” program. “They are proposed by the Philippine side and are economically viable and positive for the Philippine economy.” Philippine Finance Undersecretary Mark Dennis Y.C. Joven said Philippine-China relations had “experienced a golden age” in recent years. He said China is now the Philippines’ biggest trading partner and one of the biggest sources of investments and tourists. He noted that in the first quarter of this year, FDI from China surged over 500 percent compared with the previous year. Official data also show China recently emerged as a key trading partner and tourism market for the Philippines. According to the latest report issued by the Philippine Statistics Authority, China has surpassed Japan to become the Philippines’ biggest trading partner. In the first half of this year, trade between the two countries reached US$14.08 billion. The Philippines exported US$4.09 billion worth of goods to China, while payment for imports was valued at US$9.99 billion. Data from the Philippine Department of Tourism show that next only to South Korea, China is now the second-biggest source of tourists for the Philippines. From January to September, Chinese visitor arrivals surged by 34.9 percent year-on-year to more than 972,550. John Gong Jiong, economics professor at the Beijing-based University of International Business and Economics, said increased Chinese investments in the Philippines “seek mutual benefits for mutual interests”. “China-Philippine economic relations will present many opportunities, wealth, and will (create) a great future for our nations,” he said. Zhou Li, editorial board member of China Daily Group and publisher and editor-in-chief of China Daily Asia Pacific, said there’s a need to “reaffirm economic commitments” between China and the Philippines, especially at a time when the “US-China trade war looms large”. Deng Jun, country head for Bank of China’s branch in Manila, said the two countries have also deepened their financial cooperation in the past few years. Deng said the bank has committed to extend a US$3-billion credit line from 2016 to 2022 to finance the Philippines’ infrastructure and trade. Three of the 29 agreements signed during Xi’s state visit will enhance the financial cooperation between the two countries, he said. Renminbi-peso accords These three documents are the Memorandum of Understanding on Renminbi Clearing Arrangement between the central banks of two countries, the MOU on Panda Bonds Issuance between the Philippine Department of Finance and Bank of China, and Letter of No Objection to the Organization of the Renminbi-Philippine Peso Foreign Exchange Trading Market granted by the Philippine central bank to the Philippine RMB Trading Community. Deng said the renminbi-peso direct trading platform will benefit Chinese and Filipino investors, entrepreneurs and tourists. This will expand business opportunities in both countries as they no longer have to convert their respective currencies to US dollars to seal financial transactions. “It will save friction costs, reduce the foreign exchange exposure risks, and promote the economic cooperation of both countries,” he said. Deng added that BOC served as underwriter for Philippine bonds to help the Duterte administration raise funds for its infrastructure program. “We were the lead underwriter of the successful issuance of the ‘Panda Bond’, and we received several international awards,” he said. In March, the Philippines issued 1.46 billion yuan (US$230 million) in three-year “Panda Bonds”. And the country’s first “Panda Bond” issuance generated 9.22 billion yuan in bids — 6.32 times the approved issue size — according to National Treasurer Rosalia de Leon. Participants in the China-Philippines Business Forum likewise stressed that the Philippines and other Southeast-Asian countries have a key role to play in the Belt and Road Initiative. Federico Macaranas, adjunct professor at the Asian Institute of Management, cited Chinese Premier Li Keqiang’s view that the Maritime Silk Road — the sea-based trade component of the BRI — is primarily oriented toward the Southeast-Asian region. In the case of the Philippines, Macaranas said the country’s interest in the BRI needs to be viewed from the perspective of “comprehensive and strategic cooperation” that was formed after Xi’s visit. Macaranas said the dispute over the South China Sea had once strained China-Philippine relations, but “the economic and social underpinnings of China-Philippine relations must not be determined by a single, albeit very important, issue”. “Other dimensions are needed to ensure 21st century peace, prosperity and sustainable development,” he said. Tan said the Philippines “is a natural partner” in the BRI, and that one of the most important documents signed during Xi’s visit was the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative. The MOU formalizes the Philippines’ participation in the BRI. The two countries also agreed to cooperate in developing the economies that are part of the initiative. Tan said the MOU signing and Xi’s invitation to Duterte to attend the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in April next year will lift Philippine-China relations to a new level. Deng said BOC has actively participated in the BRI and encouraged other banks to invest in the Maritime Silk Road. He said funding infrastructure projects is just one way commercial banks can participate in the BRI. He noted that the BRI has several components, such as financial and trade connectivity. He said banks can also invest in, and benefit from the BRI by facilitating trade. “There are tremendous opportunities for banks to develop their businesses to support the construction of the Maritime Silk Road. Consequently, benefits will arise from these opportunities,” he said.
2018-11-30中国日报马尼拉11月27日电 中国日报11月26日在菲律宾马尼拉举办题为“中菲关系:从新起点迈向新高度”的“2018中菲商业论坛”,吸引逾300名来自两国的政、商、学界人士参加。 中国国家主席习近平11月20日对菲律宾进行了国事访问,这是中国国家元首十三年来首次访菲,具有里程碑意义。为进一步加强中菲间沟通与信任,深化两国在资源开发、人文交流、贸易便利化、数字经济等方面的合作,中国日报举行本次论坛,并设“共建共享21世纪海上丝绸之路的机遇”和“数字时代下企业的转型与重塑”两场研讨会。中国驻菲律宾大使馆临时代办檀勍生、菲律宾财政部副部长马克·丹尼斯·卓文,以及菲律宾旅游部旅游发展与规划部副部长罗伯特·阿拉巴多出席并发表主旨演讲。 檀勍生在主旨演讲中提到,国家主席习近平访问菲律宾,给我们提供了一个极好的机会来探索两国合作的各个可能性并且将合作更进一步推进。作为菲律宾的邻居、朋友以及可靠的伙伴,中国将继续保持并推进与菲律宾的友好关系和双边互惠合作,一起分享未来的发展及繁荣。 他表示,在两国领导人的共同努力下,中菲关系过去两年出现了巨大转机。历史经验告诉我们,第一政治互信非常重要;第二经济合作有利于互利共赢应是中菲关系基石;第三我们应妥善处理矛盾分歧,南海问题并不是中菲双边关系的全部。 檀勍生继指,中国日报组织这个论坛很及时,正好提供一个向菲律宾社会各界深入诠释习近平主席访菲的全面成果的机会。他对中国日报举行“2018中菲商业论坛”表示感谢,认为中国日报在促进中菲关系向好发展,增进两国人民互相了解起到了重要作用。 马克·丹尼斯·卓文强调,菲律宾与中国于1975年建交,在最近的几年,菲中关系正在经历过去43年前所未见的黄金时期。数据显示,中国对菲律宾的外商直接投资,与去年相比增长超过五倍,其中2017年,菲中两国贸易额达448亿美元。 罗伯特·阿拉巴多表示,旅游业占菲律宾GDP的12.2%,相当于1.93万亿菲律宾比索。2019年源自中国的旅游人数将达到150万,超过美国游客人数。我们要平衡旅游商机和社会责任,以此达至国家可持续发展。 习近平主席本月访菲期间,两国元首共同规划双边关系未来发展,达成重要共识,一致决定在相互尊重、坦诚相待、平等互利、合作共赢基础上建立中菲全面战略合作关系。习近平强调,双方要把安全、发展、人文三大支柱领域合作扎扎实实推向深入,扩大教育、文化、旅游等交流合作。菲律宾是中国共建“一带一路”的重要伙伴。双方要深化“一带一路”倡议,与菲律宾发展战略对接,加强基础设施建设、电信、农业等领域合作。 2016年下半年以来,中菲两国从外交、经贸等领域双边磋商全面恢复到新的海上合作机制正式启动,两国关系全面改善发展引人注目。国务委员兼外交部长王毅曾表示,菲律宾历史上就是海上丝绸之路的重要一站,在共建“一带一路”进程中,菲方不会也不应缺席。菲律宾财政部也曾表示,菲方希望将基础设施建设与“一带一路”倡议相对接,深入参与21世纪海上丝绸之路建设。 论坛的首场研讨会即以“共建共享21世纪海上丝绸之路的机遇”为主题。“21世纪海上丝绸之路”倡议于2013年提出,目标是通过政策沟通、设施联通、贸易畅通、资金融通和民心相通这“五通”,与相关各国打造政治互信、经济融合、文化包容的命运共同体。 中国银行致力于搭好中菲经贸投资往来桥梁,推广人民币在菲律宾的使用。研讨会演讲嘉宾中国银行马尼拉分行行长邓军在会上表示,随着中菲两国联系的加深,更多的中国投资人、商人、游客前往菲律宾。我们愿意成为资金提供者,债券发行承销商来支持建设项目,联系两国的市场来促进贸易、投资及金融基金。与此同时,在联系海上丝绸之路的各国贸易和投资发展中促进人民币流通,及以人民币作为支付手段和结算货币来降低转换成本,并且减少外汇风险。 对外经济贸易大学经济系教授龚炯指出,现在很明显的是,中国在菲律宾的投资是符合双方利益的,不是一厢情愿,而是双方彼此需求所致。中国的“一带一路”倡议和菲律宾总统杜特尔特的“大建特建”的基础设施建设计划项目是天赐良机,我们应该一起全力加速前进。中菲经济关系会带来很多机会与财富,同时也会为我们的国家带来很光明的未来。 中国-东盟投资合作基金主要投资于东盟地区的基础设施、能源和自然资源等领域,是目前少数致力于投资东盟地区的大型私募股权基金。该基金的董事总经理叶家强表示,中国2009年宣布投资基金超100亿美元予东盟国家。这其中的本质是中国想要更好地与十个东盟国家合作,同时,中国想要在例如基础设施等很多关键领域上投资。 香港贸易发展局致力于促进香港的对外贸易,并同时推动香港作为国际商贸平台,吸引全球各地的企业到香港营商。局方研究总监关家明表示,我们在努力将“一带一路”更加国际化、全球化,这是一个中国倡议、全世界都参与并拥有的计划。把世界联系起来,这才是最重要的因素。 亚洲管理研究所客座教授弗德里克·马喀拉纳斯认为,菲中的经济社会合作基础不应该单纯地被单一事项影响。其他方面也需要加以强调,来保证21世纪的和平、繁荣以及可持续发展,譬如全球变暖问题。 当前,数字经济、互联网经济正日益改变商业运行方式,亚太经合组织第二十六次领导人非正式会议也将“拥抱数字化未来”列入主题,将数字经济置于“重中之重”。而拥抱数字化未来,离不开新形势下的转型与创新。 论坛的第二场研讨会以“数字时代下企业的转型与重塑”为主题,演讲嘉宾朱贝尔·阿尔贝托是国际数据公司菲律宾地区负责人,该公司是信息技术、电信行业和消费科技市场咨询、顾问和活动服务专业提供商。他在研讨会上表示,很多公司都非常想来菲律宾投资,这对于菲律宾很多科技公司、传统制造业公司以及依靠科技运营的零售公司都是利好的。对于政府来说,他们真的需要更好地适应数字化的商业模式。 菲律宾最大的数字金融公司Mynt在2017年与蚂蚁金服合作推出电子钱包Gcash。Mynt公司总裁兼首席执行官安东尼·托马斯担任该场研讨会的另一位演讲嘉宾,他提到菲律宾的数字网络化的基础建设已经建好,对于公司和用户来说,从传统方式到数字化是自然的转换。阿里巴巴投资Mynt是两家公司战略性的合作,他们帮助Mynt进入更多平台,并且在用户体验和风险管控上具有丰富经验。 中国日报亚洲领袖圆桌论坛(www.cdroundtable.com)旨在搭建一个由亚洲国家和地区的政、商、学界领袖和社会精英参与的高端对话和交流平台,围绕亚洲地区经济、商业、产业和社会发展等具有战略影响的重要议题展开讨论和分享见解,以增进中国与亚洲和西方国家的交流和理解。 中国日报社拥有报纸、网站、移动用户端、脸谱、推特、微博、微信、电子报等十余种媒介平台。在海外,通过每月发行《中国观察报》(China Watch),直达美国《华尔街日报》和《华盛顿邮报》、英国《每日电讯报》、法国《费加罗报》、泰国《民族报》、俄罗斯《俄罗斯报》、日本《每日新闻》等美、欧、亚主流读者群。 媒体垂询: 洪梦求 小姐 电话:(852)3465 5427 电邮:melody@chinadailyhk.com
2018-11-27Economic cooperation is key to strengthening relations between China and the Philippines, experts and senior officials said at the China-Philippines Business Forum held in Manila. Participants in the forum on Monday stressed that the two countries' centuries-long trade ties, China's rising investments in the Philippines and the 29 cooperation agreements signed during Chinese President Xi Jinping's Nov 20-21 state visit to the Philippine capital had deepened bilateral relations. The one-day forum, which focused on the theme "Taking the China-Philippines Relations to New Heights", was organized by China Daily and sponsored by Bank of China. Representatives from the Philippine and Chinese government, business, academic and media sectors attended the event at the Grand Hyatt Manila. "Economic cooperation is a win-win choice for us and should be the bedrock of our relations," said Tan Qingsheng, charge d'affaires at the Chinese embassy in the Philippines. Tan said in his keynote address that China can extend both financial and technical support to help the Philippines promote economic growth and social development. He cited the China-funded projects that fall under Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's flagship infrastructure development program. Philippine Finance Undersecretary Mark Dennis Y.C. Joven said Philippines-China relations have been "experiencing a golden age" in recent years. He said China is now the Philippines' biggest trading partner and one of the biggest sources of investment and tourism. He noted that in the first quarter of 2018, FDI from China surged by over 500 percent compared with the previous year. Zhou Li, editorial board member of the China Daily Group and Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of China Daily Asia Pacific, said there's a need to "reaffirm the economic commitments" between China and the Philippines, especially at a time that the "US-China trade war looms large". China-Philippines ties also go beyond trade ties. As Deng Jun, country head for Bank of China's branch in Manila, noted in his speech, the two countries can also deepen their financial cooperation. He said the bank has committed at least $3 billion to finance Philippine infrastructure and trade. It also served as an underwriter for Philippine bonds, helping the Duterte administration raise funds for its infrastructure program. Deng said three of the 29 agreements signed during Xi's state visit will enhance financial cooperation between the two countries. These three documents are the Memorandum of Understanding on Renminbi Clearing Arrangement between the central banks of two countries, the MOU on Panda Bonds Issuance between the Philippine Department of Finance and Bank of China, and the Letter of No Objection to the Organization of the Renminbi-Philippine Peso Foreign Exchange Trading Market granted by the central bank of the Philippines to the Philippine RMB Trading Community.
2018-11-26