Farm fare: A child poses with a giant wax gourd at the China (Hainan) International Tropical Farm Products Winter Fair on Dec 14 in Haikou, Hainan province. The four-day fair, which ended on Dec 15, showcased the province's best agricultural produce. Huang Yiming / China Daily

New rules released on online map services

China introduced a set of new regulations for online map services as part of a broader update on Dec 14. The document, signed by Premier Li Keqiang and taking effect on Jan 1, upholds the basic principles of safeguarding national sovereignty and geographic information security, as well as improving public services, according to the State Council.

Rules concerning market entry, data security management, user information protection, and supervision and registration of Internet map services have been specified in the new chapter. The new regulations seek to strengthen policy support and supervision over the relatively young industry.

Alibaba, Disney team up for service

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and the world's largest media company, The Walt Disney Co, have launched an over-the-top service through an Internet television setting that offers Disney entertainment content to local consumers as well as Disney resort ticket booking systems.

The service, DisneyLife, is a TV box set resembling Mickey Mouse. It is priced at 799 yuan ($124; 114 euros) and is available at Tmall, the online retail unit of Alibaba, from Dec 15, inclusive of a one-year subscription to DisneyLife.

Sinopec gets nod to buy 20% of Russia's Sibur

China Petrochemical Corp, better known as Sinopec, has got the green light from the Russian government to buy a 20 percent stake in Russian petrochemical and gas company Sibur.

The takeover involves two stages - Sinopec will acquire 10 percent of Sibur for about $1.34 billion and buy the other 10 percent within the next three years, according to Russian media reports.

The value of the second stage has not been disclosed due to the fluctuation in value of the company's shares in the next three years, it said.

Steel output in China declines yet again

Steelmakers in China, the world's top supplier, are cutting output yet again as faltering demand and a rout in prices show no signs of abating. Crude steel production fell 1.6 percent to 63.32 million metric tons in November from a year earlier, while supply for the first 11 months dropped 2.2 percent to 738.38 million tons, according to data from the statistics bureau on Dec 12.

Wuhan Steel says it won't lay off workers

Wuhan Iron and Steel Co plans to make employment changes although it doesn't intend to lay off staff, a spokesman for the Chinese steelmaker's parent company said on Dec 14 in response to a report that it could cut jobs.

The company is planning a "human resources optimization", said Sun Jin, spokesman for state-owned company. The changes will differ from layoffs, as they won't alter workers' "salaries or organizational relationships" with the company, and the company will still fund their insurance and pension payments, Sun said.

Shell takeover of BG cleared by authorities

Royal Dutch Shell Plc has received clearance from antitrust authorities in China for its takeover of BG Group Plc, removing the final regulatory hurdle for the company's biggest-ever deal. The clearance from China's Ministry of Commerce follows similar approvals from authorities in Brazil, the European Union and Australia, the companies said on Dec 14.

BG Group and Shell will now seek assent from their shareholders and plan to complete the transaction early next year.

Alibaba acquires Hong Kong newspaper

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd has spent HK$2.06 billion ($266 million; 241 million euros) to acquire the media assets of SCMP Group, including the South China Morning Post, according to a statement announced by SCMP on Dec 14.

Hong Kong-based analysts said it is probably another step in Alibaba's quest to build a media empire.

Statistics show that at least 24 media organizations, from mainland financial news outlet China Business Network to online video giant Youku Tudou Inc, are owned or invested in by Alibaba and its affiliate companies.

Yangtze River Airlines starts passenger flights

Yangtze River Airlines Co Ltd, the Shanghai-based freight subsidiary of HNA Group, launched a passenger service on Dec 15.

The airlines' first passenger traffic route is from Shanghai to Sanya, Hainan province, and it also plans another two routes, from Shanghai to Zhuhai in Guangdong province, and Guiyang in Guizhou province, said Yang Zhihua, passenger traffic president of Yangtze River Airlines.

The carrier received its second Boeing 737-800 aircraft for passenger traffic on Dec 13, and more Boeing 737 aircraft will be delivered next year. It currently runs 26 air freighters on more than 40 domestic and international routes.

Mainland's HK trade down 12%, data shows

The Chinese mainland's trade with Hong Kong totaled $259.98 billion in the first 10 months of this year, down 12.1 percent year-on-year, according the Ministry of Commerce. This accounts for 8.1 percent of the mainland's total overseas trade in the same period, figures released by the ministry show. The mainland's exports to Hong Kong hit $251.32 billion, a decrease of 12.2 percent year-on-year, while the mainland's imports from the region dropped 10.6 percent to $8.66 billion.

Wanda unveils major Shandong projects

Dalian Wanda Group Co Ltd will invest 130 billion yuan ($20.13 billion; 18.25 billion euros) to develop a cultural and tourism project and 38 urban complexes in Shandong province, according to an agreement signed between Shandong government and Wanda Group on Dec 14.

When completed, the projects developed by Wanda would cover all of the 17 cities in the province, according to Dazhong Daily, a local newspaper.

German tire giant on a roll in Hefei

Continental AG, the German tire and automotive components giant, is confident of its 250 million euro ($274 million) expansion in its China factory in Hefei, Anhui province. After the investment, the plant's annual production capacity will double to around 14 million tires, according to Ralf Cramer, the company's president and chief executive officer in China.

Govt setting up mining debt fund

The central government is planning a state-owned fund to absorb bad debt in the mining sector, including loans owed by China Minmetals Corp, as the fallout from a price collapse batters the global commodities industry.

The investment company would be established by the state-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission to coordinate the country's investment in mineral resources, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

Anti-dumping duties hit imported paper

The Ministry of Commerce will impose provisional anti-dumping measures on unbleached bag paper imported from the United States, the European Union and Japan, it said recently. Importers of those products should place deposits with Chinese customs at rates ranging from 14.9 percent to 29 percent of their imports starting from Dec 11, according to a preliminary ruling made by the ministry.

(China Daily European Weekly 12/18/2015 page19)