Economy

China Leads the World in iOS Downloads

A newly-released 2015 report on global mobile Internet use shows that China surpasses the U.S. and ranks top in iOS downloads worldwide. App Annie， a mobile analytics company headquartered in San Francisco， released the report on April 29 at the Global Mobile Internet Conference （GMIC） held in Beijing.

Danielle Levitas， senior vice president of App Annie， revealed that Chinas iOS downloads grew 30 percent in Q1 2015 over the same period of 2014. Download growth translates into iOS App Store revenue gains. From Q1 2014 to Q1 2015， revenue in China grew 90 percent compared to 30 percent in the U.S. and 50 percent in Japan.

iOS is a mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc. Apples Q2 earnings report of fiscal year 2015 showed that international sales accounted for 69 percent of its revenue for the period， reflecting the high demand in emerging markets such as China for Apple products.

According to Levitas， Apple has dramatically expanded distribution in China. As of April 25， China had 19 Apple Stores across 10 cities， up from just eight confined to Beijing and Shanghai in October 2013.

China boasts the worlds most Internet and cell phone users. There were 649 million Internet users in the country by the end of 2014， and some 557 million used cell phones to go online， official data showed.

Measures Unveiled to Shore up Job Market

Chinas State Council rolled out four measures in a circular on May 1， demanding governments at various levels to facilitate entrepreneurship and innovation， and create more jobs.

The circular – Guidelines on Stimulating Employment and Entrepreneurship under the New Situation – admitted the country is under pressure to create more jobs as its economy is now under the “new normal，” and said it was necessary to implement more proactive employment policies.

The government should refine policies and continue to encourage mass entrepreneurship and startups， so as to foster a new engine of economic growth， the circular said.

China is faced with the complex and arduous task of ensuring employment in 2015 against the backdrop of an economic slowdown.

The Chinese government has pledged to create more than 10 million urban jobs and ensure that the registered urban unemployment rate does not rise above 4.5 percent in 2015， according to a government work report unveiled in March.

China Inks US $5.5 Bln Construction Contracts in Africaendprint

Chinas largest railway constructor， China Railway Construction Corp. （CRCC） won two large construction orders in Africa totaling nearly US $5.5 billion. The contracts， signed by CRCC China-Africa Construction Ltd.， a wholly-owned subsidiary of CRCC， include a US $3.506 billion deal for an inter-city railway project in Nigeria and a US $1.93 billion residential project in Zimbabwe， the biggest housing project in the African country has ever conducted in its history.

Before the contract of the inter-city railway project was finally sealed， it took the two sides three years to plan， survey， compare schemes， and negotiate terms. The railway is planned to run 334 km with the designed speed of 120 km/hour. Chinese engineering standards will be adopted in its construction.

The Nigerian project further cements the companys leading role in the Nigerian construction industry， and is also a milestone in the Chinese rail industrys ambition to go global， said Meng Fengchao， chairman of CRCC. CRCC China-Africa Construction Ltd. is now the largest rail transit contractor in Africa.

The residential project in Zimbabwe will cover the countrys 12 cities and towns， and has the construction of 22，652 housing units in the planning. Around 100，000 local people will benefit from the housing project intended by their government to improve their livelihood. Construction of the project is estimated to last five years.

Subsidies Renewed for Shale Gas Exploration

China will renew subsidies on shale gas exploration as part of its efforts to optimize the energy structure， upgrade its capacity in ensuring energy security， and reduce emission.

The Ministry of Finance announced recently that a subsidy of RMB 0.3 will be offered for every cubic meter of shale gas developed by enterprises during the 2016-2018 period， down from the RMB 0.4 provided for the 2012-2015 period.

From 2019 to 2020， the subsidy will be further lowered to RMB 0.2 for every cubic meter of shale gas exploration， the ministry said， adding it will adjust the policy in accordance with the sectors growth， technology development， and changes in cost.

Exploration of shale gas， an unconventional source of natural gas， has grown in China amid government efforts to promote the use of clean energy.

A report by energy giant British Petroleum （BP） predicted that China would become the worlds second-largest shale gas producer by 2035， behind only North America.

From 2025 to 2035， Chinas shale gas output will grow by an average of 33 percent every year. By 2035， China and the United States will provide some 85 percent of global shale gas output， according to the report.endprint