Economy

Chinese Civilian Drone Maker Sees Increasing Sales in Latin America

Shenzhen DJI Technology Co.， Ltd， Chinas top civil drone maker， saw its sales of consumer drones in June and July in Latin America triple from a year earlier to top RMB 10 million. According to DJIs public relations director， Wang Fan， the sales surge could be ascribed to the rising demands from fanseeking consumers and public service companies of the region.

Mexico， Chile， Brazil， and Paraguay are the companys biggest customers in Latin America. In the latest case， Brazils Labor Ministry said in late July it would use six Inspire 1 drones， made by DJI， to monitor proprietors suspected of using forced laborers in Rio de Janeiro.

In another case， DJI drones have been used by cultural officials and archeologists in Peru to complete the surveying and mapping of 12，000 Inca ruin sites.

Founded in 2006， DJI has grown into an industry leader in aerial photography and video recording. It has seized 70 percent of the global market share， 80 percent of its revenue coming from overseas markets. Japan， Europe， and North America are DJIs major markets.

China exported 160，000 civilian drones worth RMB 750 million from January to May this year， 69 and 55 times the sales of the same period in 2014 respectively. All these drones were produced in Shenzhen.

China Online Travel Market Exceeds RMB 100 Billion in Q2

In the second quarter of 2015， Chinas online travel transaction volume reached RMB 106.17 billion， up 12 percent over the first quarter， and 56.7 percent over the same period of 2014， according to the latest research report by the Internet research agency Analysys.

The second quarter of 2015 marked the first time Chinas online travel market exceeded RMB 100 billion， which can be ascribed to the sustained rapid development of Chinas tourism industry. Statistics from the National Tourism Administration show that in the first half of the year， 2.024 billion tourist trips were made in China， up 9.9 percent year on year with domestic tourist spending standing at RMB 1.65 trillion， up 14.5 percent year on year. Meanwhile， the total number of tourists entering and leaving China reached 127 million person times， a year-on-year increase of 9.8 percent.

In addition， the advancement of Chinas “Internet Plus” program， which is deepening the integration of online and offline travel-related firms， has also boosted the market surge. Analysys observed that in 2015， Chinas online travel market has entered a new development stage in which the importance of tourism services and resource suppliers in the industrial chain is becoming increasingly striking as consumers tourism demands become more diversified. It is expected that the online-offline integration will expand from product operation and design to rearend links. Meanwhile， Analysysresearch also shows that online transportation booking is still the major business of online travel transactions.endprint

China to Pour Money into Six Manufacturing Sectors

China will boost investment to foster technological progress in six manufacturing industries between 2015 and 2017 as the country tries to upgrade its manufacturing sector and lift economic growth， the National Development and Reform Commission （NDRC）， the countrys top economic planner， said in late July.

The six manufacturing sectors in question are railway equipment， ocean engineering equipment， industrial robotics， new energy vehicles， modern agricultural machinery， and medical equipment.

The investment is part of Chinas ambitious plan to enhance the competitiveness of its manufacturing sector by encouraging innovation to boost economic growth.

The blueprint titled “Made in China 2025” comes as the countrys factories struggle with flagging demand， increased competition from other developing countries， and a sluggish domestic economy.

To step up investment， the NDRC last year pledged to accelerate construction of seven major projects， including power grids， transportation， water conservation， and environmental protection. The investment totaled RMB 3.3 trillion （US $539.2 billion） at the end of June.

China Becomes Britains Fourth Largest Export Market

Data from Britains Office for National Statistics（ONS） showed that Britains 2014 export to Chinas mainland reached ￡13.9 billion， a year-on-year increase of 12 percent， making the region Britains sixth largest export market. The ONS counts exports to Chinas Hong Kong separately. In 2014， exports to this region of China stood at ￡6.3 billion， up 11 percent year on year. The total sum of Britains exports to Chinas mainland and Hong Kong place China fourth in the top 50 export destinations for British goods in 2014.

According to the ONS， the U.S.， Germany， the Netherlands， France， and Ireland were Britains top five export destinations last year， the total export to these countries worth ￡129 billion. Exports to the U.S. reached ￡36.9 billion， taking up 13 percent of Britains total exports. Although Britains exports to Germany increased by four percent， the total export volume of Britain to its top five export markets dropped by ￡8 billion or 5.7 percent in 2014.

In 2014 Britain saw burgeoning exports to emerging markets as its export to the United Arab Emirates， South Korea， India， and Poland reached ￡6.1 billion， ￡5.6 billion， ￡4.6 billion， and ￡3.8 billion， respectively； Angola and Pakistan also snatched positions in Britains top 50 export market list.endprint