Hi everyone. I’m Stephanie LI.
大家好，我是主持人李莹亮。
Coming up on today’s program.
重点提要
China will further its efforts to attract and utilize more foreign investment this year;
China’s CPI increased 1% in February.
China’s Two Sessions 2023
聚焦2023年全国两会
China is set to accelerate efforts to attract and utilize more foreign investment this year, as outlined in the latest Government Work Report at the ongoing two sessions.
The report recommended several measures to achieve this goal, including expanding market access, opening up the modern services sector, ensuring national treatment and improving services for foreign-funded companies, and facilitating the launch of landmark foreign-funded projects.
"With a vast and open market, China is sure to provide even greater business opportunities for foreign companies in China," Premier Li Keqiang said.
The country will take active steps to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and other high-standard economic and trade agreements, and steadily expand institutional opening-up by proactively adopting relevant rules, regulations and standards, according to the report.
Over the past five years, China has remained committed to opening up wider to the world, expanding international economic and trade cooperation to deliver mutually beneficial outcomes. The country intensified policy support in terms of export tax rebates, credit insurance and credit loans, and simplified customs clearance procedures. China’s overall tariff level fell from 9.8 percent to 7.4 percent during the period, according to the report.
China has developed new forms of foreign trade, building 21 pilot free trade zones, 152 new integrated pilot zones for cross-border e-commerce and supporting the establishment of overseas warehouses.
These efforts mirrored China's stable foreign trade, with continuously improved quality and foreign exchange services.
Foreign companies also said they will continue to beef up investment in the Chinese market and better serve the market to further explore localization. Foreign direct investment into the Chinese mainland, in actual use, expanded 6.3 percent year-on-year to 1.23 trillion yuan in 2022, the Ministry of Commerce said in January, indicating the country remains a magnet for foreign investment despite the pandemic.
今年政府工作报告将外贸目标设为“进出口促稳提质，国际收支基本平衡”，将“更大力度吸引和利用外资”列为政府换届之年的八大重点建议之一。
报告提出，更大力度吸引和利用外资。扩大市场准入，加大现代服务业领域开放力度。落实好外资企业国民待遇。积极推动加入全面与进步跨太平洋伙伴关系协定（CPTPP）等高标准经贸协议，主动对照相关规则、规制、管理、标准，稳步扩大制度型开放。继续发挥进出口对经济的支撑作用。做好外资企业服务工作，推动外资标志性项目落地建设。
“更大力度吸引和利用外资”“支持加力稳定外贸”“推进高水平对外开放，增强国内国际两个市场两种资源联动效应”……提请审议的政府工作报告和提请审查的计划报告、预算报告，对稳住外资外贸基本盘、推进高水平开放释放出明确信号。
外资外贸连接国内国际两个市场、两种资源，是衡量对外开放水平的重要指标。政府工作报告将“更大力度吸引和利用外资”列为今年政府工作八项重点建议之一，将“进出口促稳提质，国际收支基本平衡”作为今年发展主要预期目标。对此，计划报告认为，今年世界经济贸易增速放缓，国际贸易和利用外资的竞争将更趋激烈，保持国际收支基本平衡、稳定外贸外资是经济增长的重要支撑，需要在外贸稳规模优结构、更大力度吸引和利用外资上下更大力气。
专家表示，今年中国吸收外资面临新形势，可谓机遇和挑战并存。今年政府工作报告从扩准入、优待遇、提标准、强服务等方面提出举措，既回应当下外商投资的关切，又着眼长远推进高水平对外开放，有助于增强外资企业在华经营的长期信心，提升中国产业链供应链韧性，进一步强化创新驱动力，继续推动中国经济结构的转型升级和高质量发展。
为加大吸引外资力度，2023年以来，广东、浙江、江苏、四川等15个省份先后提出创新举措，力促外资稳存量、扩增量、提质量。商务部最近还确定了“中国投资年”活动的消息，这些都是积极的信号，目的就是创造良好营商环境，欢迎外商投资。随着今年更大力度吸引和利用外资，外资企业在华发展的预期和信心将得到增强，这不仅能带来经济数据在“量”上的增长，长远看，也将提升中国产业链供应链韧性，进一步强化创新驱动动力。
China’s Macro Economy
宏观经济要闻
China's consumer inflation eased in February to a 12-month low, while its factory-gate prices showed an annual fall for a fifth month, official data showed on Thursday.
China's consumer price index, a main gauge of inflation, climbed 1 percent from a year earlier in February after a three-month high of 2.1 percent in January, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics. On a month-on-month basis, February's CPI declined by 0.5 percent, while January's CPI increased by 0.8 percent.
Food prices increased by 2.6 percent in February compared with a year ago, down from 6.2 percent in January. Pork, a staple in Chinese cuisine, saw prices surge by 3.9 percent, down from a rise of 11.8 percent in January, the NBS said.
The growth in core CPI, which excludes volatile food and energy prices and is deemed a better gauge of the supply-demand relationship in the economy, rose by 0.6 percent year-on-year in February after a 1 percent rise in January.
The producer price index(PPI), which gauges factory-gate prices, was down 1.4 percent from a year earlier in February.
Dong Lijuan, an NBS statistician, attributed the consumer inflation eased in February due to factors including the decline in consumer demand after the January Spring Festival holiday and sufficient market supplies, while the fall in factory-gate prices was affected by a high comparison base in the previous year.
3月9日，国家统计局发布的数据显示，2月份，CPI同比上涨1.0%，环比下降0.5%；PPI同比下降1.4%，环比持平。
国家统计局城市司首席统计师董莉娟解读，2月份，受节后消费需求回落、市场供应充足等因素影响，居民消费价格环比有所下降，同比涨幅回落。从同比看，CPI上涨1.0%，涨幅比上月回落1.1个百分点。同比涨幅回落较多，主要是春节错月，上年同期对比基数较高。其中，食品价格上涨2.6%，涨幅比上月回落3.6个百分点。从环比看，CPI由上月上涨0.8%转为下降0.5%。其中，食品价格由上月上涨2.8%转为下降2.0%，影响CPI下降约0.38个百分点。食品中，节后消费需求回落，加之天气转暖供给充足，大部分鲜活食品价格均有所下降，其中猪肉和鲜菜价格分别下降11.4%和4.4%。
分析指出，2月CPI或成为全年的相对低点。一是春节错位等负面因素逐步消退；二是猪肉价格已基本见底，对整体CPI环比价格的压制作用将逐步减弱；三是随着经济的复苏，我国核心CPI同比有望向1%以上区间回归，服务类、居住类价格将趋势性回升。预计未来几个月CPI同比大概率会保持在1~2%的区间，整体通胀压力相对温和，同时也不太可能进入通缩区间。
PPI方面，2月份，工业企业生产恢复加快，市场需求有所改善，PPI环比持平；受上年同期对比基数较高影响，同比继续下降。从同比看，PPI下降1.4%，降幅比上月扩大0.6个百分点，主要是受上年同期石油等行业对比基数走高影响。其中，生产资料价格下降2.0%，降幅扩大0.6个百分点；生活资料价格上涨1.1%，涨幅回落0.4个百分点。
专家表示，总体上看，当前经济修复仍处初期阶段，加之房地产行业延续低位运行，2月份工业品价格环比上升势头还不明显，这也成为今年经济修复过程中保持物价稳定的积极因素。
Next on industry and company news
产业及公司新闻
China's courier sector saw its delivery volume exceed 20 billion parcels this year by March 8, as the country gives priority to restoring and expanding consumption, according to the State Post Bureau (SPB) on Thursday.
全国快递业务量突破200亿件：9日，国家邮政局监测数据显示，截至3月8日，今年我国快递业务量已达到200.9亿件。国家邮政局表示，今年全国快递业务量第一个100亿件用时39天，第二个100亿件用时28天，展现出快递业的活力。
German chemicals giant BASF will build new aroma ingredients plants in China and Germany to meet the growing demand from the global flavor and fragrance market. BASF will invest in a new citral plant as part of its Verbund site in Zhanjiang, Guangdong province, as well as in menthol and linalool plants at its site in Ludwigshafen, Germany. "These plants are expected to come on stream from 2026 onward," BASF said in a news release on Tuesday. With the investment, BASF's annual citral output will increase to 118,000 metric tons.
巴斯夫在中德两国新建香原料装置：德国化工巨头巴斯夫3月7日宣布在其位于中国湛江的一体化基地投资新建一座柠檬醛装置，并在德国路德维希港一体化基地投资新建薄荷醇和芳樟醇的下游装置。这些装置预计将从2026年起投产，以满足全球香精香料市场不断增长的需求。投资完成后，巴斯夫柠檬醛年产能将增至11.8万吨。
Autel, a Chinese automotive intelligent testing equipment supplier, will invest 276 million yuan to build an electric vehicle charging pile plant in North California, US, the firm announced late yesterday, adding that it already signed a purchase agreement for the project land. Autel also announced a 806 million yuan private placement of shares yesterday to fund the charging pile project and R&D investment, as well as to supplement the firm’s working capital.
道通科技北美建充电桩厂加速推进：道通科技3月8日晚间公告，公司拟向特定对象发行股票募资不超过8.06亿元，扣除发行费用后用于新能源技术研发项目、美国新能源产品生产基地建设项目、补充流动资金。其中，美国新能源产品生产基地建设项目拟投资2.76亿元，道通科技计划在美国建设充电桩产业化基地，通过购置先进生产设备、检测设备及其他配套设备，新增充电桩产能。
SoftBank Group has reduced its shareholding in Chinese AI giant SenseTime for the third time in 10 months, pocketing a combined HKD189 million as the Japanese venture capital firm looks to cash in on profitable assets as it battles record losses. SoftBank, which is SenseTime’s second-largest shareholder, sold 9.8 million of its shares on March 2 at a price of HKD2.54 apiece, securing HKD24.8 million, the company said in a filing on Thursday.
软银集团再度减持商汤套现：9日消息，根据港交所最新权益披露文件，商汤集团股份有限公司第二大股东的软银集团在3月2日，出售了979.4万股商汤，减持价格为每股2.5365港元，减持金额达2484万港元。这是软银集团第三次减持，对商汤的持股比例从18.02%降至15.99%，软银集团通过出售商汤股份已累计套现1.89亿港元。
Earnings reports express
财报速递
China Unicom's net profit for 2022 rose 15.8 percent year-on-year to 16.7 billion yuan, its highest since listing, , according to its 2022 annual report released late Wednesday. Operating revenues grew 8.3 percent to 354.9 billion yuan, the highest growth in nine years while revenues from services rose by 7.8 percent to 319.3 billion yuan. The number of mobile subscribers surpassed 320 million and the penetration rate of 5G package subscribers reached 66 percent. In addition, the company announced in a separate statement to spin off China Unicom Smart Connection, its subsidiary that focuses on Internet of Vehicles, to list it on Shanghai’s STAR Market.
联通营收增速创9年新高：电信巨头中国联通3月8日晚间披露了2022年年报。上述年报显示，公司2022年营收和利润实现双增，其中营收增速创近9年新高。2022年中国联通营业收入达3549.44亿元，同比增8.3%，创9年新高；其中主营业务收入达3193.48亿元，同比增7.8%。归母净利润达72.99亿元，同比增15.8%，归母净利润创上市新高。产业互联网收入达704.58亿元，增速达28.6%，产业互联网收入占主营业务收入比逐年提高，2022年达22.1%。此外，中国联通8日公告称，拟分拆所属子公司联通智网科技股份有限公司至上海证券交易所科创板上市，以进一步加大车联网领域关键技术的研发与投入，促进智网科技技术水平的提升和业务规模的扩大。
Wrapping up with a quick look at the stock market
股市收盘情况
Chinese stocks fell on Thursday with the benchmark Shanghai Composite and the Shenzhen Component each sliding around 0.2 percent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng benchmark ended down 0.6 percent, while the TECH index shed 1.5 percent.
A股震荡调整港股走低：周四A股两市继续调整，小幅下跌。截止收盘，沪指跌0.22%，深成指跌0.16%，创业板指跌0.21%，两市成交量7566.53亿元，北向资金实际净卖出40.77亿元。港股恒指跌0.63%，恒生科技指数跌1.46%。
Biz Word of the Day
财经词汇划重点
A private placement is a sale of stock shares or bonds to pre-selected investors and institutions rather than publicly on the open market. It is an alternative to an initial public offering (IPO) for a company seeking to raise capital for expansion.
定向增发是增发的一种。向有限数目的资深机构（或个人）投资者发行债券或股票等投资产品。有时也称“定向募集”或“私募”。发行价格由参与增发的投资者竞价决定。
Executive Editor: Sonia YU
Editor: LI Yanxia
Host: Stephanie LI
Writer: Stephanie LI
Sound Editor: Stephanie LI
Graphic Designer: ZHENG Wenjing, LIAO Yuanni
Produced by 21st Century Business Herald Dept. of Overseas News.
Presented by SFC
编委: 于晓娜
策划、编辑：李艳霞
播音：李莹亮
撰稿：李莹亮
音频制作：李莹亮
设计：郑文静、廖苑妮
21世纪经济报道海外部 制作
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