Search Results for: China

China’s may have announced the launch of a second major national oil and gas trading centre – in the country’s south-western metropolis of Chongqing – but this new entrepot may take time to be operational. Indeed, while the Chongqing Oil and Gas Trading Centre was formally established in January, it may take until 2018 before it is operational.…

THE PAINT and coatings sector in Egypt is growing, but its progress has been unsteady, reflecting its bumpy political progress since its 2011 revolution that brought down long-standing President Hosni Mubarak. While a construction boom dominated by huge public private partnerships (PPPs) is driving up sales of decorative paint, according to industry analysts, a weak automotive sector is holding back overall growth with slow sales of refinishing paint.…

It is fair to say the eyes of the UK paint and coatings industry are firmly on Brussels and Downing Street now that Article 50 has been triggered and negotiations on Britain quitting the European Union (EU) are now under preparation.…

With the value of Bitcoin skyrocketing over the past year, up from USD525 per Bitcoin last August to USD1,200 in mid-April, with one unit now being able to buy an ounce of gold, finding ways to efficiently regulate decentralised and independent virtual currencies (VCs) has become a top priority among governments and regulators worldwide.…

THE EUROPEAN wipes market is a complex affair. This is a varied segment, in itself, but wipe use varies between countries with contrasting consumer cultures – meaning that in some states, wipes sales are increasing; in others decreasing; and in others, the kinds of wipes being sold is changing.…

Success and sustainability appear to be the buzzwords of a US nonwovens industry that is moving forward confidently, leading the north American sector, which it dominates in sales and production.

Having recovered from a slight downward turn in capacity following the recession, the US sector has returned to healthy growth and an improving economic outlook, coupled with ever-increasing applications for engineered fabric products.…

ANTI-CORRUPTION organisation Transparency International (TI) has called for a comprehensive tightening of regulatory and commercial action to restrict how luxury goods are abused as money laundering vehicles and to promote graft.

A new TI report ‘Tainted Treasures: Money laundering risks in luxury markets’ concludes that too little due diligence focuses on luxury goods buyers and where there are luxury goods laws, enforcement is weak.…

THE DIAMOND trade is still one of money launderers’ best friends due the precious stone’s high value to mass ratio, akin to the highest value banknotes that can be obtained. Indeed, it is maybe harder to trace diamonds than numbered banknotes, there is no reliable means by which the point of origin of a particular diamond can be ascertained just by examining it.…

AS the international glass market continues to recover from the global recession, experts predict emerging markets might be tempted to invest in plant development to manufacture their own flat glass rather than paying expensive import fees buying from one of the handful of major suppliers.…

Continued uncertainty over the legal and fiscal regulations governing Myanmar’s metal ore mining industry is deterring substantial foreign investment from medium-and-large western mining companies, although industry insiders remain positive about the sector’s medium and longer-term potential.

Since Myanmar’s previous military-supported government amended the country’s 1994 mining law in December 2015, in an attempt to modernise the sector’s rules and kickstart the industry, the National League for Democracy government (which took power last April) has been slow to address concerns raised by potential investors.…