China Direct

Airbus's skywise cloud service takes off in China

 

CBI member, Airbus has announced that it has launched its aviation data platform, Skywise Core in China.

China’s largest low-cost carrier, Spring Airlines will be the first Chinese airline to use the Skywise system, which aims to help airlines improve their operational performance by logging flight data on a cloud-based platform.

The agreement signed between Airbus and Spring Airlines on Monday sets out how Spring Airlines will integrate its own operational, maintenance, and aircraft data into the Skywise cloud-based system, so that Spring Airlines can store, access, manage and analyse its own data against selected Airbus data and global benchmarks without the need for additional infrastructure investment.

The Airbus Skywise system will be used to store data taken from Spring Airlines’ fleet of 81 Airbus A320 aircraft. Huge amounts of data are generated while operating commercial flights. Over the course of 12 hours flying, a narrow-body aircraft, similar to the Airbus A320, will create as much as 844TB (terabyte) of data, which is equivalent to downloading more than 20,000 HD movies.

Airbus has already signed 54 airlines to the Skylines platform, with the platform drawing data from over 4,500 aircraft.

The platform has the potential to save airlines a lot of money. Airlines are liable to be fined if flights are delayed and they miss their take-off window. Airbus’s Skywise system contains powerful data-analysing functions that allow airlines to intervene and prevent malfunctions before they happen, and isolate and change components to avoid flight delays or cancellations.

Airbus hopes that through the wide-spread adoption of Skywise, the platform will be able to drive digital collaboration across the aerospace value-chain, and accelerate digitalisation within the aviation sector; by providing companies across the sector with the data and capabilities they need to make more profitable decisions.

Burberry shifts B Series China fashion brands online... and sells out in record time

A new collection by British high-end fashion brand and CBI member, Burberry, that was only available to buy through Chinese social media apps, has sold out in one month.

Named the ‘B Series’, Burberry’s new line aims to better cater towards the Chinese fashion market by following a new and unique production cycle, which matches the monthly launch schedule of the Asian fashion world rather than the West’s seasonal timeframe. On top of this, the ‘B Series’ also features a new way of reaching out to customers and selling into the China market. Burberry’s latest collection takes advantage of China’s booming e-commerce industry and is only available through social media shopping platforms.  

Burberry’s shift in how it sells into the China market brought results – the collection sold out in four hours.

The fashion house has made clear that it is in the midst of a transition and repositioning phase that places a greater emphasis on the China and wider Asian markets.

Over the last couple of months, Burberry have announced a series of partnerships with social media apps that are particularly popular with Chinese consumers - such as WeChat and Weibo - in an attempt to develop to build customer loyalty through increased engagement on social media.

Burberry has also taken steps to change its concept and design process to better cater to the China and Asian markets by bringing in Riccardo Tisci from Givenchy – where he is credited as having successfully led the French fashion house’s transition from European to Asian fusion.

Burberry point to the gothic touches and minimalism in their new ‘B Series’ collection as evidence that the brand has successfully transitioned towards an aesthetic preferred in Asia. Furthermore, the new collection places more emphasis on items which are ‘ready to wear’ rather than high fashion pieces. This is because of the fact that in the China market branded sweatshirts and T-shirts appear to be held in much higher regard than in Europe, where the same products are considered to be comfort wear and not fashion statements.

The next ‘B Series’ collection will be launched on November 17^th.

Burberry executives are confident that the line will enjoy repeat success because the new sales concept of selling through social media platforms has prompted much higher levels of engagement online and attracted twice the number of new and younger customers to the brand compared to statistics from February.

Burberry also said that comparable store sales in the Asia-Pacific were outpacing figures from Europe, as spending rose in Mainland China and Chinese travellers shifted their spending from European to Asian tourist destinations, particularly Hong Kong.

Burberry has plans to expand its physical presence in China also, and has an upcoming store opening in Xi’an.

Please read more here .

The Changing Face of Cyber Threats - Update

 

Dear CBI Member and Partners,

Please find attached a useful summary of the cyber security challenges facing business in 2018.

China Direct would like to thank CBI member BT for kindly sharing their insights.

Download BT and Cyber Security

China set to launch an 'unhackable' internet communication

Dear CBI Members & Partners,

China Direct thought that you would find these developments of particular interest in relation to China's recently announced Cyber Security Law and recent developments to create an Internet infrastructure separate from the current global World Wide Web.

Related web link is here.

 

CBI Members BT & Huawei deliver ultra-efficient terabit superchannel

BT LABS DELIVERS ULTRA-EFFICIENT TERABIT ‘SUPERCHANNEL’

Latest trial with Huawei sees BT releasing even more capacity from UK core networks

Builds on previous 5.6Tbps speed record with potential to deliver 13Tbps in the future
 
For more information please refer to the attached Press Release below.

Download DC17-246 BT Labs delivers ultra-efficient terabit superchannel

Deloitte and Ali Cloud Managerial Innovation Lab launched

CBI member Deloitte was the Intellectual Supporting Partner for the Computing Conference 2016 Beijing Summit.

At the event, Deloitte announced the establishment of bilateral strategic cooperation with Ali Cloud, and a launch ceremony was held for the Deloitte and Ali Cloud Managerial Innovation Lab (DAMI-lab), which will focus on exploring the front-tier practices of enterprise transformation.

Please read more here.

CBBC and IPCC sign agreement with Tencent to protect IP on Weixin/WeChat

 

On 23 August 2016, Tencent, the China-Britain Business Council (CBBC), and the International Publishers Copyright Protection Coalition in China (IPCC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to further the protection of IP on Weixin, China’s leading social communication platform.

More than 806 million people use Weixin and its sister app, WeChat, both in and out of China. The signing was witnessed by U.K. Minister of State for Energy and Intellectual Property Baroness Neville-Rolfe as part of her official annual visit to China.

The MOU between Tencent, the CBBC, and the IPCC is the product of shared common interests and objectives regarding intellectual property protection and was arrived at following extensive communication and exchange. Through the signing of this agreement, the three parties expressed their intent to work together towards their shared objectives over the coming months and years.

Please read more here.

BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Chinese Brands 2016

According to the sixth annual ranking announced by CBI member WPP and Millward Brown, the total value of the BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Chinese Brands rose 13% to US$525.6 billion in the last year despite China’s slowing economic growth. Tencent remains China’s most valuable brand, growing its brand value 24% to US$82.1 billion.

For the first time ever, market-driven brands – those that are owned by entrepreneurial companies – contribute more than half (51%) of the value of the China Top 100; evidence of China’s continuing transition to a market economy. These brands have taken full advantage of their freedom to innovate and generate value from technology.

The robust increase in brand value reflects the continued optimism of Chinese consumers, and their confidence in the possibility of realising the ‘Chinese Dream’. It also demonstrates how resilient strong brands are in times of economic turbulence: China’s GDP growth was 6.9% in 2015, down from 7.3% the previous year.

Tencent has held on to the top position through its successful ‘Connection’ strategy, which links users with content, services, and hardware that enhance their lives. It has monetized its social WeChat platform by partnering with JD.com to develop profitable new big data-backed marketing solutions, while TenPay is now China’s No. 2 online payment platform.

The highest new entries are CBI member Huawei (No.7; US$18.5 billion) and online retailer JD.com (No.15; US$9.4 billion). Huawei has a strong worldwide presence, and its smartphone business has been a powerful growth engine. JD.com, a challenger to Alibaba, has benefited from the expansion of its mobile offering, the worldwide extension of its ecommerce platform, and partnerships with premium international brands.

The BrandZ research also shows that Chinese brands are now as competitive as multinationals. They score more highly on two of the key factors that create competitive advantage – building brand awareness and connecting with consumers on both a functional and emotional level – but lag behind on differentiation. The increasing power of ‘home-grown’ brands may help to stem the current outflow of capital from China that is concerning economists.

The BrandZ Top 10 Most Valuable Chinese Brands 2016 are as follows:

1. Tencent
2. China Mobile
3. Alibaba
4. ICBC
5. Baidu
6. China Construction Bank
7. Huawei
8. Agricultural Bank of China
9. Ping An
10. China Life

Please read more here.

Huawei holds first-ever European Academic Salon

 

CBI member Huawei held its first-ever European Academic Salon, hosted at the Royal Academy of Engineering in London. Bringing together 50 academics, policymakers, and industry leaders from across Europe, the discussion focused on the future direction of innovation and its implications for how universities and businesses work together.

The European Academic Salon showcased the Huawei Innovation Research Programme (HIRP), the company’s flagship funding initiative, which provides backing for leading universities and institutes conducting research in communications technologies, computer science, engineering, and related fields.

In Europe, Huawei has invested €57 million (more than £43 million) in R&D collaboration in the past three years to support more than 400 research projects.

Please read more here.

President Xi Jinping's US Visit - a snapshot

Chinese President Xi Jinping visits the U.S.

This week, Chinese President Xi Jinping began his state visit to the United States, where he started his trip in Washington. Several highlights from President Xi’s visit to the west coast state included:

Visiting Microsoft’s Redmond campus and touring Boeing assembly lines

• CBI member Microsoft hosted President Xi and Madame Peng at its Redmond campus, where the company highlighted new technology and the role technology can play in advancing health, education, and business. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella welcomed President Xi at the company’s Executive Briefing Centre.
• During his visit, President Xi met with senior executives and board members, watched technology demos, and reviewed innovative new devices. He also met briefly with the CEOs of technology companies who attended a meeting of the U.S.-China Internet Industry Forum, held at Microsoft’s Redmond campus. Microsoft has had a presence in China for more than 20 years. Please read more here.
•             
• CBI member Boeing welcomed President Xi to its widebody commercial airplane factory and announced several agreements that will broaden and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation between Boeing and China.
• The agreements included orders and commitments for 300 Boeing narrowbody and widebody aircraft and expanded collaboration between Boeing and China’s commercial aviation industry. President Xi, accompanied by Boeing executives, viewed final assembly lines for the 787 Dreamliner, 777, and 747-8, as well as aircraft components made by Chinese aviation suppliers.
• The president also spoke with Boeing employees and the 787 chief pilot about their work on airplanes built for Chinese carriers. Please read more here.

Visiting Lincoln High School in Tacoma

• President Xi and Madame Peng visited Lincoln High School in Tacoma. President Xi first visited the school back in 1993 when he was a Party official in Fujian province and helped to sign a sister-city pact between Tacoma and Fuzhou, Fujian’s provincial capital.

Promoting US-China governmental cooperation at the local level

• In Seattle, President Xi attended the third U.S.-China Governors Forum, which included the U.S. state governors from Washington, California, Michigan, Iowa, and Oregon and their Chinese counterparts from Sichuan, Beijing, Chongqing, Zhejiang, Shandong, and Shaanxi.
• They agreed to cooperate to give a boost to businesses that generate renewable and clean energy. At present, 43 pairs of Chinese provinces and U.S. states and 200 pairs of cities have established sister city relationships.

President Xi is currently in Washington, D.C. and will later travel to New York.

Please contact either the CBI's Washington DC ([email protected]) or Beijing ([email protected]) offices for more information.

Thank You.