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TRADE WARS
China 'optimistic' about FTA talks with Japan, S. Korea
by Staff Writers
Phnom Penh (AFP) Nov 18, 2012


HSBC in talks to sell stake in Chinese insurer
Hong Kong (AFP) Nov 19, 2012 - Banking giant HSBC said Monday it was in talks to sell its stake in China's Ping An Insurance Group, the country's second-largest life insurer by premiums.

The British-based but Asia-focused lender said in a statement it was "in discussions which may or may not lead" to the sale of its 15.57 percent stake, which the bank bought in 2002 before Ping An's listing in Hong Kong.

HSBC is the single-biggest shareholder in Ping An, which has a market capitalisation of HK$186 billion ($24 billion).

It did not reveal the party it was in talks with but Hong Kong Economic Journal newspaper cited sources saying Thai businessman Dhanin Chearavanont, owner of the Charoen Pokphand group, might be interested.

The Hong Kong-listed shares of Ping An fell 2.69 percent to HK$58.0 at the lunch break. The benchmark Hang Seng Index was 0.65 percent higher.

HSBC has been selling non-core assets as part of a broad restructuring plan designed to boost profitability.

The London-listed bank is also setting aside hundreds of millions of dollars as provision for fines related to possible criminal charges over money laundering allegations in the United States.

Net profits tumbled by more than half to $2.498 billion in the three months to September, compared with a year earlier.

China, Japan, and South Korea are expected to agree on the launch of three-way free trade talks at a summit in the Cambodian capital this week, Beijing's foreign ministry spokesman said Sunday.

"I am optimistic the three parties can reach a consensus to commence the negotiations," Qin Gang told reporters in Phnom Penh where leaders of the three nations will attend an East Asia Summit from Monday.

Qin said trade ministers were likely to hold a trilateral meeting on the matter on the sidelines of the gathering despite a recent spike in tensions between Tokyo and its neighbours over two separate maritime rows.

"Hopefully we will have a positive announcement," Qin said. "But I don't have a timetable to offer for when the three countries complete the negotiations."

While ministers may be able to set aside maritime disputes to talk about trade, a Japanese diplomat said on Wednesday there are no plans for a customary Japan-China-South Korea leaders' meeting during the summit.

Beijing and Tokyo are squabbling over the sovereignty of an archipelago in the East China Sea, while Japan and South Korea are in dispute over who owns a pair of islets in waters between the two countries.

The leaders of the three East Asian giants have held the three-way talks almost every year since 1999 on the sidelines of the regional get-together.

Qin said for Sino-Japanese ties to improve, the "Japanese government has to take a right policy about China."

"Particularly on those important issues relating to territorial sovereignty of China. Only by having by good policies and handling these sensitive issues properly can we have better prospects of China-Japan relations," he added.

Japan, China and South Korea depend on each other for about 20-30 percent of their external trade, according to the business daily Nikkei.

If the trilateral FTA is concluded with the easing of tariffs on manufactured and other goods, Japan's exports are expected to increase by $60 billion, Nikkei said.

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TRADE WARS
French minister hails EU duties on Chinese ceramics
Limoges, France (AFP) Nov 16, 2012
French Industrial Renewal Minister Arnaud Montebourg hailed on Friday temporary European Union (EU) measures against Chinese ceramic imports, using a visit to this iconic city to warn EU partners against being "naive" on trade issues. "I welcome that the European Commission, in the case of ceramics, has taken a decision on customs duties on imports of certain products, notably from China," M ... read more


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