The parent of China’s fourth-largest airline, HNA Group Co, expects annual revenue to soar to more than USD70 billion by 2020. The group, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in April, aims to fly into the top 100 of the Fortune Global 500 list, said Chairman Chen Feng. “Our long-term target is to make the top 50 on the list by 2030,” Chen added. HNA Group earned CNY120 billion in revenue in 2012, up 44% year-on-year, and its total assets reached CNY500 billion in 2012. Overseas assets accounted for more than 21% of the group’s total, contributed 10% to the group’s annual revenue in 2012 and will soon account for about 40% of the group’s revenue, said Tan Xiangdong, Director of HNA Group. Acquisitions over the last two years have boosted assets. In 2011, the group acquired GE SeaCo, the world’s fifth-largest container-leasing enterprise, for USD1.05 billion, its largest overseas deal. It also purchased a 48% stake last year in Aigle Azur, the second-largest airline in France. “The global financial crisis has presented opportunities,” Chen said. HNA is also interested in purchasing a 35% stake in Cargolux Airlines International, according to media reports, although HNA denied plans for such an acquisition. Companies to be acquired must be able to help improve HNA’s competitiveness, expand its market share, and be able to be integrated into HNA, in business terms as well as in culture, Chairman Chen Feng said. Aigle Azur is a good example, as it helped HNA acquire a new Paris-Beijing route operated by the French airline. “We expect to launch the Paris-Beijing route this year, as we are only waiting for approval to fly in Russian airspace,” said Wang Yingming, President of Hainan Airlines Co, the aviation subsidiary of HNA Group. The company also said the return of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft will help expand its global network. The company ordered 10 Boeing 787 aircraft, which will fly on its Beijing-Chicago route, due to be launched in September, the China Daily reports.

Anheuser-Busch InBev plans acquisitions in China as business is growing at a “double-digit” rate, CEO Carlos Brito said at the Boao forum in Hainan. “We have parts of the country where we have no breweries but where we sell our brands. It makes sense to have the production place closer to the consumption place,” he said. Brito added the growth potential of the beer market in China was “humongous,” with per-capita consumption levels of the beverage much lower than elsewhere in the world. AB InBev plans to build breweries in west China over the next three years and to expand beyond the coastal provinces, he said. AB InBev made an unsuccessful bid to buy Guangdong-based Kingway Brewery Holdings’ brewery assets last year.

Well Mount is organizing its DIY & Garden Section Purchasing Meeting at Well Mount on March 5.

Well Mount has been active in e-commerce in Belgium since 2009. It is a European supplier and distributor with strategic and quantity product at great value prices. Well Mount’s premises in Antwerp cover an area of about 16,550 square meters, including office, showroom, store, parking and a central warehouse for the Benelux, United Kingdom, Germany and France.

An important Chinese delegation consisting of 25 manufactures and more than 20 European sales agencies will attend the meeting. Under the theme “Business Opportunities, Cooperation, Service and Development’, the aim is to get market feedback and demand on the company’s products range while at the same time providing useful ideas for these Chinese enterprises to explore overseas sales channels, and setting up a business in Belgium. It is also designed to encourage interaction and friendship with local communities.

Programme: 5 March 2013 at Well Mount on ground floor, Uilenbaan 196, 2160 Wommelgem.
Reception starts at 11:00 h.
Welcome speech by Well Mount – Well Mount business models B2B, B2B2C and O2O at 12:00 h.
Buffet/ Refreshments served 12:00 – 13:00 h.
Presentation & one-to-one business conversation 13:00 – 15:00 h.

Please confirm your time of arrival and the persons who will be attending the event so that all necessary arrangements can be made.

Tel: +32(0)3.355.19.83, fax: +32(0)3.355.19.81, web: www.wellmount.be
E-mail: xue.guo@wellmount.be

Lotus Bakeries and Goodwell China, part of Dah Chong Hong (DCH), announced that they have set up a joint venture. The new company called Lotus Bakeries China will exclusively focus on the further commercialization, growth and development of Lotus Bakeries in China. The joint venture will be based in Shanghai.

Currently Goodwell China already imports Lotus products among others in China, realizing significant growth with Lotus caramelized biscuits (speculoos). Following the establishment of the new company Lotus Bakeries China, Lotus Bakeries and Goodwell China have now firmly opted in favor of a team which will exclusively focus on the further development of Lotus. The management and the Board of Directors of Lotus Bakeries expressed their satisfaction about this important strategic move in China.

The aim is to start selling Lotus products from July 2013 through the new company. The Dutchman Ronald Drieduite, currently Corporate Director EMEA within the Executive Committee, will be appointed as General Manager of Lotus Bakeries China and will move to Shanghai. His team will consist of managers with a Goodwell and Lotus Bakeries background allowing the joint venture to make optimum use of Goodwell’s knowledge and expertise of the Chinese market on the one hand and of the specific commercial know-how and product knowledge of Lotus on the other hand. Six members shall be appointed to the Board of Directors of this new company. Each of the partners in the joint venture can appoint three members.

Within Lotus Bakeries’ Executive Committee John Van de Par will be appointed as Corporate Director EMEA & ICT. John Van de Par is already a member of the Executive Committee of Lotus Bakeries and previously held the position of Financial Director of Koninklijke Peijnenburg.

Effective from January 1, 2013, China Beijing Capital International Airport carried out the 72-hour Transit Visa-free Policy for some foreigners. According to the regulations issued by China’s Ministry of Public Security, the foreigners that can benefit from the 72-hour Transit Visa-free Policy should satisfy the following conditions:
1. Citizens from following countries (subject to information issued by the Beijing Municipal Government):
24 countries under European Schengen Agreement: Austria, Belgium, Czech, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italia, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland;
7 other European countries: Russia, Britain, Ireland, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine;
6 American countries: America, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile
2 Oceanic countries: Australia, New Zealand;
6 Asian countries: North Korea, Japan, UAE, Qatar, Singapore and Brunei
2. Have valid international travel document that can identify one’s nationality.
3. Meet the conditions of entry to countries or regions at departure;
4. Have interline ticket or ticket with fixed date and confirmed seat to the third country or region via Beijing Capital Airport;
5. The airlines that takes foreigners to China shall report to the immigration counter at Beijing. The foreigners who pass the review on visa-free stay conditions by the station can conduct transit stay procedures as required.
Attention:
1. 72-hour Transit Visa-free Policy is only applicable to Beijing Capital Airport, not applicable to entry at railway station.
2. Valid for transit via Beijing to/from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.
Hainan Airlines, Chinese 5-star airlines, has direct flights from Brussels to Beijing, and connects to 50 cities in China. Hainan Airlines has established a strong network in Asia by interline agreement with other Asian airlines, such as Singapore Airlines, Vietnam Airlines, Korean Air, Asiana Airlines and China Eastern Airlines.

When passenger arrive at Beijing airport, they can connect with Hainan Airlines partner airlines to Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul, Pusan, Bangkok, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Ulaanbaatar, Singapore and other Asian destinations.

The advantage of flying on Hainan Airlines Brussels-Beijing flights to Asia is quite signifant. Travelers can have a maximum stay of 3 days in Beijing without any visa requirement. At the same time, for those business travelers who have no visa and need a urgent trip to China, they can take the Hainan Airlines Brussels-Beijing flight and return with the Hainan Airlines Beijing-Berlin-Brussels flight, if not staying in Beijing for over 72 hours.