Sino-U.S. tensions show no sign of easing
There are no clear signs of an easing in trade and political tensions in Sino-U.S. relations despite the hope generated by the visits of two Chinese vice-ministers to Washington. Vice-Commerce Minister Zhong Shan said in the U.S. capital on Wednesday that Beijing will reform its currency regime gradually and keep the exchange rate stable. Rejecting mounting U.S. calls to allow the yuan to rise faster, Zhong said changing the exchange rate was not the way to fix a huge bilateral trade gap, and that it could upset the global economy.

GZ-SZ-HK: World's Biggest Mega-city
A biennial report by the UN-Habitat agency pointed out that the Pearl River Delta has become the world's largest "mega-city." A report named "State of the World's Cities" was released recently and is worried about the issues linked to such huge agglomerations, pointing at "the world's largest mega-city, comprised of Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guangzhou, home to about 120 million people." These vast "mega-regions" generally create a lot of wealth, but also lead to environmental and social problems according to the UN report.

Guangzhou Steel Ventures into Logistics Industry
The Guangzhou Steel Group plans to launch another project in Nansha district after already initiating the South China Special Gas Center, the hot galvanizing project, and a 1.8 million ton cold rolled steel project. The Guangzhou Steel Group has entered into a partnership agreement with the Guangzhou Port Group to develop an eco-friendly integrated steel logistics park at Nansha.

Baiyun Airport Announces Service Pledges
The Baiyun Airport Passenger Service Enhancement Committee announced 57 service pledges for passengers. One of the pledges is to shorten the maximum time for a security check per passenger from two minutes to one minute and to give priority to passengers who are late and otherwise might miss their plane. The airport says that it will take advantage of the Asian Games to improve its service quality and will strive to join the ranks of the world's top 20 airports in terms of service by the end of the year.