MNI China Press Digest Feb 13: Yuan, Holidays, Trade Platform

Highlights from Chinese press reports on Friday:

• The yuan is expected to remain relatively strong around the holiday period as China’s exports maintain robust growth and corporate foreign-exchange settlement demand continues to be released, said Wang Qing, chief macro analyst at Golden Credit Rating International. However, Pang Ming, senior research fellow at the National Institution for Finance and Development, cautioned that trading volumes typically fall during the Spring Festival, leaving the market more susceptible to shifts in sentiment. Looking further ahead, Li Chao, chief economist at Zheshang Securities, said the yuan should continue to appreciate against the U.S. dollar in the first quarter, with a potential high near 6.8 in H1.
• China is shifting Spring Festival consumption away from traditional goods purchases toward immersive, experience-driven spending that integrates culture, commerce, tourism and sports, said Zhang Juyong, a professor at the International Business School of Dalian Minzu University. He added that the growing demand for green, intelligent and premium products is driving a broader upgrade in the consumption structure. Pan Helin, an economic expert at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said this round of festival policy measures — including CNY2.05 billion already allocated by local governments — could leverage total consumption of about CNY40 billion to CNY50 billion.
• China’s newly launched overseas comprehensive service platform provides one-stop public services to Chinese enterprises operating abroad, offering integrated access to resources across law, taxation, finance, foreign affairs and economic and trade logistics, Yicai reported. Yu Xinding, a professor at the School of International Trade and Economics, said the platform helps companies navigate the complex institutional differences across global markets. She noted that Chinese firms once viewed overseas expansion largely as an incremental move — but now regard going global as a strategic necessity to secure supply chains and ensure long-term survival, reflecting a practical response to growing external uncertainty.