Briefs | Guangdong: Walmart to add 100 stores in next five years

Retail giant Walmart is expected to add 100 new stores in south China’s Guangdong Province in the next five years, according to the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily. The stores will include the company’s Sam’s Club warehouse stores, shopping centers and community stores, as the company continues to increase investment in the province, according to the paper. Walmart has released plans to add 16 new Sam’s Club stores to its existing 24 such stores on the Chinese mainland by 2020. In March, the company set up a fresh food distribution center in Guangdong, its biggest investment project in China since its entry 23 years ago.

Hong Kong: Jobless rate ticks higher for first time in two years

Hong Kong’s jobless rate rose for the first time since 2017 in July, led by weakness in the retail and restaurant industries as the government warned of further pressure on the city’s slumping economy in the months ahead. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 2.9%, including a “relatively notable increase” in the food and beverage service sector, the government said in a statement. The measure had held steady at 2.8% since April 2018. “As the economy is expected to stay weak in the coming months, the local labor market will unavoidably be subject to greater pressure,” Secretary for Labour and Welfare Law Chi-kwong said in the release. “The import and export trade sector has been facing increasing pressure amid shrinking trade flows.”

Guangzhou: China’s Ballet makes NYC debut at Lincoln Center

Guangzhou Ballet, a renowned Chinese troupe, made its New York City debut Saturday night at the David H. Koch Theater of Lincoln Center, bringing top-tier Chinese ballet to over 1,800 spectators. Featuring a combination of Western and Oriental styles of ballet, Guangzhou Ballet presented two productions at one show. Carmina Burana was directed by Chinese American ballet choreographer Jiang Qi based on the famous namesake European classical music piece, while Goddess of the Luo River, created by Canadian choreographer Peter Quanz, is a ballet adaptation from an ancient Chinese love story. “There’s one thing in common of the two distinctive pieces,” said Zou Gang, chief and art director of Guangzhou Ballet, “they are both dotted with the movements of Chinese folk dance and elements of Chinese culture.”