South Korea’s Incheon airport strives to keep top position: INCHEON: Incheon International Airport in South Korea is rated the world’s best, according to a survey by British-based Skytrax. The 9-year-old facility has been voted number one by nearly 9 million passengers at 190 airports. (Via Channel NewsAsia Business News.)

China’s commerce minister stresses yuan stability, concerned about U.S. dollar value: China’s Commerce Minister Chen Deming said here Thursday the stability of the Chinese currency contributes to the recovery of the world economy while voicing concerns over the strength of the U.S. dollar. ‘The Chinese government has stated on many occasions it will keep the exchange rate of the yuan, or Renminbi, basically stable,’ said Chen during a visit to the Turkish capital Ankara, adding ‘We feel that is an important support and contribution for the world economy… (Via Business – People’s Daily Online.)

China’s Steel Industry Is a Big Problem for Both Climate and Trade: The United States is set to slap penalty duties on imported Chinese steel pipes, heightening trade tensions between the two powers. This is the largest countervailing duty case filed against China, based on the value of trade. The US International Trade Commission (ITC) said it had made a ‘final’ decision that the ‘subsidized’ pipes adversely impacted the domestic steel industry, paving the way for the Commerce Department to impose countervailing duties of up to nearly 16 percent on the pipe. The ITC will forward in writing a formal determination to the Commerce Department in the first week after the New Year’s holiday. The ITC ruling comes amid rising trade tensions between the United States and China. In September, the United States announced it would place duties on Chinese-made tires to protect the local US industry, sparking the first major trade dispute under Barack Obama’s presidency. (Via ChinaStakes.)

Kempinski To Double Number Of Hotels In China By 2013: Polish luxury hoteliers the Kempinski Hotel Group, which currently manages 11 hotels in China, in cities like Beijing, Chengdu, and Xi’an, has announced that the company plans to more than double the number of hotels under its management within the next three years. Of these 12 new hotels, the first should be Kempinski Xiamen, which recently held its topping-out ceremony and is expected to open early next year. According to the China Economic Review, Kempinski’s expansion plan is part of its broader strategy to account for 20% of the hotel group’s total turnover and profits by 2013, over the current 15%. In addition to its expansion plan, 4Hoteliers says that the Kempinski Group is planning to open a ‘China-Only’ five-star hotel brand, Nuo. (Via Jing Daily :.)

Japan to allow more flights from China, Russia at Hokkaido airport: Japan decided Friday to ease security restrictions in March on the number of flights to and from China, Hong Kong and Russia at a Hokkaido airport to boost the number of tourists to the northernmost island prefecture. The Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry and the Defense Ministry agreed to extend hours to accommodate flights to and from the countries at Hokkaido’s New Chitose Airport, which is adjacent to the Air Self-Defense Force’s Chitose Base, according to government officials. (Via Kyodo News (Business).)