Picture source:”A Journey to Seek Fragrance

The fragrance track developed around the “sense of smell” includes both the beauty category perfume Products that also cover personal care Fragrance care, home fragrance And other categories.

In the past, perfume-based fragrance products were more used in social occasions, and the domestic market penetration rate was low.According to data, the global perfume consumption market reached RMB 390.6 billion in 2019, and China only accounted for 2.5% , But also showing a relatively high growth rate, with an annual growth rate of approximately 15%-20% , Showing great potential.

With the upgrading of consumption, more and more consumers have become fans of fragrance products. They are also more concerned about the products brought by fragrance products than “pleasant”. Joyful experience versus Emotional healing effect .

Source: Visual China

According to Euromonitor’s forecast, Home aromatherapy It will become a new outlet in the field of “olfactory economy”. In the US market, the retail sales of aromatherapy products have almost caught up with the retail sales of perfumes. Market Research Future’s research report shows that North America is the largest market for scented candles, while the Asia-Pacific region has the fastest growth rate.The “2021 Women’s Quality Life Trend Insight Report” released by CBNData also shows that the consumption of online aromatherapy products has continued to rise in the past three years. Woody Is the most popular fragrance, and Fruity Has the highest consumption potential.

Source: “2021 Women’s Quality Life Trend Insight Report” As far as the brand performance of the fragrance track is concerned, in addition to Chanel, Dior And other major international cosmetics fragrance lines, and Zumalong, Ludanshi, Diptyque And other salon fragrance brands, to Bing Xili, Guanxia, ​​Smell Library The domestic fragrance brands represented by the likes have also continued to rise in the past two years. Investment and financing areas, RE perfume room, Scentooze three rabbits, Yufan, Plustwo plus two rabbits And other cutting-edge fragrance brands have also completed ten million yuan angel round or Pre-A round of financing. Focus on the “domestic products” label Interpretation of “Oriental Fragrance” Compared with international brands, domestic fragrance brands on the new consumer track will unanimously focus on “Oriental fragrance”. Oriental scents are actually divided according to the types of fragrance materials, using amber, spice, resin, musk and other fragrances; and the “oriental fragrance” we are discussing is the focus of fragrance brands in recent years. “National Tide Culture”, “Oriental Aesthetics” Personalized interpretation of unfolding. The star product of the smell library “Cool white open” The series focuses on the collective memory of the Chinese people; the Beast Youth focuses on creating an oriental fragrance exclusive to Chinese youth. “little time” The series includes mung bean paste, orange soda and other flavors that can awaken consumers’ childhood memories. Source: Scent Library, Beast Youth In addition to nostalgic retro, based on Traditional Culture and Oriental Aesthetics , There are also many malleable spaces. For example, Guanxia, ​​which focuses on oriental botanical fragrances, conveys a kind of “Oriental New Modern Aesthetics”; while Uttori Wuduoli uses oriental elements such as osmanthus, plum and orchid to interpret the national style of perfume. Source: Guanxia, ​​Wuduoli As a carrier, fragrance can carry unique cultural expression and memory. Domestic fragrance brands have a deeper insight and understanding of Chinese consumers, and only by understanding the connotation and heritage of Chinese culture can they express more accurately and uniquely through fragrance. On the other hand, contemporary young consumers no longer blindly follow the big names in Europe and the United States, but have stronger cultural self-confidence, and the recognition of domestic brands is also deepening, which also provides new opportunities for the rise of domestic fragrance brands. Mining the emotional core Tell stories with “smell” According to MoodMedia’s odor market research, humansAmong the emotions 75% It is caused by smell. The “2020 China Urban Women’s Emotion Report” released by Southern Weekend shows that about 20% of women adjust their emotions by smelling aromas (such as lighting scented candles). For example, the scent of jasmine can soothe anxiety and make people calm. The aroma is pleasant. Fragrance brands are also committed to tapping the emotional value of products to bring consumers a better experience. This kind of Mood and atmosphere creation In addition to the product itself, it also depends on the content of the brand. Scent is abstract, and what many brands do is to build a concrete picture for their products through vision and text. For example, in Guanxia’s four seasons mood aromatherapy, Fukaisen Road restores “the fragrance of white magnolia blooming along the road in the French Concession of Shanghai”, and its product copy also tells a nostalgic story about grandma and granddaughter in the old lane of Shanghai. Picture source:Guanxia For consumers, the fragrance experience also comes with it Storytelling This process may be a “decoding” of brand expression, or it may be a personal memory of oneself. Le Labo, a niche perfume brand from New York, has collected a lot of wonderful UGC on social platforms. The real experience and thoughts of these users have become the most convincing content of brand marketing. Figuresource:LeLabo Its founder Frabrice once mentioned in an interview: “Le Labo’s purpose is to make life better. It has nothing to do with perfume, it’s just as a medium . Making perfume is our way of telling stories, and we know how to impress people with perfume. ” Penetrate multiple scenarios Extend to more functional value French fashion brand Maison Margiela’s classic perfume series REPLICA, named perfumes after beach walks, playground nights, lazy Sunday mornings, jazz bars and other scenes, fascinating. Picture source:Maison Margiela Fragrance brands create scenes not only to express emotions, attitudes or to arouse consumers’ resonance, but also to invisibly expand consumers’ Product usage scenarios Imagination. Data shows that commuting and parties are the main consumption scenes of perfume. With the development of home fragrance and fragrance care, fragrance products gradually penetrate into more diversified daily life scenes, such as Watching TV shows at home, before going to bed at night and at office , Or as an ornament Home Part of the show, show the owner’s individual aesthetics, or become a part of the “emotional value” with its unique fragrance, high appearance and its accompanying “emotional value”. Give gifts s Choice. Picture source:Little Red Book In addition, around the function of “smell”, some fragrance products are gradually becoming more Functional scene extend. In 2018, the British health care product startup The Nue Co launched the world’s first functional fragrance with anti-anxiety effects. In 2019, the American fragrance brand Heretic Parfum released a relaxing and soothing functional fragrance Dirty Grass. For domestic fragrance brands, based on the daily life scenes of current consumers, provide them with a set of different fragrance products. “Smell” solution Or one of the directions for the future. Generally speaking, although the emerging domestic fragrance brands can tell brand stories and establish more in-depth communication around the needs of Chinese consumers, they are R&D and production In the process, faced with the immature domestic supply chain and the high barriers to entry for factories, the new brand still has many difficulties to overcome. Hermes exclusive perfumer Jean-Claude Elena once wrote in his book: “Once the smell merges with the mind, I become the perfumer.” Compared with other consumer categories, fragrance is undoubtedly special. , It combines rational materials and craftsmanship, as well as perceptual memories and imaginations. At the brand level, it is more about the communication of aesthetics, interest and lifestyle. In the fragrance market full of potential, we also look forward to more new consumer brands with a keen sense of smell to find their own new growth paths in this blue ocean track. moreMore about lifestyle The new consumer brand insights of the track,Stay tuned for July 6 [2021 China New Consumer Brand Growth Summit]! In addition, the summit site will also publish and interpret “2021 China’s New Consumer Brand Growth Power White Paper” , Announced the industry’s attention “2021 China’s New Consumer Brand Growth50 List” , Will also cooperate with consumer brands in various fields, Internet platforms, investment and MCN institutions, etc., to hold Food and beverage, beauty and personal care, lifestyle Three sub-forums, as well as a closed-door seminar on the theme of “organizational power growth”, jointly “see the longevity” of China’s new consumer brands! Event tickets are now on sale in limited quantities Click “Read the original text” to buy tickets! Consultation and cooperation and learn more About CBN Commercial Data Center CBN Data Center (CBNData)Affiliated to Shanghai Culture, Broadcasting, Film and Television Group (SMG), it was jointly initiated by China Business News and Alibaba in 2015 to provide a big data service provider with digital growth solutions for brand companies. Relying on the superior resources of SMG, CBN and Alibaba, CBNData takes the global consumer database as its core competitive advantage, gives full play to the potential of omni-media, is driven by AI technology, and is extended by multiple scenarios to fully export data applications and content to brand enterprises. Digital growth services such as operations, integrated marketing, and sales conversion. Business scenarios have covered traditional retail and e-commerce, Internet consumption, content socialization, medical education, financial management and other fields. WeChat revision, quickly set CBNData as a star Like today’s content, remember to point look in Oh

The Yangtze River Cableway, Hongya Cave, Liziba Railway Station, Ciqikou… Since Chongqing’s tourism became popular, these attractions have soared in popularity, attracting tourists from all over the country to check in. As the epidemic slows, Chongqing’s tourism market has gradually recovered its former vitality. During the Dragon Boat Festival this year, Chongqing has once again become a popular tourist destination, ranking fifth in the list of popular tourist cities in the country.

On the first day of the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, the reporter followed a one-day group to visit popular scenic spots in Chongqing, and visited the restoration of the Chongqing tourism market, as well as on-site passenger flow and consumption in the scenic spot. From the perspective of visits, the passenger flow in Chongqing during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday has clearly recovered, and the popularity of popular scenic spots is generally higher, but from the perspective of tourism consumption, there is still much room for improvement.

Popular attractions are very popular, and it may be an hour longer when it is 10 minutes late

“This year’s May Day, the queue alone will take 4 hours here. There are not as many people on the Dragon Boat Festival as May Day, but if you are 10 minutes late, you may queue for an additional hour.” At Xinhua Road, Yuzhong District At the Yangtze River Cableway Scenic Area, the tour guide Xiao Cai said to the group of tourists.

In the past, the Yangtze River Cableway was only a means of transportation for citizens to travel between the two sides of the strait. It only took 4 minutes for a one-way trip and only 8 minutes for the round trip. As this means of transportation has become a popular way for tourists to enjoy the scenery of the Liangjiang River, the queuing time is often calculated in hours, which has generally exceeded the riding time.

Due to the early departure, the team had reached the scenic spot before 8 o’clock. At the time of departure, there were almost no people in front of the queue, and when returning, there was already a queue.

The tour guide Xiao Cai told upstream reporters that since Chongqing became popular on the Internet, whether it is the Yangtze River Cableway, the Lizaba Track Station, or Hongya Cave, these scenic spots are inevitably crowded during holidays. “Queues are normal, but the queue time must be reduced for group tours, so as to take everyone to more scenic spots in the limited time.”

In addition to taking the Yangtze River Cableway, the tour guide Xiao Cai also took everyone to the Liziba Railway Station, Shancheng Alley, and Shangqing Temple Auditorium. In the afternoon, the itinerary is more compact, including Bai Residence, Zhazi Cave, Ciqikou and Hongya Cave. Except for the Hongya Cave at the end of the itinerary, the time to stay at the scenic spots during this period is no more than one and a half hours. For a trail like Shancheng Alley that can be visited more deeply, the stay time is only nearly 30 minutes.

“It’s true that the stay at each attraction is relatively short, and there are many people in each attraction. But after all, it’s understandable that it’s a’net celebrity’ city.” Liu Chunhua from Nanning, Guangxi told upstream reporters that this was her first visit. The most anticipated attractions in Chongqing are Liziba Railway Station and Hongya Cave. “After coming this time, I have already developed the idea of ​​doing it again. I hope that afterwards I can take a deep dive and stop at the places I am interested in.”

The passenger flow has recovered significantly, and the level of tourism consumption still has room for improvement

Data shows that during the Dragon Boat Festival, Chongqing’s A-level tourist attractions received 6.38 million tourists, an increase of 139.8% and 1.6% year-on-year compared with 2020 and 2019, respectively. This means that the Chongqing Dragon Boat Festival tourism market has returned to the pre-epidemic level, and there has been a slight growth.

So, what are the characteristics of the tourist groups and consumption of popular attractions in Chongqing? In the process of following a one-day tour, the reporter found that Liziba Railway Station, Shancheng Alley, Ciqikou, Hongya Cave and other scenic spots have higher passenger flow and richer age groups. Among them, Shancheng Alley, Ciqikou, and Hongya Cave are more attractive to tourists, mainly focusing on dining, souvenirs, and leisure experience. While the red attractions such as Bai Mansion and Zhazidong are mainly family and group tourists, everyone is more inclined to visit, and the proportion of tourists buying souvenirs here is relatively small.

Take a one-day tour as an example. There are 16 tourists in the tour, and the overall level of tourism consumption is low. From the point of view of the cost of group registration, the online fee for participating in the group is relatively low, as low as 38 yuan per person, and 80 yuan per visitor to the store. Other consumption mainly comes from catering, tickets for some scenic spots, as well as twists, beef jerky, The cost of purchasing specialty products such as dried tofu. According to observations, the average family spends 200 to 300 yuan to buy local products. In addition, some tourists choose not to buy local products.

If all self-funded scenic spots (WFC viewing platform 100 yuan/person, Yangtze River Ropeway round-trip 30 yuan/person, Liangjiang cruise ship 158 yuan/person) are included, the group registration standard of 80 yuan per person, plus noon A group meal is 35 yuan, and a single person buys 200 yuan of souvenirs, and the total cost is 603 yuan. If tourists report online for a group and do not buy local products, the overall consumption is expected to be lower.

Industry insiders told reporters that the main reasons for the low consumption of one-day tour groups in the city are due to several reasons: one is that one-day tour groups include many classic scenic spots in the city, and the stay time of a single scenic spot is relatively short. Tourists spend less time for in-depth experience; second, most of the tourists who participate in such one-day tours fancy benefits, and their own willingness to travel consumption is not so strong; third, the tourist specialties and experience items offered to tourists in the current market are still To be improved, further efforts are needed to focus on quality, creativity, and service.

“One-day tours are only part of the travel market. The tour fee does not include entrance fees, accommodation, catering, etc., but mainly the fare and tour guide explanation fee. If it is a boutique tour or an in-depth tour, no matter if the tour fee is reported or The consumption level of accommodation, catering, specialty products, etc. will be quite different from that of large group day trips,” the person said.

With the emergence of new characteristics in the cultural tourism market, how should Chongqing seize the opportunity?

Data from the Municipal Commission of Culture and Tourism shows that during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday this year, 5A-level scenic spots, urban tours, and red tourism have all been welcomed. For example, the Hongyadong Folk Customs Area received 152,000 tourists, and the Ciqikou Ancient Town Scenic Area received 105,000 tourists, both of which are highly popular.

According to a report released by Fliggy, nearly 70% of this year’s Dragon Boat Festival trips were born in the 1990s, and the number of bookings for afternoon tours at the end of 00 has the fastest growth rate. In addition to the high demand for surrounding tours, niche immersive experiences such as cruise ship script killing and “Mars camp” have emerged, as well as new highlights such as night tours and red tourism.

In this context, how should Chongqing seize the opportunity? Professor Luo Zibo, chief expert of the Yangtze River Tourism Research Base of China Tourism Research Institute and senior consultant of Chongqing Tourism Economic Development, told upstream news reporters: “This year’s Dragon Boat Festival is restricted by the short period of time and the rebound of the epidemic in some areas. The flow of tourists in Chongqing is still It is a good result to be able to reach the level of the same period in 2019, which proves that the tourism market is recovering. After years of development, the level of tourism consumption in Chongqing has been improved, but there is still much room for improvement.”

He suggested that, from the perspective of tourism products, for traditional festivals such as Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival and Spring Festival, each scenic spot should combine its own characteristics, integrate traditional cultural experience activities into it, pay attention to the development of cultural connotation, and extend to tourism specialties and cultural and creative products. Currently, the development of this area is still not enough. Second, the Chongqing tourism market needs to further improve the quality of tourism products, do a good job of stratification of customer groups, and provide corresponding products according to the needs of different customer groups; third, pay attention to the needs of young tourists. Post-90s, post-95s, and post-00s have quite different travel preferences from those born in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. It can focus on entertainment, entertainment, performing arts, catering, etc., to enhance fashion, sense of participation, and enrich the types of tourism products.

In addition, regarding the improvement of tourism experience, an industry source pointed out: “First of all, Chongqing should seize the needs of high-end tourists, upgrade the hotel construction and development, and build the hotel in a deep, high-quality, and themed direction. The second is , Chongqing can develop more night tourism projects, in addition to traditional catering consumption, add more tourism-derived experience forms, more night tourism gameplay, and create unique night tourism IP.”

Regarding souvenirs, Liao Wei, general manager of Chongqing China Travel Service Group, believes: “Compared with the previous two years, Chongqing’s tourism consumption in eating, playing, and housing has improved significantly. However, in terms of buying, due to travel companions The souvenirs are still concentrated on twists, rice crackers and other delicacies. The packaging lacks quality and creativity, and cannot fully meet the gift-giving needs of consumers everywhere. It is recommended to develop a collection of special gift packages for gift-giving needs in the future, and enhance the fashion of outer packaging , Aesthetics; in addition, we should continue to explore the characteristic cultures of various regions, develop practical and beautiful products, so that more Chongqing intangible cultural heritage culture can be accepted by more foreign tourists.”

Upstream News Reporter Tang Xiaoyin Wen·Picture·Video

According to media reports, the Biden government may launch its first arms sales to Taiwan, providing M109A6 self-propelled howitzers to Taiwan, China. According to the “Global Times” quoted a Taiwan media report on April 20, the Taipei Office of the “American Institute in Taiwan” has notified the Taiwan side that the United States will announce the procedure for notifying the Congress of Taiwan’s procurement of the M109A6 self-propelled howitzer in the near future. The head of Taiwan’s defense department responded that the arms purchase case has been promoted for a long time, but has not received an official notification from the US government. If the arms sales to Taiwan are confirmed in the near future, then compared to the first batch of arms sales to Taiwan proposed by former U.S. President Trump half a year after taking office (June 2017), Biden’s footsteps are obviously a bit faster. The signal sparked outside discussion. Some experts said that this also indicates that the Biden administration is likely to play the “Taiwan card” more and more, and it is also responding to the demands of anti-China elements and military enterprises in the United States. According to CCTV military reports on the 21st, citing Taiwan media, senior officials of Taiwan’s defense department confirmed in Taiwan’s legislature on the 19th that Taiwan is seeking US approval to sell AGM-158 missiles. This is the first time that the Taiwan military has recently publicly confirmed that it is seeking to purchase air-launched long-range precision strike weapons from the United States. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China has repeatedly reiterated that the US arms sales to the Taiwan region seriously violated the “One China” principle and the three Sino-US joint communiqués, grossly interfered in China’s internal affairs, seriously undermined China’s sovereignty and security interests, and sent wrong statements to the “Taiwan independence” separatist forces. The signal seriously damages Sino-US relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. China firmly opposes this. The M109A6 self-propelled howitzer equipped by the US military. What are the considerations behind Biden’s first arms sales to Taiwan? Taiwan’s “United Daily News” reported on the 19th that the Taipei Office of the “American Institute in Taiwan” notified Taiwan in March, and the US Department of Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) will shortly notify Taiwan on Taiwan’s procurement of the M109A6 self-propelled howitzer. Announcement of Congress procedures; and this year, Taiwan will negotiate agreements with the United States through multiple channels such as the “American Institute in Taiwan” Taipei Office and the Taipei Military Mission in the United States to discuss the content of the offer to jointly promote the case. It is understood that Taiwan plans to purchase 40 M109A6s. “This is also the first batch of arms sold by the Biden administration to Taiwan.” Taiwan’s land force plans to install them in batches from 2023 to 2025. Taiwan’s military decided to purchase M109A6 in 2019. Starting from 2020, it has set a budget of approximately NT$17.3 billion, because the main artillery equipment of Taiwan’s land-based artillery units has exceeded the age limit. According to relevant information released by the Taiwan region, Taiwan’s land armed forces are currently equipped with about 300 self-propelled howitzers. The models include M109A2, M109A5 and M110A2. The M109 series have a caliber of 155 mm and the M110 series are 203 mm self-propelled howitzers. “These are old-fashioned self-propelled artillery. The two M109s equipped in Taiwan use a 39-caliber 155mm artillery with a maximum range of only 30 kilometers and a low degree of automation.” Military expert Han Dong said, “At present, the world Advanced self-propelled howitzers have long been equipped with 52-caliber 155mm self-propelled howitzers, with a range generally exceeding 50 kilometers. They have autoloaders and new guided artillery shells, and have a high degree of automation. Taiwan’s self-propelled howitzers are already very backward.”

“Most of these self-propelled howitzers provided by the United States have been in service for more than 40 years, and some are still second-hand. The latest M109A5 also arrived in 1998, and the oldest M110A2 self-propelled howitzer has even been in service for more than 60 years and is an’antique’ equipment. “Han Dong said.

Taiwan’s “Defense Shutter” magazine once stated that Taiwan’s artillery has been ignored for a long time, and its main equipment is old. Even the relatively new M109 self-propelled artillery has been in service for more than 30 years. There are problems such as inconvenient maintenance, reduced integrity, and outdated performance. .

The M109A6 is an active self-propelled howitzer in the U.S. Army. Compared with the M109A5 artillery, the biggest difference is that the current mainstream 52-caliber 155mm artillery is used. The range has been increased. If the extended-range projectile is used, the range can reach 30 kilometers. The “Sword” precision-guided projectile has a range of up to 40 kilometers. In addition, the gun adopts a semi-automatic loading mechanism and a fire control system, and the degree of automation, rate of fire and firing accuracy have been further improved.

If the Biden administration conducts its first arms sales to Taiwan in the near future, the time will be earlier than that of former President Trump’s first arms sales to Taiwan. Jiang Chunliang, a researcher at the Academy of Military Sciences, believes that the arms sold to Taiwan this time are self-propelled artillery. Compared with some offensive weapons, the military stimulus is relatively small. It is an arms sale with more political significance than military significance, because the time has advanced. It shows that the Biden administration is likely to play the “Taiwan card” more and more. It can be said that the weapons are average and the provocations are not small.

“Biden’s first arms sales to Taiwan ahead of schedule are in response to the demands of domestic anti-China elements and military industrial enterprises, and it is also the implementation of the “National Security Strategy Interim Guidelines” released last month.” Jiang Chunliang told The Paper (www.thepaper.cn) ), “This is (intent) to tell the anti-China forces in the United States that the Biden administration will continue to play the’Taiwan card’ and pay more attention to the strategy of’using Taiwan to control China’ so that it can gain more chips.”

On April 7, the US guided missile destroyer “McCain” crossed the Taiwan Strait. Less than three months after Biden came to power, US warships have crossed the Taiwan Strait four times. The frequency and number of times are relatively rare.

Military expert Han Dong told The Paper that the 40 M109A6 self-propelled howitzers have limited firepower to Taiwan’s military, and the weapons that Taiwan military needs most to enhance air and sea dominance, such as long-range air-to-surface missiles, fifth-generation stealth fighters, stealth drones, Submarine and “Aegis” battleship. Without air supremacy, these land warfare weapons will all become the targets of fighters.

Regarding the US arms sales to Taiwan, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly reiterated that US arms sales to Taiwan seriously violated the “One China” principle and the three Sino-US Joint Communiqués, especially the provisions of the August 17 Communiqué, which grossly interfered in China’s internal affairs. Serious damage to China’s sovereignty and security interests, sending wrong signals to the “Taiwan independence” separatist forces, and serious damage to Sino-US relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. China firmly opposes this. China urges the U.S. to abide by the one-China principle and the three Sino-U.S. joint communiqués, stop arms sales to Taiwan and US-Taiwan military ties, and immediately cancel the arms sales plan to Taiwan, so as not to cause damage to Sino-U.S. relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. Further damage.

AGM-158 missile

Taiwan seeks more offensive weapons

In addition to purchasing new self-propelled howitzers from the United States, Taiwan is also actively seeking long-range air-launched cruise missiles from the United States. The senior officials of Taiwan’s defense department confirmed that Taiwan is seeking US approval to sell the AGM-158 missile. All announced Taiwan-US military purchases are progressing normally.

This is the first time that the Taiwan military has recently publicly confirmed that it is seeking to purchase air-launched long-range precision strike weapons from the United States.

According to the “Voice of America” ​​report, AGM-158 is considered to be one of the most advanced air-launched cruise missiles in the world, with a range of 370 kilometers, developed and manufactured by Lockheed Martin. This missile is designed to destroy high-value, well-defense, fixed and mobile targets, and the carrier can launch attacks outside the opponent’s ground air defense system. AGM-158 also has a stealth capability and can fight around the clock, day and night. The models that can carry this missile include Taiwan’s existing F-16 fighters.

“This missile is one of the main weapons used by the U.S. military to strike high-value targets of its opponents. It will not be easily sold to the outside world. It is currently approved for sale to a few countries including Japan.” Military expert Han Dong pointed out, “The AGM-158 missile is the most worthwhile. The two places of concern are the long range, the extended range can even reach thousands of kilometers, and the stealth design, which has strong penetration capabilities, and the threat is still relatively large.”

“It is worth mentioning that the U.S. military has also developed the AGM-158C missile capable of dealing with large ships such as aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships. This missile is an improved version of the U.S. extended-range missile AGM-158B with a range of more than 500 kilometers. The area obtains this kind of missile, the anti-ship capability will be greatly improved.” Han Dong said.

During the Trump era, a major trend in US arms sales to Taiwan was to provide more and more offensive weapons. In October last year, the US State Department approved the sale of weapons and equipment worth more than 1.8 billion US dollars to Taiwan, including the “Hamas” high-mobility rocket launcher system, the “Slam”-ER extended-range air-to-surface missile and the MS-110 reconnaissance pod. Wait.

The most concerned of these weapons for sale are the “Hamas” rocket launcher and the “Slam”-ER air-to-surface missile. The “Hamas” rocket launcher will be equipped with ATACMS ballistic missiles (Army Tactical Missile System). This is the first time that the United States sold the “Lance” ballistic missile to the Taiwan region in the 1970s and provided this weapon again after more than 40 years.

The “New York Times” of the United States pointed out in an earlier article that the most sensitive batch of arms sales to Taiwan is the “Slam”-ER air-to-surface missile, which is improved from the Harpoon anti-ship missile. Mounted on Taiwan’s F-16 fighter, it can strike land and sea targets 300 kilometers away, even after launching, the target can still be changed. Its precision strike capability was once rated as the smallest error among US naval weapons.

Before the AGM-158 “Jasm” air-to-surface cruise missile was equipped with the U.S. Navy on a large scale, the “Slam”-ER was the main weapon of the U.S. Navy’s off-zone strike, with the advantages of long range and high accuracy. A few countries such as South Korea and Turkey have purchased the missile, and they all regard the missile as a “strategic-level” strike weapon.

Background information: 11 arms sales to Taiwan during Trump’s tenure

December 2020 : Field Information and Communication System (US$280 million)

November 2020 : 4 MQ-9 drones (US$600 million)

October 2020 : 100 “Harpoon” shore-to-ship missile systems (US$2.37 billion)

October 2020 : 135 “Slam”-ER air-to-surface missiles, 6 new F-16 reconnaissance pods (MS110) and 11 “Hamas” multiple rocket systems ($1.8113 billion)

July 2020 : “Patriot”-3 missile-related parts and logistics services (US$620 million)

May 2020 : MK 48 Mod6 AT heavy torpedo and its testing equipment and technical logistics services (US$180 million)

August 2019 : 66 F-16V fighters and airborne weapons (US$8 billion)

July 2019 : 108 M1A2T main battle tanks, 14 M88A2 armored rescue vehicles, 250 Stinger portable air defense missiles, etc. (US$2.224 billion)

April 2019 : The F-16 fighter pilot training program for Taiwan’s air power at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona (US$500 million)

September 2018 ：F-16 fighter jets, IDF fighter jets and other four types of aircraft five-year supply of parts and components and related logistics support systems (330 million US dollars)

June 2017 : 50 “Hamm” anti-radiation missiles, follow-up maintenance of SRP radar, personnel training, etc. (1.42 billion US dollars)

(This article is from The Paper. For more original information, please download the “The Paper” APP)

On April 15, the State Administration for Market Regulation announced that it would impose administrative penalties on Yangzijiang Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Yangzijiang Pharmaceutical”) for implementing a monopoly agreement, with a total fine of 764 million yuan.

According to investigations, from 2015 to 2019, Yangtze River Pharmaceuticals reached a fixed agreement with downstream companies such as drug wholesalers and retail pharmacies by signing cooperation agreements, issuing price adjustment letters, and oral notices across the country (excluding Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan regions). The agreement on drug resale prices and the minimum resale price of drugs, and measures such as formulating implementation rules, strengthening assessment and supervision, penalizing low-price sales dealers, and entrusting intermediary agencies to monitor online drug prices to ensure the implementation of the agreement.

The State Administration of Market Supervision stated that the above-mentioned actions of Yangtze River Pharmaceutical Group ruled out and restricted competition, harmed the legitimate rights and interests of consumers and the public interest, and violated the relevant provisions of the Anti-Monopoly Law.

It takes pains to limit the price of medicines, and consumers will pay for it in the end

Specifically, Yangzi Pharmaceutical restricts the prices of drugs sold in retail pharmacies and distributors, including many best-selling products such as Lanqin Oral Liquid, Bailemian Capsules, and Astragalus Extract. These drugs are well-known and popular in people’s lives. Measured by sales revenue in 2019, Lanqin Oral Liquid ranked first in throat drugs, Astragalus extract ranked third in tonic drugs, and Bailemian Capsules ranked fourth in stabilized sleep drugs. These best-selling drugs are precisely the focus of Yangzijiang Pharmaceutical’s focus on price-fixing.

In order to supervise the sales staff and distributors to strictly implement the fixed and limited price policy, Yang Zijiang Pharmaceutical has taken great pains. Yang Zijiang Pharmaceutical has formulated a detailed price control system and dispatched sales personnel from various places to pharmacies to inspect and secretly visit drug prices. For drugs on Taobao, Tmall, and JD online platforms, Yangzijiang Pharmaceutical has hired a third-party intermediary company to supervise five key drugs (Lanqin Oral Liquid, Bailemian Capsules, Astragalus Extract, Epalrestat Tablets, Suhuang Cough tablets) online retail prices, and regularly submit online merchants’ price information monitoring and processing results to Yangzijiang Pharmaceutical.

If distributors at all levels, retail pharmacies, etc. do not comply, Yangzijiang Pharmaceutical will implement penalties such as deduction of bonuses, internal fines, out of stock, and suspension of reimbursement. At the same time, distributors and retail pharmacies have a certain degree of dependence on these best-selling products, and they have insufficient bargaining power for the fixed and limited price behavior of Yangzijiang Pharmaceutical.

Yang Zijiang Pharmaceutical’s fixed and limited price behavior seems to be divided from the interests of distributors and pharmacies at all levels, but in fact it raises the price of medicines, and consumers eventually pay for it. The economic analysis takes Shanghai as a sample and simulates the competitive retail prices of some drugs from Yangzijiang Pharmaceutical in 2018 and 2019, and compares them with the actual retail prices and hospital purchase prices in the same period. The results show that this behavior has caused significant drug prices. rise. Statistical analysis shows that the retail channel ex-factory price of Lanqin oral liquid (10ml*6 bottles) from 2015 to 2019 and the average terminal retail price from 2018 to 2020 have shown an upward trend year by year.

However, patients always follow the doctor’s advice or follow the pharmacist’s recommendation when purchasing medicines, so they are not sensitive to the price of medicines and often lose their interests without knowing it.

Anti-monopoly incidents occur frequently in the pharmaceutical field, and national law enforcement and supervision continue to be stricter

Due to the particularity of the pharmaceutical industry, it is difficult to form sufficient market competition from the production and supply of raw materials, the production of pharmaceutical companies and the marketing of pharmaceuticals. A small number of manufacturing companies control the production and supply of APIs. These companies take advantage of market dominance to obtain price dominance, and thus may form a monopoly. At the same time, the current pharmaceutical industry has formed a highly concentrated market pattern, and many pharmaceutical companies secretly manipulate market prices through monopoly agreements, leading to price increases or shortages of drugs.

Fortunately, in recent years, the anti-monopoly law enforcement supervision in the pharmaceutical field has continued to tighten, and news that pharmaceutical companies have been punished due to monopoly has been reported frequently in the industry. In April 2020, the State Administration of Market Supervision imposed administrative penalties on three calcium gluconate API distributors, Shandong Kanghui Pharmaceutical, Weifang Taiyangshen Pharmaceutical, and Weifang Puyunhui Pharmaceutical, for their monopolistic activities, with a total fine of 325.5 million yuan. In January 2021, Simcere Pharmaceutical abused its dominant position in the sales market of China’s Batroxobin concentrate API, and refused to conduct transactions with counterparties without justifiable reasons, ruled out market competition, and was fined 100.7 million yuan. Yuan Renminbi. In April of the same year, Tianyao Co., Ltd. divided the sales market of fluocinolone acetate raw materials in the form of agreement, and changed and fixed the price of fluocinolone acetate raw materials to eliminate competition that restricted the sales of fluocinolone acetate raw materials, and was fined 44,022,600 yuan. .

At the same time, the state has successively introduced a series of measures to strengthen supervision and increase penalties. In 2017, my country issued the “Guidelines for the Price Behavior of Short Drugs and API Operators”, which became the first price monopoly guide for the pharmaceutical industry since the implementation of China’s anti-monopoly law. Subsequently, the “Opinions on Further Doing a Good Job in Maintaining Supply and Stabilizing Prices of Drugs in Shortage”, “Antitrust Guidelines in the Field of APIs (Draft for Solicitation of Comments)”, etc. In January of this year, the China Chemical Pharmaceutical Industry Association (CPIA) released the latest “Regulations for Compliance Management in the Pharmaceutical Industry”, with anti-monopoly being the focus of it.

It is reported that Yangzijiang Pharmaceutical, which was heavily fined this time, is a leading domestic pharmaceutical company. The “2019 China Pharmaceutical Industry Top 100 List” released by the China Pharmaceutical Industry Information Center shows that Yangzijiang Pharmaceutical ranked first in China’s top 100 pharmaceutical industry that year. Has been ranked first for 6 consecutive years. It is foreseeable that heavy penalties for industry leaders will have a huge deterrent effect on industry monopoly behavior.

It is worth mentioning that, according to Jiemian News, Yangtze River Pharmaceuticals previously reported to the court that four companies, Guangzhou Hairui Pharmaceuticals, Hefei Medical Engineering and Pharmaceuticals, Hefei Enruit Pharmaceuticals, and Nanjing Haichen Pharmaceuticals, were suspected of monopoly of APIs. Prosecute. In April 2020, the first instance of the case was concluded, and Yangzijiang Pharmaceutical was awarded nearly 70 million in compensation. And a year later, Yangtze River Pharmaceutical lost more than ten times the money it had earned by suing others for its monopoly because of its own monopoly.

President Volodymyr Zelensky during his latest visit to the frontline area in eastern Ukraine. Photo: Getty

Speaking to CNN reporters during a visit to the frontline area in the East on April 12, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that “an invasion” from Russia was highly likely and that Ukraine was ready to face the challenge when it was a story related to the country’s territory.

The West has also officially voiced concerns about Russian military movement in the region bordering Ukriane. European Council spokesman Peter Stano said on April 12 that the European Union hoped there would be no escalation of tensions or conflict in eastern Ukraine, urging Russia to avoid steps that could increase tensions in the region. He also said the Ukraine issue would be on the agenda at the meeting of EU foreign ministers, scheduled to open next April 19.

For its part, Moscow insists that the movement of soldiers and weapons within Russian territory is normal, in order to ensure the security and territorial defense of Russia, not a threat to anyone. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on April 12 also reiterated the view that Russia needs to pay attention to the Russian-speaking ethnic community around the world in general and that need is increasingly urgent for communities in the two self-proclaimed donbass countries, who are also rejected by the Kiev authorities.

The war 10 sides expected: However, a large-scale clash in Eastern Ukraine is less likely, especially between Russia and Ukraine.

The Ukraine issue was a prominent factor in Mr Biden’s proposal to meet with President Putin at a phone call between the two leaders on April 13. Photo: CNN

On the Ukrainian side, the key issue lies in the that President Zelensky is losing credibility, political position. Many of the initiatives he outlined when he came to power were deadlocked. He also lost support within the ruling People’s People’s Party.

Many members of the party see, with recent steps – such as passing language laws, shuting down anti-Russian broadcasters, Mr. Zelensky is following the agenda of his predecessor Poroshenko. This means losing personal status, entering the next election with many unfavorable factors.

U.S. and Western backing is also a factor kiev must take into account. To date, the U.S. has expressed great support for Ukraine, but is in favor of claiming to be the main one. President Joe Biden pledged “backing first as one” to kiev authorities, including military aid. The White House also urged European allies, especially France and Germany, to stand side by side with Ukraine.

But the most desirable thing is that modern weapons and the prospect of NATO membership remain out of Kiev’s reach. Without both of these factors, Ukraine would not dare risk opening a war in Donbass, because it would be an act of suicide.

Ukrainian President Andriy Yermak made a blunt offer to the West, saying: “Ukraine is the anti-Russian frontline of the West. But look, where does the U.S. deploy the Patriot missile defense system? The closest point is Poland. Such systems need to appear in Ukraine”. Ukraine has so far not received missiles, modern weapons capable of repelling enemy air attacks.

Mr Zelensky in a phone call with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on April 6 again asked the military alliance to give a clear roadmap for Ukraine to join NATO. He insisted full membership would be the decisive factor in ending the war in Donbass. In response, NATO argued that Kiev must first focus on domestic reforms and develop its defense potential in a way that is in close proximity to the bloc’s standards, which in the end will be considered.

For Russia, the move to close ukraine’s borders is a way for Moscow to move its message to the West, which is not necessarily a warm-up for a new conflict with Kiev. According to Michael Kofman, Director of the Research Division on Russia at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), Russia deliberately publicly moved its troops, in order for Ukraine and the West to recognize it. Russia’s primary purpose is to pressure Kiev and some Western allies as progress on implementing the Minsk II ceasefire agreement is intended and in line with its interests.ch of Moscow.

The Ukrainian leadership is also in the ting of this evaluation trend. President Zelensky sees Russia’s actions as a test against the West. What Moscow wants is to “escalate tensions” to the threshold enough for the U.S. and NATO to step down in favor of Kiev, hesitating to recognize Ukraine as a real partner.

Military pressure is a step for Moscow to establish its influence in Ukraine as it wishes. Russia did so after noticing that hopes for current construction in Ukraine through political measures were gone, with decisions by Mr Zelensky’s administration on sanctioning elements, the anti-Russian political force, shut down Russian-language broadcast TV channels. It means that the scenario of a leader, the russian party is unlikely to be in power in Kiev in the near future – something that lies in Moscow’s long-term calculations.

President Zelensky’s administration did not want to risk escalating the war in Donbass, because the consequences were too great. Mr Putin may still decide to launch a total force offensive, which is that Ukraine is almost incapable of resisting and that it is “really scary,” as the Kiev leader himself admits. But on the public side, Mr. Zelensky is not allowed to reveal it.

As the purpose of the parties gradually reveals, statements or military moves can be just a cover, a way to create pressure and public opinion to be able to reach the negotiating table with the greatest advantage.