The second IE Expo Guangzhou, a regional spin-off of IE Expo China – Asia’s leading trade fair for environmental technologies – will be held from 24 to 26 November 2016 in Guangdong. The aim of this year’s edition is to present solutions for water, waste, air and soil management in southern China. The Guangdong Environmental Protection Industry Association is one of the organisers of the IE Expo Guangzhou together with the relevant local government departments. Six hundred exhibitors and 30,000 visitors are expected in November. A forum on technologies and innovation in environmental protection will be held on the sidelines of the trade fair.
Singapore presents 2016 budget, 4.5 million incentives for SMEs
Singapore presented its 2016 budget. Spending is expected to reach 79.9 billion Singapore dollars (53 billion euros), an increase over the previous year. Government revenues are also expected to increase over the same period, mainly due to investment returns from Temasek and GIC sovereign wealth funds. The country will achieve a 3.5 billion dollar surplus, which will act as a “safety cushion” should an expansionary fiscal policy be called for in case the economic situation deteriorates further. One of the main budget measures will be to launch a five-year 4.5 billion dollar Industrial Transformation Program (ITP) to strengthen SMEs through economic incentives for process innovation and technological development. The creation of a new technological innovation district, the Jurong Innovation District, by 2022, was also announced.
