There has been a series of regulatory changes in China since 2019, mainly taking place in new economy sectors, first with gaming, then fintech, and now private education. On July 23, Beijing announced new rules barring for-profit tutoring in core school subjects to ease financial pressure on families. These regulatory measures have had a major impact on the equity market especially for the affected industries, though the short-term macro impact has remained limited.

In 2019, DEME together with Econopolis nv, Tractebel Engineering nv/sa and University of Liège joined forces in a study on the potential of energy islands off the Belgian coast. Future energy developments off the coast represent an important driver of the blue growth in Belgium and promotes therefore the energy transition to achieve our ambitious climate goals in 2030 and 2050.

As we had all hoped, Covid-related conditions are generally improving, and quite rapidly in fact as infections and fatalities worldwide continue to decline with the arrival of Covid-19 vaccines.

Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year, begins celebrations on the eve starting from February 11^th, 2021 and lasts until February 26^th, 2021. According to the Chinese zodiac, 2021 is a Metal Ox year. The most iconic sculpture of a Metal Ox is the Charging Bull on Wall Street, a bronze sculpture right in Manhattan’s Financial District. The Ox occupies the second position in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac and the reason for its placing can be found in a well-known story, The Great Race Story of the Chinese Zodiac.